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flightlessangelwings · 1 year

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Stripping Away Our Armor

Din Djarin x fem!reader (no use of y/n)

Word count- 5.6k

Prompt/Summary- “Who did this to you?” / You are an informant for the Mandalorian, and secret, unspoken feelings start to blossom between you. But how does he react when he comes by one night and you’re hurt?

Warnings- smut (18+ only!), sex worker reader (we respect sex workers in this house), oral (m receiving), soft romantic sex, praise kink, mutual pining, kind of forbidden romance, hurt/comfort, protective!Din, Din likes cheesy jokes, allusion to violence (nothing excessive), injured reader (nothing super descriptive), minor character death, slight grumpy/sunshine vibes

Notes- Surprise @misspearly1 I’m your Pedro gift exchange writer!!! 💖 I’ve had fun being a sneaky anon and writing this for you!!! I’m sorry this is a little late but I hope you enjoy this!! And thank you @pedrostories for organizing this event!!!

Reblogs/asks/follows are highly appreciated! 💖

@flightlessangelwings-updates is my update blog so feel free to follow that too and turn on post notifications to stay up to date on when I post!

Graphic made by me (I love the Star Wars vibe of this so much!!)

Colorful lights flickered to the beat of the dance music in the club as the Mandalorian walked through the crowd. All types of characters surrounded him: from the young and eager to see the spectacular around them to those who tried to blend in while on the run. Men crowded around the small tables and threw credits and sleazy looks at the dancers. Women with barely anything on their bodies sauntered by carrying trays of drinks. Some gave him a flirty glance, but most recognized him and left him alone.

There was only ever one person who he saw at the club.

“She’s not here right now, Mando,” one of the other girls, Sonya, set her tray down at the bar and addressed him as he approached. She gave him a subtle flirty glance before she flagged the bartender and gave him a drink order for her table.

“What happened?” he replied, his voice masking the concern that laid below.

Sonya shrugged, “I think she’s on a personal visit to a vip client. You’re welcome to wait for her,” she gathered fresh glasses and filled them as she spoke, “I’ll let her know you’re here when she gets back. But it might be late,” she eyed the Mandalorian up and down and her done dropped as she smirked, “I can always keep you company in the meantime,” she traced her finger along the beskar on his arm. She knew that the Mandalorian only ever asked for you, yet she couldn’t help but grasp the opportunity while she had it.

Mando gently moved his arm away from her reach, “I’ll wait for her,” he stated plainly yet without malice.

Her expression dropped as she let out a heavy exhale, “Suit yourself.” Sonya knew it was a long shot, yet she wasn’t immune to the beskar-clad man’s effortless charm. But she took his rejection with dignity as she turned and walked away.

The Mandalorian turned to face the crowd and leaned against the bar. Keeping on high alert at all times, he scanned the crowd and studied the faces he saw. There were some he knew he recognized from bounty pucks, but they weren’t his concern at the moment. He had a higher paying target he was after, and he needed your help to find him.

This arrangement started many months ago when Mando first came into the club to look for a target. Most everyone else who was there at the time was too scared or too intimidated by him. Except for you. You took him into the back and gave him all the information he needed… and then you gave him a taste of your services.

From then, he was drawn back to you time and time again. Mando refused to admit he was addicted to you. But there were times that he looked more forward to the time he spent with you than the information you provided. And once you were behind closed doors, the facade of the toughness you kept up melted away to reveal a kind, good person. And that only made Mando more mesmerized by you.

It was something he understood fully: keep your emotions out of your line of work. He did the same. Yet, when the two of you were alone together, the Mandalorian felt like you were the only person in the galaxy that really saw the true him. And the way your tough exterior faded away as your face relaxed and your smile lit up the room told him that you trusted him too. You were even the one person to actually make him laugh too, and it felt so good to Mando to let his guard down.

As he stood at the bar and waited for you, Mando couldn’t help but drift back to the day the two of you met…

“I’m looking for someone,” the Mandalorian asked the bartender as he set the bounty puck down, “He been by here?”

The bartender just huffed and turned to serve others at the far end of the bar without even glancing at the holo image.

Mando let out a heavy sigh as he turned around and faced the crowd. Most danced to the pulsing music and didn’t even give him a second glance. Some scurried out of his way, but he paid them no mind.

The target had to be here somewhere…

“Need something, Mandalorian?” a sultry voice called his attention, “Perhaps I can… be of service…” your tone dropped as you bat your eyes flirtatiously and shimmied your shoulder subtly.

Mando looked you up and down and his posture stiffened; you were captivating. Even as a hardened bounty hunter, Mando couldn’t help but notice the way your tiny outfit sparkled right at your breasts to draw men’s eyes. His fists tightened as he fought to keep his composure, “This man… Supposed to be a regular here…”

Just as Mando was about to activate the holo image, you covered it, “Not out here,” your eyes narrowed as you leaned in, “Follow me…”

The Mandalorian wasn’t sure why but he felt a pull as you slid your hand in his gloved one and took him back to one of the private rooms. And that’s when it happened: the hardened exterior faded away the moment the door was closed and the sultry expression morphed into a genuinely bright smile.

“Man it smells like upbabe in here…” you sighed in exasperation once you and the Mandalorian were alone.

He stood silent, the slight tilt of his helmet was the only movement as you felt his gaze heavy on you.

You rolled your eyes playfully, “You’re supposed to say ‘what’s upbabe’ and then I say ‘not much what’s up with you!’”

The Mandalorian was caught off guard by your joke once our tough exterior melted away. He stared at you for several moments before he couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh- the first time he did that in a very long time…

“Mando…?”

Your voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he was brought back to the present where you stood before him. You looked as radiant as ever, and Mando couldn’t help the wave of relief that washed over him at seeing you were alright.

“Hey,” he replied.

“Here for the usual?” you asked coyly. When he nodded in response, you slid your hand in his gloved one and your tone dropped seductively, “Follow me.”

He welcomed that familiar touch… that familiar routine.

Once the two of you were alone in one of the private rooms, you placed a hand on Mando’s chest and gently guided him backwards. His visor never left you as he allowed you to lead him: something he didn’t let anyone else do. He couldn’t explain it, but there was something different about you. The Mandalorian didn’t trust easily, but he trusted you.

All the breath left his body as Mando landed on the chair behind him. But he wasn’t sure if it was the landing that knocked the breath out of his chest or if it was the way you looked at him with a fire behind your eyes. Mando’s knees instantly parted to allow you to settle in between his legs, and neither of you broke eye contact as you slowly dropped to your knees on the floor before him.

Mando breathed your name as he reached out and cupped your chin. Your hands landed on his inner thighs just above the plates of beskar on his legs and you gave his flesh a firm squeeze. But just as Mando tried to reach for you and touch you more, eager to make you feel as good as you always made him feel, you stopped him.

“Let me, Mando,” you whispered as you ran your hands along his thighs and fiddled with the seam at the center of his pants, “I want to take care of you today.”

He couldn’t help but groan as his cock hardened at the thought of what you had planned. Mando watched as you freed his cock from the confines of his pants, and his hands balled into fists when you licked your lips involuntarily. You glanced up at him for a moment before you settled yourself and wrapped your hand around his length.

You worked slowly at first, raising and lowering your hand along Mando’s cock. You watched with eagerness as he hardened more and more with his pump of your fist until he was fully erect before you. A soft whimper escaped your lips as you shifted your position to rub your thighs together for some friction that you suddenly desperately needed.

Before Mando could address your action, though, you leaned forward and wrapped your lips around the tip of his cock, your tongue lapping at the sensitive head as you did so. He growled as his hands landed on your shoulders as you lowered your head down his shaft, taking as much of him into your mouth as you could.

“Fuck,” Mando hissed as the warmth of your mouth engulfed him, “So good mesh’la…” the praise dripped from his lips in a low tone before he could help it.

You hummed around his cock as you hollowed out your cheeks and sucked him off as hard as you could, knowing exactly what he liked. Raising your head back up, you popped off his cock to instead lick at the salty sweet skin there. You nibbled gently at the head before you ran your tongue flat down the shaft.

Mando groaned your name as you made your way back up his length, your tongue hitting every vein and sensitive spot along the way. Before you took him into your mouth again, you paused and looked up at him and Mando swore the universe froze for a moment. You looked so tantalizing as you looked at him with a desperate fire in your eyes, a trail of spit still connected the two of you.

“You look so fucking beautiful like this,” he sighed heavily.

Without replying, you took Mando’s cock into your mouth again and swallowed as much of it as you could. This time, you had a specific intention in mind, and you weren’t going to stop until you got what you wanted. Mando growled as your warmth became his whole world once more as you bobbed up and down on his cock.

“Fuck… Cyar’ika… I’m…” was all he managed to get out between a string of curses in Mando’a before he exploded in your mouth.

You never let up, even as Mando’s cum filled your throat. You kept going, working and sucking his cock as he came hard into your mouth. And you greedily lapped up and swallowed every last drop, not wanting even one bit to go to waste. You kept going until Mando grabbed onto your scalp and pulled you off of him when he was completely spent.

The two of you stayed in a heavy silence for several moments. Both of you just panted as you both caught your breath, and even though you didn’t see his face, you felt the intensity of his gaze behind the helmet. It sent a fresh wave of need through you and you couldn’t help but moan as you suddenly became aware of how tightly he held you.

In a rush, Mando pounced off the chair and crashed your bodies to the floor. Normally, he preferred to fuck you in a bed, or at least a table, but there was something about you today that filled him with need. He couldn’t wait. He had to feel you, hold you… taste you…

“I need you, sweetheart,” Mando growled as he covered your body with his own and his hands roamed all over you.

All the air was suddenly forced out of your chest as you hit the floor hard. Too wrapped up in the euphoria of having the Mandalorian on top of you, his hands roaming all over your figure, you almost forgot about why you didn’t allow him to touch you for a moment. But you were painfully reminded when his large hand grabbed your waist and pulled you close against him.

You cried out in pain and all the ecstasy of Mando’s touch completely vanished.

Right away, Mando pulled off of you and sat up on his knees, “What is it?” he asked in concern as his hand hovered over you, “What’s wrong?”

You were not going to shed tears in front of him. You were determined not to show any sign of pain or vulnerability. But the pain in your side screamed at you until you could barely hear anything else. It wasn’t until Mando said your name again that you opened your eyes and looked at him. And even though you didn’t see an inch of skin on him, you could tell he was concerned just from the way he held himself in front of you, his chest puffed up and his shoulders tense.

“It’s…” you let out a deep breath as you steadied yourself, “It’s nothing,” you tried your best to hide your pain as you scooted away from him slightly, “I’m alright. Just hit the ground a little too hard…”

“It’s not nothing,” Mando’s tone turned serious as he inched forward to stay in your proximity, “Let me see.”

“N-no…” you tried to protest.

“Cyare…” His tone was soft yet it left no room for argument, and the Mandalorian moved too fast for you to block anyway. That came as no surprise, considering he was the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. What did surprise you, however, was the tenderness and care in his touch as he held your sides and carefully lifted your shirt up.

Mando couldn’t stop the low growl that escaped his lips when he saw the wound on your side. It was fresh, but not bleeding. And a scan with his helmet told him that it wasn’t deep, which provided some relief. He sighed as he looked up at your face and he internally kicked himself for not noticing the slight swelling just below your eye before now.

“What happened?” Mando couldn’t help the anger in his voice, though it wasn’t directed at you, “Who did this to you?” he tenderly cupped your face with both hands. When you stayed silent as you looked into his visor with sad eyes, he added softly, “Tell me.”

You let out a heavy breath as you caved, “Shaun…” your voice was hushed as your gaze dropped to the ground, “Shaun Deggs.” All the light that Mando admired in your eyes was gone, and the normally bright smile that drew him back time and time again was clouded over with the tears that you fought back.

Mando knew the name: it was the target he came to ask you about. His blood boiled as he thought about all the ways he would make him pay for hurting you. You, who was his one light in a dark world. You who was the only person he looked forward to seeing. You, who Mando… cared a lot for.

He let out a low growl as his grip tensed.

Feeling the intensity of his emotions, you filled the tense silence, “He’s been a regular at the club for some time… deep pockets. He gets himself into trouble with gambling though,” you rambled, “I don’t know how, but somehow he found out I was working with you…” you sighed wearily, “He didn’t like that…” your voice trailed off as you let the Mandalorian piece together what happened.

Mando never felt a rage like this before; he never felt the need to protect someone so greatly like this. At that moment, it didn’t matter that Shaun was worth more alive than dead. He was going to pay for what he did to you with his life. He was going to pay for taking away the light in your eyes.

“Where can I find him?”

“No, no, no… P-please…” Shaun begged as he crawled on the floor. Bruises erupted all over his skin as cuts bled and he was sure he had at least three broken bones.

Hovering over him was the imitating figure of the Mandalorian. Blade in hand, he leaned over and smacked him across the face once more as he grumbled lowly. Never before had the Mandalorian felt a rage like this, and with every smack to this low life, he saw your face flash before him. Mando wondered if you looked like this when Shaun paid you a visit, if you were this scared. And he wasn’t there to protect you…

“Tell Gar I promise I’ll pay him back,” Shaun’s voice cracked as his body weakened, “Just don’t kill me please… I’m worth more alive, Mando.”

“I don’t care,” Mando growled, “You hurt someone… Important to me,” he spoke your name, “You remember her?”

Shaun bit his lip and nodded as he whimpered, “I-I’m sorry… I won’t go near her ever again. I swear!”

“I know you won’t…”

The scream Shaun let out echoed in the room.

You let out a heavy sigh as you ran your hands across your face. It was late into the night, and Mando made you promise to stay at your place until he got back after he walked you home and bandaged your injuries. He barely spoke while he carefully set the bacta patches on the gashes in your skin, but you felt the tension there without the words needed. Even through the layers of amor, you felt his anger radiate and you saw the tension in his arms and shoulders. You had never seen him like this before, and it made your mind spin.

Ever since you first laid eyes on the Mandalorian, there was something that drew you to him. Instead of being scared of him, you felt safe in his presence, and he was the one person you felt like you could let your guard down around. The routine came easily for the two of you: he would come by the club for information on a target, and you would take him to a back room and give him what he needed… and then some. Fully expecting him to be rough with you, it came as a pleasant surprise when Mando was so tender with his touches and he handled you so gently.

Feelings weren’t a luxury you could afford in this life, though. And you knew being a Mandalorian, he couldn’t let himself get too close either. So you kept your true feelings buried deep down, and you were grateful for the time you got with him. It caught you completely off guard though when Mando went into a rage once he saw you were hurt.

“That has to mean something, right?” you whispered to yourself as you clutched the small vibroblade Mando handed you, not wanting to leave you unarmed. There were two things you knew about the Mandalorian and his culture: the helmet never came off, and weapons were as important as air.

You bit your lip and held the weapon close to yourself as you heard his words to you in your head: “Stay here. Keep this close. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

But you were jolted from your thoughts by a knock at your door. A specific, rhythmic knock. Your face lit up as you set the blade down on the table and jumped for the door. When you opened it, the familiar figure of the Mandalorian greeted you on the other side and your shoulders dropped with a heavy exhale of relief.

“Mando…” you breathed.

He cupped your face as his heart fluttered in his chest at the sight of your smile, “You’re safe now.”

Glancing down, you noticed a small splash of blood on his beskar. Your eyes went wide as you realized what his words meant, and the way he held your face confirmed your suspicions. You grabbed onto the fabric around his armor and dragged him inside without another word. Emotions ran high as he locked the door behind him and gladly followed your lead.

“Mesh’la,” Mando murmured as he leaned forward and rested his forehead on yours. His hands lightly trailed down your face so that he caressed your jaw on both sides as he exhaled deeply.

“Mando,” you repeated, too lost in a whirlwind of emotions to form any other words. What he did for you was…

“Din.”

You blinked your eyes open, not even aware you had closed them, “Is that…?”

His hands trailed down your sides so that they rested on your hips, though he was still careful of your wounds, “Yes.”

Tears of happiness filled your eyes as you smiled brightly, “Din…” you echoed his name.

Din groaned at the sound of his name in your voice. “Close your eyes,” his tone was soft as one hand came up and cupped your jaw, “Trust me.”

“I do trust you.” A soft moan escaped your lips as you obliged without a second thought. You trusted the Mandalorian… Din. And you were sure he trusted you too. From the way he reacted when you were hurt, to him leaving one of his weapons with you, to killing a target that would have brought him a higher payout if he had been alive. There had to be something there.

When your world went black, you felt the hand come off your hip before a soft hiss echoed in the room. Your breath caught in your chest as you felt his breath on the skin on your face. He murmured your name as his fingers caressed your jaw before the gap between your faces closed.

This was the first time he kissed you; every time before, the hamlet always stayed on. And kissing Din was even better than you had imagined. Without words, his kiss conveyed all the unspoken emotions, and when his tongue touched yours, everything bubbled over into an explosion of affections.

Din moaned into your mouth as his hand tightened on your face and he kissed you deeper. Your lips parted as you tilted your head and surrendered to him completely. The taste of him sent a wave of heat through your body, and your core fired up at the way his tongue tangled with yours.

Keeping your eyes closed, you grabbed onto his shoulders and dragged him back towards your bedroom. Nerves tingled against your skin as vaguely you realized this was the first time you took him back into your private, personal room. But, you felt safe with him, you trusted him, and you wanted him there.

Din broke away from the kiss when he crossed the threshold into your room, and he lowered his helmet only to have his hands free to hold you. His arms wrapped around you carefully as Din savored the lingering taste of you on his tongue. He let out a contented sigh as your warmth wrapped around his heart, and he had you safe and sound in his embrace.

But, you had other plans in mind, and after you stayed in his arms for a moment, you lifted your head and started to yank at the pieces of his beskar. A soft laugh escaped Din’s lips as he let you strip him, and his heart fluttered as he watched how expertly and with such care you took off his armor: a gesture he allowed to you and you alone.

Once the outermost layer was off, and only fabric adorned his body, Din decided it was your turn. As you tried to rip off his shirt, he tenderly took your hands and lowered them, “Let me, love.”

Your eyes scanned his helmet, as if you desperately tried to read his expression though the beskar.

“Let me take care of you, tonight,” he clarified in a soft voice, echoing your own words as he delicately stripped you of your clothing piece by piece before he ripped off his own clothes.

As hot as you felt, a chill still ran up your spine as the fresh air hit your skin as you allowed Din to strip you. He had seen you naked many times before, yet this time felt different. You were in your home, no music from the club played in the background, and he took his time with you. Times before, he seemed to be in a rush, or he was still riding the adrenaline from a bounty hunt, or you were on a timer.

This time, though, you both had all the time in the galaxy.

That same vulnerability was reflected in Din’s helmet; he had never before been stripped completely. Always needed to keep his guard up, he usually left most of his armor and clothing on, until now. But, just as you felt safe with him, that same security and trust beat in Din’s heart. And it fluttered in his chest as you gasped softly and your eyes poured over every inch of his skin, and a rush of heat pulsed through his veins at the wanton look of desire in your eyes. The way you licked your lips involuntarily made his cock twitch with need.

Din scanned you over once you were both bare, and a fresh pulse of anger flooded his system as he saw the bacta patches on your skin. Carefully, he ghosted his fingers across the wounds, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” his voice was nothing more than a whisper.

Tears filled the corners of your eyes as you looked into his visor and this time you had no doubts what his expression looked like, “It’s not your responsibility, Din.”

His hand trailed up your body, pausing as he tickled the skin of your breasts and for a moment Din really soaked in how beautiful you were. When his hand reached your face, he wiped away the tear that threatened to fall from your eye, “Yes it is,” he said plainly yet with firm conviction.

“Din?”

He let out a low growl as he took control and guided you back to your bed. Need guided his movements, yet Din was still careful not to hurt you as he lowered you onto your bed so that you laid on your back. Wide eyes looked up at him, nothing on his body but his helmet, and you gasped as you noticed how hard he was.

“Please Din,” you pleaded, “I need you…” You felt a rush of wetness in your pussy as he climbed over you without hesitation.

Din hovered over you as he rocked his cock along your folds, yet he was still careful not to hurt you or brush against your injuries. He groaned as he felt how wet you were, and his cock twitched between your bodies. Your name escaped his lips in a prayer as he shifted himself to caress your breast with one hand while staying over your body.

The moan you let out went right to his cock, and Din brushed across your nipple with his calloused fingers. Your breast was so warm and soft under his grip, and every time you cried out in pleasure, he inched him closer to losing control. But, Din fought to keep his composure. This wasn’t like times before. This wasn’t a desperate need for release. This was… something more.

“Fuck me,” you breathed, “Din…” you bucked your hips against his body, grinding yourself against him.

“Fuck…” he groaned as he felt your wetness on his length, “So beautiful… You’re so beautiful.”

You opened your eyes as you took in the sight before you. You couldn’t help the way your eyes roamed down to his chest as Din stayed overtop of you. It was then you noticed the way his arms strained on either side of you, his muscles tight and tense as he held himself back for fear of hurting you. But, the way he cared only made you more desperate, and this time it was your turn to caress his face.

Reaching up, you cupped his helmet, mirroring the way he touched you earlier, “I’m ok, Din,” you reassured him, “I’m ok because of you,” he heard the emotions in your voice as the room warmed, “You won’t hurt me. I want you… Need you…” you pleaded.

He moaned your name as he dipped his head down and touched his helmeted forehead to yours once more, “I…”

Din interrupted himself when he slowly pushed into you, still careful not to hurt you as he filled you with his cock inch by inch. You broke the connection from his forehead as you dropped your head onto the pillow as you felt the familiar stretch. Instead of fucking you quickly, though, Din pushed into your slowly, taking his time until he bottomed out inside of you.

“So good… Feels so good…”

Neither of you were sure who spoke those words. Perhaps it was both of you overlapping at the same time.

“Din… Move please…” you pleaded as you ran your hand along his back before you slipped it under his helmet. Soft, thick hair met your hand at the nape of Din’s neck and you couldn’t help but give it a gentle tug.

Unable to deny you, Din groaned as he rocked back and slowly thrust forward again, filling you to the brim. You cried out in pleasure as he fucked you at a slow and steady pace. There was no rush, no need to pound into you. All you both wanted was to feel the other, and you clung to his shoulders as his cock hit that sweet spot inside you over and over again.

Din wasn’t just fucking you this time. He was making love to you. And it was everything you ever thought it would be. Tears filled the corners of your eyes again, but they weren’t tears of sorrow. They were tears of joy, tears of elation, tears of emotions. A string of curses and praises flowed from both your lips as your warmth engulfed Din over and over again as he rocked into you.

“Fuck… Din… Yes…” you moaned as you dug your nails into his skin and wrapped your leg around him, desperate to keep him close, “You’re gonna make me cum…”

He growled as he fought off his own climax, “Show me how beautiful you look when you cum on my cock, cyare.” Din snaked a hand between your bodies and rubbed at your clit as he sped up his thrusts.

Without the music of the club to fill the room, Din was able to hear the wet sounds of your pussy with every thrust. And it turned him on unlike anything else before. He growled softly as the need to send you over the edge fully overwhelmed him. At that moment, nothing else in the galaxy mattered: only you.

“Din…” you cried out as he pushed you over the edge. Your entire body trembled as you came hard, your inner muscles squeezing his cock as you rode out your climax.

“Fuck,” Din growled your name as your orgasm triggered his own as he came deep inside you, spilling himself into your body and filling you up even more.

Just as Din was about to collapse onto your body, he stopped himself. The ecstasy of his climax took over all brain function for a moment. But, he caught himself and instead carefully pulled out of you and landed on your bed beside you. Right away, you rolled over and laid your head on his chest as you wrapped an arm around his waist. Together, the two of you came down from your highs, lost in the other’s arms.

Your eyes stayed closed as you peppered soft kisses on Din’s chest and listened to the pounding of his heartbeat. A warm smile lit up your face as you felt his hands gently stroke your back comfortingly, and you were aware of how careful he was to avoid any of your injuries.

“Din…” you waited for him to hum in response, “Thank you,” you whispered.

His breath hitched in his throat, “You never have to thank me, mesh’la,” Din replied, “I’ll always keep you safe.”

You trembled as his words went right to your heart. You stayed in the comfortable silence for several moments before you spoke again, “Hey Din…” your voice wavered as you traced random patterns on his bare chest. You felt him tighten his grip on you and you summoned the courage to ask, “Do you think love is in the stars for either of us? Do you think our lives would allow that?”

Din was silent for a time, and you knew he was choosing his words; he knew exactly what you meant by asking that, “Probably not,” he answered honestly, “But,” he interrupted your heavy sigh, “That doesn’t stop me… or you…” You’re stronger than you know…

He felt the way your entire body relaxed in his grip and he knew you understood the meaning behind his words. The truth was, he would do anything to protect you, to keep you safe. It didn’t matter who it was, Din wouldn’t hesitate to plunge his vibroblade into the chest of anyone who would dare harm you…

As you laid in his arms, Din lifted his helmet for the second time that night and placed a soft kiss on the top of your head. The contented sigh you let out told him you were still awake, and you felt it. He smiled against your scalp, another gesture he saved only for you, before he lowered the helmet and settled in your bed.

When the sun rose, the two of you could face what lay ahead. But for now Din just savored the feeling of your body safe and warm in his arms. And while the words themselves remained unspoken, the feelings were there. And he was sure you heard them loud and clear:

I love you, cyar’ika…

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kneelingshadowsalome · 8 months

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I promised, promised myself that I wouldn’t read the Roman König x Fee fic until it was completed because I knew i would get absolutely drawn in, wrapped up in your exquisite prose, then get addicted and suffer from withdrawals. Unneeded to say I broke said promise and welp here I am 🤡

Thing that surprised me was how quickly he endeared himself to me? A cock swinging village massacring brute that I was FULLY prepared to hate had me sighing by then end of chapter 3 with the “you care about my head?” ✋😩 YES I worry for your stupid head you adorable monster.

It’s uncanny how similarly Fee and I felt as the plot progressed. I know this is a self insert and though I made an OC for fee, you were able to capture the feeling of hate to curiousity to distrust to budding emotions on the readers side so beautifully and in only three chapters?? What sorcery is this?? I could go on and on about how I’m just… in awe of your writing skills.

It’s the small things too. The effort he went through to understand Fee, learning her language like he desperately wants to be a part of her. It’s just his delight in the simple things like having a woman and buying her pretty things. I AM GOING TO GNAW OFF MY ARM THIS IS SO GOOD!! I don’t know if you’ve watched HBOs Rome, but they remind me of Pullo and Eirene so much! Like you can’t tell me König doesn’t fit that goofy brawdy soldier who’s only hobbies are drinking and fucking and fighting to a T!

Then it got me thinking…. If König is Pullo then Simon is Vorenus. He has that straight laced, no bs aura about him. Now I’m imagining them both in this universe and please excuse me while I melt in a puddle 🫠

This is perhaps the best piece of fiction I’ve read in a while. I can’t wait for part 4, I have no doubt it will be wonderful as usual. Please accept my maladaptive daydream interpretation of Fee (first she was supposed to be a wood nymph, then the earth goddess then a fairy queen?? I’m not sure anymore. There was so much great imagery couldn’t settle on one. Your honor, we lost the plot.)

Oh my goodness OH MY GOODNESS ❤️❤️❤️

You shower me with praise and I’m over here like aaahh... for me? 🥺❤️

And yes I’ve watched Rome like four times at least! Every time I watch it just gets better, the producers and crew really outdid themselves with all the details in that series. I consider it one of the best TV shows ever made and excuse me but you opened a Pandora’s box here, I'm just so pleased you brought this up...

It took so much time for Pullo to grow on me, I was so frustrated with his character but when he killed Eirene’s man because he was so in love with her and was just like: “Oh there's something in the way of our love? Oh well. *there*, solved.” Gosh I was IN LOVE. I’m sorry, I’m a horrible person, but I fell in love with Pullo right that second. And yeah König is kinda like Pullo in that sense! Eirene wails at the corpse of her ex-lover and Pullo is just like “Um, yeah nasty business but… why are you crying? Oh, oh yeah, oops. But hey, we could be together? Oh, you don’t want me? Damn. How come?” I wanted to shake and kiss him for being so dumb and adorable.

And Ghost is Vorenus YES, you get it 100 %! And the tragic love story of Vorenus & Niobe, oh god, took me about a month to get over it. And Vorenus being under the protection of Mars first and then literally becoming Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld… The mythology nerd in me is swooning over here. The only thing about Vorenus that's slightly König coded to me was when Pullo had to explain to him what a clitoris is, and Vorenus is like “How do you know this about my wife?!?!” and almost kills him :D That’s so so Roman!König.

But AHHH let me squeal about your maladaptive daydream adaption next: she’s the most gorgeous Fee ever, so lovely and feminine and yet, strong and possessing that earthly power in her. I love the color of her dress too!! There’s a lot of earth & water elements linked to Fee so that color (green to turquoise?) is the most perfect combination of earth and sea, while König is more like fire & air, coming from the mountains and slow to anger but when the fire rises, no one is safe...

This was so lovely, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story 🩷💋

#answered

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cj-the-random-artist · 2 years

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HotGuY and Cuteguy!! Aka Scar and Grian!! Because why not!!

This is genuinely the first digital drawing I’ve made in like a month and it’s been so fun to work on. It was interesting to work with this palette, and to try and balance out the colors between Scar’s HoTGuY look and the Cuteguy look Grian’s got. I don’t think this is the most color-cohesive thing I’ve ever made?? But I love the drama and intensity in the composition and I think the flow is interesting, and it’s been a long time since I’ve drawn a proper action pose. I’m happy with this, overall.

That said, I hope you lovelies are doing well. Sorry for not having any doodles for such a long time. Have a great day and I hope you like this doodle!!

#good times with scar #good times with scar fanart #grian #grian fanart #hermitcraft #hermitcraft fanart #hermitcraft season 9 #hermitcraft season 9 fanart

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oldmemoria · 8 months

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caught up with cringetober because I literally forgot to do it, individuals and explanations under cut

Day 1: Heterochromia I’ve come to the revaluation that my sona is already cringe as hell considering not only can his entire body change color but he also has differently colored eyes as a staple of his design. They’re usually yellow and blue but this time I color picked the blue from the trans flag and the mint from the Vincian flag for this color palette, it turned out really pretty :)

Day 2: Self Insert Now she isn’t my self insert anymore, but back in the day when I was at “peak cringe” she definitely was. This is my warriors OC Icypelt and I have a post going over part of her story on my profile somewhere. She’s been through a lot and I think her modern design is very pretty :)

Day 3: Unnecessarily complex fit/design Spider scene is kinda infamous in my brain for having wayyy too much detail but I love them and I think this might be my favorite one out of this batch, super cute, the pose is really cute and the colors are nice and fits her really well :D

day 4: Angel x Devil inevitable MCR reference ik, Helena and Revenge, love them dearly. Poor revenge man this one is cute and looks like a sticker!!

Day 6 (I skipped day 5 because I didn’t want to open up ms paint today): neko i kinda hate this one but cat Gerard yay

Day 7: Pinterest base at first I wanted to draw hobie in place of Gwen but I remembered that I haven’t really drawn Mikey with her even though they’re supposed to be friends so I drew her instead. Idk. The height difference is not accurate because of that but Jumping Spider is small because he’s based on a jumping spider and those are tiny who would have thought

Day 8: tumblr sexyman i have never played undertale a day in my life i just know a lot of people wanted to jump sans’ bones

day 9: Crossover ship/rarepair OH BOY THIS ONE GOES KIND OF HARD AND IM EMBARRASSED ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY KIND OF WORK FOR EACH OTHER UM MIGUEL OHARA X CLOTTED CREAM COOKIE IM INSANE OMG-

day 10: fursona i already have a fursona I already drew and yes I colorpicked from the lesbian flag how could you tell /j

Day 11: Yandere LYLA is technically canonically a yandere because spoiler alert she tried to kill Miguel’s fiancé via overheating her in the shower (essentially literally boiling her like a lobster) because she was “in love” with him (she said if she did have autonomy and had feelings the would be in love with him but she doesn’t but idk who knows I don’t).

day 12: niche interest ik MCR isn’t exactly “niche” but the black parades story in particular has always caught my interest and I have my own interpretation of it and a whole kind of story I’m still developing and character arcs and headcanons and interactions and yeah you get it, death in particular has evolved into god knows an OC on his own I just keep him attached to MCR because… it makes more sense that way, ig-

day 13: creepypasta does this count- whatever grimdark is just the same thing as a creepypasta- I’m not really in the MLP fandom anymore but it was my first ever “fandom” I was actually apart of. My first hyperfixation if you will. I wasn’t in the grimdark part of the fandom because I was too young for it but I was actually watching the izzzyzzz grimdark video and I was like “oh” and drew a rainbow factory Rainbowdash. Honestly I should draw ponies more they’re fun to draw

Day 14: candygore (?) im not good at drawing candygore and since I was rushing this o didn’t do it as well as I thought I can, but it still turned out pretty cool

Day 15: song lyrics aaaa inevitable hesitant alien drawing this one turned out so cute!! The colors and the sparkle eek so cute aaa action cat lyrics I’m breaking down right in front of you I’m sorry

planning on doing the rest of the month now, maybe not exactly on time since I’m still in school but I’ll try to get 31 drawings out by Halloween. Love the idea of cringetober because I just love all things cringe. Ack this is so good

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blurglesmurfklaine · 6 months

Note

For the fic title game, yet another shamelessly stolen song lyric: hearts will break (for future's sake)

EEEEEEE BRUH I’ve never heard that song and have no clue what it is but what a BANGER line

Okay so I’ve never done this with the newsies fandom only because i haven’t really written much for it, but I’m a sucker for reconciliation. Just an absolute slut for Right Person Wrong Time, so I think that’s what I would make this hypothetical fic about.

omg omg omg and it would be one of those double timeline fics where it jumps between the past and present as a nod to the (for future’s sake)

my vibe for the Past Timeline is: Jack and Davey meet and hit it off VERY quickly because they are them and inexplicably drawn to each other. I’m thinking college freshman era, maybe they’re roommates?? Yeah, yeah they’re roommates let’s roll with it. Past Timeline would ideally jump around through their four years of college in order of relevance to the Current Timeline (we’ll get there, bear with me. There’s a bear with me. His name is Fred. He’s a menace) but begin with their last interaction/falling out and end with their first meeting— Think JICFEBDHGA, If the scenes were the alfabético and alphabetical order was chronological.

The general vibe I’m going for is Jack being head over heels in love with Davey and Davey just having NO FUCKING CLUE because Jack is his friend, his buddy, his rotten soldier, his sweet cheese, his good time boy. But like, Davey is just so Repressed (not in a gay way, he knows he’s 💅🏽, he just doesn’t talk about his feelings and isn’t in touch with them because Oldest Brother Syndrome) that he’s like “yeah this Amazing Feeling and Deep Connection is just friendship :)”.

Meanwhile Jack desires this fucking weirdo he’s stumbled upon carnally and is literally obsessed with him and always dropping casual “I love you’s” “I would marry you in a heartbeat” “for real I want you in my life forever” bc he’s got that All Or Nothing personality and Davey’s dumbass is just like OH YOU!

That all ends poorly because eventually Jack’s like. Dude I am IN LOVE WITH YOU!!! But there is An Obstacle (maybe Davey’s already met someone else and Jack’s too late, maybe Davey thinks he doesn’t feel the same??) and jack… hoooooo boi that guy can NOT handle a) rejection (rejection sensitive dysphoria anyone???) and 2) the idea of davey Not Choosing Him so he DIPS. Skips out on graduation, and moves back to his hometown (Santa Fe)

This is the vibe for Present Timeline: it’s been several years, Davey hasn’t thought about jack in ages (that’s a lie, he was having his midnights moment like. Last night. CAUSE HE WAS SUNSHINE I WAS MIDNIGHT RAIN! ) but Jack’s in Santa Fe anyway and is married and has a kid according to Facebook a few years ago so rip Davey trying to find the colors jack painted his life :/ bc of That WS Just Friendship he hasn’t found anything CLOSE in ages. But surprise! He stops for covfefe and guess who the FUCK is the barista? In New York? Guess who the FUCK has been living there with his daughter (sorry I’m in a very Single Father!Jack mood) for SIX MONTHS and never said a WORD to Davey??

Anyway, this timeline would go in straight chronological order and follow them reconnecting, hashing out their old shit, deciding if they want to be together (they do) and what that looks like. So think 0123456789 numerical order being chronological.

So on the whole, the order would be something like:

0J1I2C3F4E5B6D7H8G9A (come out looking like a fucking verification code 😭) if that makes sense???

Anyway. That was a lot, whoops! But this was actually so fun to do while I wait for my laundry! :D

#ask #asks #piedoesnotequalpi #newsies #newsies uk #javid #Javey #Jack Kelly #David Jacobs

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jokerislandgirl32 · 1 year

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zach headcanons? :)

I’ve had this ask in my inbox for months…I am so sorry it took this long to get it out, but I appreciate you sending it, and I have been working on it!

I’ve put the headcanons into sections and subsections to ease any confusion. The full post can be found below the cut because it is long, lol…Enjoy!

Physical

Freckles: When Zach exposes himself to sunlight his freckles from childhood come out again, and not just on his face. I feel like he is the type of person who has freckles on his face, arms, back, and chest. But he does not like that, so he stays out of the sun for this reason.

Body/Facial Hair: Zach is more than capable of growing a full beard, and he has body hair elsewhere, but he either waxes or shaves it (let’s be honest, he gets the Zachbots to do it, haha). Zach is very neat and orderly, so he does not like to have an excessive amount of hair aggravating him, managing the hair on his head on a daily basis is bad enough. He likes to have his triangular goatee though, so he keeps that on his face.

Wavy/Curly Hair: Zach’s hair is naturally wavy/curly. He uses hair gel to keep it tamed and slick. If he does not tame it after it gets wet it starts to get wavy immediately, which he detests.

Eyes: (This is implied in canon too) Zach’s eye color changes depending on his emotions and the environment he is in. His eyes range from emerald to an electric green.

Family/Lineage

Siblings/Twin: My personal headcanon for Zach is that he had an identical twin brother, Zebulon, Zeb, Varmitech. This twin died when they were children, leaving Zach as the only child who was thus spoiled by his parents as they poured all their energy and affection into Zach while they mourned the loss of Zeb. Zach’s favorite number is 22 because this was the day his twin was born. Zach was born a few minutes later in the early morning hours on the 23rd.

Parents: Zach’s parents are Victor and Valerie Varmitech. Victor was the CEO of Varmitech Industries before his death. Valerie is the proprietor of a flower shop.

Lineage: Zach is of Irish, English, Scottish, Greek, and Italian descent. On the paternal side of his family Zach’s ancestors were English, Greek, and Italian. The maternal side of Zach’s family is of Irish, English, and Scottish descent.

Languages

Zach is able to communicate or understand a few languages besides English. He can speak and/or read in Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin for business purposes.

Intelligence/Schooling

Zach was a straight A student throughout his academic career, due to his high grades and intelligence, he skipped a grade in school. Allowing him to graduate from high school a year early at the age of 17. Zach went to a well respected private school which the Kratt Brothers also attended. Zach then attended college and graduated at the age of 22 with a Masters Degree. He majored in robotics engineering and minored in mechanical engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence (I’m not too smart on all of this, I’m still researching it myself, so let’s hope this makes sense, lol).

Athletic Capability

Contrary to popular belief, Zach participated in some sports as a youth/teen, the first of which was fencing which he picked up at summer camp, but Zach also was a talented swimmer. Aided by his thin body, long feet, and extra toe of course. He became educated in dancing. He is excellent at waltzing and knows a bit of ballet.

Birthday/Zodiac Sign

Zach’s definitely a fall baby in my book, the way he loves Halloween just makes me think he’s connected to this season on a deeper level (like myself, a fellow fall baby), and I headcanon his birthday as October 23. The reason I believe his birthday is on this date is because he exhibits many of the characteristics of Scorpios.

Scorpios are persistent, strategic, strong, enigmatic, independent, smart, loyal, vengeful, and shrewd. Scorpios keep to themselves, they enjoy excelling at work and are always working, the are drawn to dark things and may have evil intentions, and they can have an addictive and charming personality among other traits. Zach is all of this, and he uses these traits to his advantage.

Philanthropy

We all know Zach despises nature and animals, and he’s hyper focused on himself and his wants and needs, but he and his company do give to important causes. Cancer research and cancer hospitals are at the top of the list, as his father and brother passed from cancer. The company also gives to education purposes. They fund scholarships for youth interested in science, robotics, and engineering.

Voice

Zach’s voice is naturally deeper than the octave he usually speaks in. He speaks in a higher octave because he thinks it makes people pay greater attention to him. Similarly, Zach has an amazing singing voice, he even took choir in middle school. He just hides his singing voice because he was ridiculed during a chorus performance when he was ill.

Sexuality

Zach is Demiromantic. Zach has a hard time connecting with people romantically, but when he does it is a strong, unbreakable connection. He has to build trust with his partner to be able to love them and fully commit to them, and since this is so difficult for him to do he’s open to being in a romantic relationship with anyone so long as they show him the love and commitment he so craves.

Well…That’s all I’ve got for now, I do have more headcanons for Zach, but I’ll leave this post alone!

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hysterical-ryu · 1 year

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At long last, part 7 of my RF4 child redesigning project!

This time we’re on the bachelorettes, starting with Clorica!

For Clorica, we have Beau!

Again, name doesn’t mean much, just one that I thought was cute.

Beau is a grumpy, sleepy boy. Unlike his mother he isn’t so happy even when he’s tired, and oftentimes runs off to find a quiet, dark spot to fall asleep. He’s usually found curled up in a strange closet, snoring away. Beau dresses in a way that is comfortable so he can sleep at a moment’s notice.

He isn’t mean in anyway, just moody most of the time. When he was very little he was more joyful and precious, but as he’s getting older and has more responsibilities he finds he needs to use more of his energy and can’t have leisurely naps all day. Beau is a bit of a night owl, and ends up staying up at night to get chores done that he didn’t bother with before. He does want to help people and be kind, and doesn’t intend to lash out at anyone that wakes him up.

I went for a sleepy look for Beau, and wanted to use more of Clorica’s color scheme. There isn’t too much behind his design other than being a precious, sleepy boy.

Sorry if this looks a little weird from the first half of kids! I haven’t drawn anything in a month and this is the first full piece I’ve worked on in a while!

Next will be Margaret!

#rf #rf4 #rune factory #rune factory 4 #rune factory 4 special #rune factory lest #rune factory clorica #rf clorica #rf lest #my art

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secondsonaym · 1 year

Text

The Vessel Project - Just How Life Goes [Kallamar 2]

(read on Ao3 here)

--------------------------

After eating with Lord Verchiel--A wonderful meal of various kinds of seafood as well as imported goods from the other territories--I decided to take a walk around the temple, and properly acquaint myself with the layout. Despite having lived here for some time, I had never actually looked around too much, and only knew a few other members of the order.

The first ones I ran into were Peridot and Amber, two lobsters that served as Lord Verchiel’s personal guard. They stood just outside the archway to the small chamber where we had eaten, and gave me simple nods when I passed by. I figured talking to them would distract them from their duty, so I merely left it at that as I moved down the hall.

Strangely enough, I found myself drawn to a certain room in the eastern portion of the temple, near where everyone’s sleeping quarters were. I could smell a distinct mix of herbs, strong but not necessarily offensive, long before I reached the door.

Poking my head in, I could see that this looked to be an infirmary. Several cots were lined against the walls, with only a couple on the far end of the room being occupied by sleeping forms.

A few shelves stood at the front of the room, stocked with various bottles and jars of substances I didn’t recognize, as well as bandages and materials for setting splints. I was so enthralled with reading the various labels, that I didn’t notice the figure at the desk just a few feet away, only managing to snap to attention when they spoke up.

“Hello, do you feel unwell?”

My head snapped to the source of the voice: A shark, looking up from a book to gaze at me expectantly. Her expression was soft and kind, but something about her surprised me to the point I couldn’t respond right away.

Instead of an eye, a purple gem sat in her left eye socket. Though I was used to the crystal adornments the members of the order had, I had never seen one such as this.

“Hah, yes, people do tend to be a bit in awe when they first see it.” She laughed, gently touching it with the tip of her fin. “A gift from Lord Verchiel. He said the color really suited me.”

“It is quite pretty.” I agreed, still needing a moment before I could take my eyes off it. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare.”

“It’s quite alright, little one.” She assured me, her warm laugh spreading to her voice and smile. “People staring proves the value of Lord Verchiel’s gift. But you didn’t answer my question…”

Her question? Oh, right she had asked a question when I came in.

“I f-feel fine.” I stammered as I answered, still a bit embarrassed. “I’m just looking around the temple properly for the first time since arriving here. I’m Kalla-Er, I mean, Opal.”

At this, her eye widened, and she stood up to give me a formal bow. Why would she do that?

“So you’re the disciple Lord Verchiel has chosen! Well, it is such a pleasure to finally meet you, Opal. I’ve heard quite a bit about you.”

“You have?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Many of the acolytes passing through here have mentioned you once or twice. Everyone seems to have high hopes in regards to your training.” She explained, sitting back down. “I’m happy you’re here simply exploring, rather than needing my services.”

“This is the temple infirmary?” I asked, to which she nodded, confirming my earlier assumption. “It’s pretty basic, isn’t it?”

“For what it is, I suppose so.” She agreed. “Lord Verchiel handles any major sickness or wound that passes through, so for the most part my job is setting casts or watching feverish sleepers.”

Then she gasped, clapping her hands on her cheeks.

“My goodness me! I completely forgot to introduce myself! How rude of me!”

Oh, now that she mentioned it, she hadn’t given me her name at all…

“My name is Ametrine. I’ve served here in the temple for a few years now, though I’ve only been in charge of the infirmary for a few months.”

“That’s a pretty name.” I commented with a smile. It certainly suited her.

“Aww, you’re sweet. Thank you. It’s actually the same kind of stone set in my eye. I think Lord Verchiel chose it on purpose. He’s always had an eye for gems and crystals.”

“Do all acolytes get gems that match their names?” I asked without really thinking. I wasn’t sure why such a thing interested me, but considering Ametrine’s comment, I was curious.

“I think Lord Verchiel tries to make it so, yes.” She nodded. “I’m unsure if there’s any specific criteria, but it usually isn’t the first gem they get.”

Strange…

Back home, jewelry was reserved for priests and other officiants of the churches. In fact, you were expected to dress modestly most of the time, and to not stand out too much from your fellow worshipers. I still sort of dressed that way, with an attire largely made of one hue. Would I be expected to wear more colorful garb the longer I stayed here?

“Is there anything else you need, if you’re not in need of medical attention?” Ametrine asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

“Um, no, I suppose not…” I admitted. “Like I said, really just looking around and all that.”

“Then can I ask you a question?”

Huh? Well, if she had a question, why didn’t she just ask it? But rather than say that, I merely nodded, prompting her to go ahead.

“Lord Verchiel left with you to go visit one of the other bishops, right? He had stopped by this morning to ask how to easily clean blood and mentioned something like that.”

“Er… Y-Yes, we did. To Raziel’s temple, specifically.”

“What was the surface like?” She asked, tenting her fins together in an excited posture.

Right… Anchordeep was under the water, and not many people actually ever had the opportunity to explore the surface. Of course some would be curious.

“Well, we specifically went to Silk Cradle, which is a territory that is a bit… Unique.” I began. “It’s like the trenches we have here, but without any, uh, water. It was very dark, too. I didn’t see a lot of the outside, though, we spent most of our time in the temple.”

“Ooooh, but what you describe still sounds so interesting!” Ametrine squealed, making me jump a little. “Trenches, but with no water? Oh, I would have loved to see them myself…”

Her tailfin swayed back and forth as she rocked a bit in her seat with excitement. It was actually kind of nice to see, after Chambersite’s harsh attitude this morning.

“Sorry if the question sounded weird.” She then said, still smiling, though apologetically now. “I just find the surface so fascinating. The most I ever see of it is via our medicinal ingredients.”

My eyes turned back to the jars on the shelves, and I gestured to them when I looked back to her. “You mean those?”

“Mhm. Say, if you want to know a little bit about medicine and healing, I’ll gladly teach you some things! Especially if you tell me more about the surface, should you ever go again. Here, grab any jar that interests you, and I’ll tell you about what’s inside!”

Well, I was curious… And the offer she had made certainly seemed fair! I took a moment to look on the shelf, before picking up a narrow jar full of bright red petals, setting it on the desk in front of her.

“What about these?”

She glanced at the jar before gently clapping her fins, beaming.

“Ah, these are camellias! They’re a lovely red flower that grows in a territory I’m told is called ‘the Darkwood.’ Their use is as a natural antibiotic, meaning they help stave off infection, and can also be used against fevers.”

“Oh, wow…” I said, looking incredulously at the little blooms tucked into the jar. “And how do you use them?”

“Usually, you grind them into a powder,” Ametrine explained, “To either be eaten straight or mixed with other ingredients, should you need any other benefits. For example, combined with ginger, it can help stave off ailments like the flu!”

“They’re really useful, then!” I gasped.

“Oh, yes, quite possibly my most-used ingredient, honestly. Their versatility is a godsend.”

I looked at the camellias for a bit longer before returning the jar to its place on the shelf. I definitely wanted to learn more about all the stuff Ametrine had, but I had probably spent more time than necessary in the infirmary. Besides, at that moment, somebody new walked in.

“Alright, Ametrine, I’m here. I didn’t forget this time.”

Through the doorway scuttled a hermit crab with a striking blue carapace. They wore a simple scarf adorned by a brooch with a blue gem, and their shell was covered in smaller crystals that shimmered slightly as they walked.

What surprised me most about them, however, was their size. Usually hermit crabs got pretty big, even in their early age, yet this one wasn’t much taller than I was. I would have mistaken them for a kid as well, if it weren’t for the fact I knew there were no other children in the temple.

“Oh, Lazuli, there you are!” Ametrine said. “Good, I was wondering if I was going to have to come get you.”

“Chambersite barged in and kept nitpicking my latest project. Got so pissed, I couldn’t focus on my work. So I told him to fuck off and decided I’d rather--”

“Oh, um! Lazuli!” Ametrine interrupted, face flushing as she glanced to me. “This here is Opal, Lord Verchiel’s chosen! Perhaps you should watch your words around such an impressionable boy, hm? ”

“Ah. Hell.” Lazuli said flatly as they finally turned their eyestalks to notice me. “Yeah, I guess I probably should, huh.”

“Anyway, let’s get on with that check-up, shall we?” Ametrine prompted, rising from her seat and gesturing to an empty cot for Lazuli to sit on.

“I should probably get going now.” I said, bowing my head a little bit. “Thank you for your time, Amet--”

“Nah, nah.” Lazuli said once they had clambered up onto the cot. “It’s not gonna be anything intensive, and I wanna talk to you a bit, so stay.”

I paused at the doorway, tilting my head. Lazuli wanted to talk to me? Well, I had already seen firsthand that my reputation preceded me, but it was still a bit odd…

“Are you sure, Lazuli?” Ametrine asked the question burning in my mind. “Because I wanted to also look at your, um, shell--”

“It’s fine.” Lazuli said with a wave of their claw. “‘Sides, can’t pass up on my first opportunity to meet with Lord Verchiel’s chosen.”

“Well… If you’re alright with it…” Ametrine mumbled before gesturing for me to grab a seat.

I found an empty stool and carried it over to the cot, taking a seat while Ametrine stood next to Lazuli, picking up one of their claws in her fins.

“Let’s start with a general look-over of your carapace.” She said.

“So,” Lazuli said, looking me over for a moment, “You’re this ‘Opal’ I’ve heard a lot about, huh?”

“I suppose I am.” I said, kicking my legs back and forth out of habit. “I did hear your name mentioned, before I came here, actually. When Lord Verchiel told Chambersite to go see you.”

“Ah, is that so?” Lazuli commented, handing their other claw over to Ametrine. “Well, allow me to properly introduce myself, then. I’m Lazuli, resident sculptor and organizer for all ‘beautification’ projects in the temple. Tend to have a bit of a foul tongue, though--apologies for my language a bit ago.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright.” I assured them with a shake of my head. “I know what words are appropriate to say. You don’t have to mind your words around me.”

“You hear that, Ammy?” Lazuli snorted, making Ametrine jump a little in surprise.

“ Lazuli! ” Ametrine scolded, good eye narrowing a bit.

“ Ametrine. ” Lazuli corrected themself, though they didn’t sound too pleased with having to do so. “Anyway,” they turned back to me, “We’re probably going to be seeing a lot more of each other as you spend your time here and get on with your training.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Well, aside from all the decorations of the temple, I manage the decorations of the order members as well.” They tilted their head forward to allow Ametrine a better look at their back. “Used to be I had a partner who handled that stuff, but… Well, I’m doing the work of two people now, let’s put it that way. So when you start earning your necklaces and earrings and stuff from Lord Verchiel, it’ll be me who has to do measurements and gem cutting.”

“Is it fun?”

“Eh…” Lazuli waved a claw for a moment, not bothering to hide their grimace. “The sculpting is. But the gem-cutting, the polishing, the setting it into chains and all that… Is not to my liking. But nobody else in the temple has even half the skill my former partner did, so I’m kind of stuck with it for now.”

“What happened to your partner?” I found myself asking, before stiffening at my lack of consideration. That was probably a personal question, why did I even ask it? Splotches of yellow ran across my arms, indicating my unease.

“Well, simply put, they--” Lazuli began, but Ametrine suddenly turned and slapped her fin over their mouth.

“They stepped down from the position. Now they handle one of the transport lines for imported goods.” She said, with a smile I couldn’t help but notice was forced. “It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes people can feel… Stifled, here at the temple, since it’s not terribly active.”

Lazuli’s eyes narrowed, but they didn’t say anything when Ametrine finally removed her fin and returned to her examination.

“Yeah, that’s all.” They mumbled. “It’d be nice to have them back, but… Their happiness is more important. So I’ll keep on with what I’ve been doing in the meantime.”

“I’ve seen a lot of your stuff around the temple.” I offered, deciding to shift the topic. “It’s all very pretty. You’re really skilled.”

It was true. Several statues and ornaments stood in the halls and hung on the walls of the temple, each unique and clearly having had hours of time put into them. Sometimes I couldn't help but sit and stare at them at times, going over every last inch of the handiwork.

“Years of practice.” They said with a proud smile. “I’ve been carving stone and sculpting clay for nearly 20 years now--”

“You don’t look very old.” I commented, once again realizing far too late how inappropriate of a comment that was.

“My size probably complicates things.” They said after a distinct pause. They looked down to the ground for a moment, before lifting their head and turning their eyestalks to look at Ametrine.

“How’s it look, Ammy?”

Ametrine looked to me and then to Lazuli, as if asking them something without saying a word. When Lazuli gave her an approving nod, she turned back to the point she had been examining on Lazuli’s body: The opening of their shell, where the rest of Lazuli was tucked.

Her demeanor was more pensive now, to the point she didn’t correct Lazuli on the use of the nickname.

“It’s as I suspected. Any longer like this and it could cause serious damage to your body, Lazuli.”

The mood in the room seemed to shift, from a casual atmosphere to one of overhanging dread. Ametrine was clearly doing her best to hold back her feelings, but I could see the furrow in her brow. Lazuli, meanwhile, remained deadpan, instead looking to the floor as they thought.

“You need a new shell, before it’s too late.” Ametrine insisted, looking to Lazuli.

“I’ve been using this one for years. I can go longer.”

“To the point you’ll lose the use of your legs?” Ametrine snapped. “S-Sorry, but… My stance is the same as when I first spoke to you about this, Lazuli. It’s what all hermit crabs do, and you’re no exception.”

Oh… So from the sounds of things, Lazuli was getting too big for their shell--Or had been too big for quite a while. But… They refused to change it? How come?

“Why not get a new one?” I asked, not sure why Lazuli was risking their own well-being over a natural behavior of their species. “Surely it’s not that hard to find one you can use.”

“Hah.” Lazuli spat, tone suddenly turning bitter as they squinted at me. “The problem isn’t finding a new shell, it’s handling the old one.”

“Huh?”

“It’s… Nothing you need to be concerned about, kid.” They said, waving their claw. “I’m thinking over my options. It’ll be fine, I promise.”

Hm… I had a distinct feeling they weren’t being completely honest, but… Was it really my place to insist as such? I had just met them, after all, so perhaps it was best I didn’t involve myself in their problems…

“I think you should be on your way now, Opal.” Ametrine said quietly, giving me another small smile--this time a bit tired. “I’d like to speak with Lazuli in private.”

“Oh, of course.” I managed, getting up from my seat. I gave the two adults a bow of my head before heading to the door.

I recall, just as I had stepped past the threshold, that Ametrine had begun speaking again--Try as she might to whisper, she wasn’t very good at it, unfortunately. I paused, just out of sight, straining my ears to listen.

“I’m sure if you explained things, Lord Verchiel would make an exception, Lazuli. It’s not as if--”

“I am not going to end up like Lapis.” Lazuli barked, not caring about their volume.

“Still, I don’t think--”

“And what if Lord Verchiel doesn’t see it our way? You’ve seen His rage.”

“I… I still think you should at least try.”

Silence, and then--

“If I end up here on one of your cots with one of my claws torn off, it’ll be your fault… Ammy. ”

Not wanting to hear any more, I hurried off down the hall.

Just… What were they talking about? And who was Lapis?

I was so distracted by these questions that, in my haste, I neglected to look where I was going, and bumped head-first into somebody, bumping backwards onto the floor.

“Ah! S-Sorry, I’m sorry…” I stammered, shaking my head to clear it. I looked up to see who it was I had run into, only to stiffen, my skin paling considerably.

It was Chambersite.

He leered down at me, not the least bit unbalanced from the collision. After a moment, he gave a snort and held a hand out to me--I flinched, fearing he was going to take my arm again, but I then realized he was waiting for me to take hold of it.

“Where are ya in a rush to?” He asked as he pulled me up.

“Um, n-nowhere in particular…” I admitted, and it was sort of the truth… I really just wanted to get away from the infirmary, but my destination wasn’t really anything I had thought of.

“Well, yer lucky ya bumped into me.” He said, now folding his arms. “If yer done with yer little lunch break, we’re going to resume training for the day.”

Oh…

My stomach once again churned, making me feel like I should head back to the infirmary. That camellia and ginger mixture sounded like it would have really helped at that moment…

“Barnacles below, kid, calm down.” He rolled his eyes as he turned and began to walk. “It’s not gonna be combat this time. You’ve got scripture to go over.”

Scripture… Right… If I was going to be Lord Verchiel’s disciple, I needed to know all the verses by heart. At least it wasn’t fighting…

Calming down a bit, I hurried after him, his long strides making it a bit hard to keep up without almost jogging.

“So where’d ya even go after eating?” He asked, not looking back to me.

“Just… Around. I explored a little.” I explained. “I found the infirmary, and met Ametrine, as well as Lazuli.”

“Ah, so that’s where Lazuli ran off to. M’kay. Ametrine’s a nice gal. ‘d she pester you ‘bout the surface?”

“A little, yeah… But I wasn’t able to tell her much.”

“She gets really excited about that sorta stuff. I offered to take her up a few times on patrols, but she seems pretty skittish about actually seeing things firsthand.”

I stared at Chambersite, a bit confused by this more casual side of him. Now that he wasn’t being so gruff and brandishing a pole, he seemed… Well, almost nice. It was certainly odd…

“Um, Chambersite, sir, can I ask you something?”

“Knock yerself out, kid.”

“Who was Lapis?”

At this, Chambersite stopped walking, taking me by surprise enough that I almost bumped into him again. When I regained my balance, he looked down at me, a quizzical expression and a raised brow on his face.

“Didn’t think Lazuli’d tell you ‘bout them first meeting.” He commented.

“Well… They talked about them a little bit, but didn’t go into too much detail… Just that they used to be a gem cutter?”

I didn’t even know if that was true. I was just using context clues from what Lazuli had said earlier in our conversation, figuring Lapis had to be the partner they had spoken about.

“Yeah, they used to handle making all the various things people ‘round here wear. Think I was the last one they made anything for before it was just Lazuli.” He said with a shrug.

“Before they went to work with imports?”

Chambersite stared at me for several seconds, a flash of confusion on his face. He then shook his head, turning away and starting to walk once more, so I went after him.

“Yeah. Sure. Before that. Their transfer was pretty sudden, so Lazuli’s been a bit beat up about it, ‘s all. They were like peas in a pod.”

“Oh… Well that’s kind of sad.” I mumbled.

Part of me wanted to bring up what Lazuli and Ametrine had talked about--the fact Lazuli’s shell was too small. But then I remembered what Lazuli had said… That it wasn’t something I should be concerned about. It also wasn’t my business to go around telling other people about it… So I remained quiet.

“Stuff like this happens. Jus’ how life goes. Don’t worry ‘bout it too much. Now c’mon, we should hurry on over to the library ‘fore Citrine blows a gasket.”

And with that, we resumed walking, nothing but the sound of our footsteps echoing in the halls.

#usurper au #ch5 #kallamar #chambersite #ametrine #lazuli

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mya-in-snuggford · 2 months

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“Parker & Lane AU #1.5 - At The Bar”

*Lily argues with a businessman who she has been chatting with.*

*Victor sees Lily and approaches her.*

Victor: Making friends, Detective Parker?

Lily: Always. People are just so gracious towards law enforcements these days.

*The businessman leaves Lily and Victor takes a seat next to her*

Lily: Hey… Thanks. He was starting to get under my skin.

Victor: I used to know someone who did that all the time.

Lily: We do make a good team, you know. As much as I hate to admit it…

Victor: Well, we did have a pretty rough start! But I agree - we’re doing great now.

Lily: I’m sorry. For being so hard on you back on our first case. It’s just…

Victor: I understand. It’s a tough job. High pressure. And not everyone treats you fairly.

Finally, I have finished another piece of this AU. This literally took me 5 MONTHS to finish, I thought I was gonna finish this one before 2023 but I was just so busy with school so I finished it just now. I’m now working on the scenes of the second game, Twisted Minds. You also might have noticed that I have drawn the background (which explains why this artwork took so long to make because I had to sketch, color, and render it). From now on, I will be drawing the backgrounds rather that taking pictures from the internet (just to put more effort into my works). The background that I made is free to use to feel free to use it on your works if you want. Also I’ve used Ibispaint for this one so you’ll notice that my art style is different than in Procreate, I’m proud of the hair shading tbh.

Game/Series:

Parker & Lane

Characters:

Lily Parker

Victor Lane

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theycallme-thejackal · 1 year

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One MidgeLenny x TSwift Fic Per Day

163. Bejeweled

Midge puts on her coat and leaves the apartment.

With Joel, it took years before he became bored with her. Before he decided to throw their life away. With Gordon, it’s taken less than two months.

Back when she was shiny and new - the new toy he could play with - she excited him. She felt amazing because he thought she was amazing.

And now that he’s bored with her, she feels dull and lifeless.

She arrives at a club in midtown, just wanting to laugh, wanting to remember what it’s like to walk into a room and be seen.

Of course the person who spots her first is the one who always sees her.

His whole face lights up when she walks in, his eyes shimmering in the darkness of the room, and she’s drawn to him like a magnet. It seems he feels the same, as he abandons his friends in order to meet her halfway, his cigarette poised between his fingers.

She feels herself smile, suddenly feeling too warm beneath her coat as he looks at her with that very bad smile. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” She greets.

“I could say the same for you,” he replies. “Haven’t seen you around much lately.”

She shrugs noncommittally. “I’ve been busy, but tonight...” She takes a deep breath and sighs. “I have all the time in the world.”

His grin softens. “Then I guess it’s my lucky night.”

She slips her coat off, revealing the dress underneath. A light blue, the beading shimmers in the light, and she watches as his gaze darkens. She smirks. “Good?”

He chuckles a little nervously, a color she’s not used to seeing on him. “Any doubt about my favorite color has gone right out the fucking window.”

She laughs, and it feels good. It feels good to laugh with him. To sit with him at the bar and drink and banter. To be with someone who doesn’t ever feel contempt with the familiarity of her. To be with someone who loves her.

Because he does. She knows he does.

A while later, when she’s two drinks in, the band starts playing a slower number, and he offers his hand. She slips hers into it, enjoying the warmth of his skin as he leads her to the dance floor. He pulls her close, guiding their steps, and before she knows it, she’s resting her head against his shoulder, her fingertips delicately running along the back of his neck.

“Midge...?” He asks quietly. “I...I’m going to hate myself for asking this, but...”

She lifts her head to look up at him, that uncharacteristically unsure expression on his face again. She tilts her head curiously.

He sighs, but he continues to move with her. “Don’t you have a man waiting for you?”

Of course he knows. She and Gordon haven’t been particularly public with their relationship, but they also haven’t been hiding it. But these last couple of weeks, it hasn’t even felt like they’re together. They haven’t spent more than a couple of passing moments alone together, so...

"No,” she answers decisively. “No, Gordon and I are...we’re over.”

Lenny watches her, clearly seeing the gears turning in her mind. “Does he know that?” He asks.

“He’s bored,” she answers, and his arm tightens around her a little. “He doesn’t want me anymore, and honestly...I don’t think I ever really wanted him."

He keeps dancing with her, considering his next words, and then he asks, “Then why were you with him?”

“Honestly?” She asks. He nods once. “Because you weren’t around. Because of the bag. And the lecture. And I missed being wanted.”

He dips his head until barely a breath of space separates their lips. “Darling, I have always wanted you,” he murmurs.

She smiles uncontrollably, her face flushing, and she’s grateful for the darkness of the club to hide it. “Always?” She asks.

“I’m sitting in the back of a police car, feeling very sorry for myself, and the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen is thrown in next to me in a...” He inhales deeply, and his gaze rakes over her. “...very sheer nightgown in my favorite color. And then a few days later, I learn that she’s also the funniest woman I’ve ever met. How am I not supposed to want her?”

She bites her lip gently and dips her head, suddenly feeling shy despite the fact that she has already been as intimate with him as she’s been with anyone in her life.

“The bag is gone,” he continues. “As are all the contents. You’re working again, so I don’t anticipate another lecture in the future, and...” She looks up, and he smiles down at her. “I’m around,” he finishes quietly.

She smiles softly. “Yeah...you are,” she breathes.

She tilts her head upward, and he meets her in the middle with a slow, sweet kiss.

#midgelenny #midge x lenny #midgexlenny #tmmm fanfic #marvelous mrs. maisel fanfic #otp: more important than god #jackal fics #mltswift

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harringtonstilinski · 2 years

Text

Holidays With You - Mitch Rapp

Author: @stilinskiparker Characters: Mitch Rapp x Reader Word Count: 1,873 Warnings: fluff Tropes/AU’s: Best Friends to Lovers | Friends to Lovers | Fake Dating | Soulmate AU | Established Relationship | Break Up ; Back Together | Enemies to Lovers | Secret Dating | Assassin AU | if you can think of any more, let me know! Smut: no | yes; Requested: Yes,! I hope it meets your expectations, anon friend! A/N: Hi, friends! First Holiday fic of 2022! I’m in the Christmas/Holiday spirit! If you like this fic, please do not hesitate to reblog and give some feedback, whether it be in the reblogs, comments, or my inbox. As always, read at your own risk and enjoy 😊

“Okay. Never have I ever,” he said. “Been ice skating.”

I looked off to the side, lips in a thin line before I took a sip of my drink. The group went silent, as I was the only one to take a drink.

“You’ve never been ice skating?”

“How have you never been ice skating? You live in New York!”

Turning to my best friend, I narrowed my eyes at her. “I grew up in Florida. Where it’s hot about 99.9% of the time.”

“What about that other 0.1%?” Mitch asked.

“It’s actually cold,” I chuckle. “Floridians don’t really like the cold because we’re so used to the heat, but don’t quote me on that.” I looked at Mitch, our eyes locking. His was telling me that he was forming a plan.

I've had a thing for Mitch for the last few months. I mean, who wouldn’t?! His eyes are the perfect shade of brown; a whiskey, caramel color. His hair is black and little long, perfect for, eventually, wrapping my fingers around. The arms, the abs, the everything. This man is pure perfection. Do we work together? Yes. Same department? NO.

While he goes out into the field, I stay in the office and make sure they have all the intel they need, as well as all the supplies they may need. I’ve gone out with them about 3 times by request of Irene Kennedy, but other than that, I’ve been at a desk.

My phone ringing brings me out of my thoughts. As I get up to retrieve it, I see from the corner of my eye that Mitch stands as well. Once I reach my phone, I answer it with, “Yeah?”

“It’s that any way to speak to your grandmother?”

“Oh, sorry, Mamaw. Habit,” I said.

“Well, that’s quite alright. Listen, sweetheart, I was calling to remind you about the Christmas party. You’re still going to come, right?”

Shit. “I forgot about the party,” I said, apologetically. “But, I will try to make it. I just need to talk to my boss and see if she’ll let me have it off, which she might because I hardly ask for time off.”

My Mamaw chuckles. “Well, that’s okay. Just let me or your dad know if you’re going to be able to make it. I need to go make some cookies for the girls at church.”

I chuckle. “Alright, Mamaw. I’ll talk to you in a couple days.”

“Alright, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I disconnect the call, and hang my head, sighing.

“Everything okay?”

I turn around, looking into those whiskey eyes that have my heart without their owner knowing it. “Yeah. I just forgot about my family Christmas party. The very party I look forward to every single year. I’m sure if I ask Kennedy for it off, she’d give it to me. Though, it’d have to be a few days.” I look off beside him, my brows drawn in.

Mitch chuckles. “Well, you can ask her tomorrow.”

“I’ll do that,” I say. Sigh. “So, what was that look earlier?”

“What look?”

“That look you had on your face that said ‘I’m forming a plan.’”

“Well, you said you never went–”

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna take me ice skating,” I interrupt.

He raised a brow, shaking his head quickly. “What’s wrong with that?”

“You do know how clumsy I am, right?”

“She missed her chair the other day when she went to sit down,” Victor said.

“Fuck you,” I said, looking over Mitch’s shoulder. I looked back at the man in front of me, sighing. “Are you asking to come with me?”

He shrugged. “How else am I going to teach you?”

“You do realize there’s skating rinks in Central Park, right?”

He again shrugged, then sighed like this conversation was boring him, which in turn made me sigh.

“Fine,” I said. “You can come. There’s a skating rink about an hour from my dad’s, where I’ll be staying.”

~~~

Irene let me have two weeks off, which is surprising. I never ask for days off, so that’s probably why. Mitch came with me to Florida, and we had a nice time at my family’s Christmas party. The next day, which happened to be a Sunday, Mitch and I decided to go to the ice skating rink, which I must say, I wasn’t all that bad at… once I got the hang of it.

“Mitch!” I yelped, grabbing onto his arm while laughing. For the very first time since I’ve known him, I actually saw a smile spread across his face.

“You got it!” he chuckled.

I was laughing so hard at that point, I almost fell over. Mitch led us over to the edge of the rink, where I bent over the side, laughing. When I stood back up, I looked at Mitch, who still had that smile on his face. “I almost fell like five times!”

He chuckled, grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together. “Come on. I’ve got something else in mind.”

“You’re not gonna take me to a back alley and fu–”

“No!” he interrupted. “I gotta take you to dinner first.” He winked as we made it back to the carpet. He led us to the benches, where we took off our skates and put our regular shoes back on; his being his normal boots and mine being my favorite boots I wear every fall and winter that were starting to come apart.

After we both made it back to the car, Mitch started it up, looking at me almost expectantly.

“What?” I asked.

“Where’s the nearest grocery store?” he asked back.

“Uhm,” I said, thinking. “It’s like three minutes away, why?”

“You’ll see. Bring it up on GPS.”

I took my phone out of my jacket pocket, bringing up the nearest grocery store, which happened to be an Aldi. Mitch drove us to the grocery store, where we both got out of the car. He took my hand as we both walked into the store, grabbing a basket on our way in.

Mitch walked us around the store, grabbing everything he wanted to put into the cart. Milk, eggs, flour, white sugar, brown sugar, butter, chocolate chips.

I smiled as he put a few more things in our cart. “Are we making chocolate chip cookies?”

“How’d you guess?” he asked.

“Well, considering I like to bake, and you put the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies in the basket, I just assumed.”

He chuckled, as we walked to the front of the store to check out. Once all of our items were rung up and we bagged them, we walked out of the store and back to the car. I brought up my dad’s house on the GPS, and off we went!

When we made it back to my dad’s, we got started on mixing the ingredients for the cookies before putting them in the oven.

“I’ll see you in about 10 minutes, my loves,” I said, blowing a kiss to the raw cookie dough.

Mitch chuckled as I stood back up straight. I gasped before walking around Mitch to the living room, where my dad and stepmom were sitting on the couch, watching a Christmas movie. I asked where the stuff for hot chocolate was. Once he told me, I booked it straight for the pantry to grab those ingredients, which was just cocoa powder and marshmallows.

“You making hot chocolate?” Mitch asked.

“You bet your ass I am!” I exclaimed.

“Make us some!” my stepmom said.

I chuckled, grabbing two kinds of milk from the fridge; regular whole milk and almond milk.

“Almond milk?” Mitch wondered.

I nodded my head. “Mhmm. For me. I’m lactose intolerant.”

He nodded once in understanding as I grabbed six mugs from the cabinet in case my stepsister and her boyfriend wanted some as well. Once the milk was all heated up enough, I put the necessary amount of cocoa powder into the mugs and mixed before adding the marshmallows.

Two of the mugs went to my dad and stepmom, and just as I predicted, my stepsister and her boyfriend came and took two of the other mugs, marshmallows and all!

I made Mitch’s the way he asked before I took the Reddi Whip from the fridge, putting some on mine before adding a couple of marshmallows and taking a sip. I smiled and sighed in contentment, happy with how I made the hot cocoa.

The timer on the oven started beeping, letting us know that the cookies were done. I went to grab the oven mit before I saw Mitch bending over, grabbing them out of the oven, hand covered with the oven mit I was looking for.

Seeing him being so domestic made my stomach flutter with butterflies. I sucked in a breath as he put the cookie sheet on the stove to start the cooling process. Seeing him being this way made the crush I had for him grow tenfold. Deciding I couldn’t wait to eat a cookie anymore, I grabbed a plate and put about six cookies on it before grabbing my mug and heading outside to sit by the pool.

Mitch followed me, sitting in the chair next to me. “So,” he started. “We’re sitting by a pool when it’s cold outside. Why?”

I shrugged. “Best way to see the stars, I guess.” I heard him hum, like he was agreeing with what I was saying. “Listen. I’m glad you came with me. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had this much fun or smiled as much as I have.”

“That’s not because of me,” he said.

I looked at him as he was looking down at his lap. “Yes, it is. Mitch, it’s because of you I’m having a good time, not because of my family. Well, they’re part of the reason, but you’re the main reason.”

He looked at me, seriousness in his eyes, then smiled a little. “Thanks. You’re the reason I’ve had so much fun, too.”

“Oh, my goodness,” I heard my stepsister’s voice. “Just kiss already!”

I looked back at Mitch after having looked around for my sister. Shrugging, I said, “Why not?”

He stood up before walking over to my chair, holding his hand out for me to take. “Better do as the lady says.”

“Wait!” she said. She disappeared for a moment before reappearing with her boyfriend, who stuck something on the top of the door frame. “Now you can kiss.”

Mitch and I walked to the screen door and looked up. “Mistletoe.” We looked at each other while chuckling before our smiles died down.

I reached up and placed my hand on his cheek at the same moment he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear before bringing my lips to meet his. It wasn’t a long kiss nor a short kiss, but long enough for me to feel those electric sparks.

We pulled apart for a moment before our foreheads met.

“This is something I’ve been missing and will look forward to,” I whispered.

“What’s that?” Mitch whispered.

I looked him in the eyes, hand still on his cheek as I smiled, “Holidays with you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N 2: let me know what you thought!

Additional Note:

~~~

Forever / Everything Taglist: @stiles-o-dylan24 @stixnstripesworld @fandom-princess-forevermore @quanticobae @mischiefandi @kellyashcroft @lauren-novak @good-vibes-and-glitter

Posted on November 27, 2022

#mitch rapp x reader #mitch x reader #mitch x reader insert #dylan o'brien x reader #dylan x reader #dylan x reader insert

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moonflowerchanniesgirl · 2 years

Text

Our Hue

Pairing: hyunjin x female reader (reader uses artist name Dahlia)

Genre: idol hyunjin x artist reader strangers to lovers, slow burn, almost like love at first sight, fluff, some angst

Warning: some cursing, anxious reader, small lies, protective leader chan lol, secrets and anxiety about fame and crowds

Summary: He was drawn to your art and you were drawn to his soul but you two existed in vastly different worlds. Would your two colors come together to make a brilliant hue or would it just end up murky brown?

Word Count: 10k

Authors note: this is not an accurate representation of stray kids but an interpretation based on an idea that stems from them.

Another story that sorta spiraled outta control, it's a bit dramatic but I liked writing it, I hope you guys enjoy this one. It’s kinda like a brainstorm that took on a life of its own.

“At least go to the gallery on the last day,” your agent James begged as you did your best to ignore him. “I promise on my grandmother’s grave that the place would practically be empty,” he further tried to convince you.

“Your grandmother is still alive, she literally made you bring me homemade kimchi last week,” you retorted as you added a dash of white onto the canvas.

“It’s just a saying oh my god,” he placed his hands on his hips as he shook his head at you. “This is your third big gallery exhibit, you should at least go and take it all in, see how far you’ve come. I’ve even prepared a staff pass for you so that you don’t have to go through ticketing, just enter from the back and flash this to get in.” He dangled a lanyard with a card with a barcode and the letters STAFF on it.

“If I agree to go would that get you to stop bothering me?” You asked, ready to give in since it was clear he would not let you focus on anything else.

You were an up-and-coming artist that had never shown your face publicly and barely gave out any personal information to the press. Your art went out under the name Dahlia and that was about all the art world knew of you. The official reason given was that you wanted your art to be appreciated for itself without any other attachments but in reality… you weren’t good with crowds and public events and all the attention. You just loved art and didn’t want any of the spotlights that came from how well your art was loved. You never went to any of your own exhibitions, as you much rather stay in your studio or wrap yourself in a warm blanket and sleep, but James had been pestering you for a straight week already and you just needed him to leave you alone.

“Promise you won’t hear from me for at least a week,” he said as he placed his hand over his chest.

“Fine,” you grumbled as you snatched the lanyard from him.

You had to admit that James had been honest about pretty much everything he promised. You headed to the gallery just a little bit after noon and it was almost completely empty. The guards at the back gate had given one look at your pass and let you in without as much as a second glance. You walked around the gallery in peace as you looked at your work and the work of fellow other artists. You had seen the pictures from the articles but really walking in the space and taking everything in felt different. You internally grumbled about James being right and you knew that he would be smug about that for at least a few months afterward. You were so deep in thought that you didn’t notice someone standing next to you until they waved a hand in front of your face. You jumped about a mile back as you glanced up to see who that someone was. You had to control yourself to keep your mouth from opening in shock at how handsome the face in front of you was. You immediately noted how good the proportions of his face and body were. It was clear that he styled himself casually in jeans and a white T-shirt but the accessories and bag he carried showed how stylish he was. The feeling he gave off reminded you of honeysuckles.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said as he gave you a slight bow and you cursed the heavens that of course, he had to have a good voice too.

“What is it?” You asked, your voice coming out angrier than you meant it to but in your defense, he had indeed scared you.

“I was just wondering if the special exhibit gift shop would be opening up at all today?” He asked in a rather timid voice and you couldn’t help but feel bad for sounding angry. You stared at him confused as his eyes flicked from your face to your neck and then you remembered the STAFF lanyard you were wearing.

“Ah right the gift shop,” you searched your brain for any info you had on the gift shop instead of trying to explain that you weren’t actually a member of staff there. You knew that James had mentioned something about the gift shop. “Right it won’t be opening today since everything sold out yesterday,” you finally remembered that he told you t gleefully as he went on to gloat about how high the demand for your printed postcards and posters was.

“Any chance it will be restocked by tomorrow?” The stranger asked with hope in his eyes.

“It's the last day of the exhibit so no,” you told him bluntly and you had to watch the hope fade from his eyes. “Was there something specific you wanted or something?” You asked curious about why he looked so defeated at not having to spend his money.

“I wanted to get a poster of Pink Dreams to hang in my room,” he said as he turned to stare at the actual painting. Pink Dreams was a painting of a single pink Dahlia flower cut at the stem and placed in a cup of water in a room that was covered in ice and snow. The bright pink flower was clearly starting to droop and there were petals that were curling in but you especially kept the colors vibrant in comparison with the more cool-toned surroundings. It wasn’t one of your most praised pieces but it was one you were proud of for the meaning attached to it.

“Why that one in particular?” You couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m not sure, I just feel really drawn to it, there’s something about that flower…that makes me want to keep on looking at it. Would it be weird to say that I want to be like that flower?” Hyunjin trailed off clearly not sure how to explain what he felt.

“You’re trying your best huh?” You supplied for him and his eyes widened. “Anyway if you take a good picture of it you could blow it up to be poster-sized and get it printed out somewhere,” you told him trying to change the subject so that you didn’t end up trying to psychoanalyze a stranger in the middle of a gallery.

“I couldn’t do that!” He looked absolutely scandalized as he stared at you.

“Why not?”

“It wouldn’t be official!”

“And that matters because?”

“It wouldn’t be supporting the artist!”

You could only chuckle at that as he looked at you like you had grown three heads. You remembered that you had something better than a poster that you could give him. It was a little risky but it wasn’t like you were going to see him again. You took your sketchbook out from your bag and flipped to one of the earlier pages. It was a small draft painting of Summers Change that wasn’t exactly like the finished painting but it was about 98% the same, just much smaller. Your nerves made your hand shake as you carefully ripped the page out but it wasn’t often that you got to interact with someone that liked your art.

“It’s not a poster but probably better?” You questioned as you tilted your head at him waiting to see his reaction.

It took about 30 seconds of looking between the painting in your hands and the one on the wall before he covered his mouth and looked at you. “You…” he barely got out as he pointed at the painting on the wall to get his point across.

“In the flesh,” you smiled amused by his reaction. The nerves subsided a little bit as it was clear that you had the power in this situation, “Now hurry and take this, my arm is getting tired,” you complained as he took the painting from you with both hands.

“How should I, this must cost, should I?”

“Don’t worry about it, it's a gift,” you told him as you deciphered what he was trying to tell you. You never revealed yourself like this before so you were quite stunned by his reaction.

“But I, Dahlia-nim I’m such a big fan I can’t believe,” he still wasn’t making much sense and you were worried that you broke him.

“Look I gotta go, keep the painting, don’t tell anyone you met me, bye,” with that you pretty much ran off not wanting to make a scene even if the gallery was nearly empty. You were happy to give something to a fan of yours but you weren’t ready to have to turn him down if he asked for a photo or something. You thought of the smile on his handsome face as he took in the painting you gave him. You made a risky choice today but it was worth it.

“Now this might be a stupid question because I know for a fact that you’re only close with like 5 people including me but do you know Hyunjin of Stray Kids?” James asked you a week later as he handed you your coffee.

“Who of what?” You asked, not awake enough in the early morning to make sense of James’ question.

“Thought so,” James just nodded as he went back to something on his phone.

“Are you going to explain or?”

“Why does Hyunijn of Stray Kids have what I recognized as one of your drafts?” James thrust his phone into your face and you saw an artwork station surrounded by a few paintings, one of them was your Pink Dreams.

“Oh these are pretty good,” you commented on the other paintings in the picture as James sighed in exacerbation.

“Again why does this man,” James swiped to a picture of the handsome man you met in the gallery, this time with darker hair. “Have your painting?”

“I gave it to him,” you answered as you took a sip of your coffee, you felt yourself become much more alive.

“And when did you meet an idol?”

“He’s an idol?” You asked the question on purpose to annoy James who threw up his hands in frustration.

“Yes! He’s an idol from a group called Stray Kids and the internet as well as I am dying to find out why he has your art.”

“He said he was a fan at the gallery so I gave him the sketch,” you answered truthfully not really seeing why James was making such a fuss.

“The two of you are trending right now,” James nearly shouted as he should you a page with a bunch of numbers and a bunch of words that you didn’t understand.

“Is that a bad thing?” You asked seriously, having no clue about anything to do with things like that.

“No, but next time tell me if you happen to give something to an internationally popular idol so I won’t be caught off guard when I get 500 emails asking how this happened.”

You let out a low whistle at the number. “I honestly didn’t think it was a big deal, I just gave him a draft.”

“Okay let’s put aside the fact that he’s a billboard charting idol, your paintings can cost tens of thousands of dollars when we auction them, and in the future, they will be worth much more. An original sketch of a painting that ends up being sold could go for almost the same price as the painting if collectors were trying to get their hands on it. Paired with the fact that he’s famous and you’re mysterious, there are a million theories floating around.”

“Theories?”

“Some pretty wild stuff and then some stuff I’d rather not repeat. We should probably release some sort of statement before things get too blown out of proportion.”

“Do people really not have better things to be doing?” You asked as you set your coffee down and leaned back in your chair.

“It wouldn’t have been so bad if he just said you gave it to him at a gallery,” James was frantically typing in his phone as he spoke.

“What did he say instead?”

“I can’t talk about it.”

“What the fuck? Was it so bad?”

“No he literally said and I quote, “I can really talk about it” when his fans asked him. Makes the whole thing sound so damn suspicious,” James sighed some more and you pushed your coffee toward him.

“That might be my fault then,” you said as James raised his eyebrow at you in the middle of taking a gulp from your coffee. “I kinda told him not to mention that he met,” you explained, “ I meant not to reveal anything about my identity not make it sound like he got it from an art heist.”

“Well at least we know he’s a good kid. Hasn’t used you for clout at all.”

“Isn’t he more famous than me?”

“This is why I need you to go out more, how do you not know how insanely popular you are?”

“Because thinking about it makes me super uncomfortable.”

The incident with Hyunjin passed by with James making a statement on your official Instagram (that he ran 100%), he posted a picture of Pink Dreams and wrote “hope my friend liked the gift”. You had argued that he wasn’t a friend but James assured you that it was easier to just write ‘friend’ than ‘stranger I randomly met at the art gallery’.

After knowing Hyunjin’s name and his group, you couldn’t help but look up his group and listen to some of their songs. You were curious about the kind of person that liked your art enough to be upset that he couldn’t buy a poster of it. If you were honest his group’s songs weren’t the type of music you would usually listen to but his song Little Star was a song you had on repeat from the moment you first heard it. You were so inspired by it you made a small sketch and later a larger painting and titled it Little Star. It honestly shouldn’t have mattered but a part of you hoped that Hyunjin would see it and he would like it.

James kept you updated on Hyunjin, from randomly sending you screenshots of Hyunjin’s Instagram posts to barging into your studio to show photos of Hyunjin wearing clothing with your art on it.

“He’s wearing the latest Little Star hoodie,” James nearly screamed in excitement. The hoodie was the first article of clothing you ever sold as merch and although you had argued against it, you were glad that James convinced you to release it. Hyunjin looked amazing in the hoodie and you couldn’t help but think that he must have liked the painting.

You let out a big yawn as you walked around the museum. Your work was being exhibited in the USA and although you would never go to your own exhibits, you wanted to visit the museum and look at some of the works by far better and more famous artists than yourself. It was also James practically forcing you to take a vacation because as he put it “if you don’t get out more you will start to grow mold”. To hide from the potential afternoon crowd you arrived as soon as the museum opened and it felt like you were walking through a private collection.

“No way,” you heard in Korean, and being curious you turned around to see… Hyunjin with two other men by his side. He looked at you with wide eyes as the other two looked from him to you.

“Do you know each other?” You heard the shorter freckled face man ask. You recognized the two strangers as being members of the same group as Hyunjin but you had yet to place a name on them. Your mind was racing to see which way was fastest to an exit. It was one thing for Hyunjin to know who you were, you trusted him after he never mentioned meeting you in the media but two extra people to keep a secret filled you with anxiety. You were about to step away when the look of surprise in Hyunjin’s eyes softened to a look you couldn’t quite place your finger on.

“Ah yeah! That’s a friend from high school, we haven’t seen each other in forever, so unexpected to run into her in the US,” Hyunjin explained as the three of them walked closer to you. “Hi! What a surprise,” Hyunjin said as he pulled you into a hug, “sorry about this,” he whispered into your ear before letting you go.

“Yeah it’s a big surprise to see you here,” you said as you tried to play along with his scenario.

“Hi, I’m Felix!” The boy with freckles said as he gave you a big smile and a light bow. He reminded you of orange blossoms blowing in the wind.

“I’m Jeongin,” the third member of their group said as he also gave you a slight bow. He had charming eyes and reminded you of yellow forsythia flowers.

You bowed back as you tried to think of what name to give them. To say Dahlia and hope they didn’t connect you with the artist or give them your real name. To save you from further internal debate Hyunjin jumped in front and said, “do you guys mind walking around on your own for a bit, we have a little catching up to do.”

The two boys looked at each other before Felix gave Hyunjin a grin and he pulled Jeongin’s arm, “of course, you two take your time,” he wiggled his eyebrow before walking off with Jeongin who shot a few glances back in clear confusion.

“They’re going to be insufferable on the way back to the hotel,” Hyunjin groaned as he watched them leave.

“Good luck with that,” you said as you slowly calmed your anxious nerves.

“I’ll survive,” Hyunjin turned to give you a soft smile and you felt something tug at your heart.

“Thanks for not saying anything about me,” you said earnestly and you gave him a smile, “I’m sure they’re going to ask you a lot of questions.”

“Your secret is safe with me I promise,” he was so serious as he spoke that you couldn’t help but feel a little bit moved.

“What are you doing here anyways?”

“We have a concert here tomorrow and there was some downtime today so I wanted to check this museum out. Felix tagged along cause he wanted to take aesthetic pictures and Innie was bored. What are you doing here?”

“It’s a museum, I’m an artist, it’s not odd I’d be at one,” you gestured toward the art and then yourself to make a point.

“I guess that’s right…” Hyunjin mumbled clearly embarrassed.

“Have you seen my exhibit yet?” You asked kindly to try to change the subject.

“Your exhibit?” Hyunjin asked as he looked up in shock. He opened up the pamphlet in his hand to quickly read through it and saw that your name was indeed written in the section under Special Exhibits. “Is Little Star here?”

“Yep let me show you,” you said as you started walking toward where your work was being exhibited. “I take you like the piece?”

“Of course! I’ve been waiting for a chance to see it in person, I just didn’t think it would be like this halfway across the world. Is it really… based on my song?”

“What makes you say that?” You teased as you turned to look at him. He looked away with a light blush on his features.

“Right, sorry I just assumed because that’s what Stays have been saying.”

“Well they’re right then,” you said as you arrived in front of the painting in question.

Hyunjin looked up as he noticed you stopped and let out a little gasp. “It’s even more beautiful in person,” he said as he walked closer to take everything in. Little Star was a painting of a puppy made of starlight sound asleep and looking very content under a shrub of blooming honeysuckles. You had the idea after you read the comment under the video of the song saying that it was written for his dog that passed away.

“Why honeysuckle?” He asked after a few moments of just observing the painting.

“Reminded me of you,” you answered honestly and the blush on his face deepened.

“I remind you of a flower?”

“A very pretty one,” you teased, unable to help yourself. You wouldn’t explain the meaning to him, but maybe one day he would find out. “Anyway, shouldn’t you get back to your friends?”

“They’ll be fine and besides, if it’s alright, I would much rather walk around the museum with you,” he looked at you with such hopeful eyes that you didn’t have the heart to turn him down.

The two of you spent two hours walking around and discussing art as well as random little tidbits in your lives. You learned how artistic Hyunjin was as he talked about how he got into art and all the different mediums he was trying out.

“Oil paints are so expensive,” he whined.

“Tell me about it,” you chuckled along. “Although I’ve seen some of your art, I think you’re very talented.”

“No, I’m still learning, not nearly as talented as you.”

“Don’t say that about your art, every artist and every work is different and special in its own way. There’s no need to compare,” you told him and he looked to be in deep thought for a little bit. It was rather easy to talk to Hyunjin because it always seemed like he listened deeply to what you were saying.

You told him how you loved museums and galleries but didn’t like going to a lot of them because of crowds.

“It’s nice just to walk amongst the art instead of walking amongst the crowd,” you explained and Hyunjin nodded along. “I don’t know how you handle being an idol and being surrounded by people all the time,” you said as you shivered at the thought.

“Sometimes it gets tiring and a bit much but other times it’s so exciting. To look out to a sea of people and know that they came for you and you can make them happy,” Hyunjin spoke with such a bright look on his face that you almost wondered what it felt like to stand in such a crowd.

The two of you took a little break at the cafe in the museum, you ordered a coffee and a danish each. You paid for it as Hyunjin was grabbing his wallet from his bag and he said a quiet thank you as he carried the tray with your orders to the table.

“So how long are you going to be in this city?” Hyunjin asked as the two of you started eating your danishes, the food wasn’t great but you were both hungry enough not to complain.

“I have no set time for when I need to be back in Korea so maybe a few more days,” you wanted to fly back soon so you could go back to your studio but James would throw a fit saying that you didn’t get enough of a vacation from work.

“Would you want to go to our concert tomorrow?” Hyunjin blurted out quite suddenly.

“You said it was at the stadium right?”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin nodded as he seemed excited to think that you would be agreeing.

“I’m sorry, but I’d rather not,” you tried to turn him down gently but you knew that he took it the wrong when he flinched and looked away from you. “It’s nothing against your group or music, I just can’t really do crowds you know,” you softened your tone as much as you could in hopes that he realized it wasn’t personal.

“Right a stadium is a big crowd,” he said softly as he gave you a light smile, clearly still disappointed but at least he was looking at you again. “How would you feel about coming to watch us soundcheck? We didn’t sell any tickets for that this stop so it would just be you, the members, and some staff.” The excited glint was back in his eyes and you found yourself wanting to agree just to make him happy. Dangerous.

“Why are you so set on trying to get me to watch you perform?”

It’s just I’ve seen so much of your art and I was hoping to show you my art,” he explained as he shyly looked away.

“I mean I love your song Little Star if you couldn’t tell already,” you told him.

“I just, really like talking with you and I was hoping that if you saw me on stage it would sort of change your impression from me just being a fan of yours to someone you would want to be friends with. Ah, it's so embarrassing to say aloud,” Hyunjin covered his face as he squirmed in his seat. You found him absolutely adorable.

“I would already want to be your friend Hyunjin but I guess I could spare some time to watch the soundcheck,” you teased. Sure it was rather weird to agree to go to the soundcheck of an idol you had met only twice (and much more briefly the first time) but there was something so pure and heartfelt about him that you wanted to get to know more.

The two of you talked a bit more and exchanged kakaotalk IDs so that he could tell you how to get to the soundcheck. You parted after that since he needed to go back to the hotel as they were having a group lunch. You left the gallery a little bit after he did as it started filling with people. The whole way back to your hotel you couldn’t help but grin as you thought over how happy he was when you agreed to go.

You clapped as hard as you could once the song finished and the boys got to the front of the stage in a sort of mock bow so the camera could track them. You arrived at the stadium at the time Hyunjin directed and found a manager waiting for you. She brought you backstage where Hyunjin hugged you and introduced you to the other members, keeping the story that you were a high school friend of his. The boys welcomed you nicely although you were a little on edge from meeting that many people at once. There was a little bit of small talk that you and Hyunjin mostly gave vague answers to in hopes of not revealing too much or being too suspicious. You had a feeling that Chan (who reminded you of acacia) and Changbin ( who reminded you of cornflowers) exchanged quite a few glances during your intro to the boys. When it was time for them to do their sound check you were led by the same manager to a front-row seat. You had to admit that watching the boys live, even if they were only performing at 50% of their usual energy (according to Hyunjin), was very much different from hearing the songs on your laptop. You found yourself focusing on Hyunjin for most of the soundcheck as there was a sort of fluidity to his movements that attracted your attention. Sometimes he’d catch your eye and throw up a V sign or wink and you’d just smile.

“So how was it, Lia?” Han (who reminded you of an iris) asked as he squatted over the edge of the stage, using the nickname that Hyunjin had suggested to you over KakaoTalk.

“You guys were amazing!” You gave two thumbs up to show what you thought.

“Who was the most amazing though?” Seungmin (who reminded you of lily of the valleys) waddled over to ask and you could hear the teasing tone in his voice.

“Hmmmmmm,” you pretended to think long and hard about the question. “I guess I would say…I’m the most amazing since I got to watch it,” you made a joke to save yourself from revealing who you really thought.

Lee Know (who reminded you of an orchid) let out a big “ha” laugh while the others giggled or just shook their heads at your joke.

“Want to join us for lunch?” Hyunjin asked as he hopped off the stage to go to where you were in the audience.

“No it’s alright, I should leave you guys to eat your lunch in peace so you can relax before the concert.”

“No, you should totally join us!” Felix said as he also jumped down and threw a hand over Hyunjin’s shoulder. “We would love to talk to you some more,” he put a really heavy emphasis on the we part.

“If you’re sure that I wouldn’t be bothering you,” between both Hyunjin and Felix, it was pretty hard for you to just directly say no. It’s not that you minded eating lunch with them, it was that you were really worried they would rather eat in peace and not have to socialize until the concert.

“Not a bother at all,” Hyunjin said with so much sincerity that you couldn’t help but nod your head and follow the boys backstage.

They decided to order Chipotle and played a round of Rock Paper Scissors to decide who would pay for it. You insisted on joining in even though everyone told you that you didn’t have to. Luckily you managed to be safe from paying almost immediately and Han ended up paying for everyone. There was a bit of chaos as he tried to order on the app and Lee Know screamed that he would eat a quokka if his bowl had any cilantro in it. A joke that Hyunjin had to explain to you. You had some fun ideas for paintings you could make after he told you about all the animal mascots the boys had.

“You have the tote too?” You asked as you brought up the tote bag with Little Star printed onto it. For a second you didn’t realize why Hyunjin looked at you in a panic until you remembered it was dangerous to bring up your art at all.

“Yeah, he brought every item that had that painting printed on it. He’s obsessed with the artist,” Jeongin told you as he stuffed his mouth with an alarmingly large amount of food.

“He is! Did he tell you, he actually got a painting from the Dahlia but he won’t tell anyone where or how he got it!” Changbin complained rather loudly while Hyunjin just facepalmed at the absurdity of the situation.

“They’re friends right, that’s why Dahlia made that Instagram post? And the Little Star painting must be based on Hyunjin’s song,” Felix joined in the conversation from the couch.

“That’s all speculation since Jinnie refuses to talk about it,” Chan also chimed in and the conversation was slowly spiraling out of your comfort zone.

“Guys, can we please talk about something else?” Hyunjin begged as he subtly glanced at you. You gave him a weak smile in return. It wasn’t often that you heard about yourself like this.

“See he tries to change the topic every time, he must be hiding something,” Lee Know pointed his fork at Hyunjin like a weapon.

“I still think maybe he’s been Dahlia this whole time and he’s been hiding it from us,” Han proclaimed.

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Seungmin said, finally joining in this madness.

“Maybe he met Dahlia then and she was super ugly so she gave him the painting to keep him quiet,” Han suggested next and you felt your stomach sink at the thought that such a theory was out there.

“Guys,” Hyunjin tried to diffuse the conversation to no avail.

“Or she was actually a he this whole time!”

“Or maybe she was a cat!”

“Lee Know that makes even less sense than Hyunjin being Dahlia,” Chan shook his head in a disappointed father-like way.

“I say it’s for sure that she fell for our Hyunjin at first sight and used the painting to ask him to model for her!”

“GUYS CAN WE JUST DROP IT?” Hyunjin shouted and the room went deathly silent.

Everyone continued to eat as Felix brought up something about a game he was playing and the conversation moved on. You picked at your food until it was a muddled mess and then just put the aluminum top back on to hide it.

“I should get going so you guys can prepare for the concert, thanks for the meal Han,” you said as you tossed the box into the trash.

“I’ll walk you out,” Hyunjin stood up but you shook your head at him.

“It’s fine, I know the way out,” and with that, you left the room quickly before Hyunjin could try to convince you otherwise.

As you got to the hotel room, your phone dinged and you pulled it out to reveal a text from Hyunjin.

Hyunjin: I’m sorry for what happened today, the boys weren’t trying to be mean they just have a wild imagination.

Dahlia: don’t worry about it, good luck with the concert!

You weren’t really sure what else to say, you weren’t mad at the boys. It was just weird to hear theories about yourself directly, usually, James fed you the info and it made you feel more removed. If people talked like that without knowing anything about you, you wonder if the theories would be better or worse if they had more info about you.

You returned to Korea and went back to the studio so that you didn’t have to think about things you didn’t want to dwell too deeply on. James made a comment about how you seemed more stressed than when you took your vacation but you didn’t know how to explain what had happened. Hyunjin texted you once in a while to ask about your day and what you were up to. Sometimes he would send you a photo he took in a new city and he always used the same line of “wanted to share the view”. He made you want to step outside so that you could show him the view from your end too even if it was always from the same spot. One night he called you super excited because he brought a travel-size watercolor kit and wanted your opinion on it. The two of you stayed on the phone just painting and chatting until the early hours of the morning on your end. You really liked it when he told you good night and he hoped that you would have a good dream. After that the two of you had more phone conversations, sometimes you would talk to him until he fell asleep while he painted and other times he would talk to you until you fell asleep just as he had to leave to prepare for the concert.

When the tour finished, you thought that the phone calls would too, and they did for a few days. Then one day out of nowhere Hyunjin called you to ask if you heard about the new Van Gogh exhibit that recently came to Seoul.

“Of course, I was thinking of checking it out early in the morning one of these days,” you stretched out on your bed.

“What would you think about going together?”

“I don’t know Hyunjin, is this you asking me out on a date?”

“Would you say yes if it was?” You heard the hesitation and nervousness in his voice as you thought it over. There was no denying that you felt connected to Hyunjin, more than you had to any other person in recent years. He was sweet, he was kind and he matched well with you in a way you weren’t sure you could explain in words.

“I would,” you answered as you stared at your phone feeling more nervous than you would like to admit.

“Then yeah this is me asking you on a date.”

You were nervous. Why were you nervous? You stepped out of the car and it almost felt like you would pass out at any moment. You styled yourself simply because you didn’t want to overdress. It was just going to the museum together, it wouldn’t even be the first time but you found it hard to think that now it would be a date.

You spotted Hyunjin as he stood right by the ticketing booth, he looked like a model even if he wore simple black pants (that showcased his long legs) and a muscle shirt (that showcased his surprisingly toned arms). The two of you made small talk as he bought both your tickets (he insisted). You were more comfortable when you entered the museum and you were in your element. As you two walked through the exhibit you explained and talked about the more technical things or told stories about the pieces that you knew.

“I hope I’m not boring you,” you said as you realized you just went on a long lecture about the Road With Cypress And Star painting.

“No, not at all, in fact, I love hearing you talk about art,” he said and you felt yourself melt at how sincere he sounded. At one point you grabbed his hand in excitement to rush over to a painting you didn’t expect to see and neither of you let go. It felt so right to hold his hand.

The date went great…until it didn’t. You had to use the restroom and left Hyunjin standing nearby, when you came back there were three girls around him and it was clear that they were fans. They chatted excitedly at him as he nodded and laughed at something they said. You weren’t sure what you were supposed to do in that situation and then his eyes met yours for about a second before he turned them away to focus back on the girls. You knew that he couldn’t acknowledge you in front of his fans but, at that moment it hurt more than you were expecting it to. You turned and practically ran out the exhibit, you sent him a text to tell him that you left, and then you turned off your phone.

“Would it kill you to turn your phone on?” James asked as he sat on the couch in your studio.

You ignored him in favor of focusing on the painting in front of you.

“Does it have something to do with Hyunjin??” He asked rather suddenly and you couldn’t help but stiffen at the name. “So it does?” He asked as he leaned forward, clearly invested in the conversation.

“What makes you say that?” You asked, unable to help yourself.

“Just a feeling, you know that you can’t hide much from me.”

You sighed and put the paintbrush on the table knowing that you wouldn’t be able to push James away. “It’s just, it’s such a small thing but I haven’t been able to get my mind in a space where I can understand my actions. I can’t explain it to myself, so how do I explain it to him?”

“Why don’t you tell me what happened on the little museum date that you were so excited about?” James suggested as he got himself comfortable on the couch in your art studio.

You told him about how great the day had been going up until he got surrounded by fangirls. “He looked at me and just looked away. And I get it, he couldn’t say that he was with me in front of the fans but it just hurts and it hasn’t stopped hurting even when I try to rationalize it. I sound fucking possessive and insane but I can’t shake the feeling away.” You clutched tightly on the fabric of your pants to try and stay grounded as you explained.

“Oh sweetie,” James said as he looked at you with eyes full of worry. “Would you have felt better if he did say that he was with you in front of the fans?”

You immediately shook your head, “No he couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“He’s an idol,” It was the most obvious thing in the world, idols couldn’t date.

“There’s plenty of idols with girlfriends these days, besides he’s already introduced you to his bandmates and none of them questioned him on that. If it was an issue his members would have probably stepped in to tell him off.”

“I was introduced as his friend,” you argued even though it felt like a ridiculous statement.

“Right and I’m sure they believed it,” James rolled his eyes while you thought about the looks the boys had given each other when Hyunjin introduced you.

“Even if it was okay for him to, he couldn’t just say that he was on a date with me!”

“Why not?”

“Because how would he even-” you cut yourself off as you realized what James had been trying to get you to understand… “how would he even introduce me…”

“Exactly, that’s the root of it all. If you and Hyunjin were to become a couple, things like this would happen quite often, and then what? He who lives under the light of others and you who chooses to hide herself in the shadows. There are bound to be issues and you subconsciously realized that. He can’t acknowledge you when you need to keep almost everything about yourself a public secret.”

The words sunk in and you felt the energy leave your body, “so it just wouldn’t ever work out,” you whispered out in defeat.

“That’s not my point at all, I’m just saying that you need to think about what it is that you’re really upset about and how you move forward. I think the two of you would be really cute together but I also know that it would impossible to hide things as well as you have if you were to date him.”

You couldn’t really paint anything much after the talk with James. You liked Hyunjin, you really did but you were scared, scared of everything falling apart because you liked someone in the spotlight. You tossed and turned in your bed as you realized the most important thing, how did Hyunjin feel? He took you on a date, you ran off halfway through, and then ended up ghosting him.

You grabbed your phone and stared at it and wondered if you even deserved to know how he felt. Perhaps it would be easier to just ignore it and go back to how things were before you met him. The two of you didn’t even know each other that long, would it really hurt to just let things die off like this? You thought back to the smile Hyunjin gave you as you talked about Van Gogh’s art and you knew that you at least needed to know if he was okay. You powered on your phone and waited with bated breath as it slowly turned on. As soon as your phone lit up and you put in your passcode, it dinged with about twenty notification sounds and you watched as the messages and missed calls flashed across the screen.

Hyunjin: Hey sorry about that they were fans and wanted an autograph. You said you left already? Could we maybe reschedule this date?

Hyunjin: Dahlia? Are you okay?

Hyunjin: I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have ignored you

Hyunjin: Please just tell me if you’re okay

Hyunjin: I’m sorry

Hyunjin: I’m so sorry

Hyunjin: I really hope you’re alright

Hyunjin: please give me a chance to fix this?

Hyunjin: I’m sorry… I like you

You cried as you read his messages the last one being sent only a couple of hours ago. You quickly pressed call before your brain fully processed what you were doing. The dial tone rang twice before he picked up.

“Dahlia?” you heard him say on the other end and you had to cover your mouth to stop the loud sobs from being heard. You missed his voice more than you had thought.

“Hi Hyunjin,” you managed to choke out through the tears.

“Are you okay? Is everything alright?” He asked and you heard the panic in his voice.

“I’m sorry Hyunjin.”

“What? Why are you sorry?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, I just, ran away because…” you wondered how you would explain to him how you felt when you only just realized everything. “I really like you,” you said and then covered your mouth at the realization of what you blurted out. There was silence on the other end and your brain ran a mile a minute to try and think of how he would respond.

“I really like you too,” he said after a little pause.

“But… I don’t know if I can do this,” you said as you ignored how fast his words were making your heart beat.

“What do you mean?”

“You live in the light Hyunjin, and I’ve been hiding in the shadows,” you explained James’ words clear in your head.

“Could we please talk this over in person?”

“Hyunjin I can’t.” You couldn’t let him see how much of a crying mess you currently were.

“Please let me see you and talk to you in person, give me a chance, give us a chance,” Hyunjin pleaded and you heard the emotion in the trembling of his voice.

“Tomorrow, let’s meet tomorrow” you compromised, not fully able to say no but knowing that you couldn’t see him without preparing yourself some more mentally.

“Okay tomorrow, send me the address and I’ll come find you,” there was so much promise in his voice that you felt a fresh round of tears spring forth.

You decided to send him the address of a small gallery that James was planning on opening up. It didn’t feel right to invite Hyunjin to your studio after what you planned to tell him today. The gallery was still being worked on and there weren’t any paintings so you felt especially small in the large space filled with white walls and bright lights. There was a knock at the glass door and you heard it being pushed open. You looked up to see Hyunjin walk in. He was dressed in black pants and an oversized black hoodie and even though it had only been a week since you last saw him, he seemed much more haggard. The black circles under his eyes were much more pronounced than what you remember seeing. He gave you a soft smile as he sat down in the seat across from you.

“Hi,” you muttered quietly.

“Hi,” he said back almost just as quietly.

“I’m sorry for ghosting you for a week, I needed to sort through some feelings and thoughts,” you had practically spent the whole night thinking through what you wanted to say to him.

“That’s okay, I understand, as long as you’re okay.”

“I really like you Hyunjin but it’s not going to be easy to keep hiding who I am and that’s not fair to ask you to keep such a secret.” You spilled your heart out not brave enough to look at him so you stared at your hands.

“What if I wanted to try? For us to try?”

“Remember how much shit the boys and the internet gave you about the painting? About Little Star? I’m going to want to make art about you Hyunjin and there’s going to be so many questions,” you knew that you wouldn’t be able to hold back your feelings from your art and that would result in more questions.

“And I would be able to handle it,” he reached his hand over and placed it on top of yours. “I think I fell for you that moment when I saw you again in America and you looked at the painting with such a glow on your face. I couldn’t help but want to call out to you. I fell for you fast and hard and you haven’t left my mind since, I like you so much and am willing to do whatever for us to work.” You looked up and saw the sincerity and unshed tears in his eyes. Not able to hold yourself back, you reached up and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I like you so much too,” you said as you buried your face into his neck. He gave off such warmth that all thoughts of doubt flew out of your head.

“Give us a chance?” He asked again and you agreed with all your heart.

Hyunjin was officially your boyfriend and it felt like quite a dream. You invited him over to your studio and he spent hours just marveling at all your work and equipment. He praised you so much that you were red in the face and had to physically shut him up by giving him a kiss. The studio was where the two of you spent most of your “dates”. You made Hyunjin his own work corner and you would paint while he worked on music or made art of his own. It was nice to just chat about each other’s days or work in comfortable silence. Sometimes you two would grab the extra pillows and blankets you had in the studio (courtesy of James knowing you spent too many nights working) and had a little movie night with his laptop perched on his belly as you leaned onto his shoulder. You slipped little drawings and scribbles into his pockets whenever he had to leave for practice and he would always send you a selfie posed with it when he found it.

Two months into the relationship he asked if you wanted to come to the practice room to watch him prepare for a dance stage. It would be late at night and the other boys wouldn’t be there so you agreed. You were once again in awe at the way he moved with the music and you took out your sketchbook to make little sketches of the way he danced. There was something so delicate yet so strong about the way he danced that you were mesmerized.

You were adding the details of his shirt to a sketch when there was a knock on the practice room door and then it opened to reveal Chan. You quickly hid your sketchbook behind you as you stood up and Hyunjin paused the music. Hyunjin had told the boys that you were dating but you had yet to see them since you last ate Chipotle with them.

“What’s up Hyung?” Hyunjin asked as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Chan looked from you to Hyunjin and then just smiled a smile that you could tell wasn’t sincere. “Just wanted to make sure that you weren’t practicing too hard,” he gave Hyunjin a pat on the shoulder while Hyunjin just grumbled and pushed him away.

“You’re such a dad,” he whined before he shot you an eye roll as if you ask ‘can you believe this dude’. You could only smile stiffly back, not yet comfortable in the situation.

“Anyway I was going to ask you to come to listen to this section of a song I just finished but actually I’d like to ask Lia,” Chan turned his attention to you and you instantly knew that it wouldn’t be as simple as that.

“Why Lia?” Hyunjin asked, not picking up on the same things you were but clearly confused at Chan’s choice.

“Be nice to get the perspective of someone not on the team,” Chan said with a shrug and Hyunjin just nodded.

“What do you think babe?” Hyunjin asked you and there was such a large part of you that didn’t want to agree, but you knew that Hyunjin trusted Chan and you had no way to explain why you didn’t want to go with him.

“Sure sounds fun,” you managed to get out with a smile on your face.

“Great follow me,” Chan said as he headed toward the door, you followed and carefully dropped your sketchbook next to the pile of your and Hyunjin’s stuff. The walk with Chan was quick as he led you to a room that was only a few doors down from the dance practice room. “This is Channies room,” he said as he opened the door and gestured for you to walk in. “Go ahead and take a seat.”

You sat on the black sofa as he sat on the gray office chair and spun it around so that he was looking at you.

“Look I’m sure you know that the song was just an excuse, in fact, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while but Hyunjin never really brought you around. These days we rarely even see him around if not for schedules and practice.” Chan had a gentle expression on his face but his tone was quite serious.

“Has that been a problem?” You asked as you wondered if perhaps you should start hanging out with Hyunjin less so as to not affect his relationship with the group.

“No in fact everyone’s noticed that he’s been so happy and relaxed since the two of you started dating. It definitely had a positive effect on him, and I’m happy that he’s happy but there are some things as team leader, that I need to talk to you about.”

You felt your heart sink as you wondered what Chan wanted to talk to you about.

“Hyunjin told us that you guys went to the same high school and that’s how you two knew each other,” Chan began as you nodded remembering the lie he made up when you saw each other again at the museum. “He must have forgotten that Jeongin also went to that high school and they were only a year apart. He told me that he doesn’t remember you at all or ever heard about a Lia at their school.” A part of you really wanted to laugh at how Hyunjin managed to forget that he went to the same school as someone else and another part of you wanted to cry at the information. “I don’t know why he would lie about something like that but I do know that he probably did it for you,” Chan continued, and with every word your heart sank a bit more. “I don’t know you, but I know Hyunjin and he's a really good man, he doesn’t give his heart out easily but he’s a romantic at heart.” You silently nodded in agreement. “I know you two have your reasons and he generally seems happy but I just need you to promise me that you won’t hurt him.”

“I can’t promise that Chan,” you looked up, met his eyes, and saw the shock in them. “It’s a relationship and sometimes that means we do things that hurt each other even if we don’t mean to, but I promise that I’ll never hurt him on purpose.” The look of confusion morphed into one of understanding and Chan gave you the first real smile of the day.

“How was the song?” Hyunjin asked as you walked back into the dance room.

“Very exciting,” Chan had actually let you listen to a snippet of a song he was working on, as a sort of apology for “acting like a dad”. You walked over to where Hyunjin was standing and dove into his chest. He was pretty sweaty but you didn’t mind as you took in his warmth.

“You okay?” He asked as he gently wrapped his arms around you.

“You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”

“What?” He tried to pull you apart enough to look at your face but you only tightened your grip on him. “Babe, what are you talking about?”

“How do you forget that you went to the same high school as Jeongin?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

You looked up to give him a mock glare. “I don’t know maybe the fact that he would know that Lia did not in fact go to the same high school as the two of you.” The look of realization and then panic flashed across Hyunjin’s face.

“What did Chan say?”

“He doesn’t know why we lied but he knows we probably have our reasons and he’s not going to ask about it until we’re ready to talk about it. Your dad is scary,” you complained as you buried your face in his chest again.

“He’s just protective like that,” Hyunjin laughed as he gently rubbed your back.

“We’ll have to explain at some point.”

“Only when you’re ready to reveal it,” you felt the lightest kiss on the top of your head.

It was three months later that one of your worst nightmares came true. Hyunjin called you and it took a while for you to fully understand what he was saying through the noise in the background.

“Someone took photos of us from last night and posted them online,” you finally understood as he shouted for the boys to quiet down.

The two of you had decided to go for a midnight walk along the Han river, sure that it was chilly and late enough that no one else would be around. Clearly, you were wrong as you looked at the photos Hyunjin sent you. It was the two of you holding hands and laughing, you don’t remember what you were laughing at but it must have been something dumb one of you said. If it wasn’t such a gross invasion of privacy you would have thought the photos were cute. You expected to feel panic over the photos and the relationship getting leaked but surprisingly, you felt rather calm. You had been thinking and worrying about your relationship getting revealed for so long that you were almost too mentally prepared. You didn’t realize that you had been way too silent until you heard Hyunjin ask if you were still there.

“Guess we really didn’t notice anyone following us huh,” you said, still feeling rather numb about everything.

“Can I come over?”

“Of course,” you were surprised that he asked since usually he just popped by your studio whenever. You had even given him a spare set of keys.

Thirty minutes later you heard a knock on the door which was not very normal to hear. You opened the door and saw a very nervous Hyunjin standing there, his eyes not quite looking into yours.

“Did you forget your key?” You asked as he followed you in. You sat on the couch and he would have usually joined you but instead, he stood in front of you awkwardly. “Hyunie?”

“Are we going to break up now?” He blurted out suddenly.

“What why?” You were absolutely taken aback and stood up to try and get him to look at you.

“Because now people know,” he said as he looked toward the wall instead of at you.

“Did you want to break up because of that?” You wondered if the company had told him off for dating you.

“No!” He finally snapped his head around to look at you and you saw the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. You grabbed his hands and gave them a squeeze as you waited for him to tell you what exactly was the matter. “It’s just when we started dating you talked about how it would be impossible to keep your identity hidden if you were to date me and now the photos are out and people might dig around,” he was crying now and you gently pulled him in for a hug.

“I’m not breaking up with you over this.”

“But what about your secret?”

“I used to think that the worst thing that could happen to me was that the public would find out I’m Dahlia and then I realized that there was something much worse than that,” you glanced up and tiptoed to give Hyunjin a peck on the lips. “Losing you would be so much worse,” you said as earnestly as you could. With Hyunjin by your side, you felt like you could do anything, even if it meant the whole world finding you who you were. Hyunjin grabbed the sides of your face and brought you close to him again to kiss you deeper. You circled your arms around his neck and the two of you pulled apart for just a few seconds to look into each other's eyes.

“We should probably tell your members first though before the world finds out,” you sat down on the couch cuddled against Hyunjin as the two of you discussed how things would be going forward. “James is so going to have a field day with pr,” you complained as you buried your head in your hands at the thought. Hyunjin chuckled and you felt the tender vibrations on your back.

“How do you want to tell them?” Hyunjin asked as he gave you a lingering kiss on the back of your head.

“I might have an idea,” you turned your head to look at Hyunjin and gave a smile as bright as his own.

“Wow,” Chan said as he stared at the painting in front of him, a realistic blue wolf sat under the shade of the Acacia tree, eyes clearly alert as it looked off into the distance.

“This explains why I didn’t hear about you at our school,” Jeongin said as he looked at the painting that you presented to him, a cheerful fox that peaked out from behind a vibrant blooming yellow forsythia bush. In fact, all the boys were staring deeply at the paintings that you had painted to represent them.

Changbin couldn’t hide his smile at the bright pink rabbit that nibbled at a blue cornflower. Lee Know stared directly into the eyes of the white rabbit that stood strong in front of a delicate potted orchid. Han had laughed when he saw the quokka that smiled as it looked up at an iris. Felix giggled at the little chick that sat on a branch filled with orange blossom flowers.

“This is meant to be me?” Seungmin asked as he pointed at the painting of a puppy that smiled brightly as it wore an oversized lily of the valley flower as a hat.

“Yeah, what's wrong you don’t like it? You had painted everything as how you saw them from the faint understanding of them you had and some things Hyunjin had told you in passing. You wished that you knew them more but you would have more chances for that now that you revealed your real identity.

“It’s just so… cute,” Seungmin said as he gestured at the painting with his nose scrunched up. Han came over and threw his arm over Seungmin’s shoulder. “That’s you, you’re so cute,” Han said while Seungmin tried to bat him off. Chan ran over and attacked the two of them with a hug as all the other boys laughed and shouted out various versions of “Seungmin cute puppy”.

Hyunjin tightened his grip on your waist as the two of you took in how well everyone was reacting to finding out who you were. You shared a look with him and he leaned to share a kiss with you. At that moment you wanted to paint the exact moment and feeling down to keep it in your memory forever.

#skz #skz fanfic #skz scenarios #skz imagine #stray kids imagine #stray kids hyunjin #hyunjin imagine #hyunjin fanfic #stray kids scenario #stray kids fanfic #moonflower writings

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