#i guess it's up to the author just how connected soulmates are and how that kind of reveal happens

[blindmagdalena]

really obsessed with soulmate au’s recently and it got me thinking… what if john’s soulmate was part of the boys? a girl trying to kill him with an entire group of people also trying to kill him… and he’s fated to her? could picture him finding out and just putting his hands on his hips while turning his back to her and doing that click chuckle thing. just in utter disbelief but it is definitely on track for fate’s little play with him and his life lolol

Oohhh, you know, I've never played much with the soulmate au concept, but this struck me just right because I can so clearly see the slow, building meltdown that strikes him when that reveal drops.

The mirthless laugh, shaking his head, the hapless gesture to the ceiling before his hands drop. "Of course. Of course it's you. Why wouldn't it be? I mean—Christ, it makes sense, doesn't it? Every single person who was supposed to love me has-has fucked it, so why—" he keeps cutting into this escalating, unsettling laughter. There's nothing funny about it: you're sure that you're watching someone lose the last shred of their sanity in real time. "Why would my 'soulmate'-", he says, miming big, dramatic quotation marks. "-be any different?" That manic grin has shifted into tight baring of his teeth, a vicious sneer. He closes in on you, stands so near you can feel the heat of his breath when he hisses, "I should put you in the fucking dirt with the rest of them."

It should be terrifying, but it's hard to focus on anything other than the glassiness of his eyes. The sheer devastating heartbreak of it all, telegraphed clear as day in the way he carries himself. His eyes flare red, sizzling up the tears before they can fall. "And then you really will be all alone," you say. Maybe it's the hopelessness of the moment, maybe it's the shock of learning for yourself that he's supposed to be your one and only, but you feel numb. Frayed in a way you didn't know you could be. The crimson light of his eyes disappears in an instant, revealing surprise, followed by a wounded kind of look, before that familiar seething rage returns. "We'll see about that."

#oh man i could get carried away with this real easy #i did here lbr #i guess it's up to the author just how connected soulmates are and how that kind of reveal happens #idk i'm a baby to the genre #but it would be very fun to write a situation where HL wants to strangle them just as much as he wants to snuggle up in their lap #they're at odds in every conceivable way but there is this soul deep pull to one another #coming to terms with the fact passion is the root of BOTH hatred and love #also the idea that HL was sincerely holding out hope all this time that his One Perfect Person was out there waiting for him wounds ME #only to be struck down by the realization that oh they ALSO want him dead #aaaaaaAAAAAAA #i'm sorry i'm so rambly today lmao thank you for the ask!!! i'm gonna have brain worms all day #darling anon #ask and you shall receive #homelander x reader #homelander x you #soulmate au #my writing

[weirdkpopgirl]

Connection | Jisung Fic 1 (PT.2)

Title: Connection (part two)

Genre: Soulmate au

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1422k

Author’s Note: Here is the second part of the Jisung soulmate request. I’m sorry if this isn’t as good as it could be. But thank you for reading ^ - ^

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“Jisung-ah, what’s wrong?” The leader shook the boy lightly on the shoulder. 

“Hyung…I think my soulmate is here,” He said, still looking at his soulmate. He was afraid that he would lose her in the crowd if he looked away.

Mark gasped, “Wait, seriously? Where?”

Jisung hesitantly gestured in the direction of the girl with soft brown eyes and long, chestnut hair. He was still trying to make sense of it all. Was this real?

Did he really find you?

┈┈

You still haven’t quite fathomed the fact that the main dancer of a famous k-pop group was your soulmate. It was hard to concentrate on the performances and mini-games the guys did. But the more you thought about it, the more it all began to make sense. Dancing, schedules, being up at crazy hours. How had you not put it all together until now?

Before you knew it, the event was nearly over. The last part was letting the VIPs go up to take pictures with the members. Excitedly, Seoyeon dragged you with her to get in line.

But you struggled to be excited with her. Somehow with all the craziness that’s happened to you lately, being in this situation was not what you imagined. Jisung had definitely noticed you in the crowd. And now you were mere minutes away from being face to face.

Seoyeon lightly shook your shoulder, “(Y/n)-ah, are you not feeling well today? You look like you’re about to have a panic attack.”

You shrugged her off and smiled, trying to hide the fact that you were trying not to freak out. “Just nervous, I guess,” You said quietly, not wanting to worry your friend.

Stuck in your thoughts, you almost didn’t notice when it was your turn to go up. The members greeted you both politely as the staff members ushered you guys around to prepare for the camera. Coincidentally, you were positioned in front of Jisung.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” 

Your heart nearly leaped out of your chest when you heard him speak.

“I—um…” You stuttered, seeming to have forgotten how to form sentences.

The two of you exchanged a short glance before the cameras rolled and the photo was taken just like that. But before you could be led off the stage, Jisung slipped a piece of paper into your hand.

Understanding what he was trying to do, you crumpled the paper in your fist and opened it once you were a good distance away. The note said to meet him after the fan meeting was over. Though your hands were trembling and the apprehension was overwhelming, you told Seoyeon to go first as you were going to wait for the bus.

That was how you found yourself anxiously waiting in the lobby of the venue. After some time passed, you wondered if you were being tricked. But just as you were losing hope, a tall boy wearing a black hoodie showed up. 

“Hey. Sorry for making you wait,” He said, slightly out of breath.

“I-It’s okay,” You heard yourself say. 

You blinked a few times, hardly able to believe that Park Jisung was still in front of you. Before you were never too interested in celebrities and you’ve only become a fan of his recently. Although all his makeup was removed, and his shaggy bangs partially covered his eyes, you still felt starstruck. Which you felt slightly ashamed for being swayed so easily. He was just a normal human being at the end of the day.

Jisung suggested you guys talk somewhere that’s more private. So he brought you backstage into one of the dressing rooms. You were kind of stiff around each other, considering you were both socially awkward people.

“I think I heard your friend calling you (Y/n)?” Jisung eventually spoke first, though he was terrified. He wasn’t used to being alone with a girl. 

You tried not to look too shocked. It just felt weird to hear him say your name.

“Yeah, Kim (Y/n).”

“I guess it’s nice to know that my soulmate is a fan,” He joked, after another small silence.

You nervously fidgeted with the strap on your bag. “I actually heard you singing in your thoughts and that’s how I discovered your music.”

“Oh really?” 

He didn’t expect that. To think that he was the reason you became a fan. If you hadn’t heard him, you’d probably have an even lesser chance of finding each other.

“Yeah, I guess I should thank you,” You said.

Jisung smiled and asked what songs of theirs you liked. He watched as your eyes brightened when you answered his question. As the conversation continued on its own, both of you began to feel more relaxed around each other.

You told him you were attending a university and majoring in psychology. It now made sense to Jisung, why you spent so much time studying. On the other hand, he told you what it was like being an idol and how it can get tiring at times. Though nervous to be around each other at first, letting things flow naturally seemed to work out best for you both.

Maybe it was because you were soulmates. But the more you talked to Jisung, the more you could see yourself falling for him. He pretty much felt the same way.

┈┈

(bonus)

A few months have passed since you and Jisung found each other. Neither of you had much experience with dating, so you took things slowly. It was sort of exciting to see your bond grow. He also let you meet his members who were super loud, but supportive to you both.

One of the strangest things you two discovered was how physical affection seemed to strengthen you. For example, if you two held hands, you would feel energized for the rest of the day. 

Eventually, as you got closer, you guys learned that hugs felt even nicer. Jisung was taller than you, but he was so gentle. Hugging brought you two so much warmth and comfort, especially on tiring days. 

“You know, there’s one thing we still haven’t tried,” Jisung said to you one day. The two of you were chilling on the couch, at his dorm.

You looked up from the book in your hands and raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“You know…kissing,” He muttered, fidgeting with his phone. 

Already, you worked the courage to give each other an occasional peck on the cheek or forehead. But Jisung had been wondering how it would feel to really kiss you. He just wasn’t too sure how to go about it.

Once you understood the message, a smile crept on your face. Feeling a little daring, you locked arms with the boy next to you.

“Do you want to try and see what happens?”

Without a second thought, he nodded eagerly which slightly surprised you. How were you going to do this without blushing like crazy?

“Please don’t laugh if it turns out I’m a terrible kisser,” You said.

Jisung chuckled, “If anything, I’d be bad at it.”

Nervous laughs were exchanged, unsure of where to put your hands or which angle was best. You took a deep breath and met Jisung’s eyes, trying to ignore how fast your heart was beating right now.

“Let’s just take it slow,” You murmured. “There’s no need to rush things.”

Jisung nodded, his hands cupped your face as you placed yours atop his shoulders. To your surprise, Jisung made the first move and leaned in to kiss you. You didn’t expect kissing him to feel so soft and sweet.

It was a little messy at first, both of you being new to this. But it didn’t take long for you to adjust. You found yourself gripping a little tighter to his sweatshirt, as the kiss slowly became more passionate.

Eventually, you realized you needed to breathe. The two of you pulled away with moist lips and slightly tousled hair.

“Was it bad?” You brought yourself to ask, still a little self-conscious.

Jisung shook his head and brought you closer to him.

“I think I must just become addicted to you, (Y/n)-ah.”

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re soulmates isn’t it?” You leaned your head against his shoulder, wearing a shy smile.

His words were kinda cheesy. But you honestly felt the same. You felt so much stronger after you kissed, feeling like you could take on the whole world.

So consider this little experiment a success?

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part one

#nct #nct dream #jisung soulmate au #park jisung #nct soulmate au #kpop #fluff #soulmate fic #nctzen #czennie #jisungie

[etherealdiva]

So here’s my thought on this! okay so Saturn the planet of karma (among other things 🙃) so what if in the synastry chart where Saturn is placed between you and your partner (friend, family, platonic, business, anyone!) like if you do them wrong or vice versa then that persons/your house gets affected.

My thoughts on the house placements: look at the synastry!

1st house- karma affects the appearance of the body and their confidence

2nd house- karma affects their income, their self worth, their voice even (maybe they get sick, laryngitis)

3rd house- karma affects their relationship with their close relatives, with their speech, their learning ability or maybe they don’t gain success if they write, publish, or start a podcast. Maybe their car breaks down also.

4th house- karma affects their family, their home (example: maybe they’re moving but can’t find an affordable place or something breaks in their home) their relationship with their mother/ authority figure

5th house- karma affects their creativity, their children (their relationship with them), their confidence, their performance and maybe losses in gambling

6th house- karma affects their health, their enemies are obvious and shown to them, rocky relationships with their coworkers, their jobs

7th house- karma affects their relationships (platonic, business and love) they might have trouble making connections or those people turn out to be their enemies

8th house- karma affects their resources, their sex life is either non existent or not good, they have trouble healing and getting over the partner who affected them

9th house- karma affects their travel plans, spirituality, they aren’t optimistic

10th house- karma affects their career, relationship with their father/authority figure/boss and their public image

11th house- karma affects their manifestations, their friendships and how they act and are seen in their community

12th- karma affects their mental health and their sub conscious. They probably always think about you and will never forget you.

Like a guy I dated my Saturn is in his 12th and well he ghosted me…I’m pretty sure we’re each other karmic soulmates though but idk. I was stupid to give him another chance that he ghosted me again 🥲🙃🥴 anyways though like he was lurking my Instagram for MONTHS. I know I was living in his head rent free cause I knew he was stalking my page. I moved to another state and told him and wanted to meet up to say hey but he just didn’t even respond 🤷🏽‍♀️ guess his conscience was bothered I mean I don’t know. He even sent me a follow request this year LOL I denied it. I also have my Saturn, Mars, Neptune, Uranus and Part of Fortune so I’m sure he’ll never forget me 😏

Let me know if this resonates!!

#astrotheory #astrology #astrology notes #astro notes #astrology tumblr #zodiac #zodiac signs #astro community #astrology observations #natal astrology #astro natal #astrology101 #astrology indications #astro observations #saturn #karma in signs #saturn placements #vedic astrology #astro #astrologer #synastry chart #saturn in synastry #synastryplacements

[sleeperswakewriting]

Have you heard about the soulmate phantom touch AU? Its where the soulmates share the sensation of touch in their bodies. I discovered it recently and can't help but laugh when I imagine Levi getting horny and being like "she's going at it again??" 😂

my fanfic author confession is that sometimes I go through the soulmate AU list and imagine different rivetra scenarios 😂

Rating: M

Word Count: 800

You’d think Levi would be used to it by now. Those little touches, caresses, sometimes hug if it were around dinner time and he was alone in his office. Even before he met Petra, the fact that she existed meant he was never touch starved. After his mother died, when he was on death’s door and crawled into the dark, cold corner with nothing but a threadbare nightgown to keep him warm, the small skirting along his arms and phantom kisses on his forehead kept him warm. 

He knew, even back then, that whoever his soulmate was, she was loved. 

Not all soulmates were romantic. Platonic wasn’t a strong enough word. Sometimes soulmates existed because the universe knew you needed each other. Pain didn’t exist in this soulmate algorithm, and Levi wished he had something to offer his soulmate in return. When Isabel and Farlan entered his world, he let the handshakes go on longer and the hugs from Isabel linger. He wondered if she could feel the gentle press of their bodies as they made it through their next night while it guided him into slumber. 

“Hello, sir. My name is Petra Ral and I’m honored to be selected as a member of your squad.” 

People called the soulmate connection a reckoning. Levi scoffed at that; the only reckoning he ever faced was getting the shit beat of him in the streets and seeing his friends murdered before his eyes. He didn’t expect a woman to turn his world upside down, much less someone he assumed he’d never cross paths with within a life that seemed set on killing him. But here it was, fair-skinned, ginger hair, and a smile that he’d be lucky to elicit. Time stopped as her palm pressed into his, their fingers like a fire receiving its first stoke, and all at once, Levi knew.

She felt it too. Though later, when he asked her about it, Petra would say it felt like everything was finally right in her 25 years of existence, and she was glad it was him. 

“I knew you were out there. I felt handshakes now and then. But the thing that struck me was how faint the other touches were. It wasn’t until I saw you on the battlefield that I finally understood. You always touch inches from death.” 

The first time she caressed his face, feeling the sensation on his cheek and the tingle in his hands, it was too much. As if in a trance, he just let her trace her like a cartographer making a map.

“You’re beautiful, you know,” she murmured, pressing her forehead to his heart, then pressed a palm over her own. “But we don’t have to be anything more than this. I know the position I put you in.” 

More than captain and subordinate? Or friends? Levi didn’t know what love was before her. He received glimpses from his mother, but it was feeling more and more distant as time went on. Soulmates were more than arbitrary pairings, he could listen to Petra talk for hours, hold her hand in the cold, and rest his head on her lap for eternity. 

When they were together, it was like a weighted comfort, but they never breached that wall of intimacy, treading into romance. If simple touches overwhelmed him, then he knew he would cry the moment they kissed. Petra wasn’t new to this, dabbling with boys when she was younger, a fact Levi remembered as a late teenager. It nearly tripped him the first time he felt it, a late summer afternoon after a theft job. Farlan made fun of him, asking what his soulmate was up to this time, and he guessed by the red look on Levi’s face. 

Farlan didn’t have a soulmate. Neither did Isabel. Did the goddesses know they didn’t have a lot of time left? Or did theirs meet the same fate before either of them knew? 

It was night, and Levi tapped his foot against the wood of the floor. Petra’s ministrations were growing; sexual touches were never spoken about between the two of them even though they knew it occurred. That was the special thing about soulmates, your secrets were theirs too. But something was different this time, with Petra taking her time, and he swore she was teasing him with how he felt his own need flaming. 

But like a whisper, with a nail scratching against his left forearm, the murmurations of his name began to form. 

L e v i 

She repeated the letters over and over again while the yearning grew in their centers. Faster, firmer, Levi squeezed his eyes shut, thinking of Petra touching him until—

It was gone. 

Already chasing her high, releasing her fingers, Levi stood up from his chair as he darted down the hallway, not even bothering to knock as he flung Petra’s door open. Flushed, sweat-slicked, with her mouth gaping open with her hand between her legs, he took her face between his hands. Grinning, Petra closed the gap between them, and Levi could feel the smile between her kiss. Like a thousand explosions, their souls sighed with each nerve igniting and reigniting.

Finally.

#rivetra #rivetra fanfiction #levi x petra #my fics

[multifandomthoughts]

Matcha Tea with the Joker

Requested by: @radicalskedaddle

Trigger Warnings: Canon-typical violence

Gender Neutral reader

Author’s Note: I struggled a bit with the soulmate aspect because…well it’s the joker so it may be a little less than normal.

Part of the Soulmate Tea Party Event!

The metal bars creak as they are swung open. Someone, somewhere has let you out, and you’re not going to waste another second in prison. Arkham Asylum was your home, housing some of the fiercest and most dangerous criminals Gotham had ever seen. You ended up being sent there after using your powers to melt through bank vaults, collecting and hoarding your riches.

Sure, it wasn’t the most evil thing to be done, but it was more about what potential you had as a villain. Nobody was quite sure what your power stems from. Acid, heat, sheer displacement and dissolving of matter? It was a big unknown, but there had yet to be an object you couldn’t melt through. Dashing around corners and sliding through walls, your abilities ate through all the obstacles in your path; you couldn’t help but cackle hysterically.

However, just as you were about to be free of the eternal deathtrap, you stopped; an idea popped into your head. What if you were to meet some of the other patients and form an alliance? Within seconds you hear laughing. And it was getting closer. and closer. In all your years living in Gotham, you’ve heard that laugh many times. At first you had lived in fear of it, but now that you have powers of your own it’s almost a welcoming call, from someone you can relate to.

Sure, his motives and the way he expressed them were a bit strange, but he understood the joy of the kill, of breaking all the pretty things others built and reducing to society to a lawless wasteland. And before you knew it, you were face to face with him, an almost fake smile plastered across his face. “Pleased to meet you, surely you’ve heard of me?”

“I’d have to live under a rock to not know who the Joker is. We all know your claims to fame, however I’m locked up for burning holes through a couple buildings trying to get away from Batman! That’s what connects all of us here, we have a common enemy!” You we’re about to say another word when other thoughts invaded your head. It was the first time, and the last time that you’d see them.

“I can’t believe how destructive they are…and for a new villain too. Such damage, such a display of destruction with not a care in the world. The world will fall to our knees and they will be the ones to help me. That is, if they have a say in the matter, which they don’t.” And with that, the thought was gone.

Unbeknownst to you, your thoughts rang through his head as well. “I was never sure why I grew up relating to this killer clown so much, but now that I’m seeing him up close… everything just clicks. It’s like we match perfectly, down to the souls.”

Laughing hysterically all the way, Joker pulls you out of your thoughts. “So what do they call you? The press, the cops, everyone who wants to spread tales of your bad deeds?” You shrug. “Haven’t gotten a big flashy name yet. I guess nobody’s been clever enough to think of a good nickname involving melting.” Joker raises an eyebrow at this, smirking in a very devious manner. “Is that a challenge I hear? There’s no one better at gruesome wordplay and heinous humor than I am, so I suppose you’re trying to entice me to come up with a name for you! Well it won’t work!… Alright, maybe I’ll give it a go later.”

“With the way you’re talking you could be my soulmate! Just like a joke needs it’s punchline.” Joker starts to laugh at that, doubling over and bracing himself with a hand on your shoulder. “Ah! that’s a good one! The Jester of Genocide, with a soulmate to hold dear for the rest of my twisted days!” You both keep laughing about it, until he lifts his head and finds he’s quite near your face now. Neither of you say a word, your face heating up like a steel beam under the effect of your power. Joker’s grin has gone down from manic to something you think might be comfort and ease.

“Would you ever be interested in forming an alliance to defeat the Batman? Your intelligence and my ability could be the key to taking him down! Of course, you’ll get all the credit.” With another maniacal howl, he forces your hand against the wall. “Lead the way, partner. Once we’re on the outside, I’ve got a few hideaways that Bats doesn’t know about yet. We can start hatching a scheme there.” He instructs. This could be the beginning of something beautiful. Maybe he really is your soulmate.

#joker x reader #joker #the joker #dc #dc comics

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2022!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

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251. Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely devoured this book. Although you can tell that this is a product of the time (mainly by certain derogatory words that King uses), the story feels timeless. I also think that this is the perfect read for October. The artwork, the atmosphere, and that build up of terror is definitely going to keep you up at night.

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252. Just A Bit Obsessed by Alessandra Hazard--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Re-Read in October 2022: This is the one I was most excited to re-read in the early books of this series. I love how certain events in this book happened because the actions of the woman in this felt very petty. Definitely made me feel giddy as I re-read!

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253. Two Truths & A Lie by April Henry--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I usually enjoy YA thrillers because they're fun and there isn't a lot of thought processing behind it because of their predictability (save for a few I've encountered in the past), and this one wasn't any different. While it was fun, it wasn't mind blowing. I had my suspicions over who was the killer and what some of the twists would be, so it wasn't entirely surprising. But with all of that being said, it was still an entertaining read and would make for a great cozy murder mystery by the fireplace as the weather gets colder. I don't have a fireplace, but the image just sounds nice. Will this blow your mind? No. But it might just entertain you!

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254. Nick & Charlie by Alice Oseman--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I LOVE MY BOYS. Even if they sometimes lack communication and let their insecurities get the better of them. I loved that this had Oseman's classic art throughout the book. I love these two so much and like one of the characters said, if there was an example of what soulmates look like, it would be them. Please read Heartstopper before you read this!

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255. Two Degrees by Alan Gratz--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was the second book I've read by this author and I am convinced that I need to read all of his books. I loved this novel and what it could represent, AND that it is aimed for the younger generations (anyone of any generation SHOULD read this). Just like in the last book I read by Gratz, this one tells three separate stories that eventually come together into a great overarching narrative. What I love about this is that it makes me want to connect the dots before the epilogue and try to guess how these characters might know each other. I think each story carries its own important message in regards to the climate change currently happening, how people are reacting (or not reacting) to our changing world, and the aftermath of the consequences of our actions. Gratz doesn't hold back when it comes to giving us the jarring reality of the situations these characters face, including the casualties that occur during these events. I also found it so terrifying how the hurricane story mirrors what just recently happened in Florida. That timing was just...wow. I highly recommend this book and I think it should be taught in schools. Our world is changing and I'm glad to have another book that explores the topic.

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256. Spells for Lost Things by Jenna Evans Welch--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a copy via the publisher because I interviewed the author on Indigo's Instagram page. This did not affect my review in any way. Much like the MC of this book, reading her story was like taking a trip into the whimsical world of family and Salem. I enjoyed getting to know more about this witchy family and their cursed history. I also loved how the male MC learned to trust and love those who offer him a home and felt for him as he faced some of the darker realities of his situation. I adored watching the two of them fall for each other as they tried to solve the mystery at the heart of this book, and how they helped each other find themselves. This was just such a sweet read about family and magic and I think if you want a good October read that won't give you nightmares, then this might be perfect for you! The atmosphere and setting is great for those who love realistic fiction with a touch of the otherworldly, and the humour will make you want to wish you were a part of this family. I didn't make this a five star rating because it took me a bit to get into the story but once the mystery started, I was hooked.

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257. Nowhere Girl by Cheryl Diamond--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The moment I heard about this book, I absolutely wanted to read it. This was so heavy, but so good. I couldn't stop listening to it--even through the darker moments. I think that if you're thinking of reading this, definitely check for trigger warnings. Diamond had such an incredibly rough life leading up to this book's publication. I think she put the perspective of the situation (from the POV of an outsider) best herself when she shared the POV of a man in her life: how her childhood is so fascinating, but it's easy to think that when you're not the one living it. She lived with an abusive father, siblings, and a mother who fell more and more into herself. Despite the heartbreak and the moments where my heart dropped for her, I am so glad I read this and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for incredibly hard hitting memoirs that don't shy away from the dark realities of some families.

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258. How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The fact that this book was on my shelves for years hurts my heart because IT WAS SO GOOD. I was so surprised and hooked from the beginning! Gilliland deals with some heavy topics in this, but I love that these topics were explored (especially because we are seeing more and more fatphobia in society). I think this book will help anyone who thinks they are alone in hating their bodies, or thinking that the insults thrown their way makes up who they are. Moon struggles with her self-image and the way others see her because she has always been compared to her "perfect" twin sister. I think exploring these topics will help (even if they can be triggering) because it will hopefully help the reader feel less alone. Don't even get me started on Moon's love interest. I loved how their romance flourished and that this was a classic enemies to lovers romance trope, intermingled with some pretty bugs. Her love interest was such a cinnamon roll and I'm so happy that they found each other. However, you can see their ages in how they react to certain situations (even though Moon is more mature in other situations.) Also, this book is definitely for the older teen (and up). Keep that in mind if you're recommending it to anyone younger than fifteen or sixteen. Please read the trigger warnings for this book!

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259. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune--⭐️⭐️⭐️

I finally read this one after it was so popular during the summer. I can see why, though. This has summer written all over it (especially because of the title and cover.) I enjoyed this and I loved that it was set so close to home (for me). I liked seeing how the relationship between the MC and the brothers was slowly developed through flashbacks. I wasn’t a big fan of one of the big twists and how the love interests acted at various times (although I understand too because they’re so young). Not going to lie though, I’m team older bro. Sorry not sorry. One of the main reasons why this isn’t higher rated for me is because while everyone hyped this up, I just kept thinking of the other romance novels that used this same theme and storyline. I know there’s no true original ideas anymore (for the most part, save for the few instances) but I mean, this was still not as good as other novels I’ve read with a similar storyline. Would I recommend this to others? Of course! It’s a great summer read and if you haven’t read the books I’m thinking of, then I think you will love this.

___

260. The Ghosts of Thorwald Place by Helen Power--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was NOT expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. There was something about it that just kept pulling me in when I wasn’t listening to it. Also, a Toronto setting? Heck yeah. This building made me think of the Ice towers in the city. The mystery was fun and the twist was unexpected. I mainly loved this book for the voyeuristic storyline of this ghost watching these lives continue—no matter how chaotic. It shows that we truly never know what a person is doing behind closed doors. This was also surprisingly terrifying. I wasn’t expecting to feel moments of discomfort (despite the topic and genre of the book). There are various scenes that are definitely nightmare inducing. Perfect for October tbh. If you want a thriller/horror novel with compelling characters and a unique perspective on what it might be like to be a ghost stuck where you were murdered, then you might enjoy this one. But read it with the lights on.

___

Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them?

___

Happy reading!

#books #bookish #booklr #bookworm #bookaholic #bibliophile #book blog #book blogger #Features #on books #on reading #read #reader #reading #review #book reviews #reviews #book list #my writing #my opinion

[rumbelleshowdown]

Author: sleeve garters

Prompts: He plays video games?? Meteor shower. Cooking, fire, cuddles, wine.

Group: C

-

More than text mates?

The Journey – Day One

Ariel: I can’t believe you are going

Belle: You know I always wanted to travel

Ariel: I know but I imagined you in Paris, Machu Picchu, the pyramids, not a tiny town in the States

Belle: It’s just the starting point

Ariel: Once the beast has you in his lair you will be trapped forever

Belle: Well I will be trapped with my soulmate then, no problem

Ariel: Ugh you are just going to be too far away to rescue when he makes you his sex slave

Belle: I told you neither of us are interested in having sex

Ariel: For someone with no interest in sex you read an enormous amount of porn

Belle: Romance!

Ariel: Smutty romance. Have you considered he just can’t get it up?

Belle: Seriously! This is about a deep connection we have and not anything physical.

Ariel: But you are so beautiful, sweet and innocent and he’s so…not

Belle: I’ve no idea what he looks like on the outside but I know what he is like on the inside.  You know what I said about judging books by their covers.

Ariel: I don’t get how you two can meet when you don’t even know what each other looks like or anything. He might be huge and hairy with fangs and lizard eyes and green skin!

Belle: How much coffee have you had this morning?

Ariel: Enough to keep awake and try and get some sense into you

Belle: I don’t need saving, for the first time in my life I’m taking my fate in my own hands, living my own dream.

Belle: Thanks for keeping me company. I do appreciate it. I can’t believe that I’m delayed at the first step of my journey. I’m so desperate to get going.  I didn’t pack enough books to get me through this long.

Ariel: I know for a fact you packed 4

Belle: Exactly, not enough now I’ve got a three hour delay

Ariel: You are the only person I know who measures time in books

Ariel: I’m going to miss you

Belle: We can message each other, video calls, we will probably talk more often than we do now

Ariel: Unless Gold has you busy slaving for him

Belle: Enough! I thought your mind was put to rest after you had spoken to him.

Ariel: Sorry. I guess I never thought you would go through with it. Never thought you’d get a buyer for your shop, never thought you’d be brave enough to go all on your own.

Belle: I’m not feeling brave at the moment but I’m doing what Mum always told me – put on your brave face and bravery will follow

Ariel: About that chat I had with Gold..

Belle: What?

Ariel: He actually suggested that he send me a million dollars as a deposit to insure your safe return

Belle: Lol that sounds like him

Ariel: How can you not be mad? It’s like he is buying you

Belle: I think he was trying to reassure you. Money is not that important to him.

Ariel: That’s always what rich people say. You said he had a reputation for being a ruthless landlord. That doesn’t sound like someone not obsessed with money.

Belle: I think it’s a security blanket for him. The rent thing is more about honouring the promise.  That’s what makes him mad when people try to break deals. He could charge a lot more, not keep up the maintenance etc. He is fair, well apart from the nuns!

Ariel: Red flags!!! Why is he mean to the nuns?

Belle: Long story

Ariel: I knew it, you are covering for him, I hate it when you keep things from me

Belle: I will ask him if I can share the story with you. OK?

Ariel: OK

Belle: Did you take the money?

Ariel: Of course not! I’m not selling you, even for a million

Belle: 2?

Ariel: Maybe 3. How rich do you think he is?

Belle: Don’t care.  I don’t want his money just his companionship, his soul!

Ariel: OMG perhaps it’s you who is the demon?

Belle: I knew you would work it out sometime.

Ariel: OK hun, I really need to get some sleep, got to get Melody to school in 3 hours now. Safe travels, message me as soon as you land, and keep in touch or we will come and hunt you down.

Belle: Thanks. Love you xx

The Journey -  Day 2

Ariel: FFS Belle, ring me. I know you landed over two hours ago. I checked your flight number. Not saying I’m panicking but IM PANICKING!

Ariel: 3 hours!! Seriously I’m going to ring the embassy.  I’m already on first name terms with the Sheriff of Storybrooke.  She is going to track him down, sounds like she doesn’t trust him one bit.

Belle: For goodness sake Ariel I’m fine. Landed safely, customs was a nightmare, phone battery really low, was saving it for emergencies, of which there are none! Apart from you trying to create a diplomatic incident.  Will ring you when I’m safely trapped in the Beast’s evil lair. PS JOKE! STOP WORRYING! Ugh you’ve made me breakout in exclamation marks and you know I’m trying to kick the habit.

Ariel: You’d better girl!!! Exclamation marks for the win! BTW the Sheriff sounds really nice, no nonsense, but nice, said she would definitely come and welcome you, says there is always room for one more for Friday night drinks with her friends.  I’ve spoken to a Ruby at the diner too, says she will look out for you and that the burgers are to die for.

Belle: Lol, trust you to make more friends in SB than me! GTG and find my Scotsman.

The Journey – Day 3

Belle: I’ve arrived safe and sound but OMG you caused a right kerfuffle. When we pulled into Gold’s drive the sheriff was there along with “concerned citizens” all checking on my safety. It was ridiculous I had to answer all these questions about whether I was being coerced while Gold was heckled by the crowd. Although they did shut up when he threatened tJ evict the lot of them.

Ariel: Oops. I didn’t realise they would make that much of a fuss, but I won’t apologise for looking out for you. So what is he like? Is he a weird lizard man? Does he wear a kilt? Exactly how ancient and ugly is he?

Belle: He is super handsome! A bit older than me. Rocks in a killer suit. Big brown eyes that you could drown in and ooh so sexy long soft floofy hair. I will send you a pic.

Ariel: Okay so not quite the description I would give from that pic. Much older than you Belle!!! Darn fine suit though. I will allow you that.  Is that a cane? Is his house PINK?

Belle: It’s apparently the authentic colour, and that’s salmon. Inside is just stunning and filled with the most beautiful antiques and paintings and BOOKS. I could happily move into his library. I was just walking round gaping in awe. He knew I was a dork but not quite the extent.

Ariel: How is he treating you? Hope he is not making you sleep in the dungeon. Hope you have your own door with a key!

Belle: He is an absolute gentleman. He kissed my hand in greeting and then got all shy and apologetic for being too forward. He opens the doors for me, takes my coat, pulls out my chair.  I feel like a princess.  He was really shocked at how young I looked though.  He had somehow got it into his head that I was like a maiden aunt type.  It was all that talk of my love for Austen and being Miss Marple and a wise but mad cat lady. To be honest he is rather freaked out about it.  But we then got into our usual conversation and teasing and we both can’t stop smiling at each other.  I’m so happy!

Ariel: Oh Belle I am happy for you, still creeped out especially because he is so much older and richer than you.

Belle: Age is not important in friendship. I truly feel he is my soulmate.  My only concern is that I find him soooo attractive, I want to jump him and you know that’s not me.  But I know he’s not looking for love, he’s been hurt so much in the past. It’s just typical that the only guy who makes me actually feel something and he is the only one not coming on to me!

Ariel: OMG Belle!!!!!!! Are you sure it’s not just jet lag! You are actually telling me you are attracted to a real person, like one that is not just in a book!!!

Belle: Yes!!! Squeee. But he thinks I’m just a silly little girl.

Ariel: Hardly! He wouldn’t have become his confidante, his adviser.  You’ve been talking night and day, for hours at a time, for over a year. He does not think you are silly at all.

Belle: True. Anyway I have to go he is taking me up to his cabin in the woods.  There is a meteor shower due tonight, we are planning a fire, and we are going to watch the display by the side of this lake and drink mulled wine and cook sausages.

Ariel: Now part of me is cheering. You are so going to go from cuddling, to getting it on by the fire and then end up skinny dipping in the lake.  The other part is madly waving a red flag and screaming CABIN IN THE WOODS!!!! Don’t make me ring that sheriff again. 

Belle: DO NOT RING THE SHERIFF. I DO NOT WANT MY CAMPFIRE STORMED BY THE NUTTERS IN THIS RIDICULOUS TOWN.

Ariel: No need to shout. Have fun, stay safe xx

The Journey – Day 4

Ariel: Are you back? Have you survived? How was the skinny dipping?

Belle: I am still here! All safe and sound. The cabin turns out to be a luxury, all mod cons palace hidden behind a rustic façade. It didn’t quite turn out like we had hoped.  There was a downpour, I fell over in the mud, he tried to rescue me but with his cane and bad leg we both ended up on the ground. No chance of seeing the meteors through the clouds, or having a camp fire. But we got cleaned up and a fire going inside and still had an amazing evening.

Ariel: So what made the evening amazing? Was there cuddling and smooching? Did you see up a Scotsman’s kilt?

Belle: If you must know we played video games.

Ariel: What! He plays video games!?

Belle: Yes I soundly thrashed him at Mario Kart.

Ariel: FFS you two will never get it on will you? Don’t tell me you were Princess what’s-her-face and he was Bowser ?  Why does he have Mario Kart? Why would a small time mafia boss play Super Mario when he could be kissing you?

Belle: Ha! All wrong. I was Toad and he was Yoshi. He had it for his son.

Ariel: YOSHI!!! HE HAS A SON?!!!

Belle: Yes he is a dinosaur but a very cute one with pixie ears. He had a son. Another story for another time.

Ariel: Sorry. Didn’t mean to intrude.  I just can’t get my head around Mario Kart when I was imagining you skinny dipping.

Belle: No worries. GTG he’s finished making pancakes. Oh and Ariel you know I said we both weren’t interested in sex…

Ariel: OMG!!! What happened?

Ariel: Spill!!

Ariel: Come back! You just can’t leave me hanging like that! Belle!!

-

#rumbelle showdown #round two entry #author: sleeve garters

[violetmuses]

Black Rose || Chapter 16

Author’s Note: It’s time for the wedding! Happy reading and thanks so much for supporting my work as always. 

Black Rose - Masterlist 🖤

J Krew: @nerdysuperchick @a-reader-and-a-writer @babblydrabbly @lacontroller1991 @shadowkittybucky @loverhymeswith @justin-hammers @weallhaveadestiny @xoxabs88xox @katjnordstrom96  @skvatnavle @mayhem24-7forever @lilisangel @peakyrogers @sociiallydiisoriiented @heresathreebee

====

2013

Bianca Martin-Hugo

“Mommy, Aunt Bee looks like a princess.” One of my nieces had gaped and squealed after finally seeing my gown. Natalie held her daughter on one hip in an effort to make room in the bridal suite. 

“I know, Sweetheart. Don’t touch her dress, okay?” Natalie gently handed over that warning. 

“Okay, Mommy.” In return, my niece nodded, shaking her twisted curls in response.

“See you later. Wait for me and please don’t tell anyone about my magic.” Wearing this gown, I carefully walked over to my niece and lifted one finger. She giggled soon after, mimicking the need to hush. 

______

“Ready?” Mom hugged me as we stood in this full-length mirror together. Just beyond glass windows, ocean waves crashed and birds circled through sunlight found directly above.

“Yeah, Ma.” I affirmed. Enough games. No second-guessing. I’d love someone with all my heart and allow myself to be happy. 

Mom, my sisters, and best friends all had worn beautifully light shades of purple as violet flowers decorated this bridal suite. We were all on location at this shoreline, ready to begin the rest of my life soon. 

Others would’ve called me crazy for giving Russ this second chance. Yet, he learned from countless mistakes. He promised to be so much better, no matter any cost. If not, we’d spend eternity wishing for joy, losing the one connection that people dreamed of. 

No one could take our bond away from me. 

Someone from Mom’s church played the “Bridal March” with an organ when mahogany doors opened to reveal the beach. I walked arm and arm with my father Timothy, beaming as guests stood for me. Sunlight rounded overhead, flawless. 

“I love you.” Dad walked along in his pristine tuxedo, showing off this proud smile and of course ready to lift my veil. 

“I love you too, Dad.” Genuinely content, I almost teared up as soon as we had met our footsteps at the altar. 

Cyrus stood right there, beaming with one rare smile that finally reached his face. His perfect hazels focused on me, innocent and no longer filled with exhaustion. His blondish hair slicked back once more, but strands fell due to this ongoing summer. 

He, my soulmate, even braved current heat by sporting one dapper tuxedo that crossed with an adorable bowtie at its center. Even then, not one hint of tattoo ink had lined his clothed body out of respect. I’d felt so proud of him, smiling again. 

“Hi,” Cy took my hands, but ended up turning red as his New York accent quietly whispered. 

“Hi,” I nodded towards Cyrus and mouthed that greeting back, waiting for the Bridal March to stop playing. The officiant, one of our longtime pastors, kicked off the ceremony first.

“Dearly Beloved, we have gathered here this afternoon in the name of matrimony. May God bless this union, no matter the obstacle. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.” Members of the ceregration echoed their agreement, hoping for our marriage to succeed. 

We agreed to write our own vows and Cyrus ended up speaking first. I smiled once more, quietly encouraging my best friends. Everyone else also cheered without acting too rowdy, especially with family around. 

“Bianca, words cannot express how I feel. When we met for the first time, I had no idea that you would change my world. The future may not be perfect, but I cannot wait to spend my life with you. I love you so much, Angel. Forever yours, Cyrus.” Cyrus went on, subtly fighting an urge to tear up. Applause filled this space, showing support. Even Drew cheered, beaming this time around. 

Gina, my childhood friend and Maid of Honor, handed over my own paper as expected. I then glanced between Cyrus and everyone else before clearing my throat. 

Cyrus, there aren’t enough words or time in the world to explain how much I’ve loved you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for accepting  me. Thank you for teaching me so much. You are one of the best people that I’ve ever known. I’ll always care for you. From this day forward, it’s us against the world. Love, B.” 

“Thank you for offering such beautiful words to one another.” Our officiant spoke up again, beaming their own smile before going forward in the ceremony. “Now, it’s time to exchange the wedding bands.” Voices cheered from guests again. 

Showing off typical Butler theatrics, Drew walked over, but still delicately traded our rings with the biggest smile on his face. Even a few guests applauded once more. Both Cyrus and I ended up laughing for the moment before focusing. 

“With this ring, I thee wed.” Back to back, it wasn’t long before Cyrus and I lifted our voices over those crashing waves, speaking with more need than any outdoor sounds that afternoon.  

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. Cyrus, you may now kiss the bride.” Our pastor declared this union, allowing our marriage to be cemented for all-time. 

In that moment, Cyrus held my hands once more and leaned inward, kissing me as if I were extremely fragile. I could only smile against his lips and chuckle for a moment, especially since my nieces and nephews squealed from the audience. 

Once Cyrus and I pulled away from this gentle kiss to interlock our fingers, everyone stood, applauding when our organist played The Wedding March. Countless people wiped away tears, including Drew and Russ’s other friends. 

_____

“Come on!” I beamed. We could hardly wait in our limousine after pulling up the reception together. 

This wide-spread and gorgeous venue perched near the shoreline. For the first time in quite a while, Cyrus dealt with my excitement by laughing out loud, almost echoing chuckles  as we waited to make our entrance. There was no better feeling.  

“Attention, everyone. It is my honor to introduce for the first time ever Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Hugo!” Our hired DJ picked their microphone and spoke with enthusiasm that rivaled times at so many other parties. 

Everyone in here lost their minds and nearly shouted over the music. I glanced towards Cyrus and beamed another smile. Our reception had finally begun. 

*****

Best Man to Maid of Honor speeches from Drew and Gina almost ruined my makeup that afternoon. Everything from hilarity to genuine childhood memories had been explained by each of our friends. Cyrus’s mother Tanya, my parents and sisters joined later, finishing their own words as this new chapter started for us here. 

“In line with the tradition of these beautiful families, Cyrus and Bianca will share their very first dance as a married couple.” Our DJ offered another announcement, prompting Cyrus and I to carefully rise from our table and planned to dance. 

Once Russ and I stood in the middle, that iconic guitar loop of “They Don’t Know” by Jon B played out loud. 

“I knew it!” Drew lost it, happily freaking from one corner of the wide ballroom. Laughter echoed from everyone else, but Cyrus and I just kept smiling, thankful that the surprise worked out. 

“He’s a mess.” I told Cyrus, still humored as the song progressed. In all truth, we had loved this record since the beginning, especially when we first started dating and things got tough. 

“I love you.” Cyrus answered instead and scrunched up his nose before kissing me. I’d looped my arms around his neck as his palm to my waist, still swaying here on the floor. 

“I love you, too.” I whispered back to Cyrus as Drew and others yelled to sing along before the song faded out. 

Just minutes afterward,  I grooved with Dad and Cyrus danced with his mother, finally cementing this switch of chapters in our lives. Not that we would never see our own parents again, but I knew that times were surely different decades later. 

“And now, here is the moment that you’ve all waited for: the bridal party and all other invited guests may report to the dance floor at this time!” Our DJ kicked off that upcoming joy and proclaimed that everyone could join in, dancing tonight. 

“Got a surprise set up today. Hold on for one second.” The moment double doors closed behind his mother and my parents, Cyrus whispered into my ear, slyly revealing an intention. 

“What did you two plan?” I gestured between Cyus and the DJ, waiting to find out their upcoming scheme. 

At that very moment, songs from the early 2000’s started playing and nostalgia kicked in for Cyrus and I. Rhythms still thumped to give more joy.

It wasn’t long before Gina, Carmen, and Ramona lifted hems of their own dresses to meet with me, forming a circle to jam through each passing track. Drew and others were just as enthusiastic and lost their minds again before dancing with us now. 

I’d never forget that we all just grew up to be big kids who lived in a cruel world. 

_______

When dancing calmed down after we had all partied like manics on the floor, Taylor, my youngest sister and freshman in college, caught my lavender bouquet. Now, it was time for the garter toss. 

Drew, other single guests, and even a few new bartenders from Club Shadow huddled nearby to watch in anticipation. Cyrus had known better than to act up with me here, but it didn’t hurt to be a little sexy during this part of the night. 

At least our parents aren’t here. I thought to myself while sitting in one chair at the center of this dance floor. 

Music thumped again while Cyrus knelt before me and lifted his head, ghosting touches along my legs just before using his fingers to move that same caress higher. 

Through dimness of the space, I bit my lip, waiting for him to pull down that fabric in question. Behind me, everyone squealed, hyping him up like spectators who ended up watching a basketball game

“Got it.” Cyrus mouthed towards me, pulling the fabric lower and it lower until I needed to hike my left leg upward. wolf whistles followed, encouraging us all around this room once more. 

“Who do you think's going to catch it?” I joked. 

“Drew.” Cyrus winked after standing up from the floor and twirling the gathered for a moment before finally tossing it over his broad shoulder. 

“Who was it?” I asked. 

When Cyrus turned around, our guess was completely wrong. 

One of the bartenders from Club Shadow, Sean, celebrated and showed off the garter as he’d scored a touchdown. He was a young kid, fresh out of college and enjoying summer like everyone else. Letting him join us off-the-clock was a no brainer.  

“Make good choices, Sean!” Cyrus yelled over the music. 

“Yes, Sir!” Sean affirmed to my husband, cheering in full uniform as he had all day long. I’d worn two garters anyway, one for myself and the other for this part of the reception. 

________

Cyrus would not smash cake into my face, but icing did smudge onto his lower lip for a second. Once that last moment of hilarity ended, we bid farewell to everyone, walking hand in hand out of the venue as our limousine pulled to the nearest curb. 

“Bye! Congratulations.” Voices yelled out loud and people waved goodbye as the driver opened both the rear doors. 

Once that door finally closed behind us, Russ scooted closer and rested his head onto the front of my dress, cuddling like a child. 

There was nothing short of love found in his hazel eyes. 

“Hi,” I whispered, looking down towards him with my own smile and smooth back his blondish hair. The limousine finally moved along. 

“Hi, Baby.” His voice rasped as this beautiful man looked at me, no longer tarnished by pain. We even interlocked our ringed fingers and he kissed my knuckles. 

By the time we returned to that beachfront hotel, he was already drifting in and out of sleep, peaceful at last. 

#black rose #kiki layne #my ocs do not steal #team b! #team cyrus #it's time #wedding! #fluff #sweet times #i love them your honor #my babies #interracial couple #interracial #love #finally writing this #chapter 16 #original fiction #not fanfiction

[sheerfreesia007]

Flufftober #14

Title: Flufftober #14

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Peter Parker x OFC

Author: @sheerfreesia007​

Words: 552

Prompt: P.O.V. Outsider

Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711, @fioccodineveautunnale, @phoenixhalliwell, @linkpk88, @weirdowithnobeardo, @athalien

Author Notes: Awww a return of Ev and Parker. I gotta get back to writing those two their story isn’t fully done yet.

Gif Credit: @rebeatros

    “Hey who’s that over there? The guy in the beanie and the girl that’s with him. Are they together?” Olivia asked as she looked over her shoulder at the duo sitting in the library studying together. Hannah looked over to where Olivia was looking and scoffed softly at her question.

    “You don’t have a chance. Those two are connected at the hip. That’s Peter Parker and Evelyn Sinclair. They’ve been together since high school and inseparable since they were kids.” She informed her friend.

    “Wow, they’ve been that close for so long?” Olivia asked surprised as she watched Peter slip a small bag of pretzels over to Evelyn surreptitiously.

    “Yeah I went to high school with them and the two of them were so blind that they didn’t know that they were together. They made it official back in Senior year when that whole lizard guy thing was going on.” Hannah said as you thought back to when Ev and Peter finally realized their feelings for each other.

    “That’s so cute!” Olivia squealed softly and Hannah shrugged her shoulders at her words.

    “I guess. I mean it was annoying a little bit because it took them practically forever to figure out their feelings. But yeah once you get through that I guess it is cute.” Hannah admitted as she shrugged her shoulders.

    “Oh it’s super cute. I mean look at how they look out for each other. He brought her pretzels to eat while they study together! That’s so cute!” Olivia said on a sigh.

    “Are you two talking about Parker and Sinclair?” Asked Mindy as she took a seat across from the two women.

    “Yeah, aren’t they cute?” Olivia asked softly as she leaned over the table towards Mindy.

    “Oh they’re so cute! Ev always has Peter’s back no matter what is going down. She would constantly get him out of trouble whenever he got into fights at school. They protect each other from everything it seems like. They’re like soulmates.” Mindy said and Olivia sighed softly as she rested her cheek in her hand.

    “They’re not like soulmates, you dummy. They are soulmates.” Jazmin said as she took the seat next to Mindy. “Those two resemble the halves of a coin. We all knew they should’ve been together long before they actually got together.” Jazmin informed them quietly as she grinned over at Peter and Ev. “I’m just glad that they’re still together. They’re relationship goals totally.”

    “Oh totally!” Mindy agreed quickly while Hannah nodded her head at their words.

    “Ladies if I have to hear how much Mr. Parker and Miss Sinclair are perfect for each other once more. I will have to ban you from the library!” Hissed the librarian as she walked past the girls’ table. They all ducked their heads in embarrassment and Olivia watched with a flushed face as Ev and Peter awkwardly walked past their table with bright blushes creeping up their neck.

    “I mean they’re not wrong, Ev.” Peter whispered to her and she elbowed him in the side.

    “Parker I will dump your ass if you embarrass me and them anymore.” Ev hissed at him heatedly.

    “NO!” Shouted all the girls at once making Peter, Ev and the librarian all turn to them with shock and surprise written all over their faces.

#marvel #tasm peter parker x ofc! #my writing #flufftober 2022

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

Long Shot by Kat Mizera is now available!

Available on All Platforms

Welcome to Fort Lauderdale... where the days are hot and the Knights are hotter. Jace: I never expected to make it up to the big leagues. But now that I’m here, I’m never going back down. I will out-work, out-train, outdo every other guy on the Knights if that’s what it takes. Not even a shark attack will get in my way… but the sexy surfer chick who rescues me just might. Tawny: Losing my soulmate taught me that life is short. And I’m going to spend the rest of mine becoming one of the top surfers in the world. I refuse to be distracted by some hotshot hockey player who is my polar opposite. No matter how good it is between us. Deep down I don’t want to lose this thing we have going, but one wrong move and he just might pull me under.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Kat Mizera is a South Florida native. Born in Miami Beach with a healthy dose of wanderlust, she's called Los Angeles, Long Island, upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Atlanta home. She's never been able to pick which locale is her favorite, but if pressed, she'd probably choose the west coast.

A typical PTA mom with a wonderful and supportive husband (Kevin) and two amazing boys (Nick and Max), Kat can usually be found scrapbooking or indulging in her second love (after writing) - traveling. Greece is one of her favorite places in the world. She loves that Athens is a big city with a small-town feel. The food, beaches and culture keep her going back as often as possible.

Kat's been a working freelance writer for nearly 30 years. She sold her first article--a review of a rock concert--for $10 in 1985. Since then she's been an entertainment journalist, waitress, bartender, legal assistant, food critic, magazine editor, substitute teacher, and sports writer. She also spent some time working at A & M Records in Los Angeles.

As you can guess from her Las Vegas Sidewinders series, Kat loves hockey and occasionally writes articles about her favorite team, the Florida Panthers. The rest of the time, she writes novels: sexy, romantic fiction that she hopes makes you as happy as it makes her. There's something enticing about hockey players and romance...

Connect with Kat: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkatmizera/ Amazon: http://amzn.to/2lzRBG6 Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorKatMiz Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2li6zRe Website: http://www.katmizera.com

[milkovichs]

okay, so i only just got into reading shameless fic during this past year (despite having watched the show since 2011 lmao) but i’ve managed to binge-read so many gallavich fics recently that i thought i’d share some of my favorites here! not all the fics listed are complete—those that aren’t finished are labelled (wip)!

— cooperative gameplay by grayola – explicit / 421.8k words

At nineteen years old, Ian Gallagher’s stuck. Stuck in a minimum-wage job he hates. Stuck in the same boring routine–sleep, wake, work, take your meds, Ian!, try not to lose it day after day after day. But after his little brother introduces him to MICK MILK, a frustratingly hot horror gamer he watches on YouTube, Ian’s life will never be the same.

[my notes: this fic is a fucking masterpiece! i started reading it around the time chapter five was posted, and oh my god let me tell you, waiting for each new update was glorious torture. the story starts with ian becoming a fanboy of the youtuber mickmilk, until their first meeting at a gamer convention goes horribly awry—flipping everything on its head and changing the course of both of their lives forever. @gallavichy truly never fails, this fic is gorgeous and evocative, and the characters are so well-written and fleshed out. anyway, i’m so sad this fic is finished and i already miss these boys so much. guess it’s time for another re-read!]

— like real people do by grayola – explicit / 213.7k words

At the age of 26, Mickey Milkovich gets his first apartment, his first wifi connection, and his first kiss. How he gets from wifi to kissing is a complicated story. (In which Mickey is socially anxious, Ian is a frustratingly lovable escort working through an app, Mickey downloads said app, and the rest is history.)

[my notes: this was my first introduction to @gallavichy’s incredible fics, plus one of the first fics i ever read for this fandom, and i have literally never looked back. essentially, mickey meets ian through an app, and subsequently falls in love. i’m typically not super into online dating aus, however this fic is so beautiful and tender, i pretty much consumed the whole thing in a day! also, there’s a sequel currently being written that retells the story from ian’s pov, and it’s fucking fantastic.]

— how i’m imaginin’ you by beebabycastiel – explicit / 135.4k words

Recently released from prison on a manslaughter charge, Mickey Milkovich isn’t looking for anything messy. He’s had enough messes for a life time with prison, his piece of shit dad, and his drugged-up brothers. He just wants to work forty hours per week to keep his PO off his back and make sure his little sister doesn’t have another breakdown. Keeping his new life as tidy as possible should be easy. Except there’s an annoying red-haired dancer at the club he works at who keeps talking to him, and nothing about Ian Gallagher is tidy.

[my notes: i love the way this author writes ian and his relationship with both mandy (their friendship is so sweet literally besties) and mickey (do i even need to explain it? they’re soulmates). this mickey is fresh off a stint in prison (for reasons that are slowly uncovered throughout the fic that i refuse to spoil!) and is living with mandy while working as a bouncer for the club ian dances at. and from ian & mickey’s very first meeting the sexual tension is just like. insanely fucking palpable. and the slow burn that follows! holy shit. you’ve gotta read this one for the description of their first kiss alone!]

— furlough by loftec – explicit / 34.1k words

Ian looks like he’s trying to figure him out, eyes searching and brows furrowed, he’s practically shaking and Mickey thinks he might be holding himself back for his sake, waiting for Mickey to give him permission to reach out, to feel, to touch. Mickey’s mind is fucking screaming for him to do it, but his body is still stupidly withdrawn. 1449 days since Ian last touched him. (Or: twenty-four hours of Mickey Milkovich getting some of the things he deserves.)

[my notes: okay so this fic. wow. it was published after 6x01 aired, so it continues the storyline where mickey gets locked up, but diverges from canon in that he never breaks out and escapes to mexico like he does in season seven. the fic begins with mickey having already completed four years of his sentence, however, mickey is granted a furlough which allows him to be released under supervision for twenty-four hours in order to attend terry’s funeral. it’s absolutely heart-wrenching, but with an incredibly bittersweet, yet hopeful ending.]

— someone to hold me up by westernredcedar – explicit / 37.3k words

Just beside the shattered front window is a man, lying flat on his back, a pool of blood growing from his left side. Ian shouts to Sue. The man’s been shot. More than once. It’s Terry Milkovich.

[my notes: whenever a fic explores an au post season six regarding mickey’s stay in prison (like “furlough”) i’m just. dead on sight. anyway, in this au, mickey only spends about a year and a half in prison before he’s released, but he doesn’t contact ian once he’s out, and the two don’t run into each other for another year and a half. ian’s been working as an emt, and his rig is the first to respond to a call involving terry milkovich as the victim of a drive-by shooting (love that for us!)—this leads to ian finally discovering that mickey’s been released. it’s been three years since the last time the boys saw each other and the pain! oh my god the pain. overall, this is a gorgeous story focusing on forgiveness and growth and a love that lasts a lifetime.]

— love is a ballfield by and_i_take_it – explicit / 158.7k words (wip)

Ian and Mickey are teammates on a Triple-A baseball club where they bond over their similar life circumstances. Neither of them want to chance ruining their shot at the major leagues so they attempt to keep their feelings for one another at bay. Until, of course, they can’t.

[my notes: this fic is absolutely iconic. it has amazing characterization, and the intense sexual tension between our boys is so perfectly done, it captures their incredible chemistry from canon and channels it into an au about baseball, of all things. admittedly, i know next to nothing about baseball, but the descriptions about the game/team somehow managed to get me to care for the sport (fictionally, at least). definitely give this one a read, even if you just want to imagine ian & mickey being sexy in locker rooms.]

— things beyond mistake by grayola – explicit / 130.5k words (wip)

In the 90s and early 00s, they were distant neighbors on a long, dirt road out in the middle of vaguely Georgia farmland. Ian and Mickey: two poor, closeted Southern kids with similar financial situations but very different families, harboring secret crushes that felt illegal and that manifested themselves as sharp words, punches, and self-loathing. In 2021, Ian, a high school teacher in need of a fresh start, returns to his childhood home after nearly 20 years to find himself once more sharing a lonely dirt road with Mickey, the boy he once knew and the man he’s desperate to get to know.

[my notes: this fic is so unique and breathtaking i honestly don’t know how to even describe it. once again, @gallavichy​ has rendered me speechless with her amazing gift for storytelling and prose. as it says in the description, the fic starts with ian & mickey growing up as neighbors in rural georgia until ian’s family moves, and then they don’t see one another for seventeen (17!) whole years. even just the premise destroys me because i’m such an emotional bitch when it comes to the passage of time, but couple that with a beautiful and tender story of two grown men in their mid-thirties reconnecting with their childhood crushes in their hometown? not to mention all the super compelling side characters and intricate backstories! holy shit. i don’t know how it’s possible, but i have a feeling that this fic is gonna destroy me even more than “cooperative gameplay” already has, which is just. wow. gray is truly unmatched.]

— intro to quantum dating by spoonfulstar – mature / 454.8k words (wip)

This isn’t what Ian expected of college. The movies had lied to him. (Or: another College AU.)

[my notes: i’m kind of obsessed with the dialogue in this fic? every conversation honestly feels like it could be taken straight from the show’s script, it captures the characters’ voices so well. i adore how low-stakes the plot of this fic is—sometimes you really just want to read about these boys falling in love and exploring their lives together! this fic serves the perfect blend of college fuckery and soft, tender moments between the boys (when they take a break from being their canon snarky, asshole selves, that is). also, as someone who’s super into linguistics as a field of study, having that be ian’s major was such a cool surprise!]

— since we’re alone by buffymilkovich & lethargicmick – explicit / 246.4k words (wip)

When Mickey Milkovich first got to the University of Michigan he had two goals; play hockey and get drafted into the NHL. But by his junior year, he’s at risk of losing his full ride scholarship because of his slipping grades. Enter Ian Gallagher, an ambitious and fiery redhead who takes his job as Mickey’s tutor way too seriously and seems determined on making his life a living hell. (Or: a college AU where Mickey is a hockey player and Ian is studious as fuck. They are everything the other one hates. Or so they think...)

[my notes: what is this? another sports-driven fic, you say? apparently i’m into sports now—seeing as “love is a ballfield” and “since we’re alone” somehow managed to get me interested in both baseball and hockey... i suspect witchcraft. anyway! i love a good enemies (more like annoyances lmao) to lovers trope, so this fic hits all the boxes for me. throw in jock!mickey & nerd!ian, a little bit of oblivious pining, plus a titillating journey to self-acceptance, and i’m good to go! truly, this fic is so lovely and beautifully written, i can’t wait for the rest!]

— muse by toraten – explicit / 35.6k words

Mickey thinks he’s hot, maybe the hottest guy in here tonight, but there is something about the glitter splattered across his perfectly smooth chest and the shaved legs that irks him. He’s wearing tight black bike shorts that make up for a lot, if he hasn’t stuffed the front with a sock or something, but the perfectly preened look just isn’t for Mickey. And yet, this particular dancer has already locked eyes with him now, and he’s looking at Mickey like he’s trying to make a point.

[my notes: this fic is so gorgeous i kind of can’t get over it. mickey’s an interior designer (groomzilla-era mickey! i miss you!) who runs into ian—a dancer at a gay club that turns tricks on the side in order to pay for his education. despite the fic being from mickey’s pov, not only does it explore mickey’s own emotional hang-ups, it also manages to deal with ian’s self-worth issues regarding his bipolar disorder & his experiences with sex work (both implied underage and in the present) super well. it’s left somewhat open ended, but it’s so beautifully done that it’s clear everything will work out. that’s just the power of love, babes!]

— ian gallagher and all of his mistakes by toraten – explicit / 218.4k words (wip)

Sometimes, on his early shifts when he starts at six a.m. and the guy comes in at six thirty, like a whirlwind with a dirt streaked face or a bloody lip or a black eye, but ordering his coffee like he doesn’t look like he just got into a car crash, Ian thinks he hallucinates him. This little guy can’t actually exist out there in the world, right? He’s not actually part of society, is he? Surely, this angry asshole only exists in Ian’s diseased mind? (Or: in which everything is about the same, except that Ian Gallagher and Mickey Milkovich meet each other a little later in life—a little more mature, a little more stable—and manage to make a million mistakes anyway.)

[my notes: okay firstly, just as a heads-up, this fic hasn’t been updated for a little more than a year, so i’m not entirely sure whether it’s been fully abandoned or not. however, considering it’s basically a slice-of-life fic, i think the story could very easily be considered complete as it is (even if the author decides not to write anything else)—as of the latest chapter, ian & mickey have been together and happy for multiple years. either way, you should seriously give this fic a read! the dialogue, characterization, and laid-back plot of this fic are super reminiscent of “intro to quantum dating” (which i adore, of course), and who knows? maybe seeing all of the kudos/comments left on their fic will motivate the author to finish it!]

— let the bodies do the talkin’ by captain_jowl – explicit / 75.1k words (wip)

After combing the greater Chicago area, Mickey comes to the conclusion that trying to find a good fuck is a big pain in the ass, and not in a good way. And now this Gallagher guy, who looks like he cries during sex, keeps showing up at his work and making eyes at him. There’s absolutely no way that soft-looking motherfucker can handle Mickey.

[my notes: because of the description, i didn’t go into this fic expecting much plot-wise besides burning hot smut, and i ended up getting all that and more! not only are the sex scenes exquisitely written, but the emotional depth of the characters is fantastic. i especially love how the author represents mickey’s newly found comfort in his sexuality, and ian’s self-worth issues (regarding the objectification of his body). i can’t wait to see how it all works out!]

— gotta get you into my life by thrillingdetectivetales – explicit / 8.6k words

‘wyd firecrotch.’

Short and to the point in standard Mickey Milkovich fashion. Ian bit back a smile and tapped out: ‘babysitting, y?’ It wasn’t strictly accurate, but Ian figured it was close enough. He tucked his phone into his hand but didn’t bother putting it away. A few seconds later, it chimed with a reply. ‘4 real?’ Ian smirked and rolled his eyes. ‘ya.’

‘fuck that shit,’ Mickey sent back, so fast that Ian didn’t even have time to flip his phone closed before it was chirping again, three times in quick succession. ‘i’m outside. brought a joint. ur welcome.’

[my notes: i’m an absolute sucker for ian & mickey’s season one/two dynamic because there’s simply so much real estate to work with. this fic is a perfect example of that; it explores, through ian’s eyes, the obvious magnetism they feel toward each other—mickey literally goes out of his way to spend time with ian despite his canon, put-upon uninterested demeanor. not to mention the sex is really hot lmao. we love to see a repressed mickey finally getting dicked down right!]

— proof by pink_ink – explicit / 10.7k words

Ian and Mickey are reunited in Season Two.

[my notes: literally what did i just say—i love me some season two dynamic! this fits right into canon, somehow perfectly capturing the feeling of mickey’s tiny little look at ian after he says “whatever, liking what i like don’t make me a bitch” in 2.02, and condensing that specific energy into a fic. however, because it follows canon, you know bad times are coming their way, so the ending with mickey getting locked up lends the rest of a fic such a bittersweet feeling; that particular, aching brand of angst stemming from the fact that, unfortunately, these happy summer days don’t last forever. it’s honestly really beautifully done.]

— that ‘redhead babyface/fuck-u-up’ duality by whatthebodygraspsnot – explicit / 90.7k words (wip)

The absolute last thing Mickey expects when he goes to the bar is to get badgered into doing softcore porn, but the money sounds good. And this redhead won’t leave him the fuck alone until he agrees. And maybe partnering up with him for a couple POV shots wouldn’t be the worst thing on the planet. (Mickey’s smart enough to recognize a slippery slope when he wants to. But he’s gotta want to. And tonight the slippery slope is wearing body glitter and short-shorts.)

[my notes: truthfully, i’m not really into reading anything involving the porn industry in fics, which is why i typically steer clear of any aus about the boys as pornstars or whatever, but this is a such a refreshing take on the concept! it starts off with ian doing solo cam-work, then spotting mickey in a bar and deciding he would be the perfect partner for a scene. i think the fact that the boys aren’t having sex on a film-set surrounded by a crew (and that they are ultimately in charge of their experience together) is why this fic works so well for me—not to mention the gorgeous writing and constantly building emotional tension between the two as they begin to catch feelings. @whatthebodygraspsnot is an amazing author! i mean, the use of metaphor alone!]

— elevator music by gallavichsecurity – explicit / 68.6k words (wip)

He’s late, he’s covered in coffee, and he’s trapped in an elevator with the biggest asshole he’s ever met in his life. (Fifteen minutes ago, Ian Gallagher slept through his alarm—and things have only gotten worse since then.)

[my notes: this fic is the perfect meet-ugly! ian is clumsy and frantic, mickey is grumpy and stressed, there’s some spilled coffee and a stuck elevator and nothing about this moment is ideal for first impressions. at the same time, ian’s growing obsessed with running around chicago, on a quest to find particular street-murals, and mickey is begrudgingly becoming endeared to the pushy, redheaded emt living next door. i love the unfolding of this story, and i can’t wait for ian to discover the identity of the artist responsible for ian’s new favorite past-time.]

— apartment 4a by skiesbelow – explicit / 55.2k words (wip)

Two years after his diagnosis, Ian is finally stable, but feeling a little lost. When the chaos of the Gallagher home gets to be too much, he decides to move out. He answers a roommate ad, and gets more than he bargained for.

[my notes: i’m obsessed with ian’s immediate infatuation with mickey in this fic, it’s super reminiscent of his season one energy—heart-eyes for fucking days (even when mickey acts cold and indifferent toward him). i can already tell their push-and-pull is gonna frustrate the shit out of me (in the best possible way), which just means that all of the loving moments to come will be made even sweeter for it!]

— shut the door and let go by lyricallyharley – explicit / 8.2k words

“Was I just invited to a sleepover?”

“Fuck you, is what you were invited to.”

[my notes: i simply die for any fic focusing on the night before the dreaded events of 3x666, and this fic is just wonderful. i love seeing mickey finally embracing ian’s tenderness for the first time (and any story that headcanons ian as mickey’s first kiss gets an a+ from me.) also, not me reading this and straight up refusing to think about what’s to come in the morning. that shit doesn’t belong here, the gallavich sleepover is sacred ground.]

— a little bit of tender mercy by beebabycastiel – explicit / 34.4k words (wip)

“My neighbor keeps using my address to get their embarrassing packages delivered” AU. (Or: a story about healing, learning to trust, falling in love, and mail fraud.

[my notes: this fic has me asking so many questions right off the bat: why is mickey using ian’s address? what is he getting delivered? what is embarrassing about it? i’m so intrigued. as always, i adore me some cat-dad!mickey, and ian behaving all caring and attentive toward a skittish mickey (who’s clearly going through a hard time). it’s pretty early in the fic yet, but i’m loving it so far!]

#shameless #gallavich #ian gallagher #mickey milkovich #otp: come here #fic rec #text #leila.txt #make sure you leave kudos!

[sundaysundaes]

Revival

Jung Jaehyun X Reader feat. Haechan | Fluff, Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Soulmate AU | NC-17 | 15k

Summary: When fate brought Jung Jaehyun to you, it didn’t feel like your first time meeting him. And with him, smiling at you like his heart shattering to pieces, eyes painted with longing, you knew you were connected to him somehow. You just have to find the answers before it’s too late.

Warnings: sex scenes (both with Jaehyun and Haechan), mentions of death and suicide 

For my lovely cinnamon bun Esme @rainydayswithnct​ I couldn’t think of anything else to give you but this. You’ve been nothing but kind to me, I hope this will make you happy ❤️

His eyes… They remind you of the ocean after the storm. 

It’s not the color as his are dark brown, like the freshly turned earth after rain. It’s the feeling, the way they glimmer under the soft evening light, calm and steady, but in a way, emits sadness, yearning for something. As if he had been crushed, trapped inside a hurricane for so long, he was about to fade into the void. And as he peered into your eyes, full of depths and secrets you long to unveil, something tugs upon your heartstring. 

It’s not love at a first sight. You’ve experienced that before with Lee Donghyuck, the lover whom you share frantic kisses and desperate touches with. But it’s something more intense, something you can’t even begin to fathom, something you wish you understand.

The second your eyes are locked to each other, it’s like you’re electrocuted, starting from the tip of your hair down to your toes.

“Oh, sorry,” you say, your voice sounds like you haven’t spoken in years. A tiny red spot begins to form on his chin from where it made contact with your head earlier. “I was looking for a book so I wasn’t—I didn’t see you there.”

The man, young enough to be around your age with a gaze wiser than most, has an expression of a heartbroken man. There’s pain that fleets through his eyes, a feeling that he quickly hides with a smile too bright to be genuinely coming from the heart. When he speaks, his voice is both rich and soft, deep and tender. “No, it was my fault.” He shakes his head. “Please don’t apologize.”

You want to reach out to him, want to know why he looks like he’s seconds away from breaking apart, want to ask him whether you’ve said too much or too less. But he’s nothing but a stranger and you don’t want to step out of the line. “Were you looking for a book?”

“Yes, umm…” He points his finger towards a book hidden in the shelf behind you. “That one.”

You follow his direction, smiling when you read the title written on its spine. “No wonder we bumped heads. I was aiming for the same book.”

“Oh, then it’s fine,” he says, pushing the book back to you after you handed it to him. “You can take it.”

“No, please, go ahead. I’ve read this too many times already.”

“Me too. So—”

“I insist.” You press the book to his chest, looking up at him. He looms before you, standing 180 centimeters tall that you have to tilt your head up to match his line of vision. You catch a sniff of his scent, the smell of soap and aftershave, thinly layered by cologne. His eyelashes are long, face framed by strong jawlines, brunette locks falling over his forehead. When his lips curve up, pretty dimples start to form in his cheeks. He looks like a painting, a thought runs through your mind, one that you hastily dismiss. “Take it as a form of my apology for bruising your chin,” you add.

His eyes widen, just for a split second before a soft chuckle reverberates from his chest. When he speaks again, it’s almost like a whisper—like a secret never meant to be told, “I can never win against you.”

You barely catch his words. “Sorry, what?”

“Nothing.” He clears his throat, hiding his eyes behind his bangs. “I’m… I was about to borrow this and grab some coffee. Would you care to join me? I’d love to talk more.” His body language indicates that he’s nervous which you find rather endearing. “I mean, It’s hard to find someone who has a similar taste like mine.”

Your heart convulses. You know how grabbing some coffee together tends to lead to something more. Your boyfriend’s name pops in your head but your lips betray you before your brain can form a warning. “Well, I do have a peculiar taste when it comes to books,” you answer with a smile. “Sure, as long as you tell me your name.”

“Right, sorry.” You love the sound he makes when he chuckles, and you love it more when it echoes louder in your ears. He offers his hand, stretching out his lean fingers. “I’m Jaehyun.”

You expect it to be soft just like the way he’s gazing at you, but his palm feels calloused against your own. When you reply to him with your name, he seems stunned but doesn’t stay still for long. Your name flows out of his mouth so naturally, as if he has been calling you for years, like a soulmate to another. It feels like electricity is running through your veins once more, something that you’ve never experienced before.

It takes around ten minutes to walk from the library to the nearest coffee shop and by then, you’ve caught on the little gestures he makes: the way he forces himself to laugh a little when he notices he’s being too straightforward; the way he clears his throat when he feels like his words have more hidden meanings than they let on. You’ve become aware of his passion and the love he has for books, so strong that it can only be matched by your own. You’ve learned about his dream, a novelist in the making, taking his first baby steps to turn it into reality.

“Have you thought about what kind of story you’re planning to write?” You question as you slide your cup closer with hot, black coffee shimmering inside. Before you take a sip, Jaehyun drags a sugar bowl toward your direction. “What?”

“It’s too bitter for you.”

“You think I can’t handle my coffee?”

“It’s not that.” He clears his throat and you wonder what is it that he’s trying to hide. “The coffees here are always too bitter.”

“Yeah?” You taunt him, smirking. “Well, watch me.” You take a sip, about to wince when the bitter taste hits your tongue but you act unfazed. Smacking your lips, you say, “See? I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“No. Give me the damn sugar.” 

It doesn’t take long before Jaehyun’s little laughter becomes one of your most favorite sounds in the world. 

“I’m planning to write a romance novel,” he responds to your earlier question.

“Romance, huh? To be honest, I see you more as someone who writes detective stories. Never would’ve pegged you as a romantic.”

“Well, it’s supposed to be more than just a romance story. It has a supernatural element to it. Borderline fantasy.”

“Like what?”

He takes a few seconds before he responds quietly with a secretive smile. “I guess you’ll just have to read to find out.”

“Cheapskate.” You purse your lips. “Is it going to have a happy ending?”

“Well, they’ll be separated by death in the end.”

“No,” you drawl out. “What happens to them? You can’t just say something like that and then not tell me about it.”

“Of course, I can.” There’s a tiny smirk creeping up his lips. “I’m the author.”

“And a jerk too, apparently.” You’re worried you might go too far with your joke but Jaehyun still peers at you with that warm, longing eyes that make you curl your toes.

“Fine, then,” he succumbs. “Since you insist, I’ll give you a hint later. But you’ll have to imagine the rest.”

“Then tell you about it? What if you steal my idea?” You raise an eyebrow, teasing him. “I happen to have a very creative imagination.”

“I promise you I won’t. I’ve finished writing my version of it. I’ll let you see it after you tell me yours.”

“Huh, interesting.” You pretend like you’re rethinking your decision, just to get him a little bit hopeful and nervous by it. “Deal, why not.” Your coffee has grown slightly cold but the sugary taste of it serves as an addiction. “So, does that mean we’ll see each other again?”

“Well, I do have to go back to the library to return the book. So, hopefully, yes.” You both exchange stares, sharing sheepish smiles with you breaking away first, bringing your focus back to your coffee. “I’ve never seen you in the library before,” Jaehyun questions, “Is today your first time visiting?”

“No. I’ve been visiting it almost every day for the last… two weeks, I think? It’s near my workplace so I usually drop by after work to read for an hour or two. My apartment is pretty small so it feels a bit cramped. That’s why I enjoy spending more time outside.” You swirl your spoon, watching the little whirlpool you create inside your cup. “Besides, I can’t read at home.”

“Why’s that?”

“It’s…” You awkwardly laugh, waving one hand in the air. “I have a boyfriend who is younger than me and he’s a pretty lively person. It’s hard to focus on your book when someone keeps pulling you into conversations.”

Jaehyun’s fingers stop tapping against the surface of the coffee table but it’s too fast for you to notice before he starts again. “Isn’t it better to have someone like that rather than to be alone, though?” He counters, the smile on his lips never falter but the one in his eyes does.

“I…” It’s not apparent but you can sense it, the painful look on his face. It feels like you just said something that hurt him so badly that you want to apologize about it. “Yeah… I guess so…”

Maybe he notices you noticing, which is why he tries to mask his feelings better with a wider smile that does reach his eyes this time. “Why do you choose this library?” He diverts the topic. “There are a lot of new ones in town, bigger ones too. This place is pretty old and dusty.”

“Can’t argue with that.” You nod, sighing. “Okay, don’t laugh, but honestly? It just feels somewhat nostalgic to me. The first time I stepped inside, it felt like I’d been spending all my life there—just sitting on that old couch, reading books, enjoying the silence. It just feels familiar, even more comforting than being in my room. It’s weird but I can only feel at ease when I read there.” Jaehyun stays quiet that you have to lift your head to understand what goes through his head. His face is pensive, undecipherable. “What about you? What’s your reason, Jaehyun?”

He stops breathing at the sound of his name escaping your mouth, his shoulders tense, and only after what feels like hours, he finally has the strength to drag his eyes away from yours, bringing them down to see his interlaced fingers lying on the table. 

“It’s just closer to my place.”

***

“Hey, babe.” Donghyuck chirps with a lollipop stuck in his mouth, his fingers running through the keyboards, eyes locked to his computer screen. He can tell that it’s you who just slipped through the front door by the sound of your footsteps. “You’re late. Did you get the puddings I asked you?”

“They’re in the fridge.” You take off your coat and unwrap your scarf from your neck before you stroll toward the living room. You can’t remember what or who initiated it but it has been almost six months since he started living in your apartment. You remember how he used to spend just one night at your place on the weekend, then two when he felt a bit needy for your touch. Before you knew it, his personal belongings were scattered all over the place—his hoodie on the couch, his towel on the bed, his toothbrush on your sink—and he could be spending the entire week at your place, only moving once to his apartment when he ran out of comic books to read. It just came so naturally that you didn’t notice at first but by the time you did, it was too late to even bring the topic to the table.

Being with Donghyuck was easy, casual, and he gave you more reasons to laugh over little things more than anyone else. During the first two months, you acted like newlyweds with him peppering kisses on your face whenever you arrived home from work. Unlike you, Donghyuck is a freelancer and he does most of his work at home. He used to be considerate enough to do some chores for you—cooking, cleaning the bathroom, sometimes even doing your laundry when he felt he’d been neglecting you. Whenever you arrived late, he would’ve always had something prepared for you, beaming at you with a contagious grin while chiming, “Finally, you’re here! I’ve been waiting for you and I’m starving. Today’s dish is your favorite so let’s eat!”

But things are bound to change and happiness doesn’t last forever. It started slow, almost unnoticeable, with him forgetting to kiss you good night before bed and you treating the fact that he no longer paid attention to what you were wearing as normal. Nowadays, he doesn’t have enough affection to greet you with his smile—one that used to shine brighter than the sun. Comforting hugs and welcome kisses are long forgotten.

It’s lonely, but it’s fine. He’s still here. Donghyuck is still yours as much as you are his.

It’s fine.

“I met someone today,” you say, reaching out to stroke his dark hair. It’s so soft and fluffy like a dog’s fur and you find it calming just to card your fingers through them. The feelings are the same, only his reaction isn’t. He used to lean into your touch as a kitten would. Now, he doesn’t even spare you a glance. 

“A man?”

“Yep.”

“Is he hot?”

“Well, he’s not ugly.”

“Then don’t get too close to him.”

Donghyuck is the jealous type, he’s always been—sometimes even a bit possessive but it makes you happy to know there’s someone out there who cares about you so much he doesn’t want to share you with anyone else. But not today. Today, his words feel empty. You can tell that he doesn’t mean any of them. He just says them as a joke, maybe out of habit, but certainly not a warning.

“What will we be having for dinner?” You ask him when he’s busy shouting foul words to his screen as his character just got shot dead.

“Jesus—left, you moron!” He groans loudly in to the air before he turns around, finally recognizing your presence. “What? Oh.” He pops the lollipop out of his mouth. “I just had some take-outs.”

“You didn’t wait for me?”

“I was dead hungry, but I ordered some for you too. It’s probably cold now but you can heat it up.”

“Can you do that for me, please? I love it when you add more seasonings to it.”

“I’d love to do that but,” he smiles apologetically, his fingers meeting the keyboards once more. “I’m busy, babe. There’s an event going on and Jeno literally won’t let me take a break. Look, I’ll cook for you tomorrow, I promise.”

You have stopped believing in his promises, or at least, don’t allow yourself to believe. You’ve learned that the best way to avoid disappointment is to not expect anything.

You smile back, push his hair away so you can land a kiss on his temple. And no matter how much your bottled-up feelings are about to burst, you don’t say a word.

Because you know silence is what keeps your relationship alive.

***

That night, Jaehyun appeared in your dream.

He had a different hairstyle, a little bit shorter, color’s a shade darker. He was dressed in an old-fashioned way—a white buttoned-up shirt under a brown blazer that was a couple of sizes bigger than it was supposed to. Nevertheless, he looked just as strikingly handsome as he was in real life.

He took off his fedora hat, bowing when his eyes met yours as he entered the library—the one that you always visit. “You look beautiful today,” he said, smiling like he always has from the first time you saw him but it felt different in the dream. His smile was timid and shy, eyes never stayed long enough to be locked with yours, but they were honest. The way they shimmered in adoration at the sight of you, painted with both desire and affection.

Your body went autopilot, words flowing from your mouth before you could even process the situation. It was like you were residing in someone else’s body, just a bystander. “Are you saying I didn’t look beautiful yesterday?”

“No, that’s not—” At the sight of you covering your smile behind your hand, he sighed, pressing his hat to his chest. “Don’t tease me like that.”

“I’m sorry. Which book would you like to read today?”

“Will you choose one for me?”

“Unfortunately, I have a peculiar taste when it comes to books—”

“I trust you.” He smiled a tad wider, perfect teeth peeking behind soft red lips, and you could feel your lips curving to mirror his. 

“Well then,” you said, reaching toward a bookshelf. “Why don’t we start with this?”

It ended without you knowing what book it was nor the line between your dream and reality. They stand out so vividly—the scenery, his expressions, the lines you’d exchanged with him—that it takes you a few good minutes to realize that it was just a dream and not a memory.

You couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night.

***

The library is indeed old, with walls standing in dire need to be repainted. But the faint smell of sandalwood combined with the orange tint of sunlight sneaking through the windows is comforting. Crowds don’t gather much around here—maybe four or five people at most—and you’re consoled by the tranquility. There’s only a soft thrum of acoustic guitar playing through the speakers that keep you company.

And Jaehyun.

You meet him every day when the sun is an hour away from setting. You don’t chat for long, spending most of your hour reading your chosen book for the day while stealing glances at him scribbling stuff down on his notebook.

“Why don’t you use a laptop?”

“Not fond of it. I feel more like a writer this way,” Jaehyun responds, re-reading the words he just wrote on paper. When he notices you’re giggling, he frowns. “What?”

“You’re like my dad.”

“Then I’m sure your dad is a very smart, tech-savvy man.”

“I’m saying you have an old soul, the way you prefer to do stuff more traditionally.” You sink further into your chair, opening a new page, eyes scanning the lines but not reading them. “Well, I guess that makes the two of us since I already have the e-book version of this on my iPad and I’m still here reading it in a library. How’s your story going?”

“Pretty well. I just came up with a really annoying character.” His smile is a bit different this time, somewhat mischievous. “Inspired by someone.”

“You’re not talking about me, are you?”

Jaehyun drags his pen over his note. “Character A begins to question her—”

“Shut up!”

The more time you spend with him, the more you feel like he’s becoming a mystery you can’t solve. You’re closer to him, closer than any of your friends, but you know there are secrets he tries to bury underneath those tender smiles. To you, Jaehyun, with his eyes that always seem like they’re telling a different story—one that nearly drives him to the brink of tears, still seems like an incomplete puzzle. And if time allows you, you’d gladly collect every piece of him to be able to perceive him better.

***

Jaehyun visited you in another dream.

This time, you were walking next to him beside a beautiful pond in a backyard that seemed familiar enough to be your own. Both of you were dressed in traditional clothing and you wondered whether a ceremony just occurred.

“Are you nervous?” He asked, holding your hand.

“I don’t know, maybe,” you heard yourself mumble, body moving beyond your control. “I just feel like we’re moving too fast. We just turned twenty.”

“Are you having doubts?” He intertwined your fingers better and you noticed how his were shaking slightly. “About me?”

“Of course not.” You turned around, reaching up to caress his cheek, stroking his cheekbone with your thumb. “Jaehyun, this is the only thing I’ve ever wanted. I want to be with you, there’s no doubt about it. I’m just thinking about our future, that’s all. What will we do with our jobs? Our money? What will we do when we have kids—”

“It’s just like you to overthink about stuff,” he tittered, “We’ll cross the bridge when we get there.”

That earned him a pout. “I’m not overthinking about stuff. I’m planning them.”

“Of course, my bad.” He kissed your inner palm once before he let you frame his face again, his hand pressing against the back of your smaller one. “Thank you.”

You frowned. “For what?”

“For everything. For caring, for worrying.” Jaehyun smiled so gently, it was almost heartbreaking. “For being with me. Perhaps it’s immature for me to say this, but whatever future that lies ahead of us, I’m sure it’s filled with nothing but joy as long as we’re together.”

“That is such an embarrassing line to say.” You giggled and the blush that bloomed on his face was instant and striking but before he could say a word, you pulled him into your embrace, resting your cheek against his chest. “As long as we’re together, huh?” You repeated quietly. “Then will you promise you’ll stay with me forever?”

“I promise.” Jaehyun’s smile was pressing against your hairline. “Not even death can separate us.”

You wake up with a cold sweat, your heart thrumming so loudly, it makes you feel nauseous. Donghyuck shifts around in bed at the sound of you gasping for air, sleepily asking what’s wrong as he rubs his eyes.

“I’m fine,” you tremulously utter, a hand on your chest as if it could do something to steady your racing heart. “Go back to sleep.”

Donghyuck sends you another look with eyes barely opened. “Come here.” He tugs you closer to his chest, his nose grazing the crook of your neck. “It’s just a nightmare,” he murmurs drowsily against your skin, and in a matter of seconds, he drifts back to sleep.

“Yeah…” You swallow your breath, Jaehyun’s name resting on the tip of your tongue. “Just a nightmare…”

One that feels too real.

***

Weeks turn into months, and what started as curiosity becomes affection. 

Reading books has turned into nothing but an excuse for both of you to spend time together. What started as stealing secret glances at each other has morphed into an exchange of secret whispers in a secluded corner. The questions have become more personal too, and you find yourself talking about childhood memories and nonsensical ideas that show up in your thoughts, even the ones you have never shared with anyone else, not even to Donghyuck who lends his arm for you at night.

It’s only the dreams that you keep quiet about, as they always revolve around him since the first day you met Jaehyun. You’re not sure why, maybe it’s a way of your subconscious trying to tell you that you have feelings for him—feelings that aren’t meant to be shared with friends—as the dreams tend to play romantically. And you can’t deny that you do feel something about him.

It’s hard not to feel anything when Jaehyun has given you everything you’ve ever asked from a person. From a friend. From a lover.

But it’s not love. Definitely not love. At least not in the way you know of. In your mind, love is in the form of hugs you share with Donghyuck, not in the way Jaehyun lands his eyes on yours. Love is—

Your head swirls. What is love?

The concept of love is so complex that even if you know about it, you’re not sure if you understand it enough to experience it. You have never talked about love, not with your boyfriend, not with yourself. Is it something that you’ve already felt once? Are you in love with Donghyuck—the man you’ve spent the last two years together?

What does he think of me? You start to lose focus, sinking into your thoughts and the soft music playing in the background feels like a lullaby. Does Hyuck love me?

Before long, you feel your eyelids grow heavy. You fall asleep with your arms folded on the table, cheek pressing against them.

You’re dreaming. You’re dreaming of a hand, so warm and tender as it brushes stray hairs from your temple. You’re dreaming of a voice, so familiar to your ears, so quiet and heartbroken as it resonates in whispers. You’re dreaming of a pair of lips, so soft and light as they press against your strands.

“It’s okay if you don’t remember me. It’s okay, so please…” Slender fingers curl around your wrist, bringing it to frame a face with skin as soft as porcelain. “Just come back to me…”

You wake up. 

Jaehyun is sitting on the other side of the table, pen tapping against his lips as he reads back his work, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. He notices the little shift in your movement, immediately beaming at you with his signature smile. “Hey there, Sleepyhead.”

You rub your eyes before sitting straight on your seat, your hair’s astray. “What—How did I—” A coat is slipping through your shoulders and you catch it before it meets the ground. It’s Jaehyun’s. “Umm—t-thanks,” you mumble, handing it back to him.

“Sure,” he responds. “You were shivering so…”

“Oh… Right.” You certainly don’t feel cold now especially when your cheeks feel like they’re on fire. “W-what time is it?”

“Around eight. The place’s about to close.” Jaehyun takes a sip of his drink, grinning at your behavior. “You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”

“Yeah, well, you should’ve. My boyfriend's gonna interrogate me for this.” You sigh, trying to gather back every bit of your strength and dignity. “Why are you still here?”

He raises an eyebrow at that, acting offended. “You don’t actually think that I’m the type of guy who leaves pretty girls sleeping defenselessly in public, do you?”

The word ‘pretty’ comes so effortlessly from his mouth that you’re sure he doesn’t mean it to mean something more. “There’s literally no one else around here but the staff besides us.”

“Which should be the more reason why I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

You scoff, shaking your head in amusement. “Yes, yes, how chivalrous of you. Thank you, oh my mighty prince. How can I return the favor?”

“By coming here again tomorrow?”

The way his eyes shine with excitement at the thought of seeing you again makes your heart flutter. “I don’t think you need to ask,” you grin.

***

Jaehyun knows you. He knows you too well. But it’s not the things that can be seen, it’s the things that you can only know by spending time together. Jaehyun knows the type of music you listen to, knows that whenever it gets too cold, you’ll start craving a cup of hot chocolate. 

It’s strange, the fact that Jaehyun, a stranger you just befriended, pays attention with all his heart, even at the words that accidentally slipped off your tongue as if you’re the only person who matters in the world, while Donghyuck, your boyfriend, barely bats an eyelash when you share an important aspect of your life. It feels strange at first, but now, it sickens you.

“What’s this?” You ask, examining a CD case he just hands over. “Are you giving me a mix-tape?” It doesn’t have a cover, just a note painted with the words: When we die, we will turn into songs, and we will hear each other and remember each other. You have your eyebrow raised. “A quote by Rob Sheffield?”

“It’s a hint for my story. As promised.” He takes a seat in front of you. “Have you worked on it?”

“When you’re only giving me this quote as a hint and nothing more, it’s kinda hard to come up with something tragic for the ending.”

“I thought you had a very creative imagination.”

You throw a playful glare and he titters a little bit in response. “Is there any other reason why you’re giving me this?”

“Just something to keep you company.” He smiles. He always smiles, but more with his eyes than his lips. Then he slides down another thing—a book this time—wrapped with a red ribbon. “As you read this.”

It’s an old book written by your favorite author, one that you haven’t been able to read because it’s so rare to find. “How do you—” You’re lost for words. You have never told him about this. You’ve mentioned your favorite books but none from this author as it is something personal that you prefer to keep to yourself, not wanting others to judge you for your distinctive taste.

“It’s written by my favorite author,” he elaborates, “I just thought you’d like it too since we have similar taste.”

There’s something he’s not telling you, you can sense that. But if he’s not ready to provide the words, you won’t take them away by force.

“Thank you.” You hug the book to your chest. Somehow, the air feels like spring, like cherry blossoms blooming for the first time after being frozen for so long. “I’ll cherish this.”

“It’s just a book, don’t be dramatic,” he chuckles but happiness is written all over his face, mirroring yours. Jaehyun’s eyes soften and he appears so fragile, like a porcelain doll. So beautiful and vulnerable.

The songs he has compiled for you seem like they’re taken straight out of your playlist. Even for the songs you’ve never listened to before, they click right in. You’re so caught by the moment, drowned deep in the lyrics and the music that resonates from your speakers, that you don’t hear the sounds of your boyfriend stepping into the room.

“I thought I heard noises. What are you listening to?” Donghyuck asks, leaning over your shoulder to peek at the empty CD case you’ve been holding on your lap.

“A friend gave me,” you answer. You notice the way his eyes dart to the handwritten note and it makes you nervous as if you’re doing something wrong behind his back, something forbidden.

“What a thoughtful friend,” he comments nonchalantly, albeit a little bit cold. You mask your anxiety with a chuckle. “Maybe you can tell your friend that there’s this thing called Spotify nowadays. Literally no one listens to CDs anymore.”

Your tongue lays heavy in your mouth, and maybe it’s better to leave things the way it is but you can’t stop yourself from bitterly saying, “I happen to like listening to CDs. It makes me feel nostalgic.”

“You and your nostalgia.” Donghyuck snorts, completely missed the annoyed tone in your voice. He places a peck on the top of your head. “Well, I’m hungry. What do you want to have for dinner? I’ll cook."

“There’s a new Chinese restaurant opening just a block away,” Jaehyun said on a Sunday evening when you two were about to part ways. “They got amazing reviews. Do you have some time to spare? I know how much you love Chinese food.”

“I never told you I loved Chinese food.”

“Everybody loves Chinese food, it’s not that hard to guess.”

“Fine. But if you can guess what I’m about to order, I’ll start filing a restraining order against you, assuming you’re a stalker.”

“Well, I gotta be careful not to get caught then.”

“Baby?” Donghyuck snaps you out of your reverie. “I’m asking what you wanna have for dinner.”

“Umm…” You push a loose strand of your hair behind your ear, somewhat jittery. “Chinese food?”

He frowns upon your words. “I didn’t know you liked Chinese food.”

“I-it’s just something I haven’t eaten in a while.”

“Well, I’m going to cook you something better.” He grins, boyish and ignorant. “How about your favorite Spaghetti Aglio e Olio by Chef Lee Donghyuck?”

You smile, weak but hopefully not empty. “That would be nice.”

***

“You’re okay?” Jaehyun asks the second you take a seat in front of him. He seems so concerned that it surprises you. You haven’t realized you look that troubled.

“I’m fine,” you assure him with a smile. “Just… You know, boyfriend stuff.”

You can tell how Jaehyun is holding back his words from how tightly he keeps his lips pressed together. He’s always considerate like that, always detecting every little thing that you try to hide but never pressures you to speak, especially when it comes to your relationship. Jaehyun respects you, respects the fact that you are already involved with someone that he never tries to get you to look in his direction. Though his eyes often betray him, Jaehyun tries his best to maintain his distance. He never flirts, never praises you with romantic words, never steps out of line.

And you’re thankful for that because deep down you know, once he does, it will be hard to untangle yourself from his grasp.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Then...” Jaehyun closes his book, leaning closer. His dimples are so prominent when he grins, eyes turning into a beautiful pair of crescents. “How about we go try out some dumplings?”

It’s so sudden and random but once the idea sinks in, there’s only one thing you want to say. “Take me away, Jaehyun.”

It’s not about the food. It’s not about ignoring your problems, or the loneliness that’s drowning you a little bit more every day. It’s about enjoying the little things with someone who understands you, someone who doesn’t need to hold your hand to keep you warm. 

Someone who can finally let you breathe.

***

“I can’t believe it’s closed early,” you whine after you read the sign that’s strapped to the library’s front door. “And I was so excited to read the next chapter too.”

“What’s the book?” Jaehyun asks, adjusting the strap of his bag that hangs low on his shoulder.

“No Longer Human.”

“By Osamu Dazai?”

“Yep.”

“I’ve got a copy of that.”

“What, really?” The spark of glee that glimmer in your eyes catches him by surprise but he hides it behind a soft smile. “Can I borrow it? It’s such an old book, I can’t even find the e-book version of it.”

“Sure. Would you like to come over to my place?” The line makes your breath hitched in your throat and Jaehyun recognizes the faint blush that spreads on your cheeks. Mirroring your reaction, he hastily clears his throat, rubbing his nape as his face turns scarlet. “Or, uhh, I can just hand it over to you tomorrow.”

“No, it’s—” As you tuck your hair behind your ear, you notice your fingers are shaking. “I have—I’ve got time to spare. You have coffee at your place, right?”

His shoulders begin to relax and with a soft gaze, he reciprocates with an even tender smile. “If you’re alright with instant coffees.”

“Then lead the way.”

Jaehyun has this mature persona around him, like a caring big brother that calms you down but the second you arrive in his hallway, he fumbles with his words, his key slipping out of his fingers during his first try, and his nervousness starts to rub off on you.

It makes you wonder whether he’s feeling like he’s crossing the line, just as much as you are with Donghyuck��s name sitting on the front of your mind.

“Come in,” he invites, opening the door but keeping his eyes anywhere else but yours. “I hope you don’t mind the mess.”

His apartment smells just like him and it makes it hard for you to focus on anything else. But the second you’re able to sort that thought away, you realize something. He keeps his place minimalist and neat, just like the way he dresses and writes. Everything is organized properly with two paintings decorating his walls—ones that remind you of your grandmother’s house. “You really do have an old soul,” you playfully comment and he scrunches his nose at you in return.

It feels more familiar to step into Jaehyun’s apartment than your own because he has everything that you wanted and more. All the books sitting on his shelf, his collection of CDs, even the potpourri he has on his coffee table has the same scent with the one you’re planning to buy. 

“I know you said we have similar taste, but this…” You scan his bookshelf in awe, noticing how it almost covers his entire wall from how huge it is. He owns hundreds of books and everything is arranged alphabetically. “This is just taking it to another level. Are you sure you’re not my stalker?”

He simpers. “If I was, I wouldn’t have invited you here. Too much evidence.”

“Or maybe you’re just planning to keep me here with you forever.” When he doesn’t reply, you realize how wrong that line just sounded. “I’m sorry, was that a weird thing to say?”

“I didn’t hear anything.” Jaehyun waves you off, walking to the kitchen. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

The tension gradually starts to ease by the time you have a book in your lap, your eyes running from one passage to another. Sitting next to you, Jaehyun has his pen glued to his notepad again, his brown hair nearly looks golden as the sunset illuminates his face with such a warm, beautiful glow.

He really does look like a painting, you admire as you steal glances at him from behind your book. The perfect shape of his nose, his smooth skin, the way he’s so focused on his story, drowned inside his imagination… Maybe you’re being carried away, taken by his beauty, that your mouth begins to produce the words without thinking.

“Why do you look so sad?” 

Jaehyun’s pen nearly slips from his fingertips. “What?”

“Sometimes you just look... so lonely and hurt,” you clarify although you’re growing more conscious of the way you’re crossing the line. “It feels like you’re forcing yourself to smile when you look at me...”

Jaehyun loses the ability to speak, even just blinking his eyes already seems like a stretch. But he sees something, the genuine curiosity and concern written in your eyes, that makes him avert his gaze away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he remarks, forcing himself to chuckle and you know that’s he’s showing you that smile again, even when you can barely make out his features.

You don’t know what’s gotten into you. Maybe you’re just tired of him keeping secrets to himself when you’re sure they concern you. Maybe you’re just sick of seeing him like he’s on the verge of breaking apart without knowing the cause. Or perhaps it’s just your selfish way of saying, “I want you to smile, truly smile, because of me and no one else.”

But you find yourself reaching out a hand, your fingertips meeting the warm skin of his cheek, wanting him to turn his face around so you can see his expression. Jaehyun jolts, your name tumbles down his lips abruptly, his hand clamping against your wrist. “What are you doing?” His eyes are shaking as they bore deep into yours but yours are steady. Your eyes, your voice, your fingertips. They’ve never been this steady.

This is the first time you’ve been this close to him, to know how long his eyelashes really are, the way they flutter against his cheeks, the curve of his mouth, and the beauty mark on his pale skin. He’s possibly the most beautiful man you’ve ever witnessed in person.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to suddenly touch you like that.” You try to retract your hand, but he keeps his fingers around your wrist, hand hanging mid-air as he swallows his breath. Seeing him nervous makes you nervous. “Jaehyun, I won’t force you to say anything you don’t want to say, but…” You haven’t realized that you’ve been speaking in whispers, but Jaehyun has and his eyes soften just as much as yours do. “Please don’t pretend, not when you’re with me.”

Whether it’s from your words or the tenderness in your voice, you’re not sure, but Jaehyun releases your hand only so he can cup your cheek. He murmurs your name, so soft as if he’s telling a secret that he’s been dying to say. He leans forward, his breath is now fanning your cheek, and he’s so close, so close, and your eyes begin to shut when his lips faintly graze against yours—

The ringing sound of your phone blares through the room. 

Your entire movement stops but your heart runs a thousand miles per hour. It takes a good few seconds to come back to reality, and when you do, you’re not graceful at it. “Umm—” You glance away, breaking free from his touch. Your fingers are trembling hard when they retrieve your phone from the table. It has stopped ringing and a notification appears on your screen. The sight of your boyfriend’s name makes you feel like the floor is crumbling underneath you. “Sorry, it’s Donghyuck—I have to—It’s getting late, he must be looking for me.” Too embarrassed to see his face, you quickly gather your belongings into your arms, not even spending a few seconds to wear your coat back. “Thank you for inviting me. I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow?” And you don’t wait for an answer, only forcing yourself to laugh which comes out as strained and pitchy, before you head toward the front door.

“Wait.” Jaehyun has his right hand pressing against the back of the door, shutting it close before you have the chance to let yourself out. You’re trapped between the door and his chest, making it harder for you to breathe. “Can you look at me?” He firmly orders but promptly adds a soft, “Please,” when you’re not brave enough to respond to him. 

You turn around, hugging your purse and your coat to your chest, facing him but not meeting his eyes. You can feel him analyzing your expression, feel how heavy his gaze is on your face. He bends down slightly, hand reaching out to frame your face like before but you flinch, eyes shutting tightly before he can make any contact.

You can’t see the look on his face as you are too frightened to do so, but you can tell how much you hurt him by the sound of his voice. “You forgot your book,” he states, handing a copy of Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human.

“O-oh, right.” You sound so nervous, so afraid, and you don’t know why. “It’s okay. I won’t be able to read at home anyway—”

“I want you to have it.” It’s the first time he loses the warmth in his voice when he speaks and if you’re not too clouded by your thoughts, if you weren’t so selfish, you would’ve tried your best to fix the situation. But not right now. Right now, you just want to disappear. You want to run back home, run into Donghyuck’s arms like how you’re supposed to be. 

Because this is wrong. This isn’t supposed to happen. Not when you have another man waiting for your return.

You take the book from his hand, noticing how your fingers brush his and how they stay that way for a little too long, but Jaehyun doesn’t say anything. “I’m sorry,” you mumble out, tears begin to prickle at the corner of your eyes and you’re still not sure why you’re on the verge of crying.

“Don’t be. It was my fault.” He notices your emotions, he always does, and it breaks you apart to know how much you’re breaking him right now. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Nothing happened,” you convince him, shaking your head and will your tears to go away before they fall down your cheeks. “We didn’t do anything.”

Jaehyun’s fingers curls, nails sinking into his palms as he tries his best to mask what he’s feeling. “You’re right,” he quietly repeats, “Nothing happened.”

***

“Where have you been?”

Your keys slip through your fingers at the sound of Donghyuck’s voice and you’re petrified, millions of thoughts running through your head as you try to come up with an excuse.

But why? Why do you have to come up with an excuse? “Nothing happened. We didn’t do anything.” Isn’t that what you said?

“Babe?”

You jump back a couple of steps when Donghyuck walks into your personal space with a frown breaking on his temple. He furrows his eyebrows deeper at your reaction. “You okay? You look kinda pale.”

“Yeah, umm—” You adjust the collar of your turtleneck shirt, suddenly feeling like you’re being choked. “It’s fine—I’m fine. I just had a long day at work.”

“Why didn’t you text me? I could’ve swung by to pick you up.”

You force yourself to smile at his offer. “Thank you. It’s okay, really. Were you waiting for me?”

“Well yeah, I wanted to eat dinner together. It’s been a while since we did that and I wanted to make it up to you.” He cutely pouts and you’re reminded of the reason why you’re so trapped under his spell. “Text me next time when you’re about to come home late so I don’t have to wait for you.”

There it is. It strikes again. The feeling of loneliness. Curling your fingers at the hem of your shirt, you weakly reply with, “I’m sorry.”

Because out of the millions of thoughts that run through your head, that’s the only thing you have the bravery to say out loud.

***

“Hyuck?” You call out, carding your fingers through his soft locks. Donghyuck has his head on your lap with his legs sprawled out, taking most of the couch. His eyes are glued to the screen of his Nintendo Switch, thumb moving frantically to land a new high score. “I think we need to talk.”

Donghyuck doesn't respond right away. After a few relentless movements of his thumbs, he shouts, “Fuck, not again! Goddamn, I gotta restart all over again.” You can see him renewing the game, picking a different character. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I just…” You’re nervous, feeling more so than the pain that swells in your chest from not being taken seriously. “It feels like we haven’t been spending time with each other. Properly, I mean.”

“We’re spending time together now, aren’t we?” He hisses when his character takes another damage from his opponent. “What, do you want to watch a movie or something?”

I want us to talk. I want us to laugh. I want us to listen to each other like we used to. “I’m not in the mood for movies right now.”

After taking another shot, Donghyuck groans. “Fuck this stupid game,” he grumbles, throwing his device to the coffee table. “You know what’s annoying? The fact that I could land a perfect high score when I was drunk as fuck but now, I can’t even get into top three!”

Your patience is growing thin, but even then, you can’t find the strength to confront him properly. “Hyuck…”

“Right, sorry.” He heaves a sigh, rubbing his head as he sits straight up, facing you properly. “What is it? Is there something wrong?”

You meet his gaze and you realize how rarely you stand in this position, with him looking directly at your face with concern in his eyes. Now that he’s paying you full attention, your vocabulary turns into a blank slate. Your lips are parted but your voice is nowhere to be found, as it is hidden by the fear of speaking beyond control once you let your emotions run loose. 

“I…” You begin, clearing your throat to sound less anxious. “Are you happy with me?”

He knits his eyebrows together. “Of course, I’m happy. What are you talking about? Have I done something to upset you?”

“No, it’s…” Your hands lay rigid on your lap, fingers tightening around each other. You weakly smile. “Nothing. I guess I just had some weird thoughts popping in my head.”

“Look, I promise you I’ll do the laundry this weekend,” he confidently convinces you, as if that was the problem you’re currently facing. He pokes you on the nose, grinning boyishly. “Stop acting so weird, you’re creeping me out. What else are you thinking about? If it’s sex you want, you just gotta ask. You know I’m down with it anytime you want.”

“Yeah, of course…” You can force yourself to laugh but every sound you make feels like a knife piercing against your heart. “Sorry, I was just being stupid. You can ignore me.”

“I won’t ignore you, how can I do that? Not when you’re this cute.” He giggles, pressing a kiss to your forehead. But his affection does not make the butterflies in your stomach come alive. It makes hot tears threatening to appear in your eyes. “I like your sweater,” Donghyuck coos, “Is it new?”

No, this is my third time wearing it in front of you. “Yes. I’m glad you noticed.”

“I always notice everything about you.” He ruffles your hair as he stands up, stretching out his arms above his head. “Is there anything else you’d like to talk about? ‘Cause I’m dead tired.”

“No. Thank you for listening.”

“Anytime, babe.” He bends his head down to kiss you fully on the mouth, tongue running along your lower lip just to tease like usual. When he pulls away, he has his juvenile grin intact. “Well, I’m going to bed. If I wake up late tomorrow, you can re-heat the food. I’ve stored everything in the fridge.”

Donghyuck disappears behind the door before you can finish saying good night.

***

The sun’s about to set… He must have been there already.

It has been two days since you last saw Jaehyun. You know you’re not being fair avoiding him like this, but you don’t know what else to do. You’re not brave enough to face him after that. Have you been giving him signs? Was it your fault, was it the expression you made, was it the words you spoke, that made him lean towards you, asking for a kiss that you were more than eager to give?

“Hey, babe,” Lee Donghyuck chirps against your ear, arms finding their way to circle your waist, pulling you to his lap. “What are you doing?”

You’re successful at hiding your surprise but knowing it’s Donghyuck, anything will probably pass by without him realizing. Even when you have spent the last fifteen minutes reading the same paragraph in your book over and over again as your thoughts drift somewhere else. 

You have a boyfriend and it’s not Jaehyun. Donghyuck is everything to you now, isn’t he? Yet, if you hadn’t been interrupted by that phone call, you were sure you would’ve yielded to Jaehyun’s touch.

“Nothing happened. We didn’t do anything.”

You’re disgusted with yourself.

You throw a glance to the side, your nose nearly brushing his as Donghyuck settles his chin on your shoulder. Unlike Jaehyun who has a fresh, masculine scent, Donghyuck smells like summer and lilacs under the sun. It’s comforting and sweet, yet even after two years, it stills feels somewhat unfamiliar to you.

“Reading a book.” You shiver when he pushes your hair away, placing a lazy wet kiss on your nape, lips parted and tongue pressing against the skin. “Hyuck…”

“It’s okay, keep reading.” Whenever his mouth makes contact with your skin, he adds a hum or a moan to make sure you know that despite his words, he’s not giving you the chance to continue. “You want us to spend more time together, don’t you?”

You deeply exhale, staring lifelessly at the ceiling, sensitive skin being caressed but none of his touches pumps desire through your veins. Since when did I stop wanting him this way? You wonder, feeling guilty when Jaehyun’s face appears in the corner of your mind once more.

“Baby,” Donghyuck murmurs seductively against the skin, thin fingers slipping underneath the hem of your shirt, trailing over your navel. “Hasn’t it been a while since we last did it?”

“It’s only been a week.”

“And that’s a week too long. I want you.” He strokes your cheek, guiding you to meet his eyes. “Can I touch you?”

It’s a rhetorical question since you both know you can’t say no when he demands something from you. “Of course.”

Donghyuck’s lips still taste the same, feel the same as they suck bruises on your delicate skin but the sparks are no longer there. He used to make you squirm with excitement, body begging under temptation. Sex used to be an adventure, a way for him to make you lose your mind, to have you gasping his name between moans, nails clawing against his back, thighs trembling under his fingertips.

Right now, sex is just… another glue to keep your relationship in place.

Clothes are discarded on the floor, and Donghyuck is sitting with you on his lap, his spine pressed against the couch, nails digging into your hips as he brings you down to take him inch-by-inch. He hisses when he feels you engulfing him with your warmth, head thrown back with lips parted in a blissful moan.

“No matter how much we’ve done it,” he chuckles, eyes glazed with lust. “I can never get enough of the way you’re taking me so well, baby.” Donghyuck is a very passionate lover and his lips love to praise, both by words and kisses. The way he calls your name, the way he whispers, “You feel so good around me,” often makes you wonder whether there would be any other man who will desire you this much. But is it love? Does he love you? 

Do you love him? 

You’re not sure. You don’t know yet. But you know he plays a huge part in your life. Donghyuck once added a spectrum of colors into your previously dull, monochromatic life. You care about him, think about him more than you should, even putting his needs and priorities above yours.

If that’s not love, then what is it?

“Donghyuck…” You flinch when he rocks his hips up, a bit too rough and forceful as he’s getting impatient with the pace you’re going. “I—I think I love you.”

It surprises you that these words can leave your lips but you don’t regret it. It’s the right thing to do, saying these words to him. It’s only natural after the amount of time you’ve spent with him. It’s a way to bridge the gap between you and him, to reignite the flame, to bring laughter back into your life. 

To fix the mistake you just made two days ago.

But maybe his thoughts are too clouded with lust, maybe your words are too quiet for him to hear, or maybe you haven’t said the words at all and everything is just playing inside your imagination but no matter what the reason is, Donghyuck doesn’t answer. The words that escape his lips are obscene, a sign that he’s about to finish and you let him pull you closer to his chest, let him sink his face in the crook of your neck, let him groan and release everything inside because that’s what you’re supposed to do.

“Did you get to come?” He asks, breathless and flushed when he’s finished. His bangs are glued to his temple, sun-kissed skin glistening with sweat and when he strokes your cheekbone with his fingers, they tremble from the pleasure that washed through his body.

“Yes.” You didn’t. You haven’t in a while. It’s not because you didn’t enjoy it. Donghyuck still moved in the way you wanted him to—in the way that used to untie the knots in your stomach, almost making you cry from how good it was. But you’ve begun to realize that there was a part of you missing and Donghyuck isn’t the right piece to complete the puzzle. 

Jaehyun.

The dread of having another man’s name running through your head is so much, it almost makes you vomit your insides. 

“Hyuck.”

“Yes, baby?”

“I said I love you.”

There’s no going around it this time. You’ve said the words, you’ve pronounced them loud and clear but when Donghyuck still doesn’t say anything, you wish the earth could swallow you whole. “Can you… say something, please…?”

“Baby,” he sighs, fingers framing your face so gently, it hurts you. “Please don’t take this the wrong way. It’s not that I don’t love you but—”

You’re stunned, shocked to your core at the incoming rejection but… that’s it.

You don’t feel anything. How can you not feel anything? You don’t feel hurt, you’re not disappointed, you’re just…

Relieved.

“Baby, are you listening?” Donghyuck calls again, grabbing you by your chin so he can peer into your eyes. “I like you. I really do like you. I like you so much but love is such a big word and for me to be committed that way is just… I don’t know, I haven’t figured out my feelings yet. I don’t even understand what love is. I just—I need more time.”

You’re lost for words. How can you tell him? How can you say that you’re so relieved he doesn’t love you back? How can you tell him that his action does not break you apart, but only makes you realize that you’ve just been forcing yourself to stay with him because it feels like it’s the right thing to do?

What if you’re just staying with him because you’re so afraid of being alone, not knowing that loneliness is the only thing he can offer you in return?

“I understand,” you quietly reply, climbing off his lap. Your knees wobble slightly under your weight as your mind travels somewhere else. You gather your clothes into your arms, placing them back on your body.

Donghyuck frowns at your reaction, calling your name as he stands up and pulls his jeans back to place. “Look, I don’t want to hurt you by saying it when I still don’t truly mean it the way you do.”

You can’t look at him, can’t meet his eyes when you can’t even understand how you feel. “I get it, Hyuck, it’s fine.”

But maybe Donghyuck is taking it the wrong way because his voice is laced with both exhaustion and desperation to make this feel any less terrible. “Babe, can we just talk—”

“I said, I’m fine!” You turn around to face him, head dizzy and heart palpitating. It scares you. It scares you that after all this time thinking Donghyuck was the one for you—all the things you’ve done, all the memories you’ve shared—you still don’t understand your feelings for him. You loved him once, you’re sure you loved him once. But is it love if the feeling isn’t eternal? Can you call it love when it fleets by so fast, disappearing without a trace as if it’s never existed in the first place?

To think that these two years you have spent with him would amount to nothing...

You take a deep breath, wishing your body and voice to stop shaking. When you look him in the eyes, there’s nothing but certainty written in your eyes. “You’re right, we need to talk.”

Donghyuck walks to your spot, hand resting against your waist, another one framing your cheek. “Please don’t be mad,” he whispers, and for the first time in the last few months, he does look sorry. “I’m happy to hear you say those words, I really do, but—”

“I want to break up.”

He freezes, jaw dropping low. “What?” 

“I want to break up with you, Donghyuck.”

“What—why—” His eyebrows are sewn together, and you take his hand away from your face, breaking free from his hold. “You’re breaking up with me because I can’t say I love you too?”

“No.” You exhale. “I’m breaking up with you because I feel fine with you not saying it back.”

He stands in silence, then his forced chuckles fill the air. “Babe, what are you talking about—”

“Are you happy with me?” The tremble in your voice has receded. “Be honest. Are you truly happy with me? Or are you just going along with everything because you’re so comfortable—so used to the situation of being with me—that you start to think as long as I’m not hurt, it’s fine. As long as I’m not alone, I can keep going with this relationship, even when I’m with someone who doesn’t truly understand me. Or accept the real me.”

Donghyuck releases the breath he doesn’t know he’s been holding. His voice is a pitch lower when he speaks, bitter and hurt. “Is that how you feel? All this time when we’re together?”

“No.” Your heart still breaks at the sight of his face. “I think I really did love you once, Hyuck. And if you had rejected me a few months earlier, I would’ve probably broken down crying. But now…” You grow stiff, noticing the infuriated look that’s plastered on his face. “I’m sorry.”

Donghyuck stays mute and the silence only adds more tension to the atmosphere. His teeth are grinding against each other when he replies. “Why did you even say you loved me if you weren’t fucking sure about how you felt?”

You twist your finger in the hemline of your shirt, in dire need of something to keep your emotions collected. “I thought it would make us grow closer again. To fix what’s lost between us,” you weakly admit, heart throbbing and breaking at the sight of him. “But then I realized that we shouldn’t say we love someone just because we have to. We should say it because we want to. Because we truly feel that way. But I didn’t feel anything when you didn’t say it back. I only felt… relieved.” 

The enraged look on his face forces you to drag your eyes to your feet and you stay still, breathing as quietly as possible. It’s only when Donghyuck starts to reach for his jacket, muttering, “I’m not having any of these bullshits,” as he walks passes you that you dare to look in his direction.

“How easy for you to put this all on me,” he declares with his fingers lingering on the doorknob, so spitefully it shocks you. “You probably think I’m dumb and insensitive, but I know. I’ve noticed the way you changed ever since you met him.”

“What?” His words feel like a slap to the face. “I don’t—”

“You know,” he cynically laughs into the air, throwing his head back. “Just because you found someone who makes you happy ‘cause he can quote your favorite lines, read your favorite books or listen to the same shit you like, doesn’t mean you can throw me away like I’m some fucking garbage.”

You’re petrified by his words. Somewhere in your head, you keep saying that the reason why you’re breaking up with him is that you’re so different from each other—that there would be little to no chance for the two of you to understand one another even if you’re given all the time in the world. But you can’t deny that there’s a part of you that completely rejects Donghyuck simply because you’ve stopped wanting him as much as you want Jaehyun. 

It sickens you.

“I’m…” It’s suffocating. The tension in the air, his eyes, the way your heartbeat is ramming against your ribcages. “I’m sorry...”

Your apology only aggravates him more and with gritted teeth, Donghyuck slams the door behind him, leaving you alone in the silence of your room.

Your apartment has never felt this big before.

***

It’s funny how you just ended your two years relationship with your boyfriend but Donghyuck isn’t the one you’ve been avoiding for months. It’s Jaehyun.

Something is gnawing at you from the inside, the feeling of guilt as if you just sinned. You didn’t cheat on your boyfriend. Physically, you didn’t. You’re attracted to Jaehyun, everybody would be to someone who owns such a handsome face and delicate features. But it’s more than just physical attraction because when you lay at night in your bed, alone and empty, it’s not his face that comes to mind. It’s the little thing he does, the way he listens to your words so attentively, the way he smiles—happy and sad at the same time, the way he greets you, the way he nibbles at his lower lip as he tries to think of a word to write on his note. 

And the dreams.

The dreams never stop, they only grow stronger. You can remember each and every one of them crystal clear when you wake up. They’re usually different every night but for the last few days, the atmosphere and the surroundings were the same. 

In the dream, you were lying down in a hospital bed, wearing nothing but your white gown, too weak to even lift a finger. Jaehyun was sitting on a wooden chair with a book in his hand—the one that he presented you as a gift in real life—while his other hand was holding yours, thumb tenderly gliding against your knuckles. He seemed much thinner, cheekbones growing prominent with dark eye-bags tainting his pale skin. But his smile was the same, just as warm, just as tender.

He was reading you a story, one that you had memorized by heart from how many times you’ve read it. But it’s different when he read the words out loud, voice melodious and soothing, like a mother’s lullaby. When it was over, he beamed at you, asking, “What’s your favorite part of the story?” And you opened your mouth but no words could come out. You were losing your voice, could only make croaking sounds and even that already put a strain on your body. You could see how much it broke him to hear you struggle but he waited patiently, hand squeezing yours tighter. 

“Me too,” he responded after he heard your answer, kissing your knuckles. “I like that one too.”

In another dream, you saw him sitting at the edge of your bed, his mouth still formed that beautiful, delicate smile, but his eyes were as heavy as the storm. You asked him, why, what’s wrong, trying your best to let your voice break free from your mouth. He brushed his fingers against your cheek, pushing your hair out of your eyes. “I won’t let anything separates us,” he said and it felt more like a promise than how it sounded. “Not time, not death, nothing. I will always be with you.” He let his lips linger on your temple as he whispered the next words. “So it’s okay if you want to sleep. I won’t be going anywhere.”

Then… I’ll see you again when I wake up.

“Yes.” He leaned closer, letting his lips meet your chapped ones in a chaste kiss. “I’ll see you again when you wake up.”

But by the time you opened your eyes, heart thrumming loudly inside your chest, with the sound of the alarm in your phone muffled by your pillow, you knew that in the dream, once you go to sleep, you’d never be able to wake up.

I have to see him.

***

Three months have passed since you last saw him. It’s funny that despite how close you are to each other, know each other like the back of your hand, you just only realize now that you haven’t given him a way to contact you. No home address. No phone numbers. No social media. You’re not even sure what his last name was. You never needed to know his contact details before. Every day, an hour before the sun is replaced by the moon, you will meet each other here in this library—that was the unspoken promise between you and neither of you ever broke it. Not until now. The second you stop coming to the library, you disappear from his life as well, as easy as snapping your fingers.

The quickest way to see him is by visiting the library. Today you will see him. You just have to.

It’s raining hard, hard enough to drench you to your socks, painting shivers to each of your fingertips. It’s a Sunday evening, the sun is an hour away from setting behind the horizon. But with how heavy the rain is going, the day will turn into the night before the sun can shine its light through the clouds again.

Hesitation arises within you as you take shelter on the porch, your shivering fingers circling the doorknob to the library. He might not even be here in this kind of weather, you miserably think to yourself. It wasn’t raining when you took your leave half an hour earlier but you should’ve noticed how thick and dark the clouds were. Your thoughts were too jumbled that you didn’t even think about carrying an umbrella with you.

But you’re already here and if he still keeps his promise…

You take a step inside.

Your clothes are drenched but thankfully they’re not dripping water to the carpeted floor. It’s warmer inside, so warm that you feel like you’re home, sitting close to a fireplace, basking in the scent of sandalwood. Your eyes naturally scan the room, taking a longer glance at the table where you usually sit in front of him, a book in your hands, a smile strapped to your face. Jaehyun’s nowhere to be seen.

He’s not here. Is it because of the rain? Or… Maybe he has stopped coming here to see me. 

You can only realize how important someone is to you when they’re gone and it hurts so much that you have to nip at your lower lip, fingers curling around the end of your sweater. 

I want to see him again…

“You’re here…”

You turn your head to the source of his voice, heart about to burst when you see Jaehyun stopping on his tracks, one hand holding the entrance door open, another one carrying a folded umbrella that drips water to the floor. He’s so stunned at the sight of you, he doesn’t even appear to be breathing. In a whisper, your name breaks free from his lips.

And you run towards him with all your might.

He nearly stumbles from how hard you’re crushing your body against his, his umbrella falling from his grip but he doesn’t push you away. Jaehyun is warm, warmer than everything you’ve ever held and you wonder whether you’re just freezing from the cold or he’s always been this comforting. It feels so natural to stay in his embrace, to be wrapped with his strong arms, to have him whisper your name against the shell of your ear. 

I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so much.

Jaehyun...

The first tear that slips down your cheek is an accident, as you don’t want him to see you cry. You don’t even know why you’re crying but you can’t stop. You sob against his chest, fingers curling against the fabric of his knitted sweater, gritting your teeth to stop yourself from crying harder but failing every time. 

Jaehyun never breaks away from your embrace. He does not care if people stare, does not listen to the murmurs being exchanged at the back of the room. He pulls you closer, one hand holding you around the waist and the other one stroking your damp hair. “I thought I’d never see you again,” he says, overwhelming you with his scent, his warmth, his voice, his everything and you still want more. His lips nearly brush against the tip of your ear when he whispers, “I’ve missed you.”

Your hands are now fisting the back of his sweater, pressing your cheek to his chest as you muffle your cry, focusing more on the sound of his heartbeat. It feels like a dream, one that you never want to wake up.

It’s only when you have the strength to pull away from him that he releases you. He swipes his thumb under your eye, erasing the stains of your tears. He looks at you in a way that is so different than the way Donghyuck used to. His gaze is softer, a mix between the feeling of relief for having you in his arms and a yearning to have more as if you’re still far away from his reach.

I want him to stare at me like this forever.

“You’re freezing,” he says, noticing the coldness of your cheek against his palm. “Would you like to come over to my place? I can make you something warm.”

You let out a tiny laugh. “That would be nice.”

***

Jaehyun’s sweater is too big that the hem falls to the middle of your thighs. Your clothes are in the dryer, making rumbling noise that’s loud enough to fill the awkward silence between you. Drying your hair with a towel he gave you, you take a seat next to him, careful enough not to invade his personal space too much.

“How are you feeling?” Jaehyun asks, handing you a cup of hot chocolate.

“Warmer now, thanks.” You wrap your fingers around the mug, seeing a cloud of steam erupting from your drink. 

“It’s been a while since we last saw each other. I’m glad you look fine.” 

“I am. I feel fine. More so than I’ve ever been.” And it’s not a lie. Being here with him, despite everything that happened, makes you feel at ease. He makes you feel as if you had been embarking on a trip for so long and now you’re finally home. “Were you, umm…” Were you planning to wait for me at the library? Have you been waiting for me all this time? Or was it just a mere coincidence that we bumped into each other again?

“Were I what?”

“Never mind.” You don’t have the bravery to do it. Flushed, you quickly take a sip of your drink.

“I was about to wait for you,” he suddenly confesses, nearly making you choke. “I was… worried about you. I kept wondering whether something bad happened.” His voice gradually turns into murmurs as he continues. “And I thought... After what happened... You hated me.”

The ticking sound of the clock echoes like thunder when silence hangs in the room. “I would never hate you, Jaehyun…” You’re unconsciously rubbing the edge of your mug with your thumb, eyes fixated on the glass instead of him. “There’s no way I could hate you.”

From the corner of your eyes, you could see him turning his head to face you. “Well, you stopped visiting for three months without leaving a word. It was hard for me to stay positive,” he says, a bit teasingly, “And I had no idea how to contact you either. I didn’t know what else to do but wait in the library every day until I could see you again. So that’s what I did.”

Blood is rushing to your face. He did wait for me. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” He chuckles and you just realized how much you missed hearing it. “You don’t need to. I’m glad we can meet again.”

“Me too.” You mirror his smile. “You know, you could’ve just looked me up online.”

“Then, why didn’t you?” He asks and your heart stops. “Why didn’t you call me?”

You have to tell him the truth, you owe him that much. “I couldn’t. The way Donghyuck looked at me when I broke up with him made me feel so guilty and I knew I would hate myself even more if I ran back to you right after.”

“Why?” Jaehyun questions in a whisper. “What did you feel guilty for?”

Your heartbeat roars so thunderously loud, you can hear it in your ears. “Because he said the reason why I broke up with him was that… I had feelings for you.”

Jaehyun stays in silence for a few seconds and it drives you insane. Eventually, he leans forward to lay his cup down on the coffee table. “So…” He hesitantly speaks. “Did you tell him he was wrong about that?”

You tighten your hold around your cup. “I…” Taking a deep breath, you confess. “I didn’t.”

And there are so many things to be said, but none of you dares to speak. The silence is deafening, its invisible arms strangling you little by little and you’re trapped, not knowing whether to ask him to respond or just run away before your heart explodes to pieces.

Jaehyun does that look again where he stares at you like you own his heart, giving you the permission to hold it or crush it however you like. “Your hair is still dripping water,” he says, reaching out to place his hands around the towel and gently dab your strands, squeezing out the excess water and he’s so close, you can truly see the color of his eyes. In the soft, yellowish light of his room, they’re a little bit darker, a stark contrast to his pale skin. You’re distracted with the way his eyes shimmer under the light, the way he breathes so softly, warm breath hitting your lips.

And you don’t know who initiate it, but for the next breath you take, you’re gasping for it against his mouth. Jaehyun’s lips move slow against yours, tentative and patient, waiting for you to react. But he doesn’t have to wait, not when you’ve been wanting to do this for so long. Not when both of you have been wishing for it to happen.

If your mind wasn’t too deluded with the thoughts of him, how he feels against your body, how he tastes on your tongue, how the low grunt and moan that escape from the back of his throat successfully send shivers down your spine, you would’ve probably thought about how different he was compared to Donghyuck. Jaehyun was so tender, cradling your figure so gently as if you were about to break into pieces if he moves too fast. His kisses aren’t as rushed and bruising as Donghyuck’s, but they’re deep and just as passionate, if not more. The effects that his lips have on your skin burn stronger than anything you’ve ever felt. And if you thought Donghyuck reminded you of the sun, Jaehyun was the blazing sun himself.

But you couldn’t think of Donghyuck. You can’t think of anything else but Jaehyun. Right now, he’s the only one that matters.

“Push me away anytime you want,” he says, eyes dark and hazy, as he circles a hand around your waist to press your body flat against his chest.

With one hand fisting his collar, you let your lips taste him once more. “I never want you to.”

Your soft gasp is muffled by the skin of his neck when Jaehyun lifts your body off the couch, and you tangle your legs around his waist for support as he carries you toward his bedroom. Despite the growing, overwhelming passion between you, he lies you down so gently on the bed, hovering above you as he paints your name at the skin below your ear. You let out a sigh, pulling him closer and closer until you can sink completely into his warmth. 

No words are being exchanged because they don’t need to. Jaehyun speaks with his eyes, expresses his feelings with his lips, and carves your body with nothing but affection and adoration with his gentle hands. It amazes you how different sex can feel when there are feelings involved. It’s a connection, not just between your body and his but your mind, your soul, and every bit of your heart.

You’re more sensitive to his touch that even the slightest slide of his finger can make you arch your back. Jaehyun swallows every gasp, every moan of his name that tumbles down your lips and you do just the same with his.

He only stops to give you the chance to catch your breath when he’s fully sheathed inside you. His fingers tremble as they caress your face. “Are you okay?” He asks, sounding breathless and hoarse. He looks even more beautiful like this, skin glistening with sweat, lips bruised and swollen by kisses, pale cheeks reddening at the feeling of you peering into his eyes.

You smile, gaze softening. “I’m fine.”

Jaehyun has never looked so content before, so relieved, so happy and it makes you feel something in your stomach—something that you haven’t felt for months—to know that you’re the reason behind his most genuine, beautiful smile. When he whispers, “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to come back to me,” into your ear, you know that he’s not talking about the time you were absent from the library. His words have more weight to them as if he’s been waiting for you for years as if you once belonged to him before something separated the strings between you.

“I’m going to move, okay?” Jaehyun murmurs against your lips, and you let out a shaky breath, nodding a little.

He takes it slow, waiting for you to adjust to his rhythm as he keeps his eyes on your expression to make sure he’s not hurting you in any way. His eyes are half-lidded, cheeks flushed, lips parted in a small moan, barely audible. He splays one hand on the inner part of your thigh, fingers pressing hard against the supple skin as he pins it down to the bed, spreading your legs wider so he can press himself deeper inside you.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispers against your jawline. “So beautiful…”

You nibble at your lip, circling your arms around his shoulders, raking your nails down his back as he picks up the pace. He’s perfect, he’s so perfect at everything he does—the sway of his hips, the angle, the way he changes from giving shallow to deep thrusts in accordance to your expression, knowing exactly what you need. 

He kisses you every time you give him the chance and it makes everything a lot more intimate, makes you feel more vulnerable, makes you feel more exposed. “I’m in love with you,” he says, forehead pressing against your own. “I’ve always been… All this time…”

There’s a surge of joy washing through your entire body and it’s so intense, you find yourself hiding your face in the crook of his neck, your vision blurred with tears. How can you feel so complete when this is your first time with him?

“Jae—” You gasp, your thighs trembling as you wrap your legs around his hips, arms hugging his shoulders tighter. “Jaehyun, I’m—I’m close—”

At your words, Jaehyun untangles your arms from his body and sits on his heels. He takes a hold of your waist and slams his hips harder to yours, driving you to the edge until you’re left sobbing against the sheets. He pulls away on the last second to finish himself off, tainting your stomach as a low grunt breaks free from the back of his throat. His bangs are falling over his eyes, a bead of sweat rolling down from his chest to his lean stomach and he still looks like a painting, one that you can’t seem to stop admiring.

“Wait, don’t move,” he says as if you had the strength to do so. “I’ll clean you up.”

When he comes back from the bathroom, fully clothed in a white tee and black sweat pants, he takes care of you so attentively, dabbing warm towel along your skin, swatting the bangs out of your eyes. A gentle smile never leaves his face but he blushes whenever your eyes make eye contact, though not as apparent as the shakes on his fingertips. 

“You’re so good at this,” you tease him, propping your elbows on the bed. “Must have a lot of experience with women, I’m sure.”

“I’ve only ever been with you,” he answers and it doesn’t sound like a lie.

“What?”

His movement stops, acknowledging the appalled look on your face. “There’s… something you need to know.” He slips under the comforter, lying down on his side, and makes sure it covers your body to your shoulders to keep you warm. “That day, when we first met… It wasn’t our first time meeting each other.”

“What do you mean?” Your eyebrows are adjoined in the middle. “When did we first meet then?”

Jaehyun falls quiet, eyes searching yours. “In the same library,” he says, “Seventy-four years ago.”

***

“Where are we?” The question leaves your lips as you scan your surroundings. Jaehyun has taken you somewhere you haven’t been before, a rural area in the foothills of Jiri Mountain. After spending more than three hours drive from Seoul, seeing nothing but never-ending roads and traffic signs, it feels refreshing to see a charming little village, blanketed in a snow of white and soft pink, with the sound of water streams soothing your ears and cold wind of April caressing your cheeks.

“Hwagae,” he claims, his hand never leaving yours as he walks next to you, taking shorter strides to match your step. “People usually think that Jinhae is the best place to see cherry blossoms, but for me, it’s here.” He glances at the way your fingers are intertwined with his, smiling timidly to himself. “But maybe due to personal reasons.”

“Well, you’re not lying…” You murmur in awe, eyes widening at the sight of cherry blossoms trees that line the road, following both sides of a turquoise-blue stream, pebbles whisked about in the under wash like pieces of glitter. “It’s beautiful.”

You can hardly pay attention to anything else so when Jaehyun presses a kiss against your hairline, your heart nearly leaps out of your chest. “It is, isn’t it?” He says, pushing some loose strands behind your ear. “Beautiful.”

With his eyes locked with yours, it seems like he’s praising something else and you look away, cheeks heating up at his words. “How long does this road goes?”

“Around four kilometers.” Jaehyun follows your steps. “There are more than a thousand cherry blossom trees around. Locals call this lane the Marriage Road as it is said that lovers who walk hand-in-hand under the trees will get married and live happily ever after.”

He tightens his grips around your hand, and you can swear your palm is getting sweaty from how nervous you are. “You just can’t stop making me blush, can you?”

“I’m just stating out facts.” He chuckles and it’s even more beautiful than the whole scenery. He’s more beautiful than anything you’ve seen. But when he speaks, all trace of humor has dissipated. “You may not remember but... This was the place where I asked you to marry me.”

You have seen it coming but it still shocks you, nonetheless. It’s easier to treat him as a liar who’s telling superstitious stories and pointing things about you because he’s a stalker that knows more about you than he should. But the more he tells his stories, the more they feel like the truth and it’s not just a hunch. His stories are his versions of the dreams you’ve been having. The dreams that you’ve gotten ever since you first met him, and you never told anyone about that.

As you take a seat on the nearest bench, Jaehyun hands you his journal—the one he’s been using to write his novel. “I think it’s time for you to read the story.” But as you reach out to open it, he lays his hand on top of yours. “Before that,” he says, “Remember what I asked you? I want you to guess the ending for me.”

You’ve never thought about it, never imagined how the ending of his story would unravel. He has told you that it was about a pair of lovers meeting each other by fate and separated tragically by death, you knew that much. But anything could’ve separated them, whether it was because of sickness, accident, or simply because of old age, you could’ve guessed wrong. Yet, when your lips moved without thinking, providing answers that make your heart jolt, Jaehyun smiles and says, “Correct.” He then opens the book and gives you the chance to run your eyes through every passage. It’s written in a first-person narrative, allowing you to see through Jaehyun’s eyes as he unveils his story. 

The female lead has your name.

Every line. Every word. Every description. They feel like deja vu and the tiny hairs at your nape begin to raise. Your fingertips tremble as they move to open new pages. These are memories. They truly happened in the past. As you read, you can feel your own coming back, little by little, and by the time you’re halfway through the story, you can guess the next part that’s about to happen or correct little details that may have slipped from his mind.

“They were lilies,” you say, fingers tracing his perfect handwriting. “Not white roses.”

“What?”

“The flowers you gave me on our first anniversary.”

Jaehyun takes a shaky breath, and when he chuckles it sounds like a peal of tiny laughter and a choked sob at the same time. “Is that so?” He weakly asks, fixing his gaze to his lap. “I’m sorry, I must have forgotten.”

But he remembers everything else, everything that matters, even the way he felt back then. You could tell the love he once experienced with you through his eyes, the longing he has suffered as he waits for you to remember him once more, and the agony of being separated from you.

It’s easier to cry than to breathe when the memories of your past life start to dawn on you but you provide your best effort to stay reserved. There are more you need to learn.

The reason why he visited the library was not because he lived nearby. He moved there so he could visit the library, as it was the first time he met you in the previous life. “I was hoping she would remember the place as it was something we both grew fond of,” Jaehyun wrote in his journal, “She always thought I had a passion for books. She was wrong. She was the one who taught me that stories could mean something more. That they could make you feel alive, make you feel something you’ve never experienced just by words. I’d like to believe that these stories were the ones who brought us together, so we could create our own and maybe then, we could inspire other people—to make them feel alive with our stories.

I waited for her every day, from one season to another. The memories I have of her have always been there with me ever since I could remember, but that did not guarantee hers would resurface. Maybe she was looking for me. Maybe she was not. Either way, I couldn’t give up. I would not give up. 

And finally, one day, I saw her again. In the same library, with the same little smile she always had whenever she had her eyes fixated on her book. She appeared exactly the same as the first time I met her 74 years ago. I could not breathe, trapped between reaching out to her or just standing still in the distance, because when our eyes met for a brief second, she looked away. 

She did not remember me.

I was crushed. Devastated. I was nothing but a stranger. Twenty-five years I had been searching for her and now that she stood before me, I lost the ability to speak. It took me another week until I could find the bravery within me. I tried my best to appear as nonchalant as possible, even when my heart was breaking, even when my hands were shaking. I sank my nails into my palms so I wouldn’t take her hand and pull her into my embrace. When she told me her name, I was shocked. Her last name was different but her first name was the same, and I wanted to laugh. Fate could be so cruel, letting her keep her name but not her memories. 

But memories could be re-created, and I learned that none of her habits had changed. I might be a stranger, but to me, she was not. She was my wife and I wanted to hold her. I wanted to tell her I love her and hear her say the words back to me. I was ready to start over, to make her fall in love with me once more but before I could even begin, I learned that she had belonged to someone else.

And what killed me was that… She did not look happy with him.”

Your breathing stalls. Everything makes sense now. He’s been holding everything to himself. This was the secret he kept from you. And that time when he almost kissed you… What did you say to him?

“Please don’t pretend, not when you’re with me.”

That’s what he did. He stopped pretending. 

And you pushed him away, treating both of your feelings and his like a mere high school crush when they were something deeper than anything you’ve ever had. 

You place your lower lip between your teeth, nibbling at it until it grows white. He must have been so hurt, you realize, I’m the worst.

“Are you okay?” Jaehyun asks, reaching out to take your hand. “You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to.”

“No, I—” You shake your head, hoping the tears won’t fall. You give him a reassuring smile. “I want to. I need to remember.” Your smile doesn’t deceive him but he gives you the space you need, believing the honesty in your words.

Your marriage with him only lasted for four years before you passed away in your sleep, your weak lungs could no longer support your system, and through his story, you learned that Jaehyun followed you to the place he shouldn’t have. Because just a few minutes later after you took your final breath, he slit both of his wrists with a knife and hugged your body close to his chest, his blood drenching the white sheets underneath. His lips lingered against your hairline as he spoke, “I’ll see you again when you wake up.”

His neat handwriting starts to turn into dark splotches of ink as it is tainted by your tears. You’ve remembered. You’ve remembered everything. Everything that makes you happy and everything that hurts, you’re reliving each and every one of them. 

“Why?” You sob, shoulders quivering as you try to keep your emotions contained. “Why did you do that? You could’ve lived for many more years. Could’ve found someone else.” You bury your face in your palms, voice muffled by your skin. “You could’ve been happy without me.”

You can’t see how he looks at you, can’t feel his touch as he’s nowhere near, but you hear him take his breath. “My mother used to say,” he says, “that two people who are meant to be would always find their way to each other, even in the afterlife.” Jaehyun moves and kneels on the ground in front of you, his hands prying yours away from your face and his smile has never looked this blissful. “That’s why,” he continues, voice so soft it’s almost as light as the wind. “If there’s a chance, no matter how little it is, for me to see you again I would gladly trade my eternity for it.”

There are emotions you can’t explain, ones that you can’t understand. Emotions that make you cry as if the world was ending but also ones that make you feel so blessed to be born into this world, to be able to see him again, to witness his beautiful smile, his beautiful soul, and the beautiful love he has for you.

“Why are you crying?” Jaehyun chuckles softly but the quiver in his voice betrays him. He strokes your cheek, drying your tears with the pad of his thumb. 

Leaning into his touch, you sob against his palm, “I love you,” you confess, “I love you, Jaehyun. Even if my memories never came back, I’d still fall in love with you. Over and over again. I’m sorry you had to wait—”

Jaehyun abruptly stands on his knees, pulling you into his embrace. As your eyes widen in surprise, he buries his face in the crook of your neck, whispering, “If I had to wait a thousand years to be able to have this one moment with you, I’d gladly do it in a heartbeat.” His shoulders begin to shake and you wrap your arms around them, drenching the fabric of his shirt with your tears. “I love you too.”

There’s a voice inside your head that says, ah... so this is how it feels. 

Love... is not so complex after all. It doesn’t have to be. It’s not something to be understood. It’s not something to be thought endlessly. It’s not a choice to be made.

It’s a feeling, and feelings are meant to be felt. And you realize that happiness does not only emerge when your love is answered with the same passion. Happiness is already there in your heart just by loving him. You love him. You just love him. Entirely. Infinitely. 

So you kiss him with the biggest smile you can make, you pull him close with every strength that you have and you let him stay. In this life or another, you will let him stay.

And you will see him again when you wake up.

***

#jaehyun smut #jaehyun fluff #haechan smut #haechan fluff #jaehyun scenarios #haechan scenarios #jaehyun imagines #haechan imagines #jaehyun x reader #haechan x reader #nct imagines #nct scenarios #jaehyun timestamps #nct timestamps #nct smut #nct fluff #haechan timestamps #donghyuck smut #jaehyun drabbles #haechan drabbles #nct x reader #oh god this is the first time i'm writing a fic for jaehyun i hope i'm not ruining his characterization #and as a sunflower who wrote A LOT of haechan-centered fics it literally HURT ME to write haechan this way #haechan baby i love you you're perfect never change a thing #i'm sorry i had to ruin your character in this fic it was necessary for the plot #but you're not a jerk baby you're a doll! #esme i'm sorry if this sucks but i've tried my best and I hope you'll enjoy this just as much as I enjoyed writing this down!

[jenosuh]

fic recs and good authors part 2

so I’m not actually finished here but I guess I’ll just post this now and make a part 3 when some other fics come to mind, I’m sorry if I left out and triggers or warnings. sorry if I’ve tagged you before

tag list : @dimplehyunn

these are all in no particular order

love story by @dreamcities romeo!jaemin x fem!juliet!reader

summary: you hadn’t meant to fall in love at first sight with the handsome son of your family’s sworn enemy. but you did, and now you must decide if you’d risk it all for your star-crossed romance with him or go forth with your arranged marriage with another man.

something to sink my teeth into by @kiri-ah vampire!jaemin x human reader

summary: A trip to Poland goes terribly wrong - or maybe terribly right - when you're bitten and kidnapped by a vampire. Between passing out, almost dying multiple times, and falling in love, you have a lot on your plate. Oh, and the magic. Right.

someone to spend eternity with by @mochi-baby-xoxo part two to ‘something to sink my teeth into’ above ^

last deception by @jaemotel agent!jaemin x fem!mafia boss!reader

summary: na jaemin, one of the best agents is sent to hunt down his ex lover without getting his feelings involved. jaemin is not the one to get out of track but what happens when he meets the love of his life, one more time?

the one that got away by @dear-hao jaemin x reader

summary: a perfect couple who just couldn’t get timing right.  

wall talk by @dnylvu

summary: he’s the enemy, the one you’ve despised since the beginning of time. but he’s also the very man buried deep within you.

broken mirrors by @neovisioned jaehyun x reader

summary: Your college friends recall a creepy legend about a man that appears in mirrors and grants you two wishes when summoned. Jisung is dared to say his name three times and see what happens. At first you brush it off as some copy of bloody mary but, when your friend chickens out and swears something happened in that bathroom, you can’t deny the shift in atmosphere everyone felt. The urge to try it out mixed with fear pushes you over the edge. it’s probably fake anyways, right? You summon Jung Jaehyun in the middle of the night, on your bed, and he is not what you expected him to be. 

I like you….the other you by @pastelsicheng spiderman!jaemin x reader

summary: Even after drifting apart from your friend Jaemin 3 years ago, you still have a big fat cr*sh on him. You’ve convinced yourself that you’ll get over him someday, but maybe it’s better that you didn’t get over him after all because Jaemin has a big fat cr*sh on you too. All it takes is you telling him about your feelings and saying you like him. Well, telling the other him. Alternatively, in which you have a big fat cr*sh on Spider-man’s alter-ego and Spider-man has a big fat cr*sh on you.

smultronställe part 2 by @gohyuck surgeon!jaemin x reader

summary: in which jaemin’s both a superdad and a supersurgeon and you can’t help but fall for him

the one that got away by @haechanplsacceptmylove sungchan & fem!reader

warnings: pregnancy, death, blood (bro i love this fic so much but i hate it because i cried so much and i don’t think i can bring myself to read it again because I’ll get to emotional and hate myself, it’s super angsty and has character death so read it if you think you’ll be ok with those themes)

random really good jaemin fic recs list by @jaesayshi

cat and mouse by @tyonfs

summary: tired of meaningless hookups and dull parties, na jaemin had always been hesitant to indulge himself. that is, of course, until he met you. however, upon realizing you’re none other than jeong jaehyun’s little sister, jaemin has to keep his relationship with you under wraps to make sure his team captain doesn’t find out. 

just like the movies by @jensungf

summary: the kissing booth was a horrible movie, but somehow you still managed to get roped into watching the god-awful sequel, and the only reason you could blame was your stupid best friend by the name of lee donghyuck. oh, and the fact that you may or may not be whipped for him too.

that’s hot by @dreamcity-rawr pride!mark x reader

Summary: mark’s pride and ego start to get on your nerves so you decide to give him a piece of your mind, little did you know, you start become a piece always on his mind from then on  

i became attracted to seaweed by @choerrypuffs son of poseidon!donghyuck x daughter of athena!reader

enchanted also by @choerrypuffs prince!jungwoo x witch!reader

summary: the prince has always been a little unconventional, but no one ever expected him to fall in love with a witch.

serve you, help you by @00-baejin-05 butler!jaemin x reader x butler!jeno

summary: it's normal to have servants serve you, especially if you are royalty. however, you didn't expect two butlers to be given to you, intead of maids. you learned how to trust them and deepen your connection with him... but it's gotten way too deep. (I somehow remember reading this but I also somehow don’t??)

grit your f*ckin teeth by @henlojeno mark x reader

summary: dubbed the grim reaper, one half of the strongest in the devil’s league, you were a supernatural hybrid known for strong wings and green lighting; admired and feared by both humans and myths alike, right until the day you disappeared with no explanation. cue your reappearance four months later, it’s up to you to mend the ties you left hanging and reconcile with those you’ve left behind, all while still scrambling to save lives from a crumbling society.

the interview by @whereisten vampire!doyoung x journalist reader

summary: you’re a journalist that just booked her biggest gig, an interview with Doyoung, a vampire notorious for a series of murders in your city.

gilded gold by @mint-yooxgi yandere vampire print jaehyun x reader

sun&moon by @fleurminho jaehyun x reader

(um so the acc deactivated before I got to post it but the plot was really cute so I’ll keep this here even if the links don’t lead to anything. all I remember was a soulmate au with jaehyun where you go to his concert and meet him there </3)

authors:

@nakamotocore @shotarology @bluejaem @jenoismydad @tenseoyong @taemin-jaemin

[ggukkiereads]

Fic Recs | Themed Series - OT7

These recs are based on an ask about 

“OT7 fics that has a story line for each member and they're all connected/in the same universe”

Because there are so many universe/s, I categorized the fics into the ff:

Band/Music/Idol AUs

CEO/Office AUs

College AUs

Mafia/Gang AUs

Science Fiction/Dystopian AUs

Supernatural/Fantasy

Secret Agents/Spy AUs

Slice of Life

Credits go to all the writers who planned these series. Thank you dear writers for sharing these gems with us!

And if you happen to see/read fics listed here and enjoyed them as much as I did, don’t forget to show appreciation through reblogs, comments, or other positive interaction you could think of.

Note:  These are NOT polyamory fics but rather, themed series set in one universe and each member gets their own story/ one shot / series

if link to fic doesn’t work, click on author and go to their masterlist

Melodrama Tour @jungkxook - one shot per member | punk band AU, musician AU | angst, fluff, smut

Make it Right | Jungkook - Exes AU

Backseat Serenade | Taehyung - Brother’s Best Friend AU

Other members fics coming soon

beyond the scene is a seven-member pop-punk band known for their most recent breakthrough success, taking the world by storm with their sold out melodrama tour. but, as rumour has it, the newly shining stars each seem to have their own melodramatic secret to go with them

You can also check their vlogger series: Not a Clickbait

The Sunset Series @ilikemesometaetaes -  one series per member | Rockstar AU | angst, fluff, smut

Don’t Hold Your Breath | Jungkook - series [6/10] | rockstar AU, Exes AU, CEO!Reader

Other members fics coming soon

Brothers ‘Til Sunset (BTS) is a world renowned rockband consisting of seven members that operate on and off-stage

BTS in 10 Years AU @hayjeon - drabble per member | idol AU

In 10 years, once BTS has amiably broken up and the members have moved on to find their places in their new careers and personal lives, they end up settling right exactly where they needed to be.

CEO Series @hisunshiine -  CEO AU, Office AU | smut, fluff, angst

Business Attire | Taehyung - Regional Manager Taehyung x Assistant!Reader

Devious Ethics | Namjoon - CFO!Namjoon x Environmentalist/Activist!Reader

Competitive Advantage | Yoongi - Head Lawyer!Yoongi x best friend of the tree hugging environmentalist

Fiduciary | Seokjin -  coming soon

Insider Trading | Jungkook -  coming soon

Client Centered | Hoseok -  coming soon

Supply and Demand | Jimin -  coming soon

seven shot series where each BTS Member has his own story that intertwines with the main plot of Namjoon and Seokjin taking over as CEO and CFO of their families company.

Cardiovascular Palpitations (Jungkook, FWB AU, Surgeon AU) and Cut Me Open (Yoongi, Husband AU, Divorce AU) belong to the same universe - @/hayjeon

Operation: Love Letters @ve1vetyoongi - mystery, college!au, romance | fluff, smut

Sign up for the Love Calculator today to find your perfect match?

It’s one series split into six (6) chapters and each member gets highlighted.

It’s a mystery, so you guess who is the endgame for OC

Needless to say, I had fun with this series =)

You’re so Creepy (drabble series) @whatifyoulivelikethat  -  crack, university au, creepy girl au | fluff

kim namjoon - part i | part ii (fave)

kim seokjin - part i | part ii (fave)

min yoongi - part i | part ii  

jung hoseok - part i | part ii (fave)  

park jimin  - part i | part ii (fave)  

kim taehyung  - part i | part ii

jeon jungkook - part i | part ii  

There’s always at least one campus creepy girl. Or seven. Part 1 (1st kiss) Part 2 (2nd meeting). Also part of this reading list

Worshipers Series @jimlingss - one shot per member, unless indicated as a series | God AU (can be read interdepently but best to go through sequentially

Worshipers of the Stars | Yoongi -  Goddess of Light and Life!OC x God of Moon!Yoongi

Between Heaven and Hell | Hoseok -  Human!OC x Human!Hoseok, War AU

Worshiper of the Sky | Taehyung - series [3/3] | Goddess of Sky!OC x Sacrifice!Taehyung

Worshiper of the Spring | Jimin - ??!OC x God of Wine!Jimin

Worshiper of the Souls | Namjoon - Ghost!OC x King of the Underworld!Namjoon

Worshipers of the Sea | Jungkook - Pirate!OC x God of Sea!Jungkook

Worshipers of the Sun | Seokjin - Goddess of Love!OC x God of Sun!Seokjin

Long ago, there were gods who resided in Heaven — existing to watch over and protect the universe. Each of them had their own flaws, trials and tribulations; some which were more sparing than others, but these are their stories...

Crescent Bound @parkhabits - BTS | 31.9k | Seven werewolves. A pack bound by the moon. | S, F, A  ~ [3/7]

Jungkook - one shot | 12.3k | Werewolf AU, Bestfriend AU

Yoongi - one shot | 8.5k | Transfer Student, Strangers to Lovers 🌷

Jimin - one shot | 11.1k |  Werewolf AU, Ex Friends AU

Seokjin - to be posted

Hoseok -  to be posted

Taehyung -  to be posted

Namjoon -  to be posted | Werewolf AU, Arranged Marriage AU

if this is more organized and detailed, it’s because it was part of my reading list and I just copied 😊✌

Werewolf AU @littlemeowmeowschimmy - one shot per member | werewolf AU, Tattoo Artist AU (well some of them)

Mark Me | Jungkook  - bestfriend jungkook x human reader

Come Play | Taehyung - classmate taehyung, FWB (sort of)

Vamps and Wolves | Jimin - werewolf!jimin x vampire!reader, Enemies to Lovers (this is actually 🥕my favorite from the series). read Part 2

Librarian | Namjoon - Librarian Namjoon x Hunter Reader

My Moon | Hoseok  - Tattoo Artist Staff Hoseok  x Bartender Werewolf!Reader

Sexy Drug | Yoongi - Werewolf Yoongi x Witch Reader, Music Prodcuer (my 2nd favorite)

Best Friend | Seokjin - Tattoo Artist! Seokjin x Bestfriend!Reader

Tempting Universe @kinktae - series or one shot per member (maknae line) | demon AU, Angel AU, supernatural AU, Fantasy AU | smut, angst

Tempting | Taehyung - series [13/13] | 67k |  Demon Taehyung x Angel Reader, Forbidden Love

Soliloquy | Jimin - Angel Jimin x Reader, Unrequited Love, Fluff, Angst

Too Tempting | Taehyung - a sequel [3/?]

Supernova | Yoongi - coming soon

Valentine | Jungkook - coming soon

A definitive masterlist of all my stories written within the tempting universe, listed out chronologically/in the order that I would have you read it.

Tales of the Purebloods @rosaetae  -  maknae line (series per member) |  Vampire AU, Royalty AU, Soulmate AU | so far, we have Jungkook’s story

Spellbound to Be | Jungkook - series [1/?] | witch reader

Ardently | Taehyung - series [coming soon] | sort of exes (?)

Of Whim And Tonic | Jimin - series [coming soon] | human!reader

In the Upper World, hidden from a mere mortal’s naked eye, holds the naturals of nothing but super. These stories encompass the tales of three brothers who have been born with vampire’s blood in their system, their names bringing goosebumps when mentioned for they have been feared by both the Upper World and the mundane world over many centuries.

sorted: a hogwarts au @gukyi - hogwarts AU, various AU | fluff

white chocolate fudge | seokjin — one shot | 11k | head boy x head girl

interconnection | yoongi — one shot | 8k | pining, letters/poems

tutor | namjoon — one shot | 11k | enemies to lovers, rivals

a series of scenarios featuring each member, set during the same hogwarts universe.

BTS!Supernatural Series @preternatural-fools 

Black Magic - Witch!Yoongi - (4.7k words)

Rune Stones - Psychic!Jimin - (5.1k words)

Blood Drive - Vampire!Tae - (8.6k words)

Purple Haze - Fae!Jungkook - (8.6k words)

Macabre - Necromancer!Hoseok - (6.3 words)

Moon Shine - Werewolf!Namjoon - (8.9k words)

(Jin) - coming soon

Mythical BTS @thesammtimes - Supernatural AU 

Bloodless - Jimin | Vampire

Epoch - Jungkook | Grimreaper (complete)

Pure - Seokjin |  Angel

The Chaser - Yoongi | Hunter

Erratic - Taehyung | Demon

Vile - Namjoon | Vampire (never posted)

Immortal - Hoseok | Fallen Angel

This is the recommended order for reading the AU (use desktop to check the list)

(note: the series is incomplete but it’s a great read because of the intermixing of the stories. you really have to follow the recommended reading order)

Guarded (The Gajog) Universe @xjoonchildx - Mafia AU | fluff, angst, smut

Guarded | Hoseok - series [7/7] | 26k | Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Tsundere, Bodyguard

Guilty | Namjoon - series [4/4] | 17k | Boss AU, Assistant AU, Mutual Pining

Greedy | Yoongi - series [7/7] | 46k | Doctor AU, Pining *also I really find him intriguing since Guarded - Taehyung too (though KTH doesn’t really get a story hahah)

you can read how I raved about Hoseok’s story here if it helps (have yet to post for Namjoon and  finish last few chapters of Yoongi’s sorry 😥)

Mafia Series @neonlights92 - series per member | Mafia AU, Gang AU, Arranged Marriage AU | angst, smut (uhm this is the first mafia series I’ve ever read 😁)

Monster | Taehyung - series [6/6]

Enigma | Yoongi - series [6/6]

Burden | Seokjin - series [7/7]

Charred | Hoseok - series [7/7]

Change | Jimin - series [7/7]

Run | Jungkook - ongoing [6/?]

Namjoon - TBA

This is the story of seven men. Seven dangerous men.  These are the stories of how they fell in love.

Top Priority Suspects @yminie -  one shot per member | Gang AU, Mafia AU | angst, smut, fluff

Kim Seokjin – The Boss | Read Here

Min Yoongi – The Underboss | Read Here

Jung Hoseok – The Caporegime | Read Here

Kim Namjoon – The Consigliere | Read Here

Park Jimin – The Spotter | Read Here

Kim Taehyung – The Supplier | Read Here

Jeon Jungkook – The Carrier |  Read Here

Bangtan and Mafia Universe @yoongiandchiminie - one shot/series per member | Mafia AU, Gang AU, Mafia AU (no masterpost for this series)

Addicted | Yoongi  - 01 02 03 04

Contrary | Jungkook

Rekindle | Seokjin

Crescendo | Jimin

Vague | Taehyung - 01 02

Kismet | Hoseok - 01 02

Brave | Namjoon - sadly never finished 😥

I’ve read it a long time ago and I just checked now but it hasn’t been updated. It’s also drabble-ish, so even if the parts are unfinished it’s still okay to read

When you’re born, you can’t see a color until you meet the eyes of your Soulmate for the first time. Bangtan is known as one of the most infamous gangs around. This series will focus on the lighter side of things, their soulmates- Well, maybe they’re lighter. Maybe.

Wanted Universe @jincherie -  Alien AU, Science Fiction, Soulmate AU, Action | fluff, angst, smut

Wanted | Jungkook - series [6/6] | 55.9k | Selkie King Jungkook x Human Reader who is a wanted “criminal” that crash landed on another planet

Tentacledipity | Jimin - series [6/9] | 50k+ |  This tale starts, as any good fiction does, with a girl crash landing on a foreign planet.

Fragmentation (links to general masterlist) or read on AO3 @thebiasrekkers - [10/10] drabbles per character as a prequel to Defragmentation (coming soon) | The Matrix AU

also check the card set [01 02] for this series, this is just so cool!

The Company @btsmakesmehappy - Secret Agent AU | fluff, angst, smut

Broken Vase | Namjoon - series [4/4] | 25k | Agent!Namjoon x Agent!Reader

Palate Cleanser | Taehyung - series [5/5] | 35k [ Agent!Taehyung x Baker!Reader, FWB AU, Strangers to Lovers

Sweet Scent | Jungkook - series [4/4] | 28k | Agent!Jungkook x Forensic Doctor!Reader

MicroWave | Yoongi - series [1/?] | 4.8k+ | Agent!Yoongi x Neighbor!Reader

Jimin -  coming soon

Hoseok -  coming soon

Seokjin -  coming soon

If you click the masterpost, the profiles for each character is  omplete with their skill set and level of competency. just amazing =)

Hobiverse Universe @bloomsuga - Slice of Life, Time Traveler, SMAU (but with written parts) | fluff, angst, smut

Forever We Are Young (pianist!yoongi x art student!reader)

BLOOM (idol!jungkook x idol!reader)

COLLIDE (artist!taehyung x waitress!reader)

ROSES (dad!seokjin x photographer!reader) - there are spinoffs for Jungkook and Yoongi stories too

ANONYMOUS (rapper!joon x singer!reader)

KIWI (idol!jimin x coffee shop owner!reader)

WOKE (time traveler!hoseok x writer!reader)

a series of chaotic slice-of-life social media au’s connected by one thing; parallel universe-traveling wannabe cupid, jung hoseok, who’s in charge of making sure you find your soulmate

Map of the Hearts Drabble Collection by hoseoksyn/bluesxde  - drabble series per member | Slice of Life AU | fluff, angst, smut

Keeping Things Simple | Namjoon - series [15/15] | 24k | Doctor AU, Fake Marriage AU

An Abundance of Scrunchies | Hoseok - [13/13] | 24.3k |  Single Parent AU, billionaire!hoseok x teacher!reader, enemies to lovers

Hesitate | Yoongi - [2/?] | 2k+ | Police Office AU, Friends to Lovers

The Formula for Love | Seokjin - [3/?] | 4k | Single Parent AU, Professor Seokjin

Cat Got Your Tongue | Jimin - [3/?] | 5.8k |Divorced Jimin, Cat Cafe AU, Brother’s Best Friend AU,  Secret Relationship

Say Hello to Me | Taehyung - [1/?] | 1.2k+ | Singer Taehyung, Friends to Lovers

Before the Sun Rises | Jungkook - [1/?] | 2k+ | Bar Owner Jungkook, FWB AU

a collection of drabble series set within the An Abundance of Scrunchies (aaos) universe

Amourville @artaefact - one shot per member | slice of life, fluff, angst

Grinchly, Yours | Hoseok - Christmas AU, Florist AU, Bookshop AU

Bakery 1995 | Jimin - Bakery AU, Childhood Friends to Lovers

A Letter in Roses | Taehyung - Valentine’s Day AU, CEO AU, Husband AU, Established Relationship

The Devil in Chanel | Jungkook - Bodyguard AU, Enemies to Lovers, *coming soon

just recently realized that the Jimin and Hoseok in Taehyung’s story are the same ones in fics #1 & 2. This is fluffy goodness 🥰

Snowball Effect Project by various writers @stutterfly @gukslut @fortunexkookie @ddaenggtan - Christmas AU | fluff, smut

Snow Don’t Tell - PJM | 27.2k | Neighbor AU, Friends to Lovers AU

The Holiday Unplugged - JHS | 17.4K | Domestic AU

Tip of the Iceberg - MYG | 20.1 | Strangers to Lovers AU, Single “Dad”

Frost Impressions - JJK | 41.3k | Teachers AU,  Enemies to Lovers, Pining, Bestfriend AU, Gamer AU, Idiots to Lovers  🌷

Cheapskate - KTH | 25.2k | Domestic AU

Half-baked Holiday - KSJ | 12.6k | Bakery AU, Friends to Lovers, Idiots to Lovers

Midnight Wishes - KNJ | 10.3k |  Roommate AU, Friends to Lovers, FWB AU

part of this reading list; it’s one small town and they’re all friends who found love during the holidays. what a charming series

BTS Dad Series @bts-reveries - SMAU series per member | Single Dad AU, Single Parent AU, Parent AU, Family AU | fluff, angst

Daddy Diaries - Yoongi | single dad AU x baker!reader

One Night Light  - Hoseok | choreographer x singlemom!reader

Page Turner - Namjoon | author AU, fangirl!reader, single dad AU

Daddy Duties - Jimin | Parents AU (new dad)

Mini Me - Taehyung | artist!taehyung x singlemom!reader

Young One - Jungkook | parent AU, photographer AU, 

Expect the Unexpected - Seokjin | parent AU, CEO AU, designer!mom

read in order to make sense since characters will appear in other SMAUs

Halloween Hookups by Krisaissosmart [ao3] - one shot per member | 17k | Romance (or hookups) one Halloween Night | F, S

Mario Edition - KSJ |  "I can't believe I had sex with a guy dressed as Mario."

Haunted Tour - MYG |  that time you met a hot guy during a haunted tour and took him home to have loud sex and piss off your roommate

Emergency Edition - JHS |  Halloween is a rough day for EMT's. You and your partner, Hoseok, need to find a quick way to release stress in between calls

Scary Move Edition - KNJ |  “We’ll get kicked out if we get caught.”

Mortal Kombat Edition - PJM | When Sub-Zero met Scorpion

Car Burglar Edition - KTH | Exes AU,  "So…Tell me. Do you still masturbate to the thought of me?” 🥕my favorite!

House of Horrors Edition - JJK | no summary

so I rarely recommend AO3 fics since the platform has a more organized way to read fics and I want to highlight tumblr works instead. But I don’t think this has been recommended yet and I just love that Halloween becomes cute instead of spooky. 

Read in order, the characters will make appearances which will make sense when you read the other one shots

Activate Your SIM Card Series @stutterfly​ -  IT/Nerd Reader x OT7 | one universe (so same character makeup per series) but for each series IT!Reader ends up with that highlighted member instead

Love Bytes - KNJ | [9/9] | Bestfriend AU *completed

Swipe Right - JJK [4/?] | Personal Trainer!Jungkook, Enemies to Lovers *ongoing

Love Virus - KSJ | Chef!Seokjin, Friends to Lovers |  *TBA

Overloaded - MYG | Bartender!Yoongi, Friends to Lovers, Heavy Angst | *TBA

Cable Switch Tango - JHS | Dance Instructor!Hoseok, FWB AU  *TBA

Pixel Perfect - PJM | Model!Jimin, Friends to Lovers |  *TBA

Cache Only - KTH | Artist!Taehyung, Friends to Lovers | *TBA

IT/TechSupport/NerdReader gets dating help/advice and ends up falling in love with them instead

so I debated if I should include this or not but it kind of fits the bill! It’s also interesting to see alternate scenarios like what if OC ends up with Jungkook instead (read Swipe Right) or maybe with Model Jimin (go to Pixel Perfect). Haven’t seen anything like this so give it a read! 

🌷 posted: 2021 Mar 20 | updated: 2021 May 02 🌷 other lists 🌷 I love to read so feel free to recommend a fic =)

#bts themed series #bts fanfic #bts x reader #bts angst #bts smut #bts fluff #bts fic recs #ggukkiereadingcollection #namjoon fic recs #seokjin fic recs #yoongi fic recs #jungkook fic recs #taehyung fic recs #jimin fic recs

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

Regardless of the bond [James Potter x Reader]

Title: Regardless of the bond Pairing: James Potter x Female!Reader Word count: 3.3k Published: 19 April 2021 Author: Heloise Daphne Brightmore Summary: [x] The existence of soulmates was hard for you to believe. You wished to be one of them, but after your 18th birthday, when you were supposed to experience a difference, you are left disappointed. Knowing you didn’t have that special bond and you had to continue watching the one you liked so deeply love someone else makes you want to just disappear. Bingo: [x] This is part of my Make me feel Bingo Card by @girl-next-door-writes

Square filled: Alternative Universe

Harry Potter Characters Masterlist | Masterlists

Make me feel Bingo Masterlist

If you enjoy my stories, please consider donating and supporting me on Ko-fi. Of course, it’s completely your choice, I will continue updating for free anyway :) Thank you <3

Soulmates were a very widely known myth that many believed and wished to experience, but some found it to be a silly little idea created by those who romanticised the idea to be with someone for the rest of their lives. The thought of loving someone and being loved unconditionally was indeed one that many wished to have, but since soulmates were rather rare, people often ignored its existence and chose to find love themselves. According to the myths, some people experienced finding their soulmate with a simple touch, where for a mere second, they saw images of their future life together. For some it was a sensation, a pulling force telling them that they belonged together. There were some theories where they could recognise each other’s scent. Many different myths have been spread throughout the centuries, but there was one mutual theory in all of them. When it happens, you just know it, you feel it, every single fibre of your body screams for that certain person to stay in your life.

You were one of those who believed it but didn’t think it would ever happen to you. You hoped, of course you did, but you were more logical than to rely on an old myth. Having such a strong connection was a lovely idea, but it was hard to believe that it would be handed to you on a silver plate. All the fairy tales you have heard about from your parents said that the soulmate-bond would be activated after your 18th birthday if you had one. But of course, it’s been a month and you have felt no different than before, reassuring you that you weren’t any special.

You were seated in the Gryffindor common room, legs thrown over the arm of the sofa, hanging down on the side as you doodle little drawings on a piece of ripped parchment.

“What are you doing?” You heard a voice and as you looked up, you recognised Lily standing in the doorway.

“Just drawing,” you replied, turning back to your parchment, ignoring your friend.

“Good, good,” she nodded and took a seat beside you, staring at your doodles.

“Is there anything you want?” You asked, turning back to her with an expectant expression, brows running high.

“Nope,” she popped the ‘p’ as she shook her head. You frowned at her rather strange behaviour, but once again turned back to your drawings, trying to ignore her staring. However, it seemed to be a task easier said than done. Feeling Lily’s breath on your neck and her eyes attached to your drawing, whilst squirming in her place chased all your creativity away. You folded up your paper and looked at your friend once again.

“You are being fairly annoying,” you stated with a grimace.

“I didn’t even do anything,” she huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest and turning to the opposite direction, giving you a side-glance every once in a while.

“Breathing down my neck and staring at me is quite creepy and as much as I love you, your behaviour is very unusual so spill it, what’s going on?” You asked firmly, causing Lily to scrunch her nose and pout in a child-like manner. She was a very smart witch and an even better friend, but at times she was capable of getting on your nerves with a simple look. “Come on, I don’t have all day to wait for you,” you rushed her as you stood up and tossed the folded parchment in the drawer of your desk and closed it with a thudding sound.

“I have overheard a little discussion between James and Sirius. They were talking about you,” she smirked playfully, wiggling her brows as though you were supposed to understand.

“I’m not sure what kind of reaction you are expecting of me,” you frowned in confusion.

“Well, certainly a happier one than the one I’m getting now,” she grimaced. “I have been hearing nothing else from you, but how much you’ve liked James since the first time you talked,” she tried to lead you to the right direction, but you still stood there cluelessly.

“So?” you asked.

“So? James and Sirius were talking about you,” Lily repeated slower as if you didn’t understand before.

“I heard you for the first time too, I’m not stupid. I simply don’t understand what you want from me. James and Sirius are my friends, they will inevitably talk about me if I come up in a subject,” you shrugged nonchalantly.

“You are unbelievable. I overheard James telling Sirius that he has feelings for you,” Lily exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. But instead of excitement you gave her a deadpan expression. “Okay, I’m not sure what’s going on with you today, but I’m honestly starting to think you are broken or something,” she huffed.

“We both know that James has been running after you for years, Lils. Sure, we are close, I love him to bits, however, I am nothing but a friend to him. I’m not sure what you heard or what you misunderstood to be exact, but we both know James has liked you for years and I find it hard to believe that his last year will be the one where he changes his mind so abruptly,” you explained. Whilst a part of you wished to believe it was true, a more logical side made sure to crush those hopeful thoughts that tried to sway you.

“I’m sorry, but I’m quite sure of what I heard. And why couldn’t he? Crushes come and go, and he hasn’t asked me out or showed any interest in me for the last month or so. I do believe he has feelings for you, but you have been friends for so long, you can’t expect him to just walk up to you and confess,” Lily tried to pressure your logical side, but you couldn’t find it in you to agree. You have liked him for so long, you were numb to even the thought of him ever reciprocating your feelings.

“Ok, I accept that. Now that we have concluded this conversation, can we actually grab something to eat?” You asked whilst walking towards the door and opening it for Lily, waiting for her to follow you.

“You’re definitely broken,” she huffed, annoyed by your nonchalant behaviour.

“And you are rather annoying today. I’m glad we both have negative feelings towards each other. It will be a beautiful day,” you put on a fake smile, earning a grimace from Lily.

“You have been avoiding him recently,” she added with a side-glance, making you groan as you headed down the stairs to the common room.

“Can we stop talking about him for a second?” you asked, pleading with the girl.

“Fine, but I’m not giving up just yet,” shrugging, she hurried up her steps and walked out the common room, leaving you farther behind. Rolling your eyes, you heaved a heavy sigh and followed her to the Great hall.

As you sat at the Gryffindor table with Lily on your right, eating your usual morning toast, James took a seat on your other side whilst Sirius sat down beside Lily, followed by Remus and Peter across the table.

“We have a beautiful day today, don’t we?” James beamed, his unusually positive attitude making you frown. Everyone seemed to act unlike themselves and you certainly didn’t like the way they behaved.

“I guess,” you replied with a grimace. “Would have been better if Lily didn’t start my day by dancing on my nerves,” you groaned.

“I was simply stating facts,” she huffed.

“That could possibly be a definition of annoying too if we dig deeper,” you retorted.

“It’s not my fault you are hard-headed,” she rolled her eyes.

“It’s not my fault you are spreading false rumours,” you shrugged nonchalantly.

“It’s not my fault you can’t see the forest from the tree,” she grimaced.

“Woah, woah, let’s just stop it there. We have quite an intense breakfast on our hands. What do you say we just continue eating quietly?” James asked, trying to stop your bickering.

“Been doing that until you arrived with your overly-positive attitude,” you replied as you bit into your toast.

“I’m sorry for having a nice day. Instead of being gloomy, you could try it too,” he raised a questioning brow, wearing a playful smirk across his face. In normal circumstances you would have returned his smile, feeling all warm inside, feeling your cheeks flush. He had a certain vibe that always made you feel happier even if you were down. But not in that moment. It just didn’t work.

“Will take your advice into consideration,” you huffed as you stood up from the table, finishing your breakfast. “See you later,” you nodded and headed towards the exit. You barely reached the first classroom across the corridor when you heard your name being called.

Turning around you, you saw James walking towards you in a haste. “Hmm?” You hummed in a questioning tone.

“You are acting strange recently. I can’t talk to you, I barely see you and honestly, I feel like you are avoiding me,” he stated, nervously rocking from one foot to the other. Indeed, you have been trying to keep a distance from the boy, knowing he fancied Lily whilst you liked him. Since your birthday you expected some kind of sign that would lead you to your soulmate, but it never happened. No images, no scents, no touches. The person you liked for so long had a crush on someone else and when you finally thought you might have a chance to find someone to connect with, you had to release you as one of many didn’t have a soulmate.

“Look, I just prefer being alone nowadays,” you lied. Imagining a pitiful look in his eyes, knowing why you have been avoiding him was something you never wanted to see. He was always supportive, and you could always rely on him, but this time you couldn’t possibly open up to him. You didn’t want his apologetic looks.

“Seven years. It’s been seven years since we first met and almost as long since we have become friends. I think I know you fairly well. Sure, people change, so did you and I, but we have changed together, for me you are still the same person I befriended. I don’t understand why you think that I would believe you. Wanting to be alone on occasions is fine, you have always done that, but you never closed me out completely until recently. I need to know what’s going on,” he pleaded, his words, his eyes, even his tone screaming for some kind of an explanation, but you couldn’t give him what he wanted.

“I’m sorry,” you simply apologised and started walking away. Giving him an explanation would have revealed your secret and you were not ready for that. Maybe once when your feelings were finally gone and you decide to sit down to talk about the old times, being nostalgic, maybe then you would have the courage, but not in that moment.

“Sorry is not enough,” he raised his voice as he hurried after you and grabbed your wrist. The feeling of his warm palm across your skin sent shivers down your spine. Your lips parted in surprise as you felt electricity run through the spot where he held onto you, starting off your heart in a quick pace. Feeling your cheeks heat up, you turned around and looked into his brown eyes as wide as yours, trying to figure out the unusual, sudden feeling. You felt your chest compress, air stuck in your lungs as you watched the man you had feelings for being just as shocked as you were. Knowing, hoping, believing what that certain electrical feeling running through you meant, it frightened you. You never wanted to be bonded with a man who loved someone else and the simple thought of you having to watch him run after his loved one made you feel as though your heart was shattering into the smallest of pieces, where picking them and trying to mend them wasn’t an option anymore.

Both of you stood stunned, his fingers firmly around your wrist, staring at each other, wordlessly trying to communicate. It was James who recovered first and let go of your arm, leaving it to fall beside you. You wanted to speak, you wanted him to speak, but none of you knew the right words to voice. In your shocked state you just wanted to disappear, you wanted to run away. The awkward silence was making you mad and frustrated, wanting nothing but to get as far from him as possible. So, you did. You hurried off, the sound of your heavy steps following you through the corridor. Hearing James’ pleading voice to stop you didn’t seem to work, you hurried your steps, not knowing where you were heading.

“Stop!” James appeared in front of you, stepping out of a hidden door you have not seen before.

“Leave me alone, James,” you pleaded, desperately needing some time alone.

“You felt it too. I know you did, so stop running away,” he stepped in your way as you tried to walk around him. He was determined to keep you there, to talk to you, to finally stop you from avoiding him.

“Why? I felt nothing. Just get away from me,” you raised your voice, even though you have never done it before, but it didn’t work. James wasn’t giving in.

“Enough,” he raised his voice this time, but it wasn’t threatening nor aggressive, he was firm and somewhat assertive. “You can avoid me if you like, you can ignore me if that makes you feel better but telling me that you didn’t feel anything when I touched you, lying to my face, that I will not take,” he exhaled slowly. “I know you felt it too and we both know what it meant. You are not stupid and nor am I. And if you feel like pretending that it didn’t happen,” he swallowed and heaved a heavy sigh,” we can do that, I will not force you. I’m only asking you not to run away from me,” he pleaded with you.

Feeling the tears collecting in your eyes, you tried to keep them in bay, not wanting James to see you so vulnerable. A heavy sigh left your lungs as you looked up at him, locking your eyes with him. “I— I don’t know how to handle this, James. You have been in love with Lily for so long, I don’t know how to react. I don’t want to be bonded to someone who already loves someone else,” you finally voiced your thoughts, finding it hard to resist the pleading look across his face.

“I never loved Lily,” he shook his head with a deep frown. “I was in a way infatuated with her, I liked the idea of liking her, but I didn’t love her. And I don’t feel that way anymore. I haven’t even tried getting closer to her in the last couple of months. If you were here, you could have seen it, but you decided to avoid me at all cost,” his tone, his demeanour, his firm stance radiated confidence and sincerity. Indeed, you haven’t seen much of him and you couldn’t judge what happened around your friend circle recently, but it was hard to believe that after all this time he just gave up on Lily.

“Look, whether you like her or not is not my business really and you don’t owe me any explanation. Maybe in the future you will like someone else, and I will be happy for you, but we have been friends for so long, I don’t want this stupid bond to stand in your way. So, let’s just pretend it didn’t happen, alright?” you tried to compromise, but James shook his head heavily in reply and stepped closer to you.

“How can you be so silly? You and this bond will always be standing in the way of me liking someone else, because regardless of that stupid bond, it is you that I like,” he confessed, his eyes a storm of emotions. He reached for your hand, cupping them in his, squeezing yours gently. “I like you. I really do. It has nothing to do with that bond,” he swallowed nervously. You tried to respond, say something, but instead you kept opening and closing your mouth as if you were a fish out of water, gaping, finding it hard to breath. It was hard to believe, but you couldn’t deny the tiny bit of flame you felt deep within you, hope that meant you still had a chance with him.

“But why?” you exclaimed in shock, not even realising your own words. James let out a mild chuckle, your words catching him off guard.

“Because you were always there for me, because you always knew what to say to me, how to hold me, how to deal with me. Because whenever I’m around you I’m both calm and nervous at the same time. Because you make me feel like a little child, wanting to smile whenever I see you. You are beautiful of course, but regardless I feel as though there’s this pulling force between us. I didn’t realise that I liked you until you were avoiding me. And it was not because of the bond, but because I realised that you were not there beside me and I missed the smallest of details that makes you—you. Scrunching your nose, pouting, grimacing at my silly ideas, scolding me for not studying. Every single little detail that makes you— you, was just missing from my life and it was killing me. I do like you more than you can imagine with or without that stupid bond,” he replied with a lopsided smile across his face, leaning his forehead against yours.

“But Lily—” you wanted to say, but he cut you off.

“There is no Lily. There’s only you and me. I just want you to maybe give me a chance to try if we work, if this— whatever is between us works,” he pleaded and instead of a reply, you stood on your tiptoes and attached your lips to his. He was hesitant, he didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t let his chance slip out of his hands. He let go of your hands and cupped your face for better access, devouring your lips, losing himself in the moment where it was indeed only you and him.

“I like you. I like you so much,” you breathed against his lips, stunning him. His eyes widened at your words, clearly shocked by your sudden confession.

“But you have been avoiding me,” he exclaimed.

“I couldn’t be around you. I couldn’t watch you run after Lily anymore,” you shook your head, nervously biting your lip.

“I’m so sorry for putting you through that,” he hinted a small kiss on your forehead. “I promise I will make up for it if you give me a chance.”

“Wasn’t I clear enough?” you giggled softly as you placed your hands on his, holding your face. “There is nothing I want more than to give us a chance,” you smiled, reassuring him that you wanted him just as much as he wanted you.

“Well, since we have already missed the beginning of the first class, we could start off by trying to regain the last month you have so rudely taken from me,” he raised a questioning brow, hoping you would agree.

“I guess we could skip a class after all,” you giggled softly.

“Or more than one,” he wiggled his brows as he captured your lips once again, impatiently waiting for all the memories you were to experience together.

Notes: If you enjoyed reading this little piece, please don’t forget to leave a like, comment and reblog. Your opinion matters and gives us motivation. Thank you ^^

If you enjoy my stories, please consider donating and supporting me on Ko-fi. Of course, it’s completely your choice, I will continue updating for free anyway :) Thank you <3

Taglist from now on is in a reblog.

#james potter #james potter x reader #james potter imagine #james potter oneshot #james potter fanfiction #james potter x reader imagine #james potter x reader oneshot #james potter x reader fanfiction #girl next door's make me feel bingo #harry potter #james potter x yn #james potter x y/n

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML Fic: Soulmate Survey Part 32

Happy Halloween to everyone! I hope that you enjoy this treat. Sorry this took so long to write out. This one took a few rewrites to get it where I wanted it to be.

Plus, Real life stuff got in the way So hopefully this will be a nice little treat for you all.

(Master Post)

__________________________________________________________________

Marinette watched in horror as she watched her best friend struggle on the floor.

She dashed to her side, and tried to help Alya get that weird mask off her face.

“By all means go right ahead. Its already too late.” Masquerade laughed as she watched Marinette struggle. “Soon enough she will be helping me take you down.”

The designer pushed the words of the psychotic akuma out of her mind. She refused to let her friend get turned into a mindless drone like before.

“It wont come off!” Marinette grunted as she tried so hard to remove it.

Masquerade watched her bracelet, waiting for a change to occur.

Alya’s muffled screams and frantic movements stopped.

“Alya?”

Marinette jumped up as she watched her friend transform, her casual clothes transformed into a familiar black and white costume. The Wi-Fi symbol on her chest. Lady Wifi has returned.

Masquerade’s bracelet gained a new charm, one looking reminiscent of a cell phone.

“And now she is my friend.” The villain stated as she watched Marinette start stepping away from the enslaved akuma.

“Alya… you need to fight it. You can’t let her control you.”

“Sorry Marinette, but Alya is unable to answer.” Masquerade mocked. “But I can take a message for you.”

Lady wifi stood silent, like an inactive robot, awaiting orders from its master. The inner machinations of the mind are not shown with the emotionless white mask covering her face.

Marinette turned her eyes toward the mask themed akuma, anger burning in her pupils.

“Let her go Lila. Let them all go before things get serious. Your plan will fail, Ladybug and Chat noir will arrive and beat the akuma out of you. Then you will have to answer for this too.”

Masquerade’s smile faded when she saw the fierce look. Marinette was not a sniveling mess, she actually looked even more defiant then before!

“Acting all high and mighty. I think I will enjoy turning you into my helpless puppet next.”

Masquerade lifted her hand towards Marinette, waiting to unmask her deepest secrets, and break her down.

“When I get a peek at what is hiding behind all of that fake courage, it will all come crashing down. Now let’s see your greatest secrets.”

Marinette looked around, trying to think of something. If Lila figured out her big secret, it was over. Ladybug would be exposed. She needed a way out, until she noticed something. Masquerade wasn’t doing anything.

“Huh?”

Marinette was perplexed by the akuma simply standing there.

“Ummm... are you going to do it now or...”

“Why can’t I see your secrets? My powers should allow me to see what you’re hiding and allow me to exploit it. It worked on everyone else I used it on, why not you?”

“Maybe I just don’t have any secrets to hide.” Marinette commented, watching with a bit of satisfaction as the akuma’s smug look shift.

Masquerade felt her frustration and anger boil at the comment. Something wasn’t adding up.

“Hawkmoth!” She cried out in rage.

A purple butterfly outline popped out.

“What is it?” The dark voice connected in her head.

“Why can’t I read Marinette’s secrets?” Masquerade angrily questioned.

“What?”

“Her secrets! I was able to zero in on everyone else I’ve used the ability on. Why does it not work on her!? Of all people I want this power to work on!”

Marinette felt both concerned and a bit flattered that she was the one Lila wanted to defeat the most. It was sort of mutual.

“Your power works on anyone I’ve akumatized, regardless of who it is.” The butterfly villain communicated. 

“So… your saying you didn’t akumatize her before? How is that possible?”

“I haven’t gotten to every single person in Paris.”

“You’ve akumatized that stupid pigeon man 26 times! How have you not gotten everyone!?”

“Paris is a big city, even if I akumatized someone every day, I doubt I would have hit 1/10th of the population. Besides, it takes strong negative emotions for me to send out an akuma. And that man seems to just be the easiest target for it. “ Hawkmoth defended himself. “Its not like I WANT to akumatize him every other day.”

“Unbelievable!”

“Just get the miraculous. That is your focus, the girl can wait for later.”

Masquerade’s butterfly outline dispelled as hawkmoth was finished with that conversation.

“Well that sucks. I guess I can just go back to plan A. Having you watch as I turn everyone against you... aren't here. What!”

Masquerade frantically looked around for the teen she had been antagonizing and found that she was no longer in the same spot. In fact, she was no longer in the office!

Marinette had decided to slip away from the akuma while she was having her little tantrum to the evil butterfly man.

“Why didn't you do something!” She shouted at Lady Wifi.

“You did not give me an order.” Lady Wifi answered robotically. 

Masquerade glared at the akuma servant. She would almost think it was rebelling against her.

“Even as a mindless servant you still find a way to ruin things.”

She looked around and noticed the other akuma in the room that was still on the floor.

“Dark Owl get up!”

The owl themed akuma got up from the floor. Removing parts of the broken pot from his costume.

Masquerade snapped her fingers. Catching the attention of Dark Owl and Lady Wifi. 

“Both of you, I want Marinette brought back to me right now! I want to make sure she stays quiet and sees everything we have set up. I don’t need her causing trouble.”

______________________________________________________________________

“…and that is everything.” A young woman said with a mixture of relief and excitement. She had finally finished setting everything up in the school infirmary. She had organized the files, restocked the bandages, changed the sheets on the resting cots, and put her personal decals on the desk. She was starting her first day as the school nurse, and things have been going up.

She put herself back out there and started dating Curtis, the sweet guy she met last week despite what would’ve normally been a deal breaking misunderstanding, she got into the med school program she wanted to get into and will be attending part time, and she managed to get a job at the school she went to when she went to Lycee.

She heard a ding from the front of the nurse’s office just as she was about to sit down.

“First student of the day. I better see what they need.”

She exited the small office area in the infirmary to see a blonde student who was clearly impatient

“What is taking so long!?” The teen shouted.

“Hello there. How can I help you?”

The blonde looked up a bit to see the nurses smile, she rolled her eyes.

“Who the hell are you? Isnt there supposed to be a different woman here?”

“If you are referring to the previous school nurse, she retired officially last week. I am the new school nurse. You can call me Nurse Angela.”

Angela never really liked using her last name, it made her sound old. So, she would be fine with the kids calling by her first name. It also helps with psychology, allowing more for a social dynamic based on mutual respect rather than authority.

“Whatever.”

Angela felt a twinge of frustration at the girl’s dismissal. But she kept her smile.

“And you are?”

The teen smirked.

“Chloé Bourgeous. And before you ask, yes, the daughter of the mayor.”

Angela felt a shiver go down her spine. She remembered from what the previous nurse told her. That Chloé was the mayor’s bratty daughter who would use her father’s influence to get anyone fired if she got angry enough.

‘That at least explains her rude attitude. She is a spoiled Brat.’

Angela was not going to let this bother her. She was going to take it in stride. She would be kind and courteous as she planned to be with any student at the Dupont.

“So, Chloé. What brings you here?”

Chloé walks in.

“My chair broke because someone sabotaged my chair. I ended up bruising my… anyway I need some ice, and anything to numb the pain.”

“My goodness! That sounds terrible. Who would do such a thing?”

“It was probably Marinette, that nasty little rat. Adding insult to injury now that she is dating Adrien.”

Nurse Angela moved to get some ice from the freezer for the bruised bottom of the Mayor’s daughter, listening to the girl vent. She was sure that whoever this Marinette girl was, probably didn’t do it. And if somehow, she did, it was likely because the annoying blonde deserved it. But that was not something Angela felt was worth mentioning. She kept that bit to herself.

“She is probably blackmailing my adrikins with something. There is no way he would be dating her without some sort of reason.”

“Is it possible that maybe he just likes her?” Angela inquired as she presented the bag of ice to Chloé.

Chloé looked at the nurse as if she had just told her that she had 3 eyes and a scorpion tail.

“Adrien liking Marinette?! That is ridiculous, Utterly ridiculous! There is no way that Adrien would…”

Chloé felt her mind flash through moments. Adrien and Marinette about to kiss for that movie, Adrien and Marinette dancing at her party? The photos she found of them running from fans, that kiss at the picnic during heroes’ day. Adrien taking Marinette to that interview instead of her… The stubborn blonde felt as if everything clicked into place.

“Chloé? Is everything okay?” The nurse called out, trying to get the spaced-out teen’s attention.

“He might actually LIKE her!”

Chloé felt her own skin crawl as she made her realization.

Angela didn’t know how to respond to this situation.

“I am going to straighten Adrien out right now! I am not going to let him make such a foolish mistake!”

The nurse could tell this could be bad if the mayor’s daughter was so heated, what if she got this innocent girl expelled? If she stood by and did nothing then her time at the school would be internally marked with the regret of not stopping such a potential disaster.

“Wait, Miss Bourgeois.”

Chloé stopped.

“What is it?”

“I… I just noticed that you’re limping. The injury might be more serious than you think. Let me have a look at it closer before you leave.”

The mayor’s daughter would simply have left without a second thought. But having a limp would make her walk much less dignified and lacking the power she needs to intimidate, but mainly that she would look lame with a limp.

“Alright, just make it quick.”

______________________________________________________________________________

“I don’t get why you felt the need to leave.” The cat kwami rolled his eyes. “If you want to be rebellious Adrien, we could leave the school and head to the movies. Though if we do, you should invite your girlfriend.”

“Plagg, this isn’t about rebellion or future date ideas. Something isn’t right with this whole situation. I just want to sneak a peek in the office, make sure Marinette and Alya get their story out, and then I am headed right back to class. No problem.” Adrien summarized as they kept walking.

Plagg noticed someone headed their way and went to hide in Adrien’s pocket.

Adrien took notice that it was his homeroom teacher. Perhaps he could ask her.

“Hey Ms.Bustier. Can I ask you a quick question?”

The red headed teacher walked past the teen without acknowledging his question. Her eyes focused on what was ahead.

“That’s weird… She would always stop to help a student.”

Adrien could feel that his favorite teacher may have been affected by something sinister.

“Ms.Bustier, can you hear me out for a second?” He asked as he touched her shoulder to try and get her attention.

The mirage of her appearance shifted from the homeroom teacher to the stylized patchwork costume of a familiar akuma enemy.

Adrien was surprised to see the true form of the imposter. The kiss zombie maker, Zombizou.

The akuma turned to show the face mask that hid her face. Her attention was now firmly on the boy, whether he wanted it or not.

Adrien backed away, nervously keeping his eyes on the teacher as he carefully backed up.

“You know, I think I will just ask someone else.”

Adrien took down the next hall running.

______________________________________________________________________

Masquerade reclined in her chair, her frustration was growing as she wondered what was taking those two minions she sent out to capture Marinette so long.

“They shouldn’t be having that much difficulty. She is just one person!”

She heard a ring, and knew her sentimonster was trying to contact her.

“What is it Simulare?”

“The illusion I had on Zombizou was broken. Someone is on to us, and the minion is in pursuit.”

Masquerade felt a headache forming. She didn’t have time for a wild goose chase. She needed to move on to phase two of her plan, making her army of akuma.

“Track down Marinette and this other  person that found out about Zombizou, keep them busy as long as possible. I am going to move on to phase two. Make sure no one is on to us.”

“Understood. I’ll get them back in the office and make sure neither of them escape.”

“Good”

Masquerade ended the call and felt her head ease a bit. The sentimonster she was given was obedient and competent. It was based on her mindset, so it would make sense that it would be capable of handling this problem.

“Now, let’s get that army.”

______________________________________________________________________________

“Give me a break.” Marinette muttered to herself.

She thought she would have time to transform once she escaped the office, but the two akuma were right out of the office before she had time to make sure everything was clear.

In her rush she cut a corner down a hallway and ended up colliding with another person.

“Ouch.” They cry out in unison, both looking to realize who they bumped into. Their faces turned to relief.

“Marinette!” “Adrien!”

The two called out in unison.

“Why are you running?” “Why are you running?”

“An akuma!” “An akuma!”

“An akuma?” “An akuma?”

They both look behind the other to notice the incoming akumas approaching them.

“As cute as this is, we need to go.”

Adrien Grabs Marinette’s Hand and they both head to the open area and try to get to the main entrance.

‘I need to get Adrien somewhere safe, then I can go transform into Ladybug.’ Marinette thought to herself, unaware that Adrien was thinking the same thing.

They make quick movements down hallway, moving up and down staircases to confuse their pursuers. They managed to give them the slip as the controlled akuma seemed to not be able of basic reasoning and quick fake outs and movements.

The two make their way down to what appeared to be the front of the school.

“The entrance!” Marinette called out. “Okay, we split up at the entrance and try to get help. They can’t catch us both.”

The run to the entrance only for them to stop short, colliding with some invisible wall.

It was only after making contact did the front entrance of the school shift back into a wall. The layout of the entire school seemed to shift instantly. The school had been put under an illusion to trick them into thinking they were escaping.

“It’s an illusion. Which means Lila must be involved with that group of akumas.” Adrien exclaimed.

“More like she is the cause. She is the one controlling the akumatized mask wearers. She got the Principal and Alya.”

“Wait, does this mean that Lila’s power is to make akuma!?”

“From what I saw, she can only akumatize people that have been akumatized before using her face masks. You haven’t been akumatized right?” Marinette questioned.

“No, and since she didn't get you, you haven't either right?”

“Yea, though I have had a few close calls.”

“So, if Lila’s power is akumatizing people, what akuma made this illusion on the school?”

“That would be me.” A third voice calls out.

The two turned to look and see a familiar fox themed villain smiling confidently.

“Volpina!”

“Not exactly.”

The Volpina impersonator looked around to see if the other akumatized servents were going to arrive.

“Seems you both are quite clever when it comes to annoying Mistress Masquerade.”

“Masquerade?”

“That’s what Lila’s calling herself.”

“Oh... cause of the masks.”

The villain rolls her eyes, encapsulating the personality of the arrogant volpina that it was pretending to be.

“Masquerade realizes that you two are both quite difficult to snag with mindless servants, so she requested I handle this.”

“No, you won’t.” Marinette grabs Adrien’s Hand and tries to run away only for the Faux Fox to flip in front of them

“Yea, I am not letting you out of my sight. Now be good and come along peacefully.”

Adrien moves in front of Marinette.

“Go, I’ll hold her off.”

“But…”

“Go. I trust you.” Adrien smiles as he looks to her for a moment.

Marinette wanted to stay and fight with him, but she knew that she needed to go and transform. Ladybug will be needed before this blows up.

“I’ll get help.”

Marinette runs away from the two as fast as she can. Adrien making sure to block the way should their foe get any ideas.

“She won’t get far, she will get captured before she even gets a chance.”

Adrien shook his head.

“You would be surprised with how just how amazing Marinette is.”

Marinette rushed out of sight and into the closest bathroom, quickly making sure it was a safe place to transform.

“Coast is clear. Time for Ladybug to step in.”

“Let’s hope we can get to Adrien in time before things get worse.” Tikki commented.

“Don't worry, I trust he’ll be okay. Tikki! Spots on!”

______________________________________________________________________________

“Can you believe it Juleka?” The peppy perfume enthusiast squealed. “Marinette and Adrien are finally an item.”

“Yes, I was there rose.” Juleka commented with an eye roll and a smile.

“I know! I am just so happy for them both.” Rose calms herself a bit. “Though… how will your brother take it?”

The purple haired teen reflected on the comment.

“It will be an adjustment, but I am sure Lulu will be fine once he gets a couple songs out of it.”

“I’ll be sure to be supportive.”

Juleka patted Rose’s head, smiling sweetly at the blonde’s caring attitude. She decided now would be a good time to spring that surprise on her. She was planning on showing her during lunch, but since Ms.Bustier wasn’t in class. Now would be the perfect time to show Rose the earrings she got her.

She casually reached into her bag, sliding her hand into her lunch bag, trying to find the earring box, only to notice it not there. Her hand moved frantically searching.

“Is something wrong?” Rose inquired, a bit of concern on her face.

“No, nothing. Nothing is wrong, just…” Juleka dismissed as she kept searching only to know for certain that her gift was not in there.

“Are you sure?”

“I just need do something really quick.”

She quickly grabbed her phone and calmly while hoping that her brother would see her text.

In her quick movement, she failed to notice the door of the classroom opening.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Psst, Luka. Luka!” A dark-haired teen whispered, trying to get the attention of the teal-tipped hair guitarist that was hiding his sleeping face with an open science book.”

“Hmm?” The tired teen responded with his eyes still closed. He was barely awake. He had been up all night working on that new song that was stuck in his head. He could still hear it playing in his thoughts as he tried to shake himself awake.

“Your phone vibrated, seemed important.”

“Oh, thanks Theo.” He moved his hand to take a look at his phone.

The science teacher was rambling on about molecules or something, clearly unaware of how disinterested everyone in the class was with his boring lecture.

Luka looked through to see a few text messages from his sister.

‘Hey, can you check your lunch to see if there is a jewelry box in there? Rose’s gift is in there.’

‘If you find it, can you swing by around your free period to bring it to me?’

Luka quickly snuck his hand into his backpack and sure enough he felt the small box. He was about to text a response. But stopped when he read the last two texts.

‘Sh*t there is an akuma in the class!’

Luka’s eyes shot open, his sister was in danger. Which also meant his band was also in danger. He needed to get there.

He shot up from his chair. And started making his way to the door.

“Mr.Couffaine, where do you think you’re going?”

“Family emergency.”

The science teacher was about to tell the young boy to wait until his parent calls, but he remembered who is mother was and what she did the last time he held up her kid when Anarke wanted to pick him up early. The teacher proceeded to held back his response.

“Proceed. Just be sure to get the notes from today’s lesson.”

Luka was out the door before the teacher could finish.

______________________________________________________________________

A car speeds down the road, the driver cursing to herself as she tries to move faster.

‘Get in, get Adrien, and get out before everything hits the fan.’

Nathalie mentally repeated to herself. She knows that pushing herself too hard was also dangerous. She couldn't risk feeling weak right now.

The driver slammed the break as she arrived at the school. She needed to hurry. She parked the car and opened the door.

“Lets hope that this akuma hasn't gotten to Adrien yet.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Ms. Bustier’s class had diverted all their attention to the costumed individual in the front of the classroom. The eerie masks that adorned her costume seemed to unsettle everyone.

Juleka put her phone away and joined in on what everyone was staring at

Alix was the one to say what was on everyone’s mind.

“Who the f*** are you?”

The akuma smirked.

“Excellent, a volunteer.”

Raising her hand and pointing towards Alix, her charm bracelet began to glow.

“Interesting, seems that you have quite a soft spot for cute things.”

The class turned to look at Alix with confusion.

Alix kept her cool.

“And? Is there a point?” Alix rolled her eyes, ignoring the akuma’s attempt to get under her skin. It would take more than that to actually do anything to her.

“You pretend you have this ‘Devil may care’ attitude, that you are too cool to care about what people think, but really you are more obsessed with how people perceive you than anyone else in here.”

Alix felt her smirk falter for a second.

“You are really sensitive about your height and anytime someone brings it up you are in a bad mood for the rest of the day. But what really gets to you is your ‘Family’. You hate how your brother is a laughing stock because of his crackpot theories and your greatest fear is that no matter how much you try to be this punk rebel, you will always be cast as ‘The Conspiracy nut’s sister’.”

“Shut up! You don’t know my life!” Alix yelled.

“Not so fun getting exposed, is it?”

The class realized immediately who this mysterious akuma was.

Masquerade smiled as she flung a mask right at the pink haired teen. Causing her to fall down. And struggle to get the mask off, but before anyone could help her. It was too late.

The class could only watch in horror as their classmate transformed into their Akuma persona. Before standing up.

The class tried to make a break for it. They knew full well the dangers of this new akuma.

“Timebreaker, guard the door.”

The akuma skated to the door and everyone jumped back. They knew that touching Timebreaker was not a good idea.

“Lila, this isn’t cool. Let Alix go.” Nino called out.

The Mask akuma shook her head.

“Lila is not a thing anymore. She was unmasked and dismissed. But now I have a new mask, I’m Masquerade. Soon enough, you will all be unmasked and given a new mask that better suits you. Alya knows that very well.”

Nino’s his eyes flared at the statement.

“What did you do to my girl?”

Masquerade pointed her hand at him just as her charm bracelet glowed, now with a rollerblade charm added to it.

“The same thing I am about to do to all of you.”

______________________________________________________________________

Will the rest of the class fall victim to Masquerade’s evil plan? Will Ladybug be able to save Adrien from the Sentimonster? Will Nathalie get to Adrien before its too late? Will I ever update consistently?

Fine out all these questions and more in the next part.

Thank you all for reading the most recent addition to Soulmate Survey.

Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter and if you really liked it. Reblog it. (Sharing is the only way my story actually gets out.) Plus, tagging has been kind of glitchy for me, so until that gets straightened out, I can't tag people for the story at the moment.

#ml #soulmate survey #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanficiton #ml au #ss #miraculous #masquerade akuma #masquerade #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #lady wifi #lila rossi #ladybug #tikki #plagg #adrinette #lovesquare