#just been feeling down and drawing plants is the best distraction

[betweenblackberrybranches]

Castle in the sky AU ahoy

This belongs with that first chapter of the CitS AU that i posted last week

Just a first look at the guy

Its just a little side project for comfort

#castle in the sky au #fnaf sun #sundrop #dca #daycare attendant #my art #okay guys look #this is pure comfort #maybe ill rework the au to fit more slice of life fluff in there #bc i am depressed and i need to just live out my days on the flying island please #i mean the actual story i came up with is a little sad so maybe ill just rework it to be happy instead! #just been feeling down and drawing plants is the best distraction #yay new au i guess #putting it on the au pile #guy has no mouth

[simpforboys]

in for the long haul

xavier x fem!addams!reader

summary: you’re the daughter of fester and attend nevermore. xavier tries to fight for your heart no matter how long it may take.

warnings: kinda angsty, fluff ending, reader is goth (just like me fr), swear words, xavier is such a simp

works for both blood related or adopted daughter (whatever your imagination desires) as there’s no physical descriptions

IM SO PROUD OF THIS PLS

ever since your father had been keeping a low profile, you had been staying with your aunt morticia and uncle gomez.

your father knew it would be the best option for you. hanging out with your cousins, pugsley and wednesday, should be fun, right?

but after too many troubles with wednesday, morticia decided to send you both to nevermore academy.

wednesday had taken a strong hatred for the place from the beginning. you, however, were beginning to warm up to it. you would never admit it, but you secretly liked your black and white uniform you and wednesday received.

you began to except friendships (unlike your cousin). a vampire named hera was your roommate and probably your closest friend, other than wednesday’s roommate, enid.

but out of everyone in the school, one person specifically stood out to you. xavier thorpe.

you didn’t know why he had taken such a strong liking to you. he made efforts to be around you, make you feel included, and try to see you smile.

so, as you sat in thornhill’s class, you tried to keep your eyes open as she taught on and on and on about specific types of plants.

xavier could feel your boredom from his desk a few seats away. he grabbed a sheet of paper and pencil and began doodling on the white sheet.

you were so zoned out you almost didn’t feel the little tap on your ankle. you looked down the table to find a black rabbit that appeared to be alive, straight out of a drawing.

you looked up at xavier threw your eyelashes. your cold, empty, dead stare was enough to almost make him feel scared.

you were about to reach down to the rabbit when thing crawled down your leg, squishing the rabbit out of existence by accident.

you watched thing’s embarrassment as he crawled into your backpack and zipped it up after him.

you couldn’t help but feel the end of your lips twist into a grin as you looked away. it wasn’t that you didn’t like xavier, you just believed you can spend your time elsewhere instead of taking the risk of heartbreak.

you watched your father’s sanity slowly decrease after the loss of your mother. maybe that’s a reason for his quirky behavior, but the concept of being so in love that it makes you lose all sense of your mind was something you couldn’t comprehend.

why risk everything for one person?

sure, you had your uncle gomez and aunt morticia as an example of sickening love. the way your uncle admired your aunt in such a way, it made you question love.

why is love so good to others, but can be so cruel at the same time?

➽─────────────────❥

after class, you began to walk down to the courtyard when you heard someone jogging behind you. rain was pouring from the sky.

“y/n,” xavier called out.

you stopped dead in your tracks, looking up at him through your wet eyelashes. “what?”

“where are you going?” he questioned as you continued to move.

“dunno. maybe i’ll go find something interesting to distract me from the world.”

“are you excited for outreach day?”

“excited for extended labor during a saturday in a little town that doesn’t like us? not exactly how i like to spend my weekends.”

xavier stared at you. sometimes he couldn’t figure out why you were so closed off, so private, so distant.

but he couldn’t lie and say it didn’t intrigue him. when xavier first saw you on campus, he was immediately interested. your beautiful looks (and the fact you and wednesday had little to no color on) captivated him. he needed to know you.

“well, i’m going to the library if you want to come with.”

you watched as xavier licked his lips. you pondered for a moment.

“fine.”

his lips curled into a grin.

the two of you walked to the library. a comfortable silence was between you too, and you could tell he was nervous.

xavier held the door open for you as you entered the library. you immediately walked over to the giant window that overlooked the rain and the small town of jericho.

xavier pulled out a chair across from you. he noticed you watching the rain.

“i like this weather. rain makes me feel good.”

“it’s so… gloomy.” xavier argued.

“look at who you’re talking to,” you joked.

xavier laughed. it was very rare you showed your sense of humor.

“there’s just something about clouds and rain to me. something very… gloomy.”

you referred to xavier’s previous statement. you could see his blush and you couldn’t help but smile at him.

and xavier swore he fell harder.

➽─────────────────❥

you and wednesday stood side by side as principal weems went around with a hat. outreach day had finally arrived.

wednesday reached in and you followed. “what’d you get?” she questioned.

“the weathervane. you?”

“i don’t know what shop this is. but i need to get into pilgrim world.”

wednesday had briefly explained to you about the case she’s trying to solve as well as her novel. you chose to try to ignore her antics because you knew how hyper-fixed she gets on things.

but if she needed you, you would be there in a heartbeat.

“tyler works at the weathervane.” wednesday added.

“the boy who’s in love with you?” you questioned your cousin. wednesday stared at you as you both began to walk to the bus.

“unfortunately. it’s quite frightening how much he likes me. same with xavier for you.”

“understood. i just hope today goes by very quickly.”

➽─────────────────❥

when you entered the weathervane, tyler was there happily to introduce you to his work. “wow, you are very similar to wednesday.” he commented.

“we’re cousins. why are we waiting?” you asked, noticing he hadn’t made any move to start.

“waiting on one more person to show up- there he is.”

you turned your head to see xavier walking in. great.

“y/n?” he stared at you.

“unfortunately.”

“alright, let’s get started.”

tyler gave you guys aprons and then walked you through drinks, taking orders, and normal café stuff.

“y/n, go take your first order.” tyler instructed as he handed you a notepad and pen.

you walked over to an old married couple. when they saw your cold face and dead-looking eyes they jumped.

“what do you want?” you asked.

“actually, i think we’re going to head out.” the old woman motioned for her husband to exit the booth.

xavier couldn’t help but start laughing as you walked back over to them. tyler was shaking his head.

“that’s the opposite of what we want to do, y/n. xavier, you try.”

you both watched as xavier walked over to a group of girls. you didn’t hear what they said, but the way they were giggling as he spoke made you feel sick to your stomach. 

you rolled your eyes as you walked over to the pastry case and took a bite of a cookie. 

“y/n- you know what, never mind. just try to be nicer to the customers.” 

when xavier walked back over with a notepad filled with orders, he immediately noticed your cold and blank stature. 

“are you done flirting with those barbies?” 

xavier smirked as he leaned against the counter, eyes locked directly on yours. it made you feel nervous. 

“why? are you jealous, y/n?” he asked. 

“you wish.” you rolled your eyes. 

“don’t worry y/n, you’re the only one i have my heart set out for.” he mumbled, now standing extremely close to you. you couldn’t help but shiver. 

you were about to speak once more when tyler walked back over. “start getting to work, guys.”

xavier watched as you quickly walked away from him. fucking tyler. 

after an hour you, tyler, and xavier decided it would be best for you to make the drinks rather than take orders. you were absolutely miserable seeing the way xavier made every customer laugh and smile. it was like torture, and not the good kind. the worst part was, you didn’t even know where this feeling was coming from. 

it wasn’t until wednesday walked in when you felt like you could finally breathe. “how are you, cousin?” she asked. 

“i feel like crawling into a deep, dark hole until i shrivel up and die. you?”

“lovely. i feel the same. is tyler here?” 

tyler came walking around the corner. wednesday and him walked away from you as you noticed thing crawling towards you. 

“finally, a real person.” you whispered to thing as he signed what’s wrong? on the counter. 

“i wish to go into darkness and never come back out.” you explained to him. 

xavier walked over to the counter and noticed your whispering. he furrowed his brows, looking over to see thing quickly signing to you. 

“how did thing get in here?” xavier asked suddenly. 

both you and thing jumped. thing went to handshake xavier and you swore you felt betrayal. 

➽─────────────────❥

you opted to walk back to nevermore after the incident in the town center, regarding thing and wednesday blowing up the statue of joseph crackstone. 

mostly, you needed to clear your head. what was it about xavier and those girls that made you so angry today? 

unfortunately, you didn’t get too much time to think. xavier had began chasing after you, calling out your name. 

“you okay?” he asked when he finally caught up. 

“i’m wonderful.” you answered shortly as you kept walking. 

“why are you so closed off?” xavier finally asked. 

“why are you so open?” you shot back. 

“i’m trying so hard, y/n. trying so hard to be your friend, maybe even get you to be my girlfriend. but you just keep pushing away.”

“i don’t see a point in dating. love is pointless to me. in 300 years, you wouldn’t be able to remember me. my soul, my existence, my face.”

“so that’s the reason? you’re scared of love?” xavier’s voice got softer as he walked closer to you. you didn’t move away (despite your shaking hands and pounding heart). 

“love can be a really good thing in life, y/n.”

“then why can it also be so cruel?”

“you have to take risks. in order to want, to get, to have something, you have to take a risk.”

he was standing dangerously close to you know. 

“you’ve made me feel something so different these past few months. just please, let me show you how good love can be.”

your breathing was staggered as xavier leaned in, lips barely touching. “can i kiss you, y/n?”

fuck it. 

you connected your lips to his as your hands came up to hold his jaw. he immediately placed his hands on your hips, pulling your body even closer to his. he was so desperate for you. 

and maybe you just now realized how desperate you were for him. 

after a couple moments, you pulled away slightly.

“i can take a risk.” you mumbled against his lips.

you felt him smile against your mouth as he kissed you once again.

#xavier #xavier fluff #xavier x reader #xavier thorpe smut #xavier thorpe x reader #wednesday addams #wednesday #the addams family #percy hynes white #percy #xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe x you #i need him #simpforboys

[mapofthemazeinthemirror]

Hybrid!txt protecting their human partner

This could also work for werewolf!txt?

a/n: sorry one is longer than the rest of them, it was the first concept I had so it was more fleshy :’) I tried to write as much as I could for each member

Please let me know which is your favourite!

Yeonjun

Yeonjun knows there are several hybrid predators living in his apartment building. It took a long time before he let you come over: it was safer at your place. But eventually he caved. He will piggyback you from the car to his room, not wanting any of them to pick up on your trail. Once inside, he plants you on the bed and has you change so you’re wearing his clothes, to mask your scent with his own. He beams down at you in his shirt and sweats that are adorably big on you and kisses your forehead before climbing into bed with you and tucking you under his arm for the night. He doesn't let himself sleep deeply, staying half between awake and asleep to keep himself alert. He prays this method will continue to work until he can afford his own place away from the noses of other hybrids, where he can relax knowing you’re completely safe.

Soobin

You’re walking down the street with Soobin, enjoying the evening together, talking and laughing, when all of a sudden his demeanour becomes serious and he goes quiet. He grabs you by the arm and pushes you to the other side of him: now you’re walking along the shop fronts while he’s on the street side. Before you can ask any questions, a group of noisy men round the corner ahead of you. You feel Soobin tense up at the sight of them, then feel his hand against the small of your back, applying a small amount of pressure, prepared to push you inside one of the convenience stores. You steal a glance at him and see him watching the group before looking down at the ground and back up again, trying to keep an eye on them without appearing to be staring which could draw their attention to the two of you. As the men get closer they notice you both, they trade whispers and blatantly look you up and down. Your heart is pounding, so glad Soobin is here with you instead of being alone in a situation like this. He picks up his pace slightly, steering you along with him, leaving the group behind. Once you’ve made it around the corner and far enough that you’d be out of sight if they were to follow, he stops abruptly, pulling you into his arms and sighing with relief into your hair. You aren’t sure if those men were just men or only half, but you don’t ask.

Beomgyu

The first time you and Gyu met he pretended to be your boyfriend to ward off a hybrid who wouldn’t leave you alone. This total stranger came up and put his arm around you, kissed your cheek, looked the transgressor in the eye and asked if he knew him. It worked, and the two of you had been together ever since. Beomgyu always made sure himself or one of his friends were with you when you had to walk through the dodgy parts of town. Even then, he arms you with a can of mace, just to be extra safe. He takes pride in keeping you safe, both from other hybrids and from normal occurrences: his reflexes having kept you from injury on a few occasions. As long as your head is laid against his chest at the end of the day, safe and content, he feels like all is right in his world.

Taehyun

Taehyun’s eyes are his best asset. Anytime there is unwanted attention toward you he is always the first one to notice. He stares the perpetrator down, unblinking eyes dark and unmissable even in the shadows of a room, and it’s almost as if they can hear his thoughts. Don’t even try it. You won’t win. The flexing of his jaw has you noticing his distraction. You turn your head to follow his gaze, but his hand catches your cheek and keeps your attention on him with a small smile. You don’t need to know what’s happening until it intensifies, and usually his warning looks are enough.

Huening Kai

Kai makes sure you wear his jacket on your way home. Any hybrid who gets within 10 metres of you will get his scent and it will be enough to put them off, especially if they are of a different species; to them, you reek and they can’t stand to walk your way. You probably don’t even need the piece of clothing, his scent already all over you from loved up days spent inside, but he feels proud when he sends you from his door completely covered in him.

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

#txt imagines #txt scenarios #hybrid txt #hybrid!txt #werewolf!txt #boyfriend!txt #beomgyu x reader #soobin x reader #txt sfw #yeonjun x reader #taehyun x reader #hueningkai x reader #sfw

[writingforrhys]

soft, sweet bedtime sex with rhysie please?

- can i be 🌷 anon?

of course you can, my love. thank you for wanting to stick around! i look forward to seeing you again x

Reward

rhysand x reader contents: pure smut my friends

masterlist

"Right there, oh Gods, right there."

A hum came from the male between your thighs. He had wanted to treat you especially well tonight, as if he didn't every night already. You'd been working a ridiculous amount recently. Rhys had been hellbent on making you his High Lady, but you didn't want to stop your work as a healer.

You compromised with him that you would take on the role as long as you still got to help as many people as you had before. You hadn't stopped working the past couple of weeks; from hailing in every Illyrian brute that took training too far to nursing post-natal females back to health.

He watched you walk through the door every night, too exhausted from work to stand up, but always with that sleepy, satisfied smile on your face. You deserved a big reward, he decided.

He'd run you a bath with rose petals and bubbles and candles, and had treated you to the best back massage you'd ever received. His thumbs worked into the knots in your neck, prying moans and squeaks from you that he revelled in, and he had run a soapy sponge over your body, cleaning and kissing your body as he went.

Now, you were laying on top of the sheets, hair still wet, as he licked and sucked at your cunt. His tongue ran from your soaked entrance to your clit, skilfully applying just the right amount of pressure to bring you to your climax.

When one particular movement sent shivers all the way down your spine and created an explosion at your core, you grabbed onto his onyx hair and released a loud wail.

"I know, baby," You could feel his smirk on your pussy, "That's a good girl. Let it all out."

"Rhys, please." You panted.

"Please what?"

"Please fuck me, Rhys." You were desperate, gasping as air refused to fill your lungs, legs shaking around his head.

"Oh, darling. Look at you," He grabbed your thighs and placed them around his waist instead, moving his body up to meet yours. His cock brushed delicately against you, drawing a delicious mewl from your lips, "Don't worry, I'm gonna take such good care of my High Lady."

You melted further into the bed as his lips found purchase on your neck, travelling down, down, down, until his lips latched around your nipple, nipping gently at the swollen bud. He ran his hands over your waist and down to your hips, rubbing with his thumbs gently.

He released his hold on your breast, instead opting for planting a kiss on your lips. He was loving, tender. His tongue swiped your bottom lip before entering your mouth, meeting yours delicately, instead of the fervour he usually approached with.

You were too distracted by his mouth to notice him reach one hand down to his length, stroking himself before positioning the tip and sinking into you.

The feel of him filling you was euphoric, hands reaching to scratch down his back and grab at what you could. Your body arched up into him as you both moaned together, his a deep, guttural growl.

"Fuck, I could never get bored of this feeling." He groaned and began to rock back and forth, teasing you with his cock, pulling out all the way to his tip and sheathing himself inside of you over and over again.

"Oh, Rhys," You moaned, "So fucking good - shit."

You bucked your hips, matching his rhythm. Your bodies moved together, a rhythm you'd perfected over time together, yet somehow always better than the last time you'd fucked. But this, this wasn't fucking. He was loving you. Doting on you and waiting hand and foot.

"That's it, my mate. Fuck yourself on me." He choked out.

He continued his movements, rubbing your walls exquisitely. You became a flurry of hands and mouths, grabbing and kissing and sucking. You were so desperate for him, your body begging to intertwine with his. Nothing was enough for you.

Moans and whines filled the wide expanse of the dark room as Rhys brought you to an orgasm over and over, watching as the sweat dripped down your forehead from the heat between your writhing bodies.

"My dirty girl," A grit from between his teeth, "Fucking love you like this, underneath me."

And you never wanted to be anywhere else.

#rhysand oneshot #rhysand smut #rhysand acotar #rhysand imagine #rhysand x reader #rhysand x you #rhys imagine #rhys x reader #acotar imagine #acotar fanfiction #acotar smut #acotar oneshot #acotar fic

[thesparklingwriter]

misplaced jealousy

“You should have asked how I felt about this ‘tiny Childe’ before you let him take my place in your arms.”

word count: 1.2k

original ask

tags: gn reader, fluff

taglist | masterlist

When you told Childe that you planned to use your annual leave from work to get back to some crafting, he’d thought that it was a great idea. He’d asked around to find the best supplies possible, had them delivered to you in a neat little package, and waited patiently to hear whether you liked it or not. He knew he’d be at the bank when the delivery came, so he half expected you to come by and tell him about all the plans you had for each item.

But you’d been really quiet about it, and he worried that maybe the package had never made it to you, so he drops by to check it got delivered to the house. He opens the front door, expecting you to notice almost immediately, like you always did, but you don’t. In fact, for a few minutes, he’s convinced you’re not even home, until he decides to check your office.

“You know, if your inhumane ability to know when the door is opened is broken, you might have to look at locking the front door more often.” He says, as soon as he spots you hunched over your desk. You jump as soon as you hear him, but turning your attention away from your sketch seems to be a hard task.

“Jeez, Ajax, you scared the life out of me,” you say, as he reaches down to hug you. “What are you doing here?”

“I was concerned the craft supplies I ordered for you never made it,” He says. “So i thought i'd come by and check”

“You just wanted to slack off,” You laugh, putting your pencil down. “Anyway, it’s a good thing you came. I planned to come down to the bank to thank you myself, but I got totally distracted with ideas.”

“And those ideas are?” Childe asks, trying to get a glance at your paper, but you flip the paper over, glaring at him half heartedly.

“For me to know, and you to find out later.” You pull him into a hug, laughing as he tries to pull away from you and the kisses you plant on his face. “Thank you. Really.”

“Anytime,” he responds. He sits with you a little longer, trying his best to observe quietly, but failing miserably as he descends into peals of laughter at your attempt to draw a bunny. Or was it supposed to be a dog? He doesn’t know, and he never gets to find out, because you throw him out of your office and he finds himself forced to return to work.

He very quickly begins to regret his laughter at your sketch, because now he’s not allowed in the same room as you if you're making your plushies, and it just so happens that every minute of your day is consumed by your crafting activities. When he got home, you used to at least acknowledge his presence, but now, it's as if he comes home to an empty house.

To make matters worse, the only way he knows if you’re alive or not is if something goes wrong. And you seem to be so good at what you’re doing that he only ever hears you curse frustratedly once a day if he’s lucky. Sometimes you come out to eat dinner with him, and other times you fuel yourself on snacks and don’t leave your office until night when you tiredly crawl into bed next to him without a single word.

As much as he wants to march into your office and burn every single thing he bought so that you’d look at him again, he knows you deserve your own space, so he tries to find a hobby of his own. (It doesn’t work, and it only makes him miss you more.) 

After a week of feeling like he doesn't exist, he returns home, expecting to once again be met with a silent house.

“Oh, you’re back, great,” You say, getting up to hug him when you feel the sudden gust of air from the front door opening. “I need your opinion on something 'cause I think that Liyue has the spiciest food, but for some reason, my friend thinks Mondstadt does. Like has she even eaten Mondstadt’s food before?”

“So you’ve remembered I’m alive?” Childe mutters into your hair. You look up at him skeptically.

“I wasn’t that bad,” you scoff. “Was I?”

“You were horrendous.” he laughs. “But at least it’s over now.” He doesn’t dare ask you to see the finished product, in case it suddenly makes you decide to revisit the project. 

You apologise lightly, laughing at the face he makes when he’s forced to relive the past week in his mind. The rest of the night seems normal–you eat dinner together and spend the rest of the evening relaxing in each other’s company. You go to bed nestled up in Childe’s arms, the same way you usually do. 

Everything goes wrong in the morning, when he notices that you rolled away in the middle of the night, and is horrified to discover that you did so to cuddle the stupid plushie that’s been taking you away from him for the past week. He considers excusing it since the plushie is in his likeness, but in the end, he decides that it’s too much of an insult, and the minute your grip on it loosens, he grabs it and hides it in a wardrobe he knows you rarely go into.

Since it's a weekend, he busies himself with making breakfast to try and forget the ridiculous situation he finds himself in because it makes no sense to him. How is he literally getting replaced? And by a stuffed toy?

“Morning, Ajax,” You mutter sleepily, as you come down the stairs. “You’ve not seen tiny Childe, have you? He must have fallen off the bed at some point last night but he’s not underneathh it, so I have no clue where he’s gone.”

“I slept well, thanks, you?” He replies, focusing on the eggs he’s frying.

“Ajax.” You suddenly don’t sound sleepy at all, and Childe keeps himself firmly facing the stove. He quietly turns it off, just in case you decide that taking your plush is a crime punishable by death by flames.

“Yes?”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re the worst liar ever. What did you do to tiny Childe?”

“You should have asked how I felt about this ‘tiny Childe’ before you let him take my place in your arms.”

“You are not jealous of a plush right now.”

“Maybe I am.” he scoffs. “Maybe it’s silly. But I maintain that until you atone for your misdemeanours, ‘Tiny Childe’ will never see the light of day again.”

“You’re joking,” Your attempts to hide how hard you're trying not to laugh fail miserably, and you can see Childe trying his best not to laugh either. But in the face of a completely ridiculous situation, what are either of you supposed to do?

“Fine,” you sigh, pulling him into a hug. “I apologise for giving my attention to something else, and I will never, ever do it again.”

“Much better.” Childe grins.

~~~

Bonus:

“You lasted way longer than I thought you would. I half expected you to break down my office door.”

“What do you mean?”

“You really thought it took me a whole week to make that?”

author's note: once again, another guy i haven't written for in a while lol

childe nation how does it feel to love a character that's favoured by the literal game devs

taglist: @tartigglez @aixaingela @thelonelyarchon

(crossed out @s couldn't be tagged)

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #fanfiction #childe x reader #childe genshin impact #tartaglia genshin impact #tartaglia x reader #genshin childe #genshin tartaglia #childe fluff #tartaglia fluff

[daydream-cement]

Guard Dog

Captain Phasma x Reader

Authors Note: Weren't expectin' this were ya?

“Let me look at you…” Phasma growled. She shifted to her knees, planting herself between your legs. You were seated on the edge of her bed, stripped to your underclothes so she could look at the cuts and bruises beginning to form across your skin.

Phasma had been particularly tough today in training and asked you and your peers to spar against more experienced recruits. She never let you and the others utilize the simulator training programs as she found them to be ‘for the weak’. Live combat was the only way to become a true warrior. On today’s journey to become a true warrior, you were put up against a trainee who was nearly as tall as Phasma with twice her muscle mass. He was particularly brutal with you.

You kept up the best you could, dodging where you could. Today was all hand to hand combat and you were more of a marksman. Your third time being kicked to the ground, you were beginning to question your abilities. Rather than allowing you to hop back up, he hovered over you, sneering at your weakness. He grasped you by the front of your armor and tore off your helmet, exposing your face to whatever damage he planned to inflict. Drawing a fist back, he hesitated a moment before striking you. Whatever rage he had, he was about to take it all out on you. He hit you again and again until he was stuck with a command staff.

His hands released you and you dropped to the floor. Blinking slowly, the throb of your skull was overpowering and you could feel blood dripping from your nose to your ear. You watched Phasma step over you and begin mercilessly putting the trainee into his place. It wasn’t a few seconds until he was on the floor, unable to escape the toe of her chrome boot breaking through the chestplate of his white plastoid body armor. After a few swift kicks, she finally spoke, “Helmets stay on during training.”

“You could have used his weight against him.” Her fingertips brushed over the yellowing bruise, a permanent frown etched onto her face. “He’s lucky I didn’t do the same to him.”

She would have killed him had she done the same. Her protective nature brought a smile to your face. At dinner, you overheard some of the other trainees talking that Phasma had broken his ribs, “You almost killed him.”

“Don’t remind me of my shortcomings.” Her tone was flat, but you knew this was her particular way of telling a joke. Phasma never had much of a sense of humor about things. She only cared for work, and you of course.

Her sight travels down to your split lip. She brushes a thumb over it and you suck in a breath at the pain. You should know better than to show pain in front of her. You always wanted to show her how strong you could be. Attempting to distract her away from your own pain and weakness, you turn your face into her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm.

Just as you hoped, the action caused her stern expression to soften, “We will do extra training. I don’t want to see you hurt again, little trooper.”

You nod in agreement, knowing if she was the one training you privately there was no doubt in your mind you could fight the trainee from today in the future and win. Her hands moved to hold your face, and she drew you down into a soft kiss. When she parted, she drew your head down more to press an additional kiss to your forehead.

“Time for bed.” Phasma’s statement was more of an order as she released your face and moved to stand. Even in these more tender moments, she would always be the domineering and stern individual who would easily rise to the rank of captain one day.

#captain phasma #captain phasma x reader #star wars #star wars the force awakens #star wars tfa #gwendoline christie #gwen christie #fanfic #oneshot #star wars the last jedi

[pineappleciders]

hello hello hello hi!!!! seeing ur writing rq's are open could I request mari, basil, sunny, and hero with an s/o whos gotta stay in the hospital for a week?? It'd be cool since I had to stay in the hospital for a week diagnosed w a life long illness and . none of my friends visited 😭 have a wonderful silly day!!!!

MARI, BASIL, HERO, and SUNNY with an S/O who's been hospitalized

A/N: HELLO!! i hope you are doing well, being in the hospital SUCKS and i'm so sorry that nobody visited😭😭i hope everything gets better for you, plz stay safe❤️

MARI

she hates it when you aren't doing well,, she'll visit you every day and stay for as long as she can

she'll bring you fresh flowers every time and will always talk w you about anything and everything. she'll tell you how your friends have been and about the grade she got on her quiz ... literally anything in hopes of distracting both you and her of your state

i think she likes to sew so she'll sew you a little blanket or even a plushie to keep you comfort

gets a little upset whenever she has to leave the room ... she's fighting tooth and nail with the doctors to let her in

bakes cookies for you and u two eat them together . honestly if she had it her way you'd be completely under her care but,,, sigghh,,, she supposes that the doctors know what's best.... smh

if you're feeling well enough to eat she'll always help you do so. even if you insist that you can do it by yourself . she's almost like an over-doting mother in some ways

WILL sing/hum you lullabies when you're tired. you cannot refuse. she will also tuck you in and kiss your forehead . just for good measure

BASIL

he can't help but worry . he's honestly pretty anxious knowing you're not doing well but he doesn't show it in front of you ,, he doesn't want to stress you out even more

he'll send you cards every single day that he can't make it in person ,, they have little doodles on them and you can tell they're made with love

he brings you potted plants and tells you all about them. he hopes that it helps you get your mind off of everything for awhile !!

"this is an echinacea, or the coneflower! it's been used for antibiotic and medicinal treatment for centuries. it symbolizes healing and strength. here, it's for you."

he'll hold you hand and you can't help but notice how nervous he gets when doctors come in ... he really doesn't want to leave but he understands

he tries to comfort you during uncomfortable times ... like when you have to get your blood drawn or having to take medicine. he'll smile and tell you that he's proud and that he'll get you ice cream when you're out if you follow the doctor's instructions

HERO

he's always talking about what you two are gonna do together when you get out of the hospital,, like going to a carnival and getting ice cream and how excited HECTOR will be to see you again

he doesn't like seeing you unwell but he tries to stay positive and make the best of it!!!

brings you anything you might need from home. drawing materials? plushies? electronics? your favorite blanket? he has it all

he likes to eat meals with you in your room and just talk about everything. he'll tell you about how everyone misses you and he'll lowkey be trying not to cry in front of you

he wants to cook for you SO BAD but the hospital always has meals set up for you already :( so instead he'll bring you little snacks like cookies throughout the day

doesn't want to leave the room at all,,, he'll bring in a laptop and do his classes online and everything

worried very easily,, always warns you to take it easy and slow down if you're getting up or something. he doesn't mean to be overbearing— he just really wants you to be careful!!

SUNNY

he HATES it god :(( he absolutely hates it when you're sick and hospitalized,, he already hates hospitals so he just. is Not Having a good time

but he doesn't want to make it more stressful for you so he tries his best to be there for you

admittedly might spend more less time with you in the hospital just because he can't stand it. but he tries his best to not be selfish and spend time with you when he can

he's a little embarrassed about it but he'll draw pictures of you and give them to you,, don't talk about it too much or show anyone though, he'll never forgive you

encourages you to take your medicine and eat well,, he's not as overwhelming as MARI or HERO but he still cares a lot, just has a different way of showing it

he'll rant about his interests and stuff that's been going on recently to distract you from everything.. he might get a little bit distracted and rant for the entire night so be sure to tell him when you've had enough

may or may not fall asleep with his head on your bed,,, or your lap,,,, holding your hand,,, mayhaps,,,,,

#omori #omori x reader #mari omori x reader #basil omori x reader #hero omori x reader #sunny omori x reader #omori mari x reader #omori basil x reader #omori hero x reader #omori sunny x reader #omori headcanons #omori fandom #omori game #pineappleciders

[ppangjae]

FIVE PLUS ONE | JAEHYUN

SYNOPSIS. Five times world-renowned chef Jeong Jaehyun tried to end your journey to be a chef  because you weren’t ‘qualified enough to be a chef’ and that one time you proved him wrong. 

—or: your villain story quite literally 

PAIRING. jaehyun x fem!reader

GENRE. fluff | angst | enemies to lovers!au | chef!jaehyun | aspiring chef!reader

WORD COUNT. 28.8k+ words (is this my new record? omg)

author's note. i posted a long time ago about how i must write a chef!jae fic and now, here she is. i'm so sorry for such a long wait (and all those postponements oop) but i'm glad that she's finally done and posted for you to enjoy reading! i hope you enjoy this fic as much as i enjoyed writing it :-) also pls reading the author’s note at the end for all my thoughts about writing this fic! happy reading~

THE FIRST TIME.

The first time you and world-renowned chef Jeong Jaehyun crossed paths was when you were doing your culinary internship at Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence, Italy. In fact, you had no idea who Jeong Jaehyun was. It was your second day of internship at the Michelin-starred restaurant and because you needed a bit more time to adjust to the new working environment, you worked as a waitress. You had no customer complaints about working as a waitress for the first week and had agreed it was the best way for you to get accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. While you had no idea who Jeong Jaehyun was at the time, he made sure you knew who exactly he was when you had accidentally stumbled over your two feet and spilled his glass of Barolo all over his cream-coloured button-up shirt.

“I’m so sorry!” You exclaim, looking at him with extreme horror all over your face. Your knees were planted onto the red carpet floors, and you were too horrified and embarrassed to bring yourself back up onto your own two feet. You would rather be sucked into the red carpet floors and the pits of darkness, never to be seen again. Slowly looking up at him, he stares down at his stained shirt before meeting your gaze.

Your blood has never run cold until that very moment. He reads your name on your name tag with a piercing gaze before muttering. “Please get back up. You’re just creating a scene and humiliating yourself even more by gathering attention from other customers—”

“Oh, mi dispiace! Here’s a napkin, Mr. Jeong!” The executive chef, Alessandro, rushes over to the two of you with a large napkin. You’re not sure if you should be relieved to have Alessandro come in to save yourself from the embarrassment, especially with Mr. Jeong staring straight at you with eyes like shooting daggers. You’ve settled on standing behind Alessandro, feeling completely ashamed and embarrassed of yourself. 

“Is she new?” Mr. Jeong asks, burning two holes through your forehead with his dark brown eyes. With your head hanging low, you could only momentarily distract yourself by noticing that the heel of your two-inch black high heels has completely broken off. 

Great. You had just bought these high heels, and they've already broken. You’re left with no choice but to glue the broken heel back on. 

“Yes, she’s new. I apologize, Mr. Jeong. She’s still in training, and thus, she’s a little flustered," Alessandro explains. You don’t have the strength to look at any of them, but the damage has already been done. You’re no superhero with the power to turn back time and undo mistakes. Although, you wish you did have those superpowers at this very moment.

Your conscience forces you to do what you’re supposed to do. First, apologize. Second, make an offer to clean up the spill. Three, offer compensation after consulting Alessandro with ideas. Four, scan the tables around and apologize for the commotion. You learned this in culinary school. You draw in a deep breath, stepping towards Alessandro’s side and forcing yourself to look at Mr. Jeong.

That piercing gaze… that stone-cold face… You wonder who did him so dirty to be so cold-hearted. 

“I apologize, Mr. Jeong. The mess will be cleaned up and we’ll get you a new glass of Barolo. In compensation—” You begin until Alessandro decides to finish it for you.

“In compensation, your main course will be on the house. We deeply apologize, Mr. Jeong.” Alessandro bows and you take it as your cue to bow with him.

Mr. Jeong slowly nods his head. You can still feel his burning stare. Who is he? Why is he being acknowledged with such high regard? Mr. Jeong mumbles, “no worries, do you mind showing me where the washroom is?”

“Yes, Mr. Jeong. It’s right this way.” Alessandro takes over and leads Mr. Jeong to the washroom. As they’re walking away, Alessandro flashes you a look. It’s not a warning look. But with his gaze, you can tell that he’s telling you to head to the storage room to clean up the spill before Mr. Jeong comes back to his table. 

As you head to the storage room to grab hot towels, you bump into one of the other waitresses, Stella, who looks just as horrified as you are. Your legs almost give out at the sight of her. 

“Stella, do you mind taking over his table? I don’t think I can—”

“No, yeah, sure, I’ll take over that table for you. Are you sure you’re okay?” She asks with a face filled with concern. She bites her lip. “You do know who that man is, right?”

You slowly shake your head. “I have no idea who he is—”

“Oh mio dio!” Stella gasps in shock. “Bella, that is Mr. Jeong Jaehyun. Chef Jaehyun. He is a world-renowned chef. He owns five three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the world—”

“World… renowned… chef…” You trail off, growing more horrified by what you’ve done. 

“He’s won almost every cooking competition you could think of. He’s a legend. Both of his parents are culinary chefs too. His parents also teach at one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea for its culinary arts program. He started cooking when he was only ten years old—” She continues to hammer it into your head that the man you have spilled expensive wine all over is a living legend that cannot be messed with.

And you… have messed with him. 

Unknowingly.

“A legend… started at ten years old… won every competition…” 

You’re going to pass out. You feel faint. Your legs feel like jello. You’re surprised that you still haven’t been sucked into the red carpet floors. Maybe fate wanted you to experience this humiliation. Did you do something horribly wrong in your past life to deserve this? It’s only been the second day of your internship and you already want to go home. Hell, you haven’t even started cooking—which is why this culinary internship is for—and you already want to go home to your parents and cry your eyes out. 

“Yeah. He’s a big deal, Y/N. But don’t worry, I got you covered. I’ll take over his table. In the meantime, you stay here and get yourself together, alright?” Stella reassures you. 

You slowly nod your head, falling back against the stool. Stella grabs some towels and leaves you in the storage room all by yourself. Complete shock and embarrassment, you’ve really dug yourself a huge hole. After you’ve gathered yourself together, you head towards the door to look out the small round window that peeks into the restaurant. You could see Stella wiping up Mr. Jeong’s—or should you say Chef Jaehyun’s—table. When Chef Jaehyun returns, she greets him with a wide, pearly-white smile. He returns the same energy as her, almost mirroring her warm and bright aura. It’s a complete one-eighty from how he was with you. You can’t help but feel small. You can’t help but feel miserable.

Maybe you’re not fit to be working in a restaurant. Maybe you’re not fit to be working in a kitchen.

If you can’t even handle guests on the floor, what makes you think you could handle cooking meals in a kitchen? What makes you think you could even step foot in a kitchen? As a chef?

Maybe you’re just not fit to be a chef at all.

As you clock out of your shift, you kick off your high heels to replace them with a pair of running shoes. It’s almost midnight, and you’ve spent the closing hours cleaning up the dining area and the kitchen. It’s been hours since your encounter with Chef Jaehyun but it still feels fresh in your mind. You don’t think it’ll ever leave your mind for a while. 

You hear Stella call out your name as you put on your sweater. Looking over your shoulder, you spot her entering the room with a box in her hands. You quirk an eyebrow out of curiosity. 

“Hey, bella. This is for you.” 

She hands you the box, and you take off the cover to see a new pair of high heels. They look just like the ones you had on earlier, but it has a shiny finish. It’s an expensive brand as well. You place the cover back on, shaking your head and returning it to her. 

“Oh, no, Stella, I don’t think I can take this.” You hand back the heels to her.

She shakes her head. “Oh, no, bella, this is not from me. These heels are truly for you. I was just told to hand this over to you.”

“Oh…” You mumble softly. “Alright, then. Thanks, Stella. Thank you for having my back.”

“No worries, beautiful.” She smiles. “Now, forget about what happened today because tomorrow will be a new day! I don’t want to see your frown tomorrow morning when you clock in, alright? Promise?”

You chuckle. “I promise. By the way, do you know who gave the heels?”

She waves it off. “Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about who gave them.”

“What secrets are you hiding from me?”

“I’m not hiding any secrets from you, beautiful. In fact, I have no idea who gave them. Alessandro just told me to give them to you.”

“I should probably thank Alessandro for these,” you mumble softly.

“Oh, no, these aren’t from Alessandro. He just told me that someone dropped by to give these heels to you and then he asked me to give them to you before you leave.” 

THE SECOND TIME.

You didn’t think Mr. World-Renowned Chef would come back, especially on the last day of your culinary internship. Ever since your full experience of a nightmare with Chef Jaehyun, you were quite surprised that the restaurant made you stay. You were expecting them to kick you out and let you find your way on your own. The first time you encountered Chef Jaehyun, you were a waitress. But this time… you’re a line cook.

And you’re cooking two dishes for him.

“Bella, is the filet mignon and gnocchi Sorrento ready?” Alessandro asks when he pops into the kitchen.

Ever since Alessandro announced and acknowledged Chef Jaehyun’s presence in the restaurant, you’ve been a jittery, nervous mess. This is all because you want to prove Chef Jaehyun wrong. You want to see him sit in his chair and dig into the dishes you’ve made for him, appreciating every single second of your hard work and effort. There are many dishes in the hot sanitizing bath; most of them are yours because they haven’t turned out the way you want them to be. You’ve been assigned two dishes; the filet mignon and gnocchi Sorrento and tiramisu. Two completely different dishes, one is the main course while the other is a dessert. 

“It’s ready.” You answer, placing the dish of filet mignon and gnocchi Sorrento over the counter for Stella to serve the intimidating chef sitting right outside of the door. In terms of what happens beyond that door leading to the dining area, you hope it’s everything but a repeated nightmare.

You take a step back and wait for Stella to return to the kitchen with Chef Jaehyun’s input on your dishes. A couple of minutes later, Stella returns to the kitchen with not a single trace of a smile spread across her lips. You wait in absolute terror. 

It’s almost as if you’re experiencing a real-life Kitchen Nightmares episode. But the chef tasting the food is not Gordon Ramsay (fortunately). It’s Jeong Jaehyun (unfortunately). 

“He doesn’t like it,” she mumbles softly. She draws in a deep breath, eyes finding yours. “He actually wants to have a word with the chef who made it.”

“Oh god,” you groan, rubbing at the temples of your head. You’re feeling a migraine beginning to throb every single angle of your head. It feels like your head is becoming a construction site, pulsing and pounding painfully every thirty seconds. “I’m going to pass out.”

When you step out of the kitchen, you nervously make your way toward Chef Jaehyun’s table. He’s sitting there, eyes shooting daggers right through your head. He definitely remembers you. There’s no doubt about it. There it is… the same piercing gaze he gave you the first time you encountered him. But that piercing gaze that he gives you is for a similar reason.

You messed up.

And he’s going to grill you for it.

You clear your throat and muster up a small smile as you reach his table. “Hi, Chef Jaehyun, I’m—”

“Y/N.” He cuts you off. You clamp your mouth shut. You were hoping he would be a bit nicer this time around. With the way he shuts you down, you’re starting to learn that you shouldn’t hope for better outcomes in your miserable situations. He tilts his head. “You’re the one who worked as a waitress for my table during my first visit. It’s quite surprising to see you in a chef’s apron. So… tell me, are you actually a culinary intern?”

You slowly nod your head. “Yes, chef.”

“Well, you have many things yet to learn. I’m surprised Enoteca Pinchiorri even considered taking you in as a culinary intern because the dish you had sent out to me is quite… disappointing.” One by one, his comments throw axes at your weak heart. “Take a good look at the gnocchi. Is this hand-made?”

“Yes, chef—”

“It’s rubbery. You’ve added too much flour.”

“I apologize, chef—”

“And I asked for a medium-rare for the filet mignon. It’s well-done.” He points at the filet mignon that he’s sliced with a fork and knife. You feel defeated yet again. You’re not sure if you would rather have the same person or a group of people criticize your cooking. “You should be grateful to be an intern here at this restaurant. This isn’t something you should be taking for granted. It’s not something that should be taken lightly. Other aspiring chefs desire to be in your shoes but don’t have the resources for it.”

“Again, I apologize, Chef Jaehyun.” You bow at him. “I’ll work harder.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to your co-chefs. You are lacking in many skills, Y/N. Take this and my comments as a way to improve, or else you will never make it as a chef in this industry.”

That night, you barge into your bedroom with red, swollen eyes and a heavy heart. There must be a reason you keep fucking up in front of Chef Jaehyun. But you’re not sure if you’re courageous enough to be able to withstand such embarrassment. You want to go home. You want to stop your journey of becoming a chef. If the world’s most renowned chef thinks your cooking is horrible, how different would it be for a regular customer?

“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to your co-chefs. You are lacking in many skills, Y/N. Take this and my comments as a way to improve, or else you will never make it as a chef in this industry.”

You feel crushed.

Just like your dreams of becoming a chef.

THE THIRD TIME.

When you told your father that you would take a chance at MasterChef, he didn’t believe you until he saw you on his TV screen. Ever since you signed up to be a part of the competition, you’ve worked diligently to create the perfect dish to cook and present to the chefs. But when you stand behind the curtains that lead into the kitchen, you can’t help but grow afraid that all you’ve tried to remember and keep note of has completely vanished from your brain. You can’t afford to mess up.

You can’t afford to lose this chance, this opportunity.

It’s been years since your mother passed away due to cancer. She had run a diner, Mina’s Place. She named it after her. It was the only diner in the city that had good reviews. The reviews were a reflection of her passion for cooking. She loved cooking for others but mostly for herself. She had many skills. She perfected many dishes. The university nearby had a highly reputable culinary program, and the professors of that program had frequented the diner from time to time. They would always tell her that there was something special about the diner and that it was surely on its road to something even bigger. 

But before your mother had seen the highest success of her dream, her diner, she fell ill and was diagnosed with cancer. In a short time, her health deteriorated, and she eventually succumbed to her illness, leaving the diner and bringing all its light with her. 

If there was something you wanted to get out of this competition, it was a reputation. It was another chance to continue your mother’s dream. You know that this is something your mother would have wanted if she was still alive, to see her diner up until its end. But she was the one who let go first. Your dream is to bring back the diner, and you’re not sure how, but all you want is to fulfill her dream. 

Your mother’s dream has become yours. 

“Let’s welcome the next potential contestant, Chef Y/N. She’s interned at many restaurants in Florence and wants to open up a restaurant of her own someday.” The host introduces you as you wheel your cart into the kitchen. 

When you reach the workstation situated right in the middle of the room, you place your things down before looking up to introduce yourself to the judges. As you look up, the first person you meet eyes with is Chef Taeyong. Chef Taeyong is known for being the co-owner of a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Florence. You’ve always wanted to become a culinary intern at his restaurant, but you always chickened out. Standing right next to him is Chef Doyoung, who nods his head at you. Chef Doyoung is known for being a world-renowned chef in the making. He was the winner of MasterChef four years ago and since then has opened a lot of successful restaurants, all of them with Michelin stars. And standing right next to Chef Doyoung is—Chef Jaehyun?!

When Jaehyun’s eyes land on you for the first time in years, his eyebrows raise with surprise. Seeing you for the third time cannot be a pure coincidence. He tries to compose himself and get himself together when you finally acknowledge his presence. From the corner of his eye, he could see Taeyong glance at him. His shoulders tense up, but he feels them slowly relax when you look away from him. 

“Plans to open up a restaurant, huh?” Chef Doyoung smiles and you bite your lip, nodding your head in reply. “You know, that was my plan when I started my journey here in MasterChef. My plan worked out in the end! That means you can fulfill whatever your heart desires, as long as you put your mind to it.”

“I truly believe that if you put your mind into something, it'll be easily attainable if you put in the work and effort.” Chef Taeyong agrees with his co-judge. “Do you have anything planned for today?”

You clear your throat. “I’m planning on baking up a dish that my mother used to make for me. Well, it’s a dessert among many desserts that my mom used to make for the family.”

“But will this dish be enough to give you a spot in MasterChef?” You almost choke on your spit when you hear his voice for the first time in years. Chef Jaehyun. His voice still sends shivers down your spine. As you slowly look up from the stove, you find him already looking back at you with the same piercing gaze that you never seemed to forget. 

You gather yourself together. You nod. You like to believe that you’ve learned to handle your nervousness and anxiousness. “More than enough, chef.”

“You seem to have a close relationship with your mother,” Chef Doyoung begins. While you’re conversing with the chefs, you’re preparing your dish. You start by dipping the truffles in melted chocolate. “Is she the one who inspired you to join MasterChef?”

You smile at the thought of your mother. You answer as you place each chocolate-covered pumpkin pecan truffle onto the plate. “Yes, chef. She’s very special to me. I just want to make her proud.”

“Well, what are you making us for today?” Chef Doyoung questions. You’re placing the spiced pumpkin roulade next to the truffles and adjusting them to make the dish look presentable overall. 

“I’ll serve you a spiced pumpkin roulade with pecan maple truffles. It’s something my mom used to make every Thanksgiving.” You answer. “It’s also my dad’s favourite dessert, and because it’s his favourite, my mom would make it for him every now and then. I would have to sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night to get a bite because the whole thing would be gone the next day.”

Chef Taeyong chuckles. “Sounds sweet, spicy, and delicious. It also sounds like it brings warm memories. You have five minutes left, Y/N.”

Five minutes later, your dish is ready. You place it right in front of you at your station. Chef Taeyong is the first one to taste your dish. He heads over to you and picks up his spoon. He scoops a spoonful of everything in your dish underneath the warm spotlights that shine over your station. Pumpkin pecan truffles… spiced pumpkin roulade…

“Do you mind walking me through this dish?” Chef Taeyong asks. 

“What you have on this side are the truffles… the pumpkin pecan truffles, to be exact. It’s glazed with maple syrup.” You explain before pointing to the sliced pumpkin roulade on the other side of the dish. “And on the other side of the dish is a spiced pumpkin roulade.”

“You seem nervous,” he says softly. 

You let out a shaky laugh. “I am indeed quite nervous, chef.”

“How bad do you want this, Y/N?” He asks. 

“So bad.” You answer simply. “You don’t even know how bad I want this.”

“Let��s see if this dish is enough to earn you a spot in the competition.” He tastes your dish.

You study and observe him as he tastes the hints of pumpkin and pecan, all punched deep with some spice. You fiddle with your fingers nervously. It’s a bad habit of yours. If there’s one thing that you wanted to get out of this audition, it was at least one yes. One yes is enough for you to be satisfied. But oh, how you want this so badly. 

“Wow.” He tilts his head with surprise. It’s almost as if he’s caught off guard. “It’s delicious.”

“R-Really?” You blurt out before shaking your head. “I mean—thank you. Thank you, chef, that means so much to me.”

“It tastes amazing.” He smiles before heading back to his seat. 

You’re starting off strong. You like what’s happening. Two more chefs and your fate will be determined. You hope fate is on your side this time. You know you deserve a break from all of your horrible chances with luck and fate. You deserve this. You’ve worked so hard for it. It would be a huge disappointment if you didn’t earn a spot in the competition. 

Next up is Chef Doyoung, who grabs his spoon and digs into your dish without uttering a single word. Once he’s finished tasting your dish, he folds his arms and raises an eyebrow. “Y/N, are you satisfied with how your dish turned out today?”

“More than satisfied, chef.” You mumble softly, but there’s a hint of a lack of confidence in your voice. You’re sure the chefs could pick up your low self-esteem. Chef Doyoung purses his lips into a tight line.

“Are you a perfectionist?” He asks. 

“I try to be, chef.” You answer.

“Well, perfectionism is one of the best qualities to have as a chef.” He adds. He clasps his hands together and sucks in a deep breath. “I taste a light hint of lemon, but I am immediately kicked with the spices. I could taste the hint of cloves that burst right through the hints of lemon. I think you have a great sense of flavours. You have a great sense of spices. This dish has the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and savoury.”

“Thank you, chef.” You smile, not sure how to contain your happiness. 

“Well done,” he complements you before heading back to his seat. 

Last is Chef Jaehyun, who walks up to your station. Your smile immediately vanishes from your face and is replaced with horror. You’re especially nervous around him. With all the horrible encounters you’ve had with him, you wish he had a poor memory because you wouldn’t want someone like him to remember you. You’re looking everywhere but him. 

“I’m not a fan of sweets and desserts.” He says flat out. You wince. “That should be more than enough to make you nervous.”

“I hope that with this dish, you’ll start to appreciate desserts more, chef.” You mumble softly. It’s just barely above a whisper. You sound like a guilty child admitting fault after being caught lying. But you’re not lying, not at all. You’re just nervous. 

“is this dish going to change my mind? Is this dish going to be enough to change my mind about desserts?” He continues to grill you, and you let your head hang low.

“I just… want to impress you, chef.” More like prove you wrong. 

“I hope this dish doesn’t disappoint me.” His low voice sends shivers down your spine. He takes a spoonful of the cake and the truffle before shoving them into his mouth. 

It feels like it’s just the two of you at that very moment. It doesn’t feel like Chef Taeyong and Chef Doyoung are there. Your entire body feels tense just standing within his line of sight. He folds his arms and looks down at your dish. “It’s good. But it’s not good enough. There’s something that’s lacking in this dish. Do you know what that is?”

“What is it, chef?” You ask. 

“The presentation.” He answers. “Look at how you presented this dish to us. It does not look MasterChef-worthy. The presentation of this dish, I might say, is predictable. The presentation of a dish that you make is something you must pay attention to because if it doesn’t visibly look good, your customers would assume that it doesn’t taste good.”

“I understand, chef.”

“Thank you, Y/N.”

Chef Jaehyun definitely remembers you. Why? Because he loves nitpicking every single lacking detail of your cooking. He truly never changed. He’s still the same cold-hearted, selfish, rude prick. 

The three chefs discuss their decision. You continue to fiddle nervously with your fingers to calm yourself down, to distract you from what’s about to come. You’re so sure that you’re not going to get a spot in the competition, and it’s all going to be because of Chef Jae—

“Y/N?”

“Yes, chef?” You blurt out with surprised, caught off guard eyes. 

“It’s a yes for me,” Chef Taeyong smiles. 

“It’s a no for me,” Chef Jaehyun says. “Simply because you’re lacking in presenting your dishes. I think that is very crucial to becoming a chef. I was not impressed with your dish simply because I’m not a fan of desserts. I was hoping you would change my mind, but I guess it just fell short.”

“I understand, chef. I agree that I could’ve paid more attention to the plating.” You nod your head in agreement. For the first time, you agree with Chef Jaehyun. 

“Now, that leaves the pressure on me.” Chef Doyoung smirks. “If I say no, you won’t have a spot in the competition. But if I say yes, you will advance in the competition, and you will have your own MasterChef apron.”

“You won’t regret giving me a chance, chef. I want this so bad.”

Tension continues to fill the air. Chef Doyoung’s touch gaze softens, and you feel your tense posture relax. He clasps his hands together before saying, “it’s a yes for me. Congratulations, Y/N.”

“Please come up and take your MasterChef apron.” Chef Taeyong gestures for you to come up to the front. 

“Oh my gosh,” you sigh with relief. “I promise I’ll do my best, chef. Thank you so much for taking a huge risk on me.”

As you near the three chef judges, you stand in front of Chef Taeyong, who helps you put your apron on. You smile, taking his hand that he extends out to you to shake. Moving onto Chef Doyoung, you shake his hand, thanking him many times for giving you a chance. Last but not least, your eyes meet Chef Jaehyun. You’ve never been up close to Chef Jaehyun like this. He’s quite handsome, you think to yourself, but it’s also a shame that he’s such a rude, cold-hearted person. He extends his hand out to you for you to shake. When your hands interlock, you can’t help but notice how warm and soft his hands are. The both of you exchange such intense looks. You’re the first one to break away, pulling back your hand. 

“Long time no see. Congratulations, Y/N.”

“Thank you, Chef Jaehyun.”

THE FOURTH TIME.

On a quest to become MasterChef, you are expected to learn how to work with a team of chefs. The round that awaits you is a team challenge, where you and a couple of other contestants will work together to cook up a full course meal. The team challenge usually occurs after the first mystery box challenge and elimination round. Sitting at the front of the kitchen is a box filled with two different coloured aprons, red and blue. These aprons will split everyone into two teams based on their apron colour. From the corner of your eye, you can see your station mate, Taeil, gawking at the box at the front. 

He turns towards you and whispers, “I hope we’re on the same team.”

You flash him a small smile. “I hope so too.”

Ever since the competition began, you have learned how to become a competitive chef. You’ve also learned how to make connections and new friendships. It’s what you have learned to value the most, especially working in an industry that relies heavily on networking and connections. Two rounds into the competition, you became friends with Taeil simply because he cooked up his dishes right next to you, and, over time, he also looked out for you and helped you with your dishes. He’s completely different from you. You’d like to think that he’s the complete opposite. But somehow, you both work in tune with each other. You wouldn’t have asked for a better station mate. Both of your different personalities shined the most in your cooked dishes. 

“Y/N, please step up to the front and pick your apron for the team challenge.” Chef Jaehyun calls out to you, and your heart beats out of your chest. You share a look with Taeil. 

As you make it to the front of the kitchen, you stick your hand into the black box to pull out a red apron. You avoid eye contact with Chef Jaehyun like you always do, but you could still feel his burning gaze. You always feel insecure and nervous around him. How embarrassing it must seem to him. 

“Taeil, your turn has arrived. Come up and pick your apron.” Chef Taeyong smiles. 

You wish Chef Jaehyun was like Chef Taeyong. Nice… sweet… genuine. He genuinely wanted every contestant to be successful, whether it be in their dishes or their confidence. You wish Chef Jaehyun would forget about all the horrible encounters you’ve had with him. You wish Chef Jaehyun would break out of his shell and turn his cold personality into a personality similar to his co-chef.

When Taeil arrives at the front and sticks his hand into the box, he pulls out not a red apron but… a blue one. The both of you share looks, and a pout can’t help but form across your lips. Chef Jaehyun notices your slight pout, and you immediately let it drop from your face. Taeil returns to his station, and you begin to overthink. Who are you going to work with? You’ve only become acquaintances with the rest of the contestants. Taeil is the only contestant you’ve become close to and the only contestant you consider a good friend. He’s the only contestant you see having a friendship with even after the competition ends. 

After all the contestants have been called up to choose their team, the chef judges have you gather together. You and Taeil wave goodbye as you both part to your own assigned teams, you with the red team and him with the blue team. As you walk over to your team, you can’t help but notice how you’re the only woman. Your teammates are Junhwa, Jay, Mason, and Euntae.

“Today’s challenge will be quite different because you’re all expected to work together as a team with your teammates.” Chef Doyoung announces. “For today’s team challenge, we will be headed to the beach to cater for a wedding.”

Your head shoots up. You’re doomed. You know that your team is done for even before the team challenge begins. Junhwa was just saved from the elimination test the other day because he had messed up his dish for the mystery box challenge. Jay hasn’t been up to par with his dishes and has yet to cook up his best dish in the competition. Like Junhwa, Mason had messed up his dish for the mystery box challenge but was saved from the elimination test by Chef Doyoung. Euntae, however, is the only one on the team that’s been performing well in the competition. But as for you… you’re not sure where you stand in this competition. 

“Let’s all head to the location and we’ll explain more about the team challenge.”

It’s the perfect day to have a wedding on the beach. The wind currents aren’t strong, but they bring a light warm breeze. The wedding takes place on a weekday which explains the small number of people hanging out at the beach. When you all arrive at the beach, the first thing you spot is two different cooking stations, differentiated by your respective team colours. You draw in a deep breath. This is going to be a long day. 

“Everyone, please gather around as we begin today’s challenge.”

Everyone gathers around the three young world-renowned chefs following the producer's command. You can see Chef Jaehyun staring right at you from the corner of your eye. He’s drilling two holes through the side of your head. It’s almost as if he’s praying and manifesting for you to mess up in the team challenge. You wouldn’t be surprised if you mess up and his prayers and manifestations were served right to him on a golden platter because his intensity and strive for perfection always cause you to do so. 

“Today, you will be cooking up a three-course meal for wedding guests at the beach. The couple that will be wedded later on today has laid out their menu and their expectations.” Chef Doyoung explains. 

You have learned one thing so far; never have a team of aspiring chefs competing in competition be in charge of cooking and serving your guests’ food. Why? Because there’s huge room for failure. Food poisoning? Traumatizing. Undercooked food? Horrifying. You wouldn’t imagine getting married and having scared chefs-in-the-making cater to your guests at the reception. To you, it sounded like a nightmare waiting to unfold right before your two eyes. And here you are now, living out that nightmare in disguise. 

“The menu consists of cranberry and brie bites for the appetizer, roasted pork loin on wild mushroom risotto for the main course, and a spiced carrot cake for the dessert.” Chef Taeyong reads off the menu that the wedding couple has put together for their guests. 

You hold in a sigh of relief. You think you could handle doing the appetizer and dessert. Baking is your expertise. It’s something your mother loved doing the most. Baking up a dessert can be daunting and taxing, but once you’ve mastered the basics, everything you pop into the oven will come out beautifully. You’ve spent most of your childhood sitting in the kitchen helping her make the desserts. You’ve spent most of your childhood sitting in the kitchen and breathing in the aroma of sweet desserts. 

You just hope that your team leader assigns you the appetizer or dessert. If not… you’re not sure how you’re going to put up a good performance. Will you be eliminated? Is this going to put you at risk for elimination? 

“Have you all picked a team leader?” Chef Jaehyun asks. 

On the blue team, Taeil raises his hand. You smile. Taeil is quite the introvert, but you know that he’ll be able to bring his team together and make the most out of it. On your team, Euntae raises his hand. It was predetermined that he would be the team leader mainly because he’s the only one who’s been doing well in the competition. 

“Taeil for team red and Euntae for team blue.” Chef Jaehyun notes it down on his notepad. “Alright. Let’s have you go over to your stations to start prepping for the service.”

“You will have one hour and thirty minutes to complete your three-course meal.” Chef Doyoung announces. 

“Please use your time wisely because regardless of whether your dishes are done, they will be served to the guests.” Chef Taeyong warns you. Everyone falls silent. “Your two goals are one, to make sure that there is food on the table for every single guest and two, that the food you serve has been cooked to perfection.” 

“Yes, chef.” Everyone says in unison.

“Alright. Get ready because your time starts in three…”

“Two…”

“One…”

“Go!”

Thankfully, you’ve been assigned to work on the spiced carrot cake. Euntae and Jay will work on the roasted pork loin on wild mushroom risotto. Euntae will work specifically on the roasted pork loin, and Jay will work specifically on the wild mushroom risotto. Mason and Junhwa will work together on the cranberry and brie bites. It’s been about twenty minutes since the timer started, and you’re almost done mixing the batter for the cake. You’ve added carrot bits and slices in the cake batter to make the carrot stand out when someone takes a slice out of it. You’re also planning on making a cream cheese frosting to drizzle on top of the cake. 

“Y/N, make sure you don’t go off track with the cake, alright? I know you’re excited, but we don’t have much time left.” Euntae commands, and you nod your head.

Euntae is such a perfectionist. It’s been obvious since the start of the competition. He’s been winning almost every challenge. If he wasn’t the winner of the challenge, he would most likely be second. Carrying your team must be difficult for him because most of his teammates have been performing poorly. 

“Yes, I’ll work faster.” 

“And make sure you follow the demo recipe.” He adds. “I don’t want you making something completely different from what we’re asked to do.”

You like to think of your dishes as an experiment. Most of the time, you depend heavily on your sense of taste and extensive knowledge of spices. Thus, this results in you neglecting recipe books and instructions. You like experimenting in your cooking because there’s a thrill when something turns out delicious. There’s a sense of excitement and surprise when two unlikely ingredients somehow pair well with each other. 

Euntae probably notices your experimental way of approaching your dishes. He doesn’t want you to fuck everything up. You can’t blame him for playing it safe. You would do the same thing. 

“This look different to you?” You ask, pointing to your cake batter.

He dips his fingers into the batter and tastes it. “Put more clove. I don’t taste the kick. I thought spices were your thing?”

You purse your lips into a tight line. He looks taken aback by your confused gaze. If there was one thing you wish you could change about yourself, it’s how you are easily readable through your facial expressions. Your emotions are easy to detect because they’re spread across your entire face. Knitted or raised eyebrows, jutted chin, pouty lips, you’re very expressive with your emotions. 

“It is. I did put in clove. Is it not enough?” You dip your finger into the batter to taste it yourself. Indeed, you taste the kick. Your gut tells you not to add any more of the spices because it will be too spicy for the guests if you add more. “I don’t think we should add more. I think it’s enough—”

“I don’t taste the spices, Y/N—”

“Well, I do—”

“But I’m the team leader, right?” He reminds you. You clamp your mouth shut. Where is all of this coming from? How could he talk to you like this? You could feel your gaze hardening at him. “Do you want me to save you a spot in the competition? You do, right? So follow what I tell you to do, and everything will be fine.”

You squint your eyes at him before shaking your head. “No way. I’m not letting you sabotage my cake.”

“And I am not letting you bring the entire team down. We cannot afford to lose.” Jay butts in as he shoves you aside to place a pan on the stove. You almost stumble back, and you’re on the verge of tears. 

“Ugh, this is ridiculous.” You mutter to yourself, grabbing your bowl of cake batter and moving to a different table in your station to work. You’re standing alone as the rest of your team gathers together to talk about how they will prepare the dishes. You feel left out. You feel like an outcast. You wish you were on Taeil’s team. 

You feel like this is planned. 

You feel like they’re planning to sabotage you. 

“Y/N?” Chef Doyoung calls out to you. 

You look over your shoulder to see him waving you over. You dust your hands off before heading up to him. You don’t know that Euntae walks over to your bowl of cake batter and puts in a couple of more teaspoons of clove and cinnamon behind your back. He adds a bit more than what is required. Chef Doyoung folds his arms at you. 

“Yes, chef?” You mumble. 

“Why aren’t you being included in your team?” He asks. He noticed, and that’s all that matters to you. 

You shrug your shoulders. “I’m not quite sure, chef. We have different opinions on how we should make the spiced carrot cake. Euntae thinks there’s not enough spice, while I think there’s more than enough.

“Trust your gut. But you should also keep in mind that this is a team challenge. You’re all supposed to work together as a team.” He reminds you. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

“Thank you, chef.”

Suddenly, Chef Jaehyun yells out. “Your spiced carrot cakes should be in the oven right now or will be undercooked!”

Upon returning to your station, you grab your bowl of cake batter to pour it into a baking pan. Hurriedly, you place it into the preheated oven. You do not want to mess this up. You can’t mess this up. If your team fails the challenge, you are at risk of being eliminated. 

You can’t afford to lose the competition. 

You can’t go home. 

You’re not surprised that the cranberry and brie bites were almost burnt out of the oven. You’re not surprised that your two teammates were running behind on time with the roasted pork loin and wild mushroom risotto. At this point, you wouldn’t be surprised if your team were unable to put out your dishes on time. 

When you pull out the tray of cranberry and brie bites, you place them on the table. One by one, you place the burnt ones aside and the good ones on the serving trays. Standing behind you, Mason and Junhwa continue to panic, not even bothering to help you save their dish that they’ve been assigned to do. 

“Y/N, what are you doing?” You feel yourself stiffen. Chef Jaehyun stands next to you and looks at the burnt and unburnt cranberry and brie bites. He clicks his tongue and lets out a frustrated sigh. “Were you the one assigned to do the bites?”

You shake your head. “No, chef.”

“Who was assigned for the cranberry and brie bites?” He asks your teammates. 

“Us, chef.” Mason answers. 

Chef Jaehyun points at you while looking at Mason. “And why is Y/N taking over your task?”

“Because she likes getting into everyone’s business—” You hear Euntae mutter underneath his breath. You’ve confirmed it: Euntae is plotting your elimination. He hates you. 

“She said she would help us salvage some of the cranberry and brie bites for the guests. She’s picking it out for us while we make another batch.” Junhwa explains. 

“And you’re both just standing there and watching her?” Chef Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows with anger. “Where’s your team leader?”

“Here, chef.” Euntae walks over. 

“Where is the direction, Euntae?” Chef Jaehyun frowns. You could see steam coming out of Chef Jaehyun’s nostrils. “Your teammates are lost. They’re panicking, and you’re just standing in front of your pan doing your own thing. You’re in your own little world, Euntae. It’s time to wake up.”

“Excuse me, I have to take out the carrot cake.” You mumble softly as you excuse yourself to head to the oven. You take a quick peek before putting on your oven mittens to take the cake pans out. 

It comes out beautifully. They’ve baked and risen to perfection. You can smell the strong aroma of spices. Hidden within the sponge cake are the grated bites of carrot, giving it a beautiful orange colour. From your periphery, you see Chef Jaehyun walking over to you. You hold in your breath. 

“Can I have a taste of the cake?” He asks. 

You slowly nodded your head. “Yes, chef.”

Chef Jaehyun digs into the cake with a small teaspoon while your teammates gather around to watch. He winces, and you wish you could disappear. You’ve noticed that he always winces and grimaces with disappointment whenever you mess up. It’s like you could tell what’s about to come before it even happens. 

“You were in charge of the cake, right, Y/N?” 

“Yes, chef.” You mumble. 

Clatter. He tosses the teaspoon onto the table and frustratingly runs a hand through his hair. “You can’t serve that. It’s too spicy. You’ve put too much clove and cinnamon.”

You look at him confusedly. Completely flabbergasted, you take a bite from the cake yourself and indeed, it’s too spicy. It’s overpowering the sweetness of the carrot and sugar. But wait—you never added any more clove or cinnamon. 

“You can’t serve this. This entire team is set up for failure. You cannot save yourselves from this challenge. Take off your aprons. You don’t have any more time to send out any dishes. You’ve completely failed the team challenge.”

You glance at Euntae, who avoids your gaze. He turns around and walks back to his pork loin and mushroom risotto pan. He tosses the pans into the sink out of frustration and anger. 

Euntae sabotaged you.

At the end of the team challenge, you and your teammates find yourselves standing in front of the three disappointed chefs. You’re too ashamed of yourself to look at them. You distract yourself by fiddling with your fingers. You were thinking of all the ‘what if’s’. What if you were on the blue team? What if you paid more attention to your teammates that were plotting your failure? What if you worked harder? What if—

“As you are all aware of what happened today, your team lost the challenge. This only means that not one, not two, but four of you will be eliminated from the competition.” Chef Doyoung says. 

“But first, we are going to tell you what you did wrong and where you all went wrong.” Chef Taeyong frowns, “as a team.”

“The first thing that went wrong were the cranberry and brie bites. They were overcooked to the point that they were burnt. You had only realized that they were burnt when you took them out of the oven too late, leaving you no time to make another batch.” Chef Doyoung explains. 

“We are aware of that, chef.” Mason and Junhwa speak in unison. 

“The second thing that went wrong was the spiced carrot cake. I was surprised that Y/N put too much clove and cinnamon into the batter. From your audition, Y/N, you had a good sense of the spices, so I figured this task wouldn’t be difficult to do.” Chef Taeyong outlines the second mistake of the team. 

“The third thing that went wrong had completely gone over our heads.” Chef Jaehyun begins. “We were wondering why out of all the dishes you were assigned, the roasted pork loin and mushroom risotto turned out fine.”

“It was because we—” Euntae begins.

“It was because you wanted to sabotage your own teammates. Am I right, Euntae?” Chef Jaehyun catches him red-handed. “Don’t try to lie to us. Don’t you dare try to lie to me because I saw it myself.”

“I did not sabotage any of my teammates—”

“Y/N, you know why your spiced carrot cake was too spicy?” Chef Jaehyun asks you. 

You courageously look into his eyes. “Why, chef?”

“Because your own teammate, Euntae, sabotaged your cake and added three tablespoons more of clove and cinnamon, which is way more than what we asked for in our demo.” Chef Jaehyun reveals. “I saw it happen right before my eyes. Euntae, if you were going to sabotage your teammate, you should’ve made sure that none of us chef judges would see it.”

“Chef, I—Y/N has always been doing her own thing in the competition, and I didn’t want her to sabotage our team by doing things the way she wants to,” Euntae explains. 

“You’re supposed to work together as a team.” Chef Taeyong shakes his head in disbelief. “Did you plan this all out so that Y/N would be eliminated from the competition? Don’t lie to us because I overheard you planning this out with the rest of your teammates.”

“I—”

“Okay. That’s enough.” Chef Doyoung raises up his hand to shut him up. “We have made up our minds on who will be leaving the competition.”

“The first contestant that will be saying goodbye is…”

You clench your eyes shut as you wait for your name to be called out. You hate everything that’s happening right now. You’ve never been so careless. Now, you pay the consequences. 

“Jay. Please say goodbye to your teammates.”

You feel your heart drop. 

“The second contestant that will be saying goodbye is…”

Your heartbeat begins to pick up its pace once again. Once your name is called out, you’re going to have to pack your things and head back home. 

“Junhwa. Please say goodbye to your teammates.”

You hold in your breath. 

“That leaves Y/N, Euntae, and Mason.”

You close your eyes again, praying that your name wouldn’t be called out. You’re already thinking about what you would say to your father if you’re eliminated from the competition. 

“Y/N, please say goodbye to your teammates…”

Your eyes flutter open. This is it. You’re officially eliminated from the competition. You shake hands with your two teammates who have completely sabotaged you. You’re keeping yourself together. You’re holding yourself back from bursting out into anger. 

“Because you will advance to the next round of the competition. Euntae and Mason, you are both eliminated from MasterChef, please take off your aprons.” 

Your heart stops. Wait.

“Wait, what?” You look at the chefs in shock.

“Y/N, you are the only one that will stay in the competition.” Chef Taeyong smiles. 

“It was a tough decision.” Chef Doyoung adds. 

“But we do not tolerate cheaters in this competition. You are innocent and had no bad intentions, Y/N, which is why you are safe from elimination.” Chef Jaehyun confirms everything for you. “But that does not mean you are safe from the remainder of the competition. What this means is that we will all be putting more pressure on you to be the best chef you say you are.”

“I will do my best, chef. I am confident that I will win MasterChef.” 

Chef Jaehyun purses his lips into a tight line. 

You feel your blood run cold. 

“Don’t make us regret choosing to save you from elimination.”

THE FIFTH TIME.

“Don’t make us regret choosing to save you from elimination.”

The pressure is all on you. Chef Jaehyun’s voice echoes throughout your head the entire hour that you’re granted to create a dish. In this round, all of the contestants are given a mystery box filled with random ingredients. In your mystery box, you were given beetroot, beef tenderloin, and blackberries. They are three completely different ingredients that you’re not quite sure will mesh well together. 

Five minutes before the timer started, you decided to make beef tenderloin with roasted beetroot, all covered by a blackberry sauce. And now here you are, thirty minutes in, and you just hope that your dish turns out well. 

“Hi, Y/N.” 

“Hi, Chef Jaehyun.” You mumble softly, checking up on your beef tenderloin to see if it’s being cooked correctly on the skillet pan. You’re hoping to cook the tenderloin medium-rare to keep the monochrome colour of your dish. 

“What are you making for us today?” He asks. 

He’s distracting you. Whether it’s intentional or not, it’s breaking your focus. You clear your throat as you answer, “beef tenderloin with beetroot, all covered by a blackberry sauce.”

“Are you sure this is going to work out well? It seems quite… difficult to pull off.” He grabs a spoon and digs into the blackberry sauce that you have boiling in a saucepan. He tastes it and steps back, tilting his head as he loses himself in thought. “Interesting. You’re truly making this difficult for us, huh?”

What is he trying to say? You bite your lip, pretending to ignore him. “It should work out well. It is a mystery box challenge, after all. I’ve been given three ingredients that you never truly see together in a dish, but here we are.”

“The blackberry sauce is perfect. But regarding whether this blackberry sauce will complement your beef tenderloin and beetroot… you’ll have to prove that to us.” He gently places his spoon into your sink and moves on to the next contestant.

“You have fifteen minutes left! In about five minutes, you should all be plating your food!”

You turn off the stove to cool down your blackberry sauce. With fifteen minutes left, you need at least five minutes to let the beef tenderloin rest. You’re still not sure if it’s cooked medium-rare. It’s a risk you’re willing to take. You take the skillet pan off of the stove and transfer the beef tenderloin onto a wire rack for it to rest. As for your beetroot, you take each slice out to begin plating them.

“I’m not going to lie, that looks incredible, Y/N.” Taeil compliments you. You almost jump in surprise. You’ve been so focused on making sure you do well in this challenge that you forgot about Taeil. As you glance at him, he lets out a low chuckle. “Sorry for scaring you. I’ll shut up now.”

“Thanks, Y/N. I just hope it’s edible.” You crack a joke to ease your nervousness. He snorts.

“I’m sure it’s edible. You’ve made it this far, Y/N. You should give yourself more credit for your hard work.” He reassures you.

One minute left on the timer, and you’re placing the beef tenderloin right in between two slices of beetroot. To complete your dish, you drizzle blackberry sauce all over the dish. To amplify your dish even further, you take a couple of blackberries and scatter them across your dish. Overall, your dish is a dark magenta colour. Monochromatic. 

“Five…”

“Four…”

“Three… Two…”

“One! Time’s up!”

“Y/N, please bring up your dish.”

With shaky hands, you grab your plate and head up to the front. You place your dish down onto the table that stands right in front of the chef judges. Each one of them looks surprised to see what you have presented to them. Chef Doyoung is the first one to take a bite. He steps forward and grabs a knife and fork, slicing himself a bit of beetroot before poking at the beef tenderloin.

“How did you cook the beef tenderloin?” He asks.

You bite your lip. “I was hoping to cook it medium-rare. But I didn’t have enough time to let it rest, so I’m not quite sure if it turned out that way.”

“Well, let’s take a look, shall we?” He insists. You slowly nod your head. Standing behind him, you can see Chef Jaehyun standing on his tiptoes to get a look at the tenderloin. As Chef Doyoung slices through the tenderloin and you sigh with relief. “It’s perfect. You doubt yourself a bit too much, Y/N. The tenderloin is indeed medium-rare.”

“Thank goodness.” You let out another sigh of relief.

He takes a bite. As he chews, you study him and wait for his reaction. When he finishes eating, he clasps his hands together and breaks out into a smile. “I think it’s quite delicious. I would definitely serve something like this in my restaurant.”

“Really? Oh wow… thank you, chef.” You beam.

“Blackberries, beef tenderloin, and beetroot. These three ingredients seem hard to cook together, but you balance them beautifully. The plating is amazing. You’ve improved your plating skills since the start of the competition. Overall, this dish is my favourite.” He places his cutlery down and flashes you one last smile. He heads back to stand next to Chef Taeyong, who’s the next one to step forward and taste your dish.

“First off, the dish looks lovely. I love the monochrome theme you have going on here. It amplifies your dish. But as for the taste, we shall find out.” Chef Taeyong takes a bite of the beetroot and tenderloin, making sure he dips it in the blackberry sauce. He tilts his head and lets out a chuckle. “That’s… amazing. You truly have a great sense of your spices. I wouldn’t even have thought of making a dish like this with these three ingredients. Well done, Y/N. You continue to perform well in this competition. I also see Chef Doyoung serving something like this at his restaurant.”

“Thank you, chef.” You hold in a happy sigh.

Next up is Chef Jaehyun, who barely waits for Chef Taeyong to step aside for him. He quirks an eyebrow at you before digging into your dish. “After we spoke earlier, I wondered how you could pull off a sour blackberry sauce with savoury beef tenderloin and beetroot. They are two unlikely tastes that should not be paired together.”

“It is a mystery box, so I just tried to work with what I was given. I hope it tastes good for you, Chef Jaehyun.” You avoid his eyes. But you could see him trying to look into them.

He takes a bite. He chews and swallows. He places his cutlery down and purses his lips into a tight line. “I’m going to be quite honest. I don’t like it. The sour blackberry sauce completely overpowers the savoury tenderloin and beetroot. However, I could definitely see why others may like it. This dish is catered for people with a specific palette. I’m not one of those people. The plating looks beautiful, however.”

“Thank you, chef.” You whisper.

“As I’ve said time and time again,” he says sternly, “you are making this extremely difficult for us, Y/N. You need to step up to the plate. I know you can do it. You have the tools and the talents to do it. You just need to use them.”

As he turns his back to you, you can feel your eyes well up with tears. Throughout this entire competition, you’ve learned that you not only want to win it, but you want to prove Chef Jaehyun wrong. He’s ignited a fire within you, a burning passion. His brutal honesty truly gets the best of you. 

If you can’t prove him wrong, what’s the point of continuing your journey?

He’s a world-renowned chef. He knows what tastes good and what doesn’t. He knows whether a chef will be successful in the field. He knows everything about the cooking and food industry. If he thinks you’re not fit enough, then maybe you’re truly not fit to be a chef.

You’ve already tried to step up to the plate, but he thinks it’s not enough.

You’ve already used all of your tools and talents, but he thinks it’s not enough.

You’re not enough.

What is considered enough?

He looks over his shoulder, and you hear him mutter.

“We saved you from elimination. You must prove to us that saving you was the best decision. You must prove to us that you are more worthy of winning than your teammates that were eliminated. Remember that.”

A tear almost slips from your eye.

You give up.

THE ONE TIME YOU PROVE HIM WRONG.

“I have come to the decision to withdraw from the competition.”

“If that’s your decision, then so be it. We regret seeing you go. Thank you for showing us your talent. You may go and pack your things because your journey at MasterChef ends here.”

Upon entering the huge kitchen, you head towards the light switches to turn on the spotlight for your workstation. The kitchen has never been so quiet nor has it been so peaceful. You feel your feet being glued to the ground, almost as if they’re keeping you from leaving. When you were a kid, you loved ditching your homework to spend time with your mother in the kitchen. You would even take a stool from the dining room to place it right next to her to have a full view of how she cooked your meals. Your home kitchen was your safe haven, your safe space, where you could truly be yourself. It was what brought you closer to your mother. It was what reminded you of your mother. 

But you had no choice. You force yourself, trudging your way towards your station to pack up all of your utensils. From cooking knives to ladles, you packed them away in a moving box. From your favorite fine China dishes to your custom-made chopsticks, you admired them one last time underneath the spotlight before tucking them away. You turn on the sink to dampen your towel. You wipe down your station one last time before wringing the towel out. Letting out a sigh, you wipe the beads of sweat that are forming on your forehead. This is it. Your journey at MasterChef ends here—

“What on earth are you doing?”

Looking up from your counter, you spot Jaehyun walking along the front of the space. He’s the last person you want to see. He’s the last person you want to talk to, especially right now. He has his hands tucked into his pockets as he makes his way towards you.

“I’m packing up my things.” You answer simply with a blank face.

“Why are you packing up your things? The competition isn’t over yet.” He finally makes it to your counter. Underneath the spotlight, he notices how bloodshot red your eyes are. You’ve cried all night over this competition and it brought you to your decision of withdrawing.

“The competition isn’t over yet for my fellow contestants,” you begin, “but the competition is over for me.”

“I’m not sure if I understand what you’re saying—”

“I’ve withdrawn from the competition.” You make it make sense for him. Jaehyun takes a couple of seconds for your words to sink in. Once he’s processes your words, his eyebrows furrow in confusion and frustration. 

“What?” He blurts out. “W-Why?”

You grow confused. That’s his reaction? “Shouldn’t you be happy that I’m leaving the competition? It’s one less thing to worry about, right? Your decision in choosing chefs to advance to the next round won’t be hard anymore because I’m leaving. Everything will be better without me—”

“Why would I be happy over a contestant’s voluntary withdrawal from the competition?” He cuts you off. 

You fall silent. Suddenly, you have no energy trying to defend yourself. With everything piling up, you’ve decided to give up. Everything that has happened to you in the past has led you to this moment. From spilling wine all over Jaehyun’s drink to messing up Jaehyun’s dish at your internship in Florence to your time here at MasterChef, it has brought you to the conclusion that maybe Jaehyun was right: you’re not fit or qualified enough to be a chef. 

“In a competition, you should not associate your emotions with your overall performance. Whatever you create here in the kitchen is what we judge.” He says sternly with his hands placed on top of the marble of your countertop. “You and I are both aware that this is a competition. You are aware that your performance and the dishes you create are going to be commented on by judges. But as judges, we make those comments, good or bad, are to help you improve.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t feel like comments to me. I don’t feel like you’re helping me improve. I feel stuck with no direction given. I just feel like you have this predisposed idea of who I am after all those negative encounters we’ve had in the past which is why you treat me like this.” You finally get it off of your chest. You feel extremely vulnerable in front of Jaehyun. All of your emotions that you’ve held in for so long are beginning to hit the surface. “And this is why I’ve decided to do everyone all a favor and withdraw.”

He pushes himself off of the countertop and holds in a sigh. You let your head hang low. His eyes land on the cardboard box sitting on the floor. It’s filled with all of your cooking utensils. He sees an old washed out apron sitting right on top of all the pans and dishes. Stitched right near the upper corner of the apron is a name. It’s not your name, but your mother’s name. The apron has been through a lot. It’s been through  a lot of washes. It’s been through a lot of spills. But you have never once thought of throwing it out because it was the only thing you had left of your mother. Aside from all the memories you have of and with her, of course. 

“Well, withdrawing from the competition means that you’re aware that you have no confidence in yourself.” 

“I hope you’re hearing yourself right now.” You mutter softly.

“Do you really think you’re not fit to be a chef?” He questions. 

“Well, you sure make me feel like it—” You scoff. 

“Cook me your best dish, then. If I think it’s horrible, then maybe withdrawing is the best decision.”

“I thought you’ve already made it clear that I’m not fit or qualified enough to be a chef—”

“You have sixty minutes.”

“Chef—”

“Your time starts now.”

Before you could protest, Jaehyun turns his back towards you and walks away. You’re trying so hard not to burst out into flames. The urgency to flip him off makes your blood boil. As he takes his seat at the front behind the judges’ table, you bend down to finish packing up your things. Jaehyun seems to pick up that you’re not taking up the challenge. 

“You claim that I was discouraging you this entire competition. You said that you have potential. You want to prove me wrong, right?”

You stop in your tracks. You sure do. You want to prove Jaehyun wrong so badly. With a burning passion. When he sees that you’ve stopped, he knows that he’s slowly changing your mind. 

“This is your chance to prove me wrong. Prove to me that you deserve to stay in this competition.”

You will yourself back up, fiery eyes meeting him. He knows that he’s turned the gears in your head. After you’ve given it much thought, you decided that if you were going to withdraw from the competition, you might as well show him what kind of aspiring chef they’re going to regret letting go of. You guess it was a pride thing. But you’ve never wanted to prove Jeong Jaehyun wrong so badly until now.

Jaehyun stares at you as you walk away from your station and into the large pantry with all the fresh ingredients. A smirk slowly begins to spread across his lips. You’re grabbing many ingredients from the pantry. There are some questionable pairs but ever since the start of the competition, you’ve always been experimental with your dishes. Surprisingly, they always turn out delicious no matter how ambiguous the ingredients are relative to each other. You finally return to your workstation to begin cooking your dish.

“Fifty-five minutes left,” he yells out to you.

You slightly jump. It’s just the two of you in the kitchen. If you were quite honest, it felt a bit intimate. But you felt a lot of pressure on your shoulders. Here you are, cooking for a world-renowned chef, after voluntarily withdrawing from a competition that he judges for. Here you are, cooking for a world-renowned chef who asked you to cook him a dish to prove him wrong. 

A deconstructed pie. That is what you have in mind.

There are two ingredients that you’ve never paired together before; grapefruit and basil. You’re planning on making a deconstructed raspberry and basil pie. The pie will consist of basil jelly and grapefruit curd, topping it all off with Italian meringue. 

“What are you making?” Jaehyun asks when he walks up to your station.

“A pie.”

“In an hour?” Jaehyun questions. You slowly nod your head, trying to keep yourself focused on your work. “Pies usually take more than one hour to make.”

“It’s going to be a deconstructed pie. Grapefruit and basil. Instead of using the crust, I’ll be using graham cracker crumbles.” You explain while juicing your grapefruits. 

“Grapefruit and basil? Don’t you think that those two together would be a bit… risky?” 

You shake your head. “Basil goes well with lots of fruits. I wouldn’t be surprised if basil went well with grapefruit.”

“I’ve tried a grapefruit and basil pie once. I don’t remember where, but it was delicious. I have high expectations for this. Yours will be the second grapefruit and basil pie that I have ever had in my entire life.” He comments. What a way to put the pressure on you. You don’t say anything. “Alright, then I guess—”

“You’re distracting me.” You cut him off. “Do you mind going back to the front and sitting there while I continue doing whatever it is that I need to do?”

“Sassy,” he grins. “Fine. I’ll be up at the front. You have forty-five minutes left.”

Forty-five minutes left to prove yourself. At this point, you’re not trying to prove you are worthy of staying in the competition. You’re trying to prove that you are nothing what Jaehyun thinks of you. You’re trying to prove Jaehyun that you are fit and qualified enough to be a chef and that this is made for you. It is something you love doing. It is your passion.

Jaehyun plops his butt down onto his seat and watches you cook up your dish. You’re making grapefruit zest while making sure the grapefruit curd isn’t being overcooked. He finds himself staring at you with awe. 

When Jaehyun met you for the first time, he didn’t like you. You ruined his shirt. His favorite shirt. But another reason why he didn’t like you was because you didn’t look confident enough. When Jaehyun met you for the first time, you were hiding behind the executive chef, too humiliated by your own actions. He saw right through you at that moment. You had an inferiority complex. You were not confident enough in yourself. You were shy. You always doubted yourself. But when his eyes met yours, he saw a fire ignite within them. 

When Jaehyun met you for the second time, you weren’t a waitress. You were a line cook. A culinary intern. You ruined his dish. When Jaehyun met you for the second time, he still didn’t like you. It was because after all the months that have passed by, you still don’t look confident enough in yourself. It made him uneasy. But the only difference that time around is that although he still didn’t like you, he knew that eventually, he would, because he saw potential. Leaving the restaurant that day after tasting your subpar dish made him uneasy, knowing that he could’ve done something to lift your spirits up. He knew that he had to do something to make you learn how to be confident in your cooking because that was the first step to making perfect dishes. If you were confident to cook, your dishes would reflect it. When Jaehyun met you for the second time, he realized that he didn’t like you because you reminded him of himself.

When Jaehyun met you for the third time, you were taking a chance at MasterChef. It was a year since the last time he saw you. On your first and second encounters with Jaehyun, the both of you were in Florence. But the third time, the both of you are in Seoul. It almost seemed fated. When Jaehyun boarded the plane in Florence going back to Seoul, he couldn’t get you off his mind. What if he tried to lift you up? What was it that he could’ve done to encourage you? He regretted being cold to you. He knew that if he had just been a bit nicer, a bit more sincere, it would’ve further ignited the flame that was already lit within you. It was like the heavens had heard him and sent you to him for a third time. 

He knew this was his third and final chance to make things right.

“Twenty minutes!” He yells.

“I heard you loud and clear, geez.” You place a hand over your heart as you continue your work. 

You’re working on your Italian meringue. It was something you learned how to do while you were doing your culinary internship in Florence. Making Italian meringue is completely different from making regular meringue. It requires more precision and accuracy. It requires more attention to detail. If you mess up the meringue, you’re practically messing up the entire dish. 

You don’t want that happening. That’s the last thing you want.

While you’re waiting for the sugar water to boil at an ideal temperature, you’re beginning to plate your dish. Gently and slowly, you place a layer of grapefruit curd at the bottom of the bowl. It acts almost like a bed for the basil jelly and Italian meringue. At perfect timing, the sugar water has reached its ideal temperature and you immediately take it off of the stove. You walk over to your stand mixer, turning it on and gradually pouring in the sugar mixture into the egg whites. The egg whites slowly turn into a beautiful meringue. Sweet. Fluffy. Almost like marshmallows. Once you’ve poured the entire sugar mixture, you continue to mix the meringue until the bottom of the bowl runs cold to the touch. 

“Fifteen minutes!” 

Jaehyun waits for you to say something but nothing comes out. He checks up on you and realizes you’re too focused on placing the meringue into a piping bag. He never knew how pretty someone could look under the harsh light of the stage kitchen. The brightness only highlighted your features that were solely focused on creating the perfect deconstructed pie. 

This was a first for Jaehyun—being mesmerized by a contestant under his wing. And as his heart caught on fire, much like the gas stove he used to use when he learned to cook all those years ago, Jaehyun also hoped it would be the last.

Having the chance to see you again is definitely a chance given by fate. The idea that you could be gone from the competition out of your own will absolutely terrifies him. It’s the last thing he wants. He wants you to realize how much talent you have. He wants you to realize that you have a lot of potential. He wants to be close to you. He wants to get to know you more. He’s only been able to do that through your dishes. Lately, it’s been hard to look directly into your eyes because it makes him grow nervous. While you’re the only contestant that’s around his age, he’s never felt more connected to someone until he met you. You most likely feel the complete opposite of him, but this is because he has the tendency to push people away. He pushes you away because he’s scared that once he screws up this chance to make things right, he might not forgive himself. It’ll be all his fault.

“Ten minutes!”

You’re piping the Italian meringue onto the bed of grapefruit curd. After that, you’re slicing up the basil jelly into small cubes. You place the basil jelly cubes on top of the grapefruit curd along the Italian meringue. Lastly, you’re grabbing a handful of graham crumbles and scattering them carefully on top of the Italian meringue, basil jelly cubes, and the grapefruit curd. Your deconstructed pie is almost done. You rummage through the drawers to find a torch. You light the torch on to slightly toast the Italian meringue. You don’t want it to burn, you want a nice toast on the top. 

“Five minutes!”

You fix up your dish one last time with roughly four minutes to spare. You slowly head up to the front of the kitchen with your deconstructed pie. Jaehyun meets your gaze and he smiles. Oh, how you wish you could wipe that smile off of his face. Placing the dish right in front of him, you step back for him to taste it.

“Do you mind going through how you prepared this dish?” Jaehyun asks as he opens one of the drawers to pull out a spoon.

You clear your throat. “It is a deconstructed grapefruit and basil pie. It consists of grapefruit curd as a bed layer with basil jelly, graham crumbles, and Italian meringue.”

“Why did you choose to make Italian meringue instead of the usual meringue?” He asks.

“I chose to use Italian meringue for this dish because Italian meringue has a more marshmallowy, soft, fluffy consistency in comparison to ordinary meringue.” You explain. “I think the soft, fluffy texture of Italian meringue fits perfectly with the creamy grapefruit curd and basil jelly.”

“I’m going to take a spoonful of everything.” Jaehyun begins as he scoops a little bit of grapefruit curd mixed with graham crumbles, a single basil jelly, and a single Italian meringue. The both of you meet eyes and he puts the spoon into his mouth. 

As he’s taking a moment to savor the flavors, you let your head hang low. You’re expecting him to let out a frustrated sigh. You’re expecting him to come up with the rudest comment on your dish. It’s horrible. It tastes horrible. You’re waiting for those words to come out of his mouth—

“It’s… delicious.” 

Your head shoots up. He digs in for another spoonful of your deconstructed pie. “Sorry… what?”

“I said,” he says, “it’s delicious.”

You let out a breathless laugh. Were you hearing things right? Jaehyun quirks an eyebrow at you and you straighten up your posture. “Sorry, I just—this is the first time I’ve ever heard something nice coming from you.”

“It not only tastes delicious but it tastes familiar.” He mumbles softly. “It reminds me of this diner my parents used to take me to after basketball practice. The diner was somewhere near Yonsei University where my parents used to teach. That diner served grapefruit and basil pie. I think I was about twelve or thirteen years old. It’s been a while since I’ve had it but I could still remember it so vividly—”

“Mina’s Place?” You whisper.

Jaehyun’s eyebrows raise with surprise and his face is overcome with realization. Mina’s Place. The reason why he hasn’t been to the diner in a while is because it closed down when he made a visit. It was a sudden shutdown and his family never knew what happened to the owners. They were unique and both of his parents’ favorite place to wind down after a day of teaching culinary students. That diner’s grapefruit and basil pie had inspired him to follow the footsteps of his parents. It was the unusual pairing of basil and fruit that made him curious, it was what drove him to start cooking. 

“Yeah… Mina’s Place.” He mumbles softly. “It’s too bad it closed down too soon.”

Your head hangs low again. Mina’s Place was your mother’s product of hardwork and dedication. Your late mother had bought the space and created it into a diner where she was able to cook up whatever she wanted for her guests. It was what made her happy. But when your mother started to grow sick, it was your father that took over the diner in hopes that she would return. But your mother’s health continued to deteriorate until she passed away at an early age of forty-seven. Ever since her passing, the diner wasn’t the same. Your father had decided to sell the diner to a young couple who were looking to start their own restaurant. 

Your mother’s best-selling item on the menu was the grapefruit and basil pie. Until this day, you are grateful that she managed to pass the recipe down to you. You had loved and admired your mother’s love for cooking. You would spend most of your days watching her cook. You would ditch everything to learn how to cook, especially from your mother. The deconstructed pie that you had made for Jaehyun is a representation of how much you miss her and how much she inspired you.

“Thank you,” you whisper. Jaehyun looks at you confusedly. “Thank you for cherishing my mother’s passion, for cherishing her love of cooking. She would be thrilled to know that there was someone who loved her grapefruit and basil pie.”

“Y-You’re joking,” he shakes his head. “She’s your mother?”

You purse your lips into a tight line, nodding. “We closed down the place because she died of cancer. It didn’t make sense to take on the diner after her passing. My father had no idea how to cook.”

“Y/N, I’m so sorry—”

“I decided to study culinary arts because it’s the only thing that reminds me of her. It’s the only thing that brings me closer to her. I also wanted to open up a diner in her honor, to celebrate her life. I think that’s what she truly wanted… to spend most of her life with her family and at the diner.” You chuckle, wiping away a tear that slides down your cheek. “And don’t apologize. You had no idea.”

“But still, I—”

“I’ve decided to stick with my decision regardless of whether you enjoyed my dish or not. I’m going to withdraw from the competition.” You clasp your hands together. 

Jaehyun watches you as you carefully take off your apron. You place the apron right next to your dish before bowing to him. “Y/N, no—”

“Thank you for everything, chef. It was an honor cooking for you and I’m glad you enjoyed the pie.”

“Y/N, no, please. Stay here with—” Me. That’s what he wants to say. It almost terrifies him that this is the first thing that crosses his mind. It catches him off guard. He’s never had the urge to let you stay. He’s never been afraid of losing you. He’s never been terrified of slowly realizing your importance and your effect on him. “The other contestants. You’re worthy of the chance. Just like them.”

“I’ve already told the producers—”

“We can always take it back. You can always take it back.” He cuts you off. “Don’t withdraw. You have so many more things to accomplish, to conquer, to show off. You have talent, Y/N. Withdrawing from the competition will be the biggest mistake of your life—”

“Please don’t say all of that if you don’t even mean it—”

“I mean it. Stay.” He’s so close to begging. “Your mother was one of the few driving forces that led me to becoming a chef. If it weren’t for your mother, I probably wouldn’t be standing in front of you right now.”

“You’re lying,” you shake your head in disbelief. “You’re just making this hard for me.”

“Stay for your mother. I’m sure she would want you to finish the competition regardless of whether you win or not—”

“But you wanted me gone since the first round—” Never. He never wanted you to leave. He wanted you to stay. He wanted to help you. He wanted to encourage you to work hard for your dreams. 

“Do it for her. Do it for Mina’s Place.”

You fall silent. For a moment, you could hear your mother’s voice chanting you on. You could hear her giggles and laughter. You could see her bright smile. It makes your eyes glassy. Your eyes trail down towards the pie that you made. As you fixate on the pie, you wipe away a few more tears.

“Yes, chef. I’ll stay.”

“How did you change her mind?”

Taeyong stands next to Jaehyun and watches you as you return your things back into their respective drawers at your station. Taeyong, along with Doyoung, had expected your station to be empty the following morning. But there you were, absolutely present, setting up your station before the next round of the competition begins. Jaehyun shoves his hands into his pockets and watches you intently, not being able to tear his gaze away from you.

“Let’s just say I worked my magic,” he answers softly. 

Doyoung glances at his co-judge, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. He follows Jaehyun’s line of sight and it lands on you. Taeyong seems to pick it up as well and a cheeky grin spreads across his lips. Taeyong has worked with Jaehyun for many years. They opened up one three-Michelin starred restaurant in Florence together and they ran the restaurant for many years. From Jaehyun’s inner thoughts to his feelings, Taeyong knows him so well. In fact, Taeyong hasn’t seen Jaehyun like this in so long. 

Work has been the main priority for Jaehyun. Taeyong was always trying to get his best friend to loosen up and meet some people while they were in Italy. But Jaehyun was always closed up and always stayed back in the kitchen. It was sad for Taeyong to see his best friend have a lack of social life—moreover, a dating life. Jaehyun’s last relationship was a couple of years ago and it ended on horrible terms. In particular, his breakup happened right before he boarded his flight to Italy. Taeyong knows that it left such a negative impact on his best friend. Jaehyun had promised to never fall in love again after his breakup, devoting his entire life to cooking and being in the kitchen… never leaving it once. 

But seeing how Jaehyun looks at you, Taeyong is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Alright, chefs! We’ll be starting in ten minutes! Relax, grab a drink, and we’ll regroup.” Doyoung announces. 

You suck in a deep breath, heading towards the water dispenser to get yourself a cup of water. Taeil follows behind you, grabbing himself a cup of water too. He tilts his head in confusion, analyzing your every move. You seem to notice and when the two of you finally make it up to the balcony that oversees the entire kitchen, you face him.

“Is there something on my face?” You ask.

Taeil shakes his head. “No! No, not at all. I was just—I thought you said you were going to withdraw from the competition.”

You take a swig of your water. “I did. But… I changed my mind. I decided to stay.”

“What changed your mind?” Taeil questions. Everyone’s beginning to gather at the balcony before the new round of the competition begins. 

Before you could even answer Taeil’s question, Chef Jaehyun stands in the space between you two. He leans over the railing of the balcony. You and Taeil share a look. You clear your throat, adding a bit more distance between you and Chef Jaehyun. Taeil studies your body language and it’s almost as if he reads your mind. Ah, Chef Jaehyun changed your mind. 

“Ah, I see.” Taeil slowly nods his head. “Well, good luck, Y/N. I’m sure you’ll do well in the next round.”

Taeil leaves you and Chef Jaehyun alone to talk with other contestants. You’re looking everywhere but at Chef Jaehyun, busying yourself by the water in your cup. 

Jaehyun can’t comprehend what’s going on with him. He can’t find the courage to look at you. But when he does, he can’t seem to breathe because his heartbeat picks up its pace. He clears his throat. “Are you ready for the next round?”

You finally look at him. You straighten up your posture. “Yes, chef.”

“Y/N, no, please. Stay here with—the other contestants. You’re worthy of the chance. Just like them.”

“Don’t withdraw. You have so many more things to accomplish, to conquer, to show off. You have talent, Y/N. Withdrawing from the competition will be the biggest mistake of your life.”

“I mean it. Stay. Your mother was one of the few driving forces that led me to becoming a chef. If it weren’t for your mother, I probably wouldn’t be standing in front of you right now.”

It’s hard to get rid of Chef Jaehyun’s voice out of your head. Whatever happened a couple of nights ago in the kitchen felt a bit too intimate. You were cooking one of your best dishes, a dish that meant a lot to you, for one of the most famous chefs in the world. It was just the two of you in the kitchen. Chef Jaehyun had begged you to stay in the competition. All of those events that night were driving you crazy.

What Chef Jaehyun does next snaps you out of your thoughts. He places his hand on your head and ruffles your hair. Your eyes slightly widen and you freeze. “Good luck.”

When he leaves to speak with the other contestants, you’re left all alone by the balcony with a heart beating so fast. You almost drop your cup of water but you catch yourself just in time. You place a hand over your heart as if it’ll help it stop beating so fast.

There’s been a shift between you and Chef Jaehyun ever since that night. 

You’ve always despised Chef Jaehyun. You didn’t even like him to begin with. Not one single bit. 

But now… you’re not quite sure anymore. 

“There are only two more rounds left in the competition. But this round determines who has a chance to be the next MasterChef. Who will make it to the final round of MasterChef? We shall find out! For today’s challenge, the three of you will be paired up with one of us to cook up a special meal for your own friends.”

There are three contestants left in the competition. Those contestants are you, Taeil, and Seokjin. Each one of you is called up to the front to pick a slip of paper from a box. The chef that’s on your chosen slip of paper will be the chef that you will be paired up to cook with. Whoever you end up with wouldn’t matter because the three of them are perfect in their own way.

Chef Jaehyun is a perfectionist. He’s also competitive. He loves making sure that the food he puts out is more than perfect. It gives him relief and satisfaction knowing that his customers love the food that he makes for them. He’s surely known all over the world for being overly meticulous. He’s also known for running many successful restaurants. He has strong ties with restaurants in Florence. Being paired up with Chef Jaehyun means that you are guaranteed to make a successful dish.

Chef Taeyong is also a perfectionist but not as competitive as Chef Jaehyun. He always makes sure that he thoroughly enjoys the process of cooking. He’s almost like a mother. He cooks for people because he genuinely enjoys doing it. It’s a hobby that he enjoys doing and somehow, it brings him fortune and success. Being paired up with Chef Taeyong means that you’ll not only make a perfect dish, but you’ll also have fun making it and create a story along with it.

Chef Doyoung is not a perfectionist, but he has a great sense of his ingredients. He knows the compatibility of ingredients, which is something every chef wants to have. It’s a trait that is rare to find in chefs. This trait had led him to win MasterChef when he was a contestant. To others, his dishes might be ambiguous but once people try it, they would have never imagined such a dish to work out. Being paired up with Chef Doyoung means that you are willing to take risks that will elevate your dish and bring out uniqueness. 

When you open your slip of paper, you almost let out a laugh.

Chef Jaehyun.

Fate loves playing games with you. 

“I got Chef Jaehyun,” you hold up your slip of paper. You and Taeil exchange looks. 

When your eyes meet Chef Jaehyun’s, he bites back a smile that’s threatening to spread across his lips. The two other chefs can’t seem to hold back their smiles either. You look down, growing too shy with all of the attention on you.

“I got Chef Taeyong.” Taeil shows his slip of paper.

“And that means I got Chef Doyoung.” Seokjin finishes, holding up his slip of paper.

“Perfect. We’ll start in five minutes. During these five minutes, we will all discuss with our partners and plan out our dishes accordingly.” Chef Taeyong announces.

When Chef Jaehyun heads over to your workstation, you can’t seem to compose yourself. Your mind is going insane. You’re not sure if you’re going to end up regretting having Chef Jaehyun as your partner or be grateful that he could help you secure a spot in the finals. 

“I’m surprised you’re not sick and tired of me yet,” he mumbles. “It’s just always gonna be you and me, huh?”

“I’m surprised you’re not sick and tired of me yet either,” you shrug your shoulders. 

“I guess fate likes the two of us together.” He says, avoiding your gaze.

“I’m sure fate hates me and is punishing me by pairing me up with you.” You mutter underneath your breath. 

“I heard that.”

“You were supposed to.”

Working together with Chef Jaehyun is a pain in the ass. 

“The sashimi should be cut like this!” 

“Yeah, I know! I can see it!” 

It’s been non-stop bickering for the past fifteen minutes. There’s forty-five minutes left before you have to send out your dishes to your friends. With the grin planted across Chef Jaehyun’s lips, you’re not sure if he’s doing this for fun or if he’s genuinely being strict and serious. 

“You’re in the way.” You nudge him aside to grab the bottle of Japanese mayonnaise. “Do you mind checking on my rolls?”

“They look good—”

“You didn’t even look at them!” You look at him as if he had ten heads.

“I don’t need to look at them to know if they look good or not.” He rolls his California rolls. “You need to be more confident in yourself. Do you think they look good?”

“Of course, because I made them.” You fold your arms.

“Then they look good! You have to trust yourself, Y/N.” He slices through the California roll before rolling each of them into Panko. “I feel like you don’t trust yourself enough.”

Chef Jaehyun’s right. You don’t trust yourself enough. When he notices how silent you’ve gotten, he finally takes a look at your California rolls. He analyzes the contents of your roll before smiling. “It looks perfect to me. You see, I didn’t need to look at them to tell you that they’re good. You put the right amount of crab meat. There’s a balance between the crab meat and rice. The roll is consistent. The rice is sticky enough. It’s perfect, Y/N, stop doubting yourself.”

“Really…?”

“Really. Now, get back to work because we don’t have much time left.”

As the two of you both get back to work, Jaehyun can’t seem to stop himself from smiling. If there was one thing he wanted to do with someone special to him, it was to make a meal together. He learns more about someone through the art of cooking. You’re an expert at baking and inherited those skills from your mother. You know your spices so well that they come to you so naturally. You know how to balance your ingredients. You know when two ingredients work and when it doesn’t. 

You’re the complete opposite of him. Jaehyun is an expert at everything but baking. He doesn’t have a great sense of spices and would often plan out his dishes carefully. Making a perfect dish doesn’t come naturally to him. He’s more on the practical side of cooking. Jaehyun thinks you’re the perfect match for him. Whether it be in the kitchen or as someone he’d like to pursue… he’s not sure. 

It would be a huge lie if Jaehyun wasn’t attracted to you. He doesn’t know when the switch happened. Maybe he liked you from the start. 

It’s almost as if fate had you written in his stars. When Jaehyun had been dumped by his ex-girlfriend right before he boarded his plane to Florence, he was devastated. He was devastated knowing that his ex-girlfriend whom he was planning on proposing to was cheating on him that entire time. He was devastated knowing that he lost one of his few passions; the love of his life. Heartbroken. Closed off. Focus on working. Focus on hustle culture. Never falling in love again. That was Jaehyun’s mindset.

But now that he thinks about it and all the encounters you’ve had with him, meeting you for the first time in Florence must be a fateful encounter. From spilling expensive wine all over his shirt to serving him a horrible dish as a culinary intern, no matter how embarrassing those experiences were, it must be fate. You make him worry about you. You make him think about you a bit too often. He goes out of his way to make sure nothing horrible happens to you. He doesn’t want you to be hurt.

Meeting you may be a special event that has happened in his life.

“Chef? Chef…?”

He snaps out of his thoughts. You’re giving him a funny look.

“You were saying?”

“You have some seaweed on your face, chef.”

“I-I do? Where—”

Before he could even wipe his face with his hands, you’re already reaching up to rub off the seaweed crumbs off of his face. He freezes in his spot. His eyes look down to meet yours. When you finally brush the seaweed crumbs off of his crimson red cheeks, your eyes shift to his. It’s your turn to freeze. Out of instinct, Jaehyun gently holds your arms. He holds you so carefully… almost cautiously. Somehow, he can’t speak. Somehow, everything that surrounds the two of you becomes nothing but white noise. His eyes slowly trail down to your lips. 

“You have fifteen minutes left! Fifteen minutes!”

You both are startled, repelling from each other. To calm your unsteady heart, you focus on finishing your last few sushi rolls before you begin plating them. Jaehyun stands more than a meter away from you, not making any sort of conversation with you for the remainder of the fifteen minutes. His heart is beating so fast that he’s afraid you could hear it ramming out of his chest.

It’s all starting to make sense. To him, at least.

He’s slowly—but surely—falling in love with you.

The morning of the final round of MasterChef, you wake up still in disbelief that you’re one step closer to becoming the champion. In the semi-finals, your great teamwork with Chef Jaehyun has secured you a spot in the finals, giving you a bigger chance of winning the entire competition. There’s no backing down for you. The possibility that your dreams can come true is still surreal for you and now you’re willing to put in all the effort to make sure that possibility becomes reality. 

As soon as you enter the kitchen, you spot none other than Taeil, who’s already setting up his station. You and Taeil both find it funny how although you’re both closest to each other and have become good friends in the competition, here you both are, competing against each other to become the champion of MasterChef. It’s a friendly competition. You can’t imagine finishing the entire competition with anyone else.

“Hello, chef.” You greet him.

“Good morning, Y/N. Today is the day.” He smiles. “Good luck. Let the MasterChef win.”

Everyone begins to gather around. Your friends and family and Taeil’s friends and family. The three chef judges make their ways to the front after getting their hair and makeup done. The kitchen is set up differently this time around. Instead of the normal rectangular work stations, the station is set up as a circle that surrounds both you and Taeil. The two of you will work on opposite sides of the circle.

As you and Taeil get settled and wait for filming to start, your eyes catch Chef Jaehyun’s. You’re almost surprised and a bit taken aback to catch him already looking at you. He’s dressed up quite nice today. He’s wearing an indigo suit with his hair styled back. He has such prominent eyebrows, you notice, since he’s always had his hair down. He’s… handsome. 

And he smiles at you.

Not knowing what to do in return, you flash him a small, timid smile before looking away. In just a few minutes, the final round will begin and your fate will be determined. You spot your father who’s wiping away tears with his handkerchief. Sitting in his arms is a framed picture of your mother. Your eyes slowly tear up but you blink them away. 

“We will start in three… two… one… action!”

“Welcome everyone, to the final round of MasterChef.”

“Today, we will find out who is this season’s MasterChef.”

“Will it be Taeil? Or Y/N? We shall find out!”

For the final round of MasterChef, you and Taeil will be cooking up three dishes for the chef judges. The first dish will be the appetizer. Following the first dish is the entree. The third and final dish is the dessert. You and Taeil were given a week to figure out what you’re going to serve the chef judges. You have decided to base your dishes around the theme of apples. All three of your dishes contain apples.

The first round of three begins and you’re cooking up your first dish. For your first dish, you’re creating a scotch quail egg that will rest on top of a bed of parsnips and potatoes. You envision this dish to replicate a bird’s nest, where the bed of parsnips and potatoes act as the nest that protects the scotch quail egg. The scotch quail egg is different, however, because you will incorporate apples into the coating that surrounds it. 

“Your time starts now!”

You and Taeil busy yourselves at your own sides of the circle. You’re beginning your dish by boiling a pot of water for your quail eggs. At the same time, you’re bringing out the ground pork and a couple of red gala apples. As you’re cutting the gala apples, you make sure to cut them into cubes to make them stand out in the scotch egg. From the corner of your eye, you can see Chef Jaehyun step off of the stage to head towards you.

“Hello, Y/N.” He greets you as he approaches your side of the station. “What are you making for us?”

“A scotch quail egg,” you mumble.

“With apples?” You hum in reply. “And what are you going to do with the potatoes?”

“I’m going to slice them up to replicate a nest for the quail eggs to rest on.” You answer.

“That seems like a bit of an easy dish, don’t you think?” He purses his lips into a tight line. “Do you think it’ll be enough to impress us?”

“Yes,” you mumble, trying your best not to let him distract you. 

“Are you sure your quail eggs are going to be cooked properly? They shouldn’t be—”

“Overcooked, yes, I am very much aware of that, Chef Jaehyun.” You cut him off.

He chuckles. Your ears perk up. “It seems like you don’t want me around. Am I distracting you?”

“Yes,” you answer and everyone around you laughs. “I guess you’ll just have to see what I have planned for you when I serve it to you later.”

“Sounds good. I’m excited to see what you bring to the table, Y/N.” He searches for your eyes, but they’re busy looking at other things. In reality, you’re just too shy to look at him. “Good luck, Y/N.”

“Thanks, chef.”

Returning to your station, you keep the judges’ comments on your appetizer in your thoughts to improve on the next dish. The next dish that you’re going to cook up for them is the entree. Because your appetizer was easy to make, this left you ample time to begin preparing for your entree. You plan to serve the chef judges an entree dish that you call, rabbit two ways, in which you will serve them two different kinds of rabbit meat while incorporating bursts of apple flavors into it. The timer starts and you and Taeil get to work.

“I like how you presented this dish. It looks like a bird’s nest!”

Chef Taeyong’s comments on your dish had given you the motivation and desire to win the competition. From the start of the competition all the way to the final round, Chef Taeyong has been nothing but encouraging and genuine. All of his comments and advice shaped you into who you are as a chef today, at this very moment. 

“Although there are some burnt potatoes and parsnips in my dish, I think that it surprisingly complemented the sweet flavors of the apple in the scotch egg.”

Chef Doyoung, a MasterChef champion, is someone you always looked up to. You remember watching the season that he was competing in and having a gut feeling that he would make it to the final round. There was something special about Chef Doyoung and his dishes. Every dish he created had its own story, and of course, it would always look and taste delicious. Hearing his comments throughout your journey in the competition has also helped you learn and create a chef’s mindset. 

“I think I would definitely serve something like this as an appetizer at one of my restaurants. The presentation is spot on. I couldn’t have imagined a scotch egg to be presented in any other way. It’s almost as if you’re recreating nature, mother nature I would say, through your dishes. The flavors balance so well, which is not surprising because you’ve always had a good sense of your spices. Very well done, Y/N.”

Chef Jaehyun, although you disliked him at first, has truly been the one who wanted to see you succeed. Ever since he had tried to change your mind about withdrawing from the competition you couldn’t help but think that he was the one who truly liked you and your performance in the competition all along. If he didn’t try to change your mind, you would have probably withdrawn from the competition and returned back to the starting position of your journey. Chef Jaehyun has made you realize that if you truly want something, you have to work extremely hard for it. He made you realize that you’re better than what you think and most of the time, you’re just being hard on yourself. Someday, you plan on thanking him for being tough on you because it helped you on your journey to becoming a chef.

As you heat up the pan on the stove, you slice and dice up your apples to fuse them with the rabbit meat. Placing them onto the pan, you begin creating your artichoke puree that will amplify the flavors of the dish. From time to time, you could check up on the rabbit meat to make sure that you weren’t overcooking it. Overcooking rabbit meat would be horrifying because it would only mean that you would have to cook a new batch in so little time. It is extremely crucial to your dish. 

“You have fifteen minutes left!”

You spent the remaining fifteen minutes focusing on the rabbit meat since you have finished making the artichoke puree. After already beginning to plate your dish with the puree, you place the rabbit meat onto a frying rack to drain out the oil. Your hands are shaking out of complete nervousness. You want this so bad. But the fact that you’re serving a dish that you haven’t even tasted is such a huge risk to take. 

“Five minutes left!”

Drizzling a bit more of the artichoke puree on top of the rabbit meat, your nervous hands cause you to drizzle a bit more than needed. Pulling out a clean towel, you wipe off some of the puree that scattered on the sides of the dish. Glancing up at the time, you have one minute left to spare. You take these last few seconds to make sure everything looks good before handing them over to the servers.

“Time’s up! Hands up! Servers, please head to the back to serve the dishes.”

The last and final dish you are going to serve the chef judges is dessert. Dessert is your expertise. Everyone is aware that if there was one thing you excelled at as a chef, it would be through your desserts. You would like to thank your mother for exposing you to the world of baking at such a young age. It truly helped you later on in life, especially in this competition. For this dish, you decided to create a dish that represented a fallen apple or an apple that has fallen from an apple tree. The dish is simply an apple panna cotta, but you will be presenting it in such a way that it looks like an apple that has fallen onto the ground. This dish is going to tie up your ‘apple’ series and hopefully help you win the competition.

“Hey, Y/N. I’m back.” Chef Jaehyun smiles as he visits you at your station once again.

You smile back at him. “Hi, Chef Jaehyun. Is there anything I could help you with?”

“You could help me by letting me know what you’re planning on serving us for dessert.” He grins. 

“I guess you’ll just have to find out,” you mumble softly. 

“Mysterious.” He nods his head as he begins to move on to Taeil’s station. “You’re going to surprise us?”

“Yes, chef.” You reply.

“Well, I hope it’ll be worth the surprise! Good luck, Y/N.”

“Thanks, chef!”

For your dish, you’re not planning on serving them a whole apple. You’re going to recreate the apple by making apple jelly. The apple jelly will be shaped like an apple by pouring the mixture into a silicone tray. Since an apple has seeds in the middle, you are going to toast up some pine nut seeds and place them into the middle of the jelly mixture once it’s set. To recreate the red color of an apple, you are going to place a red glaze all over the jelly. Since this dish is going to replicate a fallen apple, you are going to recreate soil by grinding up a mixture of nuts and raisins. This will act as the bed for the fallen apple. Lastly, you are going to recreate the leaves of the apple tree by using sugar and water, and the twigs of the branches with a sweet dough.

“You have twenty minutes left!”

You pull out your silicone trays and you nearly have a heart attack. The jelly is not completely set but you don’t have much time left to keep it in the fridge. You still have to plate the entire dish. Taking the toasted pine nut seeds off the stove, you place them onto a tray to cool down. One by one, you shove pine nut seeds into the apple jelly. The seeds keep popping back up, which confirms that your apple jelly still isn’t set properly. But with the time you have left, you have to take this risk. 

“Ten minutes left!”

You begin plating your dish. To plate your apple-themed dessert, you grab the bowl of fake soil that you created with an assortment of nuts and raisins and scoop out two spoons to create a bed for the fallen apple. After you do that on three plates, you carefully pop out the apple jelly from the silicone tray and place it on top of the soil. Then, to decorate the apple jelly, you stick your fake twigs into the jelly and place sugar leaves on top. As you grab the pot of red glaze, you stop in your tracks. 

From the corner of your eye, you can see Chef Jaehyun looking at you as you freeze in your spot. You look deep in thought. Suddenly, you shake your head and place the pot of red glaze back onto the countertop. He tilts his head in confusion.

“Ten seconds left!” 

Everyone is beginning to count down and you’re making final touches to your dish. Taeil, on the other hand, already has his hands up to indicate that he’s already done.

“Time’s up! Hands up! Servers, please take the dishes to the back.”

“Alright, Y/N, please tell us what you have served for us.”

Stepping forward, you clear your throat. Each one of them looks at you with anticipation, but it makes you grow even more nervous. You feel more nervous than how you were at the start of the competition. When your eyes meet Chef Jaehyun’s, your mind can’t help but go blank. He gives you an encouraging smile and it’s enough for you to snap back to your senses.

“For dessert, I’ve recreated a fallen apple by making an apple panna cotta. The fallen apple is supported by a bed of soil which is recreated with an assortment of nuts and raisins. To replicate the twigs and leaves of the apple tree, I’ve made a dough for the twigs and used a sugar glaze for the leaves.” You describe your dish. All of their eyebrows raise. You’re not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

“I saw you holding a pot of red glaze earlier and I assumed that you were going to use that to glaze over the apple jelly. But I see that you’ve decided not to use it. Is there a particular reason why you decided to do that?” Chef Jaehyun asks as he’s digging into your dessert by taking a bit of everything onto his spoon.

“I decided not to use red glaze for this dish because I felt like it would look a little bit too fake. I also think that it wouldn’t match the overall colors of the dish.” You explain. 

Chef Jaehyun smiles. “I think that was good judgment on your part. If it doesn’t look like it belongs on your dish, then don’t add it. Well done, Y/N.”

“Let’s all dig in.” Chef Doyoung insists.

As they all taste your dish, you nervously fiddle with your fingers. After they have all finished tasting the different components of your dish, they look back up at you.

“I think this is a unique dish, Y/N.” Chef Taeyong begins. He’s the first one to make a comment on your dessert. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The presentation is spot on again. I really like the balance of sweetness from the apple jelly and the richness of the soil. I enjoyed this dish. Thank you, Y/N.”

“Thank you, chef.” You mumble.

“I agree with Chef Taeyong.” Chef Doyoung smiles. “I really like how the jelly melts in your mouth and how this is counteracted by the crunchy texture of the nuts. The presentation of the dish is executed very well, it looks like a fallen apple. You’ve done a beautiful job, Y/N.”

“Thank you so much, chef.” 

“I agree with all of them.” Chef Jaehyun chuckles. “I see why you decided not to add red glaze to this dish. It would have completely ruined it. I am not one who likes desserts, but this has completely changed it for me. I love how it has the right amount of sweetness. The nuts balance well with the sweetness due to it being so rich in flavor. I would also serve something like this at my restaurant. You’ve come a long way, Y/N. You’ve done an excellent job in finishing up your three-course apple menu.”

“Wow, that means a lot, thank you so much.” You sigh with relief.

“Alright, we’re going to have a bit of a meeting now.” Chef Doyoung chuckles. “The two of you can go back and meet with your family while we go over your dishes and choose this season’s MasterChef.”

“Good luck, Y/N and Taeil.”

“We have finally come to a decision.”

Everyone is gathered near the front of the kitchen. The three judges are standing right in front of you. You and Taeil share glances. Taeil flashes you a huge smile that you mirror back at him. It feels like a dream standing in front of the three chef judges, waiting for them to announce the winner of MasterChef. The journey that you took on this competition is one that you will never forget and one that will change your life forever. 

“It was hard to choose a winner for this season’s MasterChef.” Chef Taeyong begins. “Because the two of you have come such a long way since the start of the competition. The two of you have been through tough challenges and elimination tests, but you persevered, and that’s why you’re standing here today.”

“You have both improved and learned a lot since you started your journey here at MasterChef, and your journey continues even after the competition.” Chef Jaehyun clasps his hands together. “I personally think this season is my favorite. This final round has been special. You both served dishes that we have never even seen in the previous seasons of MasterChef. The both of you should be extremely proud of yourselves for making it this far.”

“But we do have to choose one MasterChef winner. The winner will be getting the first prize and a chance to open up their own restaurant or catering service. This will put you out into the field of cuisine and culinary arts, something that we’re all sure that you both came here for.” Chef Doyoung smiles. “Shall we announce the winner?”

“I think we should.” Chef Taeyong chuckles. “It was such a hard decision but…”

“But we have finally chosen this season’s MasterChef.” Chef Doyoung finishes it for him. “Y/N, Taeil, could you please step up to the front?”

You and Taeil head towards the front, hand in hand. Taeil gives your hand a tight, reassuring squeeze. Standing right behind him is his own family. Standing behind you are your relatives and your father, but also your mother, who’s looking down at you from the sky. 

“This season’s MasterChef is…”

You close your eyes. Your heart begins to beat faster than horsepower. You would feel like the only woman in the world if you hear your name being called out. Standing right here, with Taeil, in front of three world-renowned chefs, is another reminder of how much you wanted this, why you started this journey, and what you want out of it. It’s not only for you, but for your mother, who would always chase her dreams. 

“Congratulations, because you are this season’s MasterChef…”

“Y/N! Congratulations, you are this season’s MasterChef!”

It’s all a blur. Confetti shoots up into the air and falls down like snowflakes. You open your eyes when you feel yourself being attacked by your family with hugs. Taeil’s hand never lets go of yours and he pulls you into a tight, celebratory hug. Your eyes well up with tears. 

You can’t believe it.

If only your mother was here to celebrate your win with you. But you’re sure that she’s up in the skies, cheering you on, celebrating your achievement. It’s hard to breathe because it all feels so surreal. When you blink away your tears, your vision becomes clear again and you see the three chef judges coming in to join the big hug. Chef Jaehyun falls within sight and you share gazes.

He flashes you a wide, warm, genuine smile while mouthing ‘congratulations’.

Your heart skips a beat but you pay no attention to it.

You mouth back a ‘thank you, chef’.

AFTER MASTERCHEF.

It’s been a couple of months since you won MasterChef and you’ve been assigned to work alongside Chef Doyoung at one of his new branch locations. You’ve been assigned this job in the meantime while you renovate your new diner that you’ve always wished of running. 

If Jaehyun were to be honest, he was quite sad (or should he say, jealous, but he will never admit it) that you were assigned to work with Doyoung. The days after MasterChef have been uneventful and boring. Everywhere he looks, it reminds him of you. Everything he does, it reminds him of you. Stubborn to admit it, he misses it. He misses you.

And so when he steps inside of Doyoung’s new branch location of his restaurant, Doie, he hopes that he could catch you there. Why? Because finding you has been extremely difficult these days. 

As he steps into the restaurant, he heads straight to the front desk. The woman working at the front slowly looks up and upon realizing who’s standing right in front of her, her posture straightens.  

He flashes her a warm smile. “Is Chef Y/N here?” 

“O-Oh! You’re Chef Jaehyun!” She exclaims. 

He smiles sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. “Yes, that’s me. I decided to drop by and check this place out. I had only found out that Chef Y/N was assigned to work here in the meantime before the opening of Mina’s Place.” 

“Unfortunately, Chef Y/N already left. She left a couple of hours ago to attend to some personal matters.” The woman frowns, spinning a pen in between her fingers. 

“Oh, is that so?” He’s trying so hard to hide the disappointment in his eyes. “I guess I was a bit too late.”

“Do you want me to pass a message on to her, chef?” She asks insistently. 

“Oh, there’s no need. I guess I’ll just drop by tomorrow.” He says with defeat.

Why is it that it used to be so easy to bump into you? Why is it that it’s become so difficult to bump into you now? Why is it so hard to cross paths with you now? It’s been so easy to find you before. But now, when he tries to find you, he can’t. It’s grown into a difficult game of hide and seek.

“Actually—” Jaehyun begins before cutting himself off. “I’ll be right back.”

He rushes out of the restaurant and spots a flower shop right across the road. Stepping inside of the flower shop, he’s greeted by an elderly woman who’s watering a fresh batch of tulips. She places the pail of water back onto the black and white tiled floor. 

“Hello, young man, how can I help you?” 

He lets his eyes wander around the shop. He can’t seem to figure out what to get. 

“I’ve been wanting to get a bouquet of flowers, but I’m not quite sure which flowers to put together.” He scratches the back of his head. 

She giggles sheepishly. “Is it for a young lady that’s taken your interest?”

He’s caught off guard by the question. He lets out a shaky, breathy laugh. There’s no way he could be feeling this way for you. Even if he does feel like you’re someone special to him, it’s something that will take a while for him to understand. Liking you is one thing but falling in love with you is another.

“I—I mean—Yeah, I guess so?” He sounds confused.

She tilts her head. “You guess so? Well, young man, the fact that you’ve stepped foot into my shop to get a lovely lady a bouquet of flowers must mean something. She must be someone special.”

The old woman has a point. He wouldn’t be going out of his way to do all of this for you. He wouldn’t be trying to find you. He wouldn’t have the urge to talk to you, to get to know you more. 

“I guess you’re right,” he slowly nods his head when everything slowly becomes clear for him. “Alright. Do you mind putting a bouquet together for a young woman that I’ve taken interest in? I want her to like me just as much as I like her.”

The old woman breaks out into a wide smile. 

“Right away, sir.” 

When the bouquet of white daisies and red tulips is wrapped and bundled together with a plastic wrap, Jaehyun pays for the old woman’s efforts and time before heading back to the restaurant across the road. But before he leaves the flower shop, the old woman gives him words of encouragement. He gives her two thumbs up and heads back. 

The woman standing at the front eyes the bouquet of flowers in his hands when he enters. He places the bouquet on top of the counter. “I’m back.”

“You’re back, indeed.”

“Do you mind giving Y/N these flowers when he comes in tomorrow? You could place them in a vase to keep them fresh too.” He asks.

She nods her head. “Will do, chef.”

“Alright, thank you so much. I’ll head on out now—”

“Chef Jaehyun, are you sure you’re just going to give her the bouquet of flowers without a note?”

Shoot. He turns back around. “You’re right, I didn’t write a note.”

She slides over a stack of sticky notes and her own pen. “Here you go, chef.”

He grabs the stack of sticky notes and walks over to one of the tables for two. He plops his butt down onto one of the chairs and thinks about what to write and what type of note he wants to leave you. To him, it seems like he’s been sitting there for hours. There are so many things he wants to tell you, but he’ll have to say them one by one.

To Y/N, 

I dropped by Doie in hopes of seeing you. Would love to meet and catch up with you over a cup of coffee. I miss hope that we could get in touch soon. On the back of the note is my number. Hope to hear from you soon.

Jaehyun

“A short video?”

The production team exchanges looks before nodding their head. Jaehyun has been called to have a meeting with one of the food companies that he helps endorse. The company is popular for their gluten-free food products. From gluten-free flour to gluten-free bread, the company most likely carries it. It was the first brand that Jaehyun endorsed mainly because he’s always been picky with his food, especially since his mother’s allergic to gluten. 

“Yes! With Chef Y/N! It’s a promotion video for one of the new brands we’re carrying here at the supermarket. We’re planning on having the both of you shop around one of our supermarkets and use the groceries to create a dessert for Valentine’s Day.” One of the PR managers explains.

“Did Chef Y/N agree to do the video?” He raises an eyebrow. 

“Yes, she just got back to us this morning. She’s interested in doing the video.” Another PR joins the conversation. 

“Great. I’ll do the video.”

Everyone looks at each other weirdly. That was such a fast response. They always had trouble negotiating with Jaehyun mainly because of his busy life. But this time, it was different.

“O-Oh? That’s perfect, chef!”

“When do we start?”

A couple of weeks later, you arrive at a supermarket that’s been closed off to the public until noon. It’s been a while since you last saw Chef Jaehyun. You were quite surprised to hear that he had decided to do the cooking video with you. You were even more surprised when the PR team had told you that the MasterChef viewers had voted for the two of you to collaborate for the video. As for the reasons why the viewers voted for the two of you specifically… you still have no idea.

“Chef Jaehyun will be arriving in a bit, he’s running late because of traffic.” The videographer informs you. 

“No worries, I’ll keep myself busy in the meantime.” You smile, heading inside of the supermarket to take a look at the groceries. 

You start off in the produce section, trying to see what you can come up with for the video. There are fresh large strawberries that you think would be perfect for chocolate-covered strawberries. After all, you and Chef Jaehyun are supposed to create a dish that would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. You try to look for other alternatives, steering away from doing the basics. 

“Miss Y/N? Chef Jaehyun has arrived. He’s just outside of the supermarket.” One of the PR interns approaches you, almost startling you.

“Oh! Yes, alright, I’ll head on over with you right now.” You join her as you both walk back outside of the supermarket. 

As you walk through the automatic doors, the first thing you spot is a tall figure standing a few meters away. He’s talking to the videographers and the PR interns who are telling him what they have planned for the video. You hesitantly approach them, mumbling a soft, “hello.”

When Chef Jaehyun turns towards you, you see his eyes slightly widen before a flame ignites within them. For a brief moment, you get lost in his eyes because you find yourself focusing more on trying to steady your fast heartbeat. When you come back to your senses, you’re the first to look away. 

He clears his throat and you feel his shoulder brush against yours. “Nice seeing you again, Y/N.”

“Nice seeing you too, chef.” You mumble softly. Why do you feel shy?

“Are the two of you ready to start filming? From the scripts that we sent you, it’s going to be a casual type of video.” The videographer explains. “Just to briefly brush over what we have planned for the video, the two of you will be shopping for groceries that the company carries and sells and you will both cook up a dish together. It will be Valentine’s Day themed.”

The both of you slowly nod. “Are you ready?”

You look up to see Chef Jaehyun already looking down at you. You flash him a small, timid smile. “Ready, chef.”

“Perfect! Let’s start with the filming. Be yourselves and of course, have fun!” The videographer clasps his hands together and he pulls out his camera. 

You brace yourself.

It’s going to be a long day, that’s for sure.

“Hello everyone, I’m Chef Jaehyun.”

“And I’m Chef Y/N.” 

“And today, we’ll be shopping around for ingredients to cook up a meal that you could cook for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day.” 

Chef Jaehyun pushes the cart while you look for some fresh fruits in the produce section. The two of you have agreed to cook two different dishes, a dessert and a main course. Chef Jaehyun will be in charge of the main course dish while you will be in charge of the dessert. 

“To spice things up, we have a couple of questions to answer while we shop.” You begin while you’re grabbing a bag of raspberries. 

“You’re going to play the couple game!” One of the PR interns says from her script. Your eyes almost bulge out of its sockets. You don’t remember a couple game written in the script. From the surprised look on Chef Jaehyun’s face, you don’t think he remembers it either. “We will give you two options and the both of you will answer on the count of three. Think of it as a compatibility game!”

“C-Couple game? Compatibility game?” Chef Jaehyun chuckles sheepishly. 

“First question! Fried chicken or pizza? One… two… three!”

“Chicken.” You both answer in unison.

“Wow, the compatibility is strong right off the bat.” The PR intern giggles. “Next question! Snow or rain? One… two… three!”

“Snow.” You both answer in unison again. 

“Wow, this must be fate.” The PR intern swoons. “Third question! Ice cream or cake? One… two… three!”

“Ice cream.” Chef Jaehyun answers.

“Cake.” You answer.

“The last few questions will only get interesting from here. Next question!” The PR exclaims. “Fall in love with your childhood best friend or fall in love with a celebrity! One… two… three!” 

“Fall in love with your childhood best friend.” You both answer.

“Interesting. Next question!” The PR continues to read off of her list of questions. “Choose the one who likes me or choose the one I like the most? One… two… three!”

“The one that I like the most.” You both answer. The PR intern grins as if her mission was accomplished successfully. 

After all of your horrible encounters with Chef Jaehyun, this was one of the few times that you were actually on the same page as him. The only times that you felt like he was on your side was when he begged you to stay in the competition and when he was your partner for semi-finals. You were slowly starting to forget about cold-hearted Chef Jaehyun, the perfectionist that loved to nitpick every single detail of yours. This side of Chef Jaehyun… is a side that you want to see often. 

In fact, you wouldn’t be surprised if you fell in love with him.

“Last question before we let you finish grocery shopping,” the PR intern snaps you out of your thoughts. “What are your ideal types?”

“I like someone who is easy to talk to, someone that I can communicate with without feeling embarrassed. It’s nice to have someone who’s transparent.” Chef Jaehyun is the first to answer the question. 

“How about you, Chef Y/N?” 

You think about it for a moment. You hum to yourself before shrugging your shoulders. “I don’t think I have an ideal type.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Because I think that no matter what you like in a certain person, when you actually fall in love with someone, that person could be completely different.” You explain.

“You’re a hopeless romantic, Y/N.” Chef Jaehyun nudges you.

It’s an odd gesture, coming from him. You bite your lip, nudging him back. 

“If there’s a hopeless romantic out of the two of us, it would be you, Chef Jaehyun.”

The PR intern chuckles.

“It would definitely be you, Chef Jaehyun, since you were born on Valentine’s Day!”

At the end of the shoot, you and Chef Jaehyun had insisted on cleaning up the kitchen before leaving the set. You’re busy washing the dishes and he’s busy putting the ingredients back into the cupboards and fridge. From the corner of your eye, you can see Chef Jaehyun leaning against the countertop, watching you. You almost drop the dishes into the sink, catching yourself right in time.

“How have you been?” You hear him ask.

You bite your lip. “I’ve been well, chef. You?”

“Better now that I���ve seen you again.” 

You clear your throat, letting out a lighthearted chuckle. “I’m not sure how you want me to react to that, chef.”

“Did you… get them?” 

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion. “Get the…?”

“The flowers…?”

“Flowers…?” You place the dishes back into the hot bath before gasping. “Oh, right! The flowers! Yes, I got them. Thank you, Chef Jaehyun. You didn’t really need to.”

“I wanted to give you a gift since I heard that you’re planning on opening a diner,” he mumbles softly. Is he… blushing?

“It’s true.” You smile. “I’m going to make my mother’s dreams come true.”

“I’m sure she’s proud of you.” He flashes you a smile. It’s a different smile. This time, you can feel the genuinity he’s expressing. It feels sincere. “Have you finalized a grand opening date?”

You turn off the faucet and wipe your hands with a towel. As you turn towards Chef Jaehyun, you don’t realize how close he’s been standing to you. You almost stumble back. Gulping nervously, you nod your head. “Sometime in July.”

“I’ll keep my schedules flexible in July, then. I’d love to join you for the grand opening.” 

“Oh, you don’t need to, chef. I’m sure you’re busy with other things.”

“If it’s for you, why not?” 

The two of you stare at each other. His eyes slowly trail down to your lips. You lick them out of instinct, frozen with your feet glued to the floor. As you fake a cough, he regains his focus and is the first to pull away from you. 

“Jaehyun? We have to get going for your next schedule.” His manager calls out to him.

The two of you glance at each other. He gives you a look you can’t seem to read. Jaehyun doesn’t want to leave. He wants to stay with you. He wants to spend more time with you. He’s aching to get to know you more. There’s a sense of urgency and neediness. 

“You should get going, chef.” You mumble shyly. “Wouldn’t want to be late to your next schedule.”

What Chef Jaehyun does next completely catches you off guard. He ruffles your hair before caressing your cheek with the same hand. With widened and surprised eyes, your heartbeat picks up its pace. He smiles. It feels warm. He feels warm.

“I won’t be able to see you for a while but Happy Valentine’s Day, Y/N. You don’t know how happy I am to see you again.”

When Chef Jaehyun’s figure gets smaller and smaller, your heart feels tighter and tighter. You’re not sure how Chef Jaehyun feels about you. But what you’re sure of is that you no longer despise Chef Jaehyun. 

You’re slowly falling in love with him.

[NEW] COOK UP HEARTWARMING VALENTINE’S DAY DISHES W/ CHEF JAEHYUN AND MASTERCHEF CHAMPION Y/N  1.2m views | 56k+ likes | two days ago

COMMENTS:

[pinned comment] Chef Jaehyun Official: Happy Valentine’s Day everyone~ #chefjaehyunxYN should we do another video together?

pastrychef_amy21: omg is it just me or does anyone feel like chef jaehyun has a crush on chef y/n?? doggolover312 replied: omg I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT NOTICED.  luminescencexx replied: the way he looks at her >> get you a man like chef jaehyun ugh he’s handsome AND he cooks??? perfect package kjhdskjfh

galaxiesandstarsxo: they act like an old married couple sobs i always found their bickering cute since masterchef doggolover312 replied: but doesn’t chef jaehyun have a gf? i swear he did galaxiesandstarsxo replied: i think they broke up a long time ago? they were supposed to get married apparently… but something happened. they even unfollowed each other on socials doggolover312 replied: omg if that’s the case… chef y/n you still have a chance!!

It’s your last day helping out at Doie and it feels bittersweet to be leaving. Here, you close a chapter to open another one. You’ve been helping out in the kitchen at Doie for months, right after you had won MasterChef. The time you were at Doie is something you’ll cherish. But you’re moving on to make bigger moves, making you and your mother’s dreams come true as one of them. 

On your last day of work, Chef Taeyong decides to surprise you with a visit. You’re in the middle of cooking up a dish when he arrives and asks you if the two of you could have a chat. You both find yourselves sitting in the loft that’s been closed to customers for the season. 

“How have you been?” He asks. 

You smile. “I’ve been well, chef. I’ve been enjoying every single day.”

He chuckles. “I can definitely see that you’re enjoying every passing day. You’re a MasterChef, after all.”

You cut right to the chase. “Am I in trouble, chef?”

“No, not at all. Far from it, actually.” He shakes his head. “I wanted to talk to you about something… or should I say, about someone.”

“Who?” 

He snorts. “Jaehyun, of course. Have you seen him recently?”

“Yes, chef. We filmed a video together for Valentine’s Day with one of his sponsors—”

“Now that makes sense!” He exclaims. He sighs with relief. “He’s been acting incredibly weird lately. In fact, he’s been acting weird for the longest time, since MasterChef, and it’s been driving me nuts.”

“Chef Jaehyun? Acting weirdly?” You ask confusedly. 

“How do I put this?” He sighs. “He likes you, Y/N. You may not think he does and he may not think he does either, but I see it. It’s crystal clear. It’s as clear as day.” 

You fold over, bursting out into laughter. It’s the reaction he expected from you. He got the same exact reaction from Jaehyun. Complete disbelief. Complete obliviousness. 

“Oh no, chef. I don’t think he likes me—”

“He does, Y/N.” Chef Taeyong cuts you off. “Listen, before his flight to Florence, his ex-girlfriend dumped him because she was cheating on him. Ever since then, Jaehyun has been such a cold-hearted person and worked his ass off. But I always felt that there was something off about him.”

“He got dumped before flying out to Florence?” You purse your lips into a tight line. “Maybe that’s why he was such in a bad mood when I spilled wine all over his shirt—”

“You both met each other before MasterChef?” Chef Taeyong flips out, eyes rounding like saucers. “In Florence, too?!”

“Yes…?”

“Makes sense.” He squints his eyes. “He kept talking about this restaurant, specifically about this waitress who somehow became a culinary intern—”

“That was me—”

“—and how he kind of regretted being so cold and rude to her because he truly saw potential and thought that she needed a boost of confidence—”

“He saw potential in me even back then—”

“—wait, the girl he was talking about was you?!” His jaw drops. 

You slowly nod your head. “I was the waitress who spilled wine all over his shirt. I was the culinary intern who messed up his dish. All those horrifying encounters with Chef Jaehyun had led me to think that he absolutely hated me. He was blunt and honest, which made my unconfident self to join MasterChef to prove him wrong.”

“And you did.” Chef Taeyong smiles before it turns into a grin. “But Y/N, you got it all wrong.”

“I got it all wrong? How?”

“Jaehyun never hated you. He never disliked you.” He confesses. “In fact, it’s the complete opposite. Jaehyun’s a weird guy, I know.”

“H-How? I don’t—I don’t understand.” You scratch the back of your neck, face filled with confusion. 

“When he told me about a waitress spilling wine all over his shirt, he laughed and said it was like fate was telling him to wake up.” He chuckles. “When he told me about a culinary intern messing up his dish, he couldn’t help but regret being harsh to the intern and wanted to go back but he already had to fly back to Seoul.” 

You’ve never really thought of how your encounters with Chef Jaehyun looked through his point of view. Now that Chef Taeyong was laying it all out for you, you were slowly realizing that your low self-esteem and confidence caused you to immediately conclude that he hated you. 

“Huh—”

“When you auditioned for MasterChef, Jaehyun actually wanted to say yes. In fact, he was the first one to say yes, but the producers of the show told him to say no to add more drama for the viewers.” He continues. “For your team challenge, Jaehyun was the one who spotted Euntae sabotaging your cake.” 

“It was him?” You whisper. 

He nods his head. “When we were deciding who to eliminate after your team lost the challenge, Jaehyun was proactive in convincing us to keep you in the competition. You were close to being eliminated but Jaehyun kept telling us that you had potential.” 

He saw potential in you. He was persistent in keeping you in the competition. In the end, Chef Jaehyun really cared. 

“I—”

“The day after I found out that Jaehyun stopped you from voluntarily withdrawing from the competition, I was curious as to how he managed to make you stay.” He smiles. “But when I looked at him look at you, I had already gotten the answer.”

You fall silent. Chef Jaehyun did everything to make sure that you felt like you were fit to be a chef. But you were just closed minded and immediately shut him down. All of his actions translated into intentions out of hate. You wish you had known, perhaps you would’ve developed a great friendship with him. You’re surprised he’s still coming back into your life to try at being friends with you after being so rude to him. 

“I’ve worked with Jaehyun for many years. I know him so well. I can read him like a book. When I saw how Jaehyun looked at you that day, I felt relieved because I’ve never seen him like that for so long.” He places a hand on your shoulder. “If my best friend decides to pursue you, just know that he has good intentions and that it’s a huge step for him, especially after a heart crushing breakup.”

“That is, if he really likes me.” 

“Oh trust me, honey, he does.”

Chef Taeyong lets out a sigh. The two of you stand there, looking out at the blue skies that overlook the busy streets of Seoul. Your life may be busy, but you wouldn’t trade it for anything else. You’re living out your dreams. 

“Hey, Y/N?”

“Yes, chef?”

“The reason why I dropped by was because I wanted to give you this.” He pulls out an envelope from a bag filled with many other identical envelopes. 

You quirk an eyebrow. “Can I open it in front of you?”

He hums in reply. “Go ahead.”

As you open the envelope, you pull out a white card. It’s almost as if you could read his mind. As you slowly open the white card, you let out a gasp.

“You’re getting married?!”

THE GRAND OPENING.

It’s been a year since you won MasterChef. It’s also been a year since you started planning to start your own diner in memory of your mother. Mina’s Place. You decided to keep the name because it’s one of the few things that remind you of her. You even made sure the interior and exterior of the diner looked exactly how it did when the diner was still open. From the yellow seats and booths, the use of purple and lavender lighting to the gray tiled floors, you kept everything the same. The only difference is that the diner is located in a different area, right in the middle of busy Seoul. 

Today is the grand opening of the diner and you’re expected to serve a large group of customers. PR and advertisement has been your best friend, but your appearance and your win at MasterChef drove the anticipation of the diner’s grand opening even further. 

You arrive at the diner at six in the morning to prepare all of the ingredients. From the ingredients to the grapefruit and basil pie to the ingredients for your Korean brisket and kimchi burger, you had prepared them all on your own. It was only until eight that your co-chefs and waiters and waitresses had arrived to prepare for the grand opening. Around eleven-thirty, customers, Instagram influencers and foodies began to show up at the door, forming a long line around the strip.

“Chef Y/N?” One of the waitresses, Luna, pops her head through the door.

You’re crouching down, filling up the mini fridge with cartons of milk. You dust your hands off your apron and you slowly get up. “Yeah? What’s up?”

“Someone’s here to see you,” she flashes you a warm smile.

You look at her confusedly. “Are we missing someone on the team? I don’t remember anyone telling me that they were going to drop by—”

“It’s Chef Jaehyun,” Luna bites her lip. She’s biting back a huge smile.

Your eyebrows raise. Confused, you continue to gather yourself. Chef Jaehyun? “S-Sure, you can let him in.”

Luna leaves the kitchen to go fetch Jaehyun and you finish placing all the cartons of milk into the mini fridge. Moments later, you hear footsteps entering the kitchen. You stand back up, bumping your head against the table and groaning in pain. Crouching back down over the floor, you hear footsteps begin to scurry closer to you. 

“Oh! Are you okay, Y/N?” 

Before your hand touches the sensitive area, you already feel a familiar hand gently rubbing it to soothe the pain. You freeze up in your position, gulping nervously. Suddenly, Chef Jaehyun’s face is right in front of yours. He has a look of concern. Looking back at him with slightly widened eyes, your mind is completely wiped out of thoughts. What is this feeling? You’ve never felt this way before. You’ve never felt your heart beat so fast. You’ve never frozen up in front of someone. You’ve never lost your train of thought because of someone. 

Seconds later, you clear your throat, pulling yourself away. You’ve finally come back to your senses. “Chef Jaehyun… I had no idea you were planning on dropping by—”

“I wanted to join you in the ribbon ceremony for the grand opening!” He exclaims.

He remembered? He knew it was today? You and Chef Jaehyun have never established some sort of friendship after the competition. You like to think that the both of you have achieved the status of being acquaintances, but definitely not the status of being friends. 

“A-Ah,” you mumble softly. “Thanks, chef. You didn’t need to, I feel like it would be a bother and I’m sure you have other plans too—” 

You’re not sure when things began to change. You’re not sure when the atmosphere began to shift between you and Chef Jaehyun. It’s almost as if you’re seeing a different person. He’s much brighter, nicer, happier. Why is it making your heart swell? What are his intentions?

“I wouldn’t miss the grand opening to Mina’s Place for anything else,” he says softly. “Hey, Y/N?”

You raise an eyebrow. “Hm?”

“I got you a present to congratulate you on the grand opening of Mina’s Place.” 

“A present?” You blurt out. “Oh, no, Chef Jaehyun, you didn’t need to—”

“I wanted to.” He cuts you off. “Let’s go?” 

For a brief moment, you see his hand reach out to grab yours but he quickly pulls away upon realization. The two of you are not that close for such skinship. When he realizes it, he looks back up at you with panicked eyes. Was he really going to hold your hand? You clear your throat, tearing your eyes away from his. Instead, you both walk out of the kitchen side by side.

Sitting on one of the light brown hardwood tables is a lavender box wrapped with a thin white ribbon. You glance at Jaehyun as if asking for permission, he gestures to you to go right ahead. Gently untying the ribbon, you take the lid off the box. A small gasp escapes your lips.

Sitting inside the box is an apron, but it’s not your regular apron. The apron looks just like the one in your old family pictures. Yellow with white straps. It’s simple and clean. It’ll show the stains of your hard work. It’ll feel like home. 

But when you pull it out, there’s one little difference to the design. There, embroidered in white on the top left corner, reads the words “Mina’s Place.” It looks just like your mother’s handwriting, the original font of the brand, and it makes your eyes well up with tears. For a brief moment, when you hold up the apron, you could imagine your mother standing right before you with it on. 

“Chef, I—” You’re having trouble forming the right words to say. 

“So she’ll be with you, right above your heart, every step of the way,” Jaehyun pauses for a moment, “Chef.” He gives you a smile so fond, you are again struck with disbelief. 

Hearing the word ‘chef’ come from Chef Jaehyun is something you want to hear over and over again. You want it to play through your head like a broken record. Chef Jaehyun has always been hard on you, but you knew that he was only hard on you because he only wanted the best. Chef Jaehyun is always hard on everyone and you failed to notice that. He truly wants the best for the people he works with and most importantly, the people he teaches. Maturing is realizing that you were ignorant of Chef Jaehyun’s true intentions and immediately thought negatively of him because of your past encounters with him. 

“D-Do you mind saying that again?”

“I’m proud of how far you’ve come, Chef Y/N. This is only the beginning.”

After a long first day of opening, you and your team of chefs and waiters and waitresses see the last customer out. The grand opening has been such a dream to you. There was a long line that wrapped around the block. The diner was packed with many people. The line never truly saw its end until an hour before closing. When the last customer walks out of the diner after complimenting how delicious their food was, you feel your legs give out and you sigh with relief. Slowly getting back up onto your feet, you head to the back kitchen to congratulate your team.

“And we are officially closed until tomorrow morning!” You exclaim. That is, until you spot a celebratory cake sitting right in front of you on the countertop. Your team of chefs and waiters and waitresses have their phones on and recording your surprised face. “Oh you guys, you shouldn’t have!”

“Congratulations on your grand opening, chef!”

Your eyes scan the kitchen. There’s Luna, a good friend of yours from university who worked as a waitress at a hotel restaurant. She quit her job in a heartbeat after you had offered her to work front of house with a better pay. Standing right next to Luna is Minhyuck, who just graduated from culinary arts college and has been wanting to get into the kitchen as soon as possible. You saw your younger self in him, which is why you hired him on your team. Right next to Minhyuck is Yena, a rookie pastry chef that’s planning on entering MasterChef and figured working with a MasterChef champion would help her. Next to Yena are Wheein and Dohyun, who are line chefs and also your co-culinary interns in Florence. Lastly, there’s Mark and Donghyuck, two best friends and college students who were looking to get jobs as waiters.

“You guys are going to make me cry.” You pout your lips.

“To Mina’s Place!” Mark exclaims.

“To Mina’s Place!” Everyone else exclaims.

You smile, leaning in to blow out the candles. Everyone cheers. But slowly, everyone puts down their phones and stops recording video. You look at them confusedly as they begin to flash you encouraging and cheeky smiles and grins. 

“Why are you guys looking at me like that?” You ask.

“Well, would you look at the time, we should get going!” Dohyun looks down at his wristwatch, avoiding your question.

“Oh, yeah, you’re right. My mom’s going to kill me!” Wheein is rushing to gather her things.

“Wheein is my carpool driver, so I should get going too.” Yena bites her lip.

One by one, everyone starts to leave the kitchen and the diner. When it’s just you, you slowly turn around to see Chef Jaehyun entering the kitchen. He clears his throat and scratches the back of his neck nervously. You tilt your head in confusion.

“Y-You’re still here, chef?” You question.

He nods his head. “I wanted to drop by and see your last customer out.”

“O-Oh, you didn’t have to—”

“I wanted to.” He smiles. “I was wondering if you could…”

He falls silent, having trouble finding the right words to come out. You stand there, expectantly, waiting for him to finish. The first thing you notice is how red Chef Jaehyun’s ears are becoming. The second thing you notice is how he can’t seem to look directly into your eyes. The third thing you notice is that… Chef Jaehyun has become shy and nervous around you. Have the tables turned?

“If I could…?”

“If you could teach me how to make the grapefruit and basil pie.” He blurts out and it comes out as a jumble of words. 

You bite back a smile. “Are you going to steal my recipe and start selling grapefruit and basil pie at your restaurant?”

“Of course not,” he panics. “I would never do that.”

“I’m not sure if I could trust you,” you fold your arms, continuing to tease him. “Jaehyun.”

“I won’t,” he says softly, finally finding the courage to look into your eyes. When it sinks in that you called him by his name, his gaze softens. You feel your heart swell. “I promise. That is, if you promise me one thing too.”

“Of course,” you smile. “What is it?”

“You’ll accompany me to Taeyong’s wedding.” 

“I’d love to, in fact, I was invited as well—”

“As my date.” He finishes. You almost choke on your spit. 

Is this really happening? Jaehyun looks incredibly nervous. You bite your lip to stop yourself from smiling so wide. You slowly nod your head in response.

“I’d love to, Jaehyun.”

THE ‘REAL’ FIRST TIME.

When Jaehyun’s parents pick him up from elementary school, it’s pouring showers outside. But the only thing that lit up the gloomy streets of Seoul was Mina’s Place, a diner that he and his parents would frequent every Friday to reward their efforts for the past week. Both of Jaehyun’s parents are well-known professors at Yonsei University, specifically in the culinary arts program. Jaehyun’s father was a chef alongside famous chefs like Baek Jongwon and Lee Yeonbok. Jaehyun’s mother was a pastry chef who was known for her win at a famous pastry competition back in her days. 

And Jaehyun… was a mini chef in the making. 

On a gloomy Friday afternoon, Jaehyun and his parents sit in their usual corner of Mina’s Place. A woman seeming to be in her late thirties heads over to their table with a menu. She’s wearing an apron and a chef’s hat. 

“Welcome to Mina’s Place, what can I get you started for today?” The woman asks, pulling out her notepad after gently placing the menus down onto the red table. 

“Hi Mina, we’d love to have the usual!” Jaehyun’s father exclaims. “That grapefruit and basil pie has never left my mind since the last time we were here.” 

“That’s such a relief to hear…” The woman, whom Jaehyun now knows is Mina herself, sighs with relief. She writes it down in the notepad along with his mother’s order. She clicks her pen before stuffing it into the pocket of her yellow apron. “I’ll have your orders ready in a bit. In the meantime, make yourselves at home!”

Jaehyun’s eyes wander around the diner. Although this diner was the place he and his parents would frequent, this diner was extra special for a reason. That reason being that his parents got engaged right in front of the diner while it was owned by different owners. During that time, the diner wasn’t Mina’s Place yet, it was a fast-food restaurant. 

Jaehyun’s attention is disrupted when Mina comes back to their table with their orders. His eyes land on the little girl standing right beside her. She has such large innocent eyes. She looks curiously at him. She seems to be somewhere around his age. She’s sporting a mini apron that looks exactly like Mina’s. 

“And who is this cute little girl?” He hears his mother ask Mina.

Mina places her hand on the little girl’s shoulder, bringing the little girl closer to her. She cuddles against Mina. “This is my daughter. Her name is Y/N.”

“How old is she?” His mother continues to ask questions out of curiosity. 

“She’s ten.” Mina pinches her daughter’s cheek. 

“Oh, she’s two years younger than Jaehyun!” His father joins in the conversation. “They could be friends!”

Jaehyun makes eye contact with the little girl. She looks up at her mother before looking at both of his parents. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she looks back at him and sticks out her tongue. He feels taken aback, eyes slightly widening. 

“I think they would get along quite well!” Mina smiles. “Doesn’t little Jaehyun want to be a chef when he grows up?”

“He does,” his mother nods her head. “Does Y/N want to be a chef as well? Take after you?”

“She sure does! They could even go to culinary school together! Maybe go to a cooking competition or something!”

Friends? Jaehyun scoffs, sending a glare at the little girl. They have an intense staredown. To the adults, it looks like they’re staring at each other because they have crushes on each other. But in reality, Jaehyun’s having a staredown with the little girl because she provoked him. He pokes his tongue at her in return. Her eyes widen as if she did not expect him to put up a mini fight. They could even go to culinary school together? There’s no way that that’ll happen. Cooking competition? Absolutely no way. 

“I think my little daughter here has a crush…”

“Jaehyun, sweetie, isn’t Y/N so pretty? You can’t seem to stop staring at her.”

THE REALIZATION OF (MANY) THINGS.

“That was you?!”

“I can’t believe that was you!”

Sitting by the water fountain, you and Jaehyun talk about your real first encounter with each other when you were kids. From the outside of the reception venue, you can hear the DJ playing a remix of cha cha slide and the guests chanting along. Taeyong’s wedding has been memorable. It was nice to see one of your mentors getting married to the love of his life. Not only that, but you’ve been having a great time with Jaehyun. Since it was getting quite stuffy inside the venue, you and Jaehyun decided to stroll around the garden outside to get some fresh air. 

“You know, sometimes I think that we’ve always had fateful encounters.” Jaehyun begins. He’s aching to hold your hand. But he knows that he wants to take things slow and carefully. He’s so in love with you that he doesn’t want to mess this up. 

“Fateful encounters? What makes you say that?” You ask.

“I came out of a horrible breakup before flying to Florence to run a restaurant with Taeyong. It was such a huge coincidence to have a beautiful woman spill expensive wine all over my shirt.” He chuckles.

You jokingly glare at him. “It was an accident.”

“I know, I know.” He waves it off. “It was an even more big of a coincidence to have the same beautiful woman serve me a dish at the same restaurant.”

“Makes sense.” You nod your head in agreement. “And then we met again at MasterChef but I was a contestant and you were the judge.”

“You know, when I heard that you were withdrawing from the competition, it was like my entire world was crashing down.” He says softly. “It was like I was reminded of all the times I’ve met you and how I couldn’t let you go. I had a feeling that there must’ve been a reason why I met you after getting dumped by my ex-girlfriend.”

“But you showed me that it’s worth working hard and that it’s worth chasing your dreams.” You smile. “I haven’t thank you yet for that but... thank you, Jaehyun. If it weren’t for you, I would probably fly back out to Florence and pick up another job as a waitress.”

“And yet, I would still look for you.” He confesses. “If somehow you stuck with your decision of withdrawing, I would’ve still looked for you, no matter how far the distance.”

“Really?” You whisper.

He smiles. “Yes. I mean, how could I forget the beautiful woman that spilled expensive wine all over my shirt?”

You playfully slap his arm. “You’re really going to tease me for that for the rest of my life, huh?”

“Of course, if only you allow me to be with you for a long time.” He says and it slowly turns into a soft, shy mumble. “Agh, this is so hard!”

You quirk an eyebrow. He’s turning away from you, throwing a cute little fit. “What’s so hard?”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something but I keep getting nervous because you look—” He stops himself. “You look so pretty and whenever I look at you, I lose my train of thought and all of the things I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

“What is it that you need to tell me?”

“Our fateful encounters.” He begins to tell you, with his back facing you because he’s too nervous to look at you. “After MasterChef, I did everything I could to find you, to see you, to get to know you more. When Doyoung told me that you were going to be working at his restaurant for a while, I kept visiting in hopes to see you but you weren’t there.”

“You did?”

“Yes, which is why I gave you those flowers!” He exclaims. “And then when we were asked to shoot that Valentine’s Day video, I agreed to do it in a heartbeat when I found out that you were going to be joining the project.” 

“Oh...” 

“It used to be so easy to look for you because of all of our fateful encounters. But after MasterChef, it’s become a mission to find you. But now that I’ve finally found you again, I knew that I couldn’t let you go no matter what.” 

“Jaehyun...” You trail off. 

He sucks in a deep breath before slowly turning back around to face you. “Y/N, I hope you know what I’m trying to say, where I’m trying to get at with this... but...”

“But?” You have a feeling you know what he’s going to tell you, but you would rather wait for it to spill past his lips. 

“I’m—” He begins before looking down at your feet. His eyebrows raise in shock and he lets out a small gasp. “Oh, you’re wearing them.”

You almost want to curse at your two feet for ruining the moment. You look down at your heels that you’ve chosen to wear to the wedding. It’s the pair of heels that Alessandro had given to you when you broke your heels after tripping over yourself and spilling wine all over Jaehyun. 

“These heels? Yeah, I was given—”

“You’re wearing the heels that I gave you.” He cuts you off.

“You were the one who gave these?” You whisper.

His eyes meet yours and he chuckles, nodding his head. “Of course. When you got back up after tripping over, I noticed that your heels broke and so I stopped by one of the shops along the strip to get you a new pair. I think I dropped it off with Alessandro because I was running a bit late to—oof!”

“It was you. It’s always been you. This entire time.” You crush him with a hug. He’s caught off guard and sits there in shock for a brief moment before melting into your embrace. 

He slowly pulls away and grabs your hands. “As I was saying...”

“As you were saying...” You continue.

“With all our fateful encounters... with those pair of heels... with all of the times I’ve crossed paths with you, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way in so long.” He continues. “Y/N, I’m so in love with you. I’m already so nervous telling you this right now, especially while holding your hands. I just wanted you to know that I have feelings for you and you could completely reject me, I understand—”

“I’m in love with you too, Jaehyun.”

“Really?” He whispers, still in shock. “You’re giving me a chance?”

“Only if you give me a chance.” You chuckle.

“You don’t know how happy you’ve made me, Y/N.”

“You don’t know how much I want to make you happy, Jaehyun.”

WELCOME TO THE NEW SEASON OF MASTERCHEF.

“For today’s challenge, we will be recreating Y/N’s most famous dish!”

All of the contestants let out gasps when you step onto the stage to join the three chef judges. The judges for the new season of MasterChef remain the same; Chef Taeyong, Chef Jaehyun, and Chef Doyoung. After having them beg you to guest on the show, you decided to give it a shot.

“For today’s challenge, you will be recreating my famous dish of a deconstructed basil and grapefruit pie.” You smile. “To start this challenge, let us all gather around the front so that you could learn how to master your own deconstructed pie!”

You begin by making your way towards the demo station where you will be showing the contestants how to make your famous pie. Everyone joins in and gathers around you to get a glimpse of how to make your famous pie themselves. Standing on the stage a couple of metres behind you are the three judges, you watch you begin your demo.

Jaehyun folds his arms and lets out a happy sigh. Taeyong glances at him and quirks an eyebrow. “I wonder who that beautiful woman is cooking at the demo table over there.”

Taeyong snorts and rolls his eyes. “Jaehyun, that’s your girlfriend.”

Jaehyun chuckles, nodding his head. “Oh right... she is. That’s my girlfriend—actually, my fiance.”

“Your what? Since when? H-How—” Doyoung and Taeyong share shocked looks while Jaehyun digs into the pockets of his jeans to pull out an engagement ring. Your engagement ring, to be exact.

“Since last night.” He holds up your engagement ring in one hand and shows his engagement ring that he’s wearing on his other. “She doesn’t like cooking with her engagement ring so I’m just holding it for her.”

“Dude...” Taeyong clenches his chest.

Jaehyun snorts. “Dude...”

“Wow, I’m really the only one left that’s single, huh?” Doyoung sighs.

The two chefs comfort him by patting his back.

“She’ll come around soon, Doyoung. You just gotta be patient.”

“You never know, she’ll be a chef too!”

“Chef Jaehyun?” 

The three of them shift their attention back to the contestants. You’re the one calling out to Jaehyun. He quirks an eyebrow. “Yes, Chef Y/N?”

“A couple of the ladies here are wondering if you’re single,” you chuckle. 

Jaehyun shares a knowing look with you. “Well, I hate to disappoint but I just got engaged to the love of my life.”

They let out sad sighs and groans before everyone gets back to learning how to make your famous pie. Taeyong smirks. 

“You’re breaking so many hearts right now, Jaehyun.”

💌 author’s note. she’s FINALLY here 😩 again, i apologize for keeping this off for such a long time. i’ve been super busy with school and just life in general. to everyone who’s been super understanding and patient, thank you so much. from the bottom of my heart, i sincerely thank you for waiting for such a long time. i also wanted to thank @sehunniepotwrites for hearing me voice out my frustrations and all of my excitement throughout writing this fic. nikki truly saw all of the emotions that i’ve experienced and gone through while writing chef!jae. i remember always wanting to write a chef!jae fic and bring chef!jae to life, but there was a lot of pressure and the feeling of doubt.. i felt like i had to do it justice and the fear of not writing it to the best of my ability (esp with me being a perfectionist), it was something that held me back from finishing this fic. but i managed to pull through and i realized that it doesn’t matter, what matters is that i enjoyed writing this fic and if that feeling of enjoyment can be felt through those who read it, that’s more than enough for me. but anyways before this gets longer, thank you so much for reading!

and as always, feedback and comments are always appreciated!

taglist (some of the tags didn’t work so if u didn’t get the notif, i’m sorry!): @anya-writes-stuff​ @swifterauhl​ @tyongblr @alwaysthefirstsight @doyoungsmovingcastle​ @pinkyzae​ @sunshinein17​ @jaehyunnie77​ @dreamycomets​ @seventeeneration​ @srutz​ @coupsiesluv​ @nctdom​ @moonchele​ @freshprunecowboyapricot​ @chimmybaek7​ @forhaever​ @ten10vly​ @fluffyjaes​ @gyujaehyun​ @so-showme-ill-shownu​ @winniet​ @yipyipmorals​ 

#neowritingsnet #cznnet #ankathia #nct-writers #jaehyun #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun x oc #jaehyun x reader #jeong jaehyun #jeong jaehyun scenarios #jeong jaehyun imagines #jeong jaehyun x oc #jeong jaehyun x reader #nct #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct x reader #nct x oc #nct 127 #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct 127 x reader #nct 127 x oc #fluff #angst #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun angst #IT'S DONE #AHHHHHH

[ladey]

When I Brush Your Hair | Chapter 1

Jinx x Fem!Reader 🌙🦋🎀

Word count: 3.3k

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Y/n doesn't waste much time getting up from her bed the moment she wakes up that morning. The clock reads 9:10 AM; her own body clock typically gets her up around that time. It's always been that way.

Her bare feet touch the cold floor beneath her but she pays it no mind as she speeds over to her dresser that her dad kindly made for her years ago. Clothes are laying on the floor haphazardly, blankets hung over a chair and table, and many drawings and photos from over the years taped onto the surrounding walls. Her room always held a special place in her heart. Pulling out her drawers she yanks out the first shirt and pants she thinks are most suitable for today.

Perhaps a brown t-shirt? No no, that's too boring. She looks at it for a moment; where did she even get this? She should really pzazz it up a bit, maybe a cute bear holding a flower! And then add a tiny bow on the collar- She's getting distracted. She shakes her head and mindlessly throws the brown shirt behind her, aiming for her bed so she'd remember for later but it lands on the floor instead.

She digs out a purple tank top that has a butterfly patchwork piece sewed into the fabric. She lets out a sound of approval and places it in her lap. Not long after, she's staring at herself in the body mirror; her outfit is complete with a cropped knitted sweater and shorts. The Undercity is often humid during the warmer seasons. But since it's march she still, and must, wear her signature knee high socks. Sometimes she wears little leg warmers... oh how she loves her leg warmers. She and her aunt have knitted some together before- Hold that thought, she should go visit her later. It's only been a week but she misses her already. Good thing she doesn't live too far.

Y/n bounces down the stairs to the second floor, hoping to see her dad in the kitchen with food already sitting on the table. She is sadly disappointed to see it empty. I mean yeah it's a Monday so naturally he would already be downstairs in the shop but a girl can dream. She hates having to make food because she's so slow and makes a mess every time and she just wishes she could eat some damn food without having to wait for the preparations. She sighs to herself.

She'll just have some jam and bread.

It must be a nice day outside since it's finally not raining for once. She thinks she can just barely see the sun shining down onto the city. She loves her plants more than her life but for her own sanity, she'd love to be able to see the sun for once while sitting on the top of the buildings.

With her droopy piece of bread in hand, she goes over to the shoe closet and steps into her boots without bothering to tie the laces. She opens the door after stepping off of the last flight of stairs and looks to her right and sees her dad wiping down the front counter. She smiles.

"Hey, papa." Beck, her dad. He works as a mechanic. She can brag about it too since he's the best one known in the Undercity. It makes her feel kind of bad for the other ones too though, since that probably means he's taking all of their clients. She'd hate it if they felt discouraged by it. Everyone's talented in their own way right? Y/n likes to believe so.

Beck's beaded eyes look up from the counter and he smiles warmly at his daughter. He notices the bread in her hand and knows she's likely miffed about her lack of breakfast. His smile only widens at that thought.

"Morning, hon. How's it goin'?" Y/n walks slowly until she stands in the middle of the shop. Random parts and tools sit in boxes and shelves. A vacant can of oil sits open some feet away from her making her nose scrunch. Usually he keeps that stuff in the back until he needs it, why is it out here? It's only stinking up the room. Not that oil smells that bad, besides it reminds her of her dad. But too much is too much. She shakes the intruding thought away and looks back up to her dad who's leaning on the counter with both hands. Old burn scars peaking through the sleeves folded up to his elbows.

"Fine I guess." She shrugs. She thinks about how nice the weather is and then her mind wanders over to something else.

"Is Bean out or is she still here?" She asks. Becks eyebrows raise for a split second.

"She should still be here, I fed her not too long ago."

"Okay." Y/n stuffs her mouth with her last bit of bread and jam and skips back over to the stairs. She wonders to herself if she should take her plants out with her to sit under the sun. She'll need some extra hands though. She smiles at the idea of seeing her best blue friend. Anytime she called her that she'd say that it made her sound depressed. But she would assure her that the colour blue didn't always mean something negative. She reminded her of the ocean and blueberries.

"Bean!" Y/n calls out. She crouches down to look at the bum of the dining chairs. Nothing. No sign of her on the kitchen counter or the couch either. Sometimes she lays behind the television stand and rubs against the plugs in the outlet. Y/n leans over and looks into the crack but she's met with dust.

She throws her head back as she releases an exasperated sigh. Crossing her arms over her chest and looking around as she slowly gives up, she notices a small shadow behind the curtains covering the doors to the very small balcony. Her head tilts with curiosity. Though she's almost positive that it's Bean.

Y/n slowly crosses the small living room. She approaches the curtains that softly sway with the air blowing past them, little light shining through them casting a soft yellow glow into the room. Her hand pushes the fabric to the side and without surprise, her eyes land on the orange and white cat staring off into the street as it sits quietly.

"Hi Bean." Y/n's soft voice automatically shifts an octave higher. Usually she would stay for a moment and watch with her, but she has things to do today. She has a habit of putting things off and forgetting about them, something her aunt warns her might bite her in the ass someday. So she doesn't want that to happen today.

She scoops the cat into her arms and begins to make her journey to her desired destination; The Last Drop. She can already hear voices talking and laughing under the floor below her; she internally cries as she comes to terms with the fact that she'll have to pass some random stranger.

She manages though as she peeps out a quiet "Hello." as she avoids awkward eye contact with the man speaking to her dad, not even bothering to pay attention to what he brought in as she speeds out of the door.

"Hey, be safe!" She hears her dad yell out to her. Quickly giving him a shout, "Yup!" before she's bounding down the increasingly bustling street.

She's brought Bean out with her like this before. She's like a rag doll; never really seeming to have much care for what the girl does to her. Perhaps it could be a result of early experience. As a young child Y/n would dress the cat up in little doll clothes and fake bottle feed it milk pretending it was her baby. Beck still has a photo of one of the times he caught her somewhere in his room.

It usually takes Y/n around eight minutes to get to The Last Drop while walking. And she would run, especially since she particularly enjoys running. But unfortunately with a cat in her arms she's slightly restricted from doing so.

A couple minutes pass and she hears a familiar voice calling out to her on her left. Her steps stop abruptly, causing a person behind her to nearly ram into her. Turning around with an evidently confused expression, her eyes roam around for a second until they land on her cousin, who sits on a barrel waving at her.

"Oh, Vera! Hi!" Y/n adjusts the cat in her arms and approaches her, narrowly avoiding other people walking past her.

"Where you off to?" The redhead asks, and Y/n notices a notebook and pencil in her lap.

"Vander's place."

"Oh, nice."

"Yeah."

"Have you seen Ekko around?"

"Umm no, sorry. He's probably still at Benzo's." This makes Vera hum, almost appearing disappointed. Y/n smiles knowingly but Vera ignores it.

"Okay, that's fine!"

"Mmhm. Well, I better get going, Bean is starting to get heavy."

"Oh yeah, that's no problem! See you around!" Vera reaches out and pets the cat's head quickly before dropping her arm and letting the other girl go.

"Cya!" Y/n trudges off again. Vera was alone this morning, usually she sees her with her group of friends. However sometimes she'll catch sight of her sitting by herself scribbling in that notebook. Evidently, she's keeping secrets in there since Vera tells her everything. Y/n's not hurt though. She loves secrets, and hopes one day she'll solve whatever secret her cousin is keeping from her.

Minutes pass and the young girl can finally make out the large sign of the bar in the distance casting a glow onto the ground and heads of people standing around. It's when she pushes the door open that she clocks in on how out of breath she is. Her arms are just beginning to ache, and her steps turn heavy making eyes fall on her as she approaches the bar. Music plays quietly from a jukebox and soft chatter fills the place. She's been here countless times and feels very comfortable, in fact she feels right at home. However she's still thankful that it's morning leading to less people residing inside.

Y/n takes three long exaggerated strides before she plunks the cat onto the bar. Bean immediately stretches her limbs before sitting down and licking her paws. At the same time, Y/n is lazily slumping on the bar stool and dropping her head onto her arms resting on the counter. Boy is she tuckered out already. She slowly closes her eyes, taking a deep breath, and before she can exhale she hears a deep voice coming from in front of her.

"What did I say about having the cat on the counter?" Y/n shifts her head so her chin is now resting on her arms. Vander is hidden behind Bean who is still grooming herself in front of her. She sighs.

"Sorry." But she doesn't move.

"Strawberry lemonade?"

"Yes please." Y/n hears shifting and glasses clanking before a liquid being poured. She straightens her back at the same time Bean struts to the far end of the counter to get patted by a couple of young women squealing at her. Vander places her signature cup in front of her; pink with star and butterfly doodles scattered around the surface, topped with a straw sticking out. Y/n always drinks with a straw, she can't remember a time where she hasn't.

"Thank you." She folds her legs under her then leans over to place the straw in her mouth. She hears Vander chuckle.

"Powder is awake downstairs. Mylo is still sleeping though, so you gotta be quiet. I don't want to have to put up with his complaints about two little girls waking him up giggling again." He's serious, but anyone could still hear the smile in his tone. Y/n's cheeks are puffed out by a mouthful of juice as she looks up at him. She takes a big gulp and smiles, nodding her head and then sliding off of the stool.

"Kay-kay!" She takes a few steps towards the ladies still petting Bean. She clears her throat in an attempt to get their attention. They look so intimidating and mean, and they're petting her cat. Surely they'd understand and let her have her cat back. So why can't she just shove them to the side and grab her? It's not that hard. Just go up and say excuse me!—

"Off you go, ladies." Vander's voice booms from behind her, successfully giving them the idea though nearly making them jump in their spot. Y/n awkwardly smiles and chuckles as they see her and finally walk away. She quickly grabs Bean and proceeds to the basement.

She stays mindful about the volume of her steps as she descends the stairs, avoiding the spots where she knows creaks the loudest. Turning the knob with her small hand she slowly opens the door, peeking in as she does so to survey the room. Turns out everyone is awake. Though barely.

Y/n remembers the "mission", as she likes to call them, that the older kids went on yesterday. Vi is sitting in the chair she loves so much while wrapping her hands in a fresh pair of thin gauze, struggling to keep her eyes open. Claggor is mumbling to himself as he fiddles with his goggles that he must've slept on again, and Mylo appears to be laying on one of the sofas with a pillow over his face. Y/n silently prays that the pillow magically sticks to him so he suffocates.

"Hey, Candy." Y/n fixes her gaze onto Violet who just acknowledged her presence with slight surprise.

"Hi strawberry head." She walks over and places Bean onto the coffee table.

"Y/n?" She hears a higher pitched voice to her left and her heart rate picks up. She turns her head and her eyes spot her best friend sitting on her bed, back resting against the wall and something in her lap hidden behind her knees. Y/n's grin widens as her posture subconsciously straightens. She pats her chest in an attempt to calm her heart down and makes her way over to the bed.

"Morning Powder." The two girls giggle. Mylo is already heard letting out a muffled groan.

"Whatcha got there?" Y/n sits down on Powder's left and leans over to see what is in her hands. The bluenette pulls away from her and hides the mystery item in her arms, face pink and almost panicked.

"Nothing!" Y/n is taken aback.

"Nothing? C'mon, please lemme see."

"Noo! It's a surprise."

".....Fine." Y/n pouts. Powder smiles and twists her body so her friend can't see, and lifts the end of the blanket to hide the item underneath it. As Y/n's mind begins to wander off, she immediately recalls her plan about her plants. She practically jumps off the bed in her moment of remembrance.

"Oh yeah that's right! I wanted to take my plants up to sit in the sun but I need help. Can you come with me, pretty please? With a cherry on top?" She bats her lashes at the girl in front of her in hopes of convincing her. What was the point though? She knew Powder would submit, she always did. That's what friends are for, right? The girl smiles about to reply before Vi's voice cuts in.

"If you're going up top you need someone to go with you." Her face is stern and almost challenging as she scrutinizes the two girls from her spot on the chair. They glance at each other and start giggling as though they've been caught by some form of authority. Which is in a way true.

"And that will be you, right?" Y/n tilts her head sweetly to charm the redhead. She sighs and looks to the floor as though defeated. Mylo pulls the pillow away from his face to say,

"Please go with them." Vi glances at him and shakes her head before standing up.

"Fine. You two stay here, the cat better not be dead when I come back." She points to the boys sternly. Mylo grumbles with a couple of "Yeahs", but Clagger on the other hand looks delighted.

"Oh man. Mylo fix these for me will you? I'm gonna look for a brush." He throws his goggles at Mylo and briskly stands up in search for a brush to use on Bean. The three girls are already exiting the door, Vi shutting it behind her.

"Sooo we kinda have to go back to my place and get them. I promise there's not a lot. It's just hard trying to carry all of them at once, especially while climbing, y'know? I also like the company. Not that I'm super lonely, I have you guys.. You'd tell me if I got boring and annoying though right?"

"Alright, relax Y/n. Sounds like a plan." Vi chuckles with a comforting hand placed on the young girl's shoulder. She smiles up at her. She's always really liked Vi. She hopes to be just like her some day... or be with her? She never really thought too deeply about that. She's always been there as support. She's like an older sister she never had. She wonders if Vi sees her as a sister too. She really hopes so, cause if not then she'd be deeply embarrassed.

"You could never get boring." Powder pulls Y/n's out of her thoughts. She's smiling intently at her. Y/n wants to smile back at her but she looks down and bites her lip out of nervousness.

"Or annoying?"

"Mmm..." Powder pretends to think. Y/n playfully slaps her, both of the girls laughing and too engrossed in their own world to notice Vi telling Vander they will be gone for a while.

They talked about anyone and anything while on their way to Y/n's place, and once they started going up top they were too focused on not falling to their death or getting lost to goof around. The higher up they got the more clearer the sky above them got. Y/n was right; it is indeed a sunny day. Not too windy either, so her plants shouldn't topple over. The young girl feels her insides turn warm and her smile spread across her face, ignoring the burning sensation beginning to travel up her legs. She's thankful this particular journey consists mostly of walking up stairs and going up elevators. Climbing is such a hassle. Though stairs aren't that much better. It's boring and less riveting than climbing things and crawling through small spaces. Though if   Y/n's being honest with herself, small spaces make her slightly claustrophobic.

The moment all three of them reach the top landing of a building, Y/n jogs over to the edge. It's no sunset, but the view of the city still looks beautiful from up so high. She loved the sun, it filled her with a sense of joy and protection that she couldn't find from anything else. She sighs and turns around, seeing the other two silently admiring the view.

"Shall we give the plants a seat?" She speaks softly. And the three of them place the pots of plants on an empty table; four in total.

"I wish I could see the sun everyday." Powder mumbles, mirroring Y/n's thoughts as she stands beside her.

"Don't we all?" Vi said quietly, though it sounded like she intended for it to only be heard by herself. Y/n hums to herself. She stares back out into the city. Basking in the sun's warm embrace a little longer before the three of them have to go back home.

Chapter 2…

—

i have no fucking idea how to write vi bc she's so serious all the time 👩🏼‍🦲 i'm sorry.

#arcane #arcane fanfic #jinx #arcane jinx #jinx x y/n #arcane jinx fanfic #jinx arcane #jinx x fem!reader series #jinx x afab!reader #jinx x fem!reader #jinx x reader #arcane jinx x reader #arcane fanfic series

[fangirlies]

Stargazing- (x.t)

Pairing: Xavier thorpe x gn!reader I dont think I used any pronouns in this one.. I can’t remember

Request: Xavier Thorpe x fem reader stargazing together plsss

Warnings: literally just too much fluff to handle. soft reader. (Please let me know if I should be aware of anything else)

A.N: fangirlies 🧚🏼‍♀️ I’m sorry. this is so cheesy but that’s right up my alley. i wrote thorpe boy as a best friend but I’m sure you could just read it as boy friend.

“every now and then, the stars align. boy and girl meet by the great design . could it be that you and me are the lucky ones? everybody told me love was blind. then I saw your face and you blew my mind. finally, you and me are the lucky ones this time” these lyrics from Lana’s ‘lucky ones’ felt fitting. here I go including lana del rey in yet another writing.

You sighed as you slammed the cover of your botanical sciences textbook shut and tossed it aside. You'd been studying for an upcoming test for so long that you could feel your brain rotting.

“Hey xav?” Trying to capture the attention of your best friend. He hasn't taken his gaze away from his sketch book since he started drawing and you began studying.

You had fun hanging out in his art shed. Being surrounded by trees and hearing the wind roar while working on school assignments has a strangely soothing affect on you. Or perhaps it was the fact that you felt so safe in the presence of your best friend. He loved having you in here, and you knew it. On some days, when he's in one of his moods and struggles to express his feelings, you end up being his muse. It wasn't one of those days today. He was so absorbed in his work that he probably didn't even remember you were there.

You called his name again, but he didn't respond, so you walked over to him and gently tapped his shoulders making an effort not to startle him. He still didn’t turn to face you. Instead, as he proceeded to run his pencil across the paper, a barely audible "hmph?" came from him.

“Do you have any extra blankets?” Although you felt awful for annoying him so much, you would soon be out of his hair. Your head hurt from the overwhelming amount of information you read about plant cells, and all you wanted to do was be outside admiring the stars. No plant cells, no thoughts, just you under the million stars. When you were feeling overwhelmed, you found yourself doing this. It always made you feel that the vastness of the world was so big that you and your troubles were so insignificant.

He quickly uttered, trying not to lose the inspiration he was currently experiencing, "bottom shelf in the cabinet."

You proceeded to the place you were instructed to look, and you took one of his blankets and a throw pillow from his couch. He truly turned this old shack into his safe haven. Decorating it to his liking and even gave you a small corner for you to decorate. You contributed with the snacks seeing as you were in here just as much as he was.

You found your usual spot outside his shed where it gave you a clear view of the sky, free of any trees obstructing your view. The absence of nearby light left the sky covered in bright, beautiful stars. The sky tonight was stunning causing a slight smile to spread across your face. You spread the blanket out and positioned the cushion beneath your head as you allowed your mind to wander. Trying to trace a straight line with the patterns of the stars.

Your train of thought was cut off, and you cocked your head to the side. On the blanket next to you, Xavier was now sitting.

“Hey, did I distract you? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to” you apologized to your best friend, eyes full of worry.

He shook his head and said, "No no, I just felt lonely when I didn’t feel your presence. Besides, I think I needed to clear my mind too. Didn't realize how badly my fingers ached" Xavier twisted his fingers trying to get them to crack and suddenly found himself lying down next to you with his hands clasped together and on top of his tummy. You smiled gently at him.

“Are you going to share the pillow with me or will you leave me with a stiff neck too?” As you giggled, he gently pulled the pillow out from under your head. Causing you to slightly lift your head.

The two of you gazed silently at the twinkling of each star for a while. When it came to Xavier, you enjoyed that you didn't feel the need to keep the conversation going at all times. The mere thought of having each other by your side was enough.

“Isn’t it crazy how we both managed exist at the same time, same place?” You broke the silence.

“Please don’t make me go into an existential crisis right now. . . you always do this when we’re stargazing”

You chuckled. It's true. Your thoughts would frequently go straight to the strangest concepts.

“Xavier, do you think the moon landings were real? Be honest.”

“But xavier, think about it, we can’t be the only living species in our galaxy.. aliens are real and you can’t convince me otherwise.”

“xavi, isn’t it strange they haven’t explored the entire ocean yet? They must be hiding something from us”

“I’m serious xavi, I’m glad we found each other in this lifetime.” Tears are about to escape your eyes as you say, "You mean a lot to me.” When Xavier realized how emotional you were getting, he sneaked his hand under your head and drew you into his body. The hand under you encircled your body as you flipped to your side and laid your head on his chest.

“Hey hey, no crying when the stars are looking right at you.” You giggled at what he said. You were constantly reminded of the one time you told him those exact words when tears of frustration fell from his eyes. It now became something you told each other often as a way to comfort one another.

“You mean a lot to me too, y/n. Without you, I honestly don't know where I would be right now”. Letting out a sigh as he expressed his thoughts, Xavier was drawing tiny figures on your shoulders. Under the stars was a vulnerable place to be.

“With all your bottled frustration, you'd likely be in prison for murder, not to mention lonely.”

“That was strangely specific, but okay.”

He always managed to make you laugh.

“But seriously, y/n, I'm glad I found you in this life, and I hope I find you in the next," your best friend said, a tear streaming down your cheek at the lovely moment you two had shared.

You shifted your attention back to the flickering stars that illuminated the night sky. He was so special to you, you thought. You were sure that without him, you would not have survived some of your most difficult days at Nevermore. On your first day of school, your awkward fencing partner was someone you never imagined would mean so much to you. Being under the stars brought you nothing but peace. Or maybe it was the fact that you felt so safe around your best friend.

A.N: feed back always welcomed friends! It makes my heart explode.

if you sent in a request, I see you! waiting to get home to start working on them so I can give it my full attention.

for the bestie that sent in this request- ty. i didn’t know I needed this. i hope it was more or less what you were hoping for. thank you for requesting 🤍🦋🪴🧚🏼‍♀️

if you enjoyed this one- you might like ‘mission accomplished’ if you haven’t read it yet!

As always— requests are always open! Share your thoughts! Talk to me! Get something off your mind! ✨

#wednesday #wednesday netflix #xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe fanfic #xavier thrope imagine #xavier thorpe fluff #imagine #percy hynes white #fangirlieswriting #xavier thorpe fic #xavier thorpe x y/n #xavier thorpe x reader #xavier thorpe blurb

[cor-obscenum]

Solo ascolta il mio cuore (Papa Emeritus x g/n reader)

Summary: noticing you've had a bad day, Papa comforts you the best way he knows.

Tags: Teen & up audiences, SFW-ish, but still fetishy, so YMMV. Any Papa you want. Mentions of bad mental health, unspecified condition. Cardiophilia (heartbeat kink). Hurt / comfort. Fluff, cuddling and ear-stething. Google-translated gratuitous Italian.

It's getting bad again. You can feel it.

The setting sun seeps through the stained glass windows of the Ministry, drawing colorful shapes on the floor, but that doesn't distract you from your pain. You walk through the hallways, crestfallen.

As you try to fight the countless intrusive thoughts that lurk somewhere in your racing mind, you can feel tears welling up in your eyes. But you can't break down. You have to be strong, at least until you get into your room. But the way to your room seems endless, as if the hallway stretches right in front of your eyes. You take a deep breath, which doesn't really help. The air doesn't seem to fill your lungs or oxygenate your brain.

Finally, you arrive at your own place and open the door with a sigh of relief. You sit on your bed, silently, and rest your head on your hands. Then you break down crying. You've been too strong for too long, and the tears just start streaming down your cheeks for a long time. You feel defeated and humiliated by your own mind, the place where you were supposed to feel safe, but no. Your mind was playing tricks on you again.

Your meltdown is interrupted by the sound of someone opening the door and coming into the room, sitting right beside you on the bed.

Papa.

"Bad day?" he asks, rubbing your back up and down. You can only nod, sniffling softly between the tears.

"Oh, amore mio, mi spezza il cuore vederti soffrire così." he says softly, cupping your face with his hand and palming the tears away from your cheek. His mismatched eyes look genuinely sad as you look into them. "Wanna talk about it?" He asks.

You shake your head.

"It's okay, tesoro, it's okay. I understand." He pulls you close into a hug, your head resting on his shoulder. He pats your back, rocking back and forth for several seconds. But that doesn't fill the painful void in your chest, and the tears keep coming.

"You know what? Do you want to hear what my heart's been up to?" He suggests. Your face instantly lights up.

"Yes, Papa. Please." You plead.

"Okie dokie, lay on top of me."

He pulls away from your embrace, smiling coyly at you and slowly unbuttoning his shirt. He lays down on the bed and pats his bare chest right above his heart, signaling for you to rest your head there. Trembling with sudden excitement, you crawl upon him and bury your face into his chest, nuzzling at the sparse hairs and planting little kisses from his collarbone to the bottom of his sternum, before resting your ear on your favorite auscultation spot, Erb's point.

You close your eyes. And then you finally hear the sweetest sound in the world: the soft, steady thumping of Papa's heart. The sound of life. The sound of a heart that beats for you.

You let out a mewl of pleasure as you delight in every beat, each systole and diastole of that beloved heart that kisses your cheek with its melodious thumping. You envision the heart muscle contracting and relaxing, healthy valves opening and closing as the blood is pumped through the arteries. You feel your own heartbeat syncing with his. Because your hearts are tied together by the love and desire you feel for each other.

"Thank you, Papa… This feels so good… So relaxing" you softly murmur against his chest.

"Feels good, no?" He chuckles, kissing the top of your head and running his fingers through your hair. "I know you love it"

You sigh, content in the moment, focusing on the sounds from inside Papa's thoracic cavity. The steady, gentle rhythm of his heartbeat reassures you and lulls your mind into a deep, trance-like relaxation; it's like each beat whispers "I'm here, I'm here" right into your ears. His tranquil, deep breathing is like the sound of the sea lapping the shore: melodious, rhythmic and soothing.

"Sono qui per te, tesoro. Non c'è bisogno di preoccuparsi. Respira e rilassati." He whispers into your scalp.

You take a deep breath, inhaling Papa's scent and nuzzling your face into his chest, cooing softly. He's so vulnerable like this, and you're the one who he allows himself to be vulnerable with. The proud Papa who gets on the stage and leads entire crowds of people into delirium with his singing is now just a man, flesh and bone and a beating heart against your ear.

Suddenly, all pain is gone. All worry, all anxiety, all stress have disappeared. All thanks to the mesmerizing sound of Papa's heartbeat as his gloved hand caresses your head gently. You both love and cherish these moments of sheer intimacy, laying skin to skin and basking in the warmth and pulse of each other's body. You listen to his heartbeat, he feels your body relax against his, the tension from your muscles slowly going away. This is your life drive, love in its purest form.

You don't know for how long you just lay there, listening to the gentle th-thump, th-thump, th-thump of Papa's heart. His heartbeat is some kind of magic, it's like it can stop time. And cuddling is Papa's love language, he knows how stressed out and touch-starved you can get from time to time and will promptly offer his chest for you to snuggle into and lose yourself in the sound of his heartbeat. He cares for you, he wants you to be happy and healthy.

Your problems aren't all gone. You still have the next day and new worries to come. But in this moment, as you listen to Papa's heartbeat, it doesn't matter. It's your moment to relax and take a break. It's a moment to enjoy life, to the sound of life.

……………………………………………………..............................

"Oh, amore mio, mi spezza il cuore vederti soffrire così" = oh my love, it breaks my heart to see you suffering like this

"Sono qui per te, tesoro. Non c'è bisogno di preoccuparsi. Respira e rilassati" = I'm here for you, my dear. There's no need to worry. Breathe and relax

#ghost #ghost band #the band ghost #ghost fanfiction #ghost bc fanfiction #the band ghost fanfiction #papa emeritus x reader #papa emeritus i #papa emeritus ii #papa emeritus iii #papa emeritus iv #papa primo #papa secondo #papa terzo #cardinal copia #papa copia #primo #secondo #terzo #copia #cardiophilia #cardiophilia fic #cardiophilia fiction #heartbeat kink #ear stething #hurt/comfort #fluff #the band ghost fluff #papa nihil #nihil

[one-piece-one-shots]

Franky X CisFem Reader Soulmate AU

You'd given up on your soulmate just after graduating high school. Unlike your friends when you all turned sixteen, you never received a message or response to your messages. You were deemed one of the few who simply didn't have a destined mate; you could date and marry someone else who was like you but the chances of it working out were slim. The universe had dealt you a depressing hand.

Some cosmic rules applied if you were lucky enough to have a mate. You could write any message in any media on your body and it would appear on your partner; however personal information, names, birthdays and things of that nature would show up as blank spaces in your text. Meeting your soulmate could not be arranged, fate would determine when your paths crossed.

Now an art major you had occasionally taken to painting or doodling on yourself when bored or depressed. Recently you had a bit of a setback. Your best friend had finally stumbled into her mate. He was a chef and when you both walked into Baratie she knew he was there. You wondered what that must have felt like. She was in a complete daze the moment her big brown eyes fell upon the open kitchen.

The cook with shaggy blond hair glanced up noticing the redhead next to you glaring at him. Recipes scrolled down their forearms along with other goofy notes they'd shared in different colored ink. It was an intense moment to witness and your stomach almost couldn't handle it. He pushed through the swinging doors of the kitchen and strolled right up to Nami. suppressing the sudden urge to flee you planted your feet firmly and watched the scene unfold.

You thought you'd seen Nami happy before, but nothing compared to the smile she wore now.

"Sanji." He breathed, eyes never leaving hers.

As you thought initially...this moment was too intimate. Needing to find relief for your churning stomach you left.

Nami didn't even notice you'd gone until moments later. Feeling terrible about basically ditching you she sent a deluge of apology texts. She knew anything related to soulmates was a sensitive subject for you.

Honestly, you were happy for her. She deserved all the love and happiness Sanji would give her. But seeing it all happen still stung.

So, for nearly a week you holed up in your apartment feeling sorry for yourself. No paint, no drawing just sulking. All the feelings from high school flooded back. People whispering and pitying you for being different.

On the fifth day, you awoke following your normal morning routine, this time alcohol still hazing your brain. Leaving a trail of clothes from the bedroom to the bathroom you stepped into the tub and let the warm water wake your stiff muscles. Finally feeling the static start to clear you squeezed some shower gel into your bath puff, squealing when you caught a glimpse of something blue on your forearm. Dropping the puff to run a trembling hand over the colored patch of skin you noticed an identical mark on the other arm.

Two four-inch aqua stars glared back at you as you sat wrapped in a towel on your bed. There was no way you'd gone out and gotten a tattoo much less two without remembering, no matter how drunk you'd been; not to mention they didn't hurt.

Could it be?

Prepared to shake away the thought you were distracted by a strange tightness in your chest. Emotions that felt strong but somehow foreign flooded your senses. Anxiety and worry swirled with guilt clenching your heart. These feelings were definitely not yours.

A small line formed on the inside of your wrist sending your heart into hyperdrive. The stranger's emotions continued to torment you until the sentence was completed, tapering off into nothingness.

"Why did you stop painting?" each letter scrolled out hastily in bold black ink.

Had they been watching all this time simultaneously tapping into your feelings and never once saying a thing? Quickly you fumbled through your art supplies for a ballpoint.

Anger and embarrassment fueled your response, "You've been ignoring me?"

Impatiently you tapped the blue pen against your thigh waiting to see what they had to say.

"Your art started showing up a month ago." Guilt and regret pooled in your chest, "I'm sorry I didn't know what to say. They always seemed forlorn and harrowing but when finished you were always calm." sincerity washed over you.

"What's with the stars?" you asked awkwardly, unsure of what to say to their explanation.

"You draw stars a lot and that shade of blue is one you frequent. I thought you would like it." Your lips bent involuntarily at the fondness expressed in that sentence.

All those years spent envying your friends faded as you glared at your left arm.

"I'm not still drunk?" you scrolled under their last response.

"And I'm not dreaming." the reply was immediate.

A giddy chuckle bubbled up your throat making your cheeks flush. Who were you, giggling over something a complete stranger said. Was this how everyone felt contacting their soulmate?

____________

"I remember learning in middle school that sometimes the soulmate bond is latent if there's an age gap," Usopp muttered inspecting the blue star on your right forearm.

"I suppose that would make sense," Nami added.

"It still amazes me that this is permanent. He went through all the pain and you get to have these marks forever." Usopp prattled.

You flushed having not thought of it that way before.

"Are you excited to meet them?" Nami questioned deepening your blush.

"I - I suppose I'll be ready when fate decides." You stammered.

"Hmm that might be a problem," Usopp noted as you tugged your arm away.

"She is a bit awkward huh," Nami confirmed.

"S-hut up. It's just talking to new people is difficult." you absentmindedly dragged your fingers over the star tattoo Usopp had been admiring, "You don't think I'll be too shy to speak to them?"

"Meeting your mate is different." Usopp tapped his finger to his chin.

"Perhaps it won't be an issue." Nami stroked your hair, "Now you're able to communicate so when you meet they won't technically be a stranger."

"I hope you're right."

______________

Some weeks had passed, you spoke to your soulmate as often as possible. Each conversation drawing you closer and closer. You also learned some things, they are male and have a few piercings. He also owned his own garage where he repaired and built all sorts of vehicles; land, sea, and air. Not to mention his affinity for expressing how "super" things were when he was excited or approving.

Every time you wrote to each other you couldn't help but relish in the giddy flutter of your heart. You shared childhood secrets and trauma as did he. There was nothing you kept from each other with the exception of the silly rules attached to your connection.

Finally, you had finished multiple projects and exams that had tapered your communication with your mate. So, you decided for the first time since you began speaking to paint for him.

Lining the living room floor with a tarp you carefully chose colors and squeezed them out directly on the blue plastic. The full-length mirror from your room was propped against a chair across from you allowing you to easily view your work. Without any real plan, you dipped your fingers into different colors and began swirling them across your bare chest. At first, you tried to focus on what you wanted to pass through the bond; something warm, fond and apologetic for your absence, but a few minutes in you lost yourself in the deliberate strokes of the colors you applied.

Wet paint dripped down your wrist as your fingers traced your shoulder stretching up your neck. The cool tones of blue and green that covered your torso lightened to warmer yellows, pinks and oranges as they rose passed your collar like flames licking your jawline. You let your hands drop to your lap as you almost breathlessly recovered from the near two hours spent painting the sunset like scene. Chuckling at yourself for admittedly going overboard you gazed at yourself in the mirror. The poor guy would have to walk around with this for the next twenty-four hours.

Before you could rise and head for the shower an ever familiar and very welcome flutter exploded through your painted chest. You felt the pen as if it were actually pressed to your thigh just above your knee.

"That was ...beautiful."

A broad smile bent your lips, "Thank you. It was meant as an apology for being so busy lately. But I'm afraid it came out a little too feminine."

"On the contrary this canvas is pretty masculine. It's a shame you have to wash it off. I may have to go shirtless tomorrow."

Pride spilled through the bond as his words appeared.

"It's still cold out. You'll get yourself sick!" you scolded.

"I'm glad you're my soulmate."

The next day you sat outside the campus studio waiting to meet a friend you hadn't seen in a while to have lunch. The discontent was visible on his face from a distance as he muttered curses to himself dragging tattooed fingers through his wild locks. You noticed new marks on the curve of his forearms peeking out of his rolled-up sleeves.

"New tattoos?" You questioned as he approached dropping his hand from his hair to adjust his shoulder strap.

"He's doing this shit to piss me off I swear." The redhead sneered.

Kid was the only person you ever met that didn't seem to get along with his mate, though you'd catch him absentmindedly smirking at some message the other male had left him.

"Mine got tattoos also." You chimed about to scrunch up your sleeves.

"Why'd I get stuck with such an asshole? Look at this F/N." He tugged his collar down revealing more tribal-like flames, completely brushing passed your statement.

"Sorry. Have you asked him to stop? Or at least consult you first?"

A heavy groan left the male at your side drawing your gaze back up to his now flushed face as he averted his tawny eyes.

"It's his way of making sure people know." He muttered.

Your cheeks flushed at his adoring tone. You knew he secretly liked it.

"Anyway," he coughed, "My boss has become an insufferable mushy mess."

"Mushy?" you echoed.

"Ugh. He recently made contact with his soulmate and he won't shut the fuck up about her." he sneered, "She also paints all over him so the rest of us are forced to look at it all the time."

Your heart skipped a beat, "She paints on him?"

"Oh sorry. I know you do that artsy shit too. I mean they're good paintings, but I don't want to look at that pervert shamelessly flaunting his soulmate's messages."

"Kid." You breathed stopping in your tracks.

"What?" The redhead whipped around to face you.

"T-take me to your work." It came out more as a demand than a request.

"What?" He stepped toward you.

"I- I ... I ..."

"F/N, spit it out. What's wrong with you?"

You swallowed hard trying to gather your words, "I think... those paintings... I mean... they might be mine?"

Kid gawked at you for a moment shifting his weight as he processed your staggered statement. Swiftly he snatched you into his side and marched off in the direction you had both come. He practically threw you into the front seat of his beat-up pickup. You were too shocked for quick movements, both surprised by what was about to happen and Kid's determination.

The entire drive was a blur, you didn't even remember it.

"Are you ready?" Kid asked.

"N-no." you breathed unable to stop yourself from moving toward the door.

"It might not be him, you don't need to be so nervous."

"It's him," you whispered catching sight of the bluette through the bay window of the shop.

A sense of knowing washed over you pushing you forward against your screaming brain and pounding heart. The man in question's movements slowed as you approached the building leaving Kid behind. Your own art stared back at you, lapping up his throat toward his defined chin. Three silver studs anchored each side of the bridge of his nose. Black Ray Bans swept his azure locks out of his face leaving a few strands to dangle framing onyx eyes that never left your face.

Before you knew it you were standing a foot apart, eyes searching over each other's forms taking in the incredibly indescribable surreal moment. Suddenly the intensity dropped ebbing back into an anxious shyness that pulled your face to the left, drawing your hands up to nervously shield yourself. Warm calloused fingers incased your wrists parting your cover.

"Franky." his gruff voice rang in your ears with the pleasantness of a tinkling bell.

"F-f/N." you weakly replied.

Goosebumps rippled across your flesh as he pulled you into an embrace burying his nose in your hair.

"It's super to finally meet you," he said in a whispered chuckle.

#one piece oneshots #finally #franky x reader #soulmates #soulmate au #mdni #x reader #one piece #lyndsyh24

[raayllum]

Even before she leaves, Ezran likes to think he knows Rayla pretty well.

She’s snarky and funny, warm and caring. She ruffles his hair and always gets stray crumbs at breakfast stuck to the corner of her mouth. She prefers to eat with her hands or just an all-purpose knife. She grumbles when she doesn’t get enough sleep and she gets this soft, starry look in her eyes when she’s looking at Callum  rambling excitedly about something, completely distracted on the road to Xadia, long before Ezran reunites with them at the Storm Spire and can recognize it for what it was.

It’s only after she leaves that he realizes he was missing pieces.

Not only in the fact that she would leave, and that she would do that to them, to Callum, to herself — but...

Callum is quiet on the 31st, not rageful and desperate the way he has been the past two weeks since her departure. He’s been busy, almost frantic, sending out missives, drawing up posters with her face featuring a royal reward and clear instructions to DO NOT HARM HER AT ANY COST, BRING HER BACK ALIVE in big bold print. 

He just stays curled up in their room, shoulders hunched as he sits and cries in her empty bed, and Ezran eases onto the mattress with next to him, silently prodding.

Callum sniffles as her answers. “It’s her birthday,” he reveals.

And Ezran thinks Oh. 

More keep coming. Lunablooms were her favourite flowers. She always hummed along to melodaisies but quietly, under her breath, while she assembled the fire. She tucked her hair behind her ear when she got nervous or flustered. Her nose turned a tiny bit red if she laughed so hard she cried. The pieces of information come pouring out of Callum like a river, like he’s holding so much in — a thousand hoarded moments and observations, a hundred more cherished memories — like he needs someone else to know and remember, or he’ll lose his mind.

Ezran does his best to remember it all, to keep it straight in between drafting legislation and running his kingdom, but... Ezran has never had a natural gift for details, and he knows there are more that Callum can’t, or won’t, share. 

They get to month three before Callum stops talking about her at all, too torn up, too twisted to speak, and he starts journalling instead. Ezran thinks the castle physician, Mavi, might’ve recommended it to him, and Ezran knows it’s more than details filling up page after page, book after book, soon piled high beside Callum’s bed. It’s thoughts and feelings and wishes and frustration.

Ezran finds him surrounded by some torn out pages at the end of the fourth month, the full moon making his teary eyes glisten too bright and too pained, for how young they both are. For how old and young seeing his big brother cry like this makes Ezran feel.

The lunablooms Callum planted in the castle gardens glow even from here, the curtains not drawn over the window.

“I never said it back,” Callum says, voice hoarse with guilt.

Ezran’s brow furrows from where he sits beside him. “What?”

“So much,” Callum explains and Ezran recalls the clutched letter Callum had passed him wordlessly that day at the Moon Nexus, unable to speak, almost unable to breathe. 

I love you. I love you so much.

“I never said it back,” Callum reiterates, frustrated, hands curled into fists in his hair. “I never told her that I—I love her so—so much—”

Ezran reaches up stubbornly to wipe away Callum’s tears before they drip down his chin, at least the best he can. His thumbs shake. “She knew, Callum,” Ezran says fiercely because it’s true. “She knows.”

Because she has to.

#ezran #rayllum #post ttm #ficlet #my fic #headcanons #fic #tdp shorts #dear callum #yeah u know what? fuck me #broyals #brotp: it's super annoying #brotp: we're in this together #tdp #tdp fic #the dragon prince

[avatarmerida]

Oh my titan, based off your last post of that cute art by @snoozu with what you said, I hope you write that, Hunter carrying Willow longer than he did in the episode and she is just chilling in his arms, unsure what to do. I'll definitely say, as annoying as Kikimora is, we can thank her for like 3 Huntlow moments, depends on how you count it. It is such a cute and silly concept, and I'm a sucker for a princess carry so this brings me so much joy.

This is less a fic and more like an internal monologue vibe but I just love these blorbos and this moment is on my mind. Based on this amazing art by @snoozu

———

It was not a very far way to fall.

Getting knocked off her staff was not a new experience, she had a flower on the way to ease her fall but before she had a chance to summon it, she stopped mid air.

She stopped and was met by something holding her close and then in a flash of gold she was safe on solid ground and mere inches from her face was Hunter. She felt like she had had the wind knocked out of her, but she knew that wasn’t the case. It was because suddenly she was staring into his wide, worried eyes. They went from pure determination to concern in an instant, and they were locked on her. He looked at her to confirm she was unharmed and Willow never wanted him to look away.

When Gus and Hunter had told her to let it all out and she allowed herself to cry months worth of tears, it has lifted a weight off her shoulders.

And one off her heart too, apparently.

Because now Hunter had that soapy dopey rose colored filter around him and despite the intensity of the moment, things moved in slow motion as she allowed her heart to race the way it hadn’t been able to in months.

Hunter was too distracted by his anger at Kikimora’s presence and the way she had endangered Willow to let their closeness fluster him as it usually would. He was aware of her, he always was, but carrying her felt as second nature to him as being carried felt to her. With Willow rendered speechless and unable to suggest otherwise, Hunter continued to carry her as he went back to the group.

When she remembered to breathe, she tried to steady herself as her thoughts swirled and bounced in her mind and made her feel utterly unsteady. He was so stoic, so kind, so handsome, so so many wonderful wonderful things and he was so so close to her.

Willow had always been someone who felt things so deep and loud, that even her muted colors were vibrant. She put on her best show, being just enough. She had been just silly enough, just aloof enough, just distracted enough where not even Gus suspected she was holding back. She had plenty of things to focus her energy on, the portal being just one of them, so some days even she couldn't tell.

But she could not grow her plants to their true normal height, lest she draw suspicion.

She could let herself think about her dads too long because she could not let the others see her cry and think that their optimism was in vain.

She could not hesitate when the wind outside roared louder and shook the house, she would be the first one to offer to investigate and insist it was no big deal.

She had to reassure them. She had to protect them.

But she still felt the yearning, the sadness, the fear; she felt it in the same grand multitudes she felt everything. But she had nowhere for it to go and so it sank down beneath the surface so she could carry more. But she suppressed the good along with the bad.

She knew she liked Hunter more than a friend. From the moment they met she had felt that bubbly giddy feeling start to form in the pit of her stomach and it slowly but surely aimed to recruit her heart. Right before circumstances became what they did, she had been building up to be bolder about it. They had gotten into the habit of messaging every night and his lack of flirting experience had blended nicely with hers (who could only claim to be more experienced second hand). She would say something cute, purposely throwing a phrase she was certain Hunter wouldn’t understand and he would send a very characteristic “?” and Willow would put forth exactly what she meant and she kicked her feet in delight as Hunter composed his response.

Willow would watch him start and stop and start typing again as he tried to match her energy, but he couldn’t decide what was appropriate and would often settle for single word or picture of Flapjack.

She looked forward to when they would talk without scrolls and she would get to hear him stutter. She could tell he was not usually at a loss for words and she relished that power.

He would compliment her so effortlessly and genuinely that Willow could tell he wasn’t actively trying to do it. He believed them true and therefore he said them, no pretense. He wouldn’t put in the clever buildup Willow did, he kept it simple (mostly due to his difficulty typing) and Willow believed she would surely pass away if he tried the way she did. If he was aware of the effect his simple words had on her, she wondered if he would care to elaborate.

He was rarely at a loss for words, once his interest was peaked he could talk for hours. Willow wondered if the way he flake ens out her could be compared to how he talked about his passions or if she was just hopeful. Hunter very rarely lacked an opinion.

But now she was the speechless one.

And her mind filled to the brim with all the soft, sweet, things she had been filtering. For every thing she said to him, there were three she kept to herself . It wasn’t that she was ashamed of them or didn’t want him to know, but she knew if she started she would never stop. The same way if she let herself cry. She needed to stay in control. She needed to stay subtle, just in case her feelings were too big. She didn’t want to overwhelm him.

She was certain he liked her too, which was not something she had felt certain about before. But being certain about herself had made her more certain about others. But as certain as she was, she had never been in this position before having romantic feelings being reciprocated. She was still adjusting to the idea that her friendships could be stable and she had to convince herself not to move too fast. Because this Willow could trust quickly again, her trust could be of value and still be given freely and if it broke it wasn’t because it was fragile. She trusted Hunter, despite what Amity and Luz told her about him in the beginning and despite the circumstances of their first meeting she knew how being labeled a half-a-witch clouded your mind. She knew there was more to him than even he realized and she knew she wanted to spend more time with him and she had no issue making that clear.

But then things got too chaotic to just pick things up where they had left off.

Under normal circumstances, Willow would have loved nothing more than to leave him all kinds of hints and wait for him to be comfortable with anything changing between them. But with all of them in the house, Willow worried that if something went wrong and he didn’t feel that way or had stopped feeling that way, that he wouldn’t have the privacy to process how he felt because she would always be there.

And now she wanted to always be here. So close.

Hunter ran a safe distance from Kilimora’s line of fire and Willow felt him tighten his hold on her.

He carried her like he had been doing it his whole life like she was precious, dangerous cargo. Like she was nothing and everything. He did not insist on releasing her so she did not bring it up and was content being secure in his arms, succumbing to the opportunity to admire the familiar look of determination on his face up close.

Months and months of longing stares that ended too soon came out with a vengeance, taking in the sight of him with no remorse. She felt so comfortable, she nearly forgot how she had gotten here in the first place.

The sound of Kikimora was faint, muffled like Willow was under water floating in a tranquil see as the world above did whatever it wanted. She watched Hunter react to what was being said, which wa s better than listening. Her heart leapt at the way his ears twinged as they listened, the way he frowned and squinted his eyes as he preocessee the words. He was so attentive and for some reason she found that impossibly endearing.

“Ugh, Kikimora is the worst,” he mumbled under his harsh breath. Oh, and the way he spoke! Ugh, he voice was a unique combination of sincere and sad, the way it was hoarse but bright. It was a marvelous contradiction, the way it would sometimes creak like an old house settling but could make any phrase sound new.

“Mhm hm.” Willow squeaked, having nearly forgotten he could see her.

“Ugh, I can’t believe Boscha is gonna get away with what she did,” Hunter muttered under his breathe as he ran back. Willow couldn’t tell if he was saying that to her or if he’d say it regardless. She pressed her hand to his chest and he looked down in surprise, confirming Willow’s suspicion that he had forgotten she was there and how close she was.

“Not for long,” she assured with a raise of her eyebrow and Hunter nodded, understanding what she meant as he ran back slightly so she could deliver her message. “Hey Boshca! Don’t think this means I’m finished with you.”

As Boscha scoffed, unimpressed, Hunter laughed in approal. Pulling her closer as he ran to catch-up, teleporting to allow them to make it to the circle as the group was finishing the glyph.

“Nicely done, Captain,” he said proudly, looking back to where the students were demolishing Kikimora.

“Thanks,” Willow laughed so response, taking in the scene as well. “What do you-.” As she turned back to face him, she found their faces were closer than before. She knew her face must resemble a rose in full blown and Hunter was not far behind.

“Ah, uh,” was all Hunter managed to say as Willow caught his eyes again. He gulped. Willow held her breath in case he whispered something. “Oh sorry,” he stuttered, crouching down to place her feet on the ground. Everything around them was fast and chaotic and when Willow’s feet hit the ground she resumed her part in it instantly as she helped finish marking the ground.

He released her as gently as he had captured her, placing her feet on the ground once as his face turned red, embarrassed he had prolonged his hold on her beyond what was technically necessary. Willow watched him work from the corner of her eye, knowing this was the worst time to get flustered but felt it fueled her.

As the ground shook and shone beneath them, Hunter rushed back to her side (had he actually left it?) and she felt him place his arm behind her back to steady her.

It was a blip like Hunter’s teleporting, but more intense and colorful and it was more disorienting. But in the collection of bright colors and flickering lights she saw him again, worried for her shielding her without a second thought. They were in an uncertain space, traveling hopefully to the skull hopefully in one piece and Willow was ready.

She was ready to be as loud as she was, as emotional as she was, and as vulnerable as she was. Her head felt clearer than it had in months, like a window finally allowing in a cool summer breeze. She felt light and refreshed and determined and ready.

When she opened her eyes and saw they had arrived safe and sound, she grabbed Amity’s hand and the two jumped with joy. She felt Hutner’s hand hovering over her back, always ensuring she was sure and steady. It felt so reassuring and natural, he did not make a show of it.

Even in his sadness, in his anger and confusion he was kind. He was so kind and sweet and silly and smart and so many wonderful, wonderful things. He did not insert himself into a moment,he would not intrude unless lives were at stake, he would never want to inconvenience anyone. She knew what it was like to try and make yourself small, but he consumed her thoughts with such intensity that that seemed impossible for him now.

She felt so may things. She was hopeful and happy and whole. She was mourning, she was tired, she was scared. These feelings were no longer tangled within each other trying to shrink but now flowed through her like an intricate network of vines supporting a mighty tree.

And among many other things, its importance equal in strength and conviction, she was smitten. It was a silly, stupid, smitten feeling that frivolous and frustrating but it did not have to fight to be felt any longer. Because now there was room for it to grow.

She has been on the edge of acceptance for too long, holding herself back from jumping head first until the waters were safer. But now she has no reason to hold back, no fear of the unknown to talk her out of really falling.

It was not a very far way to fall.

#huntlow #Willow park #Hunter toh #toh #for the future toh #winter toh #anon #ask #the owl house

[yeehawbvby]

no bottom surgery pls! and maybe reader eating him out? i think that man deserves his pussy ate lmao

(i am also a trans man if that matters! thanks again)

You got it >:3 

Like I said in a previous response to you, I’ve never written an explicitly trans character before, so if I fuck it up by any chance then please don’t hesitate to correct me on anything!! I’m more than happy to make any necessary revisions! 

(I’ve also never written a M!Reader before but I’m gonna for this, since you’ve specified your gender. I’m very nervous to post, but it was a fun challenge, so I really hope it doesn’t disappoint 💕 ^^)

The Sweetest Treat | TransMasc!Arven x TransMasc!Reader

Note: In case anyone is new here, please note that I headcanon Arven as an adult! Please consider this aged up if I’m proven wrong in the future.

Rating: Mature/Explicit | WC: 1,388

“You sure this is okay?” 

Your head is rested on Arven’s bare thigh while his dripping core pulses below you. His breaths shake as you trace featherlight shapes with your fingers around his pubic area; you don’t want to touch him until he’s ready, but Arceus it’s tempting. 

Peppering soft kisses of reassurance to his skin, you hum a quiet “Mhm.” One he can feel more than he can hear. “Just let me take care of you,” you murmur. 

Looking up at him with hungry eyes, you revel in how vulnerable your partner looks. How prepared he looks. 

“Alright,” Arven sighs.

“You comfy?”

“Yeah.” He nods after readjusting his weight onto his elbows a bit. “A-are you?”

Laughing, you nod back at him. Although your comfort is the last thing on your mind right now, it’s not a lie. Arven’s soft yet firm thigh is the perfect pillow, and his extremely yellow bed isn’t the worst mattress you’ve laid on. 

“Ready?” 

A shaky sigh leaves Arven as he nods again. “Do your worst.” 

Gladly. 

Your eyes flicker down to Arven’s pussy, and it takes all the restraint in your body not to touch your own.’You can do this to yourself later,’ you repeat in your head. Don’t wanna give your boyfriend a shitty experience just because you got distracted by your own carnal desires. 

You drag your pointer down to Arven’s lips, dipping just slightly into his folds. Before you can even really do anything, he’s squirming beneath your touch. His satisfaction brings a genuine smile to your face. 

“Mmmn,” he hums, eyelids flickering shut. 

So reactive… 

‘I can have fun with this,’ you think to yourself.

You press a light bite to Arven’s inner thigh, and his visible iris flickers back open with a gasp. “Eyes on me, ‘kay?” 

Blushing madly and swallowing a whine in his throat, Arven nods his response. You press on him a little harder before using your pointer and middle finger to spread him open. Finally, you plant a chaste kiss against him, before gently licking up his slit.

Arven’s teal orb doesn’t stray from yours as you draw lazy letters and numbers onto him with your tongue. It stays trained on you as he moans, squirming against your mouth. 

You stop for just a moment and sweetly smile up at him. “That’s my good boy.”

The praise raises Arven’s brow and he groans, bucking his hips into your touch. He’s stronger than you, so you struggle to hold his lower half in place as he writhes against you. Taking the hint, though, he does his best to keep still.

Arven drinks in the way you look — foggy eyed and with a deep blush coating your own cheeks, while he makes a mess of your profile with his arousal. You catch him staring, and you know that it’s not because he’s been told to, but because he wants to. The sight of you laying naked with your face between his legs, making him feel the best he ever has, is something he’s only ever dreamed of.

Another giggle escapes you as you hover over his bud. Your lips brush against it as you use your honeyed words to continue breaking him down. 

“You really like being my good boy, don’t you?”

“Fuck,” Arven whines. His visible eye rolls back for a moment before his gaze reaches yours again. Makes you smile wider, more catlike. He’s so obedient. “Yeah,” he sighs. 

You give him a particularly harsh suck, just to see what sort of reaction your boyfriend will gift you in return. He doesn’t disappoint; a wanton groan escapes him, and he throws his head back. His beautiful throat’s exposed and you can almost see some of his other eye from this angle. One of his hands tangles in your hair, tugging just hard enough to get your rocks off a little, as the other grips the sheets.

“S-such a good… ah!” Arven stops himself with an embarrassed yelp.

…Oh?

“You were about to call me a good boy too, weren’t you, baby?”

Biting his lip, the man doesn’t answer you. Can’t have that, now, can you? Still working your tongue along his folds, you slide a finger into Arven’s entrance.

“Oh, fuck!”

“So?” You ask between laps. “You were saying…?“

“I-I, shit, yes, you’re such a good boy...”

So cute!

“Thank you,” you lilt as you add a second finger. “S’this alright? I can pull out if you’re uncomforta—“

Arven cuts you off, desperately advising against your suggestion. “Please don’t, feels so good.”

A second hand wraps into your hair as you smile against Arven’s cunt. “Glad I can make you feel like this,” you murmur. “My sweet boy.”

A heady cry emits from Arven’s throat. God, you love his sounds. “My sweet…” you pause to flatten your tongue against him, licking a slow, hard strip. “…perfect boy.”

Pulling away so as to give your mouth a break, you use your thumb against Arven’s clit. You can’t help but shiver a little at the sight of his wetness and your spit mixing, creating a thick connection between your chin and his core.

“Tell me what you need me to do.” 

“Oh— mmm.” Seeming to have been caught off-guard by your order, Arven clears his throat. “C-can you go faster? Please?”

“Of course,” you whisper. 

Just as he requested, you twitch your thumb around him while your fingers dance inside him. You pepper love bites on his skin, kissing each bruise better as they appear. All the while, Arven’s mewls are getting louder. Throatier. Needier.

You return your tastebuds back to him, doing your best to lick and suck according to his responses. He really loved that little flicky-thing you just did with the tip of your tongue, so you surprise him with it every once in a while. Every time, he sounds absolutely euphoric. 

Noticing how your partner twitches into your lips, you wonder how close to completion he is. You don’t want this to end… then again you’ll make him cum as many times as he wants you to if it means you’ll get to keep at this.

“How are you doing, love?” You hope he was able to understand you, talking with your mouth full.

His response is… incoherent, to say the least. He’s been fucked stupid. Perfect. Must be getting there! 

“You gonna cum for me, or what?” Biting his lip and looking down at you through tears, Arven nods. Smiling and pumping your fingers into his sweet spot even harder, you add, “Bet you’re gonna taste so fucking good, baby.” 

Before you can even get your lips back on him, Arven’s beginning to snap. You do your best to work your tongue in all the ways you know he loves, as the flavor of his release coats your mouth. You can’t deny the excitement and pride that bubbles within your tummy as he rides your fingers and ruts into your licks. Not wanting to overstimulate him, in case he isn’t into that, you stop moving, simply letting him get off on you. 

As he comes down from his high, Arven leans back onto the bed. His chest heaves, and his skin glistens with sweat, but he’s laughing. 

“That was so cool…” he mutters. You can’t tell if he’s talking to himself, or to you, or to Arceus.

After licking your fingers clean, you inch up on top of Arven, cuddling into his chest. “You did so good,” you softly reassure him, running your fingers through his bangs before cupping his face. 

“You did all the work…” he bashfully mumbles. 

Arven leans his face against your forehead, pressing a brief kiss to it. Working his way down your temples and cheeks from there, he meets your lips – you feel his features heat up under your touch as he tastes himself on you, but he slips his tongue into your kiss anyway. A quiet squeak escapes you, and your seemingly innocent boyfriend’s lips curl into a grin. 

Oh?!

Within seconds, your back is against the mattress, Arven’s body hovering above yours as he kisses down your neck. You squirm beneath his touch, feeling your cheeks grow rosier as Arven determinedly nibbles and licks lower, and lower, and lower, until he’s near your own core.

“Your turn, sweet boy.”

#arven pokemon #arven x reader #pokemon arven #pokemon x reader #pokemon sv #pokemon scarvi #pokemon scarlet #pokemon violet #pokemon scvi #trainer arven #rival arven #pokémon arven x reader #pokemon arven x reader #no use of y/n #pokemon fanfiction #pokemon fanfic #trans arven #trans!arven #transmasc #transmasc reader #trans reader #ftm reader #arven x male reader #arven x m!reader #anon

[caperingcryptid]

Showtunes

@fallenlondonficswap @tjada-works-the-nightshift

(Notes: Wrote this for my part of the secret swap! Hope you enjoy!)

Showtunes

Clarabelle, The Hybrid, and The Fading Music-Hall Singer (1863 Words)

Song was how they bonded.

After a show once, some university know-it-all had pulled her aside to go on jabbering about the beauty of music- to her, of all people! As if she didn't know what it was she was able to draw forth from her own lungs, as if she didn't recognize the beauty in the way air was spun to song like straw to gold. 

He'd gone into the technicalities of music language and some peer-review studies that he'd done on the subject, and Clarabelle had done her best not to let her thoughts wander far enough her disinterest showed on her face when he'd said something that brought her out of her daydream.

“Music,” the know-it-all had said, “is the universal language. It doesn't matter if you're from the Fifth City or the Fourth, or- h-ll, even Rubbery, for that matter. You can find a form of it in every society. Makes you wonder if we're more alike with birds than apes, eh?”

Music, the universal language. The thought had hung with her for some time before it was lost to distraction, was buried in the fog of amnesia that was...that place (Clarabelle shuddered to even think of it, though she mercifully had little memory of that time), and only now again had resurfaced.

Clara supposed it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise. Music ran in her veins, as did her sister’s. It was only appropriate, if not sickeningly so, that the progenitor of the child that had been planted within her had been a songster, too.

Not just any child, but the Child. She was holding them in her arms now, feeding them the latest drops of nectar that their other (probably) human parent had brought with them. The Child was not human, but they weren't quite glim-beast, either. The mandibles were inhuman, but the lips forming within were not. The eyes, their other parent's eyes, were bright and sweet with innocence...but their claws had the swiftness and the sharpness to pluck birds from the air and reduce them to little more than a chunk of flesh.

Human, but not. Glim-beast, but not. A chimera. They adored their parent from the occasional visits that they were able to sneak into their schedule, but Clara took special pride in the fact that it was she who was able to bond with both halves of their child’s whole.

If music was the universal language, then Clara was a master linguist. And their Child, she'd found, was already not too far behind.

Clara curled her finger around the little hand, squeezed, and smiled. She hummed a snippet of a showtune that was popular at Mahogany Hall before she'd...had her departure: not the weasel one (dear god no), but something bright and lively and catchy, though not so much that it'd stick around in the brain like gum.

The Child stared moonishly up at her for a moment, considered the tune, and hummed it back in a voice that was almost human. Clara nodded encouragingly, and, beaming, the Child hummed through it again: like a parrot, Clara thought. 

They sang it through once, twice, and then fell silent. The first time this had happened, Clara had offered up another tune, only for the Child to reach up and cover her mouth with a chubby hand. They wanted silence. They wanted to think it over.

They wanted, more specifically, to create.

Not one to disappoint, after a second longer, the Child opened its mouth again, venom dribbling down its chin like saliva. Clara dutifully dabbed it up with a leaf just in time for the Child to start. In a clear, almost mournful voice, they sang. It was her tune, Clara's tune, but where she had left off the Child carried on, stretching the sound out into something both wispy and wistful.

Though the Child was still so young, they captured feeling that not even some of the ancient songstresses at the Hall had been able to dream of. A feeling of nostalgia and homesickness set up camp in Clara's chest, squeezing at her heart and bringing tears to her eyes. Home. They'd made up a suitable place to stay here in Parabola, but it was a far cry from the cryptic, sultry air of her favorite London circles. 

She had been someone. Not a Someone, but still a someone. There were friends (did they still remember her?) who she'd laughed with over spilt wine and little cakes of face powder. She yearned for companionship like drink and meal. She yearned for the familiar. Most of all, she yearned for a time that had seemed so thoughtless long before, but was now so sacred. She yearned for the freedom of feeling like a person, rather than a pushed-upon pawn. 

It wasn't just that insatiable longing that drove her to tears, though. An instinctive part of her knew that her home was not the Child's. Sooner than she'd like, the Child would have to leave to where they belonged.

The tears pricking at her eyes trailed warmly down her cheeks, and, just like that, the dam was broken. She wept against the Child's chitin, holding it close to her chest. She'd lost so much already, and there was still more to lose yet. Hadn't those b-stards taken enough from her? Didn't she deserve a little light, a little love, after the horror that life had dragged her through?

She wept. The Child, song forgotten, reached up to brush her tears with a talon. It cooed a question Clara didn't know how to answer, eyes worried and knowing all at once. Her Child. Their Child. A chimera that didn't quite belong in this world or hers, and that, despite the horror of their carrying, she had loved with a stubborn, burning fierceness from the moment she felt it stir inside her. 

Clara sobbed, held the Child a little tighter, then did what she could to pull herself back together. It wouldn't do to trouble the baby so. Though she was proud of the keen intelligence that lit up those eyes, it sometimes worried her, too. She didn't want it to leave her with her worries nagging at it.

As she wiped at her face with the hand not carrying the Child, another hand clasped gently on her arm. Clara looked up into a tired mirror of herself: her sister. Guilt panged through her for a moment. Her sister had suffered, had lost, had been changed, too.

Worst of all, she'd sacrificed. For her. Though doing so only worsened the guilt, Clara braced herself, as if expecting her dearest sister to reach out and strike her. Instead, she smiled oh-so sadly at her, and somehow that was worst of all.

“Clara.” It'd been some time since the Song of Birthing, and her sister's voice was still a dry and ragged whisper. The Fading Music-Hall Singer had very likely thrown her entire livelihood away for her sake, and there was nothing Clara would be able to do in this life or the next to truly thank her for it.

“Clara,” she said again, and winced. Clara took her hand in hers. 

“You don't have to speak,” Clara told her. “You shouldn't. The doctor said you still need to rest your voice. Please, don't strain yourself.”

“It's my voice, and I'll strain it if I d-mn well please.” Her sister tossed her hair back like a defiant mare, and a faint smile ghosted upon Clara's lips in reply. ”I wanted to talk to my sister. That's worth a little-“

Her sister swallowed thickly, swallowing the pain down with it. ”That's worth a little sore throat, I think,“ she managed. 

”You could always write.“

”I'm not a coward.“

”It's not being a coward if it's- oh, heaven help me.“ 

The Child, oblivious to sisterly bickering, lit up (both literally and metaphorically) at the sight of its aunt. It reached its hands out, babbling excitedly, and the Singer obligingly scooped them out of Clara's arms and into hers. She bounced the baby against her hip, unmindful of the segmented legs or the way its body curled like a shrimp's.

”Getting big,“ said the Singer. The pain returned to her eyes, mingling with grief. Clara thought, for a moment, of the Child's lost cousin, the Singer's child, and her heart clenched.

”The doctor said they'll get even bigger. By the time we leave, they might even be the size of a calf.“

”Comparing your child to a cow? Cruel.“ The Singer lightly bopped the baby's nose and got a giggle out of it. ”Maybe I should steal them away. Keep them in my boudoir and slip them fruit between shows. They can be my darling little apprentice.“

”If you'd like to spend your time off wiping up venom and wrestling rat corpses away from them, then by all means.“

”Oh, please. All babies are messy. This one's just a little-“ The Singer's voice broak off in a terrible croak. Clara nearly shot up to her feet before her sister motioned for her to stay where she was.

The Singer coughed, cleared her throat with a grimace, and spat onto the ground outside the tent. ”H-ll,” she said. “I'm fine.”

“You're not.” Clara's brow furrowed. “What did you want to talk about, really?”

The Singer looked back at her for a moment, face sobering, before her gaze drifted down to the Child.

“Getting big,” she said again. “You're thinking about it, aren't you?”

Clara was quiet for a moment. The entire tent slid into soundlessness.  “We've lost so much,” she whispered. “I...the thought of losing them too is...”

“To Fires?“ They both grit their teeth at the name. ”Or to time?“

”Both,“ Clara admitted. ”I keep thinking how nice it would be to take them home with us. To raise them in our footsteps, and teach them the alphabet, and...“ Her voice broke. ”Let them have a life. With us.”

“We can't.”

“I know.”

They both looked down at the Child, who, bored and full of nectar, had begun to doze against the front of the Singer's blouse. 

“Do you think they'll forget me?” Clara looked up at the Singer's unreadable face. “I'm sure they'll be able to...to have a better life. Up there. But if they forget...”

“You're their mother. Of course not.” 

The bitter, tired part of Clara wanted to cut in with “I was more their host”, but they both knew that wasn't true. It hadn't been true since the moment she had come to love the Child. 

The Singer put a gentle hand on Clara's shoulder again, and she leaned into the touch, closing her eyes. 

“It's going to hurt,“ said the Singer. ”And I'm sorry I can't protect us from that, either. But no matter what happens, we'll have each other.“

”We will.“ Clara looked up at her twin, and the surety and burning, protective love there made her confident of it. 

The Singer squeezed Clara's shoulder, eyes softening a touch, and she smiled.

”Now, take your kid back. Going to drool a hole in my shirt at this rate.“ 

#fallen london #failbetter games #light fingers spoilers #ambition: light fingers #light fingers clarabelle #light fingers the hybrid #light fingers the fading music-hall singer #writing #creative writing