#Instead of just going for dark and gloomy and depressing
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I love how the interview with the vampire trailer is sexy and mysterious and then the show is a borderline dark comedy about the retelling of vampire history's most cringe fail marriage between the worst case of catholic guilt and eldest daughter syndrome being romanced by a dumpster fire gremlin that thinks more with his heart and dick than his non-existent brain and the coolest character in the whole story is their murderous daughter
#and the interviewer is an almost old flame of the vampire#that spends half of his screentime making snarky comments about the vampire and his ex-husband#to adapt it to a modern audience they could have gone extremely dark and nihilistic or embrace the camp and weirdness#I'm glad they went with the latter bc it gives them more room to explore the story and themes#Instead of just going for dark and gloomy and depressing#iwtv#iwtv amc#iwtv spoilers#lestat de lioncourt#louis de pointe du lac#claudia de lioncourt#daniel molloy#Interview with the vampire
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Bleeding into Nightfall | Klaus Mikaelson
masterlist
summary: life is gloomy and you’re tired of repetitive days that don’t get better. you say goodbye to the world forgetting about once person in paticular—niklaus mikaelson
pairing: fem! reader x klaus mikaelson
words: 3k
a/n: story of my life with the love of my life
tw: heavy descriptions of depression, suicide!!!
Waking up every day was like waking up from the calm and facing the storm. Days bleeding into nightfall. Day after day starting to warp into each other, each day as listless as the day before. Mystic falls’ grey gloomy clouds constantly above your head as you managed to get out of bed. You kind of found common ground with autumn mornings. You enjoyed them more than any other morning but enjoy is a strong word for someone like you. Autumn mornings are dark that make it look like it was three in the morning. A time where nobody in this world expects a single thing from you. Just you alone existing in this world.
You brush your teeth.
Comb your hair.
Put on an outfit.
Make yourself look presentable so that nobody would be able to tell just how empty you felt. How draining it was getting ready when you could easily wear the same pair of clothes day and night. Forget about your appearance as you just try to pass the day.
Leaving the house you took one last look in the mirror with the same face you wish you could rip off, but instead you put on your best genuine smile that didn’t make you look like a manic sociopath and closed the door to make your way to school.
13 hours and 30 minutes to go.
Out of 24 hours you only feel okay for a couple. And it’s not even that you feel good, you just feel okay. You just try to get through the day. It’s been like this for a while. Time wailing past you, time wailing before you that has you trapped. You wake up. Go to school. Eat and sleep. Sometimes you don’t even eat or sleep. The easiest tasks seem impossible to complete. Why do you have to waste such a long amount of time? You’d be perfectly fine with only living eighteen years instead of eighty. You don’t do anything all day but you’re exhausted each time you lay down in bed, ready to shut your eyes. Still, you drag yourself through the day like cattle; unable to break free from what's holding you back.
The walk to school isn’t too long. Rustling leaves on trees, crunching of dead leaves that were kicked up into the air with each step you took, the thought of simply being a leaf on your mind as you barely noticed the person ahead.
‘I’m so sorry— Caroline…hi. I’m sorry,’ you lifted your head from the ground to see Caroline’s smile. ‘I wasn’t really paying attention to my surroundings,’
‘Yeah, I could tell.’ She gleamed, hooking her arm into yours as you continued walking the last blocks.
It was an okay walk. Your ears picking up different sounds of your surroundings as the mixture of sounds seemed to be blocking out your thoughts. It's too hard to concentrate on them.
‘Do you have anything planned for your outfit on Saturday?’ Caroline broke you from the chattering of your mind, hearing her voice bringing you back to the present.
You stared at her. Your eyes on her, your face hanging from your head as you stayed quiet, pressing your lips against each other as her smile turned to a frown.
‘Y/n, come on,’ she moaned, the sparkles in her eyes duplicating as she stared back at you. Her personality reminding you of the warmth of a fireplace on a cold evening. ‘It’s the school dance! It’s so important that we make these memories to look back on them when we’re old and wrinkly,’
‘I think I have enough memories.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean I just don’t really feel like going, that's all…’
‘Why not?’ She came to a halt, taking her arm from you so she could stand perfectly square of you, her arms folded in front of her chest as the wind blew her hair from the back.
‘I don’t know,’ you shrugged, ‘I just don’t want to go.’
‘Not even to please Klaus? I mean no offence—‘ (Caroline’s favourite way to start being offensive) ‘But no one knows what he sees in you. I mean he’s this grumpy old maniac that terrifies the vampire species and you’re just…you. A human with a normal life. A nice girl that just, in comparison to him, lives a boring life.’
‘I don’t know, Caroline,’ you huffed, picking up pace again, readjusting your school bag. Feet sluggishly bringing you forth. ‘He’s nice to me and he makes me forget certain aspects of my life but even for him I wouldn’t go.’
‘What’s wrong with you, Y/n?’ Caroline held you back again, stopping once more. ‘Are you okay? I’ve noticed that you seem off for a while now and I didn’t want to pry but I cannot hold myself back any longer. What happened? What is it that’s making you so glum all the time?’
‘I’m okay, Caroline,’ you half smiled, ‘I think I’d just rather go home and watch a movie or something.’
Caroline opened her mouth but before she could say another word you cut her off, ‘And before you offer yourself as my sleepover company, I think I’d rather be alone.’ You started walking again, the school doors only a few minutes away. ‘Besides, I know you want to be a good friend by wanting to come over but you and I both know that deep down you hoped I would say no because you want to go to the dance, and that is fine. Make those memories, Caroline! Your life has so many blank pages left to fill and I don’t want to hold you back! Go and have fun.’
Caroline immediately pulled you into a hug. Her perfume hitting your nostrils as you placed your arms around her, a quick smile forming on your lips.
‘Come on now,’ you took hold of her arm, ‘We need to get there on time otherwise Rick will have us doing detention the rest of the week.’
‘Do you think he dislikes us?’
‘No, I actually think it’s his way of showing that he cares,’ you let out a giggle that infected Caroline as you walked onto the school premises just as the bell rang for first period.
School was the same every day. Go to class. Pay attention. Write down notes. Stare outside of the window, the teacher’s voice fading into silence as your mind powered through to absent you from life.
Everyone seems so content with life? Why can’t I? What is there to be happy about?
‘Miss Jacobs, the action is here. Not outside.’ Mrs. Clark said, snapping your head to the front of the class. ‘If my class is boring you’re welcome to go outside.’
‘I’m sorry,’ you cleared your throat, sitting up straight. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Now, where was I?’
10 hours to go.
When the school bell rang for the last time, you started to clear your table and cram all your stuff into your bag, people pushing past you as everyone tried to leave. Out in the hall you quickly waved Caroline, Elena and Bonnie goodbye, ready to go home and sit in silence.
Plugging in your headphones you slowly started to walk home, music blasting through your ears and you tried to block out any sound from the world.
Trees and cars passed you, barely anyone on the pavement. You kept walking when you noticed a person in the distance; dressed in dark colours, stance confident and a face you could recognise from a mile away.
‘Hi.’ You gave him your best smile, not too much, not too little.
‘I hear there’s a school dance this saturday,’ he accompanied you towards your home. ‘I was hoping that I could ask you to the dance.’
‘I’m actually not going.’
‘Why?’
‘Don’t feel like going, that’s all.’ You shared a quick glance.
His pupils dilated, eyebrows drawn together, the skin between them wrinkled. ‘Are you okay, Y/n.’ He gently grabbed a hold of your upper arm, the frequent blinking of his eyes telling you that you made him worry.
‘I’m fine,’ you chuckled, your crooked smile paired with dull, sparkless eyes not in your favour.
‘Don’t give me that bullshit.’
‘Klaus, please. I’m not in a mood to argue right now.’
‘Arguing?’ His eyebrows drew his eyebrows even closer. ‘We’re just talking.’
‘Look, Klaus.’ You stopped in your tracks, allowing yourself to stare up at his face. Lips plush, eyes squinted as his focus was on you. ‘I see that you want to go to the dance with me and if I were up to it I would, but I would just rather go home. Watch a movie. Be alone. Get away from all this,’ you sighed.
‘Okay,’
‘Okay.’ You breathed, ‘See you around, okay?’ You got on your tiptoes to place a quick kiss on his cheek before walking home.
‘Yeah, see you around.’ Klaus mumbled as you were already out of earshot, leaving him confused as to what was happening to you.
6 hours to go.
When you arrived home you went straight upstairs. Throwing your bag into a corner of your room as you wasted no time to change into more comfortable clothes like your lounging outfit (a pyjama). Down the stairs you walked into the kitchen, taking a bag of doritos and a bar of chocolate from the cupboard, a glass of water to wash down the junk and placed them onto the coffee table. Snatching a blanket from the living room trunk, you made yourself comfortable and put on the TV, ready to watch the Big Bang Theory and waste your time.
‘Y/h honey,’ your mother’s heels sounded through the living room. ‘It’s date night so we’ll be home quite late.’
‘Mhm.’
‘Make sure to get some healthy carbs and protein in you too, okay darling?’
‘Yeah, mom. Have fun.’ You said, your eyes haven’t left the screen.
‘See you later.’
The door closed. Silence swept the house. Your TV the only thing that sounded within the walls. Sighing, you took a row of chocolate and let out a half-sounded giggle as you continued watching TV.
1 hour left to go.
8:50pm; it was time to go upstairs. You put away the stuff you used, made sure the windows and doors were locked and the lights turned off. The floorboard creaked with every step you took. Going into your bedroom you halted in front of your dresser, picking up the framed family portrait that you took on a trip to the family cabin on christmas day.
Your lips started pressing together, your fingers on the back of the frame scraping against the wood as a blink of your eyes let the first two tears roll down your cheek. Your heart twisted, aching with every shaky breath you took, a sting of melancholy growing inside your throat.
4 minutes to go.
You placed it back on the dresser, taking another glance at your room before taking off to the bathroom where you closed the door and took a long look in the mirror: messed up hair, red puffy eyes that blinked uncontrollably, the face of a person you never got to know.
Wiping away your tears you opened the cabinet and grabbed the packet of razors you purchased just last week in preparation for tonight.
Taking a deep breath you climbed into the bathtub, letting your back fall against the wall, a new surge of emptiness growing as you realised that you were going to be utterly alone when you went.
The cold metal pierced into your soft skin like fresh butter. The warmth of your blood no longer flowing like it normally did but instead poured onto your skin. Quiet drips spilling into the bathtub, staining your clothes on the way. Once your blood started spilling you didn’t feel any great pain, it hurt, but it was manageable. You hoped it wouldn’t, however seeing all the blood that was streaming from your cut, made your heart start to beat at immense speed.
Then the sweating started to begin. Your body was damp, head to toe and toe to head. You thought back on the days you went running. Every time you finished you’d have the same, wet, and uncomfortable sweat sitting on your skin, soaking into your clothes. A deeply unpleasant feeling started to make itself noticeable, heart pounding in your chest, throbbing with pain, but there was nothing you could do. Neither did you want to. You wanted nothing more than to disappear from the earth’s surface. You didn’t need to be here. Trapped with nowhere to go. No one would miss you. You barely had anyone but yourself and that was all you needed. Even in death you felt comforted by your own thoughts. A very strong headache, accompanied by a loud, white noise ringing almost made you regret your decision. The room spun like crazy before your vision started fading out; the ringing got louder as darkness came for you…
Klaus made his way to your house. He didn’t like the way you were acting before you left. Your behaviour hasn’t left his mind since you last spoke. He turned into your driveway and jogged up the stairs, ringing the bell to hope that you would open up to him. To let him make you feel better. To let you know that he would do anything to see you happy.
But you never answered.
‘Y/n, open the door.’ Klaus raised his voice, his fist hitting against the door.
No answer.
‘Y/n!’ He slammed the door again.
Still, nothing.
Klaus focused his hearing to see if you were home when he suddenly heard shallow breaths; breaths he knew belonged to you. Without wasting another second Klaus kicked down the door, his vampire speed taking him to the location of decreased breaths. Almost taking the bathroom door off its hinges, Klaus found you sitting in the tub; red staining your body, head hanging sideways.
‘Y/N!’ He bellowed, falling to his knees, his arms hooking under your lump torso, pulling you out of the tub. The lack of tension in your body making his heart fall into an empty pit.
‘No, no, no, no, no,’ Klaus’ hands grabbed the sides of your face, twisting and turning. Hoping that your eyes would flatter open and greet him with a smile. A smile he held dear to his heart. But they stayed closed, his eyes getting blurrier the longer he fought.
‘Don’t you die on me!’ Klaus bit into his wrists, placing it on your lips, letting the blood flow into your system, his shaking arm staining your lower half of your face red. ‘You do not get to die! Wake up! Wake up…’
You stayed still. Just as lifeless as before you weighed Klaus’ body to the ground, his tears falling to your chest, pulling you close as his heart ached greater than it ever had. His reason to be good went without saying goodbye, leaving him to be alone like he had been for hundreds of centuries.
Klaus has heard thousands of heartbeats stop. Seen thousands of bodies covered in blood. Thousands of dead people. He didn’t know why it was so hard to see you there when he had been through this a million times. He felt empty. Everything about you came crashing down, his hope for hearing you say his name draining into nothingness. Klaus’ breathing grew louder, his chest feeling like it was being filled with water, the same water that spilled from his lashes, staring down at someone he always put first; forever wishing he hadn’t let you go home by yourself that afternoon.
Suddenly your body jolted forwards, gasping for air. Eyes wide as you took a large gulp of air, your chest rising and falling.
‘Y/n?’ Klaus whispered, his hands back on your face. ‘Y/n, y/n, talk to me.’
You coughed in response, droopy eyes making it hard to see your surroundings, blurry vision fading into one big blob of colour.
‘Y/n, say something please…’
‘Klaus,’ you whispered so quietly, lips barely parting as you spoke.
‘Can you hear me?’
‘Yes, what— what happened?’
‘What happened, Y/n?’ Klaus’ voice increased in volume.’You almost died on me!’ His tone shook.
‘Am— Am I a vampire?’ You started to come back to your old self. Your vision clearing up, your ears no longer feeling like a tunnel.
‘No, my blood just healed you.’ He caressed your head, softly stroking your hair.
‘Why did you save me?’
‘Why?’ A frown painted his lip, ‘I care about you, Y/n! So much. You don’t deserve to die. How could you leave me without saying goodbye?’
‘I didn’t want to say goodbye to you Klaus because if I would’ve looked at your face and said those words, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. It would’ve made leaving so much harder.’
‘Look at me,’ his thumb swiped across your cheek, ‘this is the face of someone who will never let you die or get hurt,’
Your heart clenched as you looked at him, tears pooling at your lower lash line. ‘Klaus—‘
‘Please promise me to not leave without saying goodbye first,’
‘You have to promise, Y/n…’
‘What makes you think I don’t want to die anymore, Klaus?’
Klaus stared back at you; empty eyes, no thoughts to be said out loud.
‘Promise me to not kill yourself, seriously? What makes you think I won’t try to do this again? I love you Klaus, I do, but my love is not bigger than my will to live.’
‘Y/n, stop talking…’
‘Why? Because you thought I’d thank you for saving me? I didn’t want to be saved, Nik! I never wanted to. All I wanted was for all of this shit to go away and you brought me back to this shit.’
‘Y/n, please,’
‘Leave.’
‘What?’
‘I said leave!’
‘No!’
‘LEAVE!’
‘NO!’
Tears started streaming down your face, ‘Fuck you, Nik.’ And you stood up to go to your room.
Klaus stayed over the next several days. Sleeping against your closed door as he tried to patch things back up. But it was your decision to make a change, and your decision to forgive him.
#klaus mikaelson#klaus mikaelson imagine#klaus mikaelson imagines#klaus mikaelson blurbs#klaus mikaelson blurb#klaus mikaelson headcanons#klaus mikaelson headcanon#klaus mikaelson fic#klaus mikaelson fanfiction#klaus mikaelson fluff#klaus mikaelson smut#klaus mikaelson angst#klaus mikaelson x reader#klaus mikaelson x you#klaus mikaelson x y/n#tvd fanfiction#tvd imagine#tvd#the vampire diaries#the vampire diaries imagine#the originals#the originals imagines#joseph morgan
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𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫
𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: charles leclerc x female reader
𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: life is too heavy to carry, thankfully your boyfriend will carry it with you
𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: talks of mental health and suicidal thoughts, mentions of depression, heavy topics so please read at your own discretion
𝐚/𝐧: i’ll be honest this is self indulgent and i know i said i wasn’t writing but idk i feel so low and thought writing about how im feeling might help? ive struggled with mental illness my whole life so i find writing it out in a way i can enjoy helps…i hope it helps others that are in need of it too<3
Life is painful, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, it’s dark and gloomy, heavy and hard to carry, life is painful. Okay well maybe not for everyone but for you it was, and it was draining, exhausting really trying to survive each day instead of living like everyone else. Truth be told you’d struggled with mental illness for as long as you can remember. In high school the suicidal thoughts came into play and you had fallen into a place no one deserved to fall.
You’d hear people tell you to smile, cheer up, get outside and take in the fresh air, but they don’t understand. They don’t get the internal pain one feels when they deal with depression and anxiety, unless you live it: you don’t get it.
So yes, life was painful but there was an ounce of sunshine in your life and it came in the form of Charles, your boyfriend of exactly three years. The man who broke through the storm to bring you blue skies and calm waters, the man who held you tightly as you cried for a break, aching for a moment of peace within yourself. Charles was a gift, you were sure of it: he was too.
“my love…?”
His voice was soft, delicate as it filtered through the dark bedroom, eyes filled with concern as he looked at you huddled under the blankets, almost willing them to swallow you whole
“hmm?”
It might not have been a word but Charles would take it
“can I get you anything? do you need something?”
The room fell silent again except for the sound of covers shifting, your head peaking over the duvet
“y-you please”
Hearing your voice break was enough for Charles to promptly move from his place in the doorway, lifting up the covers on his side of the bed before settling down and pulling you into his side, letting you virtually melt against him
“okay, okay i’m here, it’s okay amour..”
“it-it hurts”
“i know baby, i know it does…but it will only hurt for a little, i promise you.”
You wanted to believe him, you really did, but how many years would you have to suffer before it truly felt like you would never know how to feel okay.
“it’s hard to be here”
Now this caught Charles attention right away, having known your past with depression and even suicidal thoughts, he felt his blood run cold at the thought of you being anywhere than right here with him
“listen to me baby, i know it hurts, i know it’s hard, but i promise you i will help you find your sunshine, i will help you find your happiness”
He paused shifting to rest a hand on your cheek, his thumb swiping at a stray tear on your cheek
“i love you with everything in me, and i will do whatever i can to help you through this, if you need me to carry more of the weight, let me, if you need a shoulder to lean on more than usual, do it. you are my entire world baby, i won’t ever leave you out in the dark to take this on all on your own..”
Letting out a soft sniffle you looked up at him, always appreciating just how much love he held for you in his eyes alone
“why, i-i’m so sad a-all the time”
“because i love you. it doesn’t matter if your angry, happy, sad it’s part of you, i love all of you no matter what, and i am not going anywhere”
Charles leaned forward, pressing his lips to your forehead letting you have a minute to just digest everything he was saying
“pinky promise?” you asked softly, holding your pinky finger out which brought a soft smile to his face
“pinky promise baby, always.”
Nothing else needed to be said as you curled yourself further into his side, his arms only tightening on you, as if to keep you from slipping away from him. Charles knew words only helped so much, but he was willing to do whatever it took to bring you blue skies back. Even if it took days or weeks, even months, Charles was going to be right beside you, every step of the way.
Life might be painful, but you never had to go through it alone again.
#rueswrites#ruesanswers#ruesanons<3#ruesasks#charles leclerc x you#charles leclerc blurb#charles leclerc x wife reader#charles leclerc x y/n#charles leclerc x female reader#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc drabble#charles leclerc fluff#charles leclerc fanfic#formula 1 masterlist#formula 1 blurb#formula 1 fanfiction#formula 1 fanfic#f1 imagine#f1 fic#f1 fanfic
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Yandere! Prince × Royalty! Reader
Note that this is a reupload from my previous blog @hyerinrose
T/W : Possessive behaviour, murder, threats, abuse of power, implied forced marriage, controlling behaviour, the drabble kinda lowkey ass
•┈••✦ 🎀✦••┈•💌•┈••✦ 🎀 ✦••┈•
💌Yandere! Prince who were the heir to a prosperous kingdom ruled with an ironed fist by both the King and Queen.
🎀Yandere! Prince who were molded to become the perfect heir to the throne once his father passes. However it comes with a cost of his childhood being close to nonexistent.
💌Yandere! Prince who haven't lost his sanity yet because of you, his childhood friend. You were a royal too like him and the two of you bonded over the struggles of being in line for the throne together. You were the light to his dark depressing life.
🎀Yandere! Prince who grow possessive of you as you two grow older. He was already controlling over you when you were kids, not letting you having another friend other than him. But it only get worse now that you both are adults. Your beauty and worth are attracting too many suitors. He can't have that happened, you're going to be taken away from him!
💌Yandere! Prince who uses his power and influence to chase away your suitors, even at the cost of his parents being angry at him. It doesn't matter, if it mean he can keep you all to himself, that's all that matters. You matter the most to him, no one and nothing can change that.
🎀Yandere! Prince who's last straw snapped after finding out you were to be wed to another foreign royal. That night he poisoned his father and mother and set to become the new ruler of his kingdom the next day. He'd do anything, if it meant cancelling your engagement so you can be wed to him instead.
Drabble under the cut!
💌Short Drabble bc why tf not :
You were currently in a carriage and on your way to pay your friend a visit. After receiving the devastating news of the King and Queen passings, you immediately rushed to comfort your grieving friend, Prince Victor.
His parents sudden deaths meant that he'd rose to the throne to continue ruling his kingdom. You pitied your friend predicament, with becoming a King comes a huge responsibility.
"Poor Vic.. he must be overwhelmed and under so much pressured right now.." You muttered while looking at the scenery outside the window.
"We've arrived, your highness"
The coachman opens the carriage door and stepped aside for you to descend before bowing.You thanked him and made your way inside the palace, it's usual powerful aura felt gloomy with the loss of the King and Queen.
"[Name], how kind of you to pay me a visit"
You heard Victor's voice from behind you.Turning around you enveloped the taller man in a hug, catching by surprise. He recovered immediately and reciprocate it albeit a bit too tightly for comfort.
"Vic! I was looking for you.. and of course I would, the King and Queen are like a family to me. Also, I wanted to be there for you in this rough time"
Victor felt his face burning up at your words, oh if only you knew he was the one behind his parents deaths. You wouldn't be comforting him like you are now.
"I'm glad to hear that, [Name]. We consider you as one too"
After all, you would be part of his bloodline soon once you are wed to him after the period of mourning is over.
For now he'll just have to play up the act of grieving for his parent's deaths.
•┈••✦ 🎀✦••┈•💌•┈••✦ 🎀 ✦••┈•
#yandere x reader#tw: yandere#yandere oc#yandere male x reader#yandere male#yandere x y/n#yandere x darling#yandere headcanons#yandere x you#yandere
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Not me forgetting its Mermay until the last day of May. Anyway, idk if it really counts but now I don't have time for plot planning so have an Azul X Reader.
I really love the idea of present day chubby Azul. Maybe he gained weight over stress, I'm not sure. But you still think he's more than adorable when you see him again a year later.
Leave Me Be
Chubby!Azul Ashengrotto x Reader
Warnings: Angst, Self-shaming, Depression, reader is probably also chubby but maybe I'm just projecting
Traveling to the deepest depths of the Coral Sea was less than easy. Honestly, the amount of potions and formulas you had to drink from weaker mages made you feel like shit. Azul could've done far better for you, but upon your accidental return to Night Raven College through some portal you'd found in a puddle, you'd found that he'd left the school and decided to take a year for himself at home.
You were shocked, but there wasn't much you could do; he wasn't returning your messages. You waited a couple of weeks for school to let out, and had Jade and Floyd take you to his home.
You quickly found out that Azul had moved out of his family's home, into the outskirts of town, apparently, according to the rumors, depressed and ashamed of himself.
Alone, with Jade and Floyd already gone to their own destination, you swam unguided to where you hoped was at least the general direction of his new home.
The other Mers had said his home wasn't easy to miss, but for someone as unsuited to water as you, particularly in these dark depths, a serious worry that you would get lost ruminated in the back of your mind.
Around 30 minutes of aimless swimming later, you saw a dim light in the gloom.
It seemed to glow a dim purple, somewhere off in a hole in the side of a massive rock formation.
Bracing yourself to swim upwards quite the distance, you realized just how massive this wall of rock and sediment was.
It was just a guess.
No one had mentioned Azul's home as being on the human equivalent of a mountainside. But then again, it didn't seem like many people had visited him. They spoke strongly of his gloomy, irritated demeanor, and unwillingness to use his magic anymore. It seemed that shortly after he moved, he began rejecting visitors all together.
You pulled yourself along the rough rock wall with your hands, following the light, which became clearer and brighter the closer you swam.
It was just a guess, but you were certain if there was any place the Azul you knew would hide, it would be far away from others, holed up in a spot where he'd be safe and unbothered.
The relatively small opening to the cavern you were less than a few feet from fit the definition to a tee.
Maybe 12 feet across both directions, the mouth of the cavern felt tucked away.
You took in a deep breath when you reached the edge, seeing the gauzy purple light brighten from within, relishing the strange feeling of water filling your lungs instead of air.
"Azul?" You called out, unsteady and feeling small in the vast ocean around you, hands still tightly gripped on the rough rocky surface.
A small flurry of bubbles, and the light turned off with a tick.
"I'm not accepting visitors at the moment." A voice called from within, annoyance pricking every syllable.
You sighed and valted yourself into the entrance of the cave with relief, not going any farther.
"Did you not hear me? Step out of my home, I have not invited you here!" His tone was sharp and outright angry.
You couldn't see a thing in the dark now, but you could feel the soft swish in the water of Azul's swift movements nearby.
"Zullie, it's me." You called into the dark, feeling unsettled.
A silence seemed to fall over the small space.
"...Yuu?"
His voice shook, a little weaker than he had clearly intended it to come out.
"I've missed you." You said tentively, hoping he would turn the light on already.
"Why are you here?"
His voice was composed and sharp again.
"W-well," it was your turn to stutter. He seemed almost angry that you were here. "I found a portal back to school and.. I found out that you had left, and I just..." Though you tried to keep yourself together, tears began to flow freely into the ocean. "I couldn't leave you alone. The first person I went looking for when I came back, was you."
You could hear the heavy breathing from what you could now identify as across the room.
That swish of movement again, and--
"Leave me be."
"What-?"
"You heard me." He sounded solemn. "Go, Yuu. Go back to school, or go back home." His voice was softened and shaky; you could hear small sniffles.
"Azul, please, I've missed you so much!" He must have heard the panic, the hurt in your voice, but he only sank deeper into the depths of his cave.
"I don't want you here." He mumbled. "I don't want you here, and I'm not coming back to school either. Don't wait for me."
"Zullie, please! What happened? What's made you like this?"
"You have," He grumbled into the waves.
Your voice dropped to a whisper. "Me? What did I do?" You sat at the edge of the cave.
He didn't respond.
"I'll sit here until you tell me," you warned, in a voice softer than you thought you could manage.
The silence answered you.
"Azul.. I'll go. Just, listen for a moment. I'm sorry if I hurt you... I.. I really missed you. I'm so, so sorry, I'm--" You were crying into your hands at this point.
A single tentacle wrapped around your arm and gently tugged it away from your face.
"It's not your fault.. I shouldn't have hidden it from you. Yuu.. there was something I neglected to tell you before you left. I.. love you. And I didn't tell you. And I've regretted that every day since. I didn't think I would ever get the chance to tell you again."
The tentacle tightened around your arm.
You wiped your tears away, a wry laugh escaping from your mouth amongst the remnants of sobs.
"That's.. what I regretted too. I didn't tell you either.. I love you too, Azul."
You crawled closer to embrace him.
The tentacle rapidly whished away, and you heard him scoot back. You stopped in your tracks.
"..Azul?"
"Yuu.." You could hear the pain in his voice. "It would still be better if you left."
"Absolutely not! You can't j-just confess and expect to escape it now!" You protested. "I've missed you for far too long. Please, I don't want to leave you right now."
You grasped in the dark, coming into contact with a tentacle you gently pulled toward you, sensing Azul moving closer with it.
"You.. you won't like me anymore." His voice is breathy and he sounds pitiful.
"Who said that?"
"You don't understand... I'm not.. what you remember."
"What does that mean?"
"I look different."
"Your mer form, you mean? I've seen it before."
"No.. I looked different in.. other ways."
"...What do you mean?"
The air that hung between you was dampened by the cold, lonely feeling of sadness.
"I used to be fit, and beautiful, for a time... but I couldn't keep that up after you left. Now I'm just a disgusting remnant of who I was when you knew me. I've done nothing but indulge myself in treats, forgotten all about ideal caloric intake, I've not exercised or--" His voice was tangibly anxious, fast and unstable. You could guarantee his eyes were glazed over with tears.
You squeezed the tentacle you were holding tighter, watching him quiet as he wrapped it around your hand, shaking and softly crying.
"Azul, are you trying to tell me that you've gained weight?"
"I look disgusting."
You cast your eyes downward with solemn understanding. "I doubt that, Zullie. I can't imagine you could ever look anything other than perfect in my eyes." Your voice was whisper quiet, but his breath still caught at the sentiment, whimpers lessening as you gently ran a finger back and forth over his suckers to calm him.
"Don't hate me." He muttered, suddenly pulling away from you and shuffling to the other side of the cavern again.
Click
The light revealed your beautiful octo-mer, still as wonderfully entrancing and gorgeous as you'd remembered.
He took your breath away. You could hardly even see any imperfections, even now. His stomach was rounder, his arms were less toned, his jawline was softer and his tentacles looked more full than before. But he was still the most beautiful man you'd ever lain eyes on.
His icy blue eyes were filled with tears you couldn't overlook, and before he could say another word, you launched yourself upon him in a tearful embrace, soothing him with soft whispers while your tears intermingled with his into the open ocean.
His tentacles wrapped against you, words of love and passion falling from both your lips.
You put your hands on each side of his face, guiding him to look into your eyes.
"Azul, I don't see any difference. You're still you. And I love you because of the Azul up here--" you pushed a finger at his forehead. "Not because your body has changed. I love you, Azul. And I won't leave you again."
He buried his head against your neck.
"I love you, I love you so much, Yuu..."
"Zullie.. I'm here to stay. Do you hear me? I'm never leaving you again."
He pulled you tighter to him, sobbing once again.
"Thank you... thank you for coming back, Angelfish."
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
May 31st, 2023
Yeah, this was healing, I know I'm not fat but damn I feel horrible about my body :(
-Kaori
#fanfiction#azul x reader#azul x yuu#azul x mc#azul ashengrotto#twisted wonderland#twst x reader#twst azul#disney x reader#twisted wonderland x yuu#twisted wonderland x reader#chubby#fanfic#azul ashengrotto x reader#azul ashengrotto x yuu#azul ashengrotto x mc#octavinelle#octavinelle x reader#twst x y/n#twst fanfic
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Giving you what no one else could
Bangchan pt-1
pt-2 pt-3
MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!
Pairing: bang chan x fem!reader
Brief: You have extreme body dysmorphia and depression. Chan comes in your life as a ray of light in the dark, things take a turn teaching you what love is. You come in each other's lives' as messiahs. Love is mutual chan is helping you to his max but how do you help him?
Genre: soulmate AU, fluff, eventual smut (comes later in other chapters), light angst, lotss of comfort
Content Warning: Mild swearing, sexual themes(again comes laterr) and discussions, mentions of body image/ self-hate
A/N: This is the very first thing i'm writing in like whole of my life. This series will be shamelessly self-indulgent as I relate to this soo much.
Chan makes me feel like home so this is how I portray him with my story. I have no ideas how many chapters this will have hehe.
Credits: dividers by: @cafekitsune thank you so much for the dividers these are soo pretty!!
You sat on your table, with tear stained books in front of you. You were to study but couldn't bring yourself to concentrate on anything as such. A constant reminder ringing in your head that you had a very important exam and that you should study. But the other part of your own head did not want you to do that. It was like these gloomy thoughts had a mission to hold you back from studying for the exam. They used the one issue you were very conscious about- your body image. You sat mindless with only harsh words being played in your ears- "you have gotten a bit fat.. haven't you?" "you going to have all of that" "are you really gonna wear that haha" "that would've looked better on anyone but you" "do you even try to lose weight" "I was just kidding about your weight I wouldn't want to hurt you", these mostly came from your relatives and heartbreakingly your own parents.
What they didn't know was their "harmless" jokes were causing very much harm to you. You thought to yourself "fuck them" but couldn't execute it instead you "fucked" yourself up. Pictures of girls with "perfect" bodies were also flashing in your head constantly how they looked so skinny and pretty how they were wanted and you weren't. You wanted to stop but couldn't, the only reflex was to cry. You crying also was not acceptable to them.
As you grew older you were not allowed to express your emotions you learnt to supress them. You only showed the very bright and uplifted side of you to the world. On the core level you knew what you were doing to yourself having one or no meal a day, exercising harshly, finding a way to make yourself fit the standards no matter how much you tried, you couldn't acheive anything. You were a "phenomenal" dancer as many said and also good at acedemics many people envied you. You chased perfection like a bull ran after the color red. You sure were praised by many but, the only thing you had ingrained in your head was "you can never be good enough" no one forced this on you but it was you who ruined yourself under this weight of the society. You drank the poison your own mind made for you decaying you bit by bit everyday. It was doing a very good job until your soulmate came to your rescue just at the right time. His name was christopher bahng also known as bang chan. How did you meet him? What wonders had you done in your past life that you deserved him?
to be continued....
#bangchan#stray kids channie#skz fluff#skz x reader#skz comfort#christopher bang#skz#stray kids imagine#stray kids#skz au#alternate universe#bang chan x female reader#bang chan smut#first post
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delightful ❄️
Bradley Bradshaw × Reader
wc - 1.9k
warnings - FLUFF, talks of seasonal depression & spending the holiday season alone.
disclaimer - ANY BLANK/AGELESS BLOGS WILL BE BLOCKED!! I also DO NOT give permission for any of my works to be copied, shared, compiled, translated or posted onto other sites!!
a/n - this fic is part of the wonderful @sailor-aviator’s Christmas Challenge!! this is my first writing challenge & my first seasonal fic! hope y’all enjoy this one 🤍 title is taken from ‘let it snow’ ❄️
comments & reblogs are greatly appreciated!!
Christmas. The holiday season that everyone around you seemed to love. You however struggled this time of year, being so far away from what little family you had left was never easy on a regular day, holidays just amplified that longing - something Bradley could relate to all too well.
You couldn’t lie, you loved how the twinkling Christmas lights helped to cheer in the cold, dark nights. But you dreaded being alone, when everyone around you couldn’t stop raving about going home for the holidays and growing more and more excited, while your seasonal depression worsened.
At the first mention of tnr holiday season, Bradley was expecting you to be full of seasonal cheer, but in a way was gladly surprised that you too had lacked the stereotypical family atmosphere during the holidays. He lost both his parents and have a very fractured relationship with Maverick, his only real family, which led to many years he spent the entire holiday season alone. You had very little family left, those who you did have, an estranged aunt and uncle you barely knew, lived halfway across the world. The relationship between you was basically nonexistent, and there was no way ok your meagre salary, that you could afford to fly out to spend the holidays with them.
When you had met Bradley, you were initially cautious of his attitude towards the holiday period. There was no way you could be in a friendship or a relationship with someone who lives and breathes the season. You wouldn’t be able to stand it. You heart lifted when it was revealed that Bradley had the same attitude as you, he wasn’t going to try and change you and your feelings. Instead, he’d respect them and let you celebrate however much or little you wanted.
When December arrived, you immediately became much more gloomy and irritated. You didn’t need to look at the calendar to know the reasoning behind your sudden distaste for everything and everyone around you. The nights grew longer and darker, and you felt less and less like yourself. Bradley had severely underestimated how much you disliked the holidays, assuming you were just being over dramatic like you were known to be on subjects you felt strongly about. He swore that his heart physically hurt knowing how much you hated the holidays, the switch from your usual chipper routine, to barely being able to drag yourself out of bed for work.
You sighed heavily, collapsing onto the sofa, ignoring the snort from Bradley at your dramatics. “What now?” He chuckled, you got very dramatic around stressful situations, and the holiday season was the highlight. Truly he did care about how you were doing, but he only found amusement in these situations due to the one time you broke down crying laughing at how badly you’d overreacted over a tiny trivial thing, he knew you’d never take offence to his laughter.
“I completely forgot that everybody decides to do their Christmas shopping so incredibly last minute!! Like, why are you shopping for presents the week before the holidays?!” You huffed dramatically, unable to withhold your laughter at Bradley’s expression, trying desperately to hold a straight face while you acted out your day. “I don’t know, baby. But I’m thankful for them providing me with this entertainment.” You gasped in faux outrage at his words, grabbing a pillow from beside you and throwing it in his direction without looking, yelling in victory when you heard him yell at the unanticipated contact.
Bradley was cautious about voicing his next statement, already anticipating you to blow up at him, but being polite like his mother raised him to be, “Y’know, you shouldn’t be cooped up in your tiny apartment for Christmas.” He held the cushion in front of him, a pathetic attempt at a shield from your incoming wrath. Eyes widening at your sudden silence, he was quick to add, “Bub…I just meant, I also have to spend the holidays alone, in this big empty house.” He’s by your side now, hands running placatingly on your arms. “What if we spend it together? We can pick out a tree from that lot that Bob can’t stop raving about, you can teach me to bake those cookies we talked about, maybe just make it like any other day, if that’s what you really want?”
Your tense expression melted, tears seeking up in your eyes, not entirely certain whether it was due to the season, or your loving, highly attentive to detail boyfriend’s reaction and creation of alternatives for you, other than your entirely more depressing current tradition of spending the day in your bed, pillow over your head and duvet pulled over you.
Bradley froze at your sudden emotional breakdown. Presuming he had spoken out of turn and instead of pissing you off, had broken your heart, something he swore to himself and his parents that he would never do to you. Internally panicking momentarily, relaxing when you merely snuggled closer to him, curling up on his lap, your head buried in his neck.
The house was cold. That was the first thing you noticed when you got to Bradley’s late after your shift on Christmas Eve. You lived in San Diego. It did not get this cold, ever. Frowning, you trudge through the entryway, kicking off your shoes, then wincing as your socked feet meet the cold tiled floor. You called out for Bradley, he had texted you before you left work, asking you to come over, you assumed for a quick present swap. He had been ignoring your texts and calls since you gave him confirmation that you would be there. He must’ve turned the air conditioning down as low as it could go, which in summer would have been luxurious, but now?
Now, the drizzle and gloom outside was continued indoors, which kept you frowning as you move through the house looking for Bradley.
Hearing soft humming of Christmas songs from the kitchen, you scurry through the house, keeping your feet off the cold floor as best you could. You’d have to get Bradley to fix the AC. “Woah! Stop there! Close your eyes, this is a surprise, sweetheart!” You groaned, reluctantly closing your eyes, feeling a warm presence move in front of you, a soft kiss being pressed to the top of your head as a soft silk is tied delicately over your eyes.
“Bradley…” you whine softly, trusting him, but clueless as to where this was going. He chuckled, his breath fanning gently onto your cheek, a welcome warmth from the chill in the air. Rubbing his hand up and down your arms, appreciative that you were still in your thin work uniform, trying to warm you back up as best he could, “I’m gonna lead you upstairs, then I’m changing you into something warmer, okay?” You whined at the sheer unknown, but gave into the significant trust you had in your boyfriend.
He carefully pulled off your uniform, his warm hands welcome against your cold skin, goosebumps erupting down your arms. A soft, fleecy, warm shirt was pulled up your arms, and Bradley buttoned it up with immense care and precision. Next were the fleecy pants, which you felt were too long for you, and giggled as Bradley pulled on a fresh pair of fuzzy socks. You squealed as Bradley scooped you up bridal style, peppering your face with soft kisses, chuckling at your soft laughter.
Downstairs, he places you gently onto the couch, greeted now by a warmth the room lacked when you arrived. Warm breath fans gently across your cheek as Bradley gently unties the blindfold, squinting as your eyes adjust to the light. The room is bathed in a soft warm light, the scraggly tree you both had picked out and decorated the week before was twinkling softly, but wasn’t what made your eyes well with tears. The fireplace that usually stayed empty due to the warm California weather, was crackling with fresh logs, the fire casting a warm and cosy glow over the entire room.
There was also an extra stocking hanging from the mantle. Where usually there were just three - Goose, Carole and Bradley - there was one with your name lovingly hand stitched, matching the theme of the original trio. Swallowing thickly you glance at Bradley who shrugged nonchalantly, "I didn't have anyone else to spend Christmas with. Hope you don't mind if I spend it with you. Share old traditions…Maybe make some of our own…”
Throwing yourself at him, you hug Bradley tightly. It had been mentioned only in passing that growing up you never had your own stocking like most children, and your only happy holiday memory was spending quality time snuggled together with your family in front of the fireplace.
Bradley ran a soothing hand across your cheek, wiping away the tears you were unaware had started to fall. You had never had someone pay such attention to minute details you shared, not expecting them to remember them months later.
But Bradley was not someone from your past.
He is your future.
Several classic Christmas movies later, you were snuggled closely against Bradley’s side, under one of the seasonal blankets he ‘allowed’ you to keep at his place, It’s a Wonderful Life playing in the background. Your half drunk mugs of hot chocolate sat on the coffee table alongside platters of sweet treats Bradley had bought just for the two of you to share, alongside the decorated sugar cookies that the pair of you had made from an old recipe of Carole’s.
Humming contentedly, you crane your neck to glance up at the face of your loving boyfriend, feeling your eyes on him, he turns, kissing you lovingly, pulling you closer to him. “Happy?” You nod against his shoulder, “This is the best Christmas I’ve had in years, Bradley.” He smiles softly at your words, “You know, if you wanted…” He shrugged, trailing off, frowning, you shift and straddle his lap to get a better look at him. “What? If I wanted to what?” Bradley shook his head, a bashful expression on face, narrowing your eyes, you grabbed his chin gently, forcing him to look at you again.
“I wanna spend every Christmas like this with you.”
“Every Christmas?”
He nods.
“Move in with me.”
“Yes.”
“Why? Because I miss you when you’re not- Wait, yes?! You’ll move in?!” His expression frozen, not believing his ears.
Nodding and kissing him once, his eyes light up, grin taking over his face, laughing joyfully, tugging you close to his chest, covering your face in kiss after kiss after kiss. You join him in laughter at his reaction, tugging him down to lay on top of you, being lovingly overwhelmed by everything Bradley.
If this is how every Christmas would end up, snuggled up in front of a fireplace with the love of your life?
If this is what your future looks like, then you couldn’t wait to spend the rest of your life with Bradley.
#allina writes#bradley bradshaw x reader#bradley rooster bradshaw#rooster x reader#bradley rooster bradshaw x reader#bradley bradshaw x you#bradley bradshaw fanfiction#bradley bradshaw#tgm fanfiction#top gun maverick fic
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— LESS SUGAR (onew x reader)
Synopsis: A playful first impression with a certain shining idol in your own coffee shop takes your life into an interesting turn. A merge of two worlds, you never expect Jinki to provide you company and comfort. But he does, all the while ordering lattes and pastries.
Pairing: Lee Jinki x fem!reader
Genre: coffee shop!au, idol!Jinki, fluff (like, lots of fluff), piniiiing, angst, smut
Word count: 17376 words (lmao its a SLOW burn)
Warnings: sakura jinki!! (Yeah it’s a warning), mentions of diet, implied depressive episodes, heavy make out, vaginal fingering, Jinki big dick agenda, domsub undertones, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, cream pie (careful folks), minors dni!
AN: Happy 525 everyone! What other perfect timing to celebrate my love for SHINee’s leader. But actually, I wrote this one almost 2 years ago now?? And I thought yeah no way this will stay in drafts forever. I just need a sweet fic for dearest Jinki, you know? Please enjoy!
+++
You empty a box of newly arrived goods. After a few considerations, maybe you should’ve arranged the displays at night when you have more time instead of in the mornings before you open the store. But they look fine as it is; the coffee grounds are lined up neatly, and the rustic decors compliment them well. Deciding the shop is all ready, you check the time. It’s only a few minutes before 7 o’clock, so you flip the wooden sign from ‘close’ to ‘open’.
Almost a year has passed since you opened your own cafe. The journey wasn’t a walk in the park. From the loans, experimenting in your apartment kitchen, and the amount of time and energy spent gathering the resources. But you made it, now owning a small cafe that can house up to fifteen customers. Often perceived as a friendly person, you managed to gather a handful of regulars.
The bell chimes, and you turn to see your regular coming in through the door. “Good morning, Eunmi!” You chirp, before noticing her gloomy visage. “You look particularly bright today. The usual?”
The regular, Eunmi, is a working woman who lives nearby with her husband. She sighs before nodding. "I only slept for a couple of hours.” She drags herself to the counter. “Do you remember that co-worker I told you about?”
She rambles on, complaining about this and that while you tinker with your coffee machine. Occasionally you laugh, but you mostly take your time to listen. Eunmi is the one who requested you to open the store earlier. Not having any problem with mornings, you happily oblige. Ever since, with a raging need for someone to vent to and a caffeine boost, she visits daily.
“You should take a day off,” you advise while finishing off the beverage. You grab the paper cup carefully, gesturing to Eunmi who’s still sitting down. “One almond caffe mocha to go.”
“I’ll think about it,” she murmurs tiredly as she gets up, dragging herself to her coffee. “I’m off, then. Thanks for the drink!”
With a wave, she leaves the cafe. There goes your early morning regular. You go back to your favorite pastime, rearranging the items on your shelf. You are contemplating putting the house blend on the front counter to replace the Vietnamese Arabica when the door chimes. Delighted, you shout, “Welcome!”
A man walks in hesitantly. At that moment, you can't possibly recognize him. He wears a mask and a baseball hat. The hoodie and the dark jeans make him appear like one of the people from your neighborhood.
What you notice is that he’s a new customer, and his eyes are... pretty.
You push the last thought aside and switch to your customer service mode. “Here’s the menu,” you gush, your voice sounding too pitchy to your ears. The man blinks at you before his gaze falls on the printed paper.
Your mind betrays you and chooses to zone in on the man before you. He’s tall. His dark brown hair stops above the nape of his neck with soft strands of fringe framing his defined heart-shaped face. Though it's hidden by the mask, you can see his high cheekbones. Despite that, you can’t help but focus on his hooded soft brown eyes. From your place behind the counter, you’ve seen many attractive people. You noticed their neat makeup, their perfectly curled hair, their luscious lips, or the way they dress. Being attracted to someone’s eyes seems incredulous. But even his eyebrows look nicely groomed.
He lifts his gaze which inevitably meets yours. Your stomach lurches in embarrassment and you stupidly let out an “oh” before putting your best smile. Please don’t notice. “What would you like to order?”
If he notices, he doesn’t show any sign. “Can I have a brown sugar latte to go?”
His voice sounds like the drink itself; warm, sweet, and syrupy. You perk up. “Great choice. Will that be all?” The man tilts his head, humming. Cute.
“Make it with an extra shot of espresso.” You’re already grabbing the pack of grounds when you respond with good humor, “Tough day ahead?” At that, he chuckles, low and bright at the same time. Warm and syrupy indeed. “Everyday is a tough day at work.”
You laugh, but perhaps the curiosity in your expression is too obvious, because the mysterious customer’s eyes crinkle with amusement.
“It's tough work, but I love my job,” he says in what you perceive as teasing.
“Sure, sure,” you snicker, now pouring measured liquid brown sugar into the paper cup. You’re confident in your coffee-making skills, and you can’t wait to hear his reaction. Maybe he can join your not-so-long list of regulars.
“Brown sugar latte with double shot.” You give him the paper cup. “Enjoy!”
Another eye crinkle smile grazes his covered face. With a closer look, there’s a slight jaw movement behind his mask. “Thank you very much,” he responds and you notice the formality. “By the way, do you happen to sell any food?”
You bite the insides of your mouth. “Yes, but I only stock them later,” you explain ruefully. “The bakery usually delivers the pastries at 9 o’clock. I apologize.” You bow and he immediately raises both of his hands, waving them frantically.
“Oh, no, no, it’s okay. What do you have?”
“We have a selection of buns, scones, pound cakes, egg tarts,” you gush. “They’re all delicious. But I personally like their traditional pastries. Injeolmi, red bean rice cake, yakbap, fried tteok dumplings. Auntie does a great job every time.”
Unlike other cafes that bake their own food, you work together with the local bakery that happens to make the best traditional pastries you’ve ever tried. You know they aren’t as popular as the more western pastries, but they always pull the older customers to your cafe, even becoming your regulars.
His eyebrows shoot up all of a sudden, “You have yakbap?” He asks in apparent surprise which you mirror excitedly. “Yes! Oh my god, do you like them?” He nods. “Would you like to try? I can have them stocked tomorrow.”
“Isn’t that too much trouble?”
"Of course not. But," you emphasize. "You have to come visit tomorrow morning. Promise?” The surge of boldness takes you out of nowhere. He’s just one customer who only bought one drink, but you can’t deny the urge to see him again. So when you saw the chance, you knew you had to take it.
“I will, I promise,” he chuckles and your worries melt away, swept away by the soothing voice of his promise.
+++
At 8 o’clock, the door chimes. You almost jump from behind the counter.
“Good morning,” the man from yesterday greets you with a small bow. Today he’s wearing a dark jacket over a simple tee. Without yesterday's baggy clothes, the outfit centers on his broad shoulders well. A mask is still in place, but now without the hat, you can see more of him. At least more of his soft-looking short brown hair. A surge of familiarity rushes through you. After a quick run through your memories, your mind comes up blank. You shrug off the thought but he’s faster to notice you zoning out.
“What? I promised, didn’t I?” He mumbles, and you respond with a small laugh, “You did.”
You usher him to the counter, pulling out a small basket. “Now here’s my end of the deal.”
“What’s all this?” He glances in the basket. Inside is a handful of pastries, covered neatly in plastic wrap. “There’s so many!”
You smile proudly. “I asked the bakery for a sampler basket. So these are their best-sellers. We have a kaya bun, blueberry lemon scone, garlic basil bread, yakbap,” you wink, “fried tteok dumplings, and red bean rice cake.”
“Wait--”
“And I’ll give you a special price.” You send him another cheeky grin, and you feel triumphant when you see his resigned face.
“I didn’t expect you would prepare a whole basket… But thank you,” he sighs before breaking into one of his eye-smiles. It looks so familiar and the feeling starts to gnaw at you once more. Like reaching out to remember a dream, it feels close yet you can't come up with a name to associate his face with. You snap back to reality, hearing him say something in your direction. “Yes?”
“I’d like to have the drink from yesterday,” he states almost giddily. “It’s delicious. I thought it’d be too sweet.”
Oh. You cover a smile with the back of your hand, secretly proud of yourself. Elated, you lean in before you even know it, catching your customer's attention.
“Be sure to come back for more, then.” Right after the words leave your mouth, you recoil. You sound like you were flirting, and you don't flirt with customers.
“Oh, don’t mind if I do." You stare at him in surprise, seeing the teasing glint in his eyes. Flustered, your throat tightens.
“R-right. One brown sugar latte coming up.” Warm, sweet, syrupy… Sticky.
After finishing the latte with sprinkles of cinnamon powder on top, you put the plastic cap on and bring it to your only customer. The man is sitting in the corner, on one of the chairs that has its back on you. He's eating a piece of yakbap from a plastic wrapper when you approach the table. “Here’s-"
Perhaps, that day you forget that people eat with their mouths. Uncovered. In the end, nothing prepares you to witness the face behind the mask.
A few weeks ago, you were watching TV on your couch. One of your favorite dramas had just ended, so you were stuck watching a random variety show. Loud screams pierced your ears, making you jump so you checked the show. A couple of people were sitting at the table, and one of them, a handsome young man with light brown hair and lovely eyes, was reenacting his version of the famous Gwiyomi song. What a weird guy, you thought with a laugh while seeing him kiss each of his fingers just a little too passionately.
“- your drink,” you finish shakily. The new information almost freezes you in place but you put on your best (worst, stiff) customer service smile anyway. Defying another expectation, Onew - oh god, it is him - takes the paper cup from your hand. Your fingers touch briefly and you swear there's a jolt that tickles. The idol is staring at you with a hint of worry, indicating he knows the cat's out of the bag.
You should leave him be, he might be uncomfortable. But then, a sight of empty plastic wrappers catches your attention. "How's the food?" You inquire placidly. Creative.
The worry in his face dissipates very slightly and you realize how different he looks now without the mask. You can see the plump lips parting before he says, "You're right, they're so good."
The compliment somehow melts your worries.
"Right? They taste exactly the same since I was a child. Auntie had just started baking the western pastries a few years ago, but she’s too tired to run the bakery full-time. So I thought having her pastries in my cafe would be perfect," you stop, internally scolding yourself for rambling all that to the celebrity, "I talk too much don't I?"
"You own this cafe?" The man asks instead, his mouth gaping and eyes wide. Adorable.
"Owner, barista, waitress, slash everything," you rub the back of your neck, pressured by the questioning gaze he has on you. Without his mask, he seems more intense. Or, you are subconsciously affected by his idol status. While this is not the first time you meet a celebrity from behind the counter, it is the first time you're engaged in conversation with them. Especially with someone of a high tier like him. Someone amazing.
"That's amazing." His voice echoes, jolting you back to reality
"What?" You sputter. He definitely notices you zoning out because his smile - you can see his mouth now, oh god - is too mischievous and knowing. This is getting too much.
Rigidly, you peek into the paperbag, noticing the amount of pastries left. "What are you going to do with them?" Onew looks at the paperbag before standing up and grabbing the bag. "I'll share them with people at work."
You step back with a laugh. "Do you think they'll like it?"
"I think they will. Well, some can't enjoy it due to… a strict diet. But one won't hurt." Onew takes his coffee in one hand, and the paperbag in the other. He raises both hands slightly, gesturing with the items. "Thank you. I'll be going now."
"No,” you begin tentatively, “Thank you, Onew."
You internally pat yourself on the back for letting that out.
His ever so expressive eyebrows rise before he lets out a bark of laughter. "Well, isn't that unfair."
"What is?"
"I see you know my name already," he supplies, staring down at you with a pretty gummy smile. "But I don't know yours."
Heat rushes to your cheeks when his words sink into your brain. You would pray it wouldn't show but you find your tongue unable to form useful words. Instead, as an uncontrolled fight or flight reaction, it responds haughtily, "Come back tomorrow, and I'll tell you."
You curse the random unsolicited rush of courage. But Onew's surprised expression is already morphing into a half smirk, and you can't decide if you regret it.
"Deal. I'll see you tomorrow, miss."
Exactly one minute after the door closes, you curl up on the floor and let out a groan. What just happened?
+++
Jinki knows he shouldn't be doing this.
That morning, he woke up exactly three hours before his first schedule of the day. The warm sunlight tempted him to go for a jog, but the ache crawling through his body reminded him what a bad idea that was. The day before, the dance instructor had drilled them with another wild choreography, and in the morning, his joints were positively protesting.
So he took a walk. Enjoying the sunlight, he left the rows of high-rise apartments for the quiet residential complex. The bustle of the crowded market and gossipy house-wives felt like a calming noise, and he continued his walk until he turned one corner.
Nothing should've caught his attention, but everything did. The shop's facade of pale red bricks was a splash of color in between the other buildings. A couple of vintage lantern lamps decorated the shop, and there were wooden signs with intricate lettering on the wall and glass door. Jinki realized it was a coffee shop, a small one. There and then he thought he needed his caffeine, and the nearest Starbucks was blocks away. So he went in, met the cute barista, got a delicious latte, and left.
And ever since, he keeps coming back for more.
“Someone enjoys visiting this little place,” she laughs one morning, cocky and amused. It’s his visit for the third time in a row. Borrowing her high energy and boldness, he smirks in reply.
"You’re the one who asked me, though," he mentions, holding a small cup of her manual brew. A new house blend, she had mentioned. It has a subtle sweetness to it, which Jinki likes.
"Asked what?"
"To come back here."
She chuckles, that rare hint of shyness surfacing once more. "I was just messing around."
But he wasn't, and back then, he would do anything to get to know her name. So the day after her request, Jinki returned. After an order of one brown sugar latte and five miscellaneous pastries, all to-go, Jinki sat down and propped his chin on top of his folded hands, waiting. His legs were fidgeting, a sign of anticipation and nervousness that he was well attuned with.
"Are you dining in?" She asked, probably feigning innocence, as she shuffled through various packets of coffee. What a tease.
"No," he responded curtly.
She moved away from the shelves to the edge of the counter, facing him. Oh, she's doing this on purpose. With a hand covering her mouth, she laughed silently. Jinki thought she shouldn't hide her laughter, or her smile, because it’s pretty and bright, just like her.
"I'm sorry, I owe you something, don't I?" She asked sweetly, like those drinks she makes for him.
"Yes, you do." Jinki managed out, a crooked smile gracing his lips in a low effort intimidation.
"Okay, okay," she resigned. "You should make a habit of checking the bill, Onew."
Realization hit him and he rushed to pull the bill out of his pocket. There, written in neat handwriting, was a name. In awe, he said it once, testing it on his tongue—and he heard a crash.
"Oh--oops," she clambered to grab the fallen coffee packages. Jinki was wondering how attached this woman was to her coffee supply before he took a glance at her face. Pink tinted her cheeks and he wouldn't lie, it was a sight to see. Presumably annoyed, she was about to say something but Jinki just called her name once more, abruptly stopping her. So he raised his chin, taking a better look at the flustered barista with a satisfactory smile, “Everything okay back there?”
She nodded once before turning away, cheeks still flaming as she broke their eye contact. He just laughed. Cute.
Today, he finds himself once more in front of her store. Earlier, he found out Minho already had plans to visit his mother, and so, Jinki was left alone in the dorms. He's used to being alone in the apartment, but today he has a particular yearning to be somewhere else but home.
"Onew," she greets, ever so cheerful in the mornings. "The usual?"
Despite the merciless schedule in his line of work, Jinki hasn't met a lot of morning people. Especially the ones who are comfortable with an early schedule by nature. It took him years after debuting before his internal alarm worked properly. And after hundreds of cranky morning schedules, he finally could manage his mood well. She must have been born with the sun smiling upon her. Perhaps that is her destiny, to wake up effortlessly and share her energy through caffeinated beverages. Jinki has an urge to ask if she ever stays up late, maybe later.
"Actually, can I have an iced americano?" Jinki asks after a quick glance at the menu. This time he needs something with less sugar.
She is beaming, as usual. "Sure. But I recommend you drink it fast, it's warm outside—"
"I'm having it here." Jinki already grabs a seat, putting his bag and pulling out a book. Her expression is a mixture of confusion and delight. "...Is it okay?"
"Of course!" She exclaims all too fast before rushing to her tools.
An amicable silence stretches. Hisses and clamor from behind the counter occasionally fill the air, but otherwise it's quiet. After endless days in a loud environment, he appreciates the silence. He can’t remember the last time he sat still like this, without TV or a Youtube video to accompany him. He takes his book, a best-selling novel he picked up from the airport months ago during his work trip, and starts reading it. When his iced americano arrives, he thanks her properly and dives back into the story.
It's peaceful. At some point, she puts on music. Slow to medium-tempo songs in foreign languages, and it doesn't disrupt his reading, in fact, he enjoys it.
During his stay, customers come and go. He can't see them, because his back is facing the major part of the cafe. But he can hear them clearly. And interestingly, they talk a lot. One customer, a young girl, comes up to you, gets a large glass of iced chocolate milk, and proceeds to tell you about her crush. Another, an elderly man who apparently visits regularly, orders one hot barley tea and a red bean paste bun. Then he starts to give her updates on his newborn grandchild. Jinki hears her squeal before she asks for the man’s wife or daughter.
He finds all the interaction endearing, somehow.
"So, what's the occasion?"
The sun is now high up in the sky, signalling it's nearing noon. Jinki was feeling tiny pricks of hunger when she appeared near his table, a few tupperware in hand. "It gets lonely," she said cheekily. With each little talk they exchange, Jinki wonders why he didn’t ask her to sit here earlier, enjoying her company very much. And not before long, she offered some of her food to him, which he accepted with little resistance.
“You’ve never dined in before, what’s the occasion?”
Jinki takes one slice of rolled omelet with his chopsticks. "It's my day off," he answers.
"You have a day off, and you came here?" She looks up from her food and gapes at him. He nods.
"The apartment's empty, Minho is visiting his parents."
"It must be lonely."
"Not anymore,” he responds in earnest, and a grin emerges when he sees her fluster. Jinki is not a prideful person. He doesn’t absorb compliments like it’s his source of energy. However, knowing he can affect people like this, especially in such tight interaction, does boost his ego in a productive way. Additionally, he enjoys seeing her reaction. She’s very put together, confident, sometimes cheeky, but those rare moments when she gets caught off guard charm him. It’s like her fire turns into cotton candy, all cute and sweet.
Jinki can’t get enough of her.
“Is that one of your killer moves, Onew-ssi?” She says, hiding her strangled laugh by raising her chin with defiance. But he knows better. See? Charming.
He puts his chopstick down, and proceeds to lean his head on one knuckle. The gesture seems to affect her, because her smile falls and she’s blinking rapidly at him. “No, it’s not," he states before an idea pops into his head. "Call me Jinki."
Her mouth falls open. “What?”
“Please call me Jinki.”
He watches as she gapes wordlessly, like a cat got her tongue. In the end, she just nods softly, saying a quiet “Okay,” with a bashful whisper of his name. Hearing it, Jinki can’t help the giddiness bubbling inside him and a smug smile that graces his lips. His name sounds pretty on her tongue, and he immediately knows he will want to hear it more.
Jinki thinks maybe that is his killer move.
+++
To have a celebrity coming back to your cafe, and getting to know them is an oddly enjoyable experience.
One morning Onew--no, Jinki arrives with all his attention on his phone. He’s typing furiously before craning his neck to see you. “(Y/n),” he says in an exaggerated whine, eyebrows furrowing and lips pouting comically cute, “Kibum is being mean to me. He said we can’t hang out today. I’m so sad. I need my sad coffee so can you please get me a--”
“Jinki, don’t--”
“A despresso?”
“Oh my god,” you sigh audibly, a fond grin in place, making him snicker as he rubs the back of his head.
"Get it? Like espresso but depress-"
"Yes, Jinki. I get it."
Every time Jinki visits, you enjoy his company. Granted, he’s not the type to talk much, and when he does, he always manages to surprise you. You don’t know what’s worse, his dad jokes, or the fact that he’s not aware how much he’s driving you crazy. Does he know his teasing words can be wrongly interpreted as flirting? Does he know he looks good in even worn out shirts? Does he know you start to think he's been coming here not only for the coffee? With that being said, you weren’t prepared for Jinki’s presence in close proximity almost everyday.
"Whatcha' doing?" Jinki asks, his face leaning over the high counter, peeking into your workspace. His mask is off, and like his perfect face is not distracting enough, he's wearing a black sweater that snug nicely on his body. You notice how broad his shoulders are, or how his collarbones look so prominent, hanging above defined pecs. Focus, you have a job.
"I'm trying to make a new drink," you reply, measuring in teaspoons of the powder you prepared. You take the recently bought bamboo whisk to mix the powder. New tools in the kitchen always get you excited, especially if it’s your first time using it. "Do you know hojicha?"
He tilts his head, thinking, and you wonder if it's necessary for him to jut his lower lips like that. "No. Is it Japanese?"
"Mmhm, it's Japanese roasted green tea.” You start whisking the water and the hojicha powder, and Jinki gawks. As the mixture gets frothy, you elaborate. "I've been wanting to try to make it, maybe someone will be interested." Grabbing another cup, you mix the diluted powder and the milk, the ash-colored tea mixture turning the milk into gray-ish brown. "They say it tastes best with milk."
"Ah, really?" Without a warning, Jinki shots one hand forward, taking the glass from your nimble hand. You yelp at the sudden movement. He then takes a big gulp, craning his neck to drink it properly and you can't take your eyes off of his Adam's apple as it moves with each gulp, and the veins running on his neck. Shit. He pulls the glass away, and using his other hand, he wipes his mouth. Your throat goes dry.
Unaware of your struggle, he hums, "It's good. Bitter, but good.”
Shaking yourself back to reality, you take a deep breath. "I was about to say I hadn't put the sugar in."
"I think you don’t need it. Or just put a little," he grins, gesturing the aforementioned amount with his index finger and thumb, a small distance lingers between them. His fingers are pretty, you think absentmindedly. His other hand puts the empty glass back onto the counter. "You're really good at this."
At that, your heart swells with pride. "Of course, I don't want my customers to go."
"Me as well?"
"You as well,” you state, genuine. You can tell him that as much. “My early morning was never this fun."
Jinki snorts. “Me? Fun?” He asks, pointing a finger at himself. “People say I’m weird.”
“No offense, Jinki, I didn’t say you’re not weird.” The man barks a laugh and you join in. “But that’s what makes you fun. You're not boring."
Not for the first time, you witness his expression turn sheepish, almost shy and awkward. His fingers fidget behind his folded arms. But he quickly recovers, waving off your compliment.
"What about the other customers?"
The question perks your attention. "I have the best regulars," you reply, thinking of all your customers and their anecdotes. "I love talking to them."
"They seem to like gossiping with you."
"They do! Jinki, they talk a lot. There's this lady who will order parfaits only when she's upset or having a fight with her boyfriend. And also the working man who usually comes in evenings, he always asks if I serve alcohol. It's really hilarious—"
"But you always listen to them."
"Of course I do. Like I said, I love talking to them, I really do. Granted, mostly I just listen to them venting out their problems. But I guess it helps and my beverages too - " you stop yourself. "Sorry. D-did I bore you?"
"No, not at all," he answers, short and fast and most definitely teasing. "I enjoyed it. Come on, tell me more." Jinki is still leaning on the counter. His head is in his propped hand, eyes crinkling in amusement, and his plump lips are curling into a soft smile that makes your heart race. You feel warmth crawling on your cheeks.
"Don't say that. Gosh, that was embarrassing." You're still trying to hide your face behind your hands when a large palm lands on your head. You look up, and see Jinki who has straightened his back to full height, looming over you. Then, his hand is in your hair, ruffling it playfully.
"Cute," Jinki coos with a smile that shows his brilliant teeth and melts your insides into goo. After messing with your hair, he pulls his hand back and you swear his fingers brush past your cheekbones, the touch eliciting shivers down your spine. Unbothered, Jinki goes on his merry way and continues talking about random things as if nothing happened.
The audacity.
+++
"Alright, spill, what's up."
Eunmi's voice pulls you back to reality. Smell of food floods your senses, sweet and sour from kimchi and vinegar, and you remember your lunch with Eunmi. You look at your friend who's grabbing her spoon with a slight annoyance clear on her face.
"What? Nothing," you insist, diving back to your buckwheat noodles to avoid her piercing stare. She tsks at you, not buying the excuse.
"Nothing my ass, you've been staring at the pickles this whole time."
You're not in your cafe, in fact, you close it up for a while to have lunch out. Eunmi invited you to a restaurant near her office, only one station away from the store. It’s a cozy diner that’s not too crowded or loud, so you can talk comfortably. Eunmi brings her own car, and promises to drive you back after lunch.
The fact that even Eunmi realizes your weirdness makes you startled. You listen to her a lot, but it’s never the opposite case. You know your friend well enough to understand she won’t usually catch up on your mood swings, especially because you’re not the kind of person who shows your emotion on your sleeves. But that man just won’t leave your mind, not after driving you crazier with each passing day. Jinki keeps coming over, all smiles and charms and never forgetting to compliment you and your drinks.
And for whatever reason, you always end up talking about yourself for a good amount of time. That never happened before, not before him. You prefer to listen, and you do that well. But with Jinki, rarely does he ramble to you, instead it’s the other way around. Without a doubt, you’re getting too comfortable with him. And how can you not? He’s humble, polite, his smile lights up the whole room, and he looks like that. All soft brown hair and handsome.
"I know that face," Eunmi interrupts your trail of thoughts, her face beaming with mischief. You blink your eyes. That can’t be good. "There's someone, isn't there?"
"What? No!"
"Nu-uh, you can't fool your unnie. You’re smiling like a teenager just now,” she teases while grabbing another spoonful of her dried pollack soup.
You splutter. “I-I did?”
“So, who is it? Come on, tell me something. My coworkers suck and I need some drama."
Cursing your luck, you grumble. Eunmi must be very perceptive to recognize the look on your face. But telling her about Jinki is impossible. You won’t be able to get away by saying “I think Onew from SHINee has been flirting with me non-stop.” It’s going to be a mess--no, a mess would be an understatement.
You take a deep breath, “It’s complicated, okay?”
"Tell me about it." Eunmi snorts.
“I can’t tell you just yet.”
She stares at you directly. “But?”
“It’s just…” You begin, hand already moving to cover your mouth, as if it could help you from the massive embarrassment you feel while discussing this. “I don’t know if I’m reading things correctly,” then, “Like, what if I’m wrong?”
“So you don’t know if he’s into you, or he’s just being nice.”
"Exactly!” you gasp.
She suddenly smirks, leaning back against the chair, "That's easy, just make a move."
"Make a move?"
"Yeah, make a move,” she repeats easily, “Do something similar to what he did to you, and see his reaction. Maybe he's just waiting."
You ponder upon her advice. It’s solid, and actually doable. Albeit unsure, you keep it in mind. "Alright, I’ll try.”
You finish your lunch and go back to the cafe. Eunmi, being the best combination of a friend and a customer, requests a chocolate marshmallow frappe before she returns to her office. Back to your usual place behind the counter, and Eunmi on the chair, she tells you about her vacation plan.
“A long weekend trip with your husband? That’s amazing!” You exclaim to Eunmi who’s radiating happiness.
Eunmi slurps at her drink, humming pleasantly from the sweetness. “Mm-hm,” she responds, the joy radiating from her is a refreshing sight compared to the usual gloom. “We’re going to Damyang.”
“I’m so happy for you,” you gush, patting the older woman’s shoulder. “So you’re leaving tomorrow?”
She nods. “Finally, a time off from those douchebags.”
You laugh, remembering her stories of the god-awful co-workers, then a jingle halts you.
“Oh, welcome!” You say and immediately feel your stomach drop as you see Jinki. Shit, the timing is so bad. Jinki rarely comes in the afternoon, what's up with the rare occurrence? And just by scanning his clothes, you’re more baffled, because today's outfit today is more extreme than usual. He’s wearing one of his worn out track pants and regular trainers.The grey jacket looks okay but he’s wearing the hoodie over a snapback. You can’t see even a strand of his hair. By default, his mask is also on, so you’re not too worried about him being recognized by Eunmi.
Jinki makes his order, glancing at you with sharp eyes, something he doesn’t usually do because you already know his usual menu. You just respond formally before dashing to where your drink machine is at, from the corner of your eye you see him taking a seat near the corner. Not long after, Eunmi’s face is in front of you, worried.
“He looks sketchy,” she whispers in a rush. Jinki? Sketchy? You bit your lip, trying to hold your blank expression in place, instead of the urge to grin.
“Really? I think he’s been here before, though.”
“How can you recognize him? This guy’s all covered from head to toe, (Y/n). It’s so creepy. I hope your man doesn't look like that."
You almost choke on air. Internally you're praying Jinki didn't hear the last part. “Right, right.” You peek at Jinki with a bothered expression, crafted meticulously to deceive Eunmi. You're definitely going to tease Jinki about this later. “I’ll be careful.”
Eunmi grabs her plastic cup before hoisting the bag up her shoulder. She points her manicured nails at you. “You better be, ‘cause I have to go now. Call me if anything happens, okay?”
“I will, don’t worry,” you smile at your customer. Eunmi waves at you, gives a pointed look at Jinki’s back, and goes out of the store. As soon as the door closes, you slump on your post, letting out a loud and exaggerated sigh. You turn your sight to Jinki and find him facing you in his chair. The shit-eating grin on his face makes you more tired.
"Don't get closer, (Y/n)," he acts out, and you're already rolling your eyes. "I might bite."
You blow a raspberry while striding towards his table, a drink in hand. "Sure, sure, can't trust strangers who wear too many hoodies all the time," you grumble, putting Jinki's iced americano on the table.
The man has the audacity to pout at you in retaliation. "Not all the time."
You giggle. "What's the occasion, then?"
"Nothing." He slurps the black coffee, nonchalant and ridiculously bad at lying.
Baffled, you glare at the man who keeps drinking the beverage without care. With another brief observation, you note his outfit is actually not that different than usual. But he never wears a hoodie and a snapback. You can't even see his hair.
Oh.
“I get it!” You clap your hands excitedly as if you’re a seal. “It’s your hair, isn’t it?”
Jinki hisses through gritted teeth, forcing a crooked grin while his eyes are already looking away from yours. Bingo.
“Is it a new color? Did you cut it short?”
Mischievously, Jinki puts a finger in front of his plump lips. “Company secret.”
You pout, and he chuckles. The mischief in his face is annoying yet somehow innocent, you can't bring yourself to get mad at him. It doesn’t help that he looks positively entertained by his own game of guess. But you're ever the curious one, and seeing there's no other customer right now, you have to find out what's behind the hat.
Without much thought, you swat a hand at his snapback, tipping everything that's covering his head backwards.
"Hey!"
As if in slow motion, the hood of his jacket is pushed back, and the hat falls to the floor. Anticipation builds up in your mind when you realize you’re about to see the hair. You hear Jinki yelp, and—
"It's pink!" You gasp out, overwhelmed. Out of all things, you didn't expect to find a mop of mauve pink colored hair underneath the hat. The shade is slightly muted, making it look less artificial. For some reason, it fits Jinki so well. His lightly tanned skin and the hair combined creates an exotic appearance of him.
Jinki is now pouting again, jutting out his lower lip like the hair is a punishment. "I wanted to surprise you, you know."
You tut at him, but leans down to take Jinki's cap off the floor, dusting it slightly. "How long would I have to wait?"
"Uh, until the comeback?"
"You haven't even announced the date," you reply with an unamused expression.
Jinki chuckles. "That's true." Out of a sudden, he poses. "Ta-da! Now you know I have pink hair." The sight brings warmth, because gosh, he's a sight to see. Then, with a huff, Jinki twirls the locks of the aforementioned hair, playing it around. "It's my first time, too."
You, however, are not paying attention to what he's saying. Questions pop into your head, wondering if Jinki’s hair feels soft like how it looks right now. With the lighting in your store interior, combined with warm natural light from the outside, the hair color looks chrome-like. It’s, no pun intended, shiny. All of a sudden, you feel a strong urge to touch it, curious how it will feel against your fingertips. Albeit hesitant, Eunmi’s words echo in your ears, motivating you to test the waters.
Leaning down, you ignore Jinki’s confused gaze and pull a lock of the sakura-colored hair. Your hunch is proven correct, it’s soft and luscious. As if in entrance, you caress more of his teresses, moving them out of his eyes while your fingertips occasionally graze his ear. You’re positively jealous of the care that goes into this man’s hair. It’s so soft, you want to pet it all day. Jinki can lay his head in your lap and you’ll definitely caress his hair all day long without a single complaint. The thought makes you giddy.
Your silly daydream is abruptly stopped when a large hand closes around your wrist, gentle yet firm. Realizing what you’ve done, you yelp.
“I’m sorry, I just--” You look down from the mop of hair to Jinki’s eyes, wide and as surprised as you. The close proximity catches you off guard. When did you lean in this close?
All of a sudden, every word dies in your throat. But his next words bring more surprise.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Y-yes?"
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Jinki cuts through the endless chatter running in your head. That’s not a question you ask out of nowhere, isn’t it? His voice, as usual, is warm… syrupy, but there’s a darker edge in it that you can’t comprehend. You blink at the question, still mute from the shock.
As if shocked by his own question, he visibly gulps, Adam’s apple bobbing and stealing your attention for a second.
“That customer said something about your man.” he murmurs reluctantly. Realization hits you hard, and your jaw drops. So he did hear your conversation with Eunmi.
“No!” You blurt in a rising panic. “There’s no man. No boyfriend.” With each word, your voice becomes more quiet, the embarrassment sucking away your confidence in front of him. But It doesn't help that Jinki’s scrutinizing you from under his eyelashes, making you shrink even more. Finally, the corners of his lips quirk up.
“Really?” He asks, sounding pleased.
"Yeah. She's just teasing me. She does that a lot," you explain with a nervous laugh. You don't know how convincing your lie is, but it makes him hum, the sound is like music to your ears.
“Good,” he whispers before you feel his thumbs rubbing circles on your wrist, languid and relaxed. The calluses of his thumb drag against your smooth skin and you inhale sharply, feeling ripples of heat course through your body from the touch. His half-lidded eyes are now assessing you and you can’t look away as they move on to your lips. As if falling under a spell, the action triggers you to spontaneously look at his lips in turn, full and parted and driving you crazy.
A loud voice jolts you two back to reality. A ringtone. Phone call.
Jinki lets go of your wrist, now panicking and patting his pockets. "It's mine. Where is it, where is it..." When he finds the phone, he picks it up while standing up. "Yes, hyung?"
You see him walk away with clouded senses. Unable to pick which feeling is appropriate to express, disbelief or relief, you give up and run away from the premises, choosing to bury yourself behind the workspace.
+++
"How did it go with your man?" Eunmi asks, face literally glowing after her vacation.
You only groan in reply.
+++
It's closing time.
Moving on to the table top surfaces, you take a cloth, spraying it with a liquid cleaner and getting it ready to wipe the surface. It's going to take a while, but you don't mind. Cleaning makes your mind wander, but at least you're doing something productive.
It's one of the nights you stay late to tidy up new items and play around in the kitchen. You had finished the second attempt of an earl grey frappe before you began tidying up. The clock struck 10 o'clock a few minutes ago, so it's already an hour after your closing time. You already flipped the sign to close, but your lights are still on, intending to turn them off when you leave the store.
Days had passed after that weird confrontation with Jinki. The close proximity you shared that day still brings you heat and confusion in equal amounts, and Jinki didn't make it easier for you to get through the following days. You never addressed that day, not at all. But do things go back to normal? Not exactly.
Jinki keeps getting closer to you. You notice the brush of his fingers against your skin while passing his drink, when you talk on his table he'd tap your arm, or when he's about to leave he likes to give a playful squeeze on your shoulders. On rare occasions, he would tuck your hair out from your face while smiling sweetly before rucking the tresses into a mess. Unhelpful. In addition, you can’t stop talking to him. The man has an excellent capability to extract words from you, asking things about yourself, from your favorite drink to your life before this cafe.
With the comeback date getting close, it’s not surprising when he doesn’t visit as often anymore. Once in a few days he’d come through your door and then scream your name, saying a nonsensical “I miss you!” Little did he know you share the same sentiment, but multiplied and definitely lack the jest.
With his absence, your heart longs more for him. You realize the intangible distance between the two of you has decreased, and you can’t suppress your feelings anymore. It’s silly to fall for an idol, cliche, even. But with his soft demeanor and warm smile that always graces his heart-shaped face, it’s impossible not to.
Despite the admittance of feelings, you’re still in a limbo. You’re not an expert in love. Chasing your dream from a young age, you have no time for romance. You’ve had a fair share of crushes here and there, but never this complicated. It’s impossible to ask for advice, too.
Remembering Eunmi's words, you did make your move on Jinki. And his response was something you never quite get. Did he hate it when you touched his hair? Can you even consider making a move that time a success? Do you even know what success would be like? Many times you stopped yourself from touching him again, whether it’s his hair (which is still bright pink, by the way), or to grab his hand for whatever reason. You’re so drawn to him, like a moth to flames and it’s making you helpless.
By the time you finish polishing the last inch of the counters, the door jingles. An annoyed sigh escapes your mouth, someone doesn’t read the sign on your store. You turn to the door.
"I'm sorry, we're already closed—"
Upon recognizing the visitor, your heart beats faster with surprise and inexplicable yearning. You haven’t seen him in days, and you already forgot what he sounds like. He’s wearing another random baseball hat, but the usual mask is absent. His lips are turned into a frown, his brown eyes, usually so full of life, are unfocused, and the eyebags look prominent. The unusual state makes your stomach twist with discomfort.
"Jinki?” You take a step closer. “It's very late."
The mention of his name jerks him back to reality. Raising his head, his gaze locks with yours wearily. Tentatively, he opens his mouth, trying to get words out, but nothing comes out and he looks away, looking so defeated. Running by instincts, you step closer to him, pulling him by the wrist to drag him in. Now with him standing close to you, you can see the tiredness on his face. The little freckles on his skin are like constellations of stars, you notice he’s not wearing makeup, and you can’t help but find the mole on his chin endearing. He looks so beautiful, but tired.
"Jinki," you call out again, worry lacing each word. "Are you okay?"
As if on cue, Jinki lets out a quiet sigh that makes your heart drop. He doesn’t sound like the usual Jinki you know, and you immediately receive the answer to your question. Gathering your courage, you put a hand on his broad shoulder, and take the other to pull his hat off in order to take a closer look at him. You succeed without any restraint from the man. Then, you rub your hand on the fabric of his shirt, trying to give some sort of reassurance, for what, you don’t know yet, but you’re trying. You see Jinki’s eyes glint for a second, and suddenly a head thumps against your collarbone. Oh. Your hands stop moving, and his hat falls to the floor soundlessly.
Jinki sighs again, this time his warm breath fanning over your clothed shoulder, making you freeze even more. Your head is filled with nothing but the close distance you share with Jinki. His forehead presses firmly on your shoulder, the weight starts to feel heavy, so you stand tall, pushing against the man who’s significantly taller and larger than you, with your hands hanging awkwardly by your sides.
"...It's difficult." You hear him whisper.
You try to peek at him, but all you can see is his soft pink locks. It looks fluffy, despite the hat covering it before, if not slightly damp. Quietly, you inhale his scent, floral and musky but mostly covered by the smell of sweat. It must be from a dance practice. For some reason, you don’t mind it.
"I know my limits, and I've been doing this for years," he murmurs into your shoulders, voice weak and slightly muffled but you still can hear every word. "But it really doesn't get easier."
The words hang in the silent air, with no one speaking afterwards. Deciding to stay and listen, you let him there on your shoulder. Questions run through your head, along with many emotions you’ve never felt before for the man; pity, worry, adoration, and surprise, but you don't dare to speak or ask. Not in such vulnerability.
The next minute runs slowly, and the only thing you can hear in the empty cafe is you and Jinki’s breathing. You hope yours doesn’t sound too fast, but you try to ignore the self conscious thoughts for now.
Suddenly, Jinki tenses and pulls himself away, straightening his back that’s been hunching to reach your height. With his face bare from any makeup, you can see a light flush on his cheeks, and his ears are pink, adorably matching with the hair. He's devastatingly beautiful, and you can’t help but stare in awe. Still drowning in embarrassment, he doesn’t seem to notice.
"I'm very sorry," he whispers, formal all of a sudden, voice still close.
"It's okay." You pat his back with a smile, hoping to cease his groundless embarrassment. "You don't need to apologize, I don't mind."
Jinki looks at you for a moment, mouth parted and eyes expressing an emotion you don’t quite understand, then they turn to crescents as he smiles softly.
"Really?" He asks, voice surprisingly even, a contrast to the state he was in before, and nimbly you nod. "Can I borrow your shoulder again, then?"
Oh. "Y-yeah." Your stomach does the twisty thing and when Jinki once again lays his head on your shoulder, you can hear your heartbeat going faster, thumping softly in your ears. For god's sake, you hope Jinki won't be able to hear or worse, feel them. Without a warning, Jinki shifts his head to the side, and--is he nuzzling? You swear that’s the tip of his nose touching your neck and now there’s puffs of air caressing your veins.
This is too much. It's your first time being this close with him, and it's not the best time to have physical reactions from this intimacy. Ignoring the shivers crawling on your skin, you will yourself to stay still, and even your breathing.
The two of you stay there. Again, you hear Jinki's breathing, then you hear your own. You’re not a physically affectionate person, but all you wish right now is to embrace him properly, to stroke his back and let him stay there for as long as he needs.
So you do that, you raise a hand to his head, caressing his pink tresses. Almost greedily, he leans into your touch, as if he's been waiting for it. With a fond sigh, you can't hold yourself from ruffling his hair further.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Maybe those words won’t be enough, but you find no fault in trying.
You hear Jinki inhale sharply, then he exhales in resignation before pulling back. He’s now standing at his full height, and you have to raise your head to see him properly. Relief blossoms when you catch his calm expression. With that, you share a moment of comfortable silence, exchanging unsaid words through intangible mediums. Then, you pat his shoulder twice before moving away from his personal space.
“Sit down, I’ll make you tea,” you declare to the now panicking man, rustling to get the kettle. Jinki's face is glowing, despite the lack of makeup. He looks animated, tired, but breathtaking. It's almost like you're seeing him in a new light.
"I thought you're already closing up," he complains weakly, and you offer him an innocent smile, pulling one tea bag from the box.
The sound of a chair being pulled is your winning declaration.
"You don’t have to.”
"And you have to drink some tea. Chamomile can help you sleep better," you chide, bringing the cup to the table. As you sit down, you see him fiddling with his hands.
"So… How's your day?"
"Like usual," you shrug. "But less fun without you." His face lights up and you stifle a laugh. "I made an earl grey frappe, but it still needs something."
"A new drink? Can I try?"
You smile widely. "I'll make it for you next time."
"Make sure you don't put too much sugar in it," he winks, and it prompts a laugh from you. Jinki looks better now, more refreshed and light but you catch him zoning out a few times, his gaze seemingly focusing on your face, making you squirm internally.
"What?" You ask, noticing him staring at you again. And he just grins, showing off the adorable gummy smile.
"Nothing." And he's back to his tea. By the time he empties his glass, he offers to wash it by himself. You almost drag his hoodie to stop him, but you finally relent - he already rushes to the sink, that man - and lets him do what seems to be one of his ways to thank people. Relieved, you start to recognize his usual self once more, so you join him with a lighter heart.
You’re taking off your apron when you notice a solemn expression on his face.
“How are you getting home?” He asks.
"I take the bus from the main street, then I walk for a few blocks."
His face turns dark. "Every night?"
You blink at him, searching the issue. “Yeah.”
"Let me drive you home," he declares, walking to your side. "It's already late."
"It's not my first time going home this late, it's fine."
His eyebrows furrow. "No it's not." Much to your surprise he gently takes your hand in his, like he’s hesitant. After seeing no discomfort from your part, he squeezes. “Please, let me drive you home.”
You know you can’t say no, the sincere concern in his face melting your resistance. You simply nod, requesting a few minutes to turn off the lights and pack your bag. He complies before preparing to leave the store first.
"I park my car near the convenience store.”
"The one in the main street, right?" He affirms, and stops. Confused, you wait until he leans closer. He ruffles your hair, messing with it playfully. You yelp a complaint while he laughs, and suddenly, he puts his snapback on top of your head.
With that, he leaves the store to prepare the car.
The gesture leaves you reeling, so you hold the cap to ground yourself. Belatedly, you realize this is going to be the first time you go out with Jinki outside of the comfort of your store. You know it’s nothing big, but it feels new, and exciting. And he’s going to drive you home, the gesture feels too intimate.
Arriving at the main street, you catch a sight of a black car parking near the convenience store. Right by its side is Jinki, waiting for you. He notices your form walking towards him and immediately opens the passenger door for you. Seeing you gawk, he grins.
“Come on,” he says, leading you closer with his hand on your lower back. The action makes you warm inside. You go inside the car wordlessly, and he joins in.
Maybe it's because of how late it is. Perhaps tea does have a good amount of caffeine. Regardless, the two of you are way too lively, especially after a long day of work. Jinki keeps playing random R&B songs and almost plays SHINee’s new song by accident, eliciting a gasp from the man and a delighted squeal from you. You keep telling him the directions, and the car strolls from amidst tall buildings to the residential area, where there are only smaller apartments and condos. He takes the final turn, and you excitedly point at one building, your apartment building. It’s a humble one, but you like how the location is far from dangerous areas of the city, and it’s neat. When Jinki finally parks the car, both of you whoop a drunk-like yaaay! while still laughing at each other.
Jinki gets out of the car first, humming sweetly, and you follow suit, the quietness of your neighborhood contrasts deeply with how loud it was inside the car. But it's a nice and welcomed contrast.
You skip to the staircase to the lobby, and you notice Jinki following you before he stops right before the first stair step. Turning towards him, you're not unfazed by the ever present smile on his handsome face.
The high energy you both share simmers down, turning into a calm and light atmosphere. Surrounded by comfortable silence, you drink in the sight of him, a man that's shining so bright even in the middle of the night, on a sidewalk. However, the moment must come to an end.
"Thank you for driving me home."
"No," Jinki begins, looking straight at you with his dark eyes. "Thank you, (Y/n)."
"Don't mention it," you giggle. Realizing the item on your head, you take it off, offering it to him. "Your hat."
He waves it off. "Keep it until I see you again."
You only grip the snapback since it doesn't look like he's giving you another option. So you nod before taking a deep breath. "Alright then, good night." You exhale, disappointment creeps within your words, unnoticed.
"Wait."
You're about to turn towards the lobby to climb the stairs when his hand grabs yours and unceremoniously pulls you to him. There's a short moment of clarity and your five senses heighten, noticing his smell, his presence and—His lips press unto yours, soft and slightly chapped, you note in a daze. Warm rush of joy fills you, and you're about to return the kiss when he pulls back, the sight of him leaving you speechless. If he was glowing before, now he looks like the sun, all warm smiles and overwhelmingly bright. Even in the dark his pink hair paints an unreal picture. Catching you off guard, he leans in to plant another kiss, this time on your cheek, your disappointment is too apparent because he’s chuckling softly when he drags his lips to your ear.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he whispers hotly, eliciting pleasant shivers down your spine. Leaning back, he waves innocently, gesturing at you to get into the building. Speechless and flabbergasted, you give a small bow before practically running towards your apartment.
That night, you plop onto the bed feeling giddy like a teenager. Your mind wanders to Jinki, and Jinki only, from how he visited you tonight, how his breath feels against your skin, his laugh, his silly pink hair, and - the kiss. After a glance at his hat, which you hang near your bed side, you giggle into your pillow, looking forward to seeing the man tomorrow.
Little do you know you're not going to see him again.
+++
Days pass.
The door to your cafe stays silent at 8 o'clock. There is no sight of a tall man in oversized clothes and mask, no sight of his sakura-colored hair. Ignoring the pang in your chest, you hope he's doing okay at work.
But days turn into weeks, and you know he won't be coming back. You hear news about SHINee's comeback, how successful it is and how all the members look mesmerizing and more handsome than ever. You also hear rumors about a certain man. The news say they spotted him a few times with a female, starting from them getting coffee together, to the more recent one, a picture in which the female had her hands in the crook of his elbow, both of them were smiling, clearly head over heels towards each other. People say they look good together, an idol and a famous actress. Even the fans are supportive of their presumed relationship, saying it's about time their oppa settles down with someone good enough for them.
That day, your heart breaks into pieces.
You drown yourself in work. The auntie from your regular bakery comes over to send you a variation of new cakes, asking about the customer behind regular orders of her traditional pastries. With a strained smile, you say he’s out of town, skillfully lying to the lady, and you don’t know when he will return - this time you’re telling the truth, bitter and a hard pill to swallow. The older lady pats your back, a sad look on her face, everything takes time, my dear, she says with a very knowing gaze. You swallow down a cry, unwilling to be seen so emotionally naked in front of her or anyone else, so you tell her you'll visit her tomorrow. Eunmi knows something's wrong. You hide emotions behind your cheerful self but she recognizes a broken hearted person anywhere, especially when it's her friend. So she takes you out to a pocha - a street vendor - near the neighborhood trying to wash away your pain with eo muk tang and soju. Having quite the high tolerance, you can't even drunkenly spill your secrets to her. But loosened up from alcohol, you tell her about your expectations and how it hurts you. You're grateful for her, nonetheless.
Weeks turn into months. The cold season melts into spring, a season too famous for blossoming love and all that bullshit. You never see him again, not on the news, not in person. He becomes a figment of your memory, a shadow that never fully comes into a tangible form that you can touch, or even gaze at. You toss and turn at night, trying to forget a man who managed to capture your heart, then breaks it mercilessly. You want to punish yourself for missing him, longing to hear his warm voice, his sweet laugh, and how happy he made you feel.
+++
It’s one of your bad days.
Granted, you haven’t been in your best state for months now, but you never let it bother your daily routine. Today, however, is just not your day. You wake up with a dreadful feeling in your stomach, like you’re walking on thin ice. So you wash it down with a cup of triple espresso, letting the caffeine induce faux energy in your veins.
Now you're in the bathroom of your cafe, glaring at your reflection in the mirror. You apply more lip tint and you discover it does improve your appearance, now you're less pale, much to your relief.
"With all due respect, (Y/n), you look like shit" was what Eunmi said to you before she left for her job. Grumbling, you give in and finally fix your appearance in the bathroom. Deeming yourself presentable - in fact, you look good, your hair's on point, you note with a grin - you leave the bathroom.
You see a figure standing in the middle of your cafe.
And he is awfully familiar.
Unbidden, a wave of anger hits you. Clenching your fist, you eye the man has been haunting your mind almost every single night. A shadow that somehow has taken his form, now.
"(Y/n)," he stammers. His voice is like a wake-up call, reviving a ghastly affection that you pushed down in your heart. You always like hearing your name on his tongue, luscious and teasing, but it never sounds this bleak.
Jinki looks different, the most apparent change is his hair, which is now dark brown, reminiscent of the first time you meet him. When was that again? Half a year ago? His fringe is slightly longer, a bit wavy and it fits him so well. Begrudgingly you admit his beauty did not fade, he's still as handsome as ever, if not more, and his cheekbones are more prominent, giving him a sharper appearance.
It's clear as day that he's somber, and the fact incites more anger on your part. Inhaling through your nose, you stomp back to your place behind the counter. From the corner of your eye you see his gaze following your movement.
"What would you like to order?" You ask, because even though you're heartbroken, you're a professional.
"I need to talk to you," he says. Of course he does. Nevertheless, you put on a charming smile before his guilt-stricken face.
"Your order, please."
He leans forward. "I'm sorry - " And that's the wrong answer, not when your day is already bad as it is, not when you feel so awful from the moment you wake up in your bed. Especially not after so many questions and non-existent answers on his behalf.
"If you're not buying anything, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," you say through gritted teeth, your customer service mask slipping off.
After an excruciating silence, he ducks his head, biting his lips, like he needs to stop himself from speaking any further. Then slowly, he walks towards the door. At that point, you should feel triumphant. But the pang in your heart says otherwise as you see his hunched back, filled with disappointment. Before leaving, he turns one more time, looking at you in the eye with a gaze that squeezes your heart painfully.
"I'll come back to visit again."
You watch the empty store, breathing harshly. There's a storm of emotions going inside you, and nothing you do afterwards helps you calm down. You've never been this shaken before, not even when you first heard of Jinki dating on the news. That day, you thought of course, of course he would date the actress. Not someone he randomly kissed after a particularly rough day. Idols are unreachable for a reason. But his reappearance opens a Pandora's box, releasing the feelings you locked in so many months ago.
To make it worse, this time Jinki is not lying. Because the next morning, he's back, he's wearing a black turtleneck shirt paired with slacks and covered by a dark brown coat, looking dashing all while smiling hospitably as he orders a huge americano and a dozen pastries for dine-in. He sits in his usual corner, fiddling with his phone all the while throwing glances at you. It's easy to ignore him with the presence of other customers, but when it's only two of you, it's a whole different kind of challenge.
Surprisingly, the man doesn't attempt to talk to you, at all. Jinki just sits there, waiting. He nibbles on one snack to the other, and continues to wait. You can hear him receiving calls silently, trying to hush his voice, but you hear words like "I'm not coming" and "I'm sorry, but I already told you yesterday” which start to melt the ice that’s settling within you.
The sun is setting when you decide you can't stand it anymore. He's been eating nothing but pastries, he had ordered another glass of coffee and he. Just. Won't. Leave. Checking the time, it's been 9 hours, and you’ve waited long enough, way too long, to get the answers you’ve been asking for.
With dread clawing inside your stomach, you stand up and walk to his table. Jinki notices your presence and immediately perks up. You despise the glimmer of hope in those familiar brown eyes.
"Why are you here?" The tremble in your voice is evident, and you inwardly curse. Jinki, however, looks determined and stares back with a steely gaze.
"I want to talk to you," he states evenly.
"Right now? The store is still open."
The air on his face changes abruptly, and you almost step back, feeling his anger. After throwing you an unexpected sneer, he speed-walks to the door, grabbing your wooden sign and flipping it over from ‘open’ to ‘close’. You stammer a protest, but he's already in front you, looming over with his taller body.
"It's closed." Motivated by desperation, you know he will do anything to get what he wants. But internally you shake off the tingles of warmth you feel when seeing him this assertive. "Can we please talk now?"
You chew the insides of your cheek, biting off your frustration, because you know he got you cornered. With a sigh, you nod. You've listened to many people, many stories ranging from sorrow to joy, and you listen well, quiet and composed. Now, you're anything but. You can't bring yourself to look him in the eye, uncomfortable with the increasing tension in the air. He remains silent, and you feel more uneasy. When he finally speaks, you should’ve seen it coming.
"I'm sorry." You feel each word stabbing your chest. "I'm sorry for not coming back, I have my reasons so please let me explain first."
You inhale sharply. "You have a girlfriend."
"No, I - "
"You have a girlfriend. Why did you even kiss me?"
Hurt flashes on his face. "She's not my girlfriend. And I kissed you because I wanted to."
Anger rises in your veins.
"Everybody says it. It's all over the news." You hold the urge to sneer, to laugh at his attempt to lie. Jinki’s mouth opens and closes a few times, his hand flailing helplessly. Then, he holds a hand up.
"Give me a minute," he insists before opening up his phone. You're close to berating him for lack of manners but he suddenly holds the phone to you. You look up at him quizzically. He only nods, somber and knowing, so you take it.
You gasp, your stomach churns with dread.
On his phone screen is a picture of the two of you, clearly taken by someone who's not supposed to see it. It was from that night before he stopped visiting, and it has you and him on the main street, right before you enter his car. Your face is hidden by the cap he lent, but he is ushering you into the car with a hand on your lower back. Unlike your features, Jinki's are crystal clear. He’s not wearing anything to cover his face, and his pink hair is bright in the dark. From the proximity, it's obvious what it looks like.
"T-this is - "
"Paparazzi. We managed to prevent the worst case with the help of media insiders, but we still needed to do preventive measures.” At that moment, SHINee was about to start promoting a comeback, if it went wrong, it'd ruin everything. “So, one of my agents suggested I fake-dated another celebrity to cover it up."
Your eyes widen. He stops, and stares at you knowingly.
"I was under heavy scrutinization. The media had their eyes on each and every movement I made. They followed me everywhere." He ducks his head, chuckling with an uncharacteristic self pity in his voice.
"I couldn't visit you. It was too risky. So I waited, and played along with the plan. Thankfully, announcing the relationship was not necessary. The pictures and interactions were enough. In the end, all we had to do was deny the rumors, saying we're just friends who helped each other in her acting gigs. Furthermore, I don't think they managed to publish the original picture. If they did… Let's just say I wouldn't be here."
Silence stretches between the two of you. Your mind is still processing all the things he’d said, but you can feel the blooming hope within your heart, trying to tell you to listen and to give him a chance.
Jinki inhales, chest expanding before letting out of his frustrations through a harsh exhale. Then, he moves forward, taking your hand with his hesitant ones, testing the waters. Staying still, you watch with anticipation and thundering heart as he pulls your hands up.
“I miss you. I miss this place. Being around you makes my worries disappear, as if the only thing that matters is the time we spend together. I've always enjoyed your company since I first visited this place by chance but…” he takes a deep breath, eyes boring straight into yours.
“I didn’t expect to fall for you."
Your breath hitches, and he moves closer. Just an inch closer, testing the waters.
"Please, give me a chance. I didn’t mean to stop seeing you. To stop visiting for months, not being able to see your smile… It was a torture.”
With shallow breaths, the aftermath of your shock, you find yourself unable to say anything. Your head is light and dizzy - clouded with emotions after his revelation. He pulls your hand to his lips, pressing a light kiss that stills you even further. His eyes are solemn, filled with so much longing that suddenly becomes clear to you.
"Will you forgive me? Can I try again?”
Months of learning to forget and hate him melts away. There's something in your expression that makes Jinki's eyes soften. You miss that gentleness that brings so much life to the man, but most of all, you miss him. Just him. Letting instinct take over, you pull your hands away from his grasp as his face falls.
"You idiot," you murmur helplessly, moving forward only to punch his chest, albeit weakly, ignoring his protests as he stumbles back with a yelp. "I waited. I waited for you but you never came back, I thought you - you got bored of me or something."
"(Y/n), no - "
Something inside you snaps, and you let words come out like a waterfall.
"I like you a lot, Jinki. More than a lot. I-I think I'm falling for you too. I didn't know what to do when I saw the news. It made me feel so bad about myself. And you just kissed me too. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
He scratches the back of his neck, a little embarrassed.
"W-well, I don't have your number."
Unbidden, you choke out a strangled laugh, noticing the tears that's appearing in your eyes. With trembling fingers, you grab his shirt, hiding your face away in his chest.
"I waited for you." You repeat, voice hoarse and weak.
With a tenderness you never felt before, he holds your face and frowns, regret paints his eyes darker.
"I'm sorry, I'm here now."
"Is it even safe for you to be here?"
"It's been months, I'm out of their radar now, my team made sure of it."
"Stupid."
"I know, I know. I am stupid, I'm sorry."
"I missed you." You finally say, and in a second warmth engulfs your body as he pulls you into his arms. The scent that is undoubtedly Jinki, oh so familiar to you, comforts you almost instantly.
"I missed you, too." He says into your hair, and you return his embrace with a hiccup. "Are you crying? I'm so sorry."
You pull back, stubbornly trying to show him you are not crying but he just laughs - bright and warm, shit, you really missed it - cupping your face so tenderly it makes your cheeks burn. But something in your face makes him frown.
“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” Your eyes widen at the nickname and his face falls. "Um, is it okay if I call you that?"
"S-sure," You reassure him, secretly melting inside.
"Good. So, what's on your mind?" He inquires with a hint of worry. You bite your lips, thinking about a question that has been lingering in your mind.
“So that night, when you kissed me… It wasn’t a mistake?”
At that, a smug smile graces his plump lips. Gosh, you even miss this side of him, the one that takes enjoyment in flustering you.
“I never regret it."
Relief floods your heart, and it leaves blossoms of hope. So you look up at him, putting on a cute expression that hopefully melts him.
“Can you do it again?”
He chuckles, not showing any protest before leaning in to capture your lips.
“Gladly.”
+++
"Are you sure it's safe?"
"I parked the car at a market two blocks away from your cafe, I think we're okay, (Y/n),” he sighs, pushing your back for you to start walking. Due to someone’s reckless action, you closed the store hours before it’s closing time, and now you even get to go home early.
You laugh. "Fine."
There's a part of Jinki that will never agree to you going home by bus, hence why he's insistent on driving you home once again. With a lighter heart, you accept.
But contrasting the previous trip, the ride home is silent. You can hear the faint sound of keys jingling against the dashboard, and the constant clack of pedals being stepped on. You turn your gaze to the driver, the sight of his side profile greeting you. He's breathtaking, you think, the mole on his chin is beyond adorable, and all of a sudden, the man turns his face. He offers you a smile before patting your thighs - as if knowing that smile makes your legs weak - and within seconds his eyes are back on the road, leaving you flustered.
Jinki parks the car across your apartment building, bringing a deja vu to the whole situation. You open the door and step a foot outside, thinking of saying good night to Jinki there and then. But he doesn't share your thoughts, because he's already leaving the car, intending to see you to the lobby.
"Alright then," he says softly. "Good night, (Y/n)."
The insides of your stomach twists. You don’t want him to leave yet. Months passed without him in your life, and despite having brighter days ahead within the new relationship, a selfish part of you still wants to spend time with him, making up for the lost time. You don't know what pushes you forward that night, but you’re already pulling the cuff of his sleeves, fingers curling around the fabric.
Jinki turns around, confusion clear in his brown eyes. "Yes?" He's tilting his head, cute.
"Would you like to stay for dinner?" You blurt out and his eyes turn into saucers. "You haven't eaten a proper meal today. I can make something for both of us."
His surprise melts into a bright smile, his eyes crinkling with happiness. You see his ears turning red. "I'd love to."
You step into your home first, taking off your shoes and changing them to slippers. Gingerly, yet excited, you pull another pair of slippers to give to your guest. It’s a pair of white bunny slippers, with little ears as the decoration. You hope he doesn’t mind the design.
"Oh, thank you," he says, stifling a laugh at the object - rude - before ducking to follow your gesture. Then, he removes his coat, hanging it on the rack, revealing a set of broad shoulders and chest, the fabric of his low turtleneck shirt emphasizing the swell of his arms. You hang onto the sight for a little too long, and by the time you look away, Jinki already has a knowing smirk, amused at your dumbfounded expression. With a huff, you practically rush inside your home, ignoring him.
Without even looking, you know he's scanning your room. You're quite proud of it, because it may be small, but you made it as comfy as possible. You don't have dining tables, instead you have island counters and high chairs. Gesturing Jinki to sit there, you excuse yourself to change into more comfortable clothes. As you're about to reach your room, Jinki calls your name. You turn to see him holding a familiar cap from your shelves.
"You kept it with you." He's grinning as he flails the hat, looking all giddy and adorable, and it's contagious.
"Of course, you told me to."
"That I did. But I didn't expect you to hold it after what happened."
He's not wrong. Many times you wanted to throw it away, since it's the only item you have that's left of him, the only string left of the frail connection you had with Jinki. But you couldn't, despite the bittersweet feeling that came from seeing the hat, sometimes you found comfort from it.
As if sensing the deflated mood, he pushes the hat on your head playfully, pulling a laugh from you which halts when the back of his hand caresses your cheek, his eyes assessing you with intrigue. The same hand ends up on your shoulder, giving a light push.
"Go on, aren't you going to change?"
You scowl half-heartedly, trying to ignore the subtle suggestive tone in his voice.
Quickly, you go into your room to store the hat away and change into your usual attire at home, lounge shorts and a large t-shirt. You stride to the kitchen area and take a second to drink in the sight of Jinki in your kitchen. It’s real. The scene is so domestic you can feel butterflies fluttering in your stomach.
"Does soybean soup sound good to you?" You ask, now standing in front of the island counter. You laugh internally realizing how similar this is to your usual dynamic at the café. "I have some pork dumplings too.”
Jinki blinks, then he looks at you from your head to toe with half hazed eyes. The way he’s drinking in your form triggers the heat pooling in your belly, especially when he stares at your thighs for a moment too long, and you can't help but squirm under his gaze. It's a truce, you suppose, for you've ogled at him as well.
"That sounds lovely." His voice is quiet, eyes hazy like he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. "Can I do anything to help?"
Bless this man. "Then, can you chop the vegetables?"
"Sure." He gets up and walks to your side, already eyeing a cutting board that’s hanging near the sink. Meanwhile, you’re rummaging through the freezer, acquiring a bag of frozen pork and leek dumplings, trying to distract yourself from the fact that you're cooking together and it's so domestic, fuck - you move to the shelves, intending to get the soybean paste container up there. It's not that high, you swear, but you do need to tiptoe.
Then unexpectedly, a hand goes past yours to grab the container. Familiar scent tickles your nose and warmth seeps through your back, with that you know Jinki’s standing behind you.
Sheepish, you turn to thank him but stop when you realize how close he is. He's looking at you with hooded eyes, intense and filled with emotions you're familiar with, because perhaps, you're mirroring it. A rustling sound catches your attention, and you notice Jinki putting the container down to the counter. You can feel the top surface of the same counter digging into your hips, and belatedly you catch up with your situation, it almost feels like you're cornered.
Jinki puts his hand on the counter by the side of your torso. With the rolled sleeves, the muscle of his arms draws your attention once more, his bicep tensing as the hand presses on the surface. Now you're cornered by his strong arm, and he moves the other to your hair, fingers tickling your temples, dragging them slowly to move your fringe out of the way.
"Are you okay?" Asks Jinki, almost rhetorically, voice lower than you've ever heard in all the time you've known him. He smells like wood and a hint of something floral, and you start to feel intoxicated from it. He's moving closer, at first you can only hear his breath, but within seconds you can feel each puff of air on your skin.
You take note of your heartbeat that runs a mile, the way you breathe in shallow intakes, and the wild butterflies in your stomach. You notice how desperately you want him to touch you, kiss you, it's inappropriate. Then, the answer should be no, you're far from okay.
Instead, you gulp. "Yes," you rasp the answer and the corner of Jinki's mouth quirks up, devilish yet sweet.
"Good."
And then he's on you. His lips descend on yours, urgent and feverish, and you melt against him immediately. You know this is not the first time you kiss, but it wasn’t like this before, that one was short and sweet, you didn't think it could be this hot and intoxicating.
His hand cups your cheek, tilting your head to mold your mouth better, the gesture makes you weak and you let him guide you to his will, and by the time he succeeds, you're already gripping his shoulder for balance and support.
Jinki opens his mouth, pulling your lower lip in between his teeth, grazing and teasing it until you accidentally let out a whimper that causes him to inhale sharply. The noise fuels your need to be closer to him, so you kiss him back harder, trying to take any sort of control. But Jinki's not having it, he puts his hand on your lower back, gripping them tight enough to make you gasp. He uses the opportunity to sneak his tongue past your swollen lips.
Overwhelmed by him, you push your own appendage against his, meeting it shyly. He groans, voice rumbling low like never before and it goes straight into your core. Your lips dance together in a sensual rhythm as the temperature between you seems to increase. Eventually, you grow more breathless, and pull back. He follows suit, detaching your mouth but keeping you close to him. Like tunnel vision, you can only focus on the man who has you in his arms.
Jinki touches your forehead with his, which feels really warm. His whole body radiates heat, like a furnace, and you want the warmth to engulf you more. Pulling back, he cups your face tenderly, calloused thumb rubbing your cheek carefully, as if too much pressure will break you into pieces. You won’t break, but the weight of his gaze does cause you to squirm. Feeling self conscious, you bring a hand up to your face, attempting to hide your disheveled self only to have Jinki tut at the action.
"You always do that." With his large hands, he pries your smaller ones away, showing your flushed face for his delight. He smiles in awe, and you can’t look away.
"You're so beautiful." He whispers.
Elated by the compliment, you mirror his smile before pressing a chaste kiss to his full lips. The harmless peck turns into another heated kiss in no time, with you pressing yourself against him and him parting his irresistible mouth to welcome yours excitedly. Abruptly, he retreats again, chuckling nervously as he puts his hands on your shoulders.
"I’m sorry.” He sounds strained. “If we keep doing this, I won’t be able to stop.”
Again you’re reminded of how much of a gentleman Jinki is, how proper and patient he is. But you had enough. With a ridiculous amount of desperation coming from the ever-growing tension in the air between you two, you muster all of your courage. "Then don't."
With eyes as big as saucers, Jinki is about to say something when you take the chance to grab his arm and lead him to the couch in the middle of your room. You're in no rush, you know he knows what you want, and he's following your lead soundlessly. You sit down, he follows suit and you notice the way he takes no time to turn to you, cupping your face as you lean into the palm of his large hand. Despite the gentleness of his touch, you can see the storm in his eyes and how it waits to crash unto you.
So you end his uncertainty.
"Don't stop." You whisper before leaning in, capturing his lips in a languid kiss. He reciprocates, returning the favor eagerly while his hand wanders on your exposed thighs, the skin to skin contact bringing shivers to your spine. It doesn't take long until your frenzied self shifts closer to him, ending up sitting in his lap, and his lips have left yours in order to explore the skin of your neck. He parts his mouth and starts sucking on your skin, exposed by the large t-shirt. You breathe shakily, positively quivering in his hold. Never would you know the usually calm man can turn you into a molten heat under his touch.
Wanting to feel more of Jinki, your hand wanders from his chest to his abdomen and lower to his thighs, eliciting a hiss from him. Mesmerized by his reaction, you crave more, so you shift in his lap, moving in a way that will make your thighs brush against the hardness between his legs.
"Oh god," he moans out loud, voice gravelly but still melodic to your ears, it brings a proud grin to your face, provoking his eyes to turn dark. He tuts. "Don't get ahead of yourself, sweetheart."
The endearment alone sends a familiar wetness straight to your core. He smiles, knowing exactly what he does.
"May I?"
You nod, and suddenly his hand is on your inner thigh, dancing dangerously close to your center, and your breath hitches, knowing how wet you are by now. His other hand travels to your back, sneaking under your shirt to rub circles there, fingers brushing with the back of your bra repeatedly, the sensations make you whimper and the satisfaction on Jinki's face only brings more excitement in your veins. You almost let out a moan, biting your lip when you feel his finger pressing on your core through the pants.
"What was that?" He hums, putting more pressure.
"Don't tease me," you manage out, holding his upper arm with a trembling hand. Your last sliver of pride seems to fire a challenge within him, so you curse out loud when he easily pulls your pants down along with your panties, leaving you exposed. He rubs your thighs appreciatively, making you whimper.
"Jinki, please…"
The way his name sounds on your tongue right now must be so erotic, because you can feel his erection twitch in response. He hums, leaning in to ghost his lips over yours.
"What do you want, sweetheart?"
"Please touch me." Your voice comes out in a breathy whisper.
Deceptively calm, he slowly spreads your legs, putting one foot on the couch and the other dangling on his strong thigh, and drags his thick finger on your slit. That first contact alone pulls a moan out of you causing him to sigh with appreciation.
"You're so wet for me, aren't you?"
"Don't say that - "
He gives you a crooked smile. "What? It's true, you're soaked."
It's not a secret that he enjoys teasing you until you lose your composure, but this time he's driving you crazy, and you know he's reveling in it. Losing control, you gasp as you feel a touch on your clit before his finger enters you easily. You bite your lip, closing your eyes as the glorious sensation takes you by surprise, and you lean forward to hide your face in the crook of Jinki's neck. He whispers sweet words, his other hand holds you tightly as the other keeps fingering you. Then, he pulls your body away, raising your chin, his eyes meet your questioning ones. Your answer arrives when another finger pushes into your wet cavern, making you keen. "A-ah - "
"Is that okay?"
The consideration doesn't go unnoticed. You nod, and he pulls you closer for a kiss as you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him as close as humanly possible. It's messy, you keep moaning into his lips, leaning back to pant as Jinki picks up speed, you have to hold a scream when he goes deeper, and crooks his fingers to a spot that rocks your body into a quivering mess.
Your control breaks when he rubs your clit with his thumb, feeling the pleasure building, and you can't stop the euphoric moans coming out of your mouth. Jinki stares at you with wonder in his eyes, appreciating your form as you gasp and pant his name so beautifully.
"Are you close?"
Feeling the intense heat coiling in your lower abdomen, you can only nod, but he persists, taking your chin rather forcefully you almost feel ashamed of how much you like it. His usually warm brown eyes are like molten lava, burning with desire and it lights you up in flame.
"No, tell me, are you close?" He demands with a harsh swipe on your clit and you arch your back in intense pleasure. You clench harder on his fingers, struggling to find words to answer him.
"Please, I'm so close - ah," You haven't finished your words when his hand increases the speed, going deep to rub your inner walls all without warning. You are in a sweet delirium, not caring of anything else at the moment. Your breaths are shallow, chest heaving up and down as your orgasm is teetering very closely.
Knowingly, Jinki looks into your eyes, hunger visible in the depths of brown. But his words are soft.
"Cum for me, sweetheart."
With a high pitched moan, you let your climax crash into you, pussy walls clenching around his fingers that have been fucking you for a while now. You bury your face in his neck, inhaling his scent that starts to mix with sweat. It calms you, so you breathe in more, still panting from your orgasm.
"Good girl," he murmurs into your hair, peppering kisses on the crown of your head, and you respond with a strained laugh.
"Oh my god, you're insane."
He joins in, ruffling your hair playfully. Looking back up, you see him staring at you with equal parts adoration and lust and the huge hardness underneath you calls your attention.
"Hey, what's wrong?" His voice is strained yet gentle, slightly concerned with the sudden silence. You look down, and he immediately knows what you're thinking.
"(Y/n), we don't have to - "
"Jinki, I want you." You lean closer, brushing your lips against his alluringly, silencing him. "I told you not to stop. Don't you want me?"
He swallows, control slipping.
"I want you so bad." He whispers, voice strained. He's devouring you with his gaze, hands cupping your face possessively. Intending to push him to his limits, you take his hand and slowly kiss each finger, pressing light pecks on the callused skin. You start sucking on his thumb, and he curses before eagerly pushing the thick finger in your wet mouth, pressing against your tongue. He's a storm about to explode, and you know it.
"Shit, I want you all for myself," Jinki grits out. He grabs your waist roughly, making you gasp around his thumb, before he pulls it out. "I want you begging me to let you cum, like you did just now."
You moan at his words, unconsciously rolling your hips to his, which pulls a pained groan from him. At that moment, you know he can't resist you anymore.
"Do you want it, sweetheart? Are you sure?" He finally asks, and you nod, eyes determined and rightfully desperate. You're a wet mess and you want nothing but to have Jinki inside of you. No longer wanting to wait, you finally go for his ear, whispering your one and only wish for the night.
"Please fuck me, Jinki. Make me yours."
He inhales sharply. With shallow breaths, he tugs you closer, kissing you deeply before shifting you in his arms. You yelp as he picks you up easily and starts walking towards your bedroom.
"There's no way we're doing it on a couch." He winks before dropping you on the bed while your squeal fills in the room.
As if there's a switch, the laughing subsides. With one glance at the man before you, you can only focus on one thing. You rush to pull off Jinki's shirt, and you marvel at his body and all the defined muscles. Taking a little too much time ogling him, Jinki chuckles, but you can hear the slight nervousness, and goes ahead to unbuckle his belt. The action jolts you back into reality, so you help him to remove the offending fabric.
Your hands are trembling, but Jinki's too, and you find comfort from it as you fumble around, too excited to care about anything else in the world.
Growing impatient, you capture his lips again which he responds to eagerly. God, his lips are soft. Your hand goes south to palm him through his briefs, trying to stimulate him more. With a muffled moan, he asserts his strength and takes your hand before flipping your position and resuming the kiss. Trapped under his strong body, you let yours go pliant as his hands explore it greedily.
He all but rips your oversized shirt before pushing you back down on your bed. Satisfied and not being able to hold himself back anymore, he cups your breast through your bra, making you gasp, and he quickly removes it before going straight to tweak a pebbled nipple. Sighing in pleasure, you move your hips upwards, needing some friction. Jinki notices it and smirks.
"Impatient, aren't we?"
Perhaps you should feel more ashamed for your wanton, but there's no remorse, only a painful need for the man before you. Who you’ve waited for so long.
You let out a whine. "Please?"
"Please what?"
"I want you inside me - oh!"
Without a warning, Jinki pushes in two fingers into your heat, the earlier wetness and your own release help in slicking his fingers.
"Like this, sweetheart?" He asks, clearly teasing you, playing with your bundle of nerves, your noises encouraging him to arouse your body further.
"Jinki, please…" You all but beg, hands reaching to touch his body, down to his cock, still in the briefs, trying to send an obvious message to your lover.
With a smile, he pulls out his fingers. Like the patient person he is, he takes his time to take off his briefs, finally freeing his hard cock. You can't help but feel intimidated by his size. Deceptively slow, he strokes himself while peering down at you, enjoying the fucked out look in your eyes and leaving you almost drooling at the sight he provides.
"God, I want you so bad," he grunts. "You don't know how long I've wanted this."
"It wouldn't take too long if you hadn't left," you whine instantly, making him pout.
"I'm going to make it up to you, okay, sweetheart?" He leans in, peppering kisses on your cheeks while slowly pulling your legs open. “We have all the time now.” You marvel at his gaze, loving and all heat at the same time. After wetting his cock with all your essence, he finally starts pushing in, tensing your whole body.
"Relax," he says, caressing your thighs softly and you nod, letting him push himself inch by inch. God, he's huge and he's stretching you so well.
"More," you whimper and he knows you're growing impatient as well, in one swift motion, he pushes all the way in and makes you moan in pleasure. You can feel his girth around your walls, and you clench unconsciously.
"Shit (Y/n), don't do that." He pulls back while chuckling, the tip of his cock almost leaving your core. "Let me make you feel good first."
You nod weakly, about to say something, anything but get cut off when he pushes in again, this time deeper.
"Jinki," you moan as he replies with a quiet "Okay?" To which you nod.
And he does. He slides in again, and again, and you can't even form words to save your life. His cock feels amazing, fucking you like there's no tomorrow. You pull him closer by the neck, kissing him hard and sloppy. Taking advantage of your muffled mouth, Jinki wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you up slightly and making your legs wrap around him before he starts pounding into you relentlessly. He swallows your euphoric screams, only pulling away to enjoy your expression, basking in pleasure.
As soon as his cock hits your pleasurable spot, you gasp out and clench hard, earning a guttural moan from him. "Jinki, I'm - "
"You're close, aren't you sweetheart? Are you going to cum for me again?"
"Yes! Please - oh my god," you ramble before your words turn into a high pitched moan as you feel Jinki's fingers playing with your clit. You're so close, the second orgasm already creeping up to you, more intense than the first.
"You were so beautiful when you cum earlier, will you show it to me again?" He offers a sweet smile, contrasting the way he's pounding into your pussy and you only whimper in answer. He pinches your engorged bundle of nerves, expression turning dark.
"Answer me, can you, sweetheart?"
"Yes!" You gasp out, the stimulation jolts fire within you. "Yes, only for you Jinki."
With a particularly harsh thrust, you choke a gasp before a wave of pleasure hits you. You can feel yourself clenching uncontrollably, legs shaking as Jinki pulls you closer, pressing a kiss on your temple.
"Good girl, my good girl," he rambles, chasing his own high desperately. Dropping his head into the crook of your neck, he gives one last push before groaning in release, spilling his essence inside you. You sigh with content, running your fingers in his soft brown locks. After a moment, he leaves your neck, craning his head up before smiling broadly, the post-coital glow so apparent on his face. You grin, pressing a kiss on his nose, which makes him laugh.
"Hang on," he murmurs, pulling out of you before plopping down on your side. "Hi."
"Hi," you respond, moving to his arms, grinning and giddy from your own high. He wraps his arms around you, pressing his cheeks into the skin of your neck.
"Still up to cook?" He asks, and you realize all the cooking supplies you've prepared in the kitchen. You get up, but he stops you. "Let's just order a takeout. I'll help you clean out the kitchen."
You sigh. "Fine."
"You can cook breakfast tomorrow."
You blink owlishly, which gets a sheepish smile in return.
"Can I stay over?"
A large smile blossoms on your face. "Of course."
“Give me a second then.” He begrudgingly gets up, looking slightly lost for a moment before finding his phone. The sight amuses you so much you don’t realize Jinki pouting as he makes a call.
"I won't be coming back tonight," Jinki says to the phone before a loud shouting blasts from the device. He laughs, looking behind to catch your gaze before smiling wide. "Sure, I'll introduce her later to you."
"Wha - Taemin?" A scoff. "You two have fun, then."
Finishing the call, he crawls back to your embrace in the bed, making you giggle. Jinki hums with contentment before nudging you back, wishing to see your face. You don't know what he sees, but his smile turns softer, and he really looks like the sun.
"You're insane." he half-whispers, and you laugh, boisterous and too giddy. You decide to tease him.
"But you haven't seen nothing yet."
His lips quirk into a devious grin. "Is that a challenge?"
You only smirk in reply, which encourages Jinki to lean up and try to kiss you, but something comes to your mind so you push yourself off him.
"Wait here, we need to clean up." Ignoring his disappointed look, you stand up and start to walk away. Suddenly, you hear a loud rumbling noise. When you see Jinki, he already has a hand on his stomach with only a mild surprise, like he knows it will happen sooner or later. You huff.
"And you need to eat."
He laughs, following suit only to wrap his hands around your waist, seemingly unable to detach himself from you for too long. You grumble, attempting to wrestle away from him. But he's stronger, and holds you so you're looking at him. With a voice as warm and sweet as his favorite drink, he murmurs.
"Just one more kiss, sweetheart, then dinner."
The nickname works like a charm. Albeit having disbelief in his self-control - and yours too, to be frank - you give in, relaxing your body and accepting his lips on yours again, thankful that he returns, excited for the days you'll spend together with him in your life.
#onew#shinee#onew x reader#onew x you#onew smut#onew scenarios#shinee scenarios#shinee smut#jinki x reader#jinki x you#jinki smut#jinki scenarios#kpop smut#jinki fluff
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magic au .....!!!
magic au was me turning to one of my favorite tropes ever in times of really struggling so badly with writing lmao anyway the idea is magic haunted building tries to get two people to finally confess their feelings for each other by doing some. seriously questionable shit.
IN THIS CASE it's basically. oscar has a crush on lando. oscar is also a witch. anyway his MAGIC decides it's time for lando and oscar to finally get their shit together and tries to achieve this by. turning lando's driver's room against him???? (magic is weird). basically weird shit keeps happening in lando's drivers room which means lando is forced to spend time in oscar's drivers room (maybe the magic is onto something here). anyway here's the opening scene, for funsies :)
It starts, ironically enough, with a bang.
Lando has just said goodbye to Oscar in the little hallway of the McLaren motorhome, getting a small wave and a close mouthed little smile from Oscar before he’d ducked into his driver’s room, Lando disappearing into his own. His phone is on 10%, and they still have a ton of media duties before they to leave the track, so he grabs his charger, plugs in his phone-
The horrible fluorescent light above him explodes with a loud bang and a flurry of sparks as the whole room suddenly plunges into darkness.
Lando yelps, jumps back, trips over something on the floor and falls down in a flail of limbs, which is how Oscar finds him barely two seconds later, door of Lando’s driver’s room slamming open with a loud bang.
“Lando,” Oscar says, a little frantically. He’s standing in the doorway, backlit by the light still streaming in from the hallway, and Lando’s first thought is, ‘huh, he kind of looks like an angel’ followed very closely by ‘oh my god do I have a concussion’.
“I’m fine,” Lando says, struggling to untangle himself from the stack of race suits he’s somehow found himself in. Oscar steps over, sticks out his hand, hoists him back on his feet. “Thanks.”
“What happened?” Oscar asks, glancing up at Lando’s exploded lamp. It seems fine, except for the fact that it’s not doing anything.
“I don’t know? Plugged in my phone and the lamp just exploded. Too many things plugged in maybe?” He grabs his phone, unplugs it from the charger. At least that’s fine. “Going to have to ask someone to replace that, I guess,” he says, forlornly looking up at the lamp. “Unless you know where we keep the lightbulbs?”
Oscar snorts. “I don’t.”
“Hm, well,” Lando glances around his now rather gloomy looking driver’s room. There’s light filtering in from the hallway, but it makes the already rather sad looking space look absolutely depressing. “Can I maybe stay in yours for now? I’ll text someone to come fix it, but I think it’ll be a while and we have that media thing later I think?”
“Oh, yeah no problem,” Oscar says, heading for the door. “Kim’s coming over in a bit for a bit of a massage, though. My shoulder’s kind of stuck,” he wiggles it around for emphasize as Lando follows behind him.
“Yeah,” Lando says, texting someone from the team to ask if they know where the lightbulbs are, maybe. “Yeah, sure, no problem.”
--
It’s. Well. Lando didn’t lie. It’s not a problem, perse. But it’s. Something.
Lando’s curled up on the little couch in the corner of Oscar’s driver’s room, scrolling away on his phone and decidedly not looking at Oscar who is sprawled on his stomach on the massage table in the other corner, making truly indecent noises.
Lando thinks that maybe it would be better if Oscar would just commit. If he would just fully all out moan like his life depends on it. That way, Lando could at least make fun of it, a little, maybe. Or something.
But instead, Oscar’s making these quiet little noises, these half bitten off moans and little whines and soft gasps and it sounds like messing around in broom closets and trying desperately to stay as quiet as possible and hands over mouths and broken off moans and Jesus.
Not that Lando’s ever done any of those things with Oscar. But now he’s thinking about it.
Oscar’s taken his shirt off too, and so whenever Lando dares to glance over he’s just met with broad shoulders and strong back muscles and good lord when did Oscar get so big.
Lando wants to bite his neck. He also wants this goddamn couch to swallow him whole. He settles for something in the middle which is going back to frantically scrolling through Instagram. He hasn’t absorbed a single thing he’s seen for the past ten minutes.
Kim, who is also still very much there, presses into a specific spot in Oscar’s back and it startles this gasp-y little sound out of Oscar and Lando briefly considers if maybe his driver’s room did this on purpose. Maybe this driver’s room was like ‘fuck you for always leaving your dirty socks on the floor’ and sabotaged his lamp just to watch him suffer. He can almost hear it laughing at him, through the thin wall separating Oscar’s room from his own.
That, or he’s going a little insane.
He’s never been more glad to see their PR manager poke her head around the driver’s room door to inform them it’s time to go.
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I really adore reading your different opinions and discussions about the Twist Cast, world, theories, and so on. Which is also why i wanted to ask you: If you could rate the 7 Dorms (+ Ramshackle dorm) based on environment, characters, interior design, etc. how would you rate them from a scale from 1 to 10...?
I'm curious to know. :)))
Well and this is probably the scientist in me speaking 💦 those are a lot of different factors to consider in one score, and not all of them are equally weighed. Each dorm is very different; we don’t even get the same number of characters for each; the higher number of characters in Heartslabyul, for example, could either bring down or bring up the whole score). It wouldn’t be a clean or a fair game.
Instead of giving “overall” numerical scores, I’m just going to break them up into multiple categories, each list arranged from “favorite” to “least favorite.
By Environment:
Octavinelle — I’ve always wondered what it’s like under the sea… It’d be so tranquil just through Octavinelle’s big glass walls and watching the sea creatures drift by. So therapeutic! (And free, too 😂)
Heartslabyul/Pomefiore — Both feature gardens! I can get lost in them, smelling the roses along the way. Pomefiore is more traditionally pretty (ballrooms, grand decorations, etc), whereas Heartslabyul focuses on whimsy and wonder (more clutter, windy halls, etc). I appreciate both aesthetically!
Ramshackle — Nothing that standout, but also nothing too bad about it. Might be depressing to look out of a window and immediately spot a dead tree and a graveyard though. Also keep in mind that Ramshackle is located the farthest from the main buildings on campus, but I don’t mind this because walking a while helps me properly wake up. The isolation is also nice for an introvert like me.
Diasomnia — Everything looks dark and dead. Constantly worried about being poked by thorns.
Ignihyde — Does outside even exist to these nerds?/j Same issue as Diasomnia but worse somehow; too gloomy and dead looking. Looks creepier because of the tech glowing/casting some light in the darkness.
Scarabia + Savanaclaw — IT’S TOO HOT I’LL DIE OF HEAT STROKE
By Characters:
*Note: takes both individual characters + group dynamics into account*
Octavinelle — The most cohesive as a group, but each Octa boy also stands on their own as a strong and interesting character in my eyes. Helps that J word also belongs here 💕 Watching their schemes unfold is always a treat.
Scarabia — Jamil and Kalim are a comedic yet complicated combination; seeing them puts a smile on my face whether it’s because Jamil is suffering or because Kalim is being oblivious. Usually both.
Savanaclaw — The only one I’m meh on is Jack 😭 Best part of Savanaclaw is definitely when Leona steps up and everyone else backs up his leadership.
Ignihyde — Love Ortho, don’t love Idia (except for those few moments when he’s relatable), so it evens out. Appreciate how much Ortho cares for his brother and encourages him to try new things! Big fan of their wholesome brotherly dynamic, it’s basically one of the few times I can stand Idia.
Pomefiore — Of the group, I only like Rook. I don’t really care for their group dynamic.
Heartslabyul — No particularly strong feelings about anyone here. They’re alright.
Diasomnia — The only character I like of this group is Sebek, and even then the love is somewhat conditional (because as soon as he starts harassing people about Malleus, that love plummets). Silver and Lilia are okayish, but I dislike Malleus so that brings this dorm way down. I think Diasomnia is strongest from the found family angle.
Ramshackle — … What characters? (Yuu doesn’t count; they’re purposefully written as a blank slate and I would rather read about an already established character than an intentionally bland one. The ghosts also don’t count because there’s nothing to distinguish their personalities from one another; they don’t event get names 😭) Grim is a little meowmeow on his own…though I do really love the ghosts being Yuu and Grim’s found family.
By Interior Design:
Octavinelle/Pomefiore — Classic and fancy ✨
Heartslabyul — I’m a sucker for the Alice in Wonderland aesthetic.
Scarabia — Looks huge and fun to explore; probably full of interesting things to gawk at because of the wealth that has been poured into the dorm.
Ramshackle — Cozy, nothing offensive about it.
Diasomnia — Feels like I walked into a haunted castle. Doesn’t look very welcoming or inviting. Might get jumpscared at the next corner.
Ignihyde — Too inorganic and stiff because of all the tech and blue screens floating around. I’d probably get a migraine from just being in Ignihyde.
Savanaclaw — Outdoorsy energy. Would constantly be concerned about sun burn and bug bites (because of how “open” the dorm’s design is). Rope bridges would make me feel nauseous. Just overall not a fun time.
*Bonus* — By Uniform(s):
Noble Bell College :>
Octavinelle — Simple but effective. Also just love me a crisp suit 😩 and cummerbunds (since they accentuate the waist)…
Pomefiore — The colors as flowy fabric are so pretty together… It’s also interesting how they incorporated a kimono-like design into a very European styled/inspired dorm. It works surprisingly well! Adore the intricate fabrics in their sleeves; the complex apple pattern on the red, the sheer black material, etc.
Diasomnia — I have no clue how this uniform works (like, putting it on), but I will agree that it looks cool and intimidating. The hats are slightly silly, but they work well with the whole look.
Scarabia — Looks easy to move in! Love the gold accessories as well. I don’t like the garish flame pattern on their hotpants or the sandals.
Heartslabyul — Why are you wearing sneakers and plain white T-shirts. I thought the dorm uniform was supposed to be formal wear 😭
Ignihyde — Weirdly blocky and geometrical. Nothing that eye-catching to look at.
Savanaclaw — The biker-cowboy aesthetic is just NOT it, sis…
RSA
Ramshackle — … What dorm uniform? Grim’s striped bow? Cuz I’ll agree that it’s cute, but we have nothing else to go off of since Ramshackle isn’t formally recognized as a dorm.
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Giving Love
Yeosang x M!Reader
Yeosang hasn't been too well, you went over to see him and make him feel better. Baking cookies and brownies with him wasn't the only thing you used to help.
18+, Soft Dom!Yeosang, romantic setting, may be a small mention of depression.
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The day seemed to be gloomy, abnormally. You were on call with your boyfriend of 2 years, Yeosang. Something was off today, he wasn't sounding like the normal smiling guy you knew. Instead he sounded...weak, sad. You played off the call and silently got some clothes together into one of your small bags and wanted to pay him a visit.
The call had ended as well as it could, you going into the car and taking a few minutes to drive over to the Ateez dorms, enjoying the small drive as it started to rain. You got to the dorms, texting San to let you in, you scanning the pass Yeosang got you to get in through the front.
San: Hey Y/N!
You: Hey Sannie, you mind unlocking the door for me? I'm coming by.
San: Sure, I do know of you've noticed, but Yeosang has been off today.
You: Yeah, heard it in his voice, I'm coming in, just scanned my pass.
You got to the door and San opened up the door for you, him pointing to the kitchen where Yeosang was. You knocked on the kitchen doorframe and alerted him, making him smile weakly at you before he took your bag and set it aside, placing his hands on your face to give you a kiss on your pretty lips.
"Hey, why didn't you tell me that you were coming by? I was just baking some cookies right now." He said, soft eyes looking at you, filled with what you hoped wasn't depression. You sighed and replied to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't hit send on the message before I left. San opened the door for me." You lied, not wanting to hear his denies and declines for you to come.
You took a moment and put your bag in his room, seeing the bit of a mess, you took the opportunity to clean it and set it up, red and dark, lit up by heart shaped candles, red sheets and the whole 9 yards before coming out and closing the door. You kept it locked for now before heading back to your man.
He smiled as he admired you, pulling you close to talk with you a little. "Why did you come by? You don't normally come without a reason unless I bring you here." He said and held his strong arms around your slim waist, you smiled as you held your hands on his chest. "You sounded a little sad over the phone, I came to cheer you up in any way I can." You replied, the others subtly watched you, they swore they could see hearts around the two of you.
He chuckled softly before using a mitt to take the cookies out and placed them on a cooling rack before going back to you. Seonghwa and Hongjoong were going out to a dinner, San and Wooyoung were going to the arcade for a fun night, Yunho and Mingi were going out with Jongho so Yeosang and you had the night free. You decided to show yeosang his surprise now, pulling him to the bedroom. He groaned playfully before you got the key and unlocked the door to show him.
He was surprised to see it all, all the work that you put into it made a spark of blood inside shoot not only to his cheeks but down in his pants too. He snapped out of it when he got a kiss on his cheek from you. He watched you before shutting the door and keeping the lights off. You were already out of your shirt, him following along as he came closer, kissing your lips with soft care, slightly making a gentle noise as the both of you stripped down to nothing to get under the red covers.
He felt his heart beat fast as he felt the spark of love again, the one that made him happy to start this relationship. It pushed aside the sadness he was feeling earlier, letting him him in content feeling. He didn't want to push in yet so he used his hand and held both of your cocks together, shifting over them softly first. You sat there, enjoying his soft kisses pressed against your neck, his chest pressed against yours as you two slowly got closer to your climax. When you felt a twinge of sparks hit to signal him that you got close. He didn't want you cumming yet so he turned you on your side and straddled one of your legs.
You felt embarrassed at this position at first, only to ease into it. You felt him press into you, slowly pushing in while kissing your leg softly. He soon bottomed out, praising you softly. "So good just for me, I really do love you.~" He said, kissing your leg more before softly moving into you. He gently grabbed your hair and pulled back the only strands to keep your head up so he heard you as he trusted faster. "Yeosang, fuck..I love you too~" you said, smiling at him as he trusted just a bit faster to hit you gspot inside, making you see swirling hearts instead of stars. He groaned in your ear, holding you close as you both got close, you both found more arousal in a love making like this than your rough sex.
"So close, my honey bunny, please cum with me~" He begged, pressing deeper into you. You gave louder moans, getting him closer and closer as his thrusts got a bit harder, keeping that same pace. You felt the coil in your stomach untie itself, you and him cumming all the same. Yeosang smiles as he laid you on your back, getting you in a hug as he let it all go. He didn't want to move and neither did you. "You know we can't stay like this all night. We should take a bath together instead." You said with a giggle before kissing his lips again, he playfully pouted before pulling out and taking you to the bathroom, the rest of night after your bath was gentle and happy cuddles.
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A/N: A sweet Yeosang story, please like and follow for more stories and comment down who you'd like to see!
#ateez#ateez x you#ateez x reader#ateez imagines#ateez smut#ateez x y/n#ateez x male reader#yeosang x reader#yeosang x y/n#yeosang x you#yeosang
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Silence. 1
Zelda sat alone on the abbey's roof at night.
It wasn't a joyous breath of fresh night air or active sulking against her fate and her failures. Instead, she sat in a kind of malaise that went against her vow of devotion, because it in no way glorified Hylia. Her prayers had exhausted her, and she'd worked so diligently at her chores to try to impress the Goddess that her muscles ached. So now she just...sat.
Should anyone else at the abbey see her in such a dithering state, they--of course--wouldn't judge her (due to their vows of charity), but they would also ignore her, charitably giving her the opportunity to correct herself, as she ought. Sitting out on the roof like this, the others would assume the best of her and assume that she was seeking out the tranquility of the stars and the calmness of the night to meditate and still her inner turmoil.
Perhaps that's what she should have been doing. But it wasn't.
Maybe you need a moment of rest. That was foolish. She hadn't done enough to rest.
And maybe there was something else going on. Although there was no written rule against it, she was not supposed to be on the roof, and she found the small act of rebellion soothing. She had no idea what she was rebelling against (so why was she even doing it? Goddess, she was such a mess). And it was such a small thing that it didn't even count (which was both relieving and depressing). So maybe the Goddess would appreciate this small enjoyment of the outdoors a bit more than if Zelda were having her malaise down in her sleeping cell. But the minor intention behind it to be a bit bad probably outweighed that.
Anyway, that's why Zelda was on the roof when the knights arrived.
They rode their horses up the great stairs from Gate Town in no real hurry, carrying the banners of her father despite the darkness. This late, they should have stopped in Gate Town and spent the night at the inn. They should have come up to the Temple of Time in the morning and interrupted breakfast. But instead they rode on. That meant whatever message they had was urgent, but the slowness of their almost leisurely ride said the opposite.
Curious. And concerning.
Clearly, they were here for her. (That wasn't a self-centered thought. That was simply the logical conclusion given the evidence.) Maybe they were taking her home. She had no idea if she wanted to go home.
"It's not so gloomy," one of them announced.
"Not any worse than the camps in Faron."
The rest laughed. She hadn't heard anyone speak in months. It was as if their voices were a knife and the silence of the plateau were something soft and tender. You would think they would take a hint and quiet themselves, but they did not.
"Yeah! I bet it'll be nice and cozy."
"Warm."
"With feather down mattresses."
"Because we know you like to sleep."
"And those five-course meals you like."
As they dismounted, they handed the reigns of their horses to a scurrying acolyte. Then they passed below her on their way to the temple, laughing and oblivious.
Oblivious except for the last knight.
He was shorter than the others, with the face of a boy under the sharp eye holes of his helmet. She would assume that he was a squire except that the plume on his helmet was the bright red of a captain. He did not laugh. Or say anything really. She startled when he lifted his head to meet her gaze.
And then he was gone, following the rest into the temple.
It took a while for silence to settle over her again. Either her ears or nature itself were so unused to the raucous sounds of human speech that the buzz lingered. Like ripples on a pond well after the stone had sunk to the bottom, the peace remained disturbed.
Just as the silence was getting back to normal, just as the crickets had gone back to chirping and the wind wafted back over her face, the bells rang. The ringing chimes eased more naturally into the quiet, as if they belonged, as if they were endemic. They brushed aside the silence instead of cutting through it. The call to the temple was unexpected, but not startling, and Zelda sighed as she stood from her spot and dusted off the butt of her pants.
It seemed the knights had put an early end to her malaise.
#
Inside the sanctuary, a few of the acolytes looked around in curiosity. But even as they were called from their beds, none of them looked irritated. Irritation was not charitable. If any of them felt this way, they were hiding it down deep.
Zelda took her seat in her usual pew and tried to look less desperately curious than the others. She always tried to be the best of the acolytes (not that it was a competition. She just wanted to do well to earn the Goddess's smile). The acolytes at the abbey got so little news. They saw all the same faces every day. Unlike her life at the castle, the drama at the abbey was rare and subdued. That might be because they didn't have the best methods of spreading gossip, so unless you were a witness, you would miss it completely. It might be because everyone was so understanding that there was never much interpersonal drama to speak of.
For the first year she was here, Zelda had had no idea how to deal with it.
Now, although she always tried to bury the emotions, she was starved for something interesting to happen. But not starved enough that she wanted to be the interesting thing. A bitter part of her wished that the abbot had come to her privately and called her into the sanctuary to meet the knights. Then it occurred to her that he might have done just that and not been able to find her in her cell. The only way for her to make an appearance was to call the entire abbey. Really, this was her own fault.
At least she'd give everyone else at the abbey something to think about for the next week after she left.
Then a horrible thought occurred to her: What if she didn't leave? What if these knights had come to give her an epic dressing down in front of everyone, and then they left her here in her shame with the oh so charitable looks that bordered on pity and bordered on curiosity but never quite pushed far enough into either. Panic began to claw at her chest, working its way into her throat, and she desperately tried to make eye contact with the abbot to silently plead that he not do this.
Studiously, the abbot ignored her.
The knights had barely cleaned themselves up. They had removed their helmets, but they still wore their clanking armor and still carried all their weapons. That wasn't technically against the rules, but it was a bit distasteful, if you asked Zelda, which no one did. They all took seats in the very front pew and had the good sense to calm themselves and bow their heads beneath the gaze of the Goddess.
Standing directly before the Goddess statue, the abbot lifted his hand in greeting a meek apology for waking them. Then he gestured at the knights, beckoning them forward, and a tell, broad-chested man who held himself as if he were responsible for a great many important things rose. He slapped the boy on the shoulder with the back of his hand, signaling for him to rise as well, but the boy was already halfway out of his seat. Together, they approached the abbot, the boy's eyes locked on the face of the Goddess statue.
"I present Sir Link," the large knight said, introducing the boy with a hand motion. "By order of the king, he will sequester himself here for a time."
Zelda's eyebrows rose. The knights weren't here for her at all! She bit back a smile as her chest flooded with relief. Now she could join in everyone's curiosity over the boy. The knight. Who was banished here.
Hyrule needed every knight they had. It was unheard of to send one away.
Of course, it was also unheard of to send away the crown princess, and yet here she was. So anything was possible really.
The abbot smiled, fond and welcoming, focusing all his attention on the boy as if the big knight were not there. Due to his necessary administrative duties which involved people outside the abbey, the abbot was the only one of them whose vows allowed him to speak. Even then, she hadn't heard his voice since Dimiv took her vows four months ago. His rough voice scraped over the words as if he could sand them down.
"Are you ready?"
Without a word, the boy lowered to one knee, dropping his eyes from the Goddess to the tile.
"Sir Link, you seek to join the sacred order of Hylia, a call of faith and service. In her service, you will live a life of charity--providing for others above yourself and remembering always that you are Hylia's hand, and Hylia loves all her people. As you hear her call, do you take the vow of charity?"
"I do so vow," the boy said. His words seemed as unused as the abbot's, small under the Goddess's feet.
"In her service, you will live a life of devotion--dedicating your time and energy to worshiping the Goddess, glorifying her in thought and deed above all others. As you hear her call, do you take the vow of devotion?"
"I do so vow."
"In her service, you will live a life of simplicity--meager your belongings and meager your needs. You will embody restraint, cleanliness, chastity, and silence. As you hear her call, do you take the vow of simplicity?"
He nodded his head, sealing his voice away.
The abbot smiled, tugging Link's pauldron until he stood. Then he pulled the boy into a welcoming hug that Link was too startled to return.
.
Chapter 2
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Keith’s route out of context
Common Route
The term “growing mushrooms” is used a few times in the route. Being depressed and gloomy can also mean damp. Mushrooms grow in dark and damp places. So it’s become an expression for when someone becomes really depressed. It’s definitely one of my favorite sayings xD
He’s been apologizing for an hour
He then apologizes for apologizing
---
Keith talks to himself a lot
Liam has something to say but the expression on the butler’s face makes Keith cover his ears. He doesn’t want to hear any of it
---
Keith’s about to apologize for the rumors circulating around the castle too when MC interrupts. Instead she apologizes for being the cause of the rumor. Keith apologizes too
---
The two argue about MC going back to the castle because it’s cold. MC insists on looking for the accessory with him. Keith tells her he gives up on looking for it so they should go back. But MC knows he’ll be coming back out again
On the carriage, Keith’s avoiding MC who wanted to share his cloak with him. He needs to mentally prepare himself. He’ll allow it for a bit so MC immediately throws part of the cloak over him.
---
Keith: No doubt the warmth of your hands is just right. Your caress is probably gentle and feels good. Must be nice
Licht + Yves: Eh?
Keith: Eh?
Keith, in a panic, clarifies that it sounds like getting a massage
---
According to Clavis, Keith is self-deprecating but finds the good in others. A conscientious worker that likes Clavis’ food. MC doubts the last part
---
Gilbert’s nickname for Keith is Gloomy-kun
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MC patted Keith’s head in an attempt to draw him out of his spiral. Even if it’s just a little bit
---
He apologizes for being in her bed and tells her that she can slap him or punch him in the stomach
---
He’s glad his uselessly big hands could be put to use
MC says Keith’s still cute now
---
When MC clenches her fists in anger, (Alter)Keith taps her back as if to calm her
(Alter)Keith presses a cold drink against her drink and enjoys the sound she let out. Retaliation for making fun of his drawing
---
MC would love to fall into one of Clavis’ pits now
Suddenly amber eyes come really close. Leon asks MC if she misses Keith. He and Nokto start to tease her.
Nokto tells her that Keith’s returned to the castle which excites her. Nokto tells her to go to him since she’s enjoyed the party enough. She deserves a break. Also Nokto can build more business relationships with Jade if they get closer
---
She finds some stars that, when connected, look like Sariel’s glasses. Keith tries to hide his laughter. Seeing him laugh so innocently like that is cute.
---
Alter!Keith has this habit of tracing MC’s ear and caressing her face in general. Her reactions amuse him
---
MC asks Alter!Keith to let her go but he raises her ankle and leans in. MC threatens to kick him. Alter!Keith just responds with he’d be happy to get kicked by her.
She then asks alter if he’s the one that drugged her. An affirmation makes her kick him away in anger.
There should be a limit to how soft-hearted MC can be. The fact that she’s more concerned about Keith being hurt rather than him finding info about her is laughable.
---
It feels good to have feelings that aren’t directed toward Keith directed toward alter, even if it’s MC not wanting anything to do with him. He’d rather be hated than have someone be indifferent toward him. Just as long as he’s remembered. Liam says he really is like a child
---
Alter!Keith tells MC to open her mouth like a baby bird.
Alter!Keith’s an elegant eater. Left-handed.
---
A little girl tells her mom that she found a book he wants. Alter pulls it out for her. He reminds her to thank her mom if she buys it for her
MC wonders how he knew what book the girl wanted. He holds up a finger and MC follows his finger as he moves it left and right, making him hold back his laughter. He could tell by the child’s gaze. They zero in on what they want, just like what MC just did.
He then pokes her cheek teasingly and starts squishing them because of how soft they are. MC can’t keep calm with the feeling of his firm, warm fingers and the way he looks down on her.
Alter!Keith has kindness in him, but purposely antagonizes MC for her reactions. Man is full of contradictions
Seeing how Alter!Keith’s enjoying himself tickles her heart but also makes her sad at the thought that he hasn’t had many chances to be himself
---
Alter!Keith threatens her again with leaking what he knows. Her words are both poison and medicine for Keith. Kill Keith.
---
Keith removes his hand from MC’s and pulls her into a hug. Just let him hold her for a bit. She can hit him later (she won’t). But he can hug her until he’s satisfied. She returns his hug
Keith’s grateful. For the hug, for believing that he has two personalities, and for not rejecting him
---
Alter!Keith pulls her close and kisses her on the cheek (this guy!). His vision’s just blurry. If he had lost his vision, he might’ve accidentally kissed her on the lips
---
Alter!Keith’ll grow mushrooms if he continues to stay in his room
---
MC’s filled with regret. It’s as if she had said she’d rather have Keith here than alter. MC wants to beat herself up for not realizing that she’s always been thinking about Keith in front of Alter!Keith until it was too late.
---
Silvio asks Keith if he’s listening. Keith says he was talking about how Rio had stepped on Silvio’s cape, tripping him. Silvio flicks a peanut at Keith’s forehead and says he didn’t fall.
Silvio flicks another peanut at him.
Keith feels bad for taking up MC’s time but is thankful. He continues to praise her work, completely oblivious to Silvio’s brows furrowing more and more.
---
Leon tells MC that it’s the 5th time she’s thought about Keith since getting on the carriage
Leon continues to pat MC’s head and mess her hair, making her laugh and lift her spirits.
---
Keith’s so depressing. He better not grow mushrooms on SIlvio
Standing from his seat, Silvio (jangly) points at Keith and loudly tells him that he knows the solution to his problem but is wasting time looking for advice.
---
If MC’s not going to accept Keith’s cloak, then let him be her windbreak. She can’t let him do that and tries to think of other solutions. MC crouches down. The rose bushes will protect her, she explains
Keith tells MC that she looks cute when she’s small like that. But the roses won’t protect her given the direction of the wind
Keith’s weak toward MC’s honest eyes and her requests
---
MC’s mad at Keith for being reckless as soon as his eyes healed
He smiles at the fact that she worries about him because he’s important to her. MC tells him it’s not something to smile about and his smile immediately drops.
She tells him to take his shirt off when he mentions he might have something on his back
Lol MC’s excuse for being lost in thought and pausing on the bandaging was that she was admiring his muscles. Keith says they’re not much but she can admire them as much as she wants
She’s too caught up by the fact that he’s shirtless and Keith apologizes for the teasing
---
Then MC remembers that she’s hugging Keith. And then becomes hyper aware of his body heat, scent, and heartbeat.
---
Coming out of his stupor, he covers his mouth with his hand at how cute MC was. No, she’s always been so cute. Wait, what is he thinking. He’s being gross.
---
Keith asks alter!Keith what he did to MC. The thing lovers do, alter responds. Like kissing. The forest trembles as if reflecting Keith’s surprise. Wind violently blows through the trees. He asks Alter what he thinks he’s doing (and he uses “omae” instead of “kimi” :o).
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gone
pairing: edward nashton x fem!reader
summary: edward ghosts you before becoming the riddler to protect you. inspired by the song “gone” by rosé.
contains: ghosting, breakup, depression.
a/n: this hurts to write but i’ve been feeling kinda sad lately and this idea just came to me. remember you can still request, hope u guys like this ♡
“ I just wanna be the one
but to you, we’re already done
tell me, why’d you have to hit-and-run me?
now im all alone crying ugly
you broke my heart just for fun
took my love and just left me numb.”
Gotham city felt gloomy and dark, as Edward stood by the window of his dimly lit apartment. His mind felt like a labyrinth, consumed with puzzles and enigmas, but there was one riddle he couldn’t solve — his own heart. You had stumbled into his life unexpectedly, igniting a new spark within him. Your presence in his world felt like a breath of fresh air, a beacon of light piercing through the darkness of his mind. You were the woman he had grown to cherish, his sanctuary, his solace, but now he had to let you go. He knew the darkness that lurked within him, waiting to be unleashed. That darkness that threatened to consume everything he held dear, and he couldn’t bear the thought of putting you in harm’s way.
He decided to disappear, like a phantom vanishing in the night. He severed all ties, leaving no trace of his existence behind. His calls went unanswered, messages left unread, as he slipped further into the shadows. Edward had always been different, his intellect surpassed that of ordinary individuals, and his mind thrived on solving mysteries and testing the limits of his knowledge. However, he was plagued by an internal chaos that threatened to destroy him entirely, and he knew that embracing his destiny as the Riddler would only bring destruction into the lives of those around him. He thought of you every day, longing your touch, your warmth. It was a heart-wrenching sacrifice, but he convinced himself it was for your own safety.
“Another story that's sad and true
I can feel the pain, can you?
You had to be the one to let me down
To colour me blue”
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. You searched tirelessly for Edward desperate for any sign of his existence, but all your efforts lead to dead ends. You found yourself lost in a sea of confusion and heartache, replaying your moments together, searching for any trace of where it all went wrong. You just couldn’t understand why Edward, the one who had shown you love and tenderness, suddenly vanished from your life. The silence that enveloped you was deafening, and you wondered if you had been abandoned, left to drift aimlessly in a world devoid of his presence.
Edward watched you from afar, and he was determined to protect you, even if it meant sacrificing your love. But watching you only fueled his internal torment, he was between the desire to keep you safe and his longing to hold you in his arms once again.
One stormy night, you stood on the rooftop of a dilapidated building you and Edward used to visit to talk for hours. He had taught you so many things, and you just couldn’t get him out of your mind. The rain was pelting against your face and a soft breeze brushed against your skin, carrying with it a familiar scent. You turned, hoping to find Edward standing there, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a single envelope laid at your feet.
Trembling hands picked up the envelope, and with cautious anticipation, you tore it open. Inside was a letter, inked with Edward’s unmistakable handwriting and stained with raindrops. Your heart raced as you devoured his words, feeling the weight of his conflicted emotions pour onto the page.
“ My dear,
I write to you now, my hearth heavy with sorrow and regret. I have chosen a path that requieres sacrifice, a path that will keep you safe from the darkness that threatens to consume me. I cannot bear the thought of you being caught in the crossfire, and I fear that if I stay, I will only bring pain and danger into your life.
Please understand that my absence is not a reflection of my feelings for you , it is a testament to the depth of my love. Hold onto our memories, the laughter and the light that once filled our days. They will guide you through the darkness, as they are the fragments of my soul that I leave behind.
Remember, my love, that you deserve happiness and safety. It pains me to leave, but if fate allows, our paths may cross again, and we will reclaim what was lost. Until then, know that I carry you in my heart, even in the depths of the shadows.
Yours forever,
Edward”
Tears mingled with raindrops as you clutched the letter to your chest. The realization of Edward’s sacrifice washed over you, a mix of pain and understanding intertwining in your heart. Now you finally understood. With a renewed sense of purpose, you vowed to hold onto the memories you had created, to keep the flickering flame of your love alive.
You would wait for him forever.
this was so relieving to write. thank you guys for the support, and please like and reblog if you enjoyed this. kisses, grace ♡
#Spotify#danonation#paul dano#dano!riddler#edward nashton#the riddler#the riddler 2022#the batman 2022#the batman#batman riddler#riddler#edward nashton x reader#edward nygma#dc universe#the riddler x reader#rose#blackpink#gone#gone by rosé#rosé#roséblackpink#paul dano x reader#riddler x reader#riddler x y/n#riddler x you
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Sleeping Beauty Spring: "Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics: Briar Rose" (1989 anime series episode)
Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, or Grimm Masterpiece Theatre as it's known in its Japan, was one of my earliest introductions to the Grimms' fairy tales. When the English dub of this anime aired on Nick Jr. in the '90s, I remember seeing various episodes, including Rapunzel, The Brave Little Tailor, Rumpelstiltskin, and The Four Skillful Brothers. More recently, I've discovered and enjoyed episodes I missed back then, such as Cinderella, Snow White, and The Coat of Many Colors (All-Kinds-of-Fur). The most recent episode I've discovered, and the first one that I've watched in subtitled Japanese as well as in the English dub, is Briar Rose.
Since this series is based on the Grimms' fairy tale collection, this episode is very much a retelling of the Grimms' Briar Rose, not Perrault's Sleeping Beauty. Most notably, in keeping with the Grimm's description of the magical women as "wise women," and not as fairies, they're not portrayed as fairies here. Instead they're thirteen witches. They all live together in a gloomy castle, all first appear as frightening animals before they assume their human forms, and all wear dark colors and look faintly sinister. Fortunately, they're kind as long as they're treated with respect... but if they're not, beware! Unfortunately, because the King and Queen have only twelve golden plates, the thirteenth witch isn't invited to the celebration of the princess's birth. In rage she enlarges herself to the size of a giant to crash the feast and curse the baby. In the original Japanese version, she curses her to die, with the twelfth witch altering the curse from death to sleep; in the English dub, she curses the princess to sleep forever, and the twelfth witch alters it so that someday a prince will wake her.
Fifteen years later, we meet a far more melancholy Briar Rose than the lively princess seen in other versions. Her well-meaning but misguided father the King treats her like a child, still expecting her to play with dolls, and is overprotective too, forbidding her even to leave her room when he and the Queen aren't home. Thus we find Briar Rose playing a sad melody on her harp, yearning to be free to grow up, and refusing to join her parents on a ride into town to buy her more dolls as birthday gifts. (This is the Japanese version; the English dub makes things worse, as she's said to have never been allowed to leave the castle at all, and instead of refusing to go doll-shopping, she refuses to join her own birthday party out of depression, despite the waiting guests.) A surreal montage of roses reflects her longing to "bloom." But suddenly, from an old tower, she hears the sound of a harp playing a perfect conclusion to the melody she's been trying to compose. Disobeying her father, she ventures into the tower... where of course she finds the Thirteenth Witch disguised as an old woman with a spinning wheel.
As soon as Briar Rose is asleep, the Witch puts the rest of the castle to sleep too, then surrounds it with thorns. A band of peasants try to break through to rescue the royal family; some years later, so do two thuggish warriors who want to win the princess. But all these men are entangled in the briars and presumably die. (Though the English dub just says that they become trapped under the spell too.)
A hundred years later, however, a young Prince is riding through a blizzard, when he finds the castle. From the tower he hears the sound of Briar Rose's harp music, then sees a vision of the princess. (The English dub also claims that he's been having dreams about her, but the Japanese version doesn't say so.) Then the gates magically open and Briar Rose's voice calls for him. When he finally finds her sleeping on a bed entwined with briars, we reach a very unusual storytelling choice: this Prince doesn't wake Briar Rose with a kiss. Instead, he accidentally pricks his finger on a thorn, a drop of his blood lands on Briar Rose's lips, and this is what breaks the spell. The happy ending is what we expect, though, as the rosebuds on the briars all burst into bloom, and everyone wakes up. The Thirteenth Witch, seemingly weakened by the breaking of her spell, flies off in the form of a bat (just like in Toei Animation's 1976 anime version), while Briar Rose and the Prince joyfully celebrate their wedding.
This is a standout among the episodes of Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, combining a warm, colorful aesthetic and gentle fairy tale romanticism with touches of darkness, melancholy, and poetic surrealism not found in many other Sleeping Beauty retellings. This is true in either the original Japanese version or the English dub. Having watched both versions back to back, however, I must admit that I prefer the Japanese. The English dub adds a voiceover narrator and quite a bit of extra dialogue, removing much of the Japanese version's subtlety. It also cuts a few frames of animation that feature drops of blood, as well as bowdlerizing any mention of death.
In either language, though, I recommend this unique Sleeping Beauty to any lover of both fairy tales and anime.
@ariel-seagull-wings, @thealmightyemprex, @faintingheroine, @reds-revenge, @paexgo-rosa, @autistic-prince-cinderella, @the-blue-fairie, @thatscarletflycatcher, @themousefromfantasyland
#sleeping beauty spring#grimm's fairy tale classics#grimm masterpiece theatre#briar rose#1989#anime#animated series#japan#fairy tale#sleeping beauty#tw: blood
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Hey, I love your blog! I have so far only read the first book and I know about Nicki only from fanfics and I’m pretty new to this fandom 🥹 I have some questions (if you want to answer them):
• Which year was he turned?
• When did he die and when/how did Lestat learn about it?
• Why did he go insane/Why did Lestat just leave him with the coven?
Thank you in advance! 💕
Hey dear!
So glad you enjoy my little corner!
Also welcome to the fandom, I hope you enjoy your time here!
These are quite difficult questions^^. I'll try to answer them as best as I can, but I can only do some of it by inferring them. (Also, these are obviously the book dates^^, some of these will (need to) change in the show.)
____
Nicolas de Lenfent is supposedly Lestat's age.
He was my age perhaps, and quite tall, and when our eyes met I remembered who he was. Nicolas de Lenfent, eldest son of the draper, who had been sent to school in Paris.
Lestat was (supposedly) born November 7, 1760. He goes to Paris with Nicolas after the wolves, which he hunts at 20:
In the winter of my twenty-first year, I went out alone on horseback to kill a pack of wolves.
I interpret the "winter of" as 20+, because Lestat later refers to himself as having been 20 when he was turned.
Which gives us the year 1780 as the year Lestat was turned (likely December?! or beginning of 1781), since November is quite late in the year). Lestat has been a vampire for a short while in March.
One night in march, I realized as Roget read my mother's letter to me that I could read as well as he could.
Lestat is a vampire for about half a year before he turns first his mother, Gabrielle, and then Nicolas.
So I would put Nicki's turning in 1781.
Lestat learns about his death in a letter that Eleni wrote him.
Our Oldest Friend, maddened by the excesses of Our Violinist, finally imprisoned him in your old residence. And though his violin was given him in his cell, his hands were taken away.
"Our Oldest Friend" here is Armand, btw, who cut off Nicolas' hands and starved him until he broke fully.
But N., maddened by the pain and the starvation, for this can alter the temperament completely[...]
Lestat reads this letter in Cairo, and he reaches Cairo a month after leaving Greece, and there he had read letters noting the following:
Before I ever left Greece, I'd been hearing disturbing news from English and French travelers of the troubles at home.
King Louis had been forced to recognize the National Assembly.
Which puts Nicolas' death in the year 1791.
As per the why he went insane... (I'm pulling a bit from an earlier post of mine, but will expand here further)
Nicolas fought against the status quo and his father's expectations from an early age, in fact that is one of the things that bonded him and Lestat. Only he did it... in, let's call it "defiant darkness", in the gloomy intent to self-destruct and thereby hurt his father even more.
It's why he tells Lestat later that he expected and wanted them to fail in Paris, but Lestat (and he) didn't.
Nicolas was depressed before he got turned, and he hid it from Lestat for the most part, concentrating all that he was on his music instead. When Lestat disappeared (from their bed!!!!) no-one believed him, no-one believed his story, and when the gifts that Lestat sent arrived the bitterness of being excluded just made everything a 100 times worse.
When Armand kidnapped him to pressure Lestat he was thrown into the midst of horrors, and perceived rejection, and he used the guilt Lestat felt for having had to abandon him to make him turn him. Which... drove Nicolas over the edge.
Nicolas was already doomed before he became a vampire. He only endured for a while because he could continue to play the violin in the theater.
Lestat saw no alternative as to leave him with Armand - Nicolas wouldn't stop playing the violin manically and he was at times catatonic, and at times feral, and had to have vampires with him when out.
All this is the genius of Our Divine Violinist, but we must now be with him every waking moment. To force him to write we tie him to the chair.
He is overwhelmed by his powers, dazzled and maddened by his vision.
And... last but not least - Nicolas despises Lestat in the end, for the light he has.
From Eleni's letter:
He despises you as much as ever. When we suggest that perhaps he should go to you, he laughs and laughs.
As noted above, Nicolas expected them to fail and die in Paris, but they didn't... and in a way he despairs through that even more.
The rage thickened his voice again. "You didn't drink yourself to death in the gutter. You turned everything upside down! And for every aspect of our proposed damnation you found exuberance, and there was no end to your enthusiasm and the passion coming out of you-and the light, always the light. And in exact proportion to the light coming out of you, there was the darkness in me! Every exuberance piercing me and creating its exact proportion of darkness and despair!
Which is why Lestat simply... had to leave him behind, unfortunately.
It's really quite tragic.
___
Hope this helps - let me know if you want/need more! 💕
#Anonymous#nicolas de lenfent#the vampire chronicles#vc#vampire chronicles#lestat de lioncourt#the brat prince#iwtv lestat#nickistat#book quotes#the vampire lestat#timeline
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