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#i would really appreciate it if you shared this post♡ thank you!

writing-in-glitter-pen · 4 months

Note

love🥺🫶🏻I click at my notification so fast when I saw your posting again adfkgk you have no idea how much I like your writing! also I'm new to your blog but if anyone trying to hurt you I'm......going to give them a really bad time... 😤💪//hj

Anyway 🥺🫶🏻🫶🏻can I request a reaction of wrio and neuvillette with a darling who has a habit of looking at the price on menus...like why worry your silly little head? when you're with them those silly little numbers mean nothing. it's one of your habit that's hard to let go but he find them really cute so it's okay!

Awwww thank you so much, dear!!!! You'll be happy to know that I've got nothing but love on here which I'm so so grateful for ♡ but I appreciate you so much for your protection ♡

And what a lovely idea!! This is so something I struggle with so it was interesting to write about and imagine what our favorite boys would say!! I hope you like it ♡

✧˖° you're worth all the mora in the world⋆.˚✧

Wriothesley & Neuvillette x gn!reader (separate) II fluff!

"You're not allowed to order water."

"Wriothesley..."

He slides the drink menu over to you with a stern, "Pick one."

"...but I don't need—"

"It's not about needing. I took you out to spoil and indulge you, don't deny me that pleasure."

You've been dating Wriothesley long enough for him to find your cautiousness when it comes to his funds an issue.

On the first few dates you two shared, though he'd rather have pampered you with lavish meals and treats, he decided to look the other way when it came to how you'd always miraculously choose the most inexpensive dishes on the menu.

"I guess that's only polite...", he reasoned with himself, weighing whether or not he should mention to you that money was not a problem for him; but eventually, he thought it better to just give you time.

"Once we get more comfortable, it'll change."

And once you two did get comfortable, and he found that your behavior, in fact, did not change, his patience wore thin.

Why were you still so uncomfortable with him? It was almost an insult that you thought so little of him to assume he'd find paying for you a burden.

So, he takes to ordering for you. He knows what you like, and he knows if he lets you choose for yourself, the price will play a factor into what you order—even subconsciously.

Until you start choosing the most expensive meals on the menu, you're not allowed to make objections or requests without grounds like allergies or dislikes; which you won't have, because he knows you too well by now.

If you try to lie and tell him you don't like something he's picked for you, you will fail. Miserably, so.

"I don't like crab.", you argue—peeking over your menu at him in an attempt to hide your tells that he's become much too familiar with. He could read you like a book, and you have no idea how he's gained so much expertise in the field of you.

"Uh huh, sure, doll.", he doesn't even look at you, his attention on the waiter as he orders. "That one—", he says, flicking his finger to point at you, "is going to have golden crab.".

"And the crab will be market-priced. Will that be all right with you, sir?", the waiter feels the need to confirm, as market-priced foods are often quite expensive.

You jump in, "How mu—"

"That's fine.", Wriothesley interjects, giving you a stern look as he plucks the menu from your hands, revealing your red cheeks (a symptom of your fibbing), and passes it to the waiter before handing him his own. He doesn't need to hear the price, it's just a number, and you're worth more than all the mora in his bank account. No matter how ardently you can try to protest, he's committed to giving you what he knows you want—even if you hesitate to ask for it.

And watching from across the table how your eyes glimmer and beautiful cheeks turn rosy pink as the opulent flavors hit your tongue is more than enough compensation for him to recieve in return.

Neuvillette finds your financial prudence to be a quality of yours he actually quite admires. Too often, he sees thoughtless individuals land themselves in his court with grave, unsettled debts due to gambling or overspending, so your conscientiousness is to be commended!

However, when he is the one footing the bill, he sees no logical need for you to apply this virtue. He knows what he can afford, so you need not worry about it; and to see that telltale crease between your eyebrows as you worry yourself over what to choose on a menu with nothing priced less than ˙✧12500 mora, simply crushes him.

He can never sit right with himself when you have that anxious look on your face, it makes him feel like he’s failing as your partner. And over something so small as a handful of mora! He finds it necessary to talk you through the logic of the situation rather than your—for lack of better word—illogical fixation on a metaphysical number.

“Sweetheart,”, he calls in that soothing, deep vibration of his voice that feels like resting in the coolest, calmest waters of Fontaine, “I am the Chief Justice of Fontaine; as such, I’ve been entrusted to oversee both criminal and civil trials due to my ability to apply sound judgement to otherwise complex situations, unrivaled by anyone else in the nation.”

“…”, you sit quietly with your hands in your lap and blink at him, tongue-tied as his explanation begins to make perfect sense.

“…don’t you think I would have the discernment to manage my own finances?”, he concludes, hammering his claim into you with one last strike.

You have no rebuttal. He’s pinned you so effortlessly, it’s embarrassing. Sometimes, it’s a challenge to date a man with such vast practice in rhetorical argument.

Your worries being soothed with such tact actually makes you quite flustered, your cheeks and nose turning a soft shade of red as you pout in defeat.

The way your expression graduated from nervous to sheepish with just a few sentences of reasoning makes him chuckle, reaching out to lift your chin with the knuckle of his index finger with a cheery, but reserved smile on his face.

“Darling, I’ve brought you out tonight to spoil you. Do me the honor of having some fun while we’re here? There’s nothing more I want right now than to see your beautiful smile.”

You find it’s impossible to hold back the simper that blooms on your face from that remark, to which he smirks with pride.

This was the most fulfilling trial he’s held in a century.

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moonchild1 · 4 months

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kim taehyung fic rec list (Ⅴ)

hello everyone i know it's been a while since i posted, work has been hectic, but i got some time and managed to finish a list so please enjoy i have a few lists ready to post so i'll que them up... here's my all time favourite taehyung fics, please show lots of love and support to these wonderful authors and their blogs, leave a heart, reblog or even leave a message or feedback under their posts i know they would appreciate hearing from you, some of these fics contain smut so no minors allowed you will be blocked ♡ feel free to recommend me some fics or just share what your reading right now i'd love hearing from you 🖤✨

a- angst s- smut f- fluff

series

only here to sin by @gimmethatagustd s a ft. namjoon

When your genius of a boyfriend returns to Harvard for his sophomore year of college, you never would have expected to have his worst enemy keeping you entertained in his absence.

our gray winter by @vyduan s a ft. jjk

“Were you looking for this?” Taehyung asked as he handed you the box of tampons you always bought. He remembered. You wanted to sink into the floor and die. Instead, you recalled your manners and said, “Thanks.” You put the box in your basket. “I can’t believe you remembered.” He beamed at you. It was patently unfair how he could look all glowy and soft while you looked… not like that. “Of course, Y/N.” If possible, Taehyung’s voice dropped even lower. “I remember everything about you.”

schemes and tricks to win her heart by @crystaljins ft. ksj

Rich company heir Kim Seokjin has a plan to win the heart of the girl of his dreams, and you, his little brother’s best friend, are dragged along for the ride. His younger brother objects, of course.

camboy!tae by @hisunshiine f s a

Give me all of your love, gimme something to dream about. KTH is your favorite camboy, and as a loyal subscriber, you are chosen to test out some new features on the platform he uses to go live. He’s really good at selling his viewers a dream, and as a thanks to a new milemark he’s hit on the platform, he’s choosing one winner to get their fantasy scene.

tolerate it by @archivedkookie s a

Taehyung is your husband, and you love him. If only he loved you back; if only he cherished your love and not tolerated it.

what was hidden by @daechwitatamic s a ft. myg

This is how it all starts: Taehyung is flunking Western Lit. You're assigned to tutor him. His paper on Strindberg's The Ghost Sonata could pass or fail him for the semester. As you and Taehyung slowly become friends, then more, you learn that there's a lot more to him than you originally assumed. Together, you navigate your own experiences with the play’s themes: one's "true self" versus one's "shown self", darkness behind the facade, and how people can be quite literally haunted - and it has nothing to do with ghosts.

complete faith by @daechwitatamic

It’s Taehyung himself who admits that it’s usually around the one-month mark that he starts to lose interest in his relationships. So even though you’re so drawn to him you can barely stand it, even though he’s attentive and funny, even though you’re helplessly crazy about him… when you start dating, you feel like you’ve got an expiration date from day one. But will it be Taehyung’s issues that get in the way, or your own?

and they were roommates by @hoseok666 f s a ft. jjk

it all started with a rejection from your longtime crush, jeon jungkook. you decided to confess to him on your last day of high school. after a harsh rejection and a rough summer dealing with the heartbreak, you were starting anew once your freshman year of college came. you were going to be sharing an apartment with two other roommates that you don’t even know. what a surprise you’re going to be in for once you find out it’s the one and only: jeon jungkook and kim taehyung.

with a brush of fate by @yoongiofmine f s a

Your roommate was sure she found you the perfect man. Her boyfriend believed he found Taehyung’s soulmate. The only problem was that you never wanted to date an idol and he never wanted to drag you into this life. Taehyung didn’t even know what he wanted anymore and was tired of being criticized for simply growing up. You just wanted to finish university and do something for yourself. What started out with the meddling of your friends became something neither of you expected. Could the two of you be what the other is missing? Or would things just fall apart?

groovy by @kinktae f s a

Even in the 70s, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t have feelings for your best friend’s little sister.

tempting by @/kinktae s a

Y/N is an angel. She steers clear of the seven deadly sins, especially lust. She runs into a demon but, luckily for her, that demon doesn’t seem to buy into that whole “Angels and Demons are sworn enemies” idea. But unluckily for her, he just so happens to be the very embodiment of sin. Especially lust.

talk by @gukslut f s a

Finals week is kicking your ass, thank goodness you have a friend to help you relieve some stress. It’s a great arrangement, as long as no one finds out... as long as you don’t catch feelings. What could go wrong?

somebody to love by @cutechim

kim taehyung wins the heart of everyone he meets, and you—his self-proclaimed work “nemesis”—are not an exception.

tear you apart by @bratkook s

I want to hold you close, soft breasts, beating heart, as I whisper in your ear, ‘I wanna fucking tear you apart.’ demon au

clairevont by @/bratkook f s a ft. jjk

The second year of college starts off with a bang until you find yourself tangled in between your fuck buddy Kim Taehyung and his innocent room mate Jeon Jungkook.

free use by @littlemisskookie f s a

You tell your crush you want him to have full control of you in every way always. He obliges.

lost myth of truelove by @sugalaritae f s a

for six months you wait for him, a weekend spent together, finally able to reach the man your soul is tethered to.

because of you, blue by @ugh-yoongi f s a

nearly a year out from your breakup with taehyung, jin begs you for help saving his failing restaurant. the two of you aren’t exactly friends, but you feel some stupid sense of obligation and, really, what’s the worst that could happen?

true love by @jjkeverlast f s a

in which you're face to face with your ex again after 5 years, because both of your friends start dating each other.

obsidian by @kpopfanfictrash s a

The world of magic is divided into dark and light, witches and warlocks, choice and fate. You’re a prodigy of light, a witch who works within the police force. You’ve heard of Taehyung in passing, spoken in whispers as the warlock of dark who has the world holding it’s breath. All this changes on the night you’re assigned as security for a mysterious singer named V and you come face to face with Taehyung himself. What happens after that might be fate.

baby, baby by @hobiwonder ft. pjm f s a

When you’ve run out of savings to continue on to the last semester of your Bachelors - you take an unorthodox route. Helping a desperate couple have a child and getting paid for it? Heck yeah. But what do you know - it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

entangled by @caelesjjk ft. jjk s a

He saved your life twice. But he’s also been your sweet lab partner in college for the past two years and now someone who is more than just a friend. You care about him…maybe even love him. But something tells you that you aren’t quite sure what love even is. How could you when you have feelings for someone else as well. Kim Taehyung is the handsome stranger you’ve seen around campus and somehow ended up dancing with at Club Onyx. You were upset that Jungkook had stood you up once again and Taehyung made you feel like you were on top of the world. What you didn’t know that night, is the dark secret Taehyung is trying desperately to hide, but the closer the two of you get the more difficult that becomes.

buzzed by @junqkook f s a

maybe ordering a vibrator and letting your best friend open your mail wasn’t such a great idea.

queen cobra by @fantasybangtan f s a

when your boss offers the chance to take down the nation’s most lucrative gang from the inside out, you know you’ll do it no matter what the cost… even if that means entering an arranged marriage with the kingpin himself.

pulse by @rohobi f s a

You fell in love with Kim Taehyung during Medical School. Now living totally different lives in completely different hospitals, you're pulled together again as if by fate during a code black when someone plants a bomb in your hospital.

things we don't say by @wintaerbaer f s a

Three years after graduating college, everything seems to be falling into place for you: stable job, cozy apartment, and a long-term boyfriend with a ring box hidden in his desk drawer. But when a mutual friend makes a remark that your best friend of nearly two decades is clearly in love with you, you realize that life may not be as simple as it seems.

mars by @to-star-lake s a

ahistorical au, military au, yandere!taehyung

satisy by @suga-kookiemonster f s a

“listen,” taehyung says, eyes wide and eager as he smiles at you. “i figure we can just help each other out. i scratch your back, you scratch mine.” but when you find yourself suddenly in need of a massive favor, exactly how much scratching are you willing to do?

no kisses by @icedmatchatae f s a

It's championship week! The most anticipated week of the school year; however, leading up to the events, you and your council must collaborate with the football team to promote school spirit and pride. Unfortunately, you're forced to work with your number one enemy, Football team captain and fuck boy, Kim Taehyung, known for having a mysterious "no kisses" rule.

beyond desire by @strwberrytae s a

it’s never easy falling for your best friend when you have so much history. it’s especially difficult when you both share the same sexual desires and lifestyle. taehyung is a dominant CEO of a well known company in Seoul and you are an up and coming editor. while both of you come from a troubled and dark past, you lean on each other for support and comfort. what happens as your feelings blossom and grow over the years? what happens when you fear taehyung may be falling in love with someone else? will you confess your feelings or remain in the shadows?

one-shot

crazy for you by @oddinary4bts f s a

you’ve known Kim Taehyung your whole life. When you meet again at a party hosted by your best friend, alcohol looses your lips and you spill your secrets to your childhood crush. Will Taehyung give in to your desire, or will you be struck by remorse?

seventeen times 17 by @cutaepatootie f s a

You loved him Seventeen Times 17.

ten out of ten by @shadowkoo f s a

For the past three years, Kim Taehyung has made it his mission to annoy you relentlessly on campus, finding every possible way to drive you up the wall during your shared classes. However, as you both enter your senior year, something strange happens. Taehyung begins to sense a shift in his energy, realizing he might just have some secret feelings for you. What unfolds when you make this earth-shattering discovery too?

under wraps by @jungkxook f s

there’s nothing you and taehyung seem to hate more than each other - except for christmas. having recently been dumped by your (now ex) boyfriend only seems to make this holiday even worse. but when taehyung suggests that you should pretend to be dating each other to save you both the embarrassment, pity, and bothersome questions from family and friends alike for a fun carefree month of celebrations, you can’t possibly say no.

always the bridesmaid by @kookingtae f s a

When you first meet Kim Taehyung, you’re determined to find every reason you can to hate him—or maybe he’s just looking for ways to get on your last nerve. But when a turn of events has the two of you working the wedding of the man you’re hopelessly in love with, you’re too late to realize the real reason to hate Kim Taehyung is because of the latest column he’s secretly writing: “Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride”, and it’s all about you.

any way you want it by @noteguk s

in which your best friend, Taehyung, finds out about your unsatisfying sexual experiences and decides to put an end to that track record himself.

sharing is caring by @jjkpls f s ft. pjm

Taehyung is taken aback when his soulmate, Jimin, introduces his new girlfriend to him. Jimin tries to help them break the ice.

the end of all things (and the beginning of us) by @/kidguk f s a

the end of the world has come and passed, but there is still much to live for. there’s hope, there’s tomorrow, and there’s that guy you met while scavenging for supplies in an abandoned cinema. turns out he hates being alone, and the feeling is mutual.

aberrant by @kth1 f s

Meeting a handsome and rare fox hybrid was the last thing you had expected in a world of coexisting hybrids. What you also hadn’t expected was how this fox found a liking to you, showed up randomly at places where you were and next thing you knew - you were falling, hard, for the man.

lost in you by @/jjkeverlast f s a

the infamous kim taehyung, campus fuckboy and heartthrob is much more than you thought after an unexpected night.

the dinner date by @diortae f (ao3)

pretending to be on a date with your best friend to get a free meal at the fancy restaurant jeongguk works weekends at doesn’t sound so terrible, all things considered. there’s just one small problem: you’re pretty sure you’re in love with the aforementioned best friend.

until yesterday by @jimlingss f s a

You and Taehyung are hopeless as you are hopeless romantics. But five months after tying the knot and saying "I do", you're hospitalized after a car accident with him. But upon waking up, the doctors tell you that you don't have a husband.

the forsaken by @yoonia s a ft. knj

In order to save your people from the danger of drought and hunger, your father had sent you out on a mission across the ocean to find the heart of nature that could bring back the prosperity which your land had long lost. As the Chief’s daughter, you took the mission as your responsibility, even if you had to let the man that vexes you the most join you in your journey, even if you had to ignore the Elders’ warnings about the dangers and all the vicious monsters lying in wait.

blacklist by @httpjeon f s a ft. jjk

after departing from your dom, you’re assigned to two incredibly powerful men.

1-800-music-street by @/httpjeon f s

↬you’re enchanted by a street performer and then he saves you, resulting in multiple meetings one can only describe as fate.

farner boy i love you by @strawberrynamjoon f s a

↬Needing change in your life you decided it would be a brilliant idea to move to your uncle’s small farm, helping him and your cousin Jimin with the daily work. What you didn’t plan was to fall in love with your beautiful yet very annoying neighbour Taehyung, who seemed to make it his personal mission to tease you every chance he got. And what you expected even less was that he seemed to like you too.

waterloo by @/kinktae f s a

↬Taehyung is a famous but pessimistic art prodigy who doesn't believe in love. You are an art student studying in Paris, who sees the world through rose-colored lens and is a certified cheesy romance film enthusiast. And this is your love story. Or, “Well, it is the city of love. Maybe you just need to fall in love."

get you the moon by @bymoonchild f s a

↬Life has its ways of fucking with you, but you know you’ve hit 50 feet below rock bottom after being tasked to do a profile feature on Kim Taehyung, the varsity football captain, for your school newspaper. Pure torment awaits you, but this is alongside glassy eyes, pink cheeks and conflicted feelings that you’ve never dared to imagine with the likes of the devil incarnate.

fate of the fast & furious by @prolixitae f s

↬you’re a first-generation college student and taehyung is the hot guy with a love for motorbikes who lands the job babysitting for your family while you’re away.

fast & fearless: what comes first by @/prolixitae

↬taehyung is used to earning his keep through illegal street races, and he’s got every reason to win that upcoming promise of prize money for an old friend. but when the odds don’t fall in his favor, he turns to babysitting. enter, you: a first-generation college student with too much to lose to be spending all your time with a troublemaking biker. who also happens to babysit for your kid brother.

cobalt blue by @hobivore s ft. jjk

↬you ask Jungkook to draw you like one of his French girls.

let it snow by @/suga-kookiemonster f s

↬it all started by accident, but it continues by choice—even before you began sleeping together, things with your friend taehyung have always been comfortable and easy. simple, and this new arrangement between you is certainly no exception to that rule. well...that's definitely what you thought before a major snowstorm traps the two of you in his apartment over the holidays. now? now, it is quickly becoming apparent that things are a bit more complicated than you realized.

muse by @/suga-kookiemonster f s

↬this could finally be tae’s big break, but he’s nervous and struggling to find inspiration. luckily, you’re willing to support him in all ways necessary.

falling, falling gone by @johobi f

↬Taehyung. Captain of the soccer team. Master of your heart. You'll never tell him for fear of rejection. So why the fuck are you about to do it in front of dozens of his peers?

new tricks by @geniuslab f s

↬When your newly adopted puppy turns out to be a lot more work than you expected, a cute dog trainer comes to the rescue. You soon become friends, but you begin to realize friendship might not be all you want.

guns & roses by @chateautae f s

↬he was cold-blooded, stone-faced and ruthless; a formidable force anyone in the criminal underworld sought to destroy. and he didn’t care, so long as it was never you.. anything but you.

saudade by @chateautae f s a

↬a demanding idol lifestyle was something taehyung and yourself were all too familiar with. it wasn’t so hard when considering your unconditional love for one another, but lately, taehyung wasn’t the same anymore; and you decide it's time to find out why.

strands by @xjoonchildx s a

↬taehyung can't figure out how he got separated from his men, or how he ended up stranded in these woods -- hurt. the only thing he knows is that he has no choice but to rely on the beautiful, secretive stranger who's found him.

cheap skate by @/gukslut f s

↬Who doesn’t know Taehyung and his lady? Cutest couple in town, I’d say, and have been since they started dating in their college days. Oh, that was a while ago, though. And still, they’re happy as can be in that place they have together. Almost hate seeing one without the other, y’know, it’s like seeing just one testi- oh, right, I’m not supposed to talk like that. Anyhoo, I only say that because I saw Taehyung at a jewelry store the other day while I was buying my sweet Jiminie his presents. Maybe that boy’s finally gonna pop the question, but I do hope he’s got a good plan for it. Something sweet and romantic. Maybe I’ll find out after Jiminie gets back from that cabin he’s visiting.

definition of love by @taegularities f s a

↬When the gorgeous student from your literature class starts showing interest in you, you discover that there's much more to him than his know-it-all facade. But is this realization enough to get through your insecurities and secrets?

↬looking for other kth fics or the other members check out my library for more

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missjuno · 7 months

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⋆୨୧ ₊ﾟ mornings with him ⊹ɞ ↴

⤷ wriothesley x gn! reader

wc: 634

a/n: just a little scenario i thought of while trying to fall asleep! i'm like pretty sure this might be ooc but I can't help but imagine this after seeing the 4.1 trailer!

It’s early in the morning and you’re still dozing off in bed, the warm feeling the comforter provided and the pillows and the bed beneath you felt so soft and comfortable, the white noise that the ac provided, it all felt nice, especially when you’re engulfed in Wriothesley’s embrace.

As much as your lovely boyfriend would love to have a late and lazy morning with you, he really can’t. He needs to be at the Fortress of Meropide early in the morning. Apparently today ought to be busier than most (not like the other days weren’t).

Wriothesley wasn’t in the best of moods, it’s not everyday he gets to spend most mornings with you and every time he thinks he can finally get to do so, it gets stripped away before him. He already has to leave early mornings but he despises it even more when he has to go much earlier, so he couldn’t really help but to get in a foul mood.

He didn’t think it could get any more worse than having to get up early, yet he was in for quite a ride. First, it seems like the shower is much more cold than usual just to spite him, the coffee maker in your shared apartment wouldn’t work properly, he can’t figure out where he placed his other pair of fingerless gloves, there was a small tear in his cape, his hair would not cooperate, and for some reason he couldn’t tie his damned tie.

He sits down on the bed, a scowl visible on his features and he lets out a frustrated sigh as he undoes his tie for what seemed like the millionth time. And like magic you suddenly woke from your comfortable sleep, like you sensed his frustration or something.

You rub your eyes in an attempt to eliminate your drowsiness, you look out the window before looking back at your boyfriend who’s back is facing you. You crawl out of bed and make your way to stand in front of him. You greet him in a soft tone, “Hi there darling.. Want some help hmm?”

He looks up at you and a small smile grazes his face, “ ‘m sorry, didn’t mean to wake you up love, but that would be really nice to get a hand..”

You kiss his forehead before fixing his collar and you do his tie. While you’re doing his tie he can’t help but admire the way you look, you look so ethereal even though it’s early in the morning, he also can’t help but think that the way your morning voice sounds is so hot. He’s too busy admiring the beauty in front of him he hasn’t noticed you’re done, until you kiss him once more.

“There you go darling, all done” you say as you fix his top and you smile at him.

He takes both of your hands in his own and he kisses it, “Thank you so much love..”

You steal another kiss from him before saying, “It’s no biggie, need help with anything else?”

“No no it’s fine love I can handle myself”

“Hmm you also said that last night and look who’s frustrated just a few minutes ago, so lemme come and help, I don’t leave for work until later today anyways.”

He felt so lucky to have someone like you, your mere presence alone calms him down. He stands up and he holds your hand and you help him with the things he stressed on about.

Later that day he bought flowers and had them delivered to your workplace and it has a note which read: Thank you for today, yesterday, and every other day that was and will come.I love you darling.

He’s down bad for you just as you are for him!

a friendly reminder to check out my other blogs, it's in my pinned post hehe (such a shameless plug HAHAHA)

૮₍ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ₎ა thank you for taking time out of your day to read my works, I really appreciate it and I hope you have a great rest of your day/evening/night! ♡

#wriothesley x reader #wriothesley genshin #wriothesley genshin impact #wriothesley imagines #wriothesley #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #missjuno writes

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stayxlix · 5 months

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off the deep end. (07)

~(part seven) the last nail in a shared coffin~

pairing: rebel!felix x reader (f)

genre: non-idol au, post-apocalypse/dystopian au. wc: 20.6k

series rating: 18+ **minors do not interact**

chapter warnings: violent mature themes, explicit sexual content (consensual, unprotected sex, oral sex), nightmares, mentions of murder/death, mentions of parent death, mentions of hunger, oppressive government, fighting, weaponry (knife use, gun use), panic, injury, blood, language, a whole lot lot of angst, please lmk if i missed any!!

a/n: thank you all so much for your patience and continued support, it really does mean the world to mee.<3 any feedback, likes, comments, and reblogs are more appreciated than you know. im so excited to share the next part of this journey with you!! as always, i hope you enjoy.♡♡

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"fear and love are like interwoven threads—immutable and bound together by celestial forces. the sun and moon navigate the intricate dance of light and darkness for eternity, echoing the delicate balance between the two emotions that every heart must learn."

Felix had always been able to divide fear into two distinct entities.

The first was immediate, tangible. The kind of fear he’d grown accustomed to like an old, unwelcome acquaintance. The kind that crept beneath his skin when he could no longer ignore hunger’s gnawing ache. When he observed the hollow eyes of his companions after scouring the barren landscape, only to return empty-handed. It was the frigid air that seeped into his bones during long winter nights, the kind that set his pulse racing when footsteps echoed too closely in the darkness.

The second was deeper, a phantom kind of fear that stained the recesses of his soul. It was a desperate gasp for air in the suffocating grip of hands that devoured the weak. The cool touch of a steel barrel against skin that bore the marks of a merciless world. It was fear in the phantom weight of invisible chains that had once coiled around his neck—chains wielded by demons from a past that clawed relentlessly at the barriers of his sanity.

It was the dread that he would wake up one morning to discover a void where seven—no, eight souls had once stood beside him. To find his humanity stripped away again, replaced by the savage instincts he had fought so hard to overcome.

The kind of fear that crept into his dreams belonged to the second category.

Nearly six hours had slipped away since the first glimmer of morning light, when you had woken Felix from the nightmare.

"Felix,” your voice—your real voice—not the distorted echo from his nightmare, had called out. Clear and reassuring, summoning him from the depths of his own subconscious.

“Felix, wake up. You’re dreaming.”

His eyelids shot open, pupils dilating wildly as they struggled to adjust. A sharp gasp pierced the stillness as his body surged forward. Disoriented, his hands instinctively sought you out as he struggled to untangle the threads of the nightmare from reality.

"It's okay,” you whispered, fingers gently gripping his shoulder, "you're safe."

You’re safe, you'd said. And those words, while meant to comfort him, had almost caused Felix to laugh, at the absurdity of the idea that he could ever be tormented by a nightmare involving his own harm.

His head lifted, glossy eyes still clouded with the remnants of fear. Yet, relief began to glimmer within their depths. Because your lips were not stained red, there was no blood-soaked knife clutched in his hand, no imaginary blade pierced through your chest.

Felix drew in a shuddering breath, reality slowly stitching itself back together. Piece by piece, thread by thread.

You watched him closely, concern dancing in your eyes as you tried to grasp the torment of whatever horrors he had witnessed in his sleep. And then you’d sighed, heavy with affection and a touch of sadness, before shifting closer.

Your arms enveloped his shoulders and, to his own surprise, Felix didn't resist your touch—though maybe he should have, given what his subconscious had just inflicted upon you. But he couldn’t find the strength to keep his arms from making their way around you in return.

His head dropped to your shoulder, the tension in his muscles easing. Warm touch met cold, trembling skin. The physical contact was grounding—you were grounding. A lifeline anchoring Felix to the reality he so desperately needed to return to.

He strained to listen until the steady rhythm of your heart found his ear. In the stillness, the sound grew and grew until it was the only thing he heard. Every beat was proof that you were real, breathing and alive. But as the moments stretched Felix began to fear that it might slow, that every beat might be the last before an eternity of silence, that he would look up to find a dagger buried in it once again and—

The air in his lungs became thin, his grip tightened, fingers digging into your back. “I couldn’t do anything," his voice rumbled low, muffled by the fabric of your shoulder. And he didn't even know what he was saying but the words had come out trembling. As if the nightmare had lodged itself in his throat, constricting his vocal cords.

“It’s okay,” you hushed, your lips grazing his ear in a soft caress. “It’s just a dream, it can't hurt you."

But it's not about me, he thought. It's not about me, it's never been about me. But it remained a silent confession. Because he could not bring himself to tell you the real reason the nightmare had left him so shaken. A quiet truth that hung heavily in the air, tethered to the gruesome image of you that still clung to his mind.

With a gentle tug, you encouraged him to join you in lying back down. Felix hesitated, his gaze falling toward the cave’s entrance—a reminder of the harsh reality waiting outside. But you cupped his cheek and, with a tender smile and the quiet utterance of his name, convinced him to stay.

Your bodies melded together against the uneven contours of the cave floor. Your fingers threaded through his disheveled hair, tracing the curve of his scalp with each gentle stroke. Another hour might have unfolded as you clung to each other in silence, but it never would have been enough. Time slipped away, ignoring Felix's silent plea for it to slow.

When the rest of the boys began to stir, you shared a hesitant glance. Despite his obvious reluctance for you to withdraw, slowly, gradually, you did. Your fingers left Felix’s hair and his hands slid away from your back. He let you go, eyes following your retreat, and the ache in his chest returned at full force.

As you reclaimed your original spot a few feet away, you stretched, covering a yawn. Your casual expression revealed nothing of the profound moment—the profound night—you had shared with Felix. A night of stolen intimacy, waiting to resurface again in the quiet moments when the world turned its back.

As he drove the motorcycle, squinting against the pale brightness, Felix used the sun’s position in the sky to track the passage of time.

Early afternoon, he figured. Maybe eight hours now since the group had abandoned the safety of the cave. And despite the solace he’d found in your touch that morning, a growing shadow of guilt threatened to consume his mind.

With every hour, the weight of the nightmare's horrors slowly eased, though they never fully vanished. Every time he dared to close his eyes, that agonizing image of you returned—a cruel reminder of the violence he had once been capable of.

The violence that he was still capable of.

Felix had always recognized his nightmares as a manifestation of his deepest guilt. They had always been sinister—disturbing, and yet, this particular nightmare was unlike any he had faced before. Because he wasn't afraid for himself, he'd never been. But he was terrified for you. Of what he might be capable of doing to you.

Even if Felix knew deep down that he could never intentionally hurt you, there was that persistent voice in his head reminding him of every mistake he'd made, every violent impulse he'd ever had.

His fingers flexed on the motorcycle, feeling as though the handlebars would slip through his grasp at any moment. He squeezed until his knuckled turned white, trying to hold on to some semblance of control. Because Felix was acutely aware of his capacity to lose control. Giving in to that dormant beast lingering just below the surface.

As the nightmare replayed in his mind, Felix couldn’t help but wonder if it had also been a consequence of what he’d said to you that night in the tavern—that you would already be dead if he'd had things his way. Such a careless thing to say considering that, even if he hadn’t known it then, his affection for you had existed in those early moments too.

With every jolt of the motorcycle, Felix fought the nausea that settled in his empty stomach. Caught somewhere between the past and the present, the sensation of your arms around his waist served as a physical reminder of how far he'd come since that conversation. How he'd transformed from someone potentially willing to end your life, to someone committed to protecting it at all costs.

Felix killed the engine and dismounted the bike, muscles rigid from hours of tension. Late afternoon now. Half a day had gone by when the group unanimously agreed that it was time for a break.

As he refueled the bike, its exhaust pipes still crackling with heat, he wondered how long he and Chan were going to ignore the diminishing weight of the fuel containers. But the thought was quickly drowned out by Minho and Changbin—bickering over the now unfolded map.

Felix tuned them out, making note of the way you lingered by his side. He sensed the silent inquiry in your eyes, seeking reassurance about his well-being after this morning’s ordeal. But now wasn’t the place or the time to talk about the nightmare. It was still too heavy, too raw, and to be honest Felix wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to find the words to articulate it all.

He didn’t even know where to start.

So, despite the solace he found in the quiet strength you exuded, Felix distanced himself from your side. He sought out a flat rock, its cool surface soothing against the back of his neck as he reclined. The setting sun caressed his face, and if he had summoned the courage to close his eyes completely, he thought he might have been able to envision himself back on the rooftop. To the moment Chan had first revealed the plan for the raid—a memory bathed in similar sunlight, when the breeze had carried the scent of a world that felt unrecognizable now.

Felix allowed himself to wonder, only briefly, if he should long for the simplicity of that memory. At a time when he hadn’t felt much of anything at all aside from his love for the seven boys around him. But even that, he had done his best to dull. The numbness had been a shield, but it was a defense he no longer seemed to possess. Because now, every gust of wind seemed to carry the whisper of your name. The moon, a constant observer of his fondest memories and reflections, couldn't even come close to the comfort he found in your embrace. Even the warmth of the sun on his skin could never compare to your touch. Feelings he couldn’t begin to comprehend had taken place of that numbness, battling the darkness that had lingered for far too long.

With a slight tilt of his head, Felix cast a subtle glance in your direction. He found you seated next to Seungmin a short distance away, and he wondered whether you were truly managing the way you’d claimed you were last night. Maybe it was the weariness displayed in the lines of your face, the slight downturn of your lips, the way your shoulders always seemed to carry an invisible weight—things that didn't escape his notice because he understood them all too well.

Because Felix was beginning to understand you too well, maybe.

After discovering your identity the night of the raid, Felix had done everything he could to convince himself that you were just the daughter of a monster—a pawn in a cruel game. But despite his best efforts, he could never bring himself to see you that way. He'd failed miserably at hating you, he couldn’t even dislike you, and what terrified him most was not just the acknowledgment of his potential to love you, but the possibility that maybe he always had. From the very beginning. From that fateful moment in the alley when your paths had crossed, and your lips had met, and you’d saved his life for the first time.

Of course, he hadn’t known who you were then, he’d had no clue what you might be running from, but he saw the desire to escape it in your eyes. Almost leading Felix to believe that if he'd extended his hand and whispered for you to come with him that night, you would have said yes.

Somewhere nearby, the argument between Minho and Changbin dissipated, fizzling out under the weight of exhaustion or hunger, or the recent encounter with your father's guards—undoubtedly still on everyone's minds.

Felix couldn't help the way his ears perked up when Seungmin filled the silence by engaging you in a conversation about archery, debating the finer points of how to hold a bow. Seungmin—who’d always had a very particular knack for reading the group's dynamics. Whose trust in you was something that hadn't gone unnoticed by Felix, either.

As he immersed himself in the melody of your voice and the subtle accent woven into your speech—how you pronounced words like Minho once had in those first few months after he'd joined the group—Felix allowed his heavy eyes to drift shut.

Even if he'd always been skeptical of it, Felix suddenly found himself clinging to the hope that Chan so fervently believed in—the fragile hope for a better world. And if it really did exist, then he would do anything in his power to make sure you would be there to see it.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly when it had happened—maybe he would try to figure it out some day if he lived long enough—but all he knew for certain was that somewhere along the way, the mere thought of you experiencing harm had become more terrifying to Felix than any of the horrors that had marred his own existence.

And so, he resolved to protect you from the brutality of your world, from the looming threat of the war against your father, and, most importantly, from the darkness that still dwelled within himself.

With a grin, you held the bow aloft. “See? It's all about the grip. If you don't hold it just right, your aim will be completely off."

Seungmin—who you'd quickly come to realize was never one to back down from a challenge—shook his head, streaks of chestnut in his hair catching the sunlight. Rising to his feet, he extended an arm.

“I get that you’ve had official lessons, but you’re missing the point. It's all about intuition and feeling the shot,” he continued as you handed him the bow. “You can have the perfect hold on it any day but if you don't connect with it on a deeper level, you'll never hit the mark.” He mimicked drawing an invisible arrow from the string to emphasize his point.

Intrigued by your banter, Changbin strolled over with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I don't know, I think it’s more about the stance," with a nudge, he disrupted Seungmin's balance, causing him to stumble. Changbin reached for the bow, and a smile tugged at your lips as the two began to fight over it.

A gentle breeze swept over you, carrying with it the faintest hint of distant pine, and your attention was immediately drawn away.

A few strides to your left, Felix lay reclined with his hands resting comfortably behind his head. His eyes were closed, raven-dark locks absorbing the sunlight. To anyone who didn't know the circumstances, he would have appeared content. To anyone who didn’t know Felix, he might have appeared relaxed, even.

Yet, you wondered what might be taking place beneath that calm exterior.

Felix had felt unusually distant since that morning. His glazed-over eyes seemed to wander endlessly, in every direction but to you. Something had claimed his thoughts, and you could only hope that whatever it was had nothing to do with the torture that had unfolded in his past.

You watched as he ran a hand through his hair—a habitual gesture for the boy with the freckles and the stars in his eyes. The boy with a narrative of scars on his back and a tapestry of secrets in his soul. Secrets you feared you wouldn't have enough time with him to uncover.

The muscles in his forearms flexed as he sat up, fingertips trailing across the stone beneath them. The memory of those fingers on your skin from the night before sent a tingle down your spine, igniting that familiar heat between your legs..

A small pebble came tumbling down the hillside behind you, landing gently on your outstretched hand. Startled, you glanced over your shoulder to find Minho and Jisung making their way back down the rocky incline. "Nothing as far as we can see," Minho reported.

The absence of your father's guards on the other side offered a momentary respite, but it was a fleeting moment of safety that you were well aware wouldn't last forever.

“Nothing for now," Jisung added, meeting your eyes as if he had tuned into your thoughts.

"We should keep moving," Chan appeared at your side, taking in the surroundings. "The longer we stay in one place, the more vulnerable we become."

Sure..unless the path ahead leads to an even greater danger.

Unless your father was paranoid enough to figure out where you were headed.

If he'd sent guards after you on a more direct route, you wondered if they might make it to Miroh before you. The thought of them lying in wait in anticipation of your arrival stirred up a new, particularly unsettling, concern. But when Chan turned his focus to you, you responded with a firm nod, tucking away your fears to discuss with him later.

The days were waning, leaving you to realize that summer had quietly begun to slip away. It didn’t take long for the sun to complete its descent below the jagged horizon, plunging the world into shadows once more.

The scattered rock formations took on menacing shapes—their outlines frequently obscured by passing clouds above. Under the veil of darkness, each turn of the wheels became a gamble, increasing the chances of veering off course or stumbling upon unforeseen obstacles.

Amidst the growing danger, Chan's voice cut through the rhythmic hum of the motorcycle as he called for Felix to slow down.

Felix, however, seemed determined to press forward. His muscles tensed, ignoring Chan's plea as the engine roared defiantly. And you had a feeling it wasn't just the desire to reach your destination that drove him, but a reluctance to stop and rest.

To sleep, perhaps.

"Felix,” you urged, leaning in, "it isn’t safe.”

A sudden acceleration of the bike was his only response. It surged forward as if he were trying to outpace not just your words, but the night itself.

You squeezed his waist, a silent plea for him to listen. "Lix—"

In a single, decisive motion, Felix abruptly yanked the motorcycle to the side of the rugged path. With wide eyes, you watched as he stepped down, his movements reflecting restless energy. As the dust settled, he deliberately avoided meeting your eyes, turning his focus to the rover as it pulled up beside you.

"I'll take first watch," he declared, boots crunching on loose rocks as he left your side.

You’d intended to follow him but Hyunjin was quicker. He leaped down from the rover before it’d even slowed to a stop, darting ahead to catch up with Felix.

You watched as they approached the edge of a cliff that lie straight ahead from where you stood. A frown tugged at your lips as your mind went to the twin rings they wore.

I've known Felix a lot longer than you.

As you considered the unspoken dynamic between them, whatever the hell it might be, a shadow fell over the periphery of your vision.

Jisung slipped beside you, his eyes flitting from you to the two figures now seated at the edge of the cliff.

"I spoke with him earlier," you said, eyes tethered to the outline of Hyunjin’s back. "It didn't exactly go well."

"Sometimes Felix gets like this—"

"Not Felix."

"Oh.." Jisung sighed with understanding, following your gaze to Hyunjin. "Hyunjin is protective, especially when it comes to Felix. It's been a long time since someone new joined our group, and considering your.."

"My background.."

"Yeah..that," Jisung mumbled, raking a hand through his hair. “There's history between those two, but it's mostly things that happened before I found my place in the group."

"When did you join the group, Ji?" you turned to face him, dragging your eyes away from whatever was unfolding at the cliff.

Jisung shrugged. "That is a story for another time," he said, flashing his signature grin. "Promise."

You surveyed him for a moment, sensing layers and layers of depth behind his carefree demeanor. His eyes held a narrative waiting to be told, but it was a chapter he wasn't yet ready to reveal. "I'm holding you to it," you replied, and Jisung's smile grew a little wider.

Devoid of any trees or significant cover, the wind howled through the surrounding space, sweeping up from below the cliff where Hyunjin and Felix remained. An exposed campsite meant that, to avoid the risk of drawing unwanted attention, there would be no warmth from a fire tonight. And so, the blankets were spread in a circle on the cold, uneven ground. Pulled close together for warmth.

You settled in, rummaging through your nearly empty backpack, picking at your nails, brushing the dust from your pants over and over again—anything you could to keep your eyes from straying back to the cliff.

Chan claimed the space to your right, handing over a portion of stale bread that was noticeably smaller than usual—a clear indication of your dwindling supplies. But you accepted with a grateful smile nonetheless, pushing down another concern to discuss with him later.

Too much later though, and you may need to start a list.

Unlike the night before, when adrenaline after the chase from your father's guards had fueled the sharing of memories, tonight carried something different. Animated exchanges had been replaced by contemplative silence as the boys seemed lost in their own thoughts behind heavy-lidded eyes. The exhaustion that had been building throughout the day had finally caught up with them, it seemed. And you'd be lying if you said you didn't feel it too.

Your head lifted a bit too eagerly to be discreet when the sound of approaching footsteps reached your ears. A spark of anticipation flickered within you, only to be extinguished as your eyes landed on Hyunjin.

Hyunjin settled down on Chan's other side, their words too hushed for you to catch the details. Slowly, their whispers melted away, a seamless transition from hushed dialogue to the ambiance of rustling blankets and the occasional creaking of the rover.

Your gaze wandered skyward where the stars blinked in and out of view. You watched them for a while, chewing on your bottom lip as you tried to pick out constellations Jisoo had once taught you the names of. Names you had long forgotten, not that it mattered now. Tears pricked at your eyes at the thought of your former best friend, but you didn’t let them fall.

Shifting on your side, you cast a glance at the solitary figure that remained unmoving at the cliff's edge. Moonlight painted his frame in pale shades of silver as he overlooked the expanse below.

The rational part of your mind whispered that you should let him be.

Chan’s body heat would keep you comfortable enough to fall asleep, no doubt about that. And to your other side, Jisung's familiar presence offered an added measure of comfort.

But it was your name Felix had called in his sleep that morning.

And your heart that had a tendency to rebel against the logic in your mind.

You sat up, mindful not to disturb the sleeping figures around you. The water canteen felt light in your hand as you retrieved it from your bag, quietly making your way to where Felix sat. His head turned in acknowledgment as you approached, and although his expression remained guarded, he shifted to make room for you on the beside him on the rocky outcrop.

It gets easier with time.

If this was easier than you didn’t want to know what it had been like for him before.

“You should rest. We're safe tonight,” you said through chattering teeth as the frigid earth seeped through the fabric of your clothes.

Daring a cautious glance over the edge of the cliff, the world seemed to disappear. Swallowed by a pitch-black void, the perilous drop was only discernible thanks to scattered dots of flickering light below—tiny beacons of firelight.

Felix shifted, dangling his legs over the edge. “Any one of those fires down there could belong to them."

Them.

The mention of your father's guards stirred up that uneasy feeling in your stomach. Their pursuit would be relentless, safety tonight would never guarantee safety tomorrow. But as you looked to Felix, you knew there was more to it than that. Something had changed since that morning. The distance he'd kept, the guarded look in his eyes—it mirrored the same intensity that gripped him when he'd faced down the man from his past at Yellow Wood.

And it dawned on you that maybe he wasn't referring to your father's guards at all.

You extended a hand, offering him the canteen. "At least drink something if you're going to stay awake all night.”

Felix pressed the cool metal to his lips and took a long, necessary drink before handing it back. “Thanks,” he said, fingers brushing across your own.

As the minutes stretched, the cadence of his breathing created a soothing backdrop. The heat from his body called out to you, a magnetic pull that made sleep even more inviting.

And the next time you opened your eyes, the world had shifted. Your head had found a resting place on his shoulder, your eyes having closed long before the conscious decision to sleep was made.

"You don't have to stay," Felix murmured, a subtle indication that he'd sensed you stir from the drowsy embrace of sleep. His fingers tugged at your jacket, pulling it snug around your neck to fend off the biting cold. "I'm fine, princess,” he added, making your heart flutter at the nickname. “I just don't want to close my eyes right now."

“Do you want to talk about it?” you asked quietly, lifting your head from his shoulder.

"Not really. It was just a dream," he said. But his voice carried a defensive edge, leaving no doubt that it was in fact not just a dream.

“We don't have to..But I can tell its bothering you,” your brows raised in gentle invitation, urging him to share the burden.

Felix stilled before letting out a breath, a hint of frustration taking over the exhaustion in his eyes. "Why do you care?"

You blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question.

You thought of everything you'd been through—the stolen moments entangled within the danger and chaos, the intimacy you'd shared up to that point.

“I thought it was clear.." you replied, looking away. But as your words hung in the air, doubt crept in. Maybe it hadn't been clear to him that it wasn't only physical for you.

Had you even allowed yourself the chance to fully accept that?

"It's not that simple," he muttered, shifting his gaze back to the distant firelight below. He toyed with the rings adorning his hands, and you tried to ignore which one his fingers gravitated to first.

Vulnerability danced in his expression, and for a heartbeat, the desperate wish that life could indeed be that simple was palpable between you.

Felix reached up to claw through his hair, tugging at the strands. When his eyes finally returned to yours, you realized it wasn't frustration you had seen in them moments ago, but something akin to fear.

"Felix.."

And Felix winced—he winced at the sound of his name falling from your lips. A subtle movement that might have been imperceptible to most, but painfully evident to you.

“You should go get some sleep,” he stated, jaw tensing with the effort of holding back words begging to be said. The quiet command held a touch of finality, causing a knot to form in your chest.

You took a steadying breath, the crisp night air stinging your lungs.

And maybe you shouldn’t have, but you said, "I care because I see more than the darkness in you, Felix. Those moments from the past that you think define you, they don't. I know you don't see anything good in yourself, but I do."

You set the canteen down beside him with a resounding clang before rising to your feet. "I care because I see someone worth caring for," you sighed. And then, with a slow shake of your head, you cast a final glance over the vast expanse below before turning to walk away.

Had Felix not been broken a very long time ago, your words that night might have shattered him completely. He fought hard to keep his eyes open, determined to avoid the return of the nightmare, but he fought harder against the overwhelming urge to chase after you.

Too many silent hours stretched before him until the sun would rise. Too much time for Felix to wrestle with the echoes of your words—for him to question exactly when he had begun to fall in love with you, and if it really was going to get you killed some day. Leaving him restless and tormented, alone beneath the sprawling canvas of a starlit sky.

The morning unfolded in a haze, draping the landscape in layers of fog that hung low and thick. Changbin had the map spread out on the hood of the rover, tracing the faded lines that marked the outskirts of District 5. "According to this,” he said, “we should be nearing the border of District 4 soon.”

Beside you, Seungmin leaned forward to catch a glimpse for himself. "What do we know about District 4?" he asked.

Changbin disguised any tension in his shoulders with a casual shrug, and it struck you then that you might not be the only one unfamiliar with the outer districts.

Chan tossed an empty supply bag into the back of the rover. "As we go further, we don't stop unless absolutely necessary," he said. And maybe you would've asked him why, if your attention hadn't been drawn to Jeongin at his side. His slender fingers grasped at the frame of the vehicle, strained knuckles betraying his effort to conceal the pain as he noticeably favored his injured foot.

You walked around and dropped an armful of folded blankets into the vehicle, making a mental note to keep an eye on Jeongin.

While the group prepared to continue the journey, the silence between you and Felix pulled at your thoughts, too. You’d hesitated for a moment before climbing onto the motorcycle behind him. His stoic expression, like always, did an exceptional job at masking whatever he was feeling.

Summoning a deep breath, you nudged the thoughts surrounding him to the edges of your mind. The urgency of outrunning the guards, reaching Miroh, an inevitable confrontation with your father some day—there were far more pressing concerns that demanded your focus.

And so, when the motorcycle roared to life you shifted your arms around Felix, intentionally loosening your hold.

If the freckled boy sensed the subtle change, he didn't let it show.

The moisture in the air hinted at an impending change.

It wasn't long before thick raindrops began to break free from low-hanging clouds. The motorcycle's wheels fought for traction, skidding on the slick terrain. Puddles formed in the lowest areas as the rain intensified, visibility deteriorating rapidly.

Raindrops pelted Felix's leather jacket as he lifted an arm to shield his eyes from the downpour. Casting a fleeting glance behind, you struggled to discern the faint outline of the rover.

Your head snapped forward again as the bike slipped, threatening to lose balance. With one hand, Felix firmly corrected the course of the motorcycle. His free hand reached out unexpectedly, and you felt the warmth of his touch as he intertwined his fingers with yours. He pulled one of your hands further around his waist, ensuring with subtle pressure that your hold around him was secure.

When he lifted his hand, you maintained the grip, fingers securely entwined.

The rain poured and poured, drenching you both. Yet, steady progress was made. You entered a narrow mountain pass, the landscape unfolding in glimpses as you pressed forward.

Steady progress was made, until the ground beneath you gave way without warning—sending the motorcycle into a sudden descent.

Even with his seasoned reflexes, Felix barely had enough time to react as it plunged downward. The air was stripped from your lungs, a dizzying mix of exhilaration and fear coursing through your veins. Your eyes squeezed shut against the onslaught of wind, and you didn't open them again until—with a jarring thud—the motorcycle reached the bottom of the incline.

The impact sent vibrations through your bones, mud spraying in a messy wave as Felix steadied the bike with a foot.

Rain-soaked strands of black hair clung to his forehead when he whipped around to face you, droplets streaming down his face. “Shit are you alright?!” his voice cut through the thunderous pounding of your heart in your ears.

But you hardly registered his words at all.

Your focus was entirely captivated by what lay over his shoulder.

A vast expanse of towering evergreen trees stretched before you. Tall and imposing, they stood like sentinels guarding whatever secrets lie inside from the rest of the world. The branches swayed as if the forest itself was alive, pulsing with energy that seemed to beckon you closer.

You were almost certain that nothing like this had been marked on the map. And it was massive. A beast all its own.

With a scowl, Felix dismounted the bike, boots sinking into the damp soil beneath. As he approached the forest, you turned to survey the steep incline behind you.

The landscape extended high and wide, like a colossal step down in the earth, stretching as far as you could discern through the curtain of rain. As you studied it, the rover appeared at the top. A sudden apparition against the stormy backdrop, the glimmer of its headlights and the silhouettes of the boys appeared as faint outlines.

Blinking against the rain, you took a few steps over to the foot of the incline. As you strained to comprehend Minho and Chan's growing shouts, Felix materialized at your side. His voice joined the chorus in an attempt to shout back however, like them, his words were swallowed by the storm.

Abandoning their efforts to communicate with you and Felix, the boys leaned together to discuss something amongst themselves.

“What are they doing?” you questioned as the rover began to make a cautious retreat from the edge above.

Felix craned his neck, squinting against the rain. "Probably going to find shelter to wait out the storm, I saw a cave entrance not too far back—"

A brilliant streak of lightning slashed across the sky, illuminating the entirety of your surroundings in a bluish-white glow. The accompanying crack of thunder tore through the air, the sheer force of the noise making your heart lurch in your chest.

Felix lowered his eyes, a softness creeping into his expression upon discovering your hand clasped tightly onto his sleeve. “If they’re going to wait it out, we'll do the same,” he said, taking your hand.

He led you across the tree line, to a colossal evergreen. Its base was substantial, the lowest branches forming a natural canopy like the skirt of a dress—large enough for both of you to slip underneath. His grip on your hand tightened briefly before pulling away. “I’ll be right back. I need to get the bike."

Reluctantly, you let go of his hand. "It’s just a little rain, princess,” he said softly before darting back out in the direction of the forest’s edge.

Beneath the the sheltering branches of the evergreen, you huddled closer to its trunk. Rough bark dug into your back as you pulled your knees up. Thunder rumbled overhead, shaking the earth beneath you.

You shut your eyes—counting the seconds, the breaths.

You thought of a refreshing cave spring echoing with deep laughter, a motorcycle ride underneath the stars. You pictured freckles like constellations, dark eyes reflecting the night sky.

Relief flooded your veins when you looked up to find Felix slipping back beneath the branches.

His shoulder brushed against yours as he sat down beside you with a tired sigh. Stretching his legs out, shadows played on his face as he gazed up through the lattice of pine needles above. “You really don't like storms, do you? You had the same look on your face that night in the tavern.”

“I’m fine,” you protested, the words coming out sharper than you'd intended.

“So fucking stubborn,” he grumbled under his breath before shrugging out of his jacket. Every flex of his muscles was accentuated by the wet fabric that clung to him.

Not that you'd been staring.

When he draped the jacket over your shoulders, the urge to protest simmered beneath your skin, a lingering effect of your earlier frustration with him. But it was warm, familiar, and for some reason, his scent was more comforting than you'd ever understand.

So, you said nothing.

Your bent knees found a resting place on his thigh. And beneath the heavy weight of his jacket, the thunder and lightning gradually began to lose their intimidating edge.

When you crossed your arms for added warmth, your fingers brushed against the handle of your mother’s knife. With a subtle flick, you pulled it out and tossed it into the ground. Your eyes traveled from the gleaming blade to the engravings on the hilt, the dried blood in the crevices. And as you watched the rain wash it away, you were reminded that your father's guards weren't the only thing Felix was running from.

There was a different kind of sinister out there—a malevolence engraved into the scars you'd felt along his back. You'd wielded the knife to free him from one of them, but you weren't naive enough to think that there weren't more out there.

The mere thought of how many might be hunting him at that very moment sent a spark of something searing up your spine.

Not fear, or sadness, but anger. A raw, primal hatred that surpassed even the disdain you felt for your own father.

“Keep clenching your jaw like that and your teeth are going to shatter,” his deep voice pulled you back from your thoughts. One of his hands found a resting place on your knee. “What’re you thinking about?” Another ominous rumble echoed from somewhere above, and he added, “Aside from the big scary thunder."

You rolled your eyes, sorting through the myriad of thoughts in your head.

Having to relive what you've been through in nightmares.

What I said to you last night.

What we did the night before.

You took a deliberate breath, the scent of rain and earth filling your lungs, and nudged his shoulder with yours. “You first.”

His head, still resting against the tree, tilted to the side. The way he met your eyes asked, do you really want to know?

When you refused to look away, he sighed. There was a flicker of hesitation in his expression, letting you know he was on the verge of revealing something deeply personal.

“Most of the time," he began, "my memories feel like someone else’s," his throat moved, swallowing down the weight of those memories.

"But there are moments where it all comes back."

Moments.

Moments, as in those nightmares.

Your next thought slipped past your lips, spurred by genuine concern. “Lix, are you okay? Not just after yesterday morning but..I know you've been through a lot, and..”

"I'm fine, princess," Felix managed a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "If you want to know the truth, in a strange way I’m thankful for the nightmares.”

Because I feel like I deserve them.

The unspoken words were written all over his face.

You noticed the subtle tremor in his fingers as they began to tap against your knee. You adjusted your position so that you could look. at him. Really look at him.

His dark eyes, pools of endless regret, met yours. And in them you found a well of profound sadness, a lingering ache from wounds that would probably never fully heal.

A delicate touch trailed from his thumb as he brought it up to caress your bottom lip, gently drawing it back. Your breath hitched in response to the intimate contact. A sigh escaped him as he contemplated..something. And then his thumb retreated, leaving behind a tingling trail of longing in its wake.

"You wouldn't look at me like that, if you knew everything.”

You frowned at his words, at the sudden shift in conversation and the evident self-loathing in his tone.

Before you could come up with a response, his head crashed back against the tree. “When I asked why you care last night, it's because you shouldn’t," he said.

"What do you mean?”

”I mean you shouldn't be worrying about me or my nightmares or any of the shit I carry with me," he answered immediately. "There is so much you don't know about the way I've lived, the things I've done..I am not who you think I am."

“Then help me understand,” you urged.

But there was a flicker of something in his expression that suggested he didn’t believe he was worth your understanding.

“You can’t,” Felix emphasized. A distant look clouded his eyes, a flash of whatever it was that had crossed his features after the nightmare seemed to resurface. “You grew up with servants to meet your needs while the rest of us bled for every scrap of food and warmth. You can’t understand, y/n. And even if you could, it won't change who I am or what I've done. The blood on my hands will never wash away.”

For a moment, the only sound was the relentless percussion of rain on the forest floor. Then, you felt something inside you snap. The princess role, the sheltered naivety that had plagued your entire existence—the pressure from pushing it all down was suddenly released under the weight of his words.

“Is that all you see when you look at me?" your voice was sharp, edged with years of pent-up frustration. "Just a sheltered princess? Do you think that was my choice? You think I’ve never felt pain, Felix? That I haven’t seen things that will haunt me for the rest of my life?”

You shifted, the jacket slipping from your shoulders and dropping to the mud. “And who are you to decide what I can or cannot understand? You of all people should know that there is more to someone than the history they carry.”

Ignoring the bewilderment in his expression, you stood and pushed through the dense branches, pine needles scratching across your face as you stepped into the open forest. Cool droplets splashed across your skin, mingling with the heat that had begun to fill your veins. Your vision blurred with rain and tears that threatened to spill over—the culmination of years spent hidden away, a lifetime of being taught not to care about anything finally starting to unravel.

Footsteps splashed behind you. “Wait—I’m sorry,” Felix pleaded, his hand finding your shoulder with firm, gentle strength. “I didn’t mean to belittle what you’ve been though," he said, stepping in front of you.

He blinked against the falling rain, freckles glistening. "Please, y/n. I see your strength and I see how much we—I need you. And that terrifies me more than anything because—”

He caught himself, choking on the words. The voice in his head told him to let you walk away, just like he had done last night. But Felix was so goddamn tired of acting indifferent to everything around him. Whether it was the lingering tension between him and Hyunjin, the fact that the nightmares had been devouring him for years, or the way he tried to ignore how losing you would obliterate whatever small part of himself he thought might actually be worth something.

He wasn't tired, he was fucking exhausted. And the fatigue of pretending that he wasn't human was killing him.

Maybe it had been for a very, very long time.

And maybe that is why Felix found himself unable to bear it any longer. The accumulation of secrets, and pretense, and hidden emotions, it pushed and it pressed against his chest until it hurt. And it made him want to live—to experience the complete depths of life that he had been depriving himself of for as long as he could remember.

“When I said you were my weakness, princess. I meant it," he confessed, taking a subtle step closer. "There are very bad people chasing me, and they always catch up. They will again, and I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you because of me. The things they will do to you if they find out what you mean to me," he took a steadying breath, "I'm only trying to protect you, because what I feel for you is..”

His throat bobbed, preparing to continue. But before he could, you lifted a finger and gently pressed it against his lips.

With a feather light touch, you traced a path from his lips to his cheek, to his temple and down his jawline. You stopped to caress the sensitive skin on his neck, as if trying to erase the memories burned there beneath your fingertips.

You felt his warmth, the rapid beat of his pulse.

And you weren’t entirely sure your own heart was beating when you leaned forward to connect your lips with his.

His breath caught, as if not quite expecting it. He kissed you back, applying a tender pressure against your lips before abruptly pulling away. “If you knew what I am capable of—"

“I don’t care what you have done, Felix,” you interrupted, "I. Don’t. Care," you drowned his protests in another kiss, and his lips tasted like rain and longing and everything you were afraid to lose. "I want you, I want every part of you. And if you choose to share your past with me, although I might not fully comprehend it, it won’t change that."

You pulled back and held his gaze. "I am not afraid of you. Pushing me away won't protect me, and I'm not asking you to change, Felix, but I need you to see me for who I am now. Not the person I was expected to be in that palace. I was so broken and alone, and I don't think I even realized it until I met you. And I don't know who I am yet, but I am figuring it out because of you—because of all of you. So don't take that away from me by telling me that I shouldn't care."

As your words settled in the space between you, you decided that Felix had never looked more human to you than he did in that moment.

A lone droplet slid down his cheek, and when you leaned in to kiss it away, the taste of salt lingered on your lips. Revealing something far more profound.

Before you could react, his hands slid to your waist, warm and possessive as his lips claimed yours. He guided you until your back collided with the bare trunk of a dying tree. "I'm sorry," he whispered, thick accent sending shivers down your spine. "I'm not good at things like this, but I care about you, too. Too much, sweetheart. More than I should." The sincerity in his voice resonated with you. He meant the words—truly meant them. "There's nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe. You know that, right?" he added, thumb brushing your cheek.

And you did. You'd felt it in his touch, when he kissed you, the way he looked at you. You nodded, tracing the contours of his face, "I’m yours, Lix."

The words came out quicker than you could register, but you didn't regret them.

Maybe it made you fucking selfish, to crave losing yourself in him when the entire world was perched upon your shoulders, but you didn't regret them.

"You were always mine," Felix breathed, "before we met, before all of this, you were never their princess," he leaned in, pressing his lips to your forehead. "You were always mine.”

And then, Felix kissed you like he was making up for all of the wasted time before you’d met—for all of the time you would lose when fate inevitably ripped you apart. He kissed you like he had been chasing you through every life before this one, and would follow through every one after.

When he ground his hips against yours, the intensity of his desire was evident in the way he murmured your name. A low, rumbling growl escaped his throat, making you acutely aware of the silence around you. The rain had ceased, leaving only the sounds of your heavy breathing and the occasional rustle of branches above.

When you shifted to grant his wandering hands access to your backside, his boot slipped in the mud. Your lips curved into a smile against his as you realized the absurdity of the situation—how ridiculous you must look shivering and drenched in rainwater, wrapped up in each other like this.

"Smooth," you teased.

Felix responded with a subtle shake of his head, a shy smile playing on his lips. Closing his eyes, he groaned softly and pressed his forehead against yours. "I hate this," he said.

You pulled back, your puzzled expression prompting a low chuckle from him.

"I just wish there was somewhere we could go," he clarified, "somewhere warm and dry," he swiped the lingering raindrops from your cheeks.

"Somewhere we could be alone," you added, lifting your arms to wrap around the back of his neck. "Just us."

Felix hummed in agreement. The desire was reflected in his eyes, a shared longing that resonated between you. But the idea of a place where the two of you could exist peacefully, away from the unforgiving grasp of reality, felt like an elusive fantasy that might always be just out of reach.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, Felix's expression gave way to a surge of profound intensity.

"Some day," he dropped his voice, "When all of this is over, I'm going to carry you back into that palace." His lips found the curve of your jaw, trailing a heated path down. "I'm going to take my time with you, princess," he nipped at the sensitive skin on your neck, causing your core to flutter with anticipation. "And then," he whispered, "I'm going to lay the world at your feet."

You held your breath as he brought one of your hands to his chest, spreading your fingers out over his beating heart. "Its yours," he said, "and I don't care what you do with it."

With your palm still pressed against his heart, a quiet realization rippled through your mind.

You might love him.

You might be a fool to think there was any part of you that didn't love Felix. And maybe you were a coward, too. Too hesitant to say the three little words hovering on your tongue, for fear that you might become addicted to how it would feel to hear them back.

Your eyes widened as another realization crossed your mind—the understanding that, in some way, loving Felix might always have been inevitable.

And you wondered if he had known it long before you.

Don't let me love you.

You hesitated, the weight of the promise casting a shadow.

But when Felix leaned in to capture your lips with his, the pull between you was too strong to resist. Something cosmic, two souls irresistibly entwined. And you only hoped he could decipher the silent declaration of your emotions lingering in the spaces between each breath.

The kiss deepened into something desperate. Heated and sensual as your tongues collided. A soft, needy sound escaped your throat when he slipped his hands underneath your shirt, cold rings making you shudder. Your arms tugged around his neck, urging him to press his body closer.

Curling your fingers in his hair, you pulled firmly, because you knew how much he liked it.

"Are you trying to get me to fuck you in the middle of this forest?" he said, stifling a groan when you repeated the action.

You laughed—a small, lighthearted chuckle against his lips. "A forest? Never. I prefer caves, actually."

He let out an amused scoff. "Is that so? I'd think someone of such high status like yourself would be into more sophisticated places..like closets."

Your mouth fell open in mock astonishment, a smile playing on your lips as you remembered that night at Clé. "What the hell were we thinking?"

"I know what I was thinking," he responded, leaning in to press his lips to your neck. "I was thinking that you're fucking irresistible," his breath against your ear made your entire body heat up. “That every time I look at you, I want you wrapped around my cock. That when we're with the guys and one of them looks at your ass," he moved his hands around to give a firm squeeze to your backside. “Or your tits," he brought his hands up to grope at your breasts, making you moan. “I want to fuck your pretty pussy in front of them until you're leaking with my cum."

A chill traveled throughout your entire body, covering your skin in goosebumps.

"Then why don't you?” you purred, “fill me up with your cum, I mean," you clarified. Although something about the idea of Felix taking you while the rest of the boy watched stirred up something in your core that you’d never felt before.

“You know why,” he groaned. His adam's apple bobbed as your hands traced along his belt, fingers grazing the skin just inside his waistband.

One of your hands slowly slid down, and you weren't surprised at all to find his already hardened cock pulsing through his pants. The hiss he let out turned to a weak groan when you tightened your grip. And god there was nothing you wouldn't have given to be alone with him and a fucking bed. You needed to taste him, to feel his heavy length on your tongue, stuffed inside your aching cunt.

He started rocking his hips into you slowly, pressing your back further into the tree. "Princess," he dragged out the word against your neck, sucking at the skin. You whimpered in response, head falling against the tree."Do something for me?" he asked.

"Anything," you managed to say.

"Jump."

And you did. Without hesitation you jumped into his arms, locking your ankles around his waist. Felix's eyes sparkled as he turned, surveying the distance between the two of you and the tree you'd taken shelter underneath earlier.

He began to step—but not toward the tree. No, toward the motorcycle beside it.

He lowered you down gently in front of the handlebars before putting his hands on them, closing you in. You recognized the glazed over look in his eyes, and you thought it might be your favorite look of his.

You knew what it meant, and you needed him too.

When your lips reconnected it was fervent. Wild, and raw, and vulnerable. His hand found its way to your neck, making your pussy throb when he lightly squeezed. And your moans mixed when his crotch rubbed against yours, pushing your ass against the front of the motorcycle.

Felix groaned deeply, trying to focus on you and not the growing throb in his dick when you grabbed his hand and shoved it to that needy spot between your legs.

"Felix," you whined, bucking your hips into his touch, "fuck me, please. I don't care where we are, just fuck me."

There was nothing Felix wouldn't have given for the chance to take his time with you. To have the luxury of time without interruption, where the whole entire world would simply fuck off for a few blissful hours. Days, maybe.

But time had never been very kind to Felix. So, without wasting any more of it, he helped you shove down your pants and underwear.

And then, his knees buckled.

He hit the ground and immediately began kissing your inner thighs, moving his face closer and closer to your cunt. And it was when he tilted his head to the side, stopping to look up at you, that you knew you were fucked. The pleasure was already building in your lower abdomen and he hadn't even put his mouth on your pussy yet.

Your eyes squeezed shut as you let out a shaky breath when his tongue finally met your folds, licking a long stripe through them. Felix brought one of your hands to his hair, and you were instantly tangling your fingers in the damp locks. He swiped his tongue in a jagged pattern, brushing his nose against your clit because likes the way it makes you squirm.

He mumbled to himself, something about how good you tasted, before his puffy lips latched on to your clit. You were on the verge of tears, hips jerking when he started sucking on the bundle of nerves, flicking at it with his tongue.

You tightened your grip on his hair, shoving his face against your pussy as your other hand reached for the handlebars behind you, feeling yourself getting closer to the edge.

He brought his fingers up and plunged them inside of you with ease, using them to scissor you open as he made out with your cunt.

“C-close,” you stuttered as his tongue dipped into your hole.

He looked up, and the sight of him on his knees with your arousal glistening on his face, was more than enough to send you over the edge.

Your thighs closed around his head, eyes fluttering shut as the pleasure ripped through you. You moaned his name, pussy throbbing and clenching around his fingers as you came.

Felix smirked against your core, slowing his pace to help you work through the orgasm.

And then, before you'd even had the chance to open your eyes, you were being flipped around and bent over the handlebars. Felix pressed the palm of his hand on your lower back, forcing your body to lean over it further.

Your eyes widened, mouth watering when you heard the clink of his belt unbuckling.

"Gonna take you like this,” he growled, the words rumbling out from his chest. And you were suddenly very thankful for the bike, because it was the only thing keeping you upright.

Felix shoved his pants down, just enough to reach for his thick cock. "Feel what you do to me baby?" He tapped it against your ass a few times before using the tip to spread your folds, gathering your slick.

"Felix," you gasped, swallowing hard. "Don't be gentle."

"Desperate little slut," he cooed, aligning himself with your dripping entrance. "My desperate little slut. Always so good for me, so wet and ready to take my cock like you were made for it."

Without warning, he slammed into you. The full length of him, so heavy and solid and filling you up so well, had your eyes rolling back in ecstasy.

"Oh," you gasped when he landed a harsh smack to your ass.

"Feels good, huh?" Felix smirked, chuckling lowly when you began to vigorously nod your head in response.

"Move, Lix," you cried, "m-move, please move."

And although he'd like to make you beg just a little bit more, Felix physically couldn't hold back any longer. He grunted as he set a steady rhythm. "Pussy's so good, fucking sucking me in baby," he moaned, pushing you further over the handlebars. He picked up the pace when you told him to, burying his face into your neck and sinking his teeth into the sensitive skin.

You emitted a broken, strangled moan when he tugged your head back by the roots of your hair, brain growing foggy with every drag of his cock along your walls. He drilled into you until his thrusts turned sloppy and irregular. When you started fucking yourself back on his dick, his hips trembled, stuttering into yours.

"Princess," he panted, breath hot against your neck, slowing his pace to try and keep himself from spilling inside of you. And Felix thought it might just be the hardest thing he'd ever had to do, when you start to beg for his cum. Whimpering incoherently about how badly you needed him to fill you up with his seed.

"Felix," you cried, feeling your second orgasm building, "feels so fucking good, keep going, keep going, I'm g-gonna—" you whimpered, inhaling sharply as you cum again, tears pricking at your eyes as you cream on his cock.

Felix bit his lip as your walls fluttered around him. His deep moans turned into pretty high-pitched sounds. And he was cursing, words you’d never even heard before, when his hips suddenly stilled.

"Ah, fuck—" he shuddered when he started to spill inside of you. He hurriedly pulled out, wrapping his hand around his pulsating length as he finished in his palm.

When you were coherent and able to feel your limbs again, you turned to look at him.

Felix was panting, chest heaving, as he came down from his own high. His hand was covered in his own sticky release. And you weren't quite sure if it was leftover rain or beads of sweat rolling down his face, but he was beautiful. Lips parted, dark eyes blown wide with pleasure.

He looked up, meeting your gaze with a tired half smile, and it broke something within you.

In that split second, you recognized that you might love him even more than you'd thought. And it was a feeling tainted with a subtle undercurrent of fear—the metaphorical nail in a shared coffin.

Because you're pretty sure it is going to get both of you killed some day.

Imprinted on your skin, Felix's scent mixed seamlessly with the clean breeze that enveloped you upon stepping out from beneath the trees—his warmth a comforting presence at your back.

Something caught your eye, bringing your attention to the top of the incline where the rover had returned, its metallic exterior gleaming.

As you surveyed the narrow drop, a daunting realization began to take hold. The slope stretched on in either direction, leaving no choice but for the boys to make their own descent if you were to reunite.

While you contemplated whether or not the angle might be gradual enough to allow for a cautious descent, Chan's voice rang out from above. “Stay back! We'll come to you!"

Felix cast a worried glance up and down the slope. "It's too steep," his lips tightened into a thin line as the tires inched closer to the edge above.

Charged, electrifying silence filled the air, heightening every detail of your surroundings—the engine's low hum, the rhythmic drip drip drip of water from the branches at your back.

"Maybe they should.." you hesitated, searching for an alternative that didn't exist. But it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because your voice was drowned out by the screeching protests of metal against rock.

With a sudden lurch, the rover initiated its descent.

The first tentative movements sent a cascade of loose rocks tumbling down the slope. The vehicle jerked and swayed in tandem with Chan's adjustments to the wheel, suspension audibly groaning underneath the strain.

Just when it seemed it might conquer the descent unscathed, the air was shattered by a stark crunch as one of the headlights collided with a protruding rock.

The impact sent shockwaves throughout the vehicle, a collective gasp escaping the group as Chan lost control.

In a frantic sequence of events, Minho leaned over, grappling with the wheel to help Chan regain traction. Changbin shot an arm out to grip the open frame, and Jisung buried his head in his hands.

Felix took a shuffling step forward, propelled by instinct to help the boys. Your fingers wrapped around his arm, yanking him back as the rover slammed against solid ground at the bottom of the incline.

The collision resonated through the air, leaving each of you speechless.

Jisung's wide eyes met yours, peering up from beneath the curtain of hair that had fallen into his face at the impact. A disbelieving smile fell across his lips, as if the absurdity of the situation had struck him in that moment. And you couldn't help but return the smile, shaking your head in relief as you acknowledged the collective insanity that had become your reality.

Chan's shoulders slumped and he bowed his head, taking a moment to collect himself. A mere ten seconds passed before he straightened his posture. Stepping down from the vehicle, he crossed his arms over his chest, muttering a curse as his eyes narrowed to the broken headlight.

The rest of the boys disembarked following Chan. Changbin pulled the map from his jacket, taking note of its condition before handing it over to him, and the group gathered around their leader in anticipation.

Chan's brow furrowed in concentration. A moment of disbelief crossed his features before he began to shake his head. "This entire forest isn't even on the map," his eyes lifted to sweep across the endless expanse of trees.

An exchange of looks rippled through the group as you waited for his next words.

"We can waste fuel trying to get around it,” he finally offered, "Or..." his gaze returned to the map.

“Or,” Minho interjected, catching everyone's attention, "we go through it."

The simplicity of his statement held a sense of something bold—a willingness to face the unknown head-on.

The forest did represent the unknown..But it had to end eventually. The fuel was dwindling, every one of you knew it, and wasting it in an attempt to find a way around the forest could be just as dangerous as navigating straight into its heart.

A decision loomed, demanding a choice that balanced the unknown with the practical constraints you faced.

Chan looked to Felix, seeking guidance in the unspoken language they shared. Felix, in turn, redirected his gaze to Hyunjin. The exchange unfolded like a ritual, a pattern the three of them had followed countless times before.

Silent affirmation in the form of a single nod from Felix was all it took for Chan to make the decision. “We go through," he declared.

Jisung cleared his throat, placing a hand on the back of his neck. “It can’t be any worse than what we’ve been through so far, right?”

His attempt at optimism, although appreciated for its intent, was quickly overshadowed by the ominous presence of the trees that loomed behind you.

Changbin squared his shoulders, cocking the heavy weapon in his arms. "Too late to turn back now," he caught your eye, and you nodded in silent agreement along with the rest, his voice echoing endlessly in your mind.

Too late to turn back now.

The forest held an ancient energy, a guardian of untold history. The growl of the engines harmonized as they wove cautiously between trees with an undercurrent of something otherworldly, something wild.

The further the group pressed on, the more it triggered an unexpected wave of discomfort in Felix. His chest tightened as vast horizon was replaced by the suffocating confinement of dense foliage. It brought to light an aspect of himself that he hadn't consciously acknowledged before—how deeply he had come to rely on the open sky and the sense of freedom it provided.

As the familiar feeling of being hunted settled in his bones, his eyes darted anxiously back and forth, scanning for shadows that danced in patterns at the edges of his vision. The words he'd confessed to you about who was chasing him echoed in his thoughts, and he half-expected their figures to materialize from the shadows at any moment—

No.

They couldn't have followed the nine of you out here.

The journey, the logistical challenges it would've taken to track your path through the districts..Not to mention that your group would’ve been long gone by the time they'd realized the fate of the man they'd sent after him at Yellow Wood—the man you'd killed to protect him.

The man whose name was enough to elicit a visceral response from Felix, the scars on his back tingling with every syllable as it resonated through his mind.

"They couldn't have," he muttered under his breath. They couldn't have followed you. They couldn't have.

But what if—

"Felix!" your shout pierced his thoughts, snapping his focus back to the path in front of the motorcycle.

Shit.

The wheels jerked violently as he veered to avoid a large ditch filled with rainwater and mud. The bike danced on the edge of disaster, narrowly avoiding the hidden hazard.

Felix’s eyes widened in realization as he twisted around. “Chan, watch out!” his voice boomed, echoing through the trees, but the warning was futile.

The rover was following far too closely behind.

It's front end plunged first, followed by a moment of suspense before the back wheels followed suit—the mud greedily swallowing them whole.

Despite the churning tires, the vehicle was forced into an abrupt halt. A chorus of frustrated exclamations filled the air, Chan's curses cutting through the loudest as he slammed his hands on the steering wheel in defeat.

You and Felix quickly abandoned the motorcycle, hands pressing onto the muddied surface of the rover. The rest of the boys, excluding Chan and Jeongin, joined you in a synchronized effort to push it out.

Muscles strained, boots sank into the earth, the wheels budged slightly, but despite your collective strength..

Nothing.

Chan unleashed his building frustration by forcefully slamming his foot on the gas pedal once more. The engine responded with a thunderous roar—thick clumps of mud scattering in every direction from the tires, still locked in a futile struggle.

"Chan, stop!" Minho called out, covering his eyes as he stepped back.

Thick sludge splattered across your clothes, adhering to every fiber. You rubbed your eyes to wipe it from your face, and when your vision cleared you realized that the situation had transcended beyond mere inconvenience.

The fading daylight had begun to cast eerie shadows around you. The gravity of your predicament sank in—how utterly alone you were, and it was the first time you thought that might be a bad thing.

Jeongin, confined to the vehicle due to his injured foot, swiveled around to observe the group. He put a hand over his mouth to conceal the sound that escaped his lips. However, what began as a tentative giggle soon evolved, bubbling up from the depths of his chest into hearty laughter. "You guys look awful,” he mused, dimples on full display.

The group exchanged glances, surveying their disheveled appearances.

Hyunjin, in particular, appeared thoroughly offended by his ruined clothing. His disgusted expression only fueled the laughter that had begun to grow around you.

Seungmin protested as Changbin (forcefully) pulled him into a hug, smearing even more mud onto his clothes.

And beside you, Felix's perfect face was seemingly untouched by the mess that adorned the rest of him. It prompted you to swipe some of the mud from your cheek and transfer it to his. The act elicited a surprised, but amused reaction from the freckled boy as the corners of his mouth twitched, his eyes meeting yours with a hint of appreciation for the unexpected playfulness.

Even Chan couldn't stifle a small chuckle as he stole a glance at the group through the rearview mirror.

Surrounded by the laughter of those you had slowly come to trust, you were reminded of what had brought you there in the first place—why it was so important to dismantle your father's oppressive regime for good.

Despite the encroaching night, darkness had yet to fully envelop the surroundings. There was still daylight left. One more challenge was added to the list of those you faced, but there was something about the boys and their resilience that instilled a small sense of hope in you. Making you feel as if their collective strength might just see you through the uncertainties ahead.

And if not, well it was far too late to turn back now.

With the ground unsuitable for spreading blankets, the process of setting camp mainly involved finding patches of drier ground to rest.

You observed the deliberate effort each of the boys made to avoid peering at the rover, the eyesore that it was. Chan was the only one who hadn't left its side, his mind undoubtedly concocting some kind of plan to free it come morning. “Hopefully”, he said to no one in particular as he kicked one of the tires, “we’ll be able to get it out after the mud dries.”

Your fingers fiddled with the laces of your boots, tying them over and over again to divert them from scratching at the drying mud on your skin. With each of you reluctant to waste your precious water supply on a mere rinse, you held on to the possibility that tomorrow's journey might lead you to a stream.

A yearning for the refreshing waters of the cave spring developed within you, intensifying with each passing moment. But it wasn't just the longing for cleanliness that fueled your desire to be back there.

Your eyes darted to Felix, crouched down beside you. Absorbed in concentration, his tongue habitually poked out the side of his mouth as he worked alongside Changbin to start a fire. His dark hair was up, a few strands escaping the confines of the tie to delicately frame his face.

You shook your head, refocusing your on Jeongin seated against a log at the edge of the clearing.

Felix glanced up when you touched his arm gently. His eyes followed your movement as you stood, the soft crunch of leaves beneath your boots resonating in the quiet surroundings.

The mossy surface of the log pressed against your back as you lowered yourself down next to Jeongin. "How're you holding up?" you asked, eyes trailing back to Felix as he returned to work on the fire.

"Could be worse," Jeongin replied softly. You pursed your lips, a moment of silence passing between you before he spoke again. "Can I be honest?"

"Of course," you said, inviting him to share his thoughts.

His fists clenched, fingers digging into the soggy grass beneath.

"Please don't tell the others," he began, quieting his voice. "But if we can't get it out," he gestured toward the rover, "I'm worried about slowing everyone down. I just don't want to be a burden if we have to continue on foot, you know?"

"Jeongin you are not a burden," you were quick to reply, "and nobody is leaving you behind. Whatever happens, we'll find a way to get to Miroh. All of us."

When he failed to respond, you reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. You turned to meet his eyes, and your stomach dropped.

A film of sweat covered his forehead. His complexion had taken on an unsettling pallor, and you guessed that if you were to press your hand to his forehead, it would be burning hot despite the chill in the air.

You fought to maintain a reassuring smile as your gaze swept across the clearing, landing on Minho. He was engrossed in the meticulous task of inspecting and wiping down the remaining firearms with Jisung.

With silent intensity, you begged him to look up.

The air seemed to still as you waited, sounds of the forest fading. When Minho finally raised his eyes to meet your own, the unspoken plea in your expression was clear.

With quick, fluid movement, he excused himself and made his way over where to you and Jeongin sat.

Minho knelt down in front of Jeongin, breaking the tension with small talk as he carefully unlaced his boot. He gently pulled back the bandages to assess the strain on the wound, and despite the stitches holding together well, the surrounding skin displayed signs of inflammation.

Amidst your focus, a sudden grunt of frustration sliced through the air.

Your eyes followed the source of the disturbance to Changbin and Felix. The duo was still locked in a battle with the damp leaves and twigs that refused to ignite—each failed attempt only deepening their shared frustration as the daylight waned.

You stole one more quick glance at Jeongin’s food before rising to your feet. “We need to find dry wood,” you announced.

But you were immediately caught off guard when the deep, resonant timbre of Felix's voice intertwined with Minho's softer tone as they both volunteered to accompany you.

The unexpectedness of Minho's offer left even Hyunjin standing motionless with raised eyebrows across the clearing.

Felix cleared his throat, maintaining his crouched position next to Changbin. A hesitant glance unfolded between him and Minho before he muttered, “Yeah..you two go.”

Minho got to his feet, seemingly unbothered by the reaction he'd caused. Stepping up to your side, he gestured to the forest behind you. "We're losing daylight."

Obviously.

As he strode past you, heading for the trees, you briefly glanced back to the others.

Felix had already returned to the task of trying to coax a spark from the wet kindling. Chan had found his way around the back of the rover—now absorbed in taking inventory of your remaining supplies. Jisung gave you a meaningful look, motioning with his eyes for you to catch up to Minho..

And so, with a determined breath and nothing to lose, you followed the boy from District 9 into the encroaching twilight.

It was as if even the forest held its breath, as if it were sentient and fully aware of the undercurrents of tension between you and Minho.

Silence draped between you, thick and uncomfortable, as Minho guided the way. You glared at the back of his head, making note of the distinctive shade of his hair—gray or perhaps a faded light blue, with grown out roots revealing the natural color underneath.

In District 9, it wasn't uncommon for residents to dye their hair various shades—a symbol of status due to the expense of such indulgences. The gradient of Minho's hair made you wonder just how long he had been away from his home district.

Your home district.

As you considered the shared connection between the two of you, Minho broke the silence. “His foot, its..”

"I know," you replied.

"Infections can spread fast, especially out here.”

“I know.”

Minho sighed in annoyance, as if holding a conversation with you was some sort of burden. “I didn’t want to discuss it with the others,” he snapped.

And it dawned on you that it wasn't the burden of talking with you, but rather the responsibility of his concern for Jeongin that strained his expression. He didn’t want to discuss it with the others because he didn’t want to worry the others. Choosing to confide in you instead.

“What can we do?” you asked softly, although the answer was already clear.

“Not much,” Minho confirmed, “start a fire, boil water to sterilize it with, and..”

"Wait," you breathed, without missing the way he tensed at the word.

Cleaning Jeongin's wound would be a temporary measure. It wouldn't heal the infection, but it might prevent it from worsening too quickly. Which would give you the time you needed until you got to Miroh where there might be medical supplies. Antibiotics, if you were lucky.

And if not..

“Look," your eyes caught on a fallen tree with branches that appeared drier than the rest. Relief, albeit a small thread of it, weaved through your senses. You pointed to it and began to cross the distance, Minho falling into step beside you.

Together, you began to break off the dead branches. The brittle material snapped easily underneath your grip, the silence interrupted only by the sharp cracking of wood as you worked. But your fingers stilled when you caught sight of that thin bracelet adorning Minho’s wrist. The trinket glimmered softly in the fading light. Its delicate beauty contrasted sharply with your surroundings, reminding you you once again of the life you had left behind—the privileges and sorrows intertwined in your past.

You studied the intricate design and elegance of that gold piece..so out of place.

Why wear it out here, where its value could mean a death sentence?

Lost in the depths of your thoughts, you didn't notice the pause in Minho's own movement. His fingers wrapped around a branch while his gaze bore into you, even as yours remained fixed on the bracelet.

In that moment, a daring impulse seized you. Screw it, you thought. The seething hatred you held for District 9 and the memories it carried ran deep, yet a peculiar sense of comfort washed over you in the knowledge that Minho might understand in a way that the others couldn’t.

For the briefest instant, you allowed yourself to wonder if perhaps Minho shared the same longing for someone who understood.

Screw it.

“If I hadn’t already known you were from District 9,” you started, “that would confirm it.” You brought your eyes from the bracelet to meet his gaze as you resumed your work, snapping another branch.

Minho’s own eyes tinged with something darker than nostalgia as he let out a dry chuckle. “There's no sob story to it, if thats what you’re wondering. No lost loved one, no tragic incident. It's just a piece of metal.” His tone suggested a desire to seal off the conversation, end it there. But your intuition sensed the unspoken pain behind his words.

“If it doesn’t have any meaning,” you pressed, “then why wear it? Isn't it dangerous? Valuable things like that..I’m sure people would kill for them out here.”

Minho’s eyes flitted away, as if trying to decide whether or not to continue. “It did belong to my mother,” he admitted, “but I don’t wear it for her. She was a cruel women and she probably still is. I have no love for her memory."

His gaze returned to yours, firm and resolute. “I wear it because it reminds me of why I left.”

Minho’s sudden vulnerability left you wondering what had changed between you, brow furrowing. “Yes, my family is from District 9," he continued, “and they live comfortably while so many struggle to survive. This bracelet is a symbol of that privilege, of the divide."

“Sounds a lot like more than just a piece of metal to me,” you mumbled, eyeing him cautiously.

A brief pause suggested Minho had shared as much as he was willing. His gaze swept over you, scrutinizing the details of your disheveled appearance. He took in the worn edges of your clothing and the mud-streaked lines on your face, before his eyes landed at the spot on your neck where Felix's mark had once been.

You pulled your jacket up, raising your eyebrows at him.

What?

Minho let out a puff of air from his nose, a sort of half-laugh, half-scoff. The tension in his forehead slowly relaxed, the sharp angles of his expression softening. “I spent the majority of my life in District 9, closer to the palace than you might think," he revealed, "and I never once caught a glimpse of you. There were rumors of your existence, but nobody ever saw you."

A resigned sigh escaped his lips. “I hated every moment of my life there—the constant surveillance, the price paid by those who dared to step out of line. And I think I’m finally starting to understand how unbearable it must have been for you to be confined within those walls. Unseen, unheard, without any idea of what was out here," he gestured to the surrounding wilderness.

The stillness following his words was disrupted by the involuntary snap of a branch succumbing to the pressure of your grasp. Your mouth dropped and you attempted to conceal the subtle gasp that followed, praying Minho wouldn't be able to discern the astonishment you felt.

As your eyes lifted, preparing to articulate the thoughts still struggling for coherence in your mind, your attention was captured by movement just beyond his shoulder.

Amidst the foliage, a delicate tendril of smoke curled upward, spiraling into the sky. You followed the trail down to the source, where a barely visible chimney revealed itself through the trees—an apparent sign that you weren't as alone as you had once believed.

You returned to the campsite cradling a bundle of dry branches in your arms. Felix's face lit up at the sight, however his dark eyebrows raised in silent inquiry when he noticed the expression on your face. He accepted the branches as you handed them over, kneeling down beside him.

"Did something happen?" he asked, following the trajectory of your gaze to where Minho was approaching Chan across the clearing.

“We found a small cottage not too far away," you began, helping him arrange the branches. "We didn't get close enough to see if anyone was inside, but there was smoke coming from the chimney.”

A mixture of curiosity and apprehension took hold of his freckled features as you continued. “If someone lives there, there could be medical supplies or something useful for Jeongin's foot."

His eyes drifted toward Jeongin, now dozing off with his head on Seungmin's shoulder.

"He has a fever, Lix," you added with a note of urgency.

Felix swallowed, grappling with your words. "Let's say they do happen to have what we need," sparks flew from the friction of wood meeting wood beneath his hands. He maintained focus, coaxing the flames into existence. "You think they’ll just hand it over to a group of strangers?"

A brief pause followed before he asserted, "They won’t."

"Then we’ll take it,” you answered plainly. Felix’s eyes widened and you emphasized, “Without hurting them.”

His eyes sparkled as the first glimmer of flames emerged, heart-shaped lips curving into a smile. “Well would you look at that, princess," he mused, "you might just be one of us after all.”

The weathered stone cottage stood as an oddity against the wild, untamed forest.

The towering pines devoured the moonlight, plunging the surroundings in velvety darkness. Beside, you, Felix moved as if he were part of the shadows themselves—someone who had adapted to the darkness in ways you could only begin to imagine.

The two of you—along with Minho, Chan, and Hyunjin—had dispersed around the cottage to get a better idea of who might be inside.

Its circular windows were devoid of curtains or cover, as if whoever resided within had nothing to hide from prying eyes. Flickering light spilled out into the darkness as the scent of burning firewood filled the air—an indicator of the warmth within those walls.

Each step Felix took was guided by muscle memory—a hunter’s instinct, as he left no trail of his passage behind. Darkness seemed to seep from his eyes to combat the soft moonlight. The lethal gleam behind them whispered of his past deeds, reminding you that he was the survivor of a world in which he had been forced into the role of predator rather than prey.

Felix pivoted without a sound, hands delicately grasping your arms. His eyes softened upon meeting yours, acknowledging the fleeting startle he'd caused you. "Stay here," he whispered, a soft command. His gaze lingered on you for a moment longer before he turned back toward the cottage.

You watched with bated breath as he approached one of the open windows. His eyes narrowed, catching on something inside, someone, perhaps—

“What the hell is he doing?!” a voice hissed from behind you.

You whirled around, instinctively reaching for your knife.

“Shit, Chan.“

“I said not to get too close,” Chan continued, disregarding the glare you shot him.

Before you could voice your irritation any further, Felix silently returned to your side. His hand made its way to your lower back, a feather-light touch to alert you of his presence. “There’s a man inside. Just one, from what I can tell.”

The sudden crack of a brittle branch underneath a heavy boot had all three of your heads snapping to the left. Minho and Hyunjin emerged from the shadows, their words echoing Felix's earlier revelation about a single man within the confines of the cottage.

"If he's the only one inside, we might be able to explain our situation and ask for help," Chan said.

Felix withdrew his hand from your back, deftly pulling down the bandana that matched each of your own. The fabric slid down the lower half of his face, unveiling tense features. "We don't know who this man is or what he's capable of.”

“What if he seems hostile or refuses to cooperate?” Hyunjin chimed in. As his slender fingers adjusted the strap across his chest, the metallic clink of the firearm secured to his back punctuated the air.

The tension thickened as Chan took a moment to contemplate the options. His hand fell to his own weapon, subtly tracing the familiar contours. "Maybe we should wait until morning,” he suggested. And the words, like always, came out laden with the weight of responsibility. “People can be unpredictable. If we wait until morning it gives us the advantage of daylight and more time to assess the situation.”

Impatience flickered across Minho's features, his eyebrows drawing together. "We can't afford to wait," he stressed, "Jeongin has a fever and it isn’t going to improve on its own. If we wait until morning, even a few hours, it worsens that much more. And it will just keep escalating until—"

"Alright," Chan conceded, features softening at the mention of the youngest. “If we're going to do this we need to be cautious. Charging in blindly could make things worse, not only for Jeongin but for all of us.” He swallowed hard, eyes traveling across each of your faces.

"So, what's our plan?" you spoke up, highlighting your commitment to whatever course of action they chose.

"What if we should just knock," Chan shrugged, "it's a simple gesture, non-threatening..”

Felix scoffed audibly from beside you, the sound startling a bird into flight from somewhere above. “Knock?" he lowered his voice to a whisper, "we might as well hand over our weapons while we’re at it."

"Paint targets on our foreheads too," Hyunjin muttered.

Chan shot each of them a disapproving glare. His hand instinctively rose, fingers tracing the scar along the bridge of his nose.

Although walking up and knocking on a stranger's door in the middle of the night did seem a bit absurd, you understood the rationale behind Chan's strategy—an attempt to approach the unknown with some semblance of diplomacy before considering more aggressive measures.

"I should do it," you offered, aiming to sound as indifferent as possible despite the quickening thud of your heart in your chest. "I might seem less threatening, and he might be more willing to talk if he sees me alone."

All eyes suddenly turned to you. Felix stiffened, but Minho intervened before he could protest.

"She has a point,” Minho looked to Chan, “given the circumstances, if he thinks she’s a woman alone in the middle of the night he might be more inclined to trust her and offer aide.”

Felix's expression twisted into a deep scowl, blatantly directed at Minho. "Or take advantage of her," his voice dropped to a near growl.

"That's why we'll be right here,” Chan offered.

Felix restrained himself from voicing any further objections, yet the discontent on his face remained visible. He was desperate to help Jeongin, too. He acknowledged the necessity of the plan, understood the logic, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

Hyunjin shifted restlessly. "What if we wait until he goes to sleep?" he said, turning to you, “approaching his doorstep in the middle of the night might raise suspicions."

“So what, you want to break in instead?” you countered.

"It's not like we haven't done it before," Hyunjin snapped.

Your arms crossed as you locked eyes with him in a challenging stare. He gritted his teeth and ran a hand through his golden locks, a self-assured gesture that—as much as you would rather die than admit it—highlighted the way Hyunjin was objectively quite stunning.

As his gaze held yours, there was a slight falter in the sharpness of his stare. Almost hinting that that he had made the suggestion in a discreet attempt to protect you from approaching the man alone.

Almost.

Feeling the weight of the others' eyes shifting between you and Hyunjin, you drew in a breath. "I'll go," you said, addressing Chan. “There’s no way this ends well if we get caught breaking in. If I talk to him, I might at least be able to find out if he has what we need. And if he refuses to help us then we can do what needs to be done for Jeongin.”

Chan nodded. "Talk to him at the doorstep. If things seem off, call for us. We'll be right here, yeah?"

"Just be careful," Felix added quietly from beside you.

The corners of his eyes creased with worry, but there was trust within them. He reached over to tap on the hilt of your knife, a silent reminder of its presence, and you offered a faint smile in reply.

Aware of the collective gaze fixed on your back, you warily approached the cottage. The sight of Jeongin's fevered state replayed over and over in your mind, propelling every step as you inched closer to the plain, wooden door awaiting your touch.

Lifting a hand, you prepared to rap your knuckles against the weathered surface when an unexpected disruption seized your motion.

Before you could make contact with the door, it began to creak open. The hinges groaned, worn with age, as a sudden brightness flooded out into the night.

Squinting against the intrusion of light, your eyes instinctively dropped to a pair of worn-out leather shoes visible just across the threshold.

“I've been wondering when you lot were finally going to gather the courage to come and talk."

Your head shot up to meet the source of the voice, eyes widening as they settled on the man standing before you. His features were a testament to years spent at the edge of the wilderness. Dark hair, unkempt and graying at the temples, framed a face adorned with a rugged beard. The beard, though not long, carried a battered look, much like the rest of his appearance.

Despite the late hour, there was something peculiar about the way his eyes gleamed, a gaze perpetually attuned to his surroundings. A faint smile played on his lips as he studied your reaction, regarding you with calm curiosity.

Then, in one swift motion, he moved to close the distance between you. You stumbled back, heart drumming a rapid beat in your chest.

“Come on out!” his voice shattered the night, startling you into a breathless pause. He raised an arm and made a sweeping gesture directed at where the boys were hidden, as if he were inviting them over.

Your mouth fell, the astonishment in your own features reflected by each of the boys as they cautiously emerged from the brush.

The man turned, leaving the door open as he retreated back into the dimly lit interior. "You're lucky you found this place when you did," he said, addressing you over his shoulder.

Hesitant to follow, you lingered in the doorway, absorbing the details of the interior.

Stone walls enclosed the space in a large room, a single hallway extending out of view at the other end. The thatched roof was woven meticulously from bundles of dried straw, forming a gentle slope overhead. A narrow opening ushered smoke from the fireplace into the night sky, and an armchair sat facing the flames, a stack of freshly chopped wood at its feet.

Dry wood.

To your left, a small kitchen area was tucked against the wall. The air inside the cottage was rich with the enticing aroma of something savory bubbling above the rustic stove. It was a scent so captivating that it coaxed you to take a step over the threshold.

As the boys cautiously filtered in behind you, the man settled down at a small table adorned with scattered parchment. His relaxed demeanor made it seem as though he were accustomed to welcoming unexpected, armed guests into his home.

Felix took a deliberate step forward to position himself between the man and the rest of you. His eyes drilled into the stranger, scouring for any sign of ill intent. Despite the absence of a weapon, the way Felix stood made it clear that he didn't need one.

Chan hurriedly moved to join him. His hand found its way to Felix's shoulder, settling on the area where the branded mark lay concealed beneath his clothing—a warning touch. A silent caution to tread carefully.

As Chan visibly grappled with the situation, his mouth opened and closed in a struggle to find the words to start some sort of conversation.

The man chuckled, "You're wondering why I've welcomed you into my home."

The boys stood their ground, but not one of them spoke. They just stared, making you wonder if this was the first time they'd been willingly invited into a stranger's home.

The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "You’ve been circling my home for the better part of the night. I figure if you'd wanted to kill me you would have gotten to it by now," he said, eyes flicking to the imposing firearm strapped to Hyunjin's back. "But something tells me you didn't come all this way just for a friendly chat, did you?"

“Actually...Uh, sir,” Chan managed to find his voice, but you cringed a bit at the awkwardness it carried. "What we're looking for are medical supplies."

Minho stepped up. "Something to combat infection or fever," he clarified.

The man leaned back in contemplation. He surveyed each of you individually, eyes alight with amusement as if he found the whole situation mildly entertaining.

When his gaze fell upon you, Felix executed a deliberate shift in position. He planted himself directly in front of you, an unmistakable signal that he was fiercely protective of your well-being.

The man's faint smile morphed into a wry, knowing smirk as he looked Felix up and down. "Medical supplies, huh? You all look fine to me," he remarked.

"It's not for any of us," Chan's voice carried a hint of desperation. He paused to gauge the man's reaction before adding, "It’s for our youngest," likely hoping to evoke some sympathy.

The man arched an eyebrow. “There are more of you?"

Minho nodded, "We are a small group, just trying to survive."

"Survival," the man drew out the word, tasting it. “This is not the first time survival has brought strangers to my home in search of help."

"We don't have much to offer in return, but we are willing to trade," Chan offered.

The man's eyes narrowed, probing for sincerity behind his words. "Your friend must be very important to you," he stated, "but trading is not something I require. As you can see, I have everything I need within these walls.”

His fingers began to tap rhythmically against the arm of his chair, an unsettling sound that filled the air as he weighed the value of whatever he was considering.

"Despite that, I will provide you with what you need," he settled on.

A subtle release of tension spread through the room. Minho's stoic facade betrayed a flicker of relief. Chan allowed his posture to ease ever so slightly, Hyunjin withdrew his hand from the weapon strap across his chest.

Yet, amidst the delicate shift in energy, Felix remained an exception. Unmoved by the apparent relief settling in around him, his taut stance, though not overtly aggressive, showed no signs of relenting.

"Go collect your friend," the man waved a hand at the door, "I will shelter you for the night. You're young, exhausted, and it looks like you've been through quite a lot."

Alarm bells should have been ringing in your head.

The whole situation should have been unnerving. And in several ways, it was. But there was an inexplicable aura surrounding the man. Beneath the sly arrogance that colored his expressions, an undercurrent of compassion emerged. As he spoke, you couldn't help but notice the sadness that flitted across his eyes when he took in your group. There was a depth of profound humanity within those eyes—the kind of empathy you had never witnessed in your father—and it resonated with you.

As Chan started to voice his reservations, the man halted him with a raised hand. “I understand the reluctance to trust a stranger. You're cautious, and rightfully so. I see the weapons you carry, I know that you had the means to storm in here and take what you need, perhaps at my expense. Yet, you opted to knock on my door,” he chuckled lightly, shaking his head, "and that tells me something about each of you. Kindness begets kindness. Your group has demonstrated a courage that not many possess. And for that, I offer my aid.”

A stunned silence enveloped the room.

"Thank you," Chan expressed softly, each syllable carrying the weight of collective relief.

While the boys prepared to leave, your focus lingered on the man. A slight limp accompanied his movement as he stood—the permanent mark of an old injury to his left leg.

Felix glided across your path with a gentle brush to your arm, a silent signal to get the hell out of there. He took the lead, aiming to be the first one outside to ensure that there weren't any potential traps or threats awaiting you beyond the door.

Just as you were about to cross the threshold, something prickled at the edges of your senses. A barely perceptible exhale, too close for comfort, brushed against your ear.

The man's raspy voice came as a hushed whisper, intended for your ears alone. “A loyal guard dog you've got there,” he murmured, jerking his chin toward Felix.

You froze.

The blood in your veins threatened to boil at the comparison of Felix to a dog. But there was no malice in his tone, only a recognition of the connection. Almost as if he were measuring your reaction, trying to elicit a response from you.

And so, you willed that surge of heat to simmer.

Suppressing whatever fiery response had been brewing inside of you, you picked up your pace and stepped out into the night.

The decision to regroup and head back to the cottage had been met with skepticism. But, nine against one felt like decent odds, and the weapons your group possessed seemed to tip the scales in favor of the majority.

Upon re-entering the stone walls, you found the atmosphere had shifted. The man—still a mysterious figure with an unnamed identity—was in the midst of preparing something new over the stove.

Shallow breaths escaped Jeongin's lips as he settled into the armchair. The firelight played upon his features, highlighting the film of glistening sweat on his skin.

"I'm making a remedy from the herbs I've gathered,” the man announced from the kitchen. “This will help reduce his fever and fight the infection. Nature provides us with everything we need, if we know how to use it."

He went on to explain the properties of each ingredient he'd carefully measured and crushed. His words suggested a deep connection to the land and its resources. Everything felt genuine enough, and still, your intuition screamed at you to be cautious. A scowl crept across your face as he periodically glanced to you, his earlier comment about Felix ringing in your mind.

The collective watchfulness of the group intensified as the room filled with the soothing aroma of a fragrant tea. "This will help him," the man stated calmly as he poured a cup.

As he approached Jeongin with the steaming amber liquid, Felix's hands clenched into tight fists. The freckled boy focused intently on Chan, as if he were waiting for some kind of signal to release the restrained energy inside of him. The darkness swirling in his eyes hinted that, at the slightest cue from Chan, he would spring into action without a moment's hesitation.

You swallowed. Hard. When the man extended the cup toward Jeongin's lips, a sudden surge of panic gripped you. "Wait—"

Felix flinched sharply beside you, a ripple of tension coursing through his frame. Hyunjin, startled by your interruption, reached for the firearm still strapped to his back. Changbin took an instinctive step forward, ready to shield if need be.

The room held its breath, each of you caught in the precarious balance between conflict and composure.

The man turned, observing each of your faces. A sigh escaped him. A heavy, pitiful sound. And then, he lifted the cup and took a measured sip, his eyes locking onto yours.

“It is safe," he said after swallowing, "I have brewed this remedy countless times for myself." He held the cup out to you, making room for you to take his place beside Jeongin.

Cradling the cup in your hands, the warmth seeped through your fingertips. Jeongin stirred, eyelashes fluttering against the pale flush of his skin as you stepped up beside the armchair.

Feeling the need for guidance, you thought of Chan. Then, Felix. Jisung, an unpredictable force, lingered in your considerations too.

But when your head lifted, it wasn't Chan, Felix, or Jisung you looked to.

Minho nodded in silent reassurance, and it was all you needed to bring the cup to Jeongin's lips.

After he'd taken the last sip of the remedy, you turned and looked the man dead in the eyes as you pushed the cup back into his hands. "If anything happens to him because of this," you asserted, "I won't hesitate to kill you myself."

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Felix's lips twitch upward. And in that subtle expression, you could’ve sworn you detected something that looked a lot like pride.

As the night wore on, something incredibly rare began to settle over your group—a blooming sense of trust. The culmination of the day's events, coupled with the comforting atmosphere inside the cottage gradually pulled each of you into a sense of security.

With Jeongin's condition showing signs of stabilizing, Hyunjin and Changbin decided to venture back to the rover to fetch supplies, too wary to leave them out in the open. Leaned against the armchair, Seungmin was first to fall asleep after Jeongin. Minho and Jisung had found solace in each other's presence near the hearth, where the dancing flames bathed their sleeping forms in a subtle glow.

In the midst of it all, Chan had occupied a seat across from the man at the table. They were deep in hushed conversation, discussing matters out of earshot, but the sound of their voices mingling carried an odd sense of security with it.

You found your own sanctuary nestled discreetly in a corner beside Felix. Shielded by miscellaneous objects and shadows, the position rendered you just out of direct eyesight from the two engrossed in conversation at the table.

The firelight played upon the subtle arch of his nose, the gentle curve of his lips, the way his eyelashes cast delicate shadows on his cheeks. Your hand gravitated toward his, and he responded by entwining his fingers with your own.

"I'll stay up with you," you murmured softly, "wasn't planning on falling asleep tonight anyway."

Felix responded with a soft kiss to your temple before guiding you to lie down with him, finding a more comfortable position. He pulled you into his chest and you raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry, glancing to the others. But the freckled boy only grinned as he pulled you closer.

“Sleep,” he murmured softly.

Succumbing to the moment, you laid your head down against his chest, relishing in the comforting beat of his heart.

As his fingers began to trail across your back in soothing circles, you hesitantly draped an arm over his waist, too tired to care about what the others might think—what Hyunjin might think, when he returned to find you like this.

Your mind drifted as you tried to keep the exhaustion at bay.

You imagined waking up to a rooftop bathed in gentle sunlight. You pictured the soft glow of a lantern in a narrow alleyway, reflecting off of sad eyes that carried so much more when they looked to the moon.

The last coherent thing that crossed your mind was the confession you'd been holding back since the moment you'd spent with Felix in the rain.

You might have murmured his name as those three little words resurfaced in your thoughts, but the boundary between wakefulness and dreams blurred.

A sudden jolt snapped you back from the brink of sleep, leaving you momentarily disoriented.

Still wrapped in Felix's arms, you anticipated to find him awake when you lifted your head from his chest. However, the features that met your gaze were softened by the gentle embrace of sleep. As your eyes lingered on him, you hoped that he would be granted solace from the nightmares tonight.

You brushed a few strands of hair from his face before sitting up, settling into a watchful position. It couldn't be too much longer now until Hyunjin and Changbin returned.

The rover wasn't that far.

You blinked, trying to regain a hold on your surroundings. As your tired eyes struggled to focus, they fell upon Chan. He now sat leaning against the wall next to the door, a testament to his determination to wait for Hyunjin and Changbin. His eyes were closed, head resting back, chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm—likely never intending to succumb to sleep.

A subtle noise caught your attention across the room, where man stood at a small basin in the kitchen, washing the pot he'd used to brew Jeongin's tea. His back was turned to you, the slight limp in his step evident as he shifted on his feet.

Glancing around the cottage, you made note of the various items scattered about. An aged book sat on a small table next to the armchair. Beside it lay an ornate silver necklace, its chain interlaced with dried white flowers that you didn't recognize.

Across from you, a glimmer reflected off of a small chest on a bookshelf, as if it had been purposefully tucked away amongst the clutter.

Your heart skipped a beat as you focused on the lock—at the symbol engraved on it.

So hauntingly familiar..

You squinted.

And then, your heart plummeted. Right down to your stomach.

You were standing before you'd even willed your feet to move, fueled by sheer instinct as your hand found its way to the knife securely strapped to your waistband.

The blade gleamed as you pulled it out. Your footsteps fell light as a whisper on the wooden floor as you approached the man, tightening your grip on the knife's handle to give you some semblance of control.

His hands, still glistening with water, hovered in the air as he twisted his head to acknowledge your presence.

"Why,” you growled, “does that chest bear the symbol of—"

You stiffened as he turned around, wiping his hands on a thin towel. "Sit," he urged, nodding to one of the two chairs positioned around the table.

“No," you lifted the blade and pointed it directly at him, surprised at how steady it was given the tremor coursing through your body. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t—”

"You are correct," he cut you off, "that chest indeed bears the mark of your father's army. But it also carries the weight of my own history."

A chill slithered down your spine as you could physically feel the blood drain from your face. The room swayed around you as you staggered, clutching at the edge of the table to steady yourself.

Despite the shock that painted your expression, the man remained impassive. You stood frozen in place, muscles locked with fear, as he navigated the intimate confines of the cottage to retrieve the small chest from the shelf.

He cradled it in his hands before placing it on the table with deliberate care.

"Sit," he repeated, settling into the chair across from you.

“H-how," you stammered. Your eyes darted over your shoulder to Chan, at the heavy weapon across his lap. But before you could muster the words to call for him, the man spoke again.

“I suspected who you were the moment I saw you standing on my doorstep. Initially, I mistook you for a ghost," he shook his head, voice softening, "the resemblance you bear to her is unmistakable. But it wasn't until this very moment, with that knife in your hand, that I knew for sure."

Without a word, you lowered yourself into the chair across from him.

Pleased with your reaction, the man reached beneath his shirt to reveal a necklace with a dangling key. He used the key to unlock the chest, extracting a worn cloth from within.

The cloth was unraveled to reveal a blade. It was identical to your own in size and shape. Yet, despite the apparent resemblance, the engravings told a different story. Crimson red flowers adorned the handle of the knife in his hand, a stark contrast to the white blossoms etched into your mother’s.

“A lifetime ago," the man cleared his throat, drawing your attention away from the twin blades. "I was a commander in your father's army. But in truth, I was more than that. A confidant, an advisor, and dare I say, his friend. Your father was never entirely sound of mind, even in his youth, but power has a way of magnifying the cracks in one's sanity. ”

He swallowed thickly, as if the following words were difficult to articulate. "I cannot absolve myself either," he confessed, "in the pursuit of my own power and blind loyalty, I too committed unspeakable acts. I followed orders without question, turning a blind eye to the suffering we caused. I assisted your father in making the decisions that stain his hands—decisions that haunt me still.”

"Stop," you croaked. Your chest tightened as you grappled with a rising tide of nausea. And you questioned whether your legs would even hold you if you tried to stand. "How is it even possible that we found you.."

The ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "Fate, my dear, works in mysterious ways," he answered, "and it seems to have conspired to bring you here tonight, to hear my truth."

After a brief pause, he redirected the conversation. "Many years ago, there was a woman, a guide of sorts, known for leading those from the outer districts to District 9 in search of a better life.”

Hira.

As best as you could, you veiled the flicker of recognition that sparked within you at her mention.

“Your mother was amongst those brought to District 9, to the palace. The moment your father laid eyes on her, he was consumed by a new kind of obsession. Within a week they were married. And the world, entranced by fear of his power, did not dare question it. He bound her to him—not out of love, but in the twisted grip of an obsession with her determination, her beauty, and her strength. Of course, there was also a dire urgency to ensure that his lineage persisted, rooted in the truth that only his bloodline could unlock the secrets of a hidden sanctum nestled deep within in District 2."

"Miroh," you whispered shakily.

He offered a solemn nod. “Your father saw your mother as a means to an end. He stripped away her dreams, her hopes, and caged her spirit. Yet, in the shadowed corridors of the palace, I came to understand her," a wistful smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "She was resilient, even in the face of cruelty. During the stolen moments we shared, she taught me about the outer districts and those we had oppressed. Through her, I learned not just about the struggles of these people, but about love, kindness, and hope.”

The sigh he let out carried the weight of a lifetime. The pain and the tenderness in his words echoed as you recognized that these were the most intimate details anyone had ever shared with you about your mother.

"Months later," he continued, "your mother entrusted me with a secret that would alter the course of our lives. I saw the fear in her eyes when she told me she that was pregnant—the fear that your father could pose a threat to the life growing within her. The following morning, duty dictated that I embark on a routine scouting mission in the outer districts. While I was there, my heart drove me to make a harrowing decision," he closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. "I slit the throats of the guards who had accompanied me. I burned their bodies beyond recognition, and in doing so I faked my own death. I built this cottage and the plan was simple—return for your mother, liberate her from the clutches of your father so that she may raise her child in peace. However, a year elapsed before the circumstances permitted my return. When I finally slipped back into the heart of District 9, under the cloak of darkness, it was only to learn that she had.."

He trailed off, unable to utter the painful conclusion.

Your stomach churned with the deep, unresolved ache tied to the memories of your mother. At the thought of her existence being shrouded in some kind of tragic narrative, and the the crushing realization that you would never know the full truth of her journey because she was gone.

The man's eyes fell to the blade in front of him, fingers tracing the engravings as if seeking solace in their familiar touch. And you didn't even know if you could believe a single word he'd said, but you wondered if he was the one to have given your mother the counterpart.

“I loved her, your mother,” his voice broke. The words hung in the air—dense, and fractured, and he did not look up as he continued.

“I loved her deeply, but in our time spent together I never summoned the courage to tell her those words. I believe she knew it, I know she did, and yet, it haunts me still. It always will. More than anything.”

The sorrow and regret etched on his face told the story of a lifetime's worth of remorse. It was a familiar expression, the same torment you had seen in Felix's eyes countless times before.

You glanced to the freckled boy, his silhouette barely visible in the dying firelight.

And then, another realization struck you. With a tremor of uncertainty in your voice, you turned back to the man. “You and my mother..Did you ever..Is there any chance that you could be my..” the words faltered with the possibility of a truth too profound to fully grasp.

He brought a hand up, rubbing at his face. "I don't know," he shook his head, "your mother and I were together before I left, once. But there is no way to know for certain until you reach Miroh. If you cannot open the lock, if it is my blood that runs through your veins instead of his, then I have damned us all."

The man fixed you with an intense stare. "If he finds you before you reach Miroh,” he quieted his voice to a gravelly whisper, “if he finds you, if the rebellion fails, he will kill them all—“

"I am not afraid of him," you croaked.

"You should be," he warned, "You should be terrified of him. Because he will save that one," he nodded his chin in Felix's direction, "for last. He will draw it out because of the way you look at him. And he will savor it until the bitter end."

His eyes bore into yours, urging you to understand the gravity of his words. "If you love that boy, tell him. Even if you think you may love him, tell him. Before it is too late.”

It was then that you registered the hot tracks of tears on your cheeks.

You were going to be sick.

As the vivid, gut-wrenching image of Felix suffering at the hands of your father seared through your mind, you were going to be sick.

You pushed the chair back, stumbling to your feet.

Desperate to put physical space between yourself and the cruel fate that had been painted before you, you burst outside, gasping for air.

As you doubled over, clutching at your chest, the rhythmic echoes of footsteps reached your ears. There were tears streaming down your cheeks when you turned around to confront the man, ready to demand answers.

But it wasn't his figure that stepped into the dim light seeping from the door.

As Felix took a cautious step forward, the expression he wore told you he had heard everything. Including the very unsettling possibility that your blood might not be the key to Miroh—that the hope every single one of you had clung to might always have been nothing more than just a fragile, fragile illusion.

"What if my blood doesn’t work?” you choked out through tears as he closed the distance between you, the weight of his gaze holding you in place.

"We don't know for sure yet, okay?”

"Felix," you pleaded his name like there was something he could do. As if he weren't just as helpless as you.

"I will not let anything happen to you," he whispered as his arms enveloped your trembling shoulders. "You're okay. We're okay,"

You shook your head, closing your eyes as Felix gently lifted your chin. "I will not let anyone hurt you," he vowed, traced the path of your tears with his thumbs.

But Felix could sense the panic tightening its grip on you, rendering your breaths shallow and uneven. The ache to alleviate your distress clawed at him. He would've done anything to make it stop. And so, in that vulnerable moment he summoned the courage to articulate the only thing he had left to offer.

“I love you,” he whispered, “I love you, princess. No matter what.”

Felix closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against yours. He reveled in the feeling of his own admission, and it was something even fear could not outweigh.

You breathed him in.

You knew this would not last forever with him. Nothing ever does. And you wondered if you will ever be able to accept that, even when you no longer have a choice.

But in that moment, Felix was there. You extended a hand, and he was warm. He was real, and he felt more like home than anything ever had.

You loved him too, and it was a feeling you did not dare let go.

Part 8 coming soon..

thank you so much for reading<33 if you would like to be added to the taglist please don't hesitate to let me know :)

taglist: @astralis-is-typing @skz-streamer @vixensss @yangracha @toplinelix @lixiesw1fe @slytherinatheart @hash2013 @skzswife @xosugardoll @sunnyhonie @skzcollision @hydroyaksha @l1xvanter @nimx9 @ilychee08

#lee felix x reader #felix x reader #lee felix au #stray kids au #skz au #stray kids x reader #skz x reader #stray kids angst #skz angst #lee felix anst #felix angst #skz fanfic #stray kids fanfic #felix smut #lee felix smut #stray kids smut #skz smut

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thefrogdalorian · 4 months

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The Best of Both Worlds

Din Djarin x Female Reader Modern!AU

Summary: When a new Star Wars TV show called The Mandalorian premiered, you found yourself completely enamoured with the titular character. Enjoyment of watching the lone bounty hunter travel through the galaxy quickly turned to obsession. There was just something about the show that captured your imagination. Now, you spend much of your free time — when you're not working a fast-paced, minimum wage and incredibly stressful job at a prestigious London Museum— speaking to your online friends about your love for the show. There's just one thing... Despite how much you love The Mandalorian, no one knows the identity of the man behind the helmet... either in the show, or in real life. You only know him as Mando. No one has ever seen his face, no one knows his name. Even after the countless hours of speculation from fans online, which even you have occasionally participated in, no one is any the wiser to the identity of the mysterious man who wears the shiny armour. Surely, given the depth of your love for the show, you'd recognise if the man who you spend so much time obsessing over online was to ever cross paths with you. Right?

Content Warnings: Reader is AFAB, uses she/her pronouns and in her mid 20s. Age gap between her and Din is noted but not really central to the story. Grogu is human, hints of past trauma/child abuse before Din adopted him are mentioned but not described in detail. Some mature scenes later on in the fic but not explicit smut... because I just cannot write x reader smut! Author's Note: SO very excited to finally share this fic! Thank you to the lovely @suresnips for being my beta. I really appreciate you ♡ This baby was originally my NaNoWriMo 2023 project and was inspired by this post from @toxic-seduction that I saw one evening and couldn't stop thinking about! POVs will alternate chapter to chapter from Din to reader. It was fun to write that way! Set in London for a few reasons: partly because I love the movie Notting Hill and it has some of those vibes (if you squint), also, the village where Din lives is based on Elstree Studios just outside London, where the OT was filmed and ultimately because NO WAY was I writing a modern!AU set in the states, it would've been painfully obvious a Brit wrote it. While there are lots of references to places in London, I don't live there so it might not be truly accurate (Londoners don't come for me). Also, to be political for a sec, reader works at the British Museum and I hate that institution. This was actually the line of work I was interested in when I was at Uni but for many different reasons I did not pursue it. However, it works for the plot of this story and as you'll see, she doesn't exactly love it either and goes on a few rants. Just wanted to make that clear that her job there is not an endorsement of it or anything. I can't stand them or their historical apologist bs and I wish we would give back all the things we stole (including the Parthenon Marbles)! Finally, it was incredibly important to me that the actor behind Mando in this fic clearly be the fictional character of Din Djarin rather than the real person Pedro Pascal, because rpf is not my jam! I hope I did that pretty well but just wanted to warn that if you're expecting me to use Din as some kind of way to write a Pedro fic, this won't be for you! Okay, I'll shut up now! This fic is fully written, just needs editing so hopefully I'll get a couple of chapters up each week, but life happens. I'm very proud of this one and I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Also if you would like to be added to my taglist for this fic, please let me know! Happy reading ♡

❁ My Masterlist ❁ Read on AO3 ❁

Why Does It Always Rain On Me? [Reader POV]: After a dreadful day which saw you drenched by a rainstorm after leaving a hectic day at work, you reflect on your love for Mando and upcoming excitement for the sci-fi convention you will soon be attending with your internet best friend.

He Is My Only Priority [Din's Pov]: The character of The Mandalorian is known and loved by millions. But there is another, much softer side to the man who portrays him that Din Djarin is determined to keep hidden from the world, despite the challenges that presents for him and his beloved son, Grogu.

This Is Why (I Don't Leave The House) [Reader's POV]: Your internet bestie arrives in preparation for the Star Wars convention you will attend together. Everything is set for the greatest weekend of your life! Until you arrive at the con and find yourself overwhelmed by all the crowds and noise. At least you have numerous incredibly realistic Mando cosplays to distract you from how stressed you feel, and there's one in particular which is uncannily accurate...

Curiosity Killed The Cat [Din's POV]: Despite his reservations and against his better instincts, Din heads to a Star Wars convention that he was invited to. Although he fears that his cover will be blown, curiosity gets the best of Din and he can't resist attending a panel. But Din doesn't exactly find the answers he was looking for. Instead, he finds something far more precious. Something that he would never have expected...

He's So Tall (And Handsome As Hell) [Reader's POV]: Being back in the real world and returning to work after an incredible weekend at the convention where you had so many fun experiences is taking its toll on you. The thought of collapsing on your couch in front of The Mandalorian is the only thing keeping you going. However, the universe has other plans for you. News of an out-of-hours tour for a private client that you are asked to lead almost sends you over the edge, but when you finally meet the man, he is the opposite of what you were expecting. Weirdly, he seems familiar...

With A Little Help From My Friends [Din's POV]: Din returns to the set of The Mandalorian to begin filming a new season. Despite his experience and capability, he finds that he struggles to focus as his thoughts remain firmly fixed on a certain someone...

You're The Sunflower [Reader's POV]: Despite feeling certain that you'll never see the ridiculously handsome man you gave a tour of the museum to, a special delivery is about to change everything...

Your Face Hung Up High In The Gallery [Din's POV]: After a difficult few days of filming The Mandalorian, Din is excited to spend time with you as he finally takes you on your first proper date...

Have I Known You Twenty Seconds or Twenty Years? - (Reader's POV): Despite a messy evening which led to you waking up in an opulent hotel which you have no memory of falling asleep in, memories of kind brown eyes and breathless kisses soon come flooding back to soothe your soul. Your relationship deepens as the two of you spending time together whenever your busy schedules allow. But one night, a turn of events causes you - despite Din's reassurances - to wonder if everything you have been working so hard to build together has just come crashing down around you...

There's A War Inside Of Me - [Din's POV]: The realities of the secret he is keeping from you begin to weigh heavily on Din's mind and he seeks advice from a certain curly haired co-star on what his next move should be. Things don't go exactly according to plan, not least because of the typically awful English weather...

It Could Be Love, We Could Be The Way Forward - [Reader's POV]: With your respective busy jobs keeping you and Din apart, a mystery date after a hectic day at work is exactly what you needed.

The Calm - [Din's POV]: When filming overruns and conspires to keep Din from the fun weekend he planned for you, he agonises over his decision. Fortunately, he manages to salvage the weekend, even after a calamity involving a rowboat...

P.S. - I tried to be inclusive for all body types and skin tones in this fic, but if I missed something, I do apologise. If you do spot something that takes you out of the fic, I am more than happy for constructive criticism as I wouldn't want anyone to be excluded on those grounds. I am always trying to do better and would love to know where I went wrong so I can improve and be more aware of these things going forward, so I would appreciate it if you could let me know if you do spot anything. Thank you so much! ♡

#my fics #tbobw #din djarin fic #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #the mandalorian x reader #mando x reader #din djarin #pedro pascal characters #the mandalorian fanfiction #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal #pedro boys

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ollie-lolly · 1 year

Note

Mind if I send another baby request (because I love the idea of these men with precious beans)? How would the Brothers/Dateables be if they had babies of their own? I just wanna know what kinda fathers all of them would be!💗💖

Thank you for the request! <3

Them as dads

warnings: none!

reblogs are appreciated!

Lucifer

-Will do that thing where he'll place the little ones feet on his, and hold their hands to help the baby learn to walk. TvT

-We now know that Lucifer is at least 10 million years old soooo.

-"He is more than daddy to me, he is like, he's like grandpa."

-Lets just say after being a mom dad to six he is desperately waiting for the baby stage to be over.

-He does not want to handle the little one too roughly, like with his more resilient brothers. So please help him out.

Mammon

-I can see him in front of a white board trying to explain the stock market and the baby is just there like :)

-He is super proud of his little one.

-He just holds his baby above his head sometimes like >:D

-I can see him buying a smaller version of his sunglasses and putting it on the baby.

-He uses the baby stroller as a place to store stolen things.

Leviathan

-Will take tons of pictures of the baby of any little cosplays he can find.

-Would use his tail like a baby carrier.

-I can see him holding the baby so they can see his figurines and he would go on and on who they are, from what show etc.

-Will watch childrens anime with the baby.

-Is scared for his life during the whole experience. So please try to keep calm, because he sure won't.

Satan

-Loves tucking it in bed.

-Please help him when his patience wears thin.

-Will bounce the baby on his lap while he is reading.

-Probably named the baby after a character in a book he liked.

-Will attempt to teach the baby complex topics, the baby has no idea what he is talking about but keeps listening anyway.

Asmodeus

-Will want to be around it 24/7.

-Will have tons of nicknames for the little one.

-Wants to dress it in so many outfits. ♡

-Customized and patterned diapers.

-Wine dad with Lucifer.

-Will often talk about his new dad life on social media.

Beelzebub

-Will have the little one on his shoulder at all times.

-Please be with him when he feeds the baby, because what is stopping him from eating the baby food.

-Looks really intimidating when he picks the little one up from daycare.

-Will gently use it as a weight when exercising.

Belphegor

-Will want to sleep with it for hours.

-It is so bad to the point that he has trouble falling asleep without his precious baby.

-He loves how warm the baby is.

-He has the little bassinet hanging above your shared bed, so he can check on the baby anytime.

-Beel essentially takes care of it with him.

Diavolo

-Will have a baby carrier on 24/7

-He will be walking in the halls of RAD and the baby is just: :D

-Will gain a lot of popularity with students because of the happy baby.

-The baby will most likely inherit Diavolo's adorable smile.

-Would spoil it with the most expensive gifts much to Barbatos' dismay.

Barbatos

-Will take time off to love and appreciate the little one.

-Handles the worst parts of babyhood great.

-Would love to teach you the techniques regarding childcare.

-Diavolo would beg Barbatos often to bring his butler's baby to work.

Simeon

-Somehow always knows why the baby is crying.

-Will insist on you resting while he takes care of the baby.

-Looks so angelic when he holds the baby.

-Simeon is always smiling when he gets to be with his baby.

-Luke loves to take care of the baby with him.

Solomon

-Will dress it in a wizard costume and post "My new apprentice"

-Please don't let him feed it.

-He does not realize how dangerous his house is.

-Next thing you know, the baby has his hands on a wand and almost destroys Solomon's house.

-Lets just say there needed to be A LOT of baby proofing.

-In the meantime, Solomon had to use a spell to make the baby float.

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onlyangle1 · 5 months

Text

X FACTOR

HELLO LOVERS!! this is my very first fake instagram fic so i do apologise if this is a bit shit, but if you like it i will continue this and make it a bit of a series/fic thingy.

had no clue who to choose as a face claim so i decided to use ari! <33

Summary: Y/N supports her big brother when he goes to the x factor!!

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Y/Nhorran

Liked by niallhoran and 64 others

Y/Nhorran I can’t believe my smelly big bother just sang infront of KATY PERRY!!!! LIKE WHAT? No no in all seriousness im so proud of you, dont forget me when your all big and famous!!!

p.s next round tell katy i love her!! xx

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Niallhoran Thanks tiny ❤️ I’ll be sure to tell her next time she comes round for tea, shall I? You are a melon aren’t ya x

Y/Nhoran Yes that would be much appreciated thank you! xx

Maura.horan He is a cutie isnt he! We’re all so proud my love xx

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Y/Nhoran

Liked by Niallhoran and 72 others

Y/Nhoran LOOK AT THESE MUPETS!! Who knew Ni-Ni could fly? Crazy days.

ANYWAYS IM SO PROUD OF YOU NIALL, LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH!!!! xx

(thank you mumzy for catching my reaction x)

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Niallhoran Thanks pumpkin, now come to my room so I give you a big cuddle xxx

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Niallhoran

Liked by Y/Nhoran and 172 others

Niallhoran Tiny has been watching my X Factor performances at least twice a day for the last week, as much as i love her support, she needs to turn it the fuck down! xx

view all 42 comments

Harrystyles Don’t be horrid Nialler

Y/Nhoran Yeah ni-ni, listen to your mate.

Maura.horan Aw she just loves ya, darling x

Niallhoran Don’t be on her side mum!!

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Y/N lounged on the comfortable bean bag she had brought into Niall's bedroom, her eyes fixed on the vibrant posters that adorned the walls. The room was a mix of music and Hannah Montana memorabilia, a reflection of Niall's interests. The soft hum of their favorite tunes played in the background, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Niall, her big brother, sprawled out on his bed with a guitar in hand, strumming casually as they shared stories and laughter. His fingers strummed the strings effortlessly, a skill he had gained over the years. Y/N admired her brother's musical talent, feeling a sense of pride as he effortlessly played familiar tunes.

During their childhood, the two often enjoyed karaoke, and other musical activities together, finding comfort in each other's singing. Y/N, having a desire to audition for the X Factor alongside Niall, never mustered the courage, letting him take the stage and eventually become a part of the growing band, One Direction. As the five boys' musical journey unfolded, Y/N eagerly looked forward to meeting them, hoping they were as friendly as Niall made them out to be.

“So when ya’ gonna come meet me mates then?” Niall questioned looking up from his guitar almost like he was reading your mind.

“Not sure you know, whenever really.” She said with a shrug looking back down at her phone and quickly messaging someone back.

“I’ll sort something for ya pumpkin, these are my best mates! Need to meet them at some point.” Niall sent her a soft loving smile beginning to think up ideas to make the day they all met even more special.

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A note from moi: Im sorry it’s so short but i really didn’t know what to do for the first post but i hope this was okay and i’ll be making better as time goes on 🫶🏻🩷 Remember to eat, drink water and wear your suncream, love ya’s xx

Taglist: (if you want to be on the taglist just let me know!)

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poohbea · 2 years

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𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆.

geto suguru | smut, fluff | college boyfriend!au

𝙒𝙊𝙍𝘿𝘾𝙊𝙐𝙉𝙏 : 2.5k

— 𝙎𝙔𝙉𝙊𝙋𝙎𝙄𝙎 : remote learning was never your forte, especially when it came to a subject as complex as anatomy. you were what they call a hands-on learner and lucky for you so is geto.

𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙎 : college boyfriend!geto, fem!reader, soft!geto, domish!reader, cowgirl, missionary, teasing, unprotected sex (use protection kids), creampie (this is literally so mushy and romantic please who gave me permission???)

𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙈 𝙋𝙊𝙊𝙃 : so this idea has been in the vault for a really long time and this post from @bleubrri reignited the spark i once had for this idea and i mean i couldn't not do the scientist gf x english lit bf au. thank you to my lovely grammar gatekeeper @the-australian-editor for fixing this up for me, love you lots. also i used as an excuse to help me study for my upcoming anatomy test, hahaha so it was perfect timing to be a liiitttle self indulgent.

WARNING: this is smut, so please ensure you have your age visible on your account before interacting. Minors (below 18+), ageless and blank blogs will be BLOCKED

Hope you enjoy ♡ reblogs are greatly appreciated

“Ugh!” Your severe exasperation pulls Geto away from his book. He peers over his literature to see you slouched and defeated in your cushioned office chair, swivelling the seat to and fro with your heel as you stared frustratedly at your computer screen.

“What happened?” He questions, attempting to continue the sentence he was reading.

“I just can’t get this!” Your frustration bounces off the walls of your shared bedroom, the volume threatening to wake the neighbours adjacent.

“What can’t you get?” Despite appearing indifferent with his head still stuck in his novel, you had his full attention.

“This whole lecture!”

Your dramatics make his eyes roll, setting his book down on the side table before shifting to the edge of the bed where you sighed for the uptenth time. “Let me see.” You roll your chair to the side so he’s able to view your laptop screen clearly, his brows immediately furrowing when he catches a glimpse of terminology way outside the boundaries of his degree. “I have no idea what any of this means.”

“See!” With your exclamation accompanied the honeyed sound of your laugh, a contagious one at that as Geto also found himself smiling. “Ugh, this is impossible. These diagrams don’t even help.”

That statement confused him. Why would they give you an example of something that wasn’t of any use to you as a student? “Why not?”

“Because we use cadavers during assessments and they’re very different compared to a diagram.” He recalls your many recounts of the anatomy lab, corpses soaked in formaldehyde, skinned, split in two, muscles and organs splayed and pinned in a macabre exhibit all in the name of science. Barbaric is what he called it, but it fascinated you nonetheless.

“So why not use yourself as practice.” The look you give him is parturient with a rhetorical question he could already hear falling from your lips.

“Really, because I’m muscular enough to use as a model?” He chuckles at your sarcasm, loose hair falling over his shoulder with a light shake of his head.

“So then use me.” From the way your face brightens he knew it was a good idea, a mindless one that he admittedly blurted out jokingly, but he’d never tell you that.

“You’d really let me use you as a live model?”

“If it’ll help you get out of this rut, then yes.” Excitement floods your veins at his confirmation, so much so, that you’re already off your seat, notes in hand and bouncing on the bed beside him before he could utter another word. “Eager, aren’t you?”

“Well, it’s an excuse to get you shirtless, so yes, very.” And just like that your exuberant and childish personality was back. Who knew that all it took was a glimpse of his physique? He made a mental note of it for future reference, adding it to the list of remedies to use against your rambunctious temperament.

“If you wanted me naked baby, all you had to do was ask.” He teases whilst pulling his shirt over his head, dark locks cascading down the expanse of a beautifully defined posterior.

“Shush, you’re supposed to be helping me study, not initiating foreplay.” You crawl your way behind him, legs crossing as you settle into the mattress.

He shoots you a mischievous smirk over his shoulder. “Why not both?”

“Turn around, you dork.” His shoulders shudder with a muffled laugh, one that makes you roll your eyes as you shift his hair out of the way. Then you begin to orient yourself, fingers grazing his skin tenderly, exploring each trough and peak of the muscles spanning his back. “Alright let’s see here. Flex for me?”

Silently he places his arms behind his head, pulling the corresponding muscles taut enough to protrude from his svelte figure. “Okay, upward rotation of the scapula… upper trapezius,” you eye your notes whilst tracing the nape of his neck, following the fibres down to the next muscle. “And serratus anterior.” Geto inhales sharply when your palms glide along the jagged digitations at his sides, fingers splaying as you round his ribcage. “You doin’ okay, mister model?”

“Just fine, sweetheart.” His deep voice diffuses from skin to fingertips, the vibrations inciting goosebumps across your forearms.

“Alright, next was… glenohumeral abduction, so stay like that.” You use his bicep for balance to change positions and sit back on your heels, weight shifting the bed beneath you. “Deltoids.” Tapping on each of the three bellies, you identify them outloud, familiarising yourself with the shape of the muscle at the apex of his shoulders. “Anterior, middle and posterior.” Then your first roadblock appeared. “I can’t find the other one.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too deep, so I can’t see it on the surface.”

“How about finding the general area instead?” Again you look down at your notes, hands ghosting over the approximate location of the elusive muscle.

“I think it’s here.” You conclude, pressing into the superior aspect of his shoulder blade. “Because if I’m tracing it right, then your acromion process would be here and just above that would be the supraspinatus.” In all honesty you were talking more to yourself than to your boyfriend. To him you were speaking a whole other language, so all he could really do was nod as if he actually understood what the hell an acromion process was.

“Sweetheart, not to be a bad sport or anything, but my arms are really starting to hurt.” His playful complaint draws a giggle from you.

“Sorry, you can put your arms down. We’re gonna move onto the front now anyway.”

“The front—?!” He was on his back before his thought had even fully manifested, hair haloing around his head in that pretty array of waves you loved combing your fingers through. “Now you’re just abusing me.” He huffs, watching you throw your leg over his hip, smiling as you settle into your new seat.

“You wanted to help.” The statement partnered the sly arch of your brow, eyes devious whilst staring down at him.

“What happened to ‘I’m supposed to be studying, Suguru’?”

“I am.” His breath practically vacates his lungs when your fingertips path their way up his sides, following the margin of his rib cage before trailing along his sternum. “Look, I found your pectoralis major.”

“For someone who was struggling with this a few minutes ago, you’re doing surprisingly well. Too well, in fact.” His suspicions are only confirmed by the growing smile on your face.

“Maybe, I’m just a hands-on learner.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” He says in a frivolous tone. “So what’s the muscle below that?” His hands guide yours just under the curve of his pectorals on either side, the rise and fall of his thorax prominent.

“Your external obliques.” You answer effortlessly.

“And here?” Now your hands lay over his abdominal muscles, each curve perfectly chiselled into marble-like skin.

You hold his gaze through lowered lashes, biting your lip to withhold the smile threatening to form. “Rectus abdominis.”

Something flashes in those dark irises of his at your answer, hands trailing your own lower to the waistband of his sweatpants. Sweatpants that you only now noticed were hanging dangerously low on his hips. “What about here?”

You offer him a challenging look, knowing exactly where this was going but deciding to play along anyway. “That would be your pyramidalis, my love.”

“And what does that do?” He responds with the same expression of defiance painted on those handsome features.

“Well, it tenses the linea alba, which is the connective tissue,” you watch his abdomen quiver as you trace the centre line between the rectus abdominis muscles. “Here, that separates your abs into two halves.”

“Mhm, and what’s directly below that?” Your breath hitches he guides you beneath his sweats, pulse quickening when you discover he’s not wearing anything under them.

“Suguru…” As much of a warning as his name sounded falling from your lips he knew you couldn’t resist the temptation, no, not when it was already nestled so nicely between your thighs.

“I’m waiting for an answer~”

“You know what’s directly below that.” You squint lightheartedly, hand stalling upon the heated tip.

“If I did I wouldn’t be asking you, now would I? So,” he purposefully shifts his hips into yours, your clit just grazing the notable protuberance of his shaft. “Enlighten me.”

“That’s your cock, Suguru.” Laughter follows your blunt response, the man beneath you attempting to cover his mouth upon seeing your partially serious expression.

“That wasn’t very scientific, now was it?”

“Didn’t think you’d be very interested in the technical terms.” You hook the elastic of his waistband, inching it down at a tantalisingly slow pace.

“Oh, but now you’ve got me intrigued. Please, go on.” He aids your little game with the slight raise of his hips, a facile feat even with you on top of him.

There’s silence when his cock is freed from its confines, your lustful gaze already making it twitch in anticipation. Fuck. “Shall we start from the top?” He swallows audibly when you move to kneel between his legs, ass high as your lips closed in on his tip. “First, we have the glans.”

Your soft lips envelop the area in question, hot tongue lapping delicately at his slit, the saltiness of his precum reacquainting itself with your tastebuds. He can’t help but hiss under your touch, body so familiar yet so responsive even after countless encounters with your mouth. “Then the frenulum.” The apex of your tongue slowly compasses the underside of his tip, that sweet spot, right where the head met the— “Corpus spongiosum.” He relents a breathy moan when your thumb runs over the length of hidden tissue.

“Fuck, baby.” Admittedly, your anatomy terms were going through one ear and out the other at this point. Each word morphing into its own form of gibberish as he anxiously awaited your next move.

“More?” It was a simple question and yet Geto wasn’t even sure how to answer it. Were you referring to the listing of parts as you continued your torturous teachings? Or were you simply just asking if he needed more stimulation?

Either way the answer was— “Yes.”

It’s criminal the way you pin him with that salacious look of yours, it was even more so when the flat of your tongue paths from the base of his cock, purposeful in its journey over the same place you’d mentioned beforehand, the one that made his hips jerk involuntarily.

“Now who’s eager?” His chest heaves with each leisurely stroke of your hand now enclosed around his length, a proud smirk plastered on your lips.

He manages to huff a choked laugh, only for it to get stuck in his throat when the tip of your tongue laps at the arousal beading at his slit. “Why must you torment me so?”

“Because,” you whisper, climbing utop his lap once more. “Love begets love.” His heart skips a beat as you draw closer, lips withheld only a breath away. “And this torment,” he watches your hips rise, fingers slipping your pyjama shorts and panties to the side. “Is my joy.”

Would it be wrong of him to admit that in that moment, he’d fallen in love with you all over again? It could’ve been the warmth of your pussy, the way it moulded around him so perfectly. It could’ve been how even the sweetest of poetry was recast as a sensual sonnet, each syllable flooding his veins like a drug from the syringe that was your lips against his skin. Or maybe it was a combination of the two. Heated flesh adjoined, formless breaths birthing a passionate ballad only you and Geto were able to decipher.

“Sugu…” Oh, how your moans drove him wild.

“That’s it, sweetheart.” He exhales, fingers digging into the suppleness of your hips. “Fuck, yes just like that.”

The bounce of your breasts beneath your oversized shirt – his shirt – was mesmerising. The angelic vision of his love riding him so effortlessly inciting the euphoric flutter of his lids, a wildfire of sensations ravaging his very being.

Harmony after harmony was sung with the rhythmic clap of your ass, teeth capturing your pillowy bottom lip in an attempt to prevent the promising rousal of the neighbours, a task that grew all the more tempting as time passed. He wanted it. He needed it. He craved it.

You gasp when he proceeds to switch positions, your body now enveloped by the residual heat of his skin imprinted in the duvet beneath you. He chuckles at your stunned expression, nose brushing yours tenderly as he speaks. “There is no place I end and you begin.” He recites, cock sliding along your velvety walls. “When my body is in your body, we are one, once again.”

There’s no resistance when you pull him into a kiss. It’s delicate, deep, eternal. It relayed all unspoken emotion, emotion he eagerly explored with his tongue as it parted your lips.

“I love you.” You mumble between kisses.

“I love you too.” He echoes back, thrusts never slowing.

Your fingers soon find themselves in his hair, a tell tale sign of your incoming orgasm. You liked to use him to ground yourself, knowing all too well just how easy it was to get swept up in the indifferent tides of ecstasy. But he had a different idea in mind.

Coxing your hands from its inky-tressed residence, he pins them above your head, fingers entwining before he nestles against you. “Let me hear those pretty moans, baby.”

His cock drives deep, balls lewd in the way they slap against your backside. He mutters all forms of profanity against the curve of your neck, teeth unable to resist marking such a beautiful canvas as they sink into your skin. You openly do the same, whining and moaning as if on command, grasp tightening in his when that familiar feeling begins to build in your stomach.

“Sugu, fuck… I’m gonna cum.”

“Go ahead, pretty. Cum all over this dick.” And with a final snap of his hips you let go, thighs once spread now wrapping around his waist, forcing him still. “Yes, baby, shit.” The pulse of your walls drags him into his own metaphorical heaven, lips finding yours as his seed paints your insides.

Staggered breaths fill the room, each exhale exchanged in the comfort of the other's shoulder, a brief interlude before the onset of laughter, soft and vulnerable.

“When’d you learn poetry?” Geto begins, moving to lay on his side.

“I peek at your books sometimes when you’re not looking.” You reply shyly, unable to contain that mischievous grin of yours in his presence. “It’s the best way to absorb your literary knowledge.”

He pulls you close with a soft chuckle, thumb caressing your cheek. “Or… I could just read them to you instead.”

“Yeah, but I don’t wanna disturb you, Sugu.”

“Nonsense. However, what does disturb me is your constant grumbling.” You whine when he pinches your cheek as punishment. “But it seems like that was all a facade to get me under you.”

“Okay, but you went along with it!”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you lied.” He retorts.

“I didn’t lie… I meant it when I said the diagrams didn’t help?”

His brows furrow skeptically. “And why’s that?”

You lean in to kiss his nose, a hand laying gently on his chest. “Because nothing beats the real thing.”

tags: @gardenof-venus, @sintiva, @sailewhoremoon, @okhotel, @xharia, @sakinotfound, @protectpancakes, @hoohoohope, @eiflawriting, @yooniluvbot444 , @/erentoes (i can’t seem to find your @ when i search it up idk why 😕)

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tokkias · 18 days

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cuffing season ship: natsu dragneel x lucy heartfilia summary: Just as the blossoms bloom in the spring, so too does love, and Lucy finds herself falling as naturally as the golden leaves in the autumn. word count: 18,342 ao3

i. autumn

The warm summer months bring with them a surge of job postings tacked upon the board at the guild, which always have everyone eager to get in on the Jewel rush before settling down as the temperature begins to drop with the change of seasons. Combined with the way that the party seemingly never stops at the guild during the summer, it makes Lucy almost glad to see the leaves begin to turn into hues of brown and gold, signalling the change in the season.

It's not that she doesn’t appreciate the way the money flows in, keeping her in her apartment for at least another few months with a little Jewel spare on the side to keep her materialistic cravings at bay, or even the way that her new family can party well into the night in an alcohol-fuelled frenzy. There’s just something about the way the leaves began to fall that makes her fond of the season. It feels indicative of new beginnings and things to come.

The maple in her drink is sickly sweet on her tongue as she pushes through the guild hall doors. She lets in a breeze as she does so, but the scarf draped over her protects her skin from the chill, and she can’t help but smile at the indication of fall. There’s something different about it this year that she can’t quite put her finger on yet, but she feels it in the air and sees it in the stars.

The world has something big in store for her. She’s not sure what, but she knows it’s going to be something special. All she has to do is wait.

☆♡☆♡

A gentle gust of wind blows a smattering of leaves onto the path ahead of them, and Natsu makes it his mission to go out of his way to step on a few, letting them crunch beneath his shoe. The satisfying noise spurs him to do it again, and again, and again, leaving no leaf left uncrunched. A soft giggle leaves Lucy’s lips as he rushes ahead of her, and it’s only at that point does he realise he’s left her behind. He turns around to face her, his head cocked slightly to the side at her sudden reaction.

“What?”

"Nothing, it’s just…” She trails off, not knowing if she really wants to share her thoughts with him.

Her vague reaction only adds to Natsu’s curiosity.

“Just what?”

“I don’t know; I thought it was kind of cute,” she shrugs.

“I’m not cute,” he grumbles, burying his face in his scarf.

His bashful reaction makes her breathe out a soft laugh, as he only proves her point further.

Another breeze passes them by, though this time Lucy is the one to bear victim to it. Her skin raises with goosebumps as the cold air hits her. She rubs her hands up and down the exposed skin of her arms as her teeth chatter slightly, and suddenly, she begins to regret not bringing along a coat. Her ailment doesn’t go unnoticed by Natsu, who glances over at her, noting the pitiful way she tries to warm herself up.

“You wouldn’t always have this problem if you wore seasonally appropriate clothes for once,” he comments.

“I know that,” she spits back. “I just… didn’t think it would be this cold already.”

The heat that comes from the friction of rubbing her hands against her skin helps a little, but it’s the feeling of Natsu’s jacket being draped over her shoulder that warms her body and her heart.

“O-oh, thank you.”

Her face flushes slightly under his gaze as he looks at her expectantly, waiting for her to put it on. She slips her arms through the sleeves, though with the garment being much too big for her, the ends dangle well past her hands, and she feels as though she looked a little ridiculous. That thought is confirmed when she hears Natsu cackle at the sight of her.

“Don’t laugh!” she pouts, bunching the sleeves up at her wrists.

“I gave you my jacket; I get to laugh all I want.”

Lucy merely huffs in response, not wanting to lose her jacket privileges. She supposes she can take ridiculous over cold.

☆♡☆♡

It’s been a while since Magnolia has seen a “normal” harvest festival. Between the battle of Fairy Tail, the seven years they were away on Tenrou, and the year of the disbandment, Lucy has yet to experience the festival in its purest form. Upon being reminded of this fact, Natsu has taken it upon himself to drag Lucy around the city to show her the highlights of the festival.

She’s honestly not too certain what the purpose of a harvest festival is, but what she does know is that the guild and city take it as an excuse to set up stalls and stands of every kind leading up to the big parade at the end of the day.

Lucy isn’t at all surprised when the first thing Natsu does is make a b-line for the food stalls. They line the streets with different autumnal meals and snacks, and her partner looks eager to try any and all of them. It’s been a few hours since breakfast, so she is more than happy to justify treating herself. A candy apple isn’t really a lunch food, but when Natsu holds one out for her, she is hard-pressed to say no. It’s so sweet that her teeth ache when she bites into it, but it tastes so good that she doesn’t even care.

Everything is happening everywhere, in every part of town. Décor lines the streets, and happy chatter fills her ears. It’s all a little overwhelming for Lucy, who simply follows Natsu as he drags her around. He seems familiar enough with it, but it’s been so long since he’s been that he is equally fascinated with all of the sights and sounds.

She shouldn’t be surprised when he drags her over to an apple-bobbing set-up—his fierce competitiveness fuelled by the promise of a tacky looking plastic trophy for those who succeed.

He puffs up his chest and declares that he’s going to win that damn trophy. He talks a big talk, but Lucy isn’t certain that apple bobbing is one of his many talents.

As soon as he gets the go-ahead, he violently dunks his head in the water, half of the water overflowing the bucket before all of it gushes out like a tidal wave when Natsu breaks it with his shoulder. Despite the interruption, he remains strong in his mission to win the trophy and goes for a bright red apple that has yet to roll away in the mess of it all. By the time he gets it, he’s absolutely sopping wet, bangs dripping down into his eyes, which he proceeds to shake out like a dog, keeping the apple firmly in his mouth as he sends droplets flying at everyone in the general vicinity. The sight of it is so ridiculous that Lucy bursts out into laughter immediately. Natsu remains undeterred by her reaction, grabbing onto his apple with one hand and holding it in place as he takes a bite. As he chews, he holds the rest of it up in victory while Lucy laughs and claps, and he absolutely revels in her praise.

“Alright! Where’s my prize?” He demands, bits of chewed-up apple flying everywhere as he speaks.

“There is no prize,” the stall host replies as he flinches away and out of the splash zone.

“What?” Natsu exclaims, his face immediately dropping from one of celebration to one of borderline anger. “I was promised a prize!”

“You broke the barrel!”

Lucy, sensing impending destruction if she doesn’t intervene soon, grabs Natsu by the wrist and drags him away. He doesn’t put up a fight, which is much more than she could have asked for, but he does grumble under his breath as they walk away.

She buys him a treat from one of the stalls on their way out as a consolation prize (not another candy apple; it’s too soon and she worries it might hit a sore spot), and Natsu happily takes her sympathies.

☆♡☆♡

Lucy isn’t exactly sure how she let Natsu rope her into this. Sure, she likes pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice, but carving pumpkins? That’s a little out of her comfort zone. But still, here she is, sitting in the guild hall, a plump, orange pumpkin and a set of carving tools set out before her. It’s part of a guild-wide competition but she has little confidence in her ability to take part because she really has no idea where to even begin.

“I don’t even know how I’m supposed to do this,” she states bluntly.

“Here, lemme show you,” Natsu replies, grabbing his tools and pumpkin before getting to work.

She watches intently as Natsu uses one of the knives to cut a hole in the top of it before reaching in to remove the seeds on the inside. Lucy scrunches her nose as he guts the pumpkin, pulling out all the seeds and wet, stringy pieces. Immediately sensing her discomfort, Natsu takes full advantage to torment her with it, invading her personal space with a handful of pumpkin flesh. She tries to smack his hand away, but her reaction only goads him on more, and he shoves it in her face, letting the seeds fall onto her skirt. Lucy shrieks in horror, shoving his hands away from her, and based on his howling laughter, she figures that’s the exact reaction he was going for.

“You are such a pain!” She cries as she wipes the pumpkin off of her skirt, examining the spot that it has left on the white fabric.

"Aw, come on, it’s just pumpkin,” he grins, knowing exactly what he’s doing.

“If you’re going to be annoying, I’ll just get someone else to help me,” she huffs, arms crossed as she turns her nose away from him.

It’s an empty threat; she has no intention of finishing carving out her pumpkin, let alone actively seeking help from someone else, but she knows that the threat of it will wind Natsu up. Based on the way he’s been doing it to her, she thinks it’s only fair.

"Hey, c’mon Lucyyyyy,” he whines. “Here, I’ll be good. It’s fun, I promise.”

Lucy caves quickly to his pleas and drops her act, letting her arms fall to her side before she looks back over at him. He’s got that familiar goofy smile plastered across his face, and even though she rolls her eyes at it, she can’t help that she’s smiling back at him.

He manages to demonstrate the proper techniques well enough that she feels confident going in herself, copying the actions he takes.

“Have you done this a lot?” She asks as she makes her first cut.

“Yeah, we used to do it all the time as kids,” Natsu replies. “Gramps put a stop to it when Erza and Mira tried to stab each other, though.”

She breathes an airy laugh at his comment. She’s heard all of the stories of what their beloved barmaid was like as a teen but she still can’t imagine the she-devil picking a fight with Erza, armed with a carving knife.

What she can imagine, however, is that she has not been the first victim of Natsu and his slimy pumpkin innards. She squirms a little as she guts it, but it’s not as bad as she originally thought, and she’s steadily making progress.

She’s cutting it close by the time she finishes. Most of the participants are already finished by the time she does, and when she finally places hers next to the rest, she’s a little embarrassed by its sloppy simplicity.

Natsu finishes not too long after she does, and he approaches from behind with his own entry. He’s been hiding his from her the whole time, claiming it to be a “surprise” for when he’s finished, and she’s been more eager to see his finished one than her own.

It’s not until he finally places it down on the judging table that she gets anything more than a brief glimpse of it for the first time. It’s got two little whiskers on each side, two ears, a little button nose, and two wide eyes. Immediately it clicks in her mind what it’s supposed to be.

“It’s Happy!” She cries out in delight.

Natsu gleams with pride as she’s immediately able to pinpoint where his creativity led him.

Looking at her own next to the rest, she decides that it’s not very good, but she’s happy she participated, even if she made it nowhere in the final rankings.

It comes as no surprise when Reedus takes home the grand prize, but that doesn’t stop Natsu from grumbling about it the whole walk home.

“I thought yours was great,” she offers, running a hand across his back in an attempt to comfort him, because she did. It was cute, and silly, and completely Natsu.

He seems to perk up at the compliment.

“I thought yours was great too,” he replies with a grin plastered across her face.

“Alright, you don’t need to lie to make me feel better,” Lucy snorts.

“I’m not lyin’! You did really good for a first try.”

She simply smiles back at him, her heart beginning to race just a little bit faster in her chest as their eyes lock.

“Thanks for teaching me.”

“Any time.”

☆♡☆♡

It’s quiet on the train, save for the soft rumble of the wheels against the track as the carriage sways side to side, which either means that Natsu has fallen asleep or that he has simply given up complaining about it. Lucy cares for Natsu a great deal, but she appreciates the peace that his uncharacteristic silence affords her. The book she has bought along for the journey has long since lost her interest, and now she is content to sit and watch the world pass by. Vast woodlands have felt the touch of autumn, their leaves a million shades of orange, gold, and yellow. They're obscured by the droplets of rain which are pelted against the glass. It isn’t the ideal weather for the job they're taking, but she is more than willing to enjoy it while safely tucked away in the carriage.

When she looks down at him, her suspicions are confirmed, as his eyes have fluttered closed and his chest rises and falls with his steady breathing. Her hand rests gently on his head, and her fingers begin to absentmindedly trail through his hair. He likes when she does that—or at least, she assumes he does. He’s never really in the state to tell her when she does it, but he never complains about it. Secretly, she likes it too. His hair is softer than one might expect, but that’s because he’s a little rascal who’s constantly stealing her shampoo. She doesn’t mind so much; she finds it endearing, if anything. He likes it because it smells like her—something he admits unabashedly and without shame, and hearing him say it makes her inside twist up in knots, but it’s the good kind, the kind that makes her feel like she could take on the world.

She never knew what to make of that feeling; couldn’t ever quite place her finger on what it meant.

She thinks she understands now; she’s just not quite sure what to do about it.

☆♡☆♡

The town that they’ve taken their most recent job in is a boisterous one, and once their obligations are out of the way, the trio takes full advantage of the local market before they’re back off to Magnolia. The market sprawls as far as the eye can see, and there’s a stall for anything and everything. Lucy and Happy split off earlier, leaving Natsu to meander between the stands, eyeing up all the trinkets and tchotchkes that he could take home as a souvenir.

He finds himself taken with a stall that displays various crystals and jewellery. Small signs that label each stone sprawl on about the spiritual powers that each of them holds, but Natsu doesn’t care about any of that. All he sees are cool, shiny rocks, and suddenly his dragon instincts kick in. His eyes graze over the jewellery section of the stall. He’s not much of a jewellery guy, but the shine of the various metals is enough to capture his attention.

Hung up on one of the display stands is a pair of gold earrings—a cluster of stars dangling down from the hooks with rhinestones encrusted in every other star, making them reflect the light when they catch the sun in just the right way. Immediately he is reminded of his partner, and he can’t help but think they really would suit her.

“Hey, how much for the earrings?” He asks the man attending the stall, gesturing to the pair that caught his eye.

“3000 Jewel.”

He pauses to think about it for a moment, but then he reaches in his bag for his wallet. It’s pricey, but with the full reward for their last job, he thinks he can swing it. He hands over the cash, and in exchange, the owner hands him the earrings, placed in a little drawstring bag so they don’t get snagged.

“Is this for your girlfriend?” the man asks.

“Something like that,” Natsu muses as he tucks the bag away in his pocket for later.

It doesn’t take him long to catch up with his partners, easily finding them within the crowd as though he has a built-in sensor just to find Lucy, though the presence of the blue exceed hovering around her probably helps just a bit.

“Did you find anything good?” Lucy asks as he approaches the two.

“Nah, not much,” he shrugs. “You?”

“There was a stall that was selling antique books!” She excitedly shares. “They were a bit out of my price range though,” she adds, her demeanour waning slightly at the thought of leaving back for Magnolia without anything.

“Next time?” Natsu suggests.

“Yeah, next time.”

☆♡☆♡

ii. winter

Winter peeks its head in at the tail end of autumn, making Lucy shiver when she sheds her jacket as she seats herself down at the guild bar. There’s a mug of hot cocoa already sat in front of her, courtesy of Mira, and Lucy gives her a smile and nods in thanks before taking a sip, letting the heat of the drink warm her from the inside.

“Winter sure has come early this year,” Mira singsongs as she collects the dirty glasses from those who have decided to find their morning warmth at the bottom of a glass of whiskey. “Do you have any plans for the season?” she asks as she busies herself with dirty dishes behind the bar.

Lucy looks down at her mug, watching the bubbles float around on the surface as she considers telling Mira what’s on her mind.

“Well… Sort of,” she murmurs.

“Sort of?” Mira repeats, her curiosity piqued by Lucy’s vague answer, “Do tell~”

“I just think that maybe this winter is the one where I can finally settle down with someone,” she admits to the barmaid.

Settling down has always been one of Lucy’s long-term goals, but since joining the guild, the idea of a romantic relationship has been pushed to the side. She loves what she does, but her occupation makes finding a relationship difficult and maintaining one even harder. Few of the wizards in the guild are in relationships, and of the ones that are, most of the successful ones are contained within the guild. Despite that, Lucy is determined to see the start of her fantasy whirlwind romance as cuffing season swiftly approaches.

"Oh, how sweet,” Mira replies, holding her face in her hands as she rests her elbows on the counter top.

Lucy’s one-on-one conversation with Mira is cut short upon the approach of her partner, who takes up residence on the bar stool beside her.

“What’s up?”

“Lucy wants to start dating~” Mirajane coos with hearts in her eyes at the prospect of a new romance.

“What? Why?” He sounds almost offended by the idea, his face scrunched up in disgust.

Romance is not a frequent topic of discussion between her and Natsu, and even though she knows him better than anyone, Lucy isn’t exactly sure how he might react to learning that she wanted to get into the dating scene. This, however, is certainly not what she was expecting. She doesn’t dignify him with an answer; instead, both curious and a little hurt at his reaction, she pries for answers.

“Why do you seem so against the idea of me dating someone?” She asks, folding her arms across her chest in defence.

“Because—” He pauses as though to find the right words. “Because guys are stupid, and none of them will treat you right.”

“Wh—that’s why you’re upset?”

“I’m not upset,” he grumbles, averting his gaze.

“Really? Because you look upset to me.”

"Well, I’m not,” he repeats, firmer this time.

At some point, Mira has slinked away, leaving just the two of them alone for their little squabble.

“I don’t need your permission anyway; I can date whoever I want.”

“Fine. I don’t care,” he grumbles, a pout evident on his face that gives his true feelings away.

“Why are you being so petulant?” She asks, frustration beginning to seep into her voice at his childish behaviour.

“I’m not being petulant,” he spits back, putting extra emphasis on the last word.

Lucy rolls her eyes, quickly picking up on the reason for his uncharacteristic articulation. “Do you even know what petulant means?”

“I don’t have to know what it means to know that I’m not being it,” he practically growls.

He’s been avoiding her gaze the whole time, but when he finally looks at her, his eyes are angry, and suddenly all the frustration in her turns to hurt, and her heart shatters inside her chest.

It’s a look she’s seen on his face many times but never directed at her, and she doesn’t understand why. It’s stupid and it's none of his business in the first place, so why is he acting like this?

She doesn’t want to dwell on it any longer. She doesn’t want to stay and talk, to try and get the answers out of him. She’s barely holding back tears when she wordlessly stands up and storms out of the guild hall.

He doesn’t call after her as she leaves, and something about that makes it hurt even more.

☆♡☆♡

About a week has passed since their spat, and Lucy has seen Natsu maybe three times since then and spoken to him even less. In that time, he had taken on a job without telling her, with Lucy only having found out from Mira, who shot her a sympathetic look as she broke the news.

If he wanted to take a job without her, fine—that was his prerogative—but to go without telling her? That was just petty.

It wasn’t her fault that Natsu was acting like a child because she wanted to start dating. She can’t even fathom why he’s so bothered by it anyway.

Everything about this situation is just so stupid. It’s not like he holds any romantic interest in her anyway, and that was precisely why she wanted to start dating in the first place. She wasn’t about let the complicated feelings that had begun to bubble beneath the surface get in the way of their beloved friendship, so instead she intended to divert them away from him. It’s a win-win situation: she gets to indulge in her romantic side, and they can continue to maintain their platonic relationship.

Apparently, he doesn’t share her enthusiasm.

His stupid, childish pettiness has gotten her down in the time since they’d last spoken. The hurt from his anger had quickly dissipated into hurt from his avoidance. She misses her friend, and right now, she’s more than willing to look past it if he’s willing to speak with her. Unfortunately, based on the way he seems to disappear every time she shows up, he’s not exactly keen.

A soft sigh escapes her lips, her gaze downturned in defeated frustration as she makes her way up the steps to the guild hall. She isn’t paying much attention when she gets to the top, letting her legs work on muscle memory alone, not expecting to bump into anyone at this time of day.

That is, until she does.

Physically.

She quite literally walks straight into someone as her gaze remains distracted. Her forehead thumps against their chest, strong, warm, and familiar, and she doesn’t need to look up to know who it is.

“N-Natsu!” She sputters as she steps back in embarrassment, already feeling the heat rise to her face. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to walk into you.”

When she finally gains the courage to look up at him, he looks surprised, almost panicked to see her, but he doesn’t make an effort to sidestep her or run like he had been all week. Instead, he awkwardly scratches the back of his neck and avoids her gaze.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “For getting mad at you the other day.”

She’s taken aback slightly by his sudden apology. Natsu has a lot of pride, and it takes a lot for him to admit he’s wrong in petty moments of emotion, but he sounds genuinely remorseful, and it makes her feel bad for feeling so negatively towards him in the first few days after their spat.

“I don’t care about that anymore,” she assures, her expression softening as she speaks.

After that, Natsu finally meets her eyes again, and he looks so soft and vulnerable. It’s a strange sight to see.

“I’ve just been… thinking about it a lot, I guess,” he confesses, his eyes flicking away from hers once more as he begins to speak. “You’re right. You can date whoever you want.” There’s not a lot of conviction in his words; it sounds like something he’s rehearsed over and over in his head, but coming from him, she appreciates it nonetheless. “I’m sorry for being an ass about it.”

In all the time she’s known him, she doesn’t think she can ever recall a time where he’s apologised to her like this. Granted, she can’t really recall any time it’s been warranted. This had been their first real argument—one that didn’t involve food, or transport, or rent money. He’s hardly ever apologised for real, big things that deserve them, and she almost wonders if someone has set him up for this, but that I’m sorry sounds so genuine it almost hurts.

“I forgive you.”

Suddenly, he perks up completely, his hunched shoulders push back, and the glimmer in his eye returns as he finally looks her in the eye again.

“Does that mean we’re good?”

“Yeah,” she smiles. “We’re good.”

☆♡☆♡

Even wrapped up in her comforter, as well as every blanket she thinks she’s ever owned, the bite of winter still breaks through into Lucy’s apartment, making her teeth chatter as she tries to fight off the cold. It’s nights like this where she finds herself glad for Natsu’s lack of boundaries as he lays in bed next to her like her own personal radiator, keeping her warm and keeping the heating bill down.

She’s warmed up slightly, but her poor circulation has kept her feet cold, almost painfully so. The feeling plants an idea in her mind, and with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she places her icy-cold feet on Natsu’s leg in an attempt to extract revenge for every cruel prank he’s ever played on her.

He looks at her, a little confused but generally amused by what she has tried (and failed) to achieve.

“Whatcha doin’ there, Lucy?” He asks, knowing full well the reaction she was trying to get out of him but wanting to see if he could get a rise out of her in exchange.

“Wh-does that seriously not bother you?”

“If you needed me to warm them up, all you had to do was ask,” he tells her, with that glint in his eye that always tells her he’s up to no good.

“That’s not what I-” She’s so distraught by the failure of her plan that she hardly gives any notice to the fact that he has his own trick up his sleeve, and it’s not until he’s already under the sheets that she realises her mistake. “NATSU!”

By that point, it’s much too late, and he’s already grabbed hold of her ankle with one hand while tickling the sole of her foot with the other.

She begs, pleads, for his mercy, but by the look on his face, she knows that she’s in for a long night.

☆♡☆♡

There’s a soft thud that rings out as something cold and wet hits Lucy’s back, sending her stumbling forward slightly. Reaching over her shoulder, her hands come into contact with a lump of snow that has stuck itself to her jacket. Pivoting on her foot to see where (or who) it came from, she knows she shouldn’t be surprised when she’s met with Natsu a fair way behind her, a shit-eating grin plastered across his face and another snowball already in hand, prepared should she choose to retaliate.

He looks at her expectantly, waiting to see what her next move is going to be but standing in a fixed position, making him an easy target if she decides she wants to fight back.

She leans down and gathers a handful of snow, packing it together into something that vaguely resembles a snowball and tossing it with as much force as she can muster at Natsu. It hits him square in the chest, which is less impressive knowing that he was basically a sitting target, but she’s happy with herself nonetheless. The single hit is all it takes for Natsu to go full throttle on her in return, pelting her with as many snowballs as he can make before she has time to retaliate.

A high-pitched squeal escapes her as the snow hits her face and seeps underneath her jacket. Not even the numbing chill makes her mood falter as she holds one hand up to shield herself while the other gathers a lump of snow to throw back at him. It breaks in the air when she throws it, not even making it close to her target before it pathetically falls back to the ground, and the sight of it makes Natsu howl in laughter.

Lucy doesn’t have it in herself to be embarrassed by it. Instead, she takes his moment of distraction to make a sturdier snowball and send it soaring at him. This time it meets her target, hitting him right in the face, wiping the grin off of it and leaving him looking thoroughly shocked. It’s Lucy’s turn to laugh at him, and she whoops and hollers at her small victory while he stands there, still trying to process what has just happened.

She takes this time to begin to stockpile projectiles, but she’s not fast enough because in the time it’s taken her to make three, Natsu has recovered and has already begun to pelt her. He's clearly more experienced in this area than she is based on the speed at which he can make snowballs and throw them. Instead of fighting back, Lucy chooses to run, but his aim is too good to outrun, and she falls victim to snowball after snowball.

At some point she turns to face him (a decision she regrets immediately when she’s forced into running backwards as she tries to shield and dodge his attacks) to try and call a truce, but Natsu is not interested. Instead, he hits her with a particularly hard shot to her shoulder, and she loses balance immediately and falls to the ground.

Based on the way he begins to cheer, Lucy thinks that he’s considered it his victory, and she doesn’t have it in her to contest it. She doesn’t realise how tired she is until she’s sitting down and, disregarding the cold, flops back onto the ground. As she lays in the snow, legs spread and arms sprawled out on either side of her, an idea strikes her, and she begins to move her limbs back and forth in the snow to create what she hopes is a pretty imprint on the ground.

She hasn’t made a snow angel in what feels like an eternity, and this time, without the threat of her father scolding her for getting her winter jacket wet looming over her, she can fully give into her childish impulses.

“What are you doing, weirdo?” Natsu asks, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“I’m making a snow angel,” she huffs, thinking she has made it quite obvious.

She tries to ignore the look Natsu’s giving her by shutting her eyes and concentrating on her self-assigned task, but she can still feel his gaze on her. Based on the way he laughs as she does so, she can only assume that she doesn’t look as elegant as she feels.

“Are you going to stand there and watch, or are you going to join me?” She finally says, her eyes fluttering open to meet his.

He doesn’t reply, but it’s not long before he has plonked himself on the ground next to her, and he’s making his own attempt. He tries to mimic her actions, but the longer he lays there, the more the snow begins to melt around him, and Lucy laughs at the absurdity of it all.

When they inevitably stand up to admire their work, they come to find that what he’s made is merely an approximation of a snow angel. Actually, it looks more like someone has fallen face first into the snow and struggled greatly to get back up. It’s really little more than a melted puddle in the grass, the back of his coat completely soaked through, and Lucy only feels a little bad at how much she’s laughing. His brows furrow in disappointment as he looks down at his work; it’s not nearly as pretty as Lucy’s; in fact, it’s not really a snow angel at all, but the way she’s doubled over in laughter, clutching her stomach, and wiping away tears makes him laugh along too.

☆♡☆♡

When Lucy wakes up the next morning, her body protests her every move, and she begins to deeply regret putting looking cute higher on her priority list than keeping herself warm in the snow. She doesn’t last long out of bed before everything in her is begging to get back under the covers.

As soon as her head hits the pillow, she’s out for the count. Several hours pass her by in her comatose state, and it’s not until she hears the thunk of her window opening followed by the chill of the winter air running through her apartment. When she opens her eyes, she’s met with Natsu looking down at her from her windowsill, and in her groggy state, she’s not entirely sure if he’s really there or if she’s having some sort of weird fever dream.

“Na-tsu?”

“Wow, you look like shit,” Natsu observes.

Yep, definitely the real Natsu, alright.

“Thanks,” she croaks out. “I feel it too.”

He pulls the window shut before pulling himself to sit on the bed next to her.

“What happened?” he asks, examining her roughed-up appearance.

Her cheeks are deeply flushed, and a thin layer of sweat makes her hair stick to her forehead and her entire body glisten.

“That stupid snowball fight…” she grumbles.

She knows that it’s her fault for not bundling up in the cold weather, but she feels so terrible right now that shifting the blame away from herself provides a tiny piece of solace.

“Guess we’re not goin’ on that job today,” he comments.

“What job?” she asks, completely perplexed by the sudden mention of a job. There’s no job, as far as she can remember.

“Oh.”

“Guess I’m stuck taking care of you,” Natsu shrugs as he slides off of the bed and sheds his jacket, happy to make himself comfortable.

“You’re not stuck taking care of me,” she grumbles into her blanket. “I didn’t ask you to do it.”

“You know I’m just jokin’ with ya Lucy,” he grins, ruffling up her hair a little. “I’m not gonna leave ya hangin’ while you’re all sick and gross.”

She wants to protest the gross part, but she knows she won’t get far because it’s an objective fact that right now. She is gross. Her hair is a mess, a slick layer of sweat coats her entire body, and she’s pretty sure there’s a trail of snot running from her nose.

The pack that was clearly meant to be for their job today gets tossed unceremoniously to the floor by the foot of her bed as Natsu makes himself comfortable in her home.

“So,” he begins. “What’s the first step in takin’ care of a sick person?”

“Well, what do you do when you get sick?” Lucy croaks.

“I don’t get sick,” Natsu shrugs.

“What?”

“I said I don’t get sick,” he repeats.

“Everyone gets sick.”

“Not me,” he reaffirms. “Gets burnt off before it can affect me.”

She supposes it makes sense, but her brain isn’t really working well enough to question that logic regardless. All she can do is feel envious that he’s never had to go through the experience that she currently is.

“I don’t know,” she grumbles as she flops back down onto her pillow and pulls her comforter up to cover the lower half of her face. “Can you make me some soup?”

“Yeah, I can probably do that.”

If she weren’t currently wallowing in her own pity, she might immediately forbid Natsu from entering her kitchen with intent to cook, but her brain is too far gone to even consider it as a possibility.

As soon as he leaves the room, she begins to drift off again, lacking the energy to stay awake without the external stimulus.

Her faith in Natsu is rewarded when she’s coaxed awake slightly, and when her eyes flutter open, she finds him waiting with a bowl of hot soup and a side of bread she recognises as being from the bakery down the road. She knows it’s just the stuff heated from the can, but once she’s able to get a whiff through clogged sinuses, she’s reminded of how hungry she is, and it begins to look like the most delicious meal in the world.

She takes the bowl into her lap, revelling in its warmth, but before she can reach for the spoon, Natsu is already holding it out for her—a chunk of chicken and some peas and carrots floating in the broth on the utensil.

“I can feed myself,” she grumbles.

She’s sick, but she’s not a child.

Natsu rolls his eyes, a little dejected by her denial of his help, but lets her do what she wants regardless.

She takes the spoon to prove her point and brings it up to her lips to take a sip, only in her sickly haze, to tip it down her front. Her sleep shirt takes most of the hit, but it’s still hot against her skin, and it only serves to make a bad day worse.

Natsu’s once-teasing expression drops to immediate concern as she cries out in pain. He’s not exactly a fast thinker, but he has the foresight to take the bowl off of her lap to prevent another accident, and without having anything else on hand to help clean her up, he wipes the broth off of her skin with his scarf.

When the burning sensation finally wears off and she finally processes what happened, Lucy looks up at him and finds Natsu looking back at her with worry in his eyes.

“Your scarf…” she murmurs, suddenly feeling guilt prick at her heart. “It’s going to smell like soup now…”

“I don’t care about that,” he replies, his brows still firmly fixed into a frown. “Are you okay?”

Lucy comes to a pause for a moment as she looks up at him. She’s fine, really, she is, but she’s taken off guard. Not by the soup, but by the tenderness in his words and the worry woven into his expression. It’s nothing like his usual self—all brash and carefree. Sure, he always worries about his friends, but she doesn’t consider what happened enough to warrant the concern he exhibits.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she affirms, and his shoulders relax just a little. “Sorry.”

“You gotta be more careful, okay?” He says, and she almost wants to roll her eyes given who it’s coming from, but he speaks to her so tenderly and with such uncharacteristic concern that she can’t bring herself to.

Instead, she takes the moment for what it is and lets him take care of her for once.

☆♡☆♡

Christmas sneaks up on Lucy before she even has much time to even think about it. Ever since she and Natsu made up, the pair had been practically inseparable and she has barely spent any time away from him since. Not that she minds. Natsu is her best friend; she loves having him by her side, and really, all this time spent together is just making up for the lost time earlier in the year.

It's low-key this year: just her, Natsu, and Happy. She loves Erza—bless her soul—but she is simply too much for her to handle this time of year. Her apartment is decorated for the season, but she hasn’t bothered putting up a tree. They’ve agreed on no presents this time around, so there’s nothing to put under there anyway, and she doesn’t want to have to deal with lugging the thing up the stairs of her building again this year.

The day calls for food and board games, and the three of them are completely content with that.

“Another round?” Lucy asks, gathering up the cards on the table and shuffling them in the aftermath of demolishing the both of them in a devastating game of Uno.

“Actually,” Natsu hums. “I got you a present.”

Hearing that catches her off guard slightly, and she stops to place the cards down on the table. If she had known that Natsu was going to give her something, she would have gone out of her way to return the favour, but they had both agreed that they wouldn’t be exchanging gifts.

“I didn’t get you anything,” she frowns, but Natsu seems completely unphased by the fact.

Out of his overnight pack, he pulls out a small gift wrapped in bright red and white Christmas wrapping paper and places it in her hand with an excited glint in his eye.

“Don’t worry about it,” he reassures her. "C'mon, just open it already!”

It’s small enough that it fits in her hand, and as she inspects it, she really has no idea what it could be, but Natsu is staring at her with an eager grin and she can’t help but wonder what on earth he’s so excited about. The wrapping is a little messy, and she struggles to get through what she believes to be definitely way too much tape, but beneath it all she’s met with a small drawstring bag, containing a pair of gorgeous gold earrings adorned with glittering stars hanging down from the hooks.

“Cool, huh?”

She doesn’t know how to respond; this is the last thing she would have expected to receive from Natsu of all people.

“Where did you get these?”

“From some market back in that weird little town,” he shrugs.

Her brows furrow for a moment as she tries to recall what he’s talking about, until it clicks in her brain. That was months ago now, and he’d kept it this whole time, even through their no-gifts promise.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I do,” she breathes. “I really love it. Thank you, Natsu.”

Placing the earrings down on the table, Lucy reaches her arms around him, and he quickly reciprocates, his grip around her tight as she buries her face in his chest.

☆♡☆♡

New Year’s Eve brings the guild together once more in celebration. Not that they need the excuse; Lucy is almost certain that a certain subset of her guildmates have already been blackout drunk since early evening.

Nonetheless, an event like this is the perfect excuse for her to get prettied up, and she’s taking it proudly.

Her eyes scan her vanity for the hair ribbons she could have sworn she had just a second ago, but instead her gaze falls on Natsu’s gift. She hasn’t had a chance to wear them yet, waiting to save them for a special occasion, but she supposes tonight is as good as any. Taking her pair out, she switches them for her new ones before pulling her hair back to admire them. They’re definitely a little more out there than anything she might have picked for herself—certainly not an everyday pair—but the way they shimmer and twinkle in the light makes her think that they might be her new favourite out of her collection. When she finally locates her ribbons, she opts to simply tie her hair back in pigtails, letting her new earrings act as her statement piece for tonight. Even though she’s just heading to the guild, Lucy remembers to bundle up this time, having learned from her past mistake and most certainly not wanting to repeat it.

Excitement lingers in the air as she walks through Magnolia. Families are out long after dark, waiting patiently for the annual fireworks show. It’s been a longstanding tradition that has always brought the city together, and this year would be no exception. The best view is always held on the second-floor balcony of the guild hall, a fact that Lucy is intimately familiar with. She rushes up the stairs as fast as her feet will take her, not willing to miss spending the send-off of the year with her friends.

“You made it!” Natsu cheers the moment his partner comes into view.

“Of course I would make it,” she tells him, her words puffing into clouds of steam in front of her face. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

She’s just on time, too.

As the fireworks begin to light up the sky, ringing in another year and a new beginning, Lucy looks out and the crowd of her friends—her family—and watches as couples lock lips to celebrate the coming of the new year. She’s happy for them, really, she is, but her heart begins to ache as she thinks about how another year has slipped her by and she’s no closer to a relationship of her own. It had been her goal to lock herself down through the winter season but she’s just as far away from it as she had been when she shared her wishes with Mira that day at the bar.

Maybe she hadn’t put herself out there enough; maybe she spent the year too occupied with her work, but she had really thought that this would be the year that romance would come her way.

Before she has time to dwell on it too much, she feels an arm slung around her shoulders.

“Happy New Year, Lucy!” Natsu yells, pulling her into his side in a crushing hug.

His smile is so bright, his joy so infectious, that she can’t help the way her heart begins to race in her chest.

“Yeah, Happy New Year, Natsu.”

Without thinking, she finds herself on the tips of her toes, her lips gently placing a kiss against his cheek. She’s not sure how she expects him to react, but when he looks down at her, his cheeks are dusted red slightly, from the kiss or the cold, she isn’t sure, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to.

He smiles at her, and she smiles back.

☆♡☆♡

iii. spring

By the time spring comes around, Lucy is well and truly done with winter. It has been far too cold this year and she is simply looking forward to being able to comfortably exist without several layers and the fear of frostbite.

Something she knows she will miss is the seasonal excuse for her close proximity to Natsu. It’s easy to excuse sleepovers and snuggling with your best friend under the guise of sharing body heat, especially when said best friend is the human equivalent of a radiator.

Still, that doesn’t stop her from standing just a little closer to him than usual, letting their hands brush together as they walk. Each touch of his hand against her own sends sparks through her body that feel so foreign and yet so familiar at the same time. It’s a feeling she knows she’ll now only ever associate with him, and she feels as though she has quickly become addicted.

When he asks why she’s standing so close even as the weather warms up, she pretends it’s because she’s still cold, but even Natsu knows better. Nonetheless, he doesn’t question it and lets it happen quietly.

She wonders if he ever feels it too.

☆♡☆♡

A gentle breeze tousles Lucy’s hair and the fringe of the blanket she’s spread out across the grass. Now that the weather outside is getting warmer, Lucy is ready to take any excuse to be out in the sun, and with today’s clear skies, she’s taking the chance to finish her book along with a packed lunch down at a park.

Where Lucy goes, Natsu follows—a mantra that has never been more true in their friendship than in recent months. Though she values her alone time, she can’t help the way that she still misses him whenever they’re apart, so when he invites himself along to the plans she makes, she doesn’t have it in herself to be upset about it.

Some days it feels like she’s taking a dog for a walk based on the boundless energy he always has, but today even he is subdued by the sun. He relishes in it—revels in the warmth it provides. Once lunch is finished, he is entirely content to bathe in the sunlight as Lucy reads.

She says he’s like a cat. He claims he’s more like a dragon.

She’s not sure how much she’s convinced of that, given that the place he has decided to lay is right in her lap.

His eyes flutter closed in search of a post-lunch nap, which gives Lucy ample opportunity to get through a chapter or two. She expects he’ll be the one to end their little afternoon out when he inevitably gets bored, but by the time she decides she’s done with her book for the day, he’s still snoozing in her lap. It’s rather cute, actually. Her loud, rambunctious Natsu, tamed by a little bit of warmth and sunlight. She doesn’t mind, so she lets him lay there for a while longer, happy to enjoy the sun with him.

At some point, her fingers come to tangle in his hair, gently grazing his scalp, and in that moment, he is so content that he lets out a noise that somewhat resembles a purr.

It seems that cats and dragons aren’t so dissimilar after all.

☆♡☆♡

Every year, when Easter comes around, Fairy Tail hosts a city-wide egg hunt to celebrate.

This year Lucy’s volunteered her time hiding the eggs, so she’s barred from participating, but she is content to just watch. Really, it’s supposed to be an event for the children, but that doesn’t stop the grown-ups from participating. It’s mostly parents playing along with their kids, but there’s a fair few of her guildmates searching around too, urged on by the competitive spirit that is ever present in all Fairy Tail members.

She’s found herself a spot on a secluded bench at the park, far enough out of the way that she won’t be intruding on any of the participants but close enough that she can still observe. A book lays open in her lap, her attention switching between that and the scene before her, checking to see if any of her eggs have been found.

A few familiar faces pass her by, but few take any notice of her, too deeply enraptured by the event to realise that she’s there. She exchanges polite smiles with those that do, but none elicit one quite as genuine as the one that crosses her lips when she hears her partner come along, accompanied by Happy and Asuka. Asuka is sitting atop his shoulders, gripping onto his hair as she searches the landscape from her vantage point for the brightly decorated eggs.

Lucy’s expression softens when she sees them from across the park, and Natsu flashes her a smile that gives her butterflies. Their attention is quickly taken away by the loud squeal that escapes Asuka’s lips as she uses her vantage point to spot a particularly cleverly hidden egg.

She tugs on his hair, and he runs in the direction she’s pointing in, which leads them to a tree where Lucy had wedged an egg in between the branches. She isn’t tall enough to have put it too high, so she knows that Natsu can easily reach for it on his own, but he bends down slightly to give Asuka the chance to grab it.

They both whoop and holler in excitement when she drops it in the basket Happy is carrying, and Lucy can’t help the giggle that escapes her lips. She’s too far away from them to hear, but even if she were closer, she’s certain she wouldn’t be heard over their celebratory cries.

They don’t stay for much longer; Asuka is too keen to continue their hunt in other places to stop by and say hi, but it doesn’t stop Natsu from waving as they dash by.

☆♡☆♡

Natsu is running late the day that he promised they’d take another job together. Lucy isn’t paying much mind to the time in the first place, allowing herself to get stuck into a new novel she had purchased the day prior while she waits. It’s not until nearly twenty minutes have gone by that she thinks to check the time and notices how late he is.

He’s never exactly prompt, but Natsu is a man of his word, and if he says he’s going to be somewhere, he will be there, which makes Lucy begin to worry. There are a couple of things that would keep Natsu from the guildhall when he says he’ll be there, but they’re few and far between, and it has Lucy wondering if something bad has happened to him.

Thankfully, he doesn’t leave her wondering for too long, before he stumbles over to her table. When he finally arrives, he looks downright miserable. His eyes are red and puffy, and his nose is scarlet to match. He sniffs and wipes away a drool of snot, and Lucy flinches slightly in disgust.

“Natsu, what are you doing here?” She asks, concerned by his current state, shuffling away from him slightly when he sits down next to her. “You look terrible.”

“I feel terrible,” he replies, letting his head thunk down on the table and instilling a sense of déjà vu in her.

“If you’re sick, why didn’t you go to Wendy?

“I’m not sick,” he insists. “I don’t get sick, remember?”

She vaguely recalls a conversation they’ve had about this before, and it’s not that she doesn’t believe him because in all the time she’s known him, he hasn’t ever been sick, but he certainly looks sick in the moment, and there is a first time for everything.

Coaxing him off of the table, Lucy presses her hand against his forehead to check his temperature, only to be reminded that Natsu runs about as hot as the sun, and that she’s not about to get anywhere like this.

“If you’re sick, you should have stayed home. Our job can wait.”

“But I wasn’t sick when I was at home,” he groans, letting his head fall into his hands as though that might stop the symptoms plaguing him.

Lucy pauses for a moment and mulls his words over in her head, and suddenly things begin to click.

“Natsu… Do you have hay fever?”

He pauses for a moment and peeks through his fingers, looking at her in confusion.

“What?”

“Allergies,” she rephrases.

“Allergic to what?” He asks, still not understanding what she’s trying to say.

She’s never seen someone look so wrecked by seasonal allergies, but with his heightened senses and this seemingly being the first time he’s been hit by them, it sort of makes sense in her mind.

“To pollen,” she explains. “Maybe you’re having a reaction to the high pollen count. That would be why you were fine when you were home but got sick when you came here.”

He looks at her, and she can almost see the gears turning in his head.

“Maybe? I’ve never had allergies before,” he grumbles, looking unhappy with her conclusion. “I don’t wanna feel like shit every time I hafta go outside.”

The concern she once had turns into a soft laugh when his head falls to the table now that she knows he’s not seriously ailing. It’s a little bit amusing, honestly. Big Bad Natsu Dragneel, taken down by a little bit of pollen.

Thankfully, it’s not something a trip to the pharmacy can’t cure for him.

He takes care of her, and now it’s her chance to repay the favour.

☆♡☆♡

As soon as Natsu’s feet hit the ground, he is on his knees, kissing the train platform like he has never seen solid ground before.

“You don’t need to be so dramatic about it,” Lucy says, debating whether she should pretend she doesn’t know him or not.

When she finally coaxes him off the floor and to the exit of the station, they’re met with a vicious downpour that almost completely obscures the normal view they would get when they come into the city.

“It was raining when we came into Magnolia,” she tells him as she looks out into the rain. “Well, you know what they say: April showers bring May flowers.”

It’s a hopefully optimistic phrase, and it doesn’t match the almost pained expression on her face when she looks over at him.

It had been so nice when they left the day before; the sky was clear and cloudless, with no indication of the greyness that looms over them now. She hadn’t thought to bring a raincoat, and while she could maybe put that down to her inability to dress for the weather, the fact that Natsu hadn’t thought to either at least makes her feel a tinge better.

She furrows her brows slightly as he looks out into the town, though she can’t see much further than a few metres in front of her before the heavy rain obscures the view entirely. While she’s rather fond of rain, that’s in scenarios where she’s curled up inside with a good book. The idea of running through a downpour this heavy is unappealing to her, and she has an inkling that Natsu feels the same way.

“I don’t have an umbrella,” she murmurs. “And the weather doesn’t look like it’s going to let out any time soon.”

They could wait around until the downpour stops, but who knows how long that might take.

Natsu looks up at her to confer about her options, but by that point, she has already made up her mind.

“Well,” she says, tugging off her jacket and holding it above her head. “Are you ready?”

He regards her with a blank stare for a moment, but then he answers her with a wide grin. Before long, they step out into the rain, and they’re running through a torrential downpour together.

Almost immediately, she is drenched right to the bone. Any other time, it would be gross and uncomfortable, but there is so much adrenalin pumping through her veins that it barely registers in her brain. All she can feel is the rush, and the rain washing away all of her woes.

Her feet take her where she needs to go, trailing right behind Natsu in front of her. She’s given up on using her jacket to keep herself dry; the garment is already completely soaked through. Instead, she just lets the rain roll over her, causing her hair and clothing to stick to her skin.

The heavy rain obscures her vision, and she worries that she’s going to lose Natsu, but before she knows it, he reaches his hand out towards her, and she takes it in her own with no hesitation.

Their fingers lace together as they run.

Natsu spots a tree not far from where they are, and as they approach, he tugs on her arm to pull her under it, taking solace in the small bit of shelter it provides. He holds her close to his chest, and she takes in every bit of warmth his body provides. She’s completely drenched, and her teeth are chattering as the cold seeps into her skin. They stay there for a moment, relishing in the temporary shelter, though knowing it’s just that—temporary.

“You ready?” He asks.

“Yeah,” she breathes, looking out at the rain battering down onto the sidewalk.

Sucking in a breath, Lucy grabs his hand once more, and together they run back out into the rain. She holds one hand over her head in a futile attempt to shield herself, and the idea of it is so silly that Natsu doesn’t even try to hold back the laugh he lets out. He could really be laughing at anything right now, but she knows he’s laughing at her, so she huffs and disregards her futile efforts. Instead, she diverts it to running as fast as she can muster, speeding down the streets of Magnolia like her life depends on it. Even Natsu struggles to match her pace.

He shakes some of the water out of his hair like a dog when they make it inside, and droplets splash against her skin, which she makes sure he knows when she lets out a loud squeal. They both know he has more efficient ways of drying himself, but they also both know that he finds it much more fun this way.

Even as she fiddles with the lock on her front door, his hand never leaves his. She knows that if not for it, they would already be inside, but she just can’t find it in herself to pull away.

☆♡☆♡

Alzack and Bisca being away on a day job means that Natsu is on babysitting duty until they return and Natsu being on babysitting duty means that Lucy is on babysitting duty too.

The day is too nice for the three of them to be stuck inside, so they take Asuka for a walk down to a park that sits a few streets down from Lucy’s apartment. When they arrive, they find that spring is in full bloom, with daisies covering every inch of grass as far as the eye can see.

Asuka squeals in delight as it comes into view, tugging on Natsu’s hair to let him know that she wants to be let down, and as soon as her feet hit the ground, she runs off into the field, dropping to her knees to pick herself a bundle.

Lucy and Natsu follow not far behind, sitting beside her on the grassy surface, where Lucy begins to join her in plucking the daisies.

Her fingers effortlessly weave the stems together to create a chain of flowers, the stems braided together with the petals poking out between them. Once she finds herself satisfied with it, she places it gently atop Natsu’s head. His attention has been squarely on watching Asuka gather flowers before tearing all the petals off to add to the pile in her lap, but the feeling of something being placed on the crown of his head has him bringing a hand up to his hair to feel what it is. He looks over at Lucy, confused, only to be met with a soft expression on her face.

“I made you a flower crown,” she smiles, holding back a giggle at the baffled look on his face.

He looks kind of cute like that, she thinks, with the soft white flowers peeking out between his messy pink locks. The delicate flowers juxtapose his loud and boisterous personality, and it reminds her how special she is to get to see the softer side of him.

When he finally processes what has just happened, Natsu begins to gather up a collection of his own daisies to try and return the favour. His hands aren’t as dainty or dextrous as hers are, so he struggles to pierce the thin stems and thread them together, which results in his first attempt being a little sloppy and beginning to fall apart when he tries to hold it up.

“Do you want some help?” Lucy asks, holding a hand out to him, but he merely shakes his head in response.

“No, I can do it,” he replies, already plucking another set of flowers as a look of deep concentration sets in on his face.

His second attempt doesn’t prove to be much better, though, and in his frustration, he lets the flowers fall to the ground. When he looks back up at Lucy, he finds that she’s once again weaving together a string of them at Asuka’s request, and he’s struck with an alternative idea.

While she hands Asuka her chain, she’s caught off guard as Natsu brushes a strand of hair behind her ear and tucks one of his discarded daisies behind her ear. One daisy turns into two, and then three, four, five, until her hair is a sea of flowers and she’s a blushing, giggling mess.

It’s not long before Asuka decides she wants to join in on the fun. Soon Lucy is covered in so many flowers that they simply cannot fit any more on her, and the three of them begin transferring them to Asuka’s hair instead.

☆♡☆♡

In her time spent as a Fairy Tail mage, there’s little that Lucy wants to do that she hasn’t already done yet. She’s got an impressive resume as a guild wizard, she’s achieved a lot in her personal life, and she’s seen all Magnolia has to offer. There are few things that she so desires to experience in the little town she’s found her home in that she hasn’t yet done, but as spring has sprung and flowers come into bloom, there is one thing she still feels like she’s missed out on.

She makes sure to take care of herself early spring this year; she dresses for the weather; she doesn’t take jobs in places where it gets too cold; and she avoids Gray for a whole week when he comes down with a nasty cough. It’s a little much—as Natsu has pointed out to her on multiple occasions—but she is not taking any risks this year, and as the flowers come into view, she knows that it was all worth it.

The sight of the cherry blossoms in bloom in their native spot is nothing like Lucy could have imagined. Soft pink flowers decorate the branches of every tree as far as the eye can see, some of their petals fluttering to the ground as the gentle breeze sways them. She feels a genuine sense of childlike wonder, and it takes Happy tugging at her arm to draw her attention away.

When she turns around, she meets Natsu’s eyes, and gracing his lips is an amused smile that she rarely sees on him.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“‘Cause you’re gettin’ real excited over some flowers,” he replies. “The real fun hasn’t even started yet.”

He’s right—the flowers are only the beginning of the festivities. The day ahead is filled with food, fun, and companionship (and maybe a little bit of booze), and as the sun begins to descend over the horizon and the pink diffuses into a rainbow of colours, Lucy begins to get teary-eyed. Something about the cherry blossoms just brings it out of her, because even though she’s surrounded by her friends in a boisterous environment like this almost every day, tonight she just can’t help but feel sentimental about it.

Maybe it’s the memory of that one night all those years ago and the memory of rainbow petals flittering in the river, or maybe it’s just the glass of wine running through her veins, but when she sees Natsu and Happy standing beneath the tree, tears start running down her cheeks. They’re quiet at first, but it quickly devolves into choked-out sobs that capture Natsu’s attention and cause him to panic. He’s by her side about as soon as he hears them, and she doesn’t realise just how much she wants him next to her until he’s there.

“They’re so pretty!” She sobs out.

“The flowers?” Natsu asks, bewilderment cast over his expression.

Lucy nods frantically as she wipes away her tears. They come so quickly that she isn’t really in the headspace to explain why she’s crying, but the tension in Natsu’s shoulders seems to loosen up when he realises that she’s not in any immediate harm or danger.

“I’m just so happy!” Lucy babbles.

“Yeah?” He affectionately replies. “Me too.”

He wipes away a tear from her cheek with his thumb, a slight mischievous smirk growing on his lips before he speaks up again.

“You’re weird.”

If it’s an effort to kill the tender moment, it fails because Lucy simply clutches onto his vest and begins to sob into his chest. His stupid little comments can’t hurt her when she knows he says them with love.

She’ll always be his weirdo.

☆♡☆♡

As the end of spring nears and the beginning of summer approaches, the days begin to get longer and warmer.

The town they’ve found themselves in prides itself on the gorgeous beaches that line the horizon, and with the way the warmth of the incoming season begins to creep up on them, they decide to take advantage of the cool water as the sun begins to dip over the horizon.

Lucy knows they’ve made the right decision when she wades ankle deep into the water, letting out a relieved sigh as it washes over her feet. She stretches her arms out, letting the breeze tousle her hair as she takes in a breath of the salty sea air. The way the sky is soaked in golden orange hues makes it look like a painting, and with the utter peace she feels in that moment, she feels like she’s in one too.

Her attention turns when she hears the sloshing of water, and she comes to find Natsu, his pants rolled up his legs as he moves to join her.

He’s been staring; she can tell, but he doesn’t hide it. When she casts him a quizzical look, he merely grins at her, and she can’t find it in herself to question him. Instead, she merely smiles back.

Her heart squeezes in her chest at the sight. He looks so handsome cast in the orange hues of the sunset, and the way he smiles at her makes her heart do flips. She’s no longer looking towards the sun, for she has another blazing flame next to her. It’s a soft moment—a good one—but it’s cut short when Natsu kicks his leg up and lets water splash over her.

In ruining one moment, he creates another, and the laugh he lets out almost makes getting her shirt wet worth it.

Now dead set on earning her revenge, Lucy leans down to slosh water on him, and before long the two are engaged in a water fight of epic proportions, laughing and howling like a pair of children, unaffected by the burdens and woes of life.

It’s just them.

Just the way it always should be.

Her feet are beginning to sink into the wet sand, and she’s starting to lose her balance, but she’s not going down without a fight. In a last-ditch effort to hold herself up, she instead grabs onto Natsu, pulling them both down into the water.

At this point, they’re both completely drenched, so falling into the ocean does little to faze them.

Once they break the surface of the water, Lucy spits out a mouthful of ocean water that she obtained in the fall, and Natsu shakes the water out of his hair like a dog. Droplets from his hair splash onto Lucy’s face, and she holds her hands up to shield herself from it despite the fact that she is already soaked.

He laughs again, and hearing it once more, she realises that she’s in deep.

Their gazes meet, and for a moment she wonders if he ever thinks the same of her, but before she can think to contemplate it any longer, she feels his hands on her waist and her lips on her own.

There’s not a moment of hesitation before her hands move up to his face, cradling his jaw as she kisses him back.

In that moment, it feels as though all time has stopped.

It’s just them against the backdrop of the sunset.

She begins to wonder if this is what falling in love feels like.

☆♡☆♡

It has been three, maybe four, weeks since her job out of town with Natsu. Or perhaps—more accurately—since the day Natsu kissed her. The job is foreign in her mind, muddled in with every other job she’s taken over the past few years, but the kiss is so clear in her mind that she would be hard-pressed to ever forget it. It plays over and over again in her mind; the image so clear, it was as though she was reliving the moment every time.

The memory is practically haunting.

It wouldn’t be such a problem if he actually wanted to address it.

They hadn’t spoken a word about it since then because every time she tried to broach the subject, he seemed to get skittish. He was making it clear he didn’t want to talk about it, so she dropped the subject entirely, but for as normal as she wants to act, there’s still a lingering tension between them.

She just hopes things will go back to normal soon.

☆♡☆♡

iv. summer

All the money Natsu saves her in the winter goes down the drain in the summer when it’s time to pay her electricity bill. The window is wide open, two fans are running at full speed, and the AC is down as cool as it can go, but it’s still not enough. It’s not helped by the fact that he has decided to sprawl himself across her bed. Lucy knows he can’t help that his body runs about a million degrees hotter than most, but he’s really not helping his case with how close he's chosen to lay next to her—all but on top of her.

She gently nudges him with her foot in an attempt to get him off her bed and out of her general proximity.

“Off,” she demands, nudging him again, though far less gently this time.

“Don’t wanna,” he drawls, not moving an inch from his chosen spot.

The worst part, in Lucy’s eyes, is the fact that he doesn’t even seem to be affected by the heat, so he’s just taking up residence on her bed and blocking her fan for no real reason.

“You’re too hot,” she groans, rolling over onto her front in an attempt to get as far away from him and the heat he radiates as possible.

She’s aware of the double entendre as soon as she says it, and she tries to shake the thought from her mind when she questions which way she means it.

Ever since the day he kissed her, she hasn’t been able to get him off of her mind. That in and of itself was not unusual; he’s her best friend, and they’re basically inseparable, but this time it’s different. This time, her mind is plagued with thoughts of him as something more. Every time she gets a glimpse of his lips, she recalls the way they felt against hers, and she wants to feel them again.

She really thought that that moment would be the turning point in their relationship—the moment they could take things further than what they have now. They’ve always had something more-than-friends going on in their relationship, she supposes, but he has always left her wanting more. She needs something, anything from him, to let her know how he feels—a label, a kiss, any sort of acknowledgement of these feelings that always seem to be just simmering below the surface—but instead she gets nothing.

She’s not given any more time to dwell on those thoughts when Natsu rolls over to get closer to her, tossing one leg over her own, and suddenly the only thing she can think about is how this is going to be a long, sweaty afternoon.

“You’re comfy,” is the only excuse he drawls.

Lucy doesn’t feel like debating it—she doesn’t have the energy to do so—so it’s left at that.

☆♡☆♡

Honestly, the crackle of the fire is the last thing they need right now given the warm summer nights they’ve been blessed with, but as the sun dips low over the horizon and they still find themselves in the depths of the forest, it’s necessary to cook their dinner and light their camp.

With the sun down, the night is much cooler than the day, making it bearable to linger by the fire for a while before they retire back to their tent for the night.

It’s a little cloudy tonight, but Lucy still indulges herself in the little stargazing she can get this time of night—or at least, she tries to before her attention is drawn away by Natsu, snapping small branches off of a nearby tree.

“What are you doing?” She asks.

“Getting sticks,” he answers, matter-of-factly.

Lucy holds pause for a moment, waiting for him to elaborate. She can see he’s getting sticks, but she’s still unsure why. When an answer doesn’t come, she speaks up again.

“Why?”

“Gonna make us s’mores.”

That causes her to perk up slightly.

“You brought stuff for s’mores?” She asks.

“Yeah, they’re in my pack,” he replies, gesturing to where it sits by the fire as he returns with an armful of sticks he has deemed sufficient for their marshmallow toasting endeavours.

Surely enough, when he rummages through his bag for a moment, he pulls out everything they need to make s’mores. He wastes no time piercing the marshmallows on his sticks and handing one to her. She’s never roasted marshmallows before, which is kind of absurd given how often they’ve got a campfire going, but she gets the idea pretty quickly.

Her first few are not as good as she would have hoped. When she accidentally burns them, charring them beyond recognition, Natsu eats them without complaint. He likes them better that way, he tells her. When he offers one up to her, she politely declines.

She discovers she likes a nice even toast, and the way to do that, as Natsu teaches her, is to keep it in continuous motion.

He only “accidentally” knocks her marshmallow into the fire once.

Their s’mores are sweet, and ooey, and gooey. They’re full of melt-in-your-mouth, chocolatey goodness, and when a little bit of chocolate makes it onto her face, Natsu wipes it off with his thumb and sticks it in his mouth. It’s a marked improvement on licking her face, but the tenderness of it makes her cheeks grow just a little hotter.

She begins to wonder if he might be just as sweet as the s’mores they’re eating.

☆♡☆♡

A bead of sweat drips down Lucy’s temple as the sun beats down on her.

They had planned to stay at the guild a little later than usual and wait out the midday sun, but even that is proving to be still much too hot for her. While Natsu fares fine in the heat, Lucy does not hold up so well and is in a rush to make it back to her air-conditioned apartment.

It’s not a long walk from the guild to her apartment, but in this heat it’s never felt longer, not made any better given Natsu does not seem to be in the same hurry she is. He trails a few feet behind her, and as much as she would like to just leave without waiting around for him, she can’t do that to him. Just as she’s at the end of her rope, she turns on her heel to snap at him to hurry up, the weather doing no good for her irritability, but in that moment she realises why it is that he doesn’t seem to be in much of a rush.

On the corner of one of the corners she passed without much thought, is a little ice cream stand, making the most of the summer season.

She comes to pause, unable to hold it against him when she suddenly wants the exact same thing. An ice cream seems like the exact thing she needs to get through this weather.

When she opens her purse, she remembers all the frivolous purchases she’s made this week, and there’s nothing more than a few stray jewels in there—not nearly enough to buy herself a little treat. In a last-ditch attempt to obtain her sweet treat, she turns to face her partner.

“Naaattsssuu~” She says, batting her eyelashes in an attempt to sway him.

She doesn’t have to ask because he already knows what she wants.

He’s never succumbed to her cute charms before, but it’s worth the attempt anyway. Natsu, as perhaps predicted, looks unaffected.

“Please?” She adds, sweetly.

She’s not entirely sure if it’s because of her persuading—if anything, she thinks it might be in spite of it—but Natsu rolls his eyes and caves anyway. Lucy lets out a celebratory squeal, clapping her hands in excitement, giving no care to the thought that she may look childish in that moment. The stand worker hands her a cone, a cherry blossom pink shade with strawberry ripples throughout.

The coolness that hits her tongue is exactly what she needs. Any irritability correlated with the weather melts away like the trail of cream that drips down her hand. She thanks Natsu for the treat, and she can’t be too upset with him when he takes a lick from her cone.

☆♡☆♡

“Up,” Lucy demands, throwing a pillow at Natsu’s face to rouse him from his slumber. “Up!”

Natsu groans, perhaps justifiably so, considering that it is the middle of the night and the sun hasn’t even begun to threaten peeking over the horizon. He’s clearly a little dazed and out of it, but given she’s waking him at no later than two in the morning, she can’t exactly blame him.

“Don’t wanna,” he drawls. “Wanna go back to sleep.”

"Well, you can’t,” she replies. “I’m going out, and who knows what kind of creeps are roaming around at this time, so I need you to come with me.”

“Where are you going?” He asks, his voice still hoarse.

“We,” she corrects, gesturing between the two of them. “Are going stargazing.”

Natsu doesn’t reply immediately. After a few moments of silence, Lucy comes to realise he is probably not going to reply at all. Given the demand route didn’t work, she switches up her tactics and puts on a pout that she hopes he can see in the dark.

“Please?”

There’s another beat of silence that makes Lucy wonder whether this is a lost cause, but before she gives up entirely, he caves.

“Fine.”

They’re in a town far out from any cities, bordering a forest where light pollution is almost non-existent. The summer weather has brought them a warm, cloudless night, so perfect for stargazing that Lucy could almost cry.

Once they make it just outside the border of the town, she spreads out a blanket onto the grass before splaying herself out on top of it, at which point Natsu joins. It’s not the most comfortable laying on the grass, but the view is so pretty that Lucy can’t bring herself to care.

As if by instinct now, her eyes trace lines between the stars to draw pictures of constellations. It’s engrained in her brain now, in her soul, and in her very being. It brings her such comfort to be out among the stars, like she was meant to be there. She lays there for a moment or two before she realises that Natsu is not made quite the same way.

She reaches her hand out in front of them, her index finger pointing towards the skies, where she locates a cluster of stars not terribly familiar to her but she knows well enough will pique his interest.

“That there,” she begins. “Is Draco.”

His eyes seem to light up, attention captured by her words. She tells him the tales of the stars, and he listens until deep into the night.

She lets out a small yawn, the late night finally taking its toll on her body. She knows it’s time to go back to their rooms, but the view is so pretty and the moment is so perfect that she just doesn’t want to leave.

So they stay.

Before long, the night sky before them is swallowed away by droopy eyelids and the promise of a cool night’s sleep.

☆♡☆♡

If she had to pick, Lucy would probably choose summer as her favourite season. Though she loves the golden leaves of fall, the gentle blossoms of spring, and the soft snowflakes of winter, the warm rays of summer always seem to edge it out for her.

For the most part, anyway.

That was before a heatwave hit Magnolia, at which point she had to reconsider. She has lived here for years by now and though it certainly gets warm in the summer, she’s never experienced heat like this until now. Fortunately for her, that is where Erza comes in clutch with a trip to Akane Beach as a reward for all the hard work they’ve done this year.

“Can someone please put some sunscreen on my back?” Lucy drawls as she lays sprawled on her towel on the sand.

The heat itself is already unbearable—the last thing she wants right now is to be baked until her tender skin is peeling off of her back.

“I can,” Gray volunteers, reaching out for the bottle, but before she can pass it off to him, Natsu interrupts from practically half way across the beach.

“I got it!”

He makes a mad dash for it, snatching it out of her hands before Gray can get to it.

It’s a little bit of a strange move, but she simply puts it down to his competitiveness. Right now, all Lucy cares about is whether her skin is protected from the death ray that is this year’s summer sun, so she makes no comment as she lays face down on her towel.

The coolness of the lotion against her back brings her enough relief that not even Natsu’s warm hands bother her. It’s rather nice feeling him massage in the cream, working out the knots and cricks in her back as he goes. It’s enough to have her falling asleep in the sun, only to wake up hours later, stuck within a moat Natsu has decided to dig around her.

☆♡☆♡

The beaches are packed during the day, but despite still being warm out at night, they empty out when the sun goes down. It’s perfect for Lucy’s plans, given she didn’t get to go for a dip during the day. She had been too busy working on her tan, but she can still admit that the water looked tempting.

Armed with a beach towel, she wanders down the hallway with the intention of having the beach to herself but is promptly cut off when she rounds the corner and finds her partner about to enter his own room. Her presence is enough to capture his attention and the swimsuit peeking out from her shirt is enough to raise questions.

“Where ya goin’?” He asks, brows quirked in curiosity.

“For a swim,” she replies.

“At this time of night?”

“Mhmm.”

There’s a beat of silence for a moment as he mulls over her words.

“Can I come?”

She thinks that might be the first time he’s asked permission in his life, so she’d be hard-pressed to say no to him.

The cool water against her skin is exactly what she’s been needing, and going out this late means that it’s just the two of them. She wades in waist deep, and Natsu follows not far behind. Looking up, she sees that the vast sky is cloudless, presenting them with a canvas of stars smattered across the galaxy. She leans back and lets herself float on the water, and Natsu follows suit.

The feeling it gives her in that moment is nothing short of absolute peace.

Natsu’s unusually quiet as they gaze at the skies, and Lucy glances over at him to make sure he’s okay. He notices her gaze immediately and shoots her back a grin.

In that moment, her heart squeezes in her chest.

“Ya wanna swim?” He asks before she can give it too much thought.

“I’d like that.”

It feels like they’ve entered a new dimension as they swim under the moonlight, one kept secret from the rest of the world. A sacred place where only they exist.

When Lucy breaks the surface of the water, she flips her hair back and takes in a deep breath to savour this moment and the salty sea breeze. Upon looking at Natsu, she finds his hair dripping over his eyes. He shakes his head to rid of the excess water, and she lets out a squeal as it splashes up onto her face. It’s a declaration of war, and she’s not going to back down so easily.

Ruthlessly, she sends an armful of water his way, and he makes the mistake of yelling out as she does so, getting a mouthful of salt water in the process. Lucy howls in laughter as he sputters and spits, and Natsu takes the distraction to give her a splash of epic proportions.

She’s already soaked, but she’s not about to give him the satisfaction of winning. As a lifeline to keep herself from submerging, she grabs onto Natsu, arms wrapping around his chest, her face pressed up against him.

In that moment, she is hit with a bout of déjà vu, and she’s brought back to that night on the beach in the spring.

He must feel it too, because in that moment he freezes, and she waits for him to kiss her just like before. He lifts her up into his arms, holding her bridal style just above the water. Instinctively, her arms come to rest on his shoulders, and she puckers up, ready to feel his lips on hers.

The kiss she’s waiting for never comes.

Instead, he tosses her into the water, where she lands with a hearty splash. It happens so quickly that she doesn’t even process what’s happened until she’s already submerged. She tries to gasp for air in shock, but instead takes in a mouthful of water and chokes. Her return to the surface is less than graceful, and she thinks Natsu is pulling her up, but she’s so disoriented that she doesn’t know what’s happening.

All she can really register is the look of guilt on his face as he helps her back to shore.

☆♡☆♡

For as enthused as Natsu had seemed to hang out with her at the start of the trip, it seems like all that enthusiasm has gone out the window as the days progress. He hasn’t spoken to her directly all morning and even as the group makes the excursion out into town, he keeps his distance.

She looks over at Natsu and finds him looking back, but the moment he realises she’s spotted him, he looks away. It’s not the first time that’s happened this week, and based on the way things are going, she fears it might not be the last either.

He’s been so weird these past few days—she’s barely even seen him since their moonlit beach trip. She thought it had been a coincidence at first, that he just happened to be occupying himself with something else whenever she saw him, but now she knows he’s been doing it on purpose. She’s just not sure why.

Does he feel guilty about nearly drowning her? He’s always been bad at apologies and accountability, but he’s done plenty worse to her before without remorse, and she really isn’t upset about it. If anything, she’s upset that he’s ignoring her—that he doesn’t feel like he can confide in her about whatever’s bothering him.

It throws off her mood for the next few days, and everyone else seems to notice.

Erza doesn’t even have to say anything; she simply holds up the bottle of sake, and Lucy knows that all her problems are going to be washed away with it for tonight.

☆♡☆♡

It doesn’t quite hit her how much she’s had to drink until she’s hobbling down the hallways back to her room, hand trailing the wall to keep her balance as the world threatens to spin around her. Despite that, she’s convinced she can make it to her room herself—that is, until she sees Natsu round the corner, and based on his expression, he doesn’t share her conviction.

It takes all of her willpower not to fling her entire body weight at him out of excitement the moment she sees him. Still, she refrains.

He’s mad at her, is the conclusion her drunken mind has come to. Why else would he be avoiding her the way he has been? He’s mad at her, and he doesn’t want to spend time with her, and he doesn’t want to kiss her.

He’s pulling away from her because the tension between them is palpable since their kiss, and it’s only made worse by the fact that she so desperately wants more between them, but he just wants to remain friends.

With furrowed brows, Natsu approaches her in an attempt to make sure her drunken self is okay. He reaches out to her, his hand resting on her arm to help her maintain her balance.

The feeling of his hand against her skin is enough to make her do something stupid.

“Why won’t you kiss me again?” She slurs.

She can’t stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth, and she regrets them the instant she sees Natsu’s expression morph into one of panic, but she’s too drunk to take them back.

“I, uh-”

He swallows thickly and averts his gaze, and her heart breaks all in the same moment.

“C’mon, let’s get you to your room,” he says, avoiding the question entirely.

He reaches out to lift her up, and she tries to bat him away, to turn around and get back by herself, but his sober movements are too much for her drunk self, and before she can make any meaningful escape, he’s scooped her up in his arms. Instinctively, she reaches around his neck and nuzzles her face into the crook of his neck.

Anything else that happens after that is nothing but a blur in Lucy’s mind, mingled together with the scent and warmth of Natsu wrapped around her.

☆♡☆♡

It’s their last night at Akane Beach, and she feels as though she’s wasted it. The first few days were good, great even, but ever since Natsu began his dance of sidestepping her at every occasion, things have been downhill.

She can exist without Natsu, and he can exist without her. She has no problem with him having his own space, doing his own things, but things have been awkward between them, and it makes her worry about the state of their relationship. There’s been question marks around it all summer—a lingering tension between them ever since they kissed. Still, Natsu refuses to acknowledge it, leaving Lucy unsure how to address it.

Maybe, given some time, things would go back to normal. What they have is too strong to be broken by a measly kiss. They could just brush it off as some spur-of-the moment mistake, but as soon as that liquid courage entered her veins, she had to go and ruin it all by admitting that she doesn’t think it was a mistake—that she wants more.

Evidently, Natsu does not.

There’s a fireworks show on tonight, and everyone is practically vibrating with excitement at the prospect of seeing them. The balcony in Erza’s room provides them with what proposes to be an incredible view of it, and while everyone has gathered there to see it, Lucy has gone off on her own.

While she loves her friends, what she needs right now isn’t to be crammed on a balcony with them—with Natsu. She wants to clear her mind, and a cool night's walk to pull herself together while the rest of them are occupied offers the perfect opportunity.

She walks through the town through sunset, letting her legs take her where they may until she finds herself walking the beach, sand beneath her feet under a moonlit sky.

With the display on tonight, much of the beach is full of both tourists and locals eager to watch the canvas of the sky be painted with more than just stars tonight. She avoids the crowds as she walks, nothing more than intuition leading her way, and is rewarded when she comes across a secluded spot on the beach, far away from everyone else. It feels wrong to be out here alone on the final day of her trip, but she can’t bring herself to face Natsu right now.

She’s just a stupid girl. A stupid, dumb, idiot, lovestruck girl who’s ruined everything good in her life over a crush and a bottle of sake.

She’s let herself get her hopes up, she’s deluded herself into thinking she has a chance, and she’s wasted her time on someone who doesn’t want her and ruined their friendship in the process. She doesn’t want to cry over something like this, but she can’t stop the few tears that manage their way down her cheeks. She pulls her knees up to her chest and rests her forehead on them to conceal the little sobs and whimpers she lets out.

Before long, the rising chatter of those excited for tonight’s display draws her gaze up, and she realises how pathetic she seems in this moment. She considers leaving, going somewhere more private to wallow in self-pity in peace, but the sound of footsteps in the sand behind her captures her attention instead. She turns around to find the source and sees Natsu approaching behind her.

She’s not sure what to say to him after embarrassing herself in front of him last night, but when he grins and plants himself on the sand beside her, she knows she doesn’t have to say anything. He wraps his arms around her and rests his forehead against her shoulder. In that moment, she feels all the tension between them melt away.

“Hey,” he says, voice little more than a murmur against her arm.

“Hi,” she manages to squeak back.

It’s quiet between them for a moment after that. Lucy doesn’t know what to say after all that’s happened—she's not really sure she knows how to be normal around Natsu after all of this. There are all these weird feelings swirling around in her chest that she isn’t entirely sure how to address now that he’s here, so she simply doesn’t say anything.

“Why’d you come all the way out here?” He asks, finally breaking the silence between them.

“Because I needed some time to myself,” she answers honestly.

She doesn’t say anything to elaborate on it, and they fall into silence once again. She’s embarrassed to say why—embarrassed to let him in on her feelings, especially when the tension she’s been worried about seems to have dissipated in an instant.

“Why did you come out here to find me?” She asks, filling the quiet air that has befallen them.

“Because I missed you.”

It feels strange to hear, given that he’s been avoiding her all week, but when he smiles at her the way he is; so truly, so genuinely, none of that seems to matter.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” she says.

She’s not too sure if it’s meant to be a question or not, but it comes out as a statement. A look of guilt crosses Natsu’s face, and he averts his gaze, confirming what she already knows.

“Yeah,” he affirms with a murmur. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?”

The question topples out of her mouth before she can stop it. She’s not entirely sure she wants to know the answer, but by then, it’s already too late.

“I’m not good with… feelings,” he says, eyes still trained on the sand in front of them.

That is something she has long since become acquainted with. Natsu doesn’t do feelings. He’d much rather ignore any complicated feelings than have to acknowledge they’re there because feelings incite change and Natsu doesn’t like change.

Change is good; change is necessary, she thinks, but when it comes to their relationship, she thinks she understands where he’s coming from.

What they have is good, not something worth ruining over a few little complicated feelings. That’s why she’s wanted to move on, to find someone else to help stray her romantic thoughts from Natsu, but so much as she tries, she just can’t imagine herself with anyone but him. He’s so kind, so thoughtful; he protects her; he takes care of her. He makes her laugh and smile, even when things feel hopeless. He takes her on adventures, he teaches her new things.

He gets her.

There is no one else out there like her Natsu, and she knows that anyone who tries to vie for her heart will always be put in comparison to him. Still, what they have isn’t worth losing over whatever she feels towards him and so she should be content keeping things as they are.

She wants to tell him this, but the sound of fireworks painting the night sky pulls them out of the moment.

It’s a cloudless night, and the sky is littered with a million stars that might be the centrepiece were it not for bright colours lighting up the night. It’s pretty, and it’s perfect, and it eases any worries Lucy might have had—at least for now. She’s happy to have this moment with him, to let it linger untainted from any feelings she may have for him, even if just for a moment.

She’s happy to share this with him.

That untainted moment is cut short when she feels his hand, callouses and all, graze her cheek. She drags her gaze to meet his, and if she thinks she has any idea what he’s doing before now, all that goes out the window when he’s kissing her lips.

It’s more deliberate this time—less spontaneous, less salty. This time she’s given the chance to feel him against her, to taste his lips, and it’s so perfect she could almost cry.

It’s not their first kiss, but it’s their first kiss that means something, and if she has any doubts about that, they quickly dissipate when his thumb rubs gently across the soft skin of her cheek and she gives into him, truly and wholly. Her hands come to rest on his chest, and she lets herself melt into the taste of his lips. She doesn’t even realise she’s out of breath until she pulls away and has to gasp for air.

When her eyes flutter back open, she’s met with Natsu’s brows furrowed as though he’s been gripped in concentration. The sight of it catches her off guard, and she can’t do anything but laugh at the absurdity of it.

“What? Why are you laughing?” He asks, sounding almost offended. “Was it bad?”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “It wasn’t bad.”

It causes a flutter in her heart to know that he cares this much. Natsu goes through life not caring about what others think about the things he does, so to think he worries what she thinks about their kiss says a lot.

“Well, good, ‘cause you said that you wanted me to kiss you again.”

Her face comes up in a flush at his words as she’s forced to remember the events of the previous night. Just because things are looking like they’re smoothing over doesn’t make it any less embarrassing.

“And I dunno,” he murmurs. “I kinda wanted to kiss you again too.”

At his words, she feels her face is flushing for a different reason.

“I’m not good at talkin’ ‘bout my feelings,” he says, pulling her out of her thoughts. “But I don’t want things to be weird between us like this.”

“Yeah, me either,” she replies.

“You’re my best friend,” he starts. “I know you probably think I’m too stupid to have noticed that things have been different between us the past couple of months, but I have.”

“I don’t think you’re stupid,” she tells him, her voice soft and airy, tender and gentle.

“Yeah well… I dunno. I think you’re cool, and I like being with you, and lately I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout us as—y’know.”

He cuts off there as if he’s waiting for her to fill in the blanks, but all she can do is regard him with expectant gaze.

“As boyfriend and girlfriend,” he says.

She’s taken aback by how up-front he is about it. They’ve been tiptoeing around it all summer long, trying to dodge the conversation at his skittish avoidance, but now he’s suddenly the one to bring it up.

“I never really cared about that sorta stuff before, but I know you do, and I thought I’d be okay when you finally decided you wanted to start dating, but the thought of you doing all that dumb romantic stuff with another guy didn’t make me feel good either,” he continues. “And I guess I realised it’s because I wanna do that stuff with you.”

Suddenly, his words put everything that’s happened over the past year into perspective. She’s always worried what she has read as romantic subtext is just her looking for something where it’s not and that this is just the natural progression of their relationship—that Natsu’s just like that. Natsu tends to wear his heart on his sleeve, but rarely does he share his innermost thoughts, even with her, so all she can really do is make assumptions and wait for a moment like this where he finally starts to truly open up.

“I thought maybe if I said that’s what I wanted then things would change, and I don’t like when things change, but I guess the more I thought about it, the more I realised things probably wouldn’t be all that different,” he tells her. “I think dating is kinda dumb, but I don’t think it’d be dumb if it was with you.”

She’s usually the words girl and he’s usually the actions boy but in this moment, he’s left her speechless. Her heart thumps hard in her chest, and she wonders if she heard him right. There’s so much she wants to say to him, but she’s not at all prepared, so there’s only one thing she can do.

Her hands shoot up to his face, cradling his jaw, and she practically throws herself into his lap as she kisses him.

He’s taken off guard for a moment, but he quickly gives in, and his hands tangle in her hair, and they fall into the sand.

Her heart is so full after yearning for so long that she could almost cry, and perhaps if she weren’t otherwise preoccupied, she just might.

When she finally pulls away, she gets a glimpse of him beneath her in the moonlight, grin plastered across his face and sand stuck in his hair. This moment makes all the pain, the pining, the waiting worth it.

If she had known it would be this easy, she would have done it long ago, but she knows Natsu, and she knows that he needed his own time to figure himself out. She would have waited forever for him if that’s what it took. As she looks down at his smile and feels the tingle of his taste lingering against her lips, she’s glad she didn’t have to.

“Is that a yes?” He asks with a knowing grin plastered across his face, which tells her he already knows.

She doesn’t bother to dignify him with an answer—she just leans down and presses her lips to his, hoping that after so long, he’ll finally get the message.

#nalu #natsu x lucy #nalu fanfiction #mya writes things #ITS MY BIRTHDAAAAYYY!!!!#celebrate with me with this 18K WORD FANFICTION

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kaleldobrev · 7 months

Text

Shiny New Toy (5) - Finale

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Fem!Reader

Summary: After everything that happened, how will your relationship change with Dean? Will it be for better or for worse?

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Age Gap (a “warning” that I kept forgetting to put on these fics but have been updated now), Cursing (9x), Mentions of kinks (pain, degradation & praise), Sad Dean, Self-Blaming Behavior, Smut (P in V - unprotected)

Authors Note: Okay gang! Here is the 5th and final part of my Demon!Dean mini-series! I just want to thank everyone who has read, commented & shared this. Originally when I posted part one, I wasn’t sure how well this was going to be received, but it was received incredibly well and I’m honestly in awe. Thank you for coming on this little journey with me. This may be the end of “Shiny New Toy” but this won’t be the end of Demon!Dean content from me (I love the man too damn much) | 18+ Only Please | MDNI | If you liked this, don’t forget to like & reblog. I really appreciate it! Feedback is always welcome ♡

Shiny New Toy Masterlist

You were lying in bed completely under the sheets as if in a cave. All the lights were off, and the door was closed. Despite the hallway light always being on, Sam had turned it off for you so it could be completely dark — and for that you were grateful. Complete and utter silence filled the room, and it amazed you how quiet the Bunker truly was despite what was happening down the hall from you. Sam was in the dungeon with Dean finally curing him. It took Sam two weeks to find you and Dean, and during those two weeks it was day after day of Dean using you as if you were this shiny new toy. After the first day you expected the novelty of you being a virgin to wear off, but it didn’t. You remembered something that he said to you during one of those long days (you honestly lost track after day three or four). “You’re mine, no one else’s,” he whispered aggressively in your ear as he came deep inside of you.

There was a part of you that strangely enjoyed the sex that Dean and you had. It was the kind of sex you never expected you’d ever have (let alone with Dean). It was rough, needy, almost animalistic in nature. There was a certain type of pleasure that you seemed to have when slight pain or degradation was involved — something you never found yourself ever gravitating towards previously.

When Sam had finally found the two of you it must of been an absolute sight for him to see. His older brother balls deep inside their best friend, someone Sam considered a sister. You remembered the evil type of laugh that exited Dean, how amused he was when Sam walked in. "Want to try her out? She's a good fuck, loves it real rough too," Dean had said. The worst part of it? You remember clenching around him and almost came at his words, which only caused his smirk to grow wider.

You didn't know what you were going to say when you ultimately faced Dean again. What even was there to say? Would he remember doing any of those things to you or would he go about his business like nothing ever happened? To be honest, you weren't sure what you had wanted more: for him to remember or to forget.

Dean found himself in his room again after months of being away and it was in the exact same condition as when he had left it, besides the note he had left for you and Sam. Turning on the light he stared at the empty bed before him and there were two thoughts in his mind. The first was how much he just wanted to lay down and fall asleep for the next couple of months (the tiredness was now starting to hit him); the second was to just find you and apologize. Well, more like beg for your forgiveness.

He remembered everything, everything that he did to you over the course of the two weeks that he had you down in Hell. He remembered all of the degrading things he said to you, called you. He remembered all of the things he made you do, did to you. Despite everything that happened between the two of you during those two long weeks there was something that he was having trouble with: the way you reacted to his touch and how it changed over the course of the two weeks. On the first day he had you, the way you acted wasn't unreasonable, you were afraid and you had every right to be — there was no telling what he would do to you. But throughout the first day, he started to notice small changes in your behavior, in your reactions when he touched you; but he wasn't entirely sure if he was just misremembering or not (a lot happened in those two weeks). But, he could have sworn that you were actually enjoying it, enjoying the way he was speaking to you, essentially using you for his own pleasure. "It's not about you," he told you — and it wasn't. That's what he was struggling with, he was unsure if you were actually enjoying it or just pretending: he could see cases for both.

Dean walked over to his closet and pushed some clothes aside, his whiskey stash was still intact. Picking up the still full bottle, he held it in his hands and contemplated if he was even going to bother to get a glass or not. "Fuck it," he said, unscrewing the cap and taking a giant swig from the bottle. He stood there for a moment in front of the closet taking a few sips before settling down on his bed, the bottle practically glued to his hand.

As he attempted to relax, he reached for the remote but before he could there was a subtle knock at the door. "What?" He said, far too aggressively.

"Sorry I'll...I'll come back later," it was you and you sounded disappointed, sad. Within seconds he heard you walking away down the hallway, and he was mentally kicking himself to responding the way he did. As soon as he heard your door close he placed the bottle of whiskey on his bedside table and got up from his bed.

Once closing your door you sat down in front of it hugging your knees close to your chest. You heard footsteps outside your door and a soft sigh before someone knocked — it was probably Dean. "Hey, it's...it's me," he said, his voice sounding relatively more calm than it did not even two minutes ago.

"What?" You responded back, your voice matching what his sounded like previously.

"I deserve that," he mumbled, "and a lot worse..." he trailed off. "I uh, did you want to talk or...I didn't mean to snap like that, I thought you were Sam."

"Even if it was Sam you shouldn't have snapped like that," you said, Dean couldn't help but agree. "But I'll let it slide given the situation." From the way your voice sounded, it was like you were the one apologizing — something that you shouldn't be doing.

"Can I come in? Or did you want to talk through the door?" He asked, his tone was serious. "I'm fine with either I just...whatever you're comfortable with Sweetheart." The way he said Sweetheart had almost sounded as if he was actually struggling to say the nickname, like he felt bad saying it.

"Yeah you can...you can come in," you said, your voice low as you started to get up from in front of the door. As you opened the door you heard Dean step back a few feet in order to give you space. Upon opening it he was leaning back against the wall, his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Hey," you slightly mumbled.

"Hey," he replied back. You stood off to the side and looked at him, gesturing him to come inside your bedroom. At first the look on his face was hesitant, unsure if he had actually wanted to come in even though that's all he had wanted to do. After a moment of exchanging looks and a reassuring smile from you, he slowly made his way past you into your room, making sure he didn't touch you.

"You can sit down on my bed if you want to," you stated as you started to close the door behind you.

"Are you sure?" His tone hesitant.

"Of course," you reassured him.

"Okay," he nodded and sat down on the edge of your bed. Despite how comfortable your bed was, Dean somehow looked extremely uncomfortable sitting there. "If you want to keep the door open you can."

"Why would I want to keep the door open? Closing the door is more private," his comment confused you slightly.

"I just want you to feel safe," his voice low.

"I always feel safe with you," your voice matching his, but yours sounded more confident. He scoffed at your comment, "What?"

"After everything I did, I should be the last person you should feel safe around," the usual warmness he had in his voice wasn’t there, his voice sounded hard, cold, with slight amusement. Like he sounded genuinely surprised that you stated you still felt safe around him.

"You're not a demon anymore Dean, so there's really no reason for me not to feel unsafe. I mean, you're not planning on...hurting me right?" You hated asking that, but you had to prove a point to him.

He scoffed again. "Of course not. I would ne—" he didn't bother to finish his sentence, he just looked down at the ground no longer making eye contact with you. "Hurting you is the last thing I'd want to do," he sighed, mumbling his words. "And look how that turned out."

"It wasn't entirely your fault Dean. You weren't completely yourself," you said. "You were a demon, and you became one against your will, it was something that was out of your control."

"Don't try and justify the way I treated you Y/N," he sounded so hurt, and you felt your heart breaking again. "What I did to you was beyond fucked."

"Then I guess I'm the fucked up one because I enjoyed 95% of it," your eyes grew wide, you didn't mean for those words to come out but they did. You felt your heart starting to sink now, and you felt your cheeks start to get hot — they were probably bright pink with embarrassment.

Dean looked at you, trying to process the sentence that you just said. Your statement had confirmed his suspicions, well, more like confirmed what he was trying to remember. "You weren't faking it?" He asked, trying to make sure he understood.

"No," you let out a deep breath. "At first I didn't enjoy it but after a while I don't know I just..." you felt slightly embarrassed saying it, but it was the truth, you knew how fucked up it sounded. "The only thing I pretended was you not being a demon during it."

"Sweetheart, I don't mean to make light of the situation but I do have a slight question," he said.

"What's your question?" You asked.

"Do you have a, again, I'm not trying to make light of the situation but, I just need to clarify to make sure I'm understanding what you're telling me." He got up from the bed and started making his way toward you, your back was still leaning up against the door. "Do you have a pain and degradation kink?"

"It sounds so simple when you put it that way," you stated. "But uh...I guess I do."

"Huh," was all he said. "Don't take this the wrong way but, I never pegged you as someone into that kind of thing," his voice sounding slightly amused.

"I'm just as surprised as you are," you let out a breathy type of laugh, almost embarrassed. "But um...I do want to experience normal sex."

Dean's lips turned into a grin. His once sad self-blaming face turning into the complete opposite now; it now radiated a certain smugness or amusement. "Normal sex uh?"

Six Months Later...

You were lying on your back underneath Dean, one of your legs over his shoulder as he slowly moved in and out of you, hitting the exact right spot each and every time. Letting out a tiny moan you shut your eyes, and you moved your hands so they were now gripping the headboard behind you. "So fucking beautiful," Dean slightly whispered kissing your inner thigh; his slight scruff feeling nice against your skin. He felt you starting to clench around him, and the smirk that he had on his face had started to grow. "So good for me," he praised, slightly whispering again.

"Dean..." you moaned softly, almost a whimper.

"Yeah Sweetheart?" He asked, kissing your inner thigh again.

"Can I..." you started to say, but your thoughts got quickly interrupted when Dean completely pulled himself out of you before practically slamming himself back inside of you, "Fuck," you said a bit louder than you were expecting.

"Sweetheart I am in the middle of fucking you," you could hear the smirk on his lips.

"Sm-smartass," your voice coming out as a slight moan. "Can I...can I please cum?"

"Well since you asked so nicely..." his voice trailed off, his movements picking up their pace. Based on the speed and the way his hips were moving, you could tell that he was starting to get close too. He took your other leg and draped it over his other shoulder, which caused him to feel even deeper than he had been before. "You may."

With a few more thrusts and praises from him, you felt yourself starting to let go, coming around his cock, your orgasm hitting you harder than you had expected it to. "Fuckk," you threw your head back, shutting your eyes.

"That's it Sweetheart," he praised again. You couldn't help but curse again, a long string of profanities leaving your mouth. They almost didn't even sound like curses; more like whimpers and moans mixed with words that didn't even sound like anything. Dean was close behind you, the sounds that had escaped you had gotten him to a point where he was moments away from coming. He heard you say his name, and upon hearing you moan it he started to cum deep inside of you, his own orgasm hitting harder than he had thought, similar to how yours was.

Once both of you had come down from your highs, Dean laid down next to you on his side propping himself up with his elbow as he looked at you, breathing slightly heavy next to him still on your back. Your legs and arms were completely flat, almost as if you were afraid to move. "You okay Sweetheart?" He asked, giving your bare shoulder a kiss.

You turned to him, giving him a soft smile, "More than okay," you replied. "Round three in ten?"

He chuckled at your question. "How about thirty?" He asked, and your face dropped. "We need to refuel baby," he explained, his hand patting your thigh.

"Fine," you said, your voice slightly stubborn.

Tag List: @roseblue373 @beansproutmafia @queenie32 @deanwanddamons @missy420-0 @fullbelieverheart @little-x-wolf @angiebangiee @spnfamily-j2 @freewastelandstrawberry @mira-dystopiancore @kalliwinchester @violettavirus @jo7465 @jackles010378 @syrma-sensei @k-slla @justletmereadfanfic @ilikw If you want to be added to a tag list let me know!

#dean winchester x you #dean winchester x reader #spn #supernatural #spn imagine #supernatural imagine #spn one shot #supernatural one shot #dean x you #dean x reader #reader insert #female reader

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pastanest · 1 year

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if you’re wondering why I’m having to repost this, or why you were perhaps previously following me but no longer are, please refer to this post. I was able to retrieve this thanks to the very lovely friends who have relentlessly sifted through tumblr archives to recover them, thank you all so much!! ♡

LOTR Characters - His Favourite Thing About You

Thranduil

Your heart. You have always thought with your heart more than your head, with feeling rather than logic, and although this has caused you some problems in the past, it has never dealt the pain that cruel logic is capable of, which the King is all too familiar with. As an elf, he’s rather emotionally reserved, and your open love for the world around you renders him speechless. You love so willingly and so joyously, without fear of appearing soft or weak, and it is your heart that drives your every action, including defending those around you. It’s because of you that the King begins to understand the purpose of kindness, he realises the affect that your kindness has on him, and he wants to be the bringer of that same bliss to others. When Thranduil falls in love with you, your heart teaches him more than he could have possibly imagined.

Legolas

Your sense of adventure. From the moment he met you, he recognised your scatty nature and your constant craving for adventure and travel. He yearned to feel the same freedom in the world that you did, but he worried for his responsibilities as a prince and allowed them to hold him back. It was you that eased his nerves, and showed him how to enjoy even the smallest adventures. Through that, Legolas formed the courage and desperation for bigger adventures, and with you by his side, he felt like he could go anywhere in Middle-earth and still be at home, because that is what you became. The two of you travelled far and wide for more years than you could count, and you gifted Legolas with the most precious thing he could ever receive: freedom.

Frodo

Your protectiveness. During his time with The Fellowship, you came across as a quiet person who joined the party simply to help complete the task more efficiently. However, Frodo soon noticed your protectiveness over him when you threw yourself in front of him and acted as his shield in the first attack you experienced with him. After that, every other time Frodo was in danger, you were the first person to act, and protect. He appreciated your protectiveness in those scenarios of course, but what meant more to him was your less violent protection that occurred when others spoke cruelly or condescendingly towards him, you were always quick to defend him. To begin with, Frodo tricked himself into thinking that you were protecting the ring, and not him, but over time you proved to him that the burden he carried was only a concern of yours in regard to the pain it caused him. And in return of such fierce protection, Frodo gave you his heart.

Samwise

Your selflessness. It didnt take Sam very long to recognise the trait that you share with him, but the extent of your selflessness, especially when in The Fellowship, was on another plain of existence. No matter when it was, if a member of The Fellowship was in need of anything, whether it be food, water, or aid, you would be there in an instant to provide them with exactly that, by whatever means you could. The sheer number of times you lost hours of sleep in order to care for someone was astonishing to Sam, and it wasnt until you tended to a wound of his that he realised just how lovely you really were. You never showed even a flicker of irritation towards those who had disturbed your sleep, you presented them only with kindness. On the first occasion that you were injured, you pleaded with The Fellowship that you were in perfect health and didnt need their help, and Sam was the only person that could resist your stubbornness. He promised you then that if you werent going to care for yourself, he would spend the rest of his life doing it for you.

Aragorn

Your persistence. You are never one to accept defeat unless you have tried absolutely everything you possibly could have done to avoid it, and this extends to every area of your life. When Aragorn first met you, his mysterious nature didnt scare you as it did most, instead it enticed you, and from the moment you began talking to him, he became the most wonderful puzzle to you. At first, Aragorn mistook your persistence for stubbornness, because he thought that your continued pursuit of him was goalless, which made your only motivation one of spite. Over time, though, he realised that your goal was something he had not anticipated, and it had began to work before he had time to reinforce his defences; you had succeeded in opening his heart to you. It was your persistence that granted him freedom from the isolation he had forced upon himself, and even before he was completely free, he knew that he had found an angel for a soulmate. If it hadnt been for your persistence, he could have risked an eternity with a lonely heart. You saving him from that as a result of your resistance against defeat, has made him eternally grateful for the trait in you that transcends the simple bounds of stubbornness.

#aragorn x reader #legolas x reader #thranduil x reader #frodo baggins x reader #samwise gamgee x reader #aragorn #legolas #thranduil #frodo baggins #samwise gamgee #lord of the rings #lotr #x reader #imagine #imagines #fanfic #fanfiction

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umeji-writes · 6 months

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I would like to talk about the Music Festival arc - aka my favorite Mairuma arc until now. I love them all tbh, this is just very close to my heart for several reasons. [cw: non-suggestive discussion of s*x; if you are a s*x-repulsed asexual person you are very much welcome to interact, but this may not be the post for you, take care and proceed with caution ♡ edit: I'm uncensoring the words from here onwards thanks to a kind anon's suggestion] To make it short, I love that the main theme of this arc is pleasure, and the desire for it. Honestly, it's very horny - but not in a slimy or creepy way, which is sadly quite rare in my experience. The appreciation for pleasure coming from love (also platonic love) is there in several layers. First, the plot itself, as Lilith cries out her desire to find "a love that burns like fire". She is not satisfied by most pretenders, and especially this frame spoke to me:

Because... Well... It's so true. I am an adult, and I had my share of sexual partners. The expressions people make irl are not always aesthetically pleasing, but who cares! We are told to strive to be always attractive, but in those moments of intimacy it's really not important, not as much as being fully present and enjoying the moment! Then, can we talk about Kalego please?

I mean, Nishi here went all out and didn't even try to hide her fascination for ...discipline:

(and to be fully clear: I am NOT implying there is sexual tension between Kalego and his students, I am only referring to him!!!) When I saw the whip I couldn't believe my eyes. Of course in that context it's not used that way, but it's very much recognizable as an adult tool... But more on this later. Finally, I really like that the Misfits are growing up and finding out new things about themselves. They are characterized as high school students (even if we don't know how old they actually are), which is when humans tend to have their first experiences and explore their sexualities. They are building together this beautiful show full of emotions and desire, and honestly performing with other people is really an amazing feeling (I am a former musician and theater actor - let me tell you, every performance was fire). Look at their faces: from here...

...to here.

They are shocked, but happy! And definitely feeling ...feelings. And here is my main takeaway: I am really, really sad that sex is a taboo topic in our society, and when there's something about sex, it's mostly treated in a very bad way. This includes sex scenes in generic-audience movies, which I tend to dislike... I hate that sex is handled like a dirty and secret thing. I hate that sex is mostly treated as something that has to do with power imbalance and taking advantage of someone else, usually men that "want to do stuff TO" women (nonbinary individuals like myself not found) - and too often not in a hot and consensual way. I hate that social media are becoming more and more sex-hostile, because investors fear these topics, and use children as a shield to justify limiting contents for adults as well. I hate that sexual education is mainly reserved for talking about pregnancies and, if the students are lucky, prevention of STDs. Solo or reciprocal pleasure? Consent? Treating it as a normal part of life for many people (and not ALL, again, asexual people exist)??? Naaaah, why do that, when you can make people feel shame and embarassment and perpetuate trauma. Again, I am a grown-up now, and while this is legal and everything, I was conditioned to feel some level of shame nonetheless when talking about it irl (which I am working on). The whip I was writing about before (and the kneeling scene afterward)? It was a revolution in my brain. "So... That's a thing we can do...?"

(like that) I plan on doing some adult drawings in the future, but there's a part of me that resists the idea, because adult entertainment usually involves some level of dehumanization... But you know what? I want to take it back and make it about pleasure and enjoyment as it should be. Tbh, I could write a whole essay on the causes for all of the above and how they interact (patriarchy, capitalism, religions as power institutions, etc.), but this is not the place. So I'll just say that I am really, really grateful to Nishi for including this arc in a manga for a young audience, as those are important years to build a healthy relationship with pleasure and one's own body. And as Sullivan said...

I'm very much convinced that Nishi is doing a great job at sending messages for inclusion and social equality in M!IK, taking the role of educator herself. (Other reasons why I love the Music Festival arc are: Soi's story, Clara and Azz becoming closer, Iruma learning the piano, the appreciation of music itself, the immaculate art and more, but that's for another post!!!)

#mairimashita! iruma kun #m!ik #mairuma #iruma #manga analysis #welcome to demon school iruma kun #welcome to demon school #music festival arc #naberius kalego #m!ik kalego #kalego sensei #misfit class #asmodeus alice #cw sex mention #cw sexuality #tw sex mention #sex positivity #m!ik fandom #m!ik analysis

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wonustars · 2 months

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ERE - j.ww x reader

✧ ere - juan karlos ✧ pairing: wonwoo x gn! reader ✧ genre: angst, hurt no comfort ✧ wordcount: 479 words ✧ warnings: none just a bunch of angsty word vomit fhakdjfha ✧ a/n: idk why i wrote this but i love this song and i highly reccomend listening to it while reading this ! :> ty to @hannieween for looking at this before i post and reassuring me hehe ♡ requests are open again! send me your thoughts or ideas, or lmk what u think of little one shots like this!! :D ✧ masterlist.

seven billion people and you’re the only one I really want.

he made you look stupid. loving him so foolishly, blindly, to the point you lost your self trying to love him. it made you think, is this even worth it? to love someone who is willing to leave you in the dust?

looking into his eyes, the two of you standing in your shared apartment, not one emotion could be read. this isn't the man you fell for, this isn't the man who you gave up everything for.

all those hours, those months, those years, the time you spent building this relationship, it's all thrown out the window.

the piercing gaze that was once filled with adoration, with love, its gone.

"do you even care?" you ask him, the pleading in your voice, the hurt, so evident it could make angels cry.

"i'm sorry, but i don't think this is what i want anymore," he tone is flat, like he's a robot, a man whose mind can't be changed.

a rainfall of tears leave your eyes, the hurt blooming in your chest, leaving scars all over your heart.

it makes you think, how did it even get to this point? it felt like yesterday you two were laughing over silly jokes on the couch, showering each other in kisses, confessing your love to each other over and over again.

oh diba? ginawa mo pa akong tanga. (right? you made me a fool.)

"why? why can't we just work this out?" you beg him to answer, but he stands tall, rigid like a statue.

"how can i even answer that? you're just not the one for me anymore," he gives you a pitiful frown.

wonwoo can see the tears in your eyes, he can hear the sobs leaving your lips, but he can't bring him self to care. the feelings he once had for you are gone.

he wasn't sure how else to tell you. how does one even bring up falling out of love. it felt like it happened over night.

suddenly waking up the next morning, looking at you sleeping peacefully beside him, his brain screaming at him, yelling at him to just tell you he doesn't feel anything for you anymore.

"i can't live in this world if there's no us," you plead with him.

falling to your knees, holding onto his arms as if it would change his mind and make him stay. your grip turning your knuckles white as wonwoo looks at you with a blank stare. your body shaking from your sobs, but it doens't go through to him.

its as if he has you tuned out, to the point where everything has become white noise.

his feelings for you have burnt out, leaving ashes of what your relationship used to be in its wake.

oh diba? nakakaputangina, tayo'y lumilipad at ako'y iniwan mo sa ere. (right? how fucked up it is, we're flying and you left me hanging.)

໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა a/n: thank you for reading! reblogs, comments and likes are always appreciated ♡ lmk if you want more of this :3

#svthub #wonwoo #jeon wonwoo #seventeen fic #seventeen x reader #seventeen #wonwoo x reader #wonwoo angst #seventeen angst #seventeen thoughts #seventeen drabbles #wonustars ✧ ﾟ. {drabbles}

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nisuna · 2 months

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NINI 1K Milestone??!?

OOOOMGGG NOOO WAYYY 😭😭😭

As I just recently hit 1k followers, I am thinking about celebrating with compiling a prompt list with quotes, kinks, or scenarios and a list of characters you can pick and choose from 🥳🥳

But first and foremost I want to thank everyone who enjoys my writing and supports me through likes, comments, reblogs it really means so much<3

It hasn't been long since I started writing and I already feel so appreciated and happy 🙏🏻🙇🏻‍♀️ I never thought that I would EVER hit this milestone, but I am incredibly thankful that I did.

I am planning on coming up with the prompts in the next few days. Every input from you guys would be greatly appreciated. Hit me up if you have any quotes, scenarios, or kinks in mind. Be it smut, fluff or angst, don't be shy and please share<3

The series I'm planning on writing for are JJK, Genshin, HSR and Aki from Chainsawman.

I'll specify the rules in the other post, but for now, help me out and share your favourite stuff with me!! You can comment on this post or send an Ask<3

I am open to writing (multiple) male!Character(s) x female!Reader.

Once again, I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. I hope to see you soon!

(check out my masterlist for more info♡)

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buckymorelikefuckme · 1 year

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and really bad eggs

pirate king wanda x fem reader

words: 2.1k

warnings: **18+ ONLY** mentions and slight description of injury, hurt/comfort, smüt, scissoring. if i missed anything pls let me know!

a/n: well i guess it's a series now lmao~ is 3am posting going to become my new thing? we shall see. i hope you enjoy :) also, there's a cameo of two of our fave dudes in here hehe! unbeta'd. any and all mistakes are mine. feedback is encouraged & appreciated ♡

part 1 ❀ part 2 ❀ part 4

You pace impatiently along the deck, eyes straining through the moonlight as you search for the return of your crew mates and captain. They should've been back ages ago. You'd been given strict instruction to stay on the ship, the captain using the excuse of your poor combat skills for her reasoning.

“I've been practicing with Natasha,” you'd protested as you watched Wanda gather her effects.

You would be approaching the port soon and she always liked being ready to step off the ship the moment it was docked. Feeling desperate yet helpless, you continued staring at your lover as she checked her pistols and secured her sword.

Wanda sighed. “Yes, and I've heard of your improvement,” she admitted. “But Natasha still thinks you need more time before you're ready for a real fight.”

“You say all the time how rare fights happen once the villagers realize who you are!” you retorted.

“I am not going to argue with you on this,” she replied, her tone firm. “My mind is made up. You will stay here.”

You clenched your jaw. “Are you saying this as my captain, or as my lover?”

Wanda spun to face you with a hard look. You lifted your chin, having been on the receiving end of such an expression several times before. She was always calling you stubborn, and that wasn't going to change any time soon.

“When did I stop being both, hm?” she wondered, taking slow, deliberate steps towards you. “What have I done to deserve this treatment?”

You didn’t reply, frowning as you broke your stare. When Wanda spoke again, it was low, so quiet it was almost a whisper.

“I could not live with the thought of you getting hurt, or worse, because you could not defend yourself properly,” she confessed. “Perhaps I do not express myself well enough, if you are under the impression that I could be so impassive with your precious life.”

You blinked away the tears that built in your eyes.

“I have fought in my fair share of duals, and even I have had many close calls, despite my years of training,” she added, and you hated the reminder, having bore witness to the scars that decorate her skin to prove her words. She cupped your cheeks, forcing you to meet her imploring gaze. “I will not have your blood on my hands.”

A shaky breath escaped you, still feeling utterly helpless, useless, but you reached up to gently grasp her wrists. As much as it pained you, you nodded in understanding. She sighed, eased, and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, promising to return as quickly as possible.

Now, a sense of foreboding has been steadily rising within you. It's never taken this long for a raid. You wring your hands anxiously, contemplating if Wanda would be angry with you if you left the ship with your sword in hand.

However, you don't get the chance to decide. You hear voices approach, and soon after, the crew bustles out of the tree line. Your relief is palpable as you press your hand to your chest, muttering a quick thank god under your breath as they grow nearer.

It takes a moment for you to notice, so washed in comfort by everyone’s return, that a few people are carefully carrying someone back to the ship. Just as quickly as the relief appeared, it leaves you entirely. Your skin goes hot then cold, so fast that it leaves your head spinning, dread settling heavily in your stomach.

As the crew begin boarding the ship, none of them meet your eyes. Panic wells, and you find yourself stumbling across the deck, shouldering past several people. Natasha stops you before you can go around her.

“She's fine,” she murmurs.

“She–She's being carried onto the ship,” you point out dumbly.

Natasha grips your shoulders. “Her wound is not serious. We had to clean it and stitch it to stop the bleeding before we could return.”

You whimper, covering your mouth as fresh tears fall. “She was bleeding?”

Natasha sighs heavily. “Before we could announce ourselves, some skinny, little idiot and his friend thought themselves to be heroes and charged us.” She rolls her eyes, agitated all over again by this person. “The Captain stepped in and was grazed by his dagger while she was trying to subdue him. Once he found out who we were it was easy to get them to back down.”

She pauses, huffing. “For whatever reason, the Captain invited them to join the crew after they'd apologized a million times and begged her pardon.”

You blink a few times, mind whirling. “But she's okay?” you clarify, your only worry.

Natasha’s face softens as she nods. “Aye. I made them carry her back so she wouldn't put a strain on her stitches. It's just a superficial wound.”

Just then, Wanda is carried on board, and you rush to her.

“This is ridiculous. I am perfectly capable of walking,” you hear her grumble and it makes a choked sob slip past your lips. Her eyes meet yours and she orders the men to stop. “Put me down,” she tells them, and when they try to argue, “Now!”

Not wanting to receive some form of punishment, they listen, gingerly helping her rise and stand. She winces, her hand clutching her side, just below her ribs. You take cautious steps toward her, but you stop a couple feet away.

“Come here, my love,” she says, holding out her free arm.

You close the space between you, tears spilling down your cheeks as you check her over for more injuries, hands hovering unsurely around her. She grabs one of your hands and pulls you into her, hugging you tightly. You bury your face in her neck as you cry, relieved all over again, feeling her warm and solid beneath your hands. She shushes you softly, kissing you wherever she can reach.

“I'm alright, my angel, I'm fine,” she reassures.

“You were hurt,” you correct thickly. “I wasn't there and you got hurt.”

“It's nothing I can't handle,” she replies. She brushes your hair off your shoulder so she can kiss along the expanse of your collarbone. “Why don't we go to my quarters, hm?”

You swallow past the lump in your throat and nod, letting her lead you in the direction of her cabin. Along the way, you spy two new faces; a skinny, blond man whose eyes are wide as he takes in the massive ship, and a dark haired man that follows close behind, looking resigned to his fate. You make a mental note to give them a stern talking to later.

Wanda closes and locks the door to her cabin once the two of you are inside. She turns to you and meets you halfway for a bruising kiss.

The only thought playing on a loop in your mind is that you could have lost her. It's silly, especially knowing her injury is not that serious, but also knowing that she'd gotten hurt and you weren't there to help makes your chest seize uncomfortably. You just need to assure yourself that she really is okay.

Your hands grab fistfuls of her hair as you deepen the kiss into something sharper, messier. Wanda grunts, her own hands sliding down your back until they can squeeze your ass. You moan brokenly into her mouth.

She breaks the kiss to mutter, “Feel me? I'm here, safe, with you.”

“If you think I'm staying behind next time, you're mad,” you respond, licking a hot line up the side of her neck.

Her head tips back as she laughs, the sound teetering off into a gasp when you bite down and begin sucking a mark into her skin.

“I figured you would say so,” she says.

Without a word, you make quick work of undoing the laces of her trousers. She helps you undress her, slipping off her coat and unbuttoning her waistcoat before she reaches for you. Her deft fingers work on removing your corset and dress until you're completely bare. She steps out of her trousers that have pooled at her ankles, kicking her boots off in the process.

The stark contrast of the stitches against her skin is like a punch to the gut. You softly trail your fingers just below them.

“Lie down,” you tell her.

She opens her mouth to protest, but you send her a look that begs her to simply do as she's told, and for once, she listens. She walks over to her bed with you in tow and eases her way onto it. You crawl on after her, sitting between her thighs.

“No teasing,” she intones, tacking on a quiet, “please.”

You hadn't planned on such a thing anyway. Instead of verbally replying, you lift one of her legs and straddle the other, shuffling forward until you can align your pussy with hers. You place a kiss on her calf and then grind forward.

Twin gasps echo in the room, pleasure setting your bodies ablaze. Wanda’s eyes close as she pants at the feel of your wet cores sliding together. It sends a shudder down your spine, mouth falling open as your clit is stimulated perfectly.

“Doing such a good job, my angel,” Wanda praises, making you whine and grind harder. “You feel exquisite. Love feeling your cunt, dripping and desperate against mine.”

“My King, please,” you whimper.

She moans and yanks you down for a kiss, sucking on your tongue, biting your lip. You cry out when her fingers pinch and tug your nipples, hips twitching out of rhythm for a moment before you regain it. Both of your thighs are messy with slick, the sound of it sending heat up to your face, makes your clit throb.

“Come on, then. Let me hear you,” she orders. “Want to see you come apart on top of me.”

You feel a sudden smack to your ass and you're keening, grinding faster as sweat forms across your hairline, on the small of your back. Wanda isn't faring any better, her cheeks flushed a stunning shade of pink. She keeps spanking you, urging you on. Your ass stings, but it's a welcome feeling, a reminder that she's here, below you.

“Come for me, pretty girl,” she requests.

You can only listen, your clit beating in time with your heart as you grind it on hers, moaning loudly when your orgasm consumes you. Wanda pulls you down entirely, shifting you to lay on your side and lift your leg. With pleasure still clouding your mind, you blindly follow her silent instruction. The high of your climax hasn't even receded when she slides two fingers inside you. A surprised whine falls past your slackened lips.

“I've got to get one more out of you, my love,” she informs you, immediately thrusting her fingers at a brutal pace. “I know you can do that for me. Can't you?”

You nod, letting out noises that you're sure the crew can hear. Wanda doesn't seem to care, though, so you can't find it in you to care either. She licks into your mouth, her tongue tangling with yours, making you shiver and clench around her fingers.

“That's it, there you go,” she coos.

Her thumb joins in, swiping over your sensitive clit. You nearly scream her name. She grins proudly, curling her fingers and rubbing over the spot inside you that is sure to have you wailing. It takes only a minute longer and then your second orgasm rushes through you.

“Beautiful, so beautiful, my sweet angel,” Wanda is saying in your ear, kissing along your jaw as spots dance in your vision.

You weakly push at her hand when you become overly tender. She removes her fingers and gathers your wetness, bringing her hand down to her clit and using it to quickly get herself off. She holds your heavy lidded stare until her orgasm takes over. She tosses her head back with a cut off shout, her hips bucking into her hand.

“My handsome captain,” you say, kissing her shoulder. “Took such good care of me. Thank you, my darling.”

Wanda sighs as relaxes. “Always for you.”

You trade sweet nothings and even sweeter kisses for a few, long moments until you remember her injury. The skin around it looks more irritated than before, but she promises that she's fine, kissing away your worries.

You stay wrapped up in each other, running soothing hands over each other’s bodies for a while. When you yawn and blink drowsily, Wanda covers you with the blanket, letting you cuddle up even closer.

You're asleep between one blink and the next.

#avengers fic #marvel fic #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff fic #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x you #pirate king wanda x reader

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dollishrelic · 5 months

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♡A Y/n like Yae Miko♡

♡.Character(s): Cater Diamond

♡.headcanons(kinda?) Might be ooc, but I tried

♡.Reader is Gender Neutral/can be platonic or romantic

♡.Reader is based on Yae Miko from Genshin Impact

♡. Note: I had this in drafts since last year lmao

Caters first impression of you was a memorable one. Aside from seeing his Housewarden turning a gradient of red to purple with rage, he was surprised you had the guts to still be grinning in front of him. It was quite a sight to see Riddle be anraged already by yet another transfer student.

He certainly asks a lot of questions about where you are from and is interested in the customs and foods you have in Inazuma. Make sure to write down every single detail since you'll soon see a lengthy post about you on his Magicam page. Naturally, he would need to keep track of each new transfer student at the school.

"Locking herself away in the Plane of Euthymia, it's as if she was putting herself in timeout. She was stubborn trying to hold the belief, yet it was cute as well."

"Hm? What? Do you want me to call you cute too? I suppose I can, but only if you ask nicely."

Within a couple months of you settling in, you're definitely his favorite gossip buddy, always in the loop of all the new rumors and details going around campus. You help him keep track of new topics that he may have missed. It's like you truly do have eyes and ears everywhere, actually on the topic of ears.

Cater likes the way your ears bob as you walk. It's cute to him, along with your ears, it holds the hypnotic chimes of your vision dangling from it. He's seen his fair share of different ears, but yours appear unique. You always manage to catch him staring, allowing you to attack him with teases.

"You like how I wear my vision, don't you? Dear me, don't shy away now. You've already gotten this far. Might as well ask the question. Go on, we have all the time in the world right now.

I can see him attempting to accessorize similarly to you. Specifically, he would provide you with several ear cuffs or earrings to wear to stay current with fashion. Maybe matching bracelets might also be fitting with custom charms on it, and perhaps matching phonecases can accompany that.

In the middle of PE, it was when he noticed that you never had your tail in eyesight. Which honestly confused him, he spent the entire class questioning where did it go or what happened to it. He really thought you didn't even have one until you cleared up the misconception.

"So, you want to see my tail? Alright then, close your eyes and count to 10. Pfft, you really thought I was going to show them? In your dreams."

He was definitely disappointed to open his eyes to seeing nothing out of the ordinary. At this point, he might as well photoshop one on you.

The first time, you saw Cater's clones in action. The first thing you thought was 'He'd be useful for the Publishing House', but sadly, that idea was shut down by riddle. It seems he is holding a small grudge against you from your first interaction.

"Tsk, Tsk what a pity. I would have loved to snatch you up for the Publishing House. But it seems your housewarden doesn't like to share."

Despite his repeated attempts to catch you off guard for the camera, you consistently seem to be one step ahead of him. It doesn't matter what kind of setting you're in—a kitsune like yourself is very photogenic. The images of the two of you together and of you tend to circulate more on the magicam website due to both of you having the same energy in photos.

Cater is not exempt from your jokes and pranks. You take pleasure in watching him wriggle in his seat and make an effort to divert his attention away from you by using his phone. He is aware that you are still wearing a smile. That's right, this is a great method to kill time in class.

Despite the continual taunting, Cater appreciates your reliability and thanks you for that. His academic progress is always maintained by you, notably in his literature class. You, by his side, ensure that he never becomes sluggish of attempt to find an easy way out. Though he can't help but feel uneasy in the pit of his stomach on days when he must ask for your assistance. Especially with essays.

"I see, so you've come to me for help. What do I receive in this exchange?"

"I can-"

"Hm? What? Your loyalty? Ah yes, I would very much like that. Start by assisting me around the publishing house; I won't take no for an answer.'

Needless to say, Cater had a lot of rewriting to do. The essay should be interesting for the teacher but for her as well.

"I still can't see how adding a love story and a boss battle is a key detail...when we're researching about Dwarf's Mines."

"Well, the writing should at least be entertaining, but fine, Since you want to keep it as historically accurate as possible; let's see what you come up with."

#I don't trust myself with grammar lmao #i haven't written in so long #RomiiWriting!#twst x reader #cater diamond #cater diamond x reader #x reader #cater x reader #twisted wonderland #twst x y/n #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x gender neutral reader #twst x gn reader #x gn reader #gender neutral reader #gn reader

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