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#blue isa appreciation

jaylaxies · 2 years

Text

TO THE BOY : who took my v card

PAIRING : heeseung x fem!reader

GENRE : smut, protected sex, fingering, cunnilingus, a lot of kissing and making out, friends to lovers, fluff, angst, mentions of isa (stayc), sungchan (nct) and jin (bts), mentions of food, swimming, partying, usage of nicknames (baby, sweetheart).

WC : 12.5k words

SYNOPSIS : you had first attended the summer camp at the age of thirteen, and since then, heeseung had been your companion and partner in crime, supporting you in every one of your rendezvous at the camp each year. now, at the age of eighteen, you are attending it for the last time, and he promises to make these three weeks an unforgettable experience for you — even if it includes breaking a few rules.

WARNING : 18+ content, minors dni.

A/N : hello pretty people <3 i'm finally here with the first installment of to all the boys series! this is by far the longest fic i've written and i sincerely hope that y'all enjoy it! thank you sm for 5k+ followers :3 all likes, comments, reblogs and feedbacks are highly appreciated :D iloveyou all <3

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The briny scent of salt along with the light breeze flowing through your hair brought you back to reality. It wasn't just one of your dream full of excitement anymore, you were finally at the summer camp you'd been attending since you were thirteen.

Nothing's changed, the place is still lively as ever, the beach clean and ready to be used by campers, the small blue butterflies fluttering their wings in excitement, welcoming you back.

The glistening sunlight atop the clean ocean water had mesmerized you for a while, and you didn't know how long you had spent watching how it reflected off the water.

A hand on your shoulder brought you back to reality, you turned around to see Isa with her gummy smile on display, the same one which made it easy for you to befriend her when you first came here.

“Looking for Hee?” her grin was teasing, which made you pout in the slightest way possible.

You indeed were looking for the said man, the guy who you had labelled as your ‘camp best friend’, the guy who had spent your past five summers with, the guy who made you fall in love with the freshness of summer — Lee Heeseung.

“Yeah, he should've been here by now,” you looked around, completely ignoring the meaning behind her question.

You could see campers all over the bus stop, getting their luggage bags off and waiting with their newfound friends — in the case of younger, new campers and the others reuniting with their old ones — just like you and Isa.

Your hand automatically went up to your forehead, acting as a shield while you squinted your eyes, trying to find where your other friends were while Isa poked your side with a pout, wanting your attention at this particular moment.

You engulfed her in a side hug, which made her smile, feeling accomplished with her motive. That's exactly when the camp counsellor blew his whistle as he stood on the levelled surface of the stool, grabbing everyone's attention.

The soft murmurs and the sound of luggage dragging were heard before everyone stood around him in a circle while you were still distracted, your eyes still in search of a particular someone.

“Oh! We would love to see a little enthusiasm here,” he stated sarcastically, with a playful smile as he put his hand on his ear. Some people clapped while some screamed in order to give him the excitement he wanted which made you and Isa smile.

Mr. Kim Seokjin, your camp counsellor, smiled and bend down further. His voice increased a pitch before he screamed, “I can't hear you guys,” and suddenly the excited screams pitched a level high as well, you joining in by hooting.

He went over all the rules, some causing a series of sighs and boos considering how it wasn't allowed for the campers to leave their cabins after ten pm maximum.

Both of you knew the rules by heart despite breaking them tons of times, never been caught once though. After the last rule was announced, he welcomed everyone yet again and demanded another set of cheering.

You were about to join in but a deep-voiced hollered just near your ear made you stop in your tracks, a strong hand wrapped around your waist just in time to prevent you from tripping over.

The culprit for both? Lee Heeseung. He looked at you with shining eyes while a boyish laugh escaped his mouth as he pulled you in a hug.

You hugged him back after overcoming the initial shock of him surprising you. Your little jumps only added to his chuckle as your heart warmed at the silly prank of your friend.

It was comforting, home-like almost. Your eyes shut down for a second as you took it all in before opening and stepping back with a smile.

He mirrored your action, looking at you up and down while you observed him too. His outfit wasn't over the top yet it looked like it was made just for him. A pair of long black shorts along with a light blue, half-sleeved shirt and a pair of sports shoes, he looked like a child. His tousled, slightly wavy hair only added to your amusement.

“Did I scare you, y/n?” his smile was teasing.

You simply shook your head with a scrunched nose, not admitting the fact that you indeed were startled for a moment to him. The comfort of his embrace did make you feel at ease.

Isa only smiled from a distance, nodding slightly as a ‘hello’ to Hee, which he returned, before leaving you two to catch up with each other.

You both didn't care about the commotion all around you as everyone rushed to get settled in their respective cabins, only walking slowly while dragging your luggage towards your own room.

“Missed me?” he was in the mood to tease you, his lips curving up as he saw you roll your eyes.

“Of course not, Lee.”

“Too bad, cause I missed you a lot.”

His words were filled with sincerity, you could tell it without even looking at him and you didn't want to look at him, mostly because you were aware of his eyes on you, waiting for a reaction but you stayed mum.

That was the first time he admitted that he missed you. The way you both communicated was honestly not the best, only texting when you both were at the camp and never afterwards. It was like an unspoken fact how you both had a shy interior, conveying feelings, even the platonic ones, got hard for you at times.

So seeing Heeseung being free-spirited and jolly made you want to return his energy.

“I missed you too.” you softly spoke and he lit up like a Christmas tree.

For the rest of your five-minute walk, you talked about how this place looked as lively as ever, Heeseung also filled you in about his university admissions and the well being of his family, you telling him the same.

You stared at him the whole time he talked, observing his face which looked a lot more mature than last year.

His jawline looked sharper, his adam's apple more prominent and attractive. His face was well sculpted which you could easily compare to that of a Greek God and youthful skin shone brightly as his cherry lips continued to move while his nose looked pointy enough to make you want to want to poke it, specs perfectly perched on it.

“Earth to y/n.” he waved his big hands in front of your face, which widened your eyes and successfully snapped you out of your admiration session.

“I'm sorry, what were you saying?” you asked sheepishly and he only gave you a smile in return.

“I was talking about how it's our last year here,” he pouted and you stopped with realisation.

You won't ever see Heeseung after these weeks get over. Or maybe you would, you never know.

“Oh—”

“Don't worry, we'll make it worth it,” he said, holding your hand and giving it a light squeeze.

A small smile settled on your face, “We will.” and you squeezed his hand back.

It took you two hours to finally settle in and unpack your clothes, make your little cabin more lively with your books on the shelf and Isa's music player accompanied the calm ambience. Isa seemed mysterious to you, she loved to disappear during the night, claiming to have found a treehouse in the woods where she liked to sleep.

That's what she told you, at least.

To uplift the spirits of the newcomers, a day one party was organised, just exactly how it happens each year. Only, the number of campers looked more than the usual, the camp had a reputation now and hence the surge in-crowd.

Heeseung knocked on your door, he wanted to walk with you and catch up at the party. His cabin being just in front of yours made it even more convenient for him to reach you.

“You look great,” his compliment made you smile, your clothes were simply stylish, not too extravagant, just perfect for the night. Your outfit colour also complimented Heeseung's black shirt, making it seem like you two planned it beforehand.

“You don't look too bad yourself, Hee.” it had been a few hours and yet he had shown you his smile numerous times.

Isa joined you guys later with some more friends of yours, sitting together at a table while Mr. Jin had paused the DJ for a while, going on about the various activities you guys will be participating in during your stay at the sunshine camp.

Typical stuff, some of which you did each year with a few new additions here and there. He happily explained all the newly added information to you guys, everyone focusing on him. Some more than others as you could see the majority of the female population drooling over the twenty-nine-year-old instructor.

“—New musical equipment has been added, they're all kept in the new cabin, the one near mess hall—” your focus deviated for a second when Heeseung yawned, keeping his head on your shoulder.

You looked over at him and he kept his eyes focused on the front. The position was comforting so you ended up leaning against his head too, which made him bite his smile, the action that you conveniently missed.

“I can play the guitar for you now,” he whispered, remembering how he told you he played yet he couldn't show you due to lack of instruments.

“I'll look forward to it.” you looked at him looking at you, the proximity, however, made you look away first.

Heeseung had always been touchy with you, in a friendly way, of course. But it felt different this time. Maybe it was just the realisation that you won't be here next year, or maybe the fact that Heeseung had grown to have a subtle flirty nature.

The party went on afterwards, you drank a few carbonated drinks and had the snacks which you craved, also dancing with your group and getting to know a few new campers.

It was light and enjoyable, your cheeks hurt from how much you laughed at the horrible dance moves everyone kept showing, only Heeseung kept it minimal, his body rolls looking effortless.

Good at everything, that's what Heeseung was.

He also insisted to walk you and Isa back to your cabin, yours being a few steps away from his. You also acknowledged that his roommate, Sungchan, had nerdy abilities and always carried a book around, almost similar to what you did back at home.

He successfully had your attention after whining like a preschooler, Sungchan raising his brow at his behaviour but not questioning much.

It was normal that Lee Heeseung dropped you at your doorstep, wishing you a good night. But again, he had sworn to surprise you each moment he could.

“Where's my good night kiss?” he bent down to get on your eye level.

And that successfully stopped you from going inside, “What?” your eyes widened a fraction.

And his laugh bloomed up seeing your confused expression.

“I'm kidding—” he paused when you stood up straighter and planted a featherlight kiss on his cheekbone.

“Good night, Hee,” you stifled your laugh and rushed inside.

All he could do was stare at the closed door, his fingertips reaching to touch the area where you kissed him, his mouth soon curling up again, continuing his laugh from before.

And both of you slept with your heartbeats a little more faster than the usual. Why? It was a normal, friendly kiss after all. The kind only meant for teasing.

Because, if he can flirt, then so can you.

Two days had passed since that kiss incident took place and you both didn't acknowledge it the next day, continuing to work according to your activity schedule, being the best friends you were. And it was better that way. Heeseung didn't pull up any tricks in the meantime, maintaining harmony between you two.

And a majority of your friends were in the new music room, trying out the random instruments but you were here to listen to Heeseung play the guitar.

He held it professionally, tuning the strings as you all sat down surrounding him. He didn't mind the attention, especially when it concerned the thing he loved — music.

I'm so tired... by Lauv and Troye Sivan. That's what Heeseung had claimed to be his favourite song two summers back, and that's what he intended to play today.

Although, you had also discussed how he loved 'say you won't let go' by James Arthur. He called the song mainstream yet the genuine tone made it one of his favourites. “It's the feeling of longing, the need to tell someone how much you want them in your life.” he had said after deep thought, “That's cheesy.” you had laughed.

But you did agree.

But at this moment, his voice felt amazing as he sang for everyone, the small smile on his face while doing so made it even better.

His mellifluous voice filled the room, even the younger ones stopped to listen to his deep vocals hitting each note perfectly.

You had heard him humming to songs before but he never sang them in a full-fledged manner, always keeping it to himself or grinning saying how he'd want to be perfect for you to hear it.

And he defined perfection, his eyes kept coming back to see your face, and the way your mouth was agape made him feel proud for working on his vocal abilities.

He sat there, strumming his guitar while you all sang along until Sungchan suggested sitting outside, a bonfire would be the perfect add on to the fussy and warm vibe. You all agreed, setting everything up.

Yet again, Heeseung sat down with you, his face glowing with the cosy fire in front of you all.

You were too immersed, your mind fully invested in music and the booming laughter from the jokes your friends kept on making that you didn't hear your phone ring until Isa pointed it out.

You hurriedly excused yourself for, the caller was someone who rarely reached out to you. Heeseung's eyes followed you, observing your actions since you rarely got any call other than your family.

“Hello? Jake?” you asked, confused.

“Y/n! I hope I didn't disturb you.”

“Of course not! Is anything wrong though?”

“Yeah, I saw your potted plant, Mr. Pots, looking dry and sad on your window so I wondered if I can keep it with me till the time you return?”

Jake always paid attention to everything, so it made sense when he noticed your plant. And your heart swells with this small offer of his.

“Aren't you the sweetest? I'd love that, Jakey.”

A few more words were exchanged between you and your ‘neighbour cum childhood best friend turned friend’ before you ended the call, going back to sit down on the big log like seat surrounding the fire.

Heeseung had stopped singing by now, he was busy eating marshmallows with a pout.

“It's honestly sad how it's the first time I've properly heard you sing,” you looked at Heeseung who had a stuffed mouth.

“You've got the voice of an angel, Hee.”

Even in the dim lights, you could see a faint shade of red adorning the tip of his ears. It was evident how he was waiting for your compliment all this time.

He simply stuffed your mouth with a marshmallow, not knowing how to handle compliments well. You slapped his shoulder, trying not to laugh while chewing on the sweet treat.

“Where'd you go?” he asked you, diverting the topic.

“Oh, I got a call.” you shrugged.

“Boyfriend?”

Your eyes went wide first, then turned into crescents as you laughed at his guess.

“It was my neighbour!”

“The one you had a crush on?” he came closer.

You slapped his shoulder again.

“No, I did not! And I've been single all my life.” you leaned in while emphasizing on your sentence.

“You mean, you've never dated before?” he asked again to confirm your statement.

“Stop reminding me that I'm single, oh lord!”

“Good,” he whispered and you paused.

The scene might have looked like something straight out of a movie, your faces close enough for you to breathe in the same air and for a moment, you kept staring at each other until a voice snapped you back to reality, again.

“Just friends, huh?” Isa teased and everyone cheered, some kids looked confused while others smirked.

Your heart kept hammering in your chest, it was like you were the centre of attention for the majority of the day and, even though you did like to have the attention of your best friend, it made you flustered this very time. You weren't sure if you wanted to know the reason why.

Heeseung looked elsewhere, still smiling which confused you further. You glared at Isa before grabbing the marshmallow from Hee, getting comfortable once again.

Maybe this was your last shot at getting some romance before finals and college. Or maybe it was just a game. Either way, you were ready for both.

It had been a week since Heeseung played the guitar. The week was full of mixed signals. You weren't dense, it was evident what you were doing. His hugs were prolonged, and his protectiveness sprang out at the most random times, just like how he saved you from tripping three days back at the trek, holding you by your waist.

He didn't know what exactly he was doing, all he knew was how he loved to see you being a flustered mess around him, more when you retorted back with the same energy.

Flirting was something that came to him almost naturally, you wondered what this one year did to him. The shyness was still there, but his confidence almost overpowered it.

Exactly like now, he sat in front of you, the canoe just big enough to fit you both in. It was supposed to be a group activity where the instructor was supposed to be guiding all the canoes. But Heeseung had different plans.

And you had no objections, not when the sky above you looked majestic. It was like a canvas, the glittering water beneath made look like a picture-perfect scene, like diamonds shining beneath you. The faint hues of pink and purple covering with the delicate clouds.

Most of all, while you stared at the cotton candy-esque beauty in front of you, Heeseung spent his time staring at you instead.

“How did you find this place?” your eyes sparkled with awe, “It's beautiful.” it came out as a whisper.

He looked up, taking in the scene as well, “Found it last year, I've been wanting to show this to you ever since,” he paused, his gaze back on you again.

“And I agree. So beautiful.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, “You are beautiful.”

Your mouth opened and closed, your head tilted while you tried to articulate your current emotion into words.

“That's the first time you've called me that,” you spoke in a low voice, fiddling with your rings.

“That's not true,” he argued, “I've called you that a thousand times in my mind.”

You gulped down, speechless. The canoe kept still, only ever moving due to the subtle ripples in the water. He softly held your chin, making you look up at his glowing face, lip bitten to conceal his smile, “I mean it.”

“I—” you were cut short of your reply when your phone rang even in the area with low network connectivity.

Heeseung sat back, exhaling and looking elsewhere, you could have sworn it was the look of disappointment on his face.

“Isa, what's wrong?” you picked up the call, putting it on speaker.

“Where are you, y/n? The instructor figured two people were missing and now they're searching for you!” she informed you in a breath. “Come back as fast as possible.”

You both looked at each other before cussing.

“Shit.”

When you talked about breaking the rules, getting a punishment wasn't something you had planned along with it. You had rowed the boat back at an alarming speed, it wasn't each day when the students who've always been good, break the rules for the very first time. Or get caught breaking in your case.

Heeseung poked your cheek seeing you pout when you both got scolded for not following the rules. The lecture went on longer than you had anticipated. It further resulted in you both missing out on the bonfire session for the next night, and cleaning up the playground area. That's what the punishment slip read at least.

You both worked in silence, except for the usual humming from Heeseung, and you could have sworn his voice was therapeutic.

“Do you remember when it rained here?” you broke the silence, “And we ended up taking shelter under that tree.” you pointed it out at a distance.

“And you slept on my shoulder and caught cold later?” his face lit up with the memory.

You scrunched up your nose remembering how Heeseung stayed by your side the entire time, he was the epitome of purity two years back, so much that he even asked if he could touch you to help you sit straight.

“I was focusing more on the part where we engraved our initials on that very tree.” you both walked closer to it, the poorly carved heart along with one H and the other, your initial, came in view as he ran his thumb on it.

“Someone might mistake it for a lovers mark, with the heart and all, y'know?” he tilted his head back as mischief glowed in his eyes.

“You'd love that, won't you, Hee?”

“Oh I definitely would,” he bent down to your height yet again, filling you up with anticipation.

But he only bent down further, “Do you regret it?” Heeseung asked, completely changing the topic, picking up a plastic bottle and throwing it in his trash bag.

His question could have meant anything yet your mind knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Going out to see the prettiest sky with you? Never.” a smile adorned your face as you reminisced how enchanting the colours looked as they blended with each other.

“Even if it meant breaking the rules?” he looked at you expectantly.

“Even if it meant breaking the rules.”

Time kept on running, and it worried you, simply because your feelings conflicted and the clock was ticking away. The second week at the camp and your distress was showing, yet you somehow managed to keep up with your activities and duties, mentally reminding yourself to not lose your mind over a certain guy.

While it did seem like you were the only one panicking, even though you did a fantastic job of hiding it, the other party wasn't less. Heeseung, just like you, was at a war with his newfound feelings.

Again, you both weren't dumb to not realise what it was but, you chose to ignore it for the sake of your friendship, and the time — one and a half weeks.

You decided not to think about it anymore, going with the flow being the only good option in your opinion. And it provided you with great pleasure since Heeseung acted like his usual self, joyous and flirty, something that you almost craved at this very moment.

“Any song requests, m'lady?” Heeseung asked, holding your hand as you all gathered around for another of the open guitar and singing sessions, something which had taken a happy little place in your heart. A few campers gagged at Heeseung's highly friendly public display of affection.

You scrunched your nose, thinking, while Isa made you sit between her and Hee, pushing you towards him not so subtly.

“Surprise me, Hee,” you said and he smiled, knowing exactly what he wanted to play.

He strummed the strings a few times, warming his fingers up as everyone got comfortable around him as he went on for a minute.

You leaned your head against Isa's shoulder, closing your eyes as an unknown feeling bloomed up in your chest. Was it fear? Excitement? Maybe a mix of both.

“I met you in the dark, you lit me up.” his deep voice mixed with the cool breeze of the night.

It made your heart beat fast, remembering what he had said about that song a few summers back.

You didn't open your eyes, even when everyone started singing along with him, you doing the same under your breath.

Heeseung was staring and you could feel it, but you couldn't muster the courage to look at him, knowing how his eyes are always full of sincerity, especially when he sings.

“Just say you won't let go,” he breathes out slowly, ending the song just as you open your eyes, only to find him looking at you.

Releasing a shaky breath, you smiled at him as one of the younger guy started playing an upbeat song, changing the mood right after, which you were thankful for.

“She isn't going anywhere, Hee,” Sungchan whispered in his ear and he bit his lip.

“We have only a week left, we don't know what comes after that.” He said, trying to suppress his feelings which wouldn't do him good.

That night, when you hugged him good night, you held on to him tight. Both of you knew that just friends weren't a title anymore, it was a bar higher than that, just a bit higher since you both weren't ready to accept it.

But you did know you would have to confront him soon.

“You look distraught,” Isa sat down with you on your bed, eyes worried.

“Why do you pair me with Hee?” you asked her before you could stop.

“Because he looks at you with love in his eyes.” she smiled.

You let out a breathy laugh, “Love is a big word.”

“It is, but it won't be hard for you both.” she shrugged.

“It will,” you whispered, finally admitting that you wanted to be with Heeseung.

“How?”

“We only have a week left together, then the camp would be over and we won't be returning here the next summer,” you explained, your gaze on the floor.

She wrapped her arms around your shoulder, a warm vanilla smell filling up your senses, “You don't know what the future holds, maybe you'll meet someday again? But you'll regret not trying, won't you?” her voice was soft.

You gulped down, letting it sink in, “Yeah, I'll think about it maybe?”

The probability of being rejected filled up your mind but you decided not to speak about it anymore. You hugged Isa softly, thanking her for listening to you and she simply kissed your forehead before giving you space.

You drifted off to sleep thinking about Heeseung and how would it feel if he actually kisses you someday. You wonder if he would have kissed you before had you not been interrupted.

Your mind was full of him, it made you blush even. What you didn't know was — you were the main occupant of Heeseung's mind too.

The next day was comparatively normal, the sky was clear, the activities were fun, it made you feel like a kid again with the artwork sprawled on the table in front of you and how that one fifteen-year-old was being super nice to you, helping you draw with his own expertise which was highly appreciated considering how he good he was at it.

Heeseung was trying not to have a meltdown at how you were giving all your attention to a kid instead of him, and so he did what he had to — he dipped his finger in paint and brushed it against your cheekbone.

Which successfully made you look at him, your eyebrows raised and mouth open with confusion, “Hee what the fuc—”

“Shh, not in front of the kids.” he put the clean finger against your lips. “Let's go and get you cleaned.” he smiled and the guy in front of you rolled his eyes.

He grinned and held your hand, dragging you to the empty washroom and water dispenser area, taking out his handkerchief and keeping it under the flowing tap water.

“What's on your mind, Hee?” you whispered when he came closer to wipe your paint stain, his fingers holding your chin up.

“Just wanted your undivided attention.” his hand caressed the contour of your mouth, “All done!” he said acting like he didn't do it in the first place.

“You could have just called me like a normal person,” you were amused.

“But I wouldn't have gotten you alone then, would I?” his tone was lower, alluring even.

You paused as your heart hammered against your chest, you had to stay strong and not break your calm facade, “You got me alone, now what?” you challenged him.

He comes forward, trapping you between his body and the wall, “Come on, sweetheart, I just wanna spend some time with you.” he whispered and the proximity was enough to make your head spin, in a good way.

Your hand rested on his chest and it made you feel myriads better when you felt his heart beating fast as well. His lips were ghosting just above yours, one move and they'll touch.

“As much as I admire the budding romance here, you both should head back to your art activities.” Mr. Jin spoke up, coming out of the washroom, not bothering to look at you which made you push Her away. “You both have plenty of time at night anyways.” he nonchalantly spoke and left before you could say anything.

“Ugh,” you groaned with embarrassment, covering your face as he laughed.

“Hey, he's right, meet me by the dinner area at two in the morning,” he whispered before holding your hands in his, taking them away from your face and gently kissing on your cheek.

You gasped and he only smiled, his eyes enchanting and genuine. “See you,” he said before leaving you being a breathless mess.

Lee Heeseung was a mystery to you, so lively and full of zeal yet he always did things with you least expected him to do.

Like now, you both were outside, lying on the wooden lunch table outside, staring at the blanket of stars as the pale moon glowed with the infinite sky.

It was silent as you took the scenery in, Heeseung doing the same, stealing a few glances towards you. It felt romantic and as much as you loved it, you hated it the equal amount. You didn't want him to sweet talk his way into something which wouldn't result in anything. You curse the bad timings.

But you couldn't help but feel the tingles where he kissed on your cheek earlier.

“Do you believe in love, Hee?” your eyes stayed on a star which visibly shone brighter than its companions. He stayed quiet for a while.

“Love definitely exists. It's everywhere if you pay attention to the detail,” he spoke slowly, trying to piece his words together, “Like, the way you're looking at the stars, your eyes adore them, they're full of love.”

You turned to look at him and he could see exactly what he was talking about, the small glimmer in your eyes paired with a speck of confusion. You liked his theory.

“Hm, the sky is breathtakingly beautiful.” you smiled.

And he returned it softly, his hand inching closer to your small ones.

“Why the sudden question?” he asked softly, his pinky finger intertwined with yours which gave you a sense of comfort. He made you feel warm and fuzzy.

“I was just wondering,” your gaze fell on his hand which now captured your own hand fully, “I completed reading a book earlier, the characters were undeniably in love, does that even exist in real life?”

You weren't sure what you expected him to answer, love was indeed a big word, the one which you shouldn't even be thinking about, less talking about it, yet you were curious about his opinion.

“How did they fall in love?” he asked back, “The characters, I mean.”

“They were friends until they decided they can't be it anymore, not when they had feelings for each other,” you explained, remembering the sweet plot which had made you squeal like a kid.

“So, love is friendship,” he stated, looking up at the exact star which you were focused on, noticing how the star adjacent to it was shining just as bright.

You didn't dare look at him. Friendship, he says. Friends, that's what you two are.

His grip on your hand tightened, securing it as his heartbeat screamed — don't let go.

And you didn't. The conversation was over and even the glistening stars could tell that the two friends had finally come to terms with their feelings — primarily focusing on the part which said that you liked each other.

The corner of his mouth slightly turned upwards seeing you dozing off, he checked his watch which displayed four in the morning, most of your time was spent in silence and he wouldn't change a single thing about it.

He softly called out your name, helping you stand up but your body ended up leaning against his chest, his strong arms wrapped around you to help you walk back, “Come on, let's get you into bed.” he whispered.

A soft pair of lips touching your forehead was the last thing you remembered before you fell into the world of dreamland.

Sleep wasn't an option for Heeseung that night, his brain muddled into thinking about the events which took place earlier.

He sighed, changing sides to get comfortable on his bed, he noticed how Sungchan was sound asleep, hugging his plushie while doing so. He wanted to be that way with you, mood uplifting as he recalled how perfectly his bigger hand encased your smaller one and yet he wanted more.

With all the instances where he almost kissed you, he too, just like you, wonders what it would feel like if he does so. Your lips gravitate his own, closer each time. It's almost tortuous how close yet far you are from him. He wants you. He needs you.

Finding hints for your ongoing treasure hunt was definitely not your priority.

Three days left. You all would leave on the third one.

And no progress, you both acted as if you were lovers for the past two days since Heeseung declared friendship as love. With that being said, you unequivocally needed answers. And a break.

Hence, you stepped into the denser part of the forest, leaving the hint hunting to your teammates — Heeseung, Isa, Sungchan, and three others.

Sitting down on the huge stone, you stared at the vibrant green trees and small, colourful birds in the sky, their chirps cheering you up by a trifle.

“Why are we making it so hard?” you spoke, talking to the one bird which landed next to you, standing on the stone as your companion. “Confessing sounds scary, what if he says no?” you groaned and the bird chirped, which sounded like a shout of encouragement.

You smiled at the cute ave, soon staring into a distance, zoning out until a sound of branch snapping brought you back to reality.

“Lord, y/n! I thought something happened to you.” Heeseung's urgent voice made you realise that maybe going off without informing your friend was a bad idea.

And before you knew it, he had you in his arms, hugging you close. You pursed your lips, hugging him back as his smell brought you immense comfort, his hand patting your back softly.

Hesitantly, you stepped back to see his expression morphed into that of a worried one. It had just been thirty minutes, enough for him to worry.

“I'm sorry, I—” he didn't let you finish, cupping your cheek.

“No, I'm sorry but I can't control myself no more,” he said, stepping further, leaving no space between you both.

He tilted your face, giving your cheek a single caress, “Pretty.” he whispered in his deepest voice.

Your heart fluttered when he pressed his lips against yours, capturing you in a delicate kiss — your first kiss.

His hand slipped down the curve of your waist, pressing your body closer, which made you stand on your tippy-toes, sighing into the short-lived kiss.

He pulled back, taking a brief second to catch his breath while also staring at you with intensity. Your own eyes staring back. Doe-eyed bambi, that's what he reminded you of.

The air swirled around you, sending a shiver down your spine. He wasted no time in grabbing your nape and smashing his lips against yours, this particular moment being more fervent that the first one. You held on to his arm as your knees got weaker with each passing second, but your conflicted voice was louder.

“Hee—” you stepped back, “What are we?” you searched his eyes, a small frown settling on your face.

“I know it sounds like I'm making a big fuss over a kiss but, where will it take us?” confrontation wasn't your strong suit, your throat felt restricted whenever you were upset, and you were sure your eyes looked teary at that very moment.

“I—” he faltered, looking down, seemingly trying to get a grip and give you an answer.

He had none.

You looked at him expectantly but deep inside your mind, you knew how it would end. It was as if your bond existed only during the camp, with no texting, no calls whatsoever once you went home.

Taking an airy breath, you nodded with a pathetic smile. “I see.”

And you walked away, a stray tear sliding down your cheek. You shouldn't have said anything. Heeseung stared at your figure, biting his quivering lip as he kept thinking of an answer. All he wanted to do was to embrace you, tell how you mean the world to him but it was too late, you had left already, leaving him with the expression of deep guilt.

The hunt was over, your team lost since half the members weren't even focused on playing. You went back to your room. It was evident and well versed in your mind — the idea that you had a knack for ruining things. Yet you never thought it would hurt this much.

“Are you alright, love?” Isa softly asked and your tough facade broke.

She held you without any question the entire time you cried, softly caressing your back all along.

You were so lucky to have her.

“You're my strong girl, come on!” she wiped your tears away with a smile once you had calmed down enough. You thanked her, mustering the energy to smile.

“You can tell me when you're ready, okay? But now we have to lift up your mood, you look way prettier when you smile, y'know?” her angelic aura made you feel better.

That's exactly when you remembered — it was the unofficial party night, the one thrown each year and even the camp officials didn't object it.

That's when you also remember how Heeseung would attend it too. And for the nth time, your heart and mind were at war. You wanted to attend it and Isa's hopeful smile made you feel secure enough to go.

You thanked the universe for your eyes weren't swollen. Red rimmed, yes, but not swollen. And even with your crushed spirits, you managed to get yourself in a dress, ready and presentable, just fine.

It meant nothing, you expected too much when it wasn't meant to be.

You closed your eyes, leaning back against the chair in the room, sipping on your cold drink which contrasted well against your hot palm.

“He hurt you, didn't he?” you snapped open your eyes to see the boy who helped you with art, well, before Heeseung smudged paint on your cheek that is. You never asked for his name, you realised.

“Who?” you asked over the slightly loud music, knowing the answer already.

“The one who's been staring at me ever since I sat down next to you, he probably wants to throw me away right now.” he humorously spoke, eyes pointing at the guy you almost dreaded to see.

Almost. Because you couldn't deny how stupidly attractive he looked in black, especially with his gold-rimmed glasses that you had grown fond of.

He was staring at you, the look on his face screaming a mix of jealousy and defeat.

When you didn't reply, he continued, “He's so jealous, I wonder what he did.” the statement wasn't funny yet it made you giggle, which in turn made the boy smile.

“I'll leave before he comes to punch me,” he looked at you, “Take care of yourself and know that I'm only a call away.” he winked at you, giving you a piece of paper with his number and you hearty laughed.

Kids these days, such charmers. But then you looked up, again, to see Heeseung with clenched jaw and fist. Which made you look away just as fast.

You didn't know what to make of it.

Either way, you acted like the whole ordeal didn't affect you, which was burdensome but soon you were being dragged by Isa to sit down with the other campers of your age. You mentally thanked Isa for yet another distraction.

'No kids policy' they had stated. But their activities were the opposite.

“Guys, I know this sounds absurd but come on, it'll be fun and we can't do much without alcohol anyways.” a guy named jeongin said, proposing the idea of playing truth or dare.

Others groaned and looked at each other, contemplating whether they wanted to embarrass themselves or not. They chose the prior.

“I can't believe everyone actually agreed to this,” Sungchan whispered sitting next to you, drinking his coke as if it was a can of beer.

“We honestly have nothing else to do, the camp is full of restrictions,“ you said back, looking around to find any trace of Heeseung.

As if on cue, he came inside the already crowded room, sitting right across from you.

You wanted to hear what he had in mind, not used to him being this silent and deep in thought.

“So, are we gonna sit and ask each other about their crushes?” he questioned, and that made you laugh genuinely.

“And give dares to kiss each other?” you added, which gave elicited a chuckle out of him.

Surprisingly, the first question asked was about jeongin's crush, the blush on his face was capture worthy and his friends made sure to click some pictures of his red ears.

He ended up telling you all about this girl back at home who stole his heart. As cheesy as it was, it made you envious by a smidge. Your lover staying close to you would be like a dream, convenient and just what you need.

Another roar of scream was heard, joined by you as well, when this one blonde girl was asked to kiss the guy sitting next to her, which she ended up doing — the crowd didn't expect it in the least and that's what made the situation better. The faint blush on both their faces was a cherry on top.

However, it also gave you a painful flashback of what went down in the woods a few hours back. Everything reminded you of him. The kiss was sweetly bitter, it should have turned out differently, you wished.

He was still looking your way.

“Isa, truth or dare?” the same girl asked her, actively grasping your attention as well.

“Truth?” she said with a smile.

“Have you ever faked an orgasm?”

She hid her face, laughing and nodding, “Yeah, I have but you can't blame me for it!”

Some guys looked horrified, suddenly nervous about it while the other girls agreed with a nod.

But Sungchan was fast to change the topic, his mind scheming a plan with it, “So, Heeseung,” he grabbed everyone's attention, “Is there anyone who'd you want to kiss in this room?”

You would have glared at him had the question not left you flabbergasted even if it wasn't directed towards you, straightforward at least.

Unknowingly, you held your breath in, greatly anticipating him to say no.

“I do.” the confidence in his voice made you shiver.

It was powerful enough for you to finally look up. Just as expected, he was staring at you already, eyes darker than ever.

And even though it wasn't a surprise to others how Heeseung wanted you, his honestly did come off as an unexpected confession, something which was unspoken till now.

“Who?” another girl asked, trying to get the obvious answer out of him.

“Moving on,” he was quick to deflect the question, asking one to the person sitting next to him.

“Damn he actually wants you,” Sungchan said, whistling lowly, only for you to hear.

“I hate you so much,” you groaned.

“You're welcome,” he quipped.

Heeseung's act of bravery shifted the confidence of the room, the dares got dirtier, questions personal and everyone was keen on knowing more.

Isa kept looking at you while Sungchan kept making small talks when he observed how fidgety and silent you were.

And suddenly everything in the world intrigued you and screamed at you for attention, the dimly lit golden lights, the faint smell of pasta lingering, the loose thread of your dress which you played with, everything.

Except for his eyes.

They knew they already had your attention, the attraction was magnetic almost. That bambi look had recently been found to be the perfect tool to make you a flustered mess.

The next person, however, grabbed your focus, asking about your selection of truth or dare.

“Truth,” you gulped, knowing well that you don't necessarily have to be honest.

“Nastiest place you've had sex before?”

You opened your mouth once, tilting your head, contemplating whether or not to tell them. Sex life wasn't something that you guys usually discussed about.

“I'm a virgin,” you shared, “So, none?” you looked around and Isa only smiled at you adoringly which gave you an easing feel.

“Saving yourself for someone particular?” Jeongin asked, tone teasing.

“Uh, not exactly?” everyone was listening intently. Kids.

“I just want my first to be with—” you paused, your eyes boring into his, “—someone I trust.”

And just like that, you blinked back as if you didn't direct it to someone. Yet the tip of your ears were burning with all the attention, which soon shifted after receiving a few comments on your sentence, calling you cute.

You wanted to leave, his gaze made you feel smaller and you couldn't deny that even though he did leave you hanging, you still wanted him.

During the entirety of the party, you didn't interact with him, which was a disappointment yet a relief and, going back to your cabin suddenly reminded you how tired your body was, sleep engulfing you as soon as you lay down on your bed, not having it in you to spare a minute for changing your outfit into something more comfortable.

And even then, till the point your eyes closed as you swept into the dreamland, Heeseung's dark eyes serenaded your mind and that was the last thing you thought of before sleeping.

Frantic knocking on your cabin door woke you up. Sighing, you checked your phone for the time.

Two in the morning.

As usual, Isa wasn't in the room. Hesitation bloomed up in your mind, wondering if it's safe to open the door, considering how it was just a series of rushed knocks with no name-calling whatsoever.

Still in your dress, you tiptoed to grab the small curtain on the tiny window, peeking out to see who the culprit who woke you up from your dreamless sleep was.

Lee Heeseung.

Your heartbeat rose again, you clutched your chest, your legs taking you to the door automatically and you opened it wide for him, his hand still mid-air from knocking.

His dishevelled appearance prompted you to take a deep analysis of him.

Moonlight shone on him, and he was out of breath, eyes slightly glistening and mouth barely open for the higher intake of oxygen. He was still in his black shirt, the top few buttons being unbuttoned at the current moment which just exposed his torso.

“Heeseung?” you breathed out, making sure you weren't dreaming.

“Is Isa here?” he asked, voice stern.

And you'd be lying if you deny the disappointment that filled up your body with his question.

He wasn't here for you.

You tried not to frown but your voice did quiver while answering, “Oh, n—no she's not here.” you gulped, mentally scolding yourself for being a puddle in front of him.

“Good,” he stepped in further, closing the door behind him which confused you enough to tilt your head, observing him with raised brows.

Another step.

There wasn't much space at the entrance, making it easy for him to have you standing against the wall.

“Hee—” you were cut off by his body being pressed to yours, warmth radiating his body.

He was serious, yet you could see the minute efforts of his, which were overpowered by his want.

He wanted you.

He didn't come here to meet Isa, simply wanting to make sure you had privacy.

For a second, you thought that he'll kiss you right away, but instead, he stopped — his forehead against yours as he searched your face with any hint of discomfort.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, just like he had done before.

Your sanity was hanging by a thread, the tension so high that it made you weak in the knees. The pause was merely two-second long, it felt like eternity still. Your thoughts turned static and his tall frame held you up in place.

The next moment, his lips are on yours. Your eyes flutter close as you kiss him back.

How could you ever say no to him?

You gasp at his fervency, hands wrapping around his neck as you pull him closer at the same time he squeezes your waist, getting a gasp out of you, which was enough for his tongue to taste you.

He hummed, so perfect.

Was it jealousy from seeing you with a kid? Was it the constant reminder that he won't be able to do it again if not done now? Was it the realization that he was so down bad for you?

Maybe all of it, that's why he couldn't stop until you both had to break up for a split second, catching your breath but he held on to you, tight. Forehead still on yours, the dim light making his wet lips shine brightly.

He called your name with such need, “I don't know what we are or where this kiss will take us,” he confessed, “But I know that I don't want to regret not kissing you when I had the chance to.” he breathes out.

He cupped your cheek, caressing it gently with his thumb. “And I can't seem to let you go,” he smiled softly, “Not when I have you in my arms, no.”

“Then don't,” you whisper, holding on to his arm.

“Touch me, ruin me, Hee,” you were drunk in his essence. “I trust you.”

“I just want my first to be with—” you paused, your eyes boring into his, “—someone I trust.”

That's what you had said, looking at him, that's what drove him crazy. He has to have you.

“And I trust you too.” he softly pecked your lips.

Your skin tingles wherever he touches you, and he kisses you until your legs hit the bed.

Despite his longing desire, he takes it slow and helps you lay down on your bed, him removing his shoes and getting on top of you. You wondered if he could see the rapid heaving of your chest, or how anxious you were.

He leaned over, looking at you with those gorgeous brown eyes, “Do you want this?”

You felt tingles all over your body, a little more around your lower abdomen, but you nodded nevertheless. You wanted him.

“I need words, baby,” he planted another kiss on your lips.

“Yes, yes I do,” you whispered and he smiled, “Do you want it too, Hee?” you asked.

“Fuck, yes! I want you so much.” he groaned.

Addiction would be the right word to describe it. You were addicted to his lips, slightly chapped yet giving you the perfect friction, while he was addicted to your now red and slightly swollen ones — credit to him.

“So pretty,” he breathed out, stroking the corner of your lip with his thumb. He held you up slightly, zipping down your dress till your collarbones were fully exposed for him to see. And he paused there to admire you for a second, staring as if he hadn't seen anyone in a bra before.

Your legs rested back against the mattress as he sprinkled little kisses on your neck, nibbling at certain places for a while before pressing himself against your thigh.

He was hard.

Something about this made you moan and Heeseung could have sworn it to be the prettiest sound he'd ever heard. With that, he fully-stripped you out of your dress, leaving you in your lace panties and a bra, straps falling down as he made space to place even more open-mouthed kisses on your clavicle.

You sighed, kneading your fingers in his silky hair, eyes closing with the euphoric sensation coursing through your body. He felt perfect, his skin burning with need made the whole room feel hotter.

“I should have kissed you sooner,” he groaned, and it made you wetter than you already were, panties soaking wet and he was just getting started.

You tugged on his shirt, which he removed in a swift — courtesy of the number of unbuttoned buttons. It was mesmerising, you had never been this intimate with anyone, so running your fingers on his toned torso felt like something coming straight out of your dream.

“Does it feel good, baby?” he asked you.

“Hmm,” you held on his shoulder as he got rid of your bra, slowly swirling his finger around your nipples — making them harden under his touch, “So good!” you gasped.

He chuckled, replacing his fingers with his mouth, sucking on your tits gently while he decided to explore greater areas with you, by caressing your lower abdomen, inching closer to your pathetically wet core with each passing second.

You wanted to say something, to do something yet all you could muster was a weak whimper as you clenched around nothing. His tongue worked wonders on your boobs and you couldn't help but look at him.

He was so invested, you could see how he was at a war with himself, wanting to fuck you right that second but also in need to make you feel good.

“M—more,” you mumbled lowly.

“Yeah?“ he gently touched your wetness, “Want more?” he asked, moving your panties to the side and rubbing one of his finger against your folds.

“So wet, did I make you that needy?” he bit his lip, enjoying each second of making you a shy mess.

His arm flexed as he experimentally dipped his two digits deep inside your pussy, giving it a good stretch before slowly pumping it in and out. A short moan escaped your mouth, turning into a hum right after.

That encouraged him to further get down, spreading your legs even more, completely discarding your panties before continuing to use his slender fingers on your folds, thumb further stimulating your clit.

His breath could be felt on your core, your fingers only brought his face closer to where you needed him the most.

“I've heard that scissoring helps,” he explained before spreading his fingers inside you, stretching your walls even more.

“Y—you've heard?” you asked, biting your lip to conceal a moan.

He let out a breathy laugh, brushing his lips against your pussy, “I've never done this before, sweetheart,” he confessed, somehow shy. “You're my first as well.”

Your heartbeat skyrocketed at his revelation, you couldn't help but hold yourself up, grabbing his hand and making him look right at your breathless and very naked self.

“What?” you had honestly thought that he had some experience, he most certainly did seem like he knew what he was doing.

“Like I said, I trust you,” he whispered, thumb brushing delicately on your cheekbone.

Despite the fact that you felt insanely needy, just like Heeseung, you couldn't help but feel loved at his nonchalant gestures.

Without saying much, you pulled him in yet another kiss. It was mesmerising to say the least and he ended up smiling into the kiss, gently squeezing your tit and gasping when he felt your fingers near his clothed crotch.

“Fuck,” he groaned deeply, not stopping for a second as he plunged his fingers with a newfound speed. “Perfect.” he praised, worshipping your body with each peck and caress he left on you.

Massaging his cock, which was fully hardened now, you couldn't wait to feel him around you. Also slightly scared as you wondered if you'll be able to take him in.

Just as before, you tugged on his jeans the next, whimpering as a way to beg him for more, which he understood, getting up and unbuckling his belt before sliding his jeans down along with his boxers.

Now that his cock was free and hit his lower abdomen, you gasped to see his size. He was big. You hadn't seen a dick in real life before but knowing from the porn videos you had previously watched, his dick was certainly admirable. His tip was leaking with precum.

“Oh god—” you breathed out when he took out two foil packets from the discarded jeans, holding them close to his stomach, which also put grabbed your attention, he had faint abs which suited his body well.

“You came prepared, I see.” teasing Heeseung was like your second nature.

“Sungchan gave them to me to use with you, but who knew it'll actually come in handy?” he got on top of you again, his dick pressing against your inner thigh.

His expression turned serious the exact moment he asked you the next question, “You sure about this?”

“Yes,” you nodded, “Please, Hee, I need you so much.”

The desire in your voice made his dick twitch, he cursed yet again and grabbed one packet of condom.

“Hee—” you stopped him, grabbing the rubber from him, “Can I put it on you?” you weren't sure where that bravery came from, although you didn't regret it a bit. Especially when you saw him shiver at your offer, he was just as desperate if not more.

You squeezed his shaft, rolling the condom down his dick. He licked his lips while watching your actions the whole time, throwing his head back, “I'll fucking cum if you keep doing that,” he said when you generously kissed his tip before moving back.

He wanted to fuck you then and there.

“You drive me crazy,” he groaned, his lips ghosting your neck.

He positioned himself, his tip at your entrance as you wrapped your arms around his shoulder, foreheads touching.

“I'll go slow, let me know when to stop, yeah?”

He assured you even though it was the first for him too.

You whispered out another yes, closing your eyes as he pumped his dick a few times before entering your cunt, your wetness making it easy for him to bottom out.

The voice you let out was a mixture of moan and whimper, the stretch making you clench around his dick as he groaned your name.

You took deep breaths as Heeseung showered you with pepper light kisses all over your face and neck, caressing every part of your body as best as he could muster.

He could have sworn you looked like an angel.

“So pretty, so fucking beautiful oh lord—” his voice strained as he started thrusting into you, slowly and sloppily, as best as he could acclimatise with the newfound experience — just as you were doing.

And soon enough, the pleasure took over the pain. Your moans grew louder enough to resonate in your cabin and you genuinely hoped no one else heard you or they won't let you breathe the next day.

His name was on your tongue, your mind, your whole body.

Lee Heeseung, the guy you gave your virginity to.

And the guy who gave his virginity to you.

His hair bounced with each time he pistoned in you, breathing getting harder and lips pressed on the side of your cheek, close to your ear.

“You close, baby?” he asked softly.

“Mhm, you feel so good, Hee,” you brokenly mumble, gasping when he rubs your clit, other hand also shifting you impossibly closer to him.

He still took it slow, memorising each of your expressions and your voice, imprinting the whole thing in his mind to stay forever.

He went on as if he was devoted was you while you admired him for being so good to you. He mapped out your blissful face as you softly rocked your hips against his.

Your pussy throbbed as you approached your orgasm, “H–hee, I'm so close—”

He could feel it, your legs shaking and your walls clenching around him which succeeded in making his dick twitch, his own orgasm close.

“Go on, sweetheart,” he kissed your temple.

Your back arched as you released your juices all over his cock, your walls squeezing his cock, making him feel proud of himself for being able to please you and also the boost for him to come.

The sight only stimulated him to moan out your name lowly, filling the condom up with his own cum before collapsing on top of you, making sure to not put too much of his weight on you.

You certainly did feel sore after that session, your fingers softly brushing his hair away from his forehead as you pressed a soft kiss there, which successfully made him snuggle closer to your body.

“Thank you,” it came out as a whisper.

“No, thank you for trusting me,” he said earnestly.

He took off the now cum filled rubber and threw it in the trashcan kept beside your bed.

You smiled, warmth spreading in your chest as you cradled his neck, pulling him in. The kiss was slow and sensual, the heart-melting kind and you enjoyed how his tongue explored your mouth. A sigh leaves your mouth in unison.

“How do you feel?” you couldn't help but ask him.

“Euphoric,” he smiled as you laughed. “And you?” he asked, tracing your spine.

“Well, I feel heavenly,” you grinned, content with the proximity.

“Come on, let's get you cleaned up.” he got up, getting you his black shirt to cover up for a while as he wore his boxers.

You quietly scanned his body, wondering how you got lucky enough to share this moment with someone so attractive. His red and swollen lips made him look even more appealing.

He helped you get up, holding your waist when you told him how sore your legs feel, holding you by your waist and helping you settle on the sink as he gets a few paper napkins.

You observe as he cleans you up with the wet napkins, mouth forming into a pout with concentration — the whole situation making you feel shy.

“Why?” he asked as he noticed you avoiding eye contact. “Shy now? You were moaning my name just a few minutes back—” you cut him off by slapping his shoulder.

He laughed, settling himself between your legs when you wrapped your arms around him, burying your face in his neck.

“I like you a lot, y/n,” he confessed and you held on tighter.

It felt like a dream — like you'd wake up tomorrow and he won't be there with you.

“I like you a lot more,” you whispered.

And it felt real — his lips on yours, they felt real, the butterflies in your stomach, they all felt real.

He held you tenderly, as he had always wanted to, singing you to sleep and whining each time you opened your eyes to look at him. His tousled hair covered his eyes, which in your opinion, made him look even prettier. You called him cute, acting as if you didn't beg for his dick a while back.

He falls asleep faster in your embrace, hugging you just the way he wanted to, when he was envious of Sungchan's poor plushie. But hey, he did get you after all.

With another look regarded with fondness, you kissed his cheek, murmuring a 'good night' to him before joining him in the dreamland.

To say Isa was shocked would be an understatement. Coming back to see Heeseung and you cuddling like the tooth-rotting, fluffy couple from a cheesy rom-com while sleeping together wasn't a scene she had expected to see.

She also thanked the blanket for covering a very shirtless Hee and a very loose-shirt-clad you, rushing to freshen up, leaving soon after to give you both privacy.

It was the last day at the camp, you all would leave tomorrow morning. But you were happy, waking up in Heeseung's arms, he pulled you closer when he saw you awake.

“Morning, Bambi,” you cooed.

“Is that what I am now?” he asked groggily.

You hummed, soon letting out a yelp as he helped you stand up again. He knew you were sore still and he made it his mission to stay by your side the whole day.

He accompanied you while freshening up, the tip of his ears getting red seeing you wearing his shirt, the top buttons were undone and your hair was messy.

He called you pretty endlessly.

Even during the breakfast, he made sure you say down first and got you the food himself as you avoided the questions thrown by both your roommates — which he answered after coming back, “She's tired, don't bother her.” he exaggerated, succeeding in making you roll your eyes, it made him giggle.

Stupidly cute Lee Heeseung.

He then insisted on sitting at the same spot under the tree where you had carved your initials. “Now we really do look like a couple,” he smirked, coming closer.

“Let's be it then,” you pecked his nose, “For a day.”

A day, that's what you had since you both despised the idea of online dating now that you had a taste of what you could be when together.

“My girlfriend,” he breathed out, kissing you tenderly, “For a day.” his forehead bumped against yours softly. The cool breeze uplifts your mood as you sat with him, hand in hand, exchanging soft kisses between your conversations.

Safe to say, he didn't leave your side the entire day, pouting and calling you his girlfriend with a goofy smile — which grew further when you called him your pretty boy.

You were elated, smiling the whole day which came naturally to you, courtesy of your boyfriend. The pain subsided soon, which allowed you to take a walk for a while now that it was nighttime.

Heeseung had gone to his cabin for a while to pack his belongings, he wanted you to come along but you had different plans.

Grabbing a towel, you slowly made your way through the park and to that very place where the lake was. The part used for swimming practices to be precise.

Stripping yourself until you were in your bra and panties, you slowly walked into the lake, the lukewarm water reaching your chest. You sighed, staring at the night sky, mentally reminding yourself that you'll have to leave tomorrow.

You had grown to love this place, you spend all your summers here. Meeting Heeseung only added to your list of joys.

And just like that, you closed your eyes and enjoyed your minute of solitude.

“Really? Without me?” you turned to see Heeseung removing his t-shirt, and getting in the water with you.

You had no clue how he found you but you were glad. You hummed teasingly and he wrapped his arms around you.

“No one's around, wanna make out?” he offered, eyes shining.

“I don't know, Hee. What if someone sees us—” he didn't let you continue your teasing any further.

His lips were on yours already.

This feeling — amazing.

You weren't sure what love was. But you knew that Heeseung was the closest person you could associate with the word — love.

He was delighted to know that Isa won't be the room yet again and he took that opportunity to spend the night with you. It consisted of plethora of kisses and a – as said by Heeseung – diminutive amount of touching.

But he did love to hold you, to grip your body and caress all of it, being deep into body worshipping as per your observations.

“Good night, girlfriend,” he said with a full heartedly.

He made you happy.

Especially when he held on to you the entire night and didn't let go of you even when you woke up. You could see the sadness in his eyes, a small frown on his face.

“Can't we stay for longer?” he asked, knowing the answer already.

You hated time.

His hand never left yours till you reached the bus area, saying your goodbyes to everyone. He held it tighter when the art guy came all the way over to say bye to you.

You found his jealousy cute.

Isa was supposed to leave in the same bus as you, which would give you more time with her later, whereas Sungchan had another bus, just like Heeseung — all going different ways.

Mr. Jin had winked seeing your locked fingers, “Plenty of time at night, just as I said,” he started, “Ah, young love!” he gushed.

You both exchanged looks, trying to get away and to save yourself from further embarassment.

“Everyone is staring,” you whispered when he pulled you closer by your belt loop.

“Let them,” he mumbled.

The luggage was loaded, the buses scheduled to depart in five minutes and you both were having a hard time letting go. Keeping your tears at bay was another challenge for you.

“I'll miss you so much,” he sighed and you said the same.

He even gave you a chocolate bar to give to your little sister. He remembered these little things about you which made it even harder for you to leave him.

And then he kissed your for the last time, passionately under the sky, with no care about others who we openly watching, someone mumbled ‘about time’ but you were too busy absorbing everything Hee had to offer.

His lips were still sweet from the drink he had during breakfast, his smell ever strong — perfectly enough to send your brain into overdrive.

And just like that, your summer romance came to an end, the end which you despised more than anything.

Being the angel he was, he gave you his prettiest smile before parting ways.

The first tear fell down when the bus officially left the camp, Isa holding you through it all.

She was an angel.

Yes, you hated how it ended all so fast, but going back, you wouldn't change a thing.

He put in efforts to text you. His enthusiasm made your cheeks hurt from smiling too much. Which made your sister suspicious of you having a boyfriend.

But again, you didn't have any labels after your one-day-relationship. Your first and only relationship.

Things switched a month later when his mocks for university started, his undivided attention on studying and his career, which you admired.

Until you lost touch.

All his socials went down, deactivated when the exams came but he did have the decency to tell you in advance, and you knew it wouldn't be the same after.

And you were right.

That's how your summer romance came to a bittersweet end.

So you wrote him a letter.

The one you'd never send out. Ever.

Dear Lee Heeseung,

First of all, I absolutely despise how much I miss your honey doe eyes which I looked forward to seeing each day during the entirety of the camp. You're like the epitome of perfection with your good looks, neverending talents and most importantly, your impressive approach at sweet-talking.

That's the core reason why I came to the realisation that I am capable of liking a certain person beyond words. You had me conflicted, Hee.

You were calm, collected, yet nervous and charming, you called me pretty while showing me the most glorious sky I had ever laid my eyes upon. Perhaps that was the cue for me to stop. But you made it so hard that I only fell harder.

You think you were so cool, calling me pretty names, stealing me away and nonchalantly singing songs which you knew would send me deeper into the spiral.

When I met you for the first time, I was taller and you were a lean guy who cried each time you fell down during trails and games. But then you came back taller, prettier with a mischievous glint in your eyes and I knew this year wasn't going to be remotely the same when things switched and you were the one who kept my frame up the entire time, almost like a bodyguard. But at the same time, you made my knees go weak. Sure, your looks were alluring from the very start but I never saw you beyond the line of friends.

But I knew I was a goner when you asked me for a good night kiss. A very sly move of you. Then you actually kissed me in the woods and completely took over my mind, also accepting how you indeed wanted to kiss me.

I could have sworn I hated that day, we didn't have answers. But once you came over knocking on the door at night, and kissed me with everything you had to offer, you gave me a piece of you I would never forget. And I fell in love with that day.

Friends falling for each other, how cliché of us, isn't it? ’Friendship is love’ you had said, was that your way to confess early? I wouldn't deny, it made my heart skip a beat.

I loved you. I loved how caring you were, I would be lying if I said I didn't want more of you.

I'm uncertain as to why I'm writing this, maybe because it stings how short-lived our ‘romance’ was. I could simply blame the distance for it, however, I also wonder — Should we have tried harder?

Love, The girl who took your v card.

THANK YOU FOR READING <3

PERMANENT TAGLIST : @en-cityzen @softforqiankun @eunoia-kth @lix-freckle3 @woniebae @baekhyunstruly @heexseung @sungniverse @heeyunkist @starryjake @wntrsgf @heelariously @liliansun @abdiitcryy @w3bqrl @9900z @so-jays @cha-raena @faethefairy @seo-thicc-bin @lilacboba @fallinforgyu @irockgyu @jayegalaxy @violevantae @ivyvesisi @sunshine-skz @nicksszzz @candidupped @celestialsjy @enhydiaries @woniecf @ultenha @kyleeanne @keixeds @j5aker @donghoonie-3 @jkmonica @neocityhoe @zhaixiaowen @seuomo @heecare @hwhjsthetic @jngsngie @jjhmk @jongseongsmirk @iqeot @duolingofanaccount @bunhoons @yunskies @aminatalks @nyfwyeonjun @goodforgyu @enhacolor @cyuuupid @luvyun

PERMANENT TAGLIST OPEN! DM OR SEND AN ASK TO BE ADDED :3

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boinin · 18 days

Text

Blue Lock volume cover analysis

An examination of unusual features and chains among the 28 volumes released to date. Subject to revision.

Like this? Want to reference these points in your own analysis on Reddit, YouTube, wherever? Go ahead! A shout out to this post is appreciated. Straight up plagiarism isn’t.

Volume 8: Mikage Reo

Reo's chains are noticeably shaded green. Guess whose eyes glow green when they're fired up...

In addition, @thyandrawrites has a theory that Reo ties/reties his hair up as a way to maintain emotional composure. The volume covers tend to represent the character's personality or struggles in some sense. If so, this is an early nod to the emotional trials Reo endures during the series.

Volume 10: Tokmitsu Aoshi

No chain weirdness here, but Tokimitsu is surrounded by black gunk in his cover. This may be a visualisation of his anxiety and the way he copes with it: running at speed and bulldozing through his opponents.

Volume 11: Ego Jinpachi

Ego's cover depicts him totally immobilised by the four chains bound to his neck. To date, no other character has been more restrained by the chains. This likely represents that Ego's fate is utterly dependent on the outcome of Blue Lock. His cover also suggests that Blue Lock (and football) consume Ego's life.

Volume 12: Shidou Ryuusei

Shidou's chains have a blue glow, much like Sendou's in volume 27. This glow is far closer to Shidou's collar however. It could imply that Blue Lock is the beginning of Shidou's pursuit of football.

He's also depicted with demon wings. The collar or chains don't impede his movement significantly, unlike other characters. In addition to portraying his incredible physicality, this could also visually represent how Blue Lock has failed to subdue Shidou.

Volume 16: Oliver Aiku

Aiku's chains are wrapped tightly around his arm and he's pulling them taut. The chains themselves appear rusted and cracked, most notably on his collar. This could represent Aiku's relationship with football. He grew jaded with being a striker in high school. Becoming a defender, then the match against Blue Lock, revitalised his enthusiasm. Hence, the chain is holding fast: he's just as ensnared by football (and Blue Lock) as the others.

Volume 17: Itoshi Sae

Sae and his chains are bathed in radiant gold light, which is associated with both divinity and wealth. His chains crumble in one place, and remain barely intact. I offer two interpretations for this. Firstly: unlike the others, Blue Lock does not have a strong impact on Sae—his success as a footballer is completely independent of it.

Secondly: if we take the chain to represent Sae's footballing career, the crumbling chain could allude to a time when football negatively impacted him. Perhaps whatever happened in Madrid? But he came back stronger, as the rest of his chains appear even more golden.

Volume 18: Teieri Anri

Anri is the only character depicted without chains or a collar. While working with Ego is a prison sentence in its own right, the artwork suggests that her ambition and future isn't connected to the outcome of Blue Lock. It can also be interpreted as a nod to the hierarchy within Blue Lock. Anri is Ego's boss and thus, she is free while he is constrained. However...

Zoom in on the reflection on her phone screen. It appears to reflect a wide grin—which can only be one person's. Taking into account her passivity in chapter 247, this detail positions Anri as Ego's accomplice: willing to do his bidding, no matter how amoral.

Volume 19: Michael Kaiser

Kaiser's collar and chains are made of glass, through which his blue rose tattoo is visible. As chapter 243 told us, a blue rose represents the impossible to Kaiser. Glass chains suggests that his ego or ties to football are fragile, and could be broken easily. Symbolically, glass can also represent transparency. As a character, Kaiser is upfront about his talent and desires. Nobody is in doubt about his footballing mantra or his intent to undermine Isagi.

Volume 20: Alexis Ness

Ness's chains are entwined with blue rose brambles, all but for a short length to the top right of the image. While Ness came to love football independently, seeing it as magical, the rose brambles show that his connection to football is now inseparable from his devotion to Kaiser. It also reflects that Ness would not be a professional footballer without Kaiser, as per chapter 242/243.

Volume 24: Hiori Yo

Hiori is the only character shown holding the end of his chain, which is secured by a football-shaped weight. This suggests that Hiori himself is the one in control of his career, rather than external forces. Football is a burden to him, albeit something he can carry. Therefore, Hiori is not ensnared by the chains (or Blue Lock) to the same extent as other characters. Appropriate for a character guaranteed to succeed as a footballer, but who ultimately may not choose to pursue it.

Volume 25: Niko Ikki

Niko's volume cover is hilarious. I'll leave the explaining to Tomo-tan, who lays out the humour and genius of Niko's cover in this great Reddit post.

Volume 26: Don Lorenzo

Members of the New Generation World XI have no chill when it comes to their covers, and Don Lorenzo is no exception. His collar shows bite marks, as though chewed through. Gold teeth are good for more than caramel popcorn, apparently.

Lorenzo's chains are accompanied by what looks like electricity. This suggests that football reanimated Lorenzo from near death, as per chapter 216. It's a visual nod to his playstyle, which resembles the incessant pursuit of a zombie. Guess we can call him Snuffy's Monster.

Volume 27: Sendou Shuuto

A blue glow appears on Sendou’s chains, halted from travelling further by his fist. This may represent the threat Blue Lock poses to Sendou's footballing career. He's already been kicked as the striker of the national team; now in the Neo Egoist League, he must battle for a place on the new U20 line-up. No easy feat, as his sweaty face implies.

Another detail worth mentioning is that the trajectory of one of Sendou's chains appear to align with the chain Aiku's pulling in his cover. This similarity, and the fact that they're both holding their chains, may be interpreted as a nod to their status as former U20 teammates—likely the only ones that will make the new team, going off the latest NEL auction table.

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xero013 · 9 months

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Depot Agents of Gear Station 🚉 ⚙️ reporting for duty!

——————————————————————

Relationship Chart of the Subway Bosses with their Depot Agents (Including their opinions)

Green - Appreciates

Yellow - Cordial

Blue - Neutral

Red - Dislike

Random facts:

Amy has a teensy crush on Ingo because he was a fellow kindred spirit in the occult (My HC of Ingo is he likes the horror genre and is essentially just unafraid over anything spooky lol)

Tyrone has terrible bad luck for his entire life, that he has been relegated to desk work most of the time after the disaster of his first battle

Tiáo (条 means train) is the oldest (47) among the crew and was the head conductor of the station before Ingo and Emmet replaced him (he's actually relieved for that and went to resign and became an office worker but that was more of a hassle than being in the station so he came back lol)

Isa and Axel are best friends and dating

Axel shirks his works and sometimes wheedles his boyfriend to write the reports for him

Isa's scar happened during a battle in the subway where the trainer's Bisharp's fury cutter missed his pokemon and hit him instead

Jacques and Tyrone are roommates

Jacques has high charisma that he can smooth talk his way out of anything (sometimes)

Reyna keeps everyone in line when the bosses, Isa, or Tiáo aren't in the station

Emmet and Ingo are close to Isa's zoroark, and would sometime play with her by pranking everyone with the use of her illusion

Jonah is pretty much has basic surfer + skater philosophy since he used to be one, doesn't explain why he became part of the station (because he likes using the abandoned rails to do some sweet tricks in his day offs)

Cloud is a country bumpkin that is treated like the station's cinnamon roll (he absolutely hates being coddled lol)

All of the depot agents in Gear Station adores their bosses (including their awesome GF), even if some look like they don't

This 9 aren't the full roster. If I had the time, I would totally make designs of the other depot agents who are placed in the various stations of Unova ^^)

#submas #subway bosses #subway boss ingo #subway boss emmet #subway boss nobori #subway boss kudari #subway master ingo #subway master emmet #depot agents #gear station #pokemon #pokemon fanart #pokemon oc #pokemon character #the relationship chart was made to look like the train lines chart found in stations #if you noticed give yourself a 🍪

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miracles-and-butterflies · 5 months

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Third part of Ride the Cyclone AU.

The game begins.

(Oh and check out my reblog for this post for Dolores’ bid to be brought back to life).

The previous part in case you need a recap.

Comments are always appreciated.

Warning, sensitive topics below, especially character death.

~~~~~~

A Little More of Me

A drumroll rang through the room.

A spotlight flickering before it finally settled on Dolores.

“Dolores Madrigal, you are first.” The blue suited man declared.

The woman froze, before barely managing to get out the small word, “Why?”

He sighed sarcastically. “Alas! if only you hadn’t burned off those three questions right at the top.”

“It’s just…” she glanced around momentarily, before setting her eyes on the closest person to her. “When you tie the room together, I think Isabela is going to seem like the natural choice for that slot!”

“What? You want me to go first? But you never want me to go first.” Isabela commented.

Dolores squeaked in delight. “Well, it’s like you always say, Isa; the oldest should go first.” She quickly pushed the woman towards the strange man. “Mr. Whatever, Isabela and I are going to trade places.”

“No trading places,” the man remarked, mocking her voice as he did.

Isabela burst into laughter, looking very smug as she walked over only for Desconocida to step in and block the path to Dolores. Any cruel remarks were quickly forgotten about as Isabela’s new focus was now getting away from this being.

A problem she and Luisa would counter by trapping the thing in the cart.

Dolores rolled her eyes and walked away, trying to recover some of her dignity.

“I am happy about that, actually,” Dolores said. “Fine, I’ll go first. I just want to say two things.” Then, she redirected her attention on the man. “I don’t know how it is in your culture, but in ours? Playing games where people’s lives are on the table? Super illegal!” She screeched. Taking a breath and smiling, she continued, “Second, I really love your suit. It really brings out your eyes.”

The lights faded and the rest of the contestants disappeared in the darkness, leaving only the spotlight on Dolores as she stepped up to where a door had appeared in the wall. After a nod from the man, she went for the doorknob. It flashed to life with her name and engraving.

“Dolores Victoria Estrada Madrigal,” the man introduced. “Born 31st August, Virgo; the practical nature. Favourite ride: the ferris wheel.”

Several shots from throughout Dolores’ life, flashed up on the door, like photographs.

“Dolores was born into what is the most respected family in all of Encanto, but she soon found herself left to linger in the shadows. While the rest of her family was heralded with praise, the only comments that came Dolores’ way were…”

Isabela and Luisa reappeared - the former was wearing a red braided wig and hat, while the latter had a beige ruana thrown over her clothes. They echoed the words of the townspeople.

“You seemed so nice.” Isabela offered, lazily.

“I never really met you, but you seemed friendly.” Luisa shrugged.

Dolores awkwardly approached them, as the strange man continued his narration, but they didn’t seem to notice her at all and eventually walked off.

She slowly realised they were being controlled again.

“That is with the exception of one group of people. The biggest achievement Dolores was to receive in her short life was her school career. If not for Encanto being such an isolated town, her ambitions and skills would have been properly recognised at some prestigious university. Instead she’ll be glorified by her teachers for years to come. High school president, straight A student. Dolores Madrigal, the most intelligent girl in town.”

The lights came back and the visuals faded, the other contestants regathering in a semi-circle a few paces behind Dolores.

She herself stood in the centre, smiling, she cleared her throat.

“Judges. Colleagues. Family. Friends. Ominous novelty salesman.” She looked back at the piece of paper in her hands and tore it in half. “I had a speech prepared for this very occasion, but I simply cannot read it.”

“How does she have a speech for this?” Camilo questioned, looking around at the others in confusion.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past her.” Luisa snarked.

“I am just going to speak from my heart,” Dolores continued. If she heard their comments, she didn’t acknowledge them. “I’ve known all of these folks since birth— oh!”

She made a turn, wanting to address her family, only to find Desconocida stood in the way.

The doll-headed girl leaned forward curiously, black eyes borrowing into Dolores’s own.

“Most of,” she amended, pushing the girl into Luisa, who freaked out. When had she gotten out of the cart? “And I love them all! I couldn’t compete against them for a chance at life.”

There was a confused noise from Camilo. “You literally spent all day at the fair telling me you would give me to Satan for free.”

Dolores abruptly shushed him. “My time, Camilo. This is my time.” She turned back to the strange man, “Look, I’ve heard enough of Tío Bruno’s rat telenovelas to get what you want us to do here. Who’s the best?” She nodded to herself. “Sure. Grades. Behaviour. Humanitarian efforts. Extracurricular activities. Musical endeavours. Being able to tell you everything about everyone in our town - quicker and more accurately than any type of record or machinery - since the age of five!”

She took a breath.

“I am the best,” she said confidently, “By any metric of society. I get that. But if that is how worth is measured, I want no part of it! Look some of us are left wing,” she lifted her left hand. “And some of us are right wing,” she lifted the other. “But the last time I checked, it takes two wings to fly!”

She flapped her arms as an example, then held them up in the air.

“We are community! We are family! We are the world!”

After her declaration, a loud buzzer noise played.

She bowed gracefully, to some silent and nonexistent applauding audience.

“Dolores Madrigal heroically concedes,” the suited man announced.

The other three Madrigals snickered, Isabela almost collapsing to the floor in peals of laughter between Camilo and Luisa. Desconocida, who had been dragged and left at the other side of the room by Luisa, simply tilted her head in confusion.

The comment seemingly smacked Dolores back to reality. “She does what?”

“I respect you taking the moral high ground.” He said, nodding gently. “Next!”

She ran over, shaking her head. “B-but I was just trying to prove to you that I’m a good person,” she insisted.

“Duly noted. Next!”

“No, no, no!” She exclaimed, desperate. To emphasise the point, she bravely snatched the metallic cone thing. She didn’t know why, she just suddenly felt compelled to. “I am urging you to make the responsible choice here for the betterment of humanity!”

~~~~~~

12th September, 1951

“I will go with them.”

The adults turned to honestly the last person they expected in the doorway.

“Now we’re definitely not gonna be allowed to do anything fun there!” Camilo whined, flopping to the floor dramatically.

Pepa only smiled. “Oh, would you, Lolita?”

“It’s a nice offer, but don’t feel you have to, mija.” Félix said. “Bruno is already going, and I’m happy to go as well—”

“No. I will keep them out of trouble. You deserve a break.” Dolores insisted.

“What the fuck was in those chocolates?” Luisa whispered to Isabela. She glanced curiously at the box Mariano had sent for Dolores’ birthday, just in time to catch a vine trying to clumsily push one out of its container. Luisa smacked Isabela’s arm.

The vine dissipated, the chocolate going flying.

Camilo’s eyes gleamed and he chased after it, as it disappeared underneath a cabinet.

“Sobrino, don’t eat food off the floor,” Julieta chided from where she had also appeared in the room.

“Five second rule, Tía!” Camilo shrugged, his mouth half-full.

She shook her head. “What are we all gathered around in here for? I called dinner about five minutes ago and the only person who showed up was Mirabel.”

“The children want to go to the fairground,” Agustín explained, getting up. “I’ll go ask to see if she’s interested. It wouldn’t be fair to leave her here.”

“That’s not fair! Why does Mirabel get to go and I have to stay here?” Antonio asked.

“Because you aren’t tall enough for most of the rides, Toñito. There won’t be much for you to do.” Félix soothed.

“I’m basically Mirabel’s height. She’s not going to be able to ride anything either.”

“You’re too young, I’m afraid, Antonio.” Abuela reasoned, as gently but firmly as she could. “You’ll have to sit this one out. Maybe next time the fair comes by.”

As Antonio’s lip quivered, Pepa scooped him up. “Aww, don’t cry, mijo. We’ll plan something just as exciting to do here - with all your animals, who wouldn’t have been allowed in the fair anyways - that will be much better. Okay?”

The family began head towards the table, Bruno pulled Dolores aside.

“It’s very kind of you to offer to go.” He said. Then raising an eyebrow, “Especially as you told me it was ‘a waste of time’ this morning. And you’d rather do anything then have to babysit the others more than you already do. Could it be that something has changed your mind? Are you admitting you were wrong?”

“Absolutely not; I’m always right. I am just a nice person - this is what I do.”

He smirked, “Oh yes. The world needs more people like you.”

They really do.

But she’d never say it out loud.

#encanto #encanto ride the cyclone au #dolores madrigal #isabela madrigal #luisa madrigal #camilo madrigal #bruno madrigal #antonio madrigal #pepa madrigal #félix madrigal #julieta madrigal #agustín madrigal #alma madrigal #mirabel madrigal #my writing

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moon-swag-tourney · 10 months

Text

The Bracket (tm)

The bracket is here!! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about it ^^

Also, please let me know if I need to spoiler tag these characters! I already have somewhat of a list, but there are plenty I'm unsure of, so all the help I can get is appreciated ^^' If I'm not confident though, I'll tag as spoilers just in case!

I'm aiming to the queue all of the polls so that they'll all be ready to upload on tuesday the 17th (left side) or wednesday the 18th (right side), however if it ends up delayed I'll be sure to make an announcement

Final thing, a reminder that you can find more info about the tournament under #tournament info !

Since it's kind of hard to read, here's the written list beneath the cut!

Left Side

Yuuki Mishima (Persona 5) vs Yuelia (Fantasy Life)

Kei Tsukkishima (Haikyuu!!) vs Moon Knight (Marvel)

Chan (Midnight Museum) vs Linh Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles)

Lucretia / Madam Director (The Adventure Zone: Balance) vs The Collector (The Owl Hourse)

Princess Luna (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) vs Princess Yue (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Luther Hargreeves (The Umbrella Academy) vs Della Duck (Ducktales 2017)

Looks to the Moon (Rainworld) vs Moonwatcher (Wings of fire)

Moony (ENA) vs Majora's Mask Moon (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask)

Bayonetta (Bayonetta) vs Princess Rani (Elden Ring)

Lunamon (Digimon) vs Moon Hare (Japanese Folktale)

Emlyn white (Lord of the Mysteries) vs Hisoka Mikage (A3!)

Soul Eater Moon (Soul Eater) vs Crona Gorgon (Soul Eater)

Asterian (SynthV) vs Kaguya Houraisan (Touhou Project)

Twila (Mario Party 6) vs Diana (League of Legends)

Maya Amano (Persona 2 Duology) vs Vanitas of the Blue Moon (Vanitas no Carte)

Umbreon (Pokemon) vs Clefairy (Pokemon)

Right Side

Moondrop (Five Nights At Freddies) vs Yue / Yukito Tsukishiro (Card Captor Sakura)

Gunpowder Tim (The Mechanisms) vs Fandub Eggman (Snapcube SA2 Fandub)

Lunala (Pokemon Moon) vs Ruby (Animal Crossing)

Moonlight Cookie (Cookie Run) vs Saïx / Isa (Kingdom Hearts)

Usagi Tsukino / Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon) vs Artemis (Greek Mythology)

The Moon (Real Life) vs Gillion Tidestrider (Just Roll With It: Riptide)

Runaan (The Dragon Prince) vs Rayla (The Dragon Prince)

Cure Moonlight / Yuri Tsukikage (Heartcatch Precure) vs Cure Selene / Madoka Kaguya (Star Twinkle Precure)

Lunatic / Yuri Petrov (Tiger & Bunny) vs Sigma Klim (Zero Escape)

Ben Drowned (Creepypasta / Majora's Mask) vs Moon Presence (Bloodborne)

Tracker O'Shaughnessy (Dimension 20 Fantasy High) vs Imogen Temult (Critical Role)

Kiana Kaslana (Honkai Impact 3rd) vs Aruru Otsuki (Revue Starlight)

Murr Hart (Promise of Wizard / Mahoutsukai no Yakusoku) vs Cyana Lucretia (Cosmic Wonders)

Hanako-Kun / Yugi Amane (Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun) vs Judith (Tales of Vesperia)

Sirius Gibson (Witch's Heart) vs Ursula Cabistis / Shining Chariot (Little Witch Academia)

Aurora (The Mechanisms) vs Tyrande Whisperwind (World of Warcraft)

#tournament info #not poll

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tigger8900 · 10 months

Text

Hijab Butch Blues, by Lamya H

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Lamya(she/they) is a queer, non-binary, South Asian Muslim, an immigrant first to the Arab world and then again to New York City. If all that sounds like a lot, that's because it is. But she manages to deftly explore these identities, telling the story of her life by relating her experiences back to stories from the Quran and her Islamic upbringing. Whether it's exploring racism through Jinn stories, lesbianism through the character of Maryam, or relating despair over her constant attraction to straight girls to the story of Nuh and his ark, she paints a vivid, authentic picture of her life so far.

I was a little bit nervous going into this because, while I know a little about Islam, I was concerned this book might get too in-depth for me. But I shouldn't have worried at all, because this was written to be very accessible to anyone who's been exposed to the Abrahamic canon. While I often couldn't place a character immediately, as Lamya began to describe their stories I realized that I already knew most of them in broad strokes, even if the details were different. I will say that I'm sure these stories are more a personal interpretation than a scholarly overview. For example, I very much doubt that it's generally accepted among scholars of Islam that Maryam, mother of Isa(Jesus, in Christianity), was a lesbian, or that Allah is explicitly a non-binary being. But it's Lamya's right to seek her own truth in tradition, and I appreciate her sharing that interpretation.

This memoir is, in the grand queer tradition, organized by topic rather than being presented in linear order. She skips forward and backward through the chapters of her life as needed, from her teenage years to college, back to her childhood then ahead to her late 20s, back to college, and so on. I found the ordering to be easy to read, but it's something to be prepared for going in if you're not familiar with this style of memoir.

#books #book review #hijab butch blues #lamya h #memoir #lgbtq #queer muslim

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sirianasims · 5 months

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“Our little baby girl got married today, babe. You should have seen her. Beautiful. Zane is a good man, you were right about them. He’ll make her happy.”

“Daniel is such a great kid. So smart too, just like Cora. And Brie is expecting your third grandchild. Third! You can be proud, babe. Your family is doing well. And I… I still miss you every single day.”

The old house in Willow Creek is too small and too full of memories of Alex, so Don agrees to move to Newcrest with Cora and Zane. Zane has also sold his apartment in San Myshuno.

Cora is working late tonight, but Zane appreciates the extra bonding time with Daniel.

When it’s time for bed, Daniel insists on having grandpa Don read him a story.

Grandpa Don always does the best voices.

A few weeks later, Don is up late, enjoying the silence, and a cup of tea in his “world best grandpa” mug.

His thoughts are disturbed by the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and Zane appears.

“You still up? Mind if I join?”

“Sure, go ahead. Can’t sleep?”

“No, I’ve been tossing and turning for over an hour. I guess I’m a bit nervous about tomorrow.”

“What’s the succes rate for each IVF treatment? Something like 50%, right?”

“Something like that. And I shouldn’t be nervous, Cora is the one having the procedure. And we won’t even know if it has worked for weeks. It just feels… big, you know?”

“Zane, it’s understandable that you’re nervous. You never expected to have kids, right? And I know you love Daniel, but this will still be different.”

“How did you do it, Don? It wasn’t until Cora told me that I even realised that Brielle wasn’t your daughter. To me, you always seemed to be her dad. I don’t want Daniel to feel left out when we have another baby.”

“You’ll do fine. Honestly, what I did was simply deciding that Brie was my daughter. Sure, Johnny’s genetics were involved, and he did visit and spend time with her, but a child can have more than one dad, right?”

“From what I’ve seen, you already treat Daniel like he’s yours. And you don’t even have some guy with his genetics dropping by constantly to remind you.”

“I guess you’re right, but… Daniel is literally blue. It’s not like I can forget he’s not mine.”

“Zane, Brie literally has her father’s face. I was constantly reminded. The point is, it doesn’t matter. I was also Brie’s father. I never treated the girls differently.”

“You’re right. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Just promise to hit me over the head if I ever neglect Daniel.”

“Zane, you know I don’t hit people.”

“I know, I was joking. But honestly. I kinda wish you’d punched my dad back at the wedding.”

“Yeah, that was a mess. I’m sorry about all the drama.”

“You’re sorry? My dad should be sorry. That reminds me, Isa actually asked me to apologise to you. I think she’s too embarrassed to contact you directly.”

“I hope she laid off the champagne after I left.”

“Actually, our friend Conor ended up taking her home. I think they’re still seeing each other.”

“Anyway, thanks for talking me through this, Don. I better try to get some sleep so I can be there for Cora tomorrow.”

“Sure thing. Daniel and I will be crossing our fingers at home.”

“Good luck tomorrow.”

beginning / previous / next

#duchellilegacy #duchellichapters #duchelligen2 #don lothario #zane fyres-munch #daniel duchelli

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tau1tvec · 1 year

Note

I love the way you build so much! Do you have any tips for incorporating color? I tend to use a lot of beiges in my builds and even though they look nice,it’s starting to get repetitive when I’m decorating new lots! Any tips you have would be greatly appreciated ☺️

I get ya, I tend to trip into a lotta my own repetitiveness when it comes to builds too, which is a lotta the reason why I tried to challenge myself with Yan and Marco’s house, since my usual builds tend to lean more into an either colorful, moody, or grungy mess.

Either way, I still try to stick with a palette, so whether a build is more classic, modern or contemporary I’ll usually try to match all the wood grains, and stone accents, no matter what, usually something to compliment the actual colors and tones I wanna use.

Lighting can also be a huge factor in what I choose, I originally wanted to go for lighter more muted wood tones for the Garden House, but with all of the windows and candles being the major lighting sources, I ultimately chose a yellower wood to “soak” in the warm light.

For colors, the main ones I stuck to were greens, whites, and terracotta oranges. For the children’s rooms however, it’s kinda unavoidable to lean to more garish colors, as a lotta toys tend to come only in these tones, and tbh I prefer it that way? Since I’m not all too into a child’s room looking too beige, still, it’s likely they’ll come in the typical “red, blue, yellow” or “purple, aqua, teal” combos a lotta irl toys do, so due to the mixes of mints and citrus colors already present in Mag’s nursery, I stuck with the latter.

Treating rooms, and even bathrooms in a house as separate entities really creates a more lived in home. Cohesiveness throughout is cool and all, and certainly looks good in a mansion or an estate that was likely built to look more like a compound or a museum than a home, but a house where every room feels like you’re experiencing the life of the person inhabiting it is a lot more fun.

For example:

This living room…

… and this room exist in the same exact build.

Isa loves bright sunny pastels, and that being a contrast of the more moody look her uncle prefers shows they’ve got their own styles, and respect each other’s personal spaces.

So go and throw in a few cobwebs and wall holes in that laundry room no one likes to go into bc the water heater makes creepy noises, inside your otherwise pristine beige build!

The surroundings of your sims are as much characters as your sims are, treat them as such.

#asks #help

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toaverse · 1 year

Text

Matriarch Julieta AU

An AU where the raid happened to the blue family instead…

So here’s some angst!

Note: Alma, Pedro, Bruno and the warm family will only be mentioned.

Anyways, enjoy!

Julieta couldn’t be happier. She lived in a normal Colombian town near Cali, often spends time with her parents and siblings, and hangs out with friends.

But one day, she met Agustín.

The two quickly became friends. Eventually, the two fell in love, got married, and the two moved to a different town near Bogotá.

And eventually, the couple were blessed with their two daughters. Isabela, their oldest, and Luisa two years later.

And after Julieta was expecting again 3 years later, the small family couldn't be any happier.

But it wouldn't last...

On March 6th 1935, the day their Mirabel was born, the small village the small family lived in got raided by bandits.

Julieta and Agustín took as many bags of their stuff as possible, including their wedding candle, took their three daughters, and fled the town, heading to the mountains.

Unfortunately, the bandits caught up with them...

Seeing no other way out for his family, Agustín sacrificed himself to save his wife and daughters...

Julieta wept when the bandit stabbed her beloved husband, clinging to baby Mirabel when it happend. 6 year old Isabela was shielding 4 year old Luisa from having to see it...

But then, the miracle happend...

Mountain started to rise, and the magic house named Casita came to be.

There was no time to proces any of it. The moment the mother and her daughters stepped into the living house, they saw four glowing doors.

Turned out that the girls got gifts as well. Isabela got the gift of growing plants and flowers, and Luisa got super strength.

But that didn't stop the grief from happening...

Isabela and Luisa saw how their mamá forced a smile on her face, trying to be strong for them while taking care of little Mirabel...

So, being the oldest, Isabela felt like she had to take care of Mirabel so that their mamá could take a break from time to time, and Isa did it with gratitude.

But then there was also a whole town, something that Isabela and Luisa ignored at first due to their mamá grieving and caring for Mira.

But eventually, Julieta started leading the town, something that Isa protested against, but Julie reassured her that it was fine. But Isa knew her mamá was lying...

So, when Mirabel was 5 and got her gift of healing with her food, Isabela reminded her of that.

"Will you use your gift to help mamá too?" Isa asked her youngest sister after her ceremony. "I will teach you how to cook, okay?"

So, whenever Julieta couldn't get out of bed or when she was visibly sad or tired, Isabela took over for her.

Luisa took care and did chores around town, while Mirabel took care of all the meals and that her mother or sisters didn’t get sick.

Julieta however, didn't want her daughters to overwork themselves. She was their mother. She should be taking care of them, not the other way around...

The girls lost their father too...

Isa knew this, but tried to suppress the memories of that tragic night by keeping herself busy with taking care of the family and whatever she could do for her mother and sisters.

She even went as far as to court with and actual marry Mariano when she was 20 to make sure the miracle kept on burning and her parents' legacy living on. Mariano knew about it. Isa didn’t lie or mislead him.

But unexpectedly, the two actually fell in love one year after their wedding, specifically after they talked about the raid and how they felt about it. More than a few tears were shed…

But aside from that, the couple mostly focused on taking care of the family they already have.

Julieta truly appreciated what her daughters have done for her. But sometimes, she wanted to take care of them, to be the mother she wanted to be, the mother her girls deserved…

#matriarch julieta au #julieta madrigal #agustín madrigal #mirabel madrigal #isabela madrigal #luisa madrigal #encanto au #mariano guzmán

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jacarandaaaas · 4 months

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blue isa doodles!!!

nothing more comforting than drawing madrigals amirite? wanted to try be more relaxed w my art and just have fun with it and not focus too much on the details! there is never enough blue isa appreciation and I will always advocate for her‼️this was so silly and I just had fun with it! Also did anyone get an isa concept art reference (wink wink) also isabela strong agenda is still going!! She uses her cacti as weights!

#encanto #encanto disney #disneys encanto #isabela madrigal #encanto fanart #disney’s encanto #isabela encanto #blue isa appreciation #blue isabela #encanto doodles #jacarandaaaaasart #I love her so much #isabela my beloved #she’s that protective plant mom #love her for it!

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sketch-guardian · 1 year

Note

Hi hi! Back once again!

In a scale from 1 to 10, how easy is it for the classmates to get jealous?

- Isa

Hello there☺sorry for the late reply,but I was a bit busy with university🙈anyway,let's get started with your interesting ask!

HOW EASY IS IT FOR THE RAD CLASSMATES TO GET JEALOUS?

(Let's say that in this scale: 1 stands for "discomfort" while 10 for "possessiveness")

DEMYA (9/10)

Demya's a rather territorial demon and among the RAD classmates, she's the feralest one. She easily gives into her demon nature, especially when she feels threatened or on an empty stomach. Demya lost much during her time as a slave in a freak show in the human world: her family, her freedom, her dignity and her right to eat. For this she's quite possessive towards MC, because they're one of the few good things that life has granted her and the idea of losing them scares her. If MC were to flirt with someone to get favors in return, Demya wouldn't mind, because she does the same thing sometimes. However if someone were to flirt with MC and,so Diavolo help them, MC was uncomfortable, then Demya would intervene: either by threatening to tear the heckler in question to pieces or by grabbing MC's arm, spoiling them with kisses and giggles and then dragging them away, leaving there the heckler (in case they tried to stop Demya, at first she would just smile menacingly as a warning and if the heckler insisted, unless MC holds her back,she will kick) (P.S.: Demya's shoes have hidden blades)

DOMNRA (8/10)

Domnra's a rather aggressive demon and he's very protective towards the people he cares about and what belongs to him, he doesn't have the reputation as a delinquent for nothing and with his anger issues, he easily gets to violence, so lesser demons tend not to bother him too often. In addition to being a tsundere, although he doesn't want to admit it, Domnra's insecure, of his grumpy character, of the curse he has and of his scars for example. He hardly shows himself vulnerable, but he appreciates that despite everything MC doesn't seem to care. If MC were to flirt with someone, Domnra would become very insecure and would need to spend some time away from them to cool off, only reassurances from Mobim and explanations from MC could calm him down. If, on the other hand, someone were to flirt with an uncomfortable MC, it would be the first time Domnra would have no problem being clingy in public: with a frown he would bring MC closer to him, asking the heckler to get out of the way if they don't want to pay the consequences. Depending on how the heckler reacts, the situation could escalate and in the meantime Domnra would leave Mobim with MC. It would try to comfort them and then calm down the conflict

AZUL (5/10)

With Azul the matter is a bit complicated, given his mood swings. In some cases, he could simply approach the heckler introducing himself as MC's boyfriend happily, in others he could completely ignore them and make out with MC in front of the heckler, just to show off or he could even compete to see who makes MC blush the most,like it was some sort of game. In some other cases he could decide to flirt with the heckler, having fun making them uncomfortable, or to scare them, appearing next to the heckler out of nowhere as a ghost would. These are the most common options,in which he wouldn't be really jealous,instead he would just have fun messing around with the heckler and MC. However there are days in which Azul isn't in a particularly good mood and making an unstable demon jealous isn't the best of ideas. As a warning, from the usual light blue color, his typical traits would turn red (anger): that is the moment in which MC should intervene to calm him down if they want to avoid conflict, and if they don't, then Azul would have fun more than willingly to throw the poor unfortunate bastard from side to side with his telekinesis

ZURI (3/10)

Zuri isn't a very jealous demon, being sure of herself, her skills and her partner. To be so close to Zuri, as to become her partner, she must feel a lot of trust in MC, it's one of the requirements to get into her good graces, and this would be one less reason not to fear inappropriate behavior from MC. If someone were to flirt with MC, Zuri would analyze the situation before taking action. She herself is used to flattery, at least from those with guts, so it isn't surprising that her partner receives it too, being a peculiar being. However if she notices discomfort from MC or bad intentions from the heckler (like trying to get close to them just to get to her) then Zuri will very quietly interject, although her presence would probably intimidate the heckler. To leave, she would simply say that their presence is required elsewhere, maintaining a peaceful but serious tone. If the heckler was stupid enough to insist, Zuri, not wanting to attract attention or make a scene by getting her hands dirty, would use one of her powers on the heckler to make them go away on "their will" (hypnosis)

ODON (1/10)

It isn't easy to get obvious emotional reactions from Odon, because no matter the situation they find themself in, they always seem to be smiling with their wide green grin. Besides, with having half of their face covered, it's difficult to understand where they're looking or what expression they're making, so apparently, one might think they can't get jealous. And in a certain sense it's true, what they would feel wouldn't exactly be jealousy, it isn't the right term to describe their feelings, the more correct word would be "loneliness". Odon would feel lonely, left on the sidelines, which they're used to, but now that they have MC, it's different. The only clues that something is wrong with Odon are: a forced or very light smile and if the eye-like creatures are present, seeing one crying and the other one glaring at the heckler (those creatures have a personality of their own). If not particularly uneasy, Odon would just wait for MC to return. In case they start to feel too much ignored, then they would approach MC, asking them if they would like a cup of tea or some biscuits. They would have also offered those to the heckler, perhaps in the hope of making a new friend, but it's very likely that the heckler runs away out of fear even before Odon reaches them

#obey me shall we date #obey me #om! shall we date #obey me rad classmates #obey me x mc #obey me x reader #obey me headcanons #obey me demon oc #demon ocs #obey me demya #obey me domnra #obey me mobim #obey me azul #obey me zuri #obey me odon #camy replies #replying to this ask was a bit difficult #but the result should be okay enough #also sorry for my poor english

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peachsugarr · 1 year

Text

REQUEST 1#:

A/N: this request is for my mutual @qt-isa, who i know irl! (they're also a fugitive who's hiding from the pigs in texas for a myriad of crimes: here's a news report all about it) all relationships are platonic, but you could probably read some bunny out of this if you wanted to, please enjoy!

𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔰𝔣𝔢𝔪!𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔧𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔢 𝔥𝔠𝔰!! ☆彡

marj isn’t out to her parents yet (and probably never will be; that is suicide) so she changes her outfits depending on who she’s with

not ideal, but much better on her mental health than she was doing before

can’t really grow her hair out super long, so she uses a assortment of wigs and a knowledge of hairstyles that she can do

she loves using fairy tinsel in her hair, something she learned from babysitting karen

her favorite colors are baby blue, light pink, and lilac

she dots her i’s with hearts

she loves wearing tulle skirts and oversized sweaters

she loves dresses and skirts in general, especially if they’re fun to twirl in

typically wears her regular shoes everywhere, but she would wear ballet shoes and kitten heels if given the chance

as for how the main 4 feel;

STAN: has kind of a kinship towards her, as he is questioning gender himself

but he doesn’t really treat marj any differently than he did before

KYLE: is somewhat confused and does require some explaining of what being transgender actually means (as he doesn’t have the best experience with trans issue what)

grows to hate misgendering though

CARTMAN: he does make fun and misgender marjorine sometimes

not solely because he’s transphobic but because he does that to everyone

he’s noticeably uncomfortable with her at first, but after kyle gave him a verbal lashing, he got over that, or at least doesn’t disclose it anymore

he will still pretend to be “world’s best trans ally” when it benefits him, which pisses off Kyle to no degree

KENNY: he doesn’t really care how marjorine identifies

labels aren’t really a thing he uses and while he doesn’t have a full grasp of everything, he still refers to marjorine as a girl

is willing to kick someone’s ass if they give her a tough time

he feels like it’s none of anyone’s business and that it doesn’t matter what others feel and think, as long as she’s happy with herself

marjorine still plays hello kitty adventure, even though she’s leveled to the max and she’s done everything that one can possibly do in the game

it’s just fun for her to tend to her little pixel garden

she grows more spine over the years

you kinda have to when you’re a visible minority in a town like south park

the scar caused by the ninja star in her eye has faded in time, but it’s still pretty noticeable

she used to cover it up with foundation when she was younger, but now is proud to enhance it with eyeshadow

she has a glass eye from the experience that she’ll sometimes put stickers on

is a huge fan of stickers and glitter and uses them whenever she can

this gets slightly annoying with stan’s gang but they can’t really do anything

overall, marjorine is a lot happier with her life than she was in 4th grade.

it isn’t prefect yet, but it’s as close as it can be, and that’s good enough for her

A/N: this is the first time i’ve actually wrote down my headcanons in a coherent list and it was a really fun process! i apologize if it’s not as great as it could be, but I feel like I will get better with practice. feel free to leave me constructive criticism in the tags/comments, I appreciate anything you can give, as it only help me in the future.

as always, if you have any headcanon/fanfic prompts (especially ones pertaining to style!) you want me to write about, feel free to send them over! as long as they follow the master list’s guidelines, i’d be happy to oblige!

take care!

-filia

#south park #south park fandom #south park headcanons #butters scotch #marjorine stotch #sp fandom #peachsugarr

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slocumjoe · 2 months

Text

sole stuff purely for myself, Augustijn and his relationship + thoughts on the Queer Community (the companions)

Cait; Having struggled with addiction himself, not only does he understand her better than the others, but he's actually equipped to properly help her beyond just sticking her in the chair and calling it a day. They hold each other accountable, make sure they're both staying clean and not falling into old or new bad habits. Cait vents to him a lot, and finds that when she's vulnerable, his flowery and sentimental nature is comforting rather than annoying. Gus looks up to her as well, respecting how she was able to take herself back at such a young age. He admires her will and dedication to doing and having better for herself, mostly out of spite. She's comfortable talking about things and taking influence from him because he's done a lot of what she's done, and sometimes worse, and knows that his guidance is from experience and not out of his ass.

Curie; She reminds him strongly of his ex-wife, Lottie. The key difference is that Curie is driven by her head as much as her heart, where Lottie was all heart. Curie gets stressed out by Augustijn and his habits, his history. There are some things a doctor can't help but want to fix. There some things you cannot fix. Augustijn sees her efforts for what they are, but he tends to indulge her too much. He lets her think her methods or medicines or whatnot are working to appease her, only for her to become disappointed when she realizes he's only humoring her. Their relationship is rocky for a while. After a while, Augustijn takes the time to explain to her why he's done the things he's done, how he ended up this way. He's an insight into the darker parts of humanity. He wants her to go into the world knowing its shadows, but knowing she is bright enough to brave them. Curie comes to understand this. She isn't sure she appreciates it.

Codsworth; Codsworth hated him for the longest time. Wanted him dead. Longtime followers will remember Isadora—she was Codsworth's owner, not Gus. So, when Gus got divorced and kicked out, he stayed with Isa, and Codsworth got to hear all the tea about Augustijn and his marriage and his very, very shitty life philosophies. Codsworth hated him. Found him pathetic and repulsive. The rivalry remains 200 years later. And even if Augustijn changes and comes to realize all his actual flaws, and how to fix them, Codsworth can't forgive him for some things. The tension mellows, but the robot doesn't forget, and holds Augustijn accountable with a sharpness rarely seen. As for Augustijn, thinks they're good pals. Gus doesn't realize how sarcastic Isadora allowed Codsworth's programming to be. Genuinely doesn't realize Codsy hates his guts.

Danse; Augustijn joins the BoS just to appease the hot guy he found stomping on ferals. They meet at a point where Augustijn is still relatively spineless, lacking his own values, just parroting whoever he admires without understanding their goals and motivations. Danse doesn't see that part. He gets distracted by the poetic, sentimental, painfully earnest man who looks at him in a way he's never been looked at before. Danse is seen by Gus, and by seeing each other, they blind each other. Danse doesn't see Gus's flightiness, his victim complex, his holier-than-thou desire to be a martyr and avoid addressing his mistakes directly. He sees soft blue eyes that wrinkle in the corners when he talks. Augustijn doesn't see Danse's judgement or his pigheadedness or pretension. He doesn't see how unforgiving and cruel he can be. Gus sees a soft man trying to be strong because his strength is needed. It's after Listening Post Bravo they truly start looking at the other. It's then they start fighting, where Augustijn begins to challenge Danse on everything he had previously agreed to without hesitation. It's where Danse brings up Augustijn's actions, his inactions, and dares him to explain what the hell he was thinking, if he was thinking for himself or about himself. They look at the other and scream, do better, I know you can, I know you are better.

Deacon; They get along too well, but only because we all know what they say about misery. They're both chameleons, for very different reasons. Deacon would never sacrifice his morals for a role—Gus has, and continues to do so. But neither take life too seriously, always looking for the fun, for ways to make it better even if only by an inch. Deacon knows regret when he sees it. He understands, but privately, he doesn't respect Gus, not for a while. Augustijn takes his lies in such easy stride with no concern, its like he doesn't care who Deacon actually is. You could call it open-minded. You could call it kind, freeing. Deacon calls it noncommittal. Augustijn doesn't push back against him for anything, at the beginning, and it drives him crazy. Augustijn allows it because he knows the pressure of being trapped in a known truth. He knows needing that out, needing the back door of excuses and lies and explanations. He thinks he's being kind. Once he understands his own enablement, he calls Deac on a bluff, a lie, something. Because Deacon deserves the respect of being truly known, he realizes. He deserves the respect of being expected better of.

Gage; Augustijn pities him. He sees an old fighting dog who never got out. He sees what he could have been if he never took responsibility for the bad shit in his life that was his fault. They keep their distance from each other, but even if there's tension, there's also respect. Gage, for his part, knows a powerful, useful leader when he sees it. And the Minutemen didn't to where they got on their own. It's Gus's increasing willingness to self-actualize and get over his own bullshit that has Gage less irritated with him. He's still a soft piece of shit, but he finds his own voice. Augustijn never stops trying to find a soft spot in Gage—he knows it's in there, and refuses that the old bitch is incapable of change. It annoys the hell out of Gage and more than once they ended up taking the argument to the ground. Even so, Gage sticks with him for the money in it, which comes easier than it did raiding. He'd sooner shoot himself than admit it.

Hancock; yet again, Gus sees a younger version of himself in Hancock, which is odd, as they're close in age. Gus tries to keep space from him due to his chem use—Hancock cuts down and uses only away from him out of respect. They talk often about politics and philosophy, but it always circles back to hating rich people. Hancock gives Gus shit, because he is one of those rich people. He's a nepotism baby, after all. Hancock says the things Gus wants to say, he just adds more colorful language to it. Augustijn respects him for his determination, but worries that Hancock does things for the sake it, sometimes. There's righteousness, and there's wanting to be able to say you are righteous. Augustijn is very familiar with that thin line. There's no doubt Hancock is himself and no one else, but anger is a fickle, unreliable motivator.

Nick; reminds Gus of his father—reserved, logical, sharp, but never hesitant to do the right thing. He respects as much as he fears Nick. He suspects that Nick can see through him like glass, and knows every little blemish on his soul the same way his father did. Gus wants to make him proud, but Nick just wants the guy to find himself first. He never learned to be his own person, he's not gonna do well trying to be everyone's favorite. Augustijn doesn't understand Nick's particular plight of identity, as he only knows Nick the Synth and sees no need to dwell on where Nick the Synth came from. He doesn't understand wanting to be your own person. He doesn't understand not wanting to be a shadow of someone good.

MacCready; MacCready reminds him of a friend during his service. That boy died throwing himself on a grenade. Gus doesn't think MacCready would ever do that, but he's glad for it. He tries so hard to find something for Bobby — tries to be a brother, a father, tries to set him up on dates, tries to help him find faith — in this manner, he is to MacCready what Curie is to him. Only, Mac doesn't humor it. Gus just thinks he's so young, with so much responsibility, he can't do it alone. While he's of good intentions, MacCready has almost perfected his one-man war against the world. He doesn't need help, he needs company. He just needs a friend, not a savior. He doesn't hold it against Gus, but sometimes suspects the man does good deeds just so he can say he's a good person. He's not too far off. Either way, they enjoy their sniper duels and competitions.

Piper; Augustijn, deep down, is frustrated with her, but he expresses it disingenuously. He finds her a bad reporter, thinks her a busy body with a complex rather than a good faith woman of the people. In truth, he was the same when he was younger, so he tries steering her in the right direction. Or, what he thinks is the right direction. They butt heads every conversation, but there's mutual respect and trust even if Piper thinks Gus lacks backbone, and he thinks she lacks subtlety. Very frenemies. She's the one who immediately and loudly calls him on his shit right from the get go. As time passes, he appreciates it. Kind of a little sister, or a niece + bad influence uncle thing.

Preston; is held up as the pinnacle of human kindness and goodness. It's a dehumanizing thing, though. Preston is not a hurt young man, he is Augustijn's faithful and loyal Colonel who will always guide him to redemption. He is not capable of mistakes, or cruelty, or anything imperfect. He's Preston Garvey. The Commonwealth Minuteman to whom all Minutemen are held up to. Preston doesn't hate it, but it leads to their friendship and brotherhood being built on falsehoods. Augustijn doesn't see people; he sees Good People and Bad People. Their humanity is forgotten, with this perspective. Preston suffers for the longest time under this pedestal and the expectations until the Second Massacre, where Augustijn realizes that he's been hurting his friend, and sees what it was costing. He's able to repair the relationship, but sometimes takes Preston's newfound assertiveness as a consequence of his blindness, rather than something he helped Preston develop.

X6-88; Augustijn's view on synths is shaken by X6. He viewed them as just lab grown people, but X6 is so very not human that he can't make that claim with a straight face. X6 maintains that he isn't human, so shouldn't be claimed at such. How do you justify something's individuality as a human, if it doesn't want to be human? Augustijn believes in souls. What is a soul? How do you tell if something has one? X6 claims he doesn't, that he lacks the spark of humanity. But Augustijn watches his little quirks that other synths lack, and wonders if a soul is decided not by God, but by if you choose to find it in any thing. Synths may not be human. They may not be alive. But who has the right to decide if something is deserving of cruelty, regardless? X6 listens to him prattle on and thinks he's a lunatic. Gus sees his first love in X6—a boy in church who was once so bright. X6 is like the After of that boy. Gus wishes he knew what X6 was like Before, or what he could be if he let himself be it.

#ss; alter

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casitafallz · 1 year

Photo

LRTL AU | Uncertain pathways

Mirabel didn’t regret punching Camilo.

Sure she hurt herself, and that was perhaps karma for doing so given she rarely let herself use violence as means of resolving frustrations. She was not a violent person by nature but the fact Camilo was being both stubborn and self-righteously dense in his belief, it was worth it.

She had thought his mood towards her older sister was more from a place of protection given what had happened but�� it seemed now that had grown to outright hate for the sake of it. Not for her benefit. Not for her safety.

Now all of that could have cost her her sister and her Sobrino.

The notion of Isabela having a baby still was…novel to her. A baby boy as well as another sense of unexpected joy as well. She was eager to see the baby and hold him and love him but… not this soon. Camilo had put her unborn nephew at risk…when he didn’t need to.

Was this messier than what Isa did to her?

Mirabel liked to think so. At least only her was in danger that time… and at least Isa actually was remorseful about it too.

A baby was thrown into the risk beside Isa’s overall health and Camilo couldn’t seem to care less, which, Mirabel thought was worse in comparison. Isa seemed to have…learned. Not Camilo. Why was this such a horrible contrast between her family?

Why did this have to happen again?

“You okay, Mija?” Her mother’s voice was soft.

Mirabel looked up and smiled softly as her mother sat down beside her, taking her hand and gently rubbing over the bruise that still lingered there with her thumb. Mirabel had declined her mother’s food for the time being; it felt good to have it.

“Si, Mami.”

Julieta sighed deeply, “I’m sorry.”

Mirabel looked at her in surprise, “For what?”

Julieta paused for a moment, “I’ve been….far more absent in all of your lives than I realized when I…shouldn’t have. Kept you from…your sister.”

Oh.

Mirabel’s eyes dropped from her face to her knuckle again. She hadn’t…overly noticed too much. Her mother had been quiet and tired but Mirabel had put that to stress more than anything.

“Are you okay now, Ma?”

Her mother didn’t answer right away, her gaze not meeting her eyes. “I will be. It’s… a lot I’m working through emotionally.”

Mirabel’s eyes furrowed in concern. “You can talk to me, you know, Mama.”

Julieta smiled, leaning forwards and kissed her cheek. “I know, but some things are still for adults. You’ve been through a lot and…your Abuelita’s is brutally blunt.”

The concern didn’t feel any less, but she supposed that… maybe her mother had a way to handle whatever was troubling her. “So…” Mirabel opted to change the topic, “I’m gonna be a Tia. You’re gonna be an Abuela.” She grinned, “Are you gonna be called Abuela Julieta or just Abuela?” she nudged her a little as she spoke,

Julieta’s face froze a little. “I’m going to be an Abuela….” Her voice was faint.

Mirabel’s smile faded a little, “Si, Mama. Abuela gonna be Bisabulea.” She gave her mother a soft look, “I thought Papa told you.”

Julieta blinked for a moment then nodded, “I…he did.” Her voice went a little higher, “I just…didn’t think too much about it…what it could mean.”

And now, Mirabel realized she had probably poked a hornet’s nest. Still, she supposed her mother would have had to come to terms with it sooner or later. More so sooner so she could help when the baby’s ready to be born.

“Hm, and Pa’s gonna be an Abuelo.” Mirabel chuckled. “I’ve already made the baby a hat. Of course, before I knew it was a boy, it was neutral colors. I’m not sure if Isa’s opened the present yet. She’s probably waiting for later. I plan to make a little blue knitted one now.” She could already think up a few designs. The knot hat was cute but now, she could make it personal. She bet Isa would definitely appreciate that.

“Oh…” Julieta huffed out deeply, “We’re going to have to sort out a lot…”

“I’m sure Abuelita’s got it sorted, I doubt Isa’s gonna just move back to Casita for the space when Camilo can’t get his head out of his—“

Julieta groaned softly, interrupting her. “Right… we need to get the mess with Camilo sorted.”

“What? You thought Isa would move back on the basis of the baby? After…all the shit she’d been put through?” After what she had been put through as well? But Mirabel didn’t mention that part. She did…like the space and it was comfortable; Abuelita was right to have Isa live away but… she didn’t want Isa to be unwelcome. Casita should still be her home.

But now, she supposed it was going to be the worse place for her to be: Camilo and his attitude problem, but also now Parce. She hadn’t seen what sort of damage had been done but... it was done.

“I…wasn’t thinking.” Julieta moved, standing up. “You’re Tia’s too on the defenses about Camilo.. I’ll need to have another talk with her.”

“Didn’t Tia throw a storm at Tio?” Sure, the rain had tapered off now but it had picked up rather harshly again. She hadn’t clocked onto what the issues were besides seeing Tio Felix leave his and Tia’s room in a huff but…she supposed that it made sense Tia was more on Camilo’s side. Camilo was a mama’s boy.

Annoyingly so.

“I’m…not going to get into the middle of their affairs.”

Clearly knowledge with experience, Mirabel noted so she left it at that. Antonio’s door opened, and the flurry of animals thumped across the balcony before both their heads turned and watched as the 5 year old hurriedly excitedly with his armload of paper.

“Mirabel, Let’s go visit Isa!”

Abuelito had been the one to stay with her, as Isa lay in the clinic’s temporary bedding so she happily laid to rest, letting him talk and navigate a one-sided conversation, the distinct tobacco smell off his clothes seemed oddly comforting as well as he knitted. His smoking habits had seemed to return a little more, it seemed.

Bella kept popping her head in often, giving her food and water, even a few new pills of vitamins and some she knew were simply to keep the baby healthy and to destress her. She didn’t see a fault in that; she wanted to keep the baby in as long as it needed.

“Have you thought of a name?” Abuelito asked, “I’m almost finished. All I need is the initials.”

Isabela didn’t raise her head, though she smiled softly as she looked at his work. It was beautiful, mostly a shell pattern across but while it was most indigo blue, it seemed to gradient off into white with almost a lacy patterned edging. She had watched at work and even tried herself but this was still stunning to watch him finish up the last corner so easily and quickly.

“Since we know it’s a boy…. I wanted to ask if I could call him Dante, after Tio Dante.” Isabela raised her head, noting how he seemed to pause with his wool though he nodded softly.

“I see.”

“I don’t have to, it’s just an idol thought. If it was a girl, I was gonna call her Dahlia, after the flower.” Isabela didn’t necessarily backtrack but she didn’t want to push any buttons. “I had planned to talk to Fran about them earlier.”

“I think… your Abuelita should be the one to ask. I’m okay with it, if that’s what you want to name him.” Abuelito remarked softly, gently cut the line. “If you stick with a D as a first name, then I can put the initials in now.”

Isabela snorted softly. “I suppose. There’s always Danilo or…Diego… or Dominic.”

A pleasant silence settled between them though she watched as he pulled his kit closer and treaded up a large needle with white wool and began to gently start stitching.

But, the peace didn’t last long before the door opened and—

“Isa!” Antonio’s voice was sharp, echoing loudly into the small room, Abuelito slipped with the needle and stabbed himself in the finger

“Indoor voices, Toñito!” Mirabel’s voice was soft, quickly catching up before the kid.

Isa blinked in surprise, sitting up swiftly though hissed sharply as the movement pulled at her injuries.

Antonio, a little oblivious, hurried in full of excitement and dumped his little armload of paper onto the side of her bed and all over the floor.

“Oh no.” Antonio didn’t look put off, bending down out of her line of sight and began to pick them back up. “Sorry! I spilled them. I’ll pick them up!” He declared.

Isa watched him for a moment before wordlessly glancing to Mirabel who seemed to watch him with a fondness.

“He spent a good portion of the afternoon on these.” Mirabel started off, “Didn’t you, Toñito?”

“Yes, well why not?” Antonio’s head popped up, looking very hopeful. “I’m very, very, very, very sorry about Parce, Isa. I made your cards to help you get better and…and I hope I gets first holds of the baby!”

Isa’s eyes flickered down to the sheets though the sense of bewilderness hadn’t entirely left her, she found herself pulling a few pieces of crude child drawings towards her.

Clearly, he had put a lot of effort into them, mostly stick figures, a few animals, balls with faces in the spidery hands of what she assumed was her holding the baby with him next to her, then there were a few just of animals—probably gotten side-tracked in his drawings and reverted back to his interests.

“Can you find her the card?” Mirabel guided.

Antonio’s curls bounced swiftly as he nodded then began to look through.

Isabela watched though…she couldn’t say she had interacted too much with Antonio at all…ever really. In passing it had been brief but they were otherwise so...different. Not to mention the sixteen years between them didn’t make it all too easy to talk with the kid.

Still, she’d humor him. She had to get better with kids if she was going to be having her own soon.

“Abuelito!” Mirabel finally noticed their grandparent, moving off to hug him.

“Ah, Mirabel.” Abuelito pulled his bleeding thumb from his mouth, gently coming to allow a soft hug. “It’s good to see you.”

“Is that a baby blanket?” Mirabel got distracted as she noticed his work.

“Here it is!” Antonio pulled her attention away as the two began to talk and gush about the baby’s presence. In his hands, he held out a single folded piece of paper, again one with a drawing on the front before she took it with a soft smile and carefully set it down to open it up.

To Isabella

I aM VeRy SoorrRy AboT ParCce.

CaMillO iS StuPid HeaD.

LoTs oF LovE

AnTonio

It was very rough and it seemed at least he had written it himself; not Tia Pepa writing in for him given the spelling and mishap of letters that were spread unevenly across the page but…she did

“Do you like it?” Antonio asked nervously, “I spelled and writed it all myself.”

“I can tell.” Isabela gently folded it shut, “Thank you, it’s a very….thoughtful card.” She answered.

Antonio lit up happy. “Does it mean you’ll let me hold the baby after you’ve done cooking it?”

Isabela leaned back onto her injured side, and patted the space available for him to clamber up on. Antonio didn’t hesitate to climb but she could see he was being very careful not to touch her. Probably worried. His eyes lingered on her arm for a longer moment which dampened his excited face as he settled, letting his feet swing off the side.

“We’ll have to see when he’s born, okay?”

“he? It’s a boy baby?”

Isabela nodded, “So far, Si.”

“Yay! I won’t be the youngest boy in the family for much longer!” He clapped his hands, “how long until he’s done?”

Isa sucked in a thoughtful breath, “Hopefully… as long as no one stressed me out too much, another two months.”

“Two months?!” he looked shocked, “But you’re not fat enough to be this far done!”

“Antonio!” Mirabel gasped as Isabela snorted.

“What?” Antonio looked at her innocently and confused, “I thought babies make women fatter when it’s near born? Señora Gutiérrez is really, really big!”

“Señora Gutiérrez is carrying twins, Toñito!” Mirabel flushed pink, “Isa, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Isabela waved off the apology though she couldn’t but be amused at his innocent antics. He probably had no idea about how babies to made outside passing remarks and passive observation.

“So? One baby would make her half as fat. Wouldn’t Isa be bigger if she had a baby in her belly when it’s only 2 months away?” he frowned at her stomach, “I don’t understand.”

“It’s okay,” Isa hesitantly patted his back, “It’s still there, and just… something I inherited from my Abuela’s side of the family. Mirabel and Luisa also have the same potential to have a very hidden baby when they have children.”

“Wait, we do?” That caught Mirabel’s attention, she turned to Abuelito swiftly “We do?!”

“You’re not dating anyone, you don’t need to worry.” Abuelito assured, “Your Abuelita did mention telling you about it, did she not?”

“I didn’t think me or Luisa were part of that! Oh, we’re all gonna have to be so careful!” Mirabel nervously chewed on her nails for a second, “At least you’re right. I’m not seeing anyone. I can wait…..probably until I’m twenty to think about dating...”

As Mirabel continued to mumble, Isa turned back to Antonio.

“So…there’s a whole baby in there?” He pointed a finger to her belly.

“Si.”

Antonio stared down at the belly still, clearly trying to understand, looking like he wanted to prod her stomach to be certain.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

Isa sighed though gently took his hand and pressed it to the most prominent place of contact. It took a few seconds until she felt a flutter that hit in that area before Antonio pulled his hand away.

“Ew.”

“Toñito, that was the baby.” Mirabel chuckled, “You know, you used to do that as well in your Mami’s belly. We could even see your elbow or even foot as well every time you moved and kicked”

Antonio looked a little horrified. “How did I end up in Mama’s belly to do that?!”

“Why don’t you ask your Mami all about that?” Isa suggested slyly. “She knows all about how babies are made.”

“Isa…” Mirabel gave her a look.

“What? He’s going to ask sooner or later. Would you rather he asked his animals like Parce how they make babies?” She liked to think she had a point and was innocent but if anything she was feeling that Tia Pepa could do with a distraction.

“Wait, Parce knows too?” Antonio perked up at the prospect of learning from other sources.

“You know what, why don’t we go and visit your mother,” Mirabel hopped off the chair but surprisingly, Abuelito got there first by folding up the blanket and was on his feet before she could take a step forwards

“Actually, may I join you? I need to talk to your Abuela as well.”

“Are you sure?” Mirabel spoke, looking a little concerned, “It’s… a little tense at Casita.”

Isa raised her head a little at that but…it felt oddly nice to hear it. Were they upset about what happened? Mirabel seemed very upset and Antonio so… it seemed she at least had some people in her corner.

It really shouldn’t have come to her getting mauled for that really…though she was glad Mirabel seemed willing to stay in the room with her, even if it wasn’t the first time. She still half expected Mirabel to keep more of a distance.

“I don’t expect less in your household at the moment, given the circumstances.” Abuelito smiled fondly, “We’re taking the rest of Isa’s belongings from her room that she’ll need since she won’t be returning.”

“Wait, at all?”

Isa purposely didn’t answer but she had already talked with Abuelito about it. They already said they’d cope with the baby when he was born so…she was content with her decision. The baby would be safe with her at her grandparents’ house. Not Casita. Not with Camilo and certainly not around Antonio’s animals.

The three of them left her in peace and quiet so Isa got herself comfortable, collecting up the sheets of Antonio’s drawings into a neat pile underneath Abuelito’s hand-made baby blanket before she let herself nap.

The mood at Casita wasn’t any better, Mirabel found. The wind had picked up and the rain poured with thunder growling in the sky. Antonio huddled into her side as they walked, clutching at her skirt. In most cases, Antonio was never weary of the thunder. Mirabel knew that he had been hearing it since before he was born whenever Tia had her mood swings to find it a constant and comfort but it seemed today, it was not a comforting echo of thunder that he could listen to.

The sound of raised voices didn’t bode well as they crossed the threshold, Casita giving a sad wiggle of tiles but seemed to direct the trio to seats underneath the balcony.

Luisa sat with a book on her lap, surprisingly her hair was down though it seemed their mother was gently platting the front away from her face as she read. Though given her sister’s eyes weren’t moving across the page a lot, it seemed like she was distracted.

Not that Mirabel expected less given the weather.

“Are they still arguing?” Mirabel asked, sparing a look at her Tia’s door.

“It cooled down for about…ten minutes before Felix returned to talk. Abuela went in to discuss Camilo’s punishments and… well it’s been an hour since. I can’t see she’s very gotten far.” Julieta spoke, eyeing the door with concern.

“Well, I hope he gets severely punished still.” Antonio declared, with his hands on his hips and looking adorable despite his clear attempt to be serious, “he used my friends and almost killed a baby so he should!”

Luisa looked up worriedly from the page. “How…How is she?”

“Resting, no current risks,” Abuelito assured, drifting over to kiss Luisa on the cheek and going as far as to give Julieta a hug as well. “Now, May I borrow some hands? Isa’s asked for some more of her belongings to be brought down.”

“I can help.” Luisa rose to her feet, her hair falling from Julieta’s fingers. “Sorry,” She added down to her mother. Julieta sighed though held out a ribbon.

“It’s almost done, let me just tie it off at least.”

Mirabel led Antonio away towards the kitchen, getting him a snack and a drink first before he took his leave as a Pico dropped onto his shoulder and began to squawk about his day.

Mirabel found herself a little lost on what to do, aside from avoiding the weather, she could go to her room, and make a start on the little hat she had planned.

Her eyes slid across to the doors again, landing on Dolores’s door for a moment before she found herself walking towards it and gently knocked.

It took a few moments before the door opened and Dolores’s tired face appeared, wordlessly, she was nodded in.

“Are you okay?” Mirabel asked as she slipped in, shutting the door quietly after her though her eyes lingered around to see…Dolores’s room looked oddly empty. A bag packed and oddly organized. There were square tiles of triangular-shaped foam also packed in different bags. Like…Dolores was moving.

“I…suppose.” Dolores sighed, coming to sit down at the end of her bed.

“Are you...leaving?” Mirabel asked in alarm.

“No….well, I’ll be moving in with Mariano for two weeks to get a break away from this…mess. “Gesturing to the door. “I asked Pa if I could as well so…he knows. He’d told Abuela but… I don’t think she’s going to fight him on that. He knows I need this. He’d rather know and help than have me sneak out the house behind their back and risk getting hurt or lost”

“Does Tia know?”

Dolores shrugged, “She’s too focused on Camilo right now. She’s….too loud to approach just now anyway, you know....”

Mirabel winced in sympathy. But, she supposed if Isa had benefited from loving away, it made sense Dolores needed the space as well given the new mess that happened because of her brother.

“I hope it goes well for you.” Mirabel reached forwards, coming to hug Dolores’s shoulders. “Have you got any good plans?”

“Hm, well, now that you mention it. We’re going to go camping mid-week for a few days. Far enough that Encanto will be background noise for me.” Her eyes seemed to light up. “Just us. As a couple.”

Mirabel smiled deeply. “I really hope it goes amazing for you then. Did you need me to make you anything? A new head wrap for sleeping? A new nightgown? I kinda want to be busy right now.”

Dolores pondered thoughtfully before she reached over and pulled out her set of ear muffs and held them out. “Do you think you could make a night-time version of these? They keep slipping off during the night.”

Mirabel nodded excitedly. Certainly sounded like a good project to start and one that could be appreciated and needed. Dolores deserved a break and a chance of a normal relationship. This house was… a mess. Mirabel knew she could handle it and try to help. Her mother seemed to be a little more proactive now which was a good start and her father was certainly a little less stressed now. She hadn’t dared wake him up given she had passed him napping in a hammock to get up here. How he stayed asleep in this weather, she had no idea but she wouldn’t wake him either if he needed it.

“I’ll get started right away.”

Dolores watched her Prima leave with a skip in her step away, letting out a heavy sigh of relief as the door swung shut and left her alone again. She rose to her feet again, coming to her closed, roller desk, and pulled it open.

Inside, laid sheets of paper and her scribbles before she dug out the map and unfolded it, and began to continue to copy it out into a fresh page.

This was an old map, and while she knew the mountains had disfigured the traditional means of using it against old pathways out, she knew she had to at least get the general locations down for there to be a chance of a way out.

Dolores knew she was playing a risky game but this was her final part in it before she’d think more for herself.

She knew what Mateo Marquez wanted; a way out. Dolores could hear the anger the sister had every time his name was mentioned but also how anxious the woman was now she couldn’t find him given he had escaped through his bedroom window after she had beaten him. There was no mistake in her eye that Sofia Marquez would kill him in her next rage if they were to meet again.

There were many secrets that his family had that she knew she couldn’t simply share, the fact that Señor Marquez had wound up killing his abusive wife was one of them. She hadn’t understood back then what she had heard, she had only been seven at the time. Everyone thought she had died accidentally falling off a balcony when drunk. Señor Marquez pretty much avoided all types of conflicts himself now, even mildly addicted to some sedatives his daughter put in his morning coffee to keep him compliant.

How Mateo had a kind heart was beyond her but the fact he didn’t want to be like his mother or sister said a lot. He wanted to be there for his son… but he needed to leave. His hiding place kept him alive and secretly hidden from his sister and her probing questions for now. Francesca’s plan of keeping him quiet from her own family did seem to work out well; Sofia had no reason to suspect them of lying if they were genuine in their responses.

Dolores wasn’t stupid to know what would or could happen.

Given the hypocritical mess and the high chance of losing the baby, she’d rather Isa went with him. Give them a chance to be a small but happy family.

But, she was getting ahead of herself; Isa would certainly reunite with Mateo first before any decisions were final.

For now, Dolores busied herself with her maps, the sounds pleasantly scratching at her ears at the same time Mariano was idly humming a soft tune as he worked in town.

Fran was glad to be allowed out of her room, having already taken the time to reorganize it to fit a small bed and squished her furniture out of the day to make space, taking the time to feed Mateo a few snacks as well as sneak him to the toilet for relief and a shower. She didn’t need man smell to bring up awkward questions again. As soon as he was done, redressed in both clothes and medical dressing, he was back under her bed and sketching designs of a baby crib in her old notebook for got bored of.

Now it was evening, before the evening meal and so, her mother retrieved Isabela from the temporary, clinic space. Her Abuelo was renting the building first to see if it’d work for their needs or if they’d need a completely new build to their specific requirements. Fran didn’t pay too much attention to the success of it really just yet.

Isa came looking very sallow and tried, her arm held up and wrapped up, hobbling a little as she walked to keep her weight off her leg though Fran led her back to her room to get her settled.

“Here, You take the big bed.”

As much as Fran wanted her own bed, she wasn’t stupid or selfish enough to forgo Isa’s needs. She wasn’t going to be responsible for the baby’s loss if she could help it. A big bed, more comfort and a big chance of the next two days in it, she was gonna need the space. It was only for a few days after all.

“it’s okay,” Isa mumbled, “I can take the small one.”

“No. I already swapped the sheets and put the clean set on the big one. Hush and get in.” She ordered.

Without much complaint, Isa complied and crawled straight onto the bed with a soft hiss and otherwise flopped and settled.

Underneath the bed, a box moved as Mateo’s face appeared between the gaps.

Fran gave him a soft look to hold off. “Isa…”

Isa looked up slowly, her chin settling on her pillow. “I know that tone… what do you want?”

The remark made her snort a little, rolling her eyes. “Look, just so you don’t freak out. Mateo is alive—“ Isa’s face brightened up as she said that, “and currently under the bed.”

“What?” Isabela blinked, wiggling a little to peek over the edge.

Taking the hint, Mateo winced as she moved a few boxes and wiggled his head out.

“Mateo!” Isa’s eyes widened as she saw him, slipping out of the bed onto the floor and pulling him immoderately into a kiss.

“Ugh.” Fran looked away. “You’re in my room and both fucked up by injuries. Don’t even do anything remotely sexual here!”

Isa pulled back, though it seemed a small flurry of flowers seemed to pop up around the window without much thought as she cupped his face. “I’m so happy to see you!” she whispered.

Mateo seemed also swept up in the moment as well though he winced a little as he moved, a hand coming to her stomach briefly then to her face to cup her cheek. Though his face morphed into concern as he saw her bandages. “What happened?”

“More shit hit the fan by the Madrigals.” Fran called, “Mateo, my mama’s gonna bring food in in a minute so hide again. As long as Isa’s resting, you can talk as much as you want in daytime hours. Once the lights are out, we all got to sleep.”

“Si, ma’am.” Mateo mockingly saluted after her.

#lest the rot lingers au #isabela madrigal #luisa madrigal #mirabel madrigal #julieta madrigal #agustin madrigal #agustín madrigal #antonio madrigal #camilo madrigal #dolores madrigal #pepa madrigal #felix madrigal #encanto au #encanto #alma madrigal #bruno madrigal

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