#what once was mine

[talesofesther]

what once was mine | ch 1

Loki x Reader

Summary: When watching what once was supposed to be the rest of his life, in an empty room in the TVA, Loki sees someone he can't recognize; a girl who's all tenderness and loose smiles, and most importantly, she was smiling at him.

A/N: A long overdue mini-series for one of my favorite characters of all time. I had this idea when season one of Loki first came out, but never got to writing it, and now with season two coming, I decided to finally do it. There are two important things that need to be said before we head into it though; firstly and most importantly, I will not be following the show's plot at all, this story will only be focusing on the relationship between Loki and the reader, after all that's what it is about and I don't want it to be unnecessarily huge; secondly, this story will be mostly told in moments, which means that not every single scene happening between the characters will be written down in length. Lastly, I do hope you can all enjoy it. <3

Masterlist

Things felt worthless. Everything suddenly seemed unimportant. His whole life, everything he knew, felt small and frail. Because here, infinity stones were mere paperweights.

Loki scoffed as he pushed himself up from the floor, one hand coming up to tug at the collar still wrapped around his neck. This place made him feel as if his brain was melting, it was all too much, too sudden—sacred timeline, variants. A sense of utter helplessness started to weigh heavily in the pit of his stomach.

Yet he couldn't hold himself back from sitting at the single table in the middle of the dim-lit room. The checkered image of the Avengers right in front of him seemed to be taunting him.

This was still the same day, right?

Or maybe not, Loki wasn't certain anymore; it sure didn't feel like the same day.

For a split second, as he looked down at the red, round device resting on top of the table, he thought about how everything here looked so old-fashioned. It was almost ironic, for a place out of time.

Loki couldn't help himself. His curiosity got the best of him eventually. But if anyone had their whole life just a click away, they'd probably do the same.

So he watched, through glimpses passing on a screen, a life that was supposed to be his. He watched his mother die, and then his father; he watched as Thor called him a brother with a smile on his face again, and as they made earth a new home for Asgard. Loki's eyes were already a pool of tears as soon as his mother's lifeless body had appeared in front of him, they cascaded down his cheeks freely, leaving behind a damp path of a lifetime worth of mourning, now seen in less than a minute. The loss somehow felt greater, because now he wouldn't even have those moments to begin with.

But suddenly, amidst the moments of suffering and mistakes, an unfamiliar face appeared. She had a smile on her face most of the time, and even through the static of the image in front of him, Loki could clearly see the glint in her pupils, the crinkle beside her eyes. She was quite captivating, maybe that's why it took him a second to realize she was smiling at him.

A frown etched itself in Loki's eyebrows, he leaned forward on his chair as he pressed play again. Curiosity and... apprehension twirled wildly inside his stomach.

The moments with her were endless. Walks on the beach, shared ice creams, quiet nights watching a movie, dancing together in a dark kitchen, the golden rays of a sunset shining against her hair in a memory tucked away like a treasure; and even a moment of her talking with Tony Stark and the others, while her hand held tightly onto Loki's, the other Loki, that is. All of them looked futile, a simple existence Loki would never have considered fit for him; so why did these moments feel important?

Inside TVA's lonely room, Loki held his breath until his lungs ached. His heart was threatening to jump out of his chest and his eyes were stinging for a whole new reason. He could feel the shaking of his own hands. That look in her eyes, it was one of love, anyone who saw would know it. But the cause of the sudden lump in Loki's throat was the fact that this look was always directed at him. That love in her eyes, that smile on her lips; was for him.

Several minutes went by with him silently looking at the paused image of her on the checkered screen. A few stray tears rolled down his cheeks, and he wasn't sure why yet. If it was for the shock of learning that someone could love him this much; or because of the envy, the longing for something that wasn't even his, not really, he never got there after all.

There was a hole in his chest, a missing piece of something he never had. Loki didn't even know her name, yet a part of him was screaming it anyway.

He eventually moved on, and almost threw up when he watched Thanos take his life from him. Loki watched his brother cry over his lifeless body, yet he wasn't seeing her.

And despite the boatload of information thrown at him, the questions clouding his mind were only; who is she? Where is she?

Lost. Loki felt more lost than he probably ever did in his entire life. He had just watched what was supposed to be the rest of his life, yet... it wouldn't be. So what now?

He sat down on the small stairs of the room, burying his head in his hands.

And then there was this girl; smiling and laughing and holding his hand as if he had been the best thing to ever happen to her. This feeling, warm and heavy, squeezing Loki's heart, was a foreign one—he couldn't quite place why that look of pure adoration in her eyes was directed at him.

He needed to know who she was. He needed to find her and ask her why. He needed to know what she was, or- would be to him.

The sudden sound of the door opening startled Loki, he watched as Mobius walked into the room, his steps overly cautious. "Loki? Nowhere left to run."

Gulping back a sob clawing its way through his throat, Loki took a deep breath. He slowly glanced up, voice calm and defeated as he asked a question he already knew the answer to; "I can't go back, can I?"

Mobius simply looked at him, his eyes holding some kind of sympathy as he spared Loki from hearing the truth out loud.

Loki pursed his lips, his gaze slowly trailed back to the screen on his left that again adorned a paused image of the mysterious girl. Her lips were turned up just slightly, dark sunglasses covered her eyes, and she held a slowly melting ice cream in one of her hands. "Who is she?" he asked quietly.

Placing his weapon on the table, Mobius let out a long sigh, "I was hoping you wouldn't ask about her."

The words made Loki snap his head towards him, a frown coming to his eyebrows immediately.

"She..." Mobius hesitated, "she is someone almost as annoying as you."

"That doesn't answer my question." Loki nearly sounded offended. He got up then, taking slow steps towards Mobius. "She seemed... important, yet I don't know who she is."

"I'm afraid you haven't met her yet."

"Then tell me who she is."

Mobius grimaced; "I don't think it's my place to say it."

"That's absurd," Loki scoffed, "it's my life we're talking about here."

"How about we help each other then, hm?" Mobius offered, and when Loki only frowned at him, he continued; "a fugitive Variant has been killing our Minutemen."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "And you need the God of Mischief to help you stop him?"

A small smirk came to Mobius' lips; "That's right. You help us stop him. I get you an opportunity to meet her and you can ask her whatever questions you want to know."

A meeting with someone didn't feel like much for his end of the bargain, but that same voice inside Loki was still screaming a name he didn't know how to spell. He had to know.

"Deal."

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Read ch 2 here

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are literally what keeps me motivated to continue posting here, so I’d appreciate it if you could take some time to reblog and comment. <3

You do not have permission to repost, copy, or translate my works on any platforms (even with credit), please respect.

Loki’s taglist:@milkiane @v1ci0us

#loki x reader #loki laufeyson #loki imagine #loki #marvel #loki series #loki x you #marvel x reader #loki x female reader #imagine #fanfic #angst #fluff #what once was mine #loki fanfic #my story #loki laufeyson x reader

[broken-glowsticks]

What Once was Mine

Chapter 11 - When, How, and Why

Genre: Childhood friends, Eventual Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Love corner/love triangle, love rivals, Series.

NOT ALL CHAPTERS WILL BE PROOF READ!!

Warnings: 18+, mdni, mentions of sex and alcohol consumption, additional warnings will be added to individual chapters as needed.

Additional warnings: mentions of explicit sex, loss of virginity, fingering (f receiving), piv, mentions of an underage related, mentions of bruises and bodily harm, slight angst.

Previous • Main • Next

“What do you mean he almost kissed you?!” Felix's deep baritone ricocheted off the walls of his room, immediately followed by your hasty shushing.

“Ssshhhh! Felix, shut your face! I don't want Chan to hear!”

“Chan's elbows deep in work right now, his headphones are basically fused to his head. He's not going to hear anything.” Felix retorted, grabbing your wrists and removing the hands you had shoved against his mouth to shut him up. He didn't let you go, though. “Now spill,” he commanded, pulling you closer, a devious smile on his lips, “what exactly happened?”

With a sigh, you pulled your hands from Felix's grasp. Scooting closer to him on his bed, you tried to keep your voice down as you relayed the events that had happened the previous night.

“No fucking way, you little tease!” Felix basically sang as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, drawing you in to roughly nuzzle you.

“Ow, ow, ow, Felix, knock it off!” You whined, shoving him off you and yanking away the pillow he was leaning on as a form of cover. Felix only giggled.

“Alright, joking aside,” Felix began, once again pulling you in but gentler this time. “How do you feel about what almost happened?”

You sighed. Laying down, you rested your head on Felix's leg, gathering your thoughts as he began to tenderly stroke your hair. How did you really feel about Hyunjin almost kissing you?

“I feel like there's something going on that he's not telling me.”

“Okay, elaborate?”

“Hyunjin… struggles to communicate how he feels, he always has. The sex… always meant more.”

“More for him? I thought it was just something casual?” Felix meant no harm in his questions, genuinely wanting to understand. Before tonight, Felix didn't know Hyunjin as anything other than an obstacle to you and Changbins’ budding relationship. Everything he's ever learned about the guy has come from Jisungs’ blatant and self-admitted biased view. And while you knew Felix was still trying to sort things out, it still stung to be reminded how much you wished the sex with Hyunjin meant something different than it did. But you never pushed. You never dared to expose yourself like that because the entire time you were with him, you knew what those moments meant for Hyunjin.

“Hooking up…” you began, trying to find the words to properly express yourself, “sure, we would sometimes do it for fun or to de-stress, but that's not how it started.”

“Then… how did it start?” Taking your face in his hands, Felix leaned over, meeting his eyes with yours. “If the sex wasn't mainly just for fun, then what made you two start up in the first place?”

Your lips pressed into a thin line. You struggled to hold Felix's gaze, but he asked, and you've never spoken about this to anyone, not even Jisung, who's known you since before Hyunjin even re-entered your life. You don't know why you never spoke about it, maybe it was time.

“Alright, let's get some snacks and something to drink, I might get emotional.”

○●♡☆♡●○

You sniffled as you curled yourself further under your fluffy comforter, makeup smearing against your pillow - you didn't care, you were too heartbroken. Tonight was supposed to be the best date of your teenage life, never would you have thought someone from Hyunjins untouchable circle would take any kind of interest in you, you always assumed they thought too highly of themselves based on how they acted in the halls. Turns out you were right.

You had planned this night for days. All dressed up in the new outfit you had gotten at the mall with Jisung and his girlfriend, even tentatively donning the pretty lingerie set you had snuck off to buy in the event things got heated and felt right. Your parents weren't home, set to be gone until some time tomorrow afternoon. You had made a simple dinner and picked out a few movies to possibly rent in the event the night stayed chaste. Everything was all set, yet as time ticked by, you began to worry. When your dates' appointed arrival time came and went, you began to get nervous, texting him and Hyunjin in an attempt to get ahold of the elusive boy.

You weren't expecting Hyunjin to be able to do much, he had mentioned he had plans of his own and would check in whenever he had the time, but so far he had only been able to reply twice - both times before your date was even meant to begin. At least Hyunjin managed to reply at all. You had debated over calling Jisung, but you very much didn't want to deal with the embarrassment of admitting you may have gotten stood up because he was so against the date in the first place, only helping because you expressed it was something you really wanted. Maybe you should call your date? Not wanting to seem clingy and give him the benefit of the doubt you simply assumed his phone had died or something of the sort, leading you to lay on the couch to wait for him, eating chocolate and ice cream with some random YouTube videos playing to fill the dead air as you scrolled social media. That's when you saw it.

You had followed this boy on Instagram a little bit ago, hanging on his every post as a way to glean more knowledge of him, but at this moment you wished you didn't even know about his Instagram page at all. There, at the very top of your feed, was a carousel of images of him at a party, an impossibly gorgeous girl clinging to him like shrink wrap.

A burn scorched your throat as it tightened, your heart dropping to your stomach. Hot, angry tears welled in your eyes as, stupidly, you tapped on his profile picture and pulled up his stories, the time stamp indicating he posted only minutes ago. He looked like he was having so much fun, especially with that girl who was showing up often. The final nail in the coffin was when you saw your would-be date's final story, where - presumably - one of his friends had filmed him explicitly licking whipped cream off the girl's chest. Broken and disgusted, you aggressively dashed away your phone, escaping your room to wallow in your sorrows. You stayed there, sobbing, until you had no more tears to give, seeking solace within the plush embrace of your bed.

You were unsure when you started debating over cleaning up, maybe eating the dinner you made - no point in letting good food go to waste. You had only just managed to sit upright in your bed when you heard the tell-tale sign of a fist thrashing against your door, frequent ringing of your doorbell accompanying. The barrage of noise startled you into place, and you thought about pretending you weren't even home, but the sounds of a well-known voice shouting through the wood eased your nerves.

“Y/N? Beautiful, it's me, open up!!” Hyunjins strained voice shouted, screaming at the top of his lungs in hopes you would be able to hear him regardless of wherever you were hiding in the house.

Wordlessly, you made your way from your bed to the front door, turning on the front light so he knew you were there.

“Hyunjin, what are you-?”

“I'm gonna kill that fucking ass-hole,” Hyunjin growled through grit teeth the moment you opened the door, cutting you off by placing his hands on either side of your face. He could feel his temper rising as he took in your smudged makeup and red, puffy eyes. Despite his rough tone he held your face so gently that you almost began to cry again. “I swear to you, I didn't know he was going to do this.”

“I know it wasn't your fault Jinnie…” you breathed, attempting to remain collected enough to not give into your heartbreak. It wasn't enough, as soon as you opened your mouth to reassure him another sob tore from you and you were once again lost. Hyunjin didn't bat an eye, wrapping himself around you and holding you so tightly it felt as though he was the only thing even remotely keeping you together.

“I knew it was too good to be true, but I still believed that he might like me. That, maybe, I had a chance. God, I feel so stupid, Hyunjin!” You clung to Hyunjins denim jacket as you wailed shamelessly into the collar, “and… and when I saw his stories, how this girl was glued to him… it's dumb and I know I deserve better, but I still couldn't help but wonder why couldn't that be me? Did he think I wasn't good enough, not hot enough? What am I missing that I'm so undesirable to him?”

“Y/N stop,” Hyunjins hands were once again at your face, drawing your gaze to his. “You're beautiful, you know you are. Just because this guy doesn't see it, that doesn't mean it's not true. Hell, you even just said that you know you deserve better.” he said gently, pressing his forehead to yours. “God I'm so fucking angry,” he muttered more to himself than anything, squeezing his eyes shut. How dare this prick of a “friend” hurt you like this, in the exact same way he did?

“I know… I know I deserve better, I'm not ugly, but it's so hard to feel like I'm pretty, that I'm desirable at all, when guys keep rejecting me.”

“All those guys are idiots.” Hyunjin sighed, “I wish I could show you how desirable you really are,” he said in a whisper, his brows furrowed and eyes squeezing tighter. It hurt him so much to hear you speak like that.

“I love you for wanting that, but… I don't see how you could,” you whimpered, placing your hands over his, your glossy eyes drifting over his pained features. Was it just the harsh shadows from the front light, or did he have a couple of bruises on his face?

“I can think of one way,” Hyunjin said, his voice coming out small, almost shy. This surprised you. You couldn't remember the last time he came off as shy.

“What do you mean, Jinnie?” You asked in an equally soft tone, your curiosity and fear of spooking him out of sharing his idea overtaking the uncertainty of the possible bruises on his face.

Hyunjins eyes open slowly, his gaze unreadable. You didn't know what it was, but something about the intensity of his stare made you flush, rendering you speechless. Eventually, the longer you looked, the better you could see it - the internal war he was having with himself. Whatever his thought was, he was unsure over whether or not to follow through. For Hyunjin, he was unsure if this would help or if it was even something you needed. He was worried that after what happened to him tonight, he was focusing too much over what he needed.

“Are you not going to tell me?” You finally asked, trying to goad him into fussing up, “did you change your mind?”

“No, I just… I don't want to upset you.”

“Sounds like you have something risky in mind.”

“That's putting it lightly,” he chuckled, ghosting his thumb over your cheek. “I don't think we'd be the same after, and that scares me, I don't want you to shut me out, Beautiful.”

“Just do it, Jinnie. I know that regardless of whatever you have in mind, you just want to help. I could never be upset at you for that.”

“Are you sure?” He rasped, snaking one of his arms around your waist. Your pulse thudded at his actions, but after a stiff swallow, you nodded anyway.

“I'm sure Hyunjin, I trust you.”

Hyunjins eyes became hooded as he scanned your face, his lower lip catching between his teeth as he tipped your chin up with the hand that wasn't increasing its grip on your waist. You stopped breathing as Hyunjin ran his thumb over your lower lip, taking in the softness of your skin before delving in for a bite.

You whimpered at the gentle sting as he tugged at your lower lip, eyes screwed shut and hands clutching at his tear stained denim jacket. Before you could even question what was happening, Hyunjins' other arm wrapped around you, pulling your body hard against his as he tilted his head to kiss you properly. Your head spun. All you could focus on was his soft, plush, lips, and warm breath.

A squeal sneaked out of you when Hyunjin licked your lower lip, allowing him to slip between your lips when you gasped in surprise. You put up no fight, allowing him to roam as he pleased. You were so lost in everything about him, his touch, his smell, his taste. It was as if you were caught in a current drifting you further out to sea. Was this why every girl in town wanted a chance just to spend a night with him? Or was he so good because he got around? He was just kissing you, and you could feel your excitement stirring. How did it feel to do more than just kiss him? Wanting to know you released your grip on his jacket, slipping your hands beneath the collar.

Hyunjin shuttered at your cool touch, a stark contrast to the hot skin of his neck. Goosebumps raised as he felt you slip his jacket off of him, and he released your waist to help you along, dropping the fabric by the front door and kicking off his shoes. He was so focused that he let out a small noise of surprise when you slipped your hands under the hem of his shirt, hands resting on his abdomen.

“Y/N,” he murmured against your lips, chuckling when you refused to stop kissing him. Running a hand into your hair, he held on gently as he pulled away, full on grinning when your lips tried to chase after him, “easy there, girl.”

“Why'd you stop?” You softly whined, somewhat out of breath, a pout on your sweet lips.

“I just don't want to keep this up right by the front door, I keep thinking your parents are going to catch us or something,” Hyunjin said light heartedly, his eyes still lingering on your lips. He already wanted to kiss you again.

“Then…” you began, feeling shy at what you were about to suggest, “my room?”

“Your room,” Hyunjin agreed, lifting you from the floor and carrying your giggly self to your bed. Tearing off his flannel and climbing on top of you, he finally took a moment to take in your outfit. His heart sank once he realized this outfit was new, and you looked absolutely stunning in it. How dare your date not come to see how much effort you put in for tonight. Hyunjins hands clenched at your sheets as he told himself that at least you wouldn't have dressed up for nothing. He wouldn't let your efforts tonight go to waste.

“Hyunjin, are you alright?” Hyunjins eyes met yours, and he leaned in to place a kiss to the tip of your nose.

“I'm just nervous, I didn’t think you'd take it this far.”

“I didn't either,” you admitted, suddenly unable to look at him, “but I just… I liked what we were doing, how you were making me feel.” Your cheeks burned, but Hyunjin was right. You deserved to feel beautiful, and you were grateful that it was Hyunjin who was making you feel this way. “Hyunjin… I- I want you to keep going… would you… would you be my first?”

Hyunjins’ breath caught in his throat, and in an instant, he no longer felt like the full of confidence school bad boy. Instead, he was just a boy, a boy with his heart hammering in his chest as he looked down at the girl he secretly loved with the widest eyes imaginable.

“Are- Are you sure?” He whispered, the tremor in his voice matching the one shaking his body.

“Yes,” you breathed, finding the courage to look at him again. “I'm sure.”

With a fervored nod of his head, Hyunjin sat up and hastily fumbled for his wallet in his back pocket, praying that he still had a condom tucked away. With relief, he found one. He couldn't stop shaking.

“I'll stop whenever you tell me to,” Hyunjin said with a mix of excitement and anxiety, placing the condom next to you on the bed, “you call all the shots. I won't do anything you're not comfortable with, okay?”

Unable to speak, you nodded, taking several deep, steadying breaths as Hyunjin returned above you, wasting no time to kiss you sweetly. You did your best to focus on the moment, on the slant of his lips, the smell of his cologne clinging to his undershirt, of his shaky hand that trailed under your shirt to run his hand over your breast which caused your breath to hitch.

“Y/N, are you wearing lingerie?” Hyunjin murmured. Your hands flew to your face to cover your now tomato red face before he could even finish asking his question. Once again, you were only able to nod. With a groan, Hyunjin, unceremoniously and without warning, pushed your shirt up as far as it would go before sitting back on his haunches and tearing your bottoms off of you. Fuck, to think that good-for-nothing almost saw you in this. “I can't tell you how glad I am to be the only one to see you in this,” he said admiringly, pressing kisses to your knees, then down your inner thighs.

Hyunjin paused for a moment, giving you a chance to stop him before he went any further, but when you remained hiding behind your hands he continued to pepper kisses between your thighs as he worked his way down. With a small smirk, Hyunjin traced the little bow that topped the front of your lace panties. You were a present just for him. He felt grateful, getting something just for him.

Wanting to show just how appreciative he was, Hyunjin spread your legs, slotting his head in between them and placing soft kisses to your covered heat. He relished in your shy, needy whimpers as he ran his fingers up and down your clothed slit, pressing more kisses over your clit as the dampness against your panties worsened.

“I'm going to eat you out first before we do this, baby, I want you relaxed and feeling good before I try sliding in,” he instructed as he pulled your panties down your legs with his teeth and slid his finger over your now exposed slit.

You were already a panting mess from this little bit of stimulation, your hands no longer hiding your face but bunched at your chest as you watched him toy with you. You had never seen this side of Hyunjin before and were getting more and more aroused as he focused on your pleasure. You couldn't take your eyes off him, especially as he rested one of your legs over his shoulder, collecting your wetness on his middle finger before easing it between your folds. He pumped the digit in and out a few times, checking if there was any discomfort before easing in another finger. Your eyes fluttered closed at the filling sensation, savoring the delicious drag of his fingers as they slowly pumped in and out of you. Hyunjin took great care in building you up, exploring which spots were your weakest and prodding at them mercilessly until you were shaking beneath him. Right when you thought the sensation couldn't get more intense, Hyunjins' tongue slid over your sensitive clit, causing your hips to buck. Hyunjin grunted but continued licking and swirling his tongue over the bundle of nerves as his fingers continued to expertly press at your gummy walls. Hyunjin was reading you so well and all you could do was grasp at his hair and cry out pathetic moans beneath him.

Before you could even say anything, your orgasm rapidly built before exploding, your creaminess coating Hyunjins’ tongue and fingers. Your body shuttered, and Hyunjin continued to rub you walls as he helped ease you down.

“That's it, baby, you did so good. Just stay relaxed, okay?” Hyunjin cooed, licking you from his lips and fingers and reaching for the condom, “are you ready?”

“I- I think so,” you stammered out, surprised at yourself for managing to speak. Your head felt so cluttered, unable to believe Hyunjin just made you cum. Hyunjin, the guy you've known since you were a kid and who you've been able to platonically share a bed with. You were almost starting to second guess whether or not you should really go through with this, maybe Hyunjin was right about things changing, maybe it would change too much and you'd lose the closeness you had.

You didn't have time to dwell on these hesitant thoughts, Hyunjin unbuttoning his jeans and beginning to slip them down caught your full attention and you could do nothing but watch with bated breath as his stunning cock sprang free. It was too late. You had passed the point of no return, and there was nothing left to do but indulge, to let yourself dive as deep as you could and let yourself drown.

Or maybe that's just how Hyunjin was seeing it. Tonight did not go as he planned, before he deigned to open social media - all the while hiding in a tube slide at a child's park - he had gotten hurt, he was on the run, in overlapping shades of pain, his only solace being that at least you were having a good night with one of his friends. When Hyunjin had seen that the guy had ditched you for a party and some other girl, he couldn't think of a worse end to his night than leaving you to ache alone. So he ran to you, risking himself further with the exposure, but he didn't matter at that moment. He would swallow everything down, just for a chance to lift your spirits, he could deal with his own pain later, he just needed to help you otherwise he didn't think he could last the night.

He truly wasn't thinking of himself when he kissed you, Hyunjin only wanted to do whatever he could to prove to you that you are worthy of being wanted. But when you pulled him close, when you wanted more, Hyunjin realized he needed the same thing - only in a slightly different way.

Tonight had been horrible for you and Hyunjin before he came to you. He was not going to let the sun rise without something good happening for the both of you not realizing that the moment he took your hand in his, both sets of clothes now discarded on your bedroom floor, lips and tongues melting together as his protected head teasing your entrance, that he was giving the both of you the thing you wanted from each other the most.

It hurt, of course, but Hyunjin was gentle. Easing himself in and out in sections, going inch by inch and refusing to push deeper until you were accustomed. He didn't want you to cry. He refused to make you bleed, and when he finally finally bottomed out, you thought you were going to faint from how shallow your breathing was.

“Breath, baby, breath,” he whispered, kissing you tenderly, “I won't move until you breathe.”

“Hyunjin…” you whined, wrapping your arms around his neck and drinking in his gentle attention. “It's okay, you can move, it doesn't hurt,” you reassured. With a few more kisses, Hyunjin rested his forehead for yours before he slowly rolled his hips into yours.

You squeezed your eyes shut, the sensation - while not entirely painful - felt foreign, and you struggled to acclimate quickly, but you refused to let him stop. You knew you just needed to ride this out, that it would get better, and it did. You could feel your body accepting him and soon wanting more.

“Jinnie… more, it's not enough, more,” you mewled, wrapping your legs around his waist in an attempt to draw him closer.

“Okay, Beautiful, I'll take care of you. Just lay back, Jinnie will make you feel good,” Hyunjin murmured, pressing kissing into your neck and picking up his pace, earning himself a few sweet moans.

It was only when all tension left your body that Hyunjin dared to truly let himself enjoy you. Adjusting so he was on his knees, he pulled your legs up, holding each behind your knees as he began to truly fuck himself into you. Hyunjin watched as your sweet, shy moans turned into heated, wanton screams as he plowed into your gummy spot. Never did he think he would see you make such a gorgeous face or hear your pussy make such filthy squelching sounds as his dick slipped in and out of you. For a moment, Hyunjin thought he was dreaming as he watched you drown in bliss below him. If he was, he never wanted to wake up. He wanted to stay right here, in this too-good-to-be-true moment where all the worries from hours ago purged themselves from his mind.

“Hyun… Jin… Jinnie…” you gasped out, feeling the pressure from your building orgasm start to grow.

“Does it feel good, Beautiful? Are you gonna cum?” He asked in ragged breaths.

“Yes… yes, I think I'm close. Oh, please don't stop,” you begged, closing your eyes and throwing your head back onto your pillow. Almost as soon as you finished uttering those words, your body clenched around him as you came for the second time, a creamy ring coating Hyunjins dick.

“Fuck, baby,” Hyunjin groaned, slamming his dick into you more rapidly as he chased his own orgasm.

Feeling his hips beginning to stutter, you forced your tired eyes to open just in time to watch Hyunjins’ beautiful face twist in pleasure as he came, melodic moans bouncing off your walls. You did your best to memorize that face as he came down from his high.

After a moment of catching his breath, Hyunjin eased himself out of you to remove the condom, your body giving a shudder at the lack of his body heat.

“Let's clean up, yeah?” Hyunjin suggested, helping you up from the bed and leading the two of you to the bathroom. The following intimate moments of clean-up felt oddly comfortable and right. Once your post-orgasm bliss had faded, you expected an air of awkwardness to be lingerie around you both, but there never was.

“Hey, can I wear your flanel?”

“What?” Hyunjin asked with a laugh.

“That's what always happens in the movies. The girl wears the guys clothes after sex. I kinda wanna try it.”

“Just for a bit? That's dumb,” he replied but handed you his flannel anyway as he grabbed the rest of his clothes to put back on.

You needed to change out of your lingerie set, so you opted to wear nothing but his flannel, a comfort pair of panties, and some knee-high socks. You wanted to wear his shirt for the bit, so you were going to commit. Besides, he had officially seen too much for you to be shy at this point.

“Was this food meant to be for tonight?” Hyunjins voice called from the kitchen. You didn't notice he had left your room since he didn't bother to shut the door.

“Yeah,” you replied as you joined him in the dimly lit kitchen, missing his double take and blushing at your choice in attire. “I was actually going to come eat it before you showed up. It's meant for two, want some, or have you eaten?”

“I haven't. Go rest, I'll heat this up.” With a smile, you nodded, leaning up to place a peck on his still tinted cheek.

“Thank you for coming tonight, Jinnie. I needed it.”

“Yeah, of course, Beautiful,” he said as you walked into the living room, “I needed it too…” he added, but you were too far to hear.

It didn't take long for the food to be reheated and soon the two of you were nestled on the couch together, sharing a blanket in the dark living room as one of the movies you had picked out for tonight played.

“In a way, I'm kind of glad the jackass never showed up, I got to have this date with you instead,” Hyunjins said rather sincerely. It made your heart flutter.

“I'm glad too. He set you up to come to my rescue and make my night better. Maybe even better than if he had actually shown up.”

“Do you really mean that?” Hyunjin asked, his heart melting as he set down his plate to pull you close and nuzzle you, “awwwww you're too sweet!”

“Alright, alright, that's enough!” You laughed, pushing his face from yours. You had meant the gesture to be light-hearted, but your nerves spiked the instant Hyunjins head shot back in recoil, giving a small hiss of pain. “Oh my god, Hyunjin, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean-”

“No, no, no, it's ok,” he reassured, his hand hovering over his eye as if he wanted to soothe the skin but feared touching it.

“Are you sure? Let me see,” you attempted to get closer, but Hyunjins long arm held you back.

“I'm fine, Y/N, let's just watch the movie.”

You blinked at him before frowning and attempted to lunge at him again.

“Hyunjin, what are you hiding from me?”

“Nothing!” He said a little too defensively. Not in the mood to play games, you stood from the couch and walked off. Hyunjin assumed this was you pouting but ultimately dropped the matter, how wrong he was.

Stomping to the light switch, you bathed the livingstone in bright light, noticing the completely unsubtle way Hyunjin dove for cover. You weren't letting this slide. Over to the couch, you didn't even attempt to pull away the pillow Hyunjin used to cover his face, instead climbing on top of him and began to tickle his sides. Instantly, his body began to jerk and wiggle, but he was adamant on not letting you see his face. However, he was struggling to handle your body on top of him and soon had no choice but to tip the both of you off the couch in an attempt to ease the ache.

This did not work in his favor. Easily catching yourself, you now stood over him, the small fall making him release his grip on the pillow just enough for you to yank it from his hands.

Your arms paused as you held the pillow mid-air in shock. Your eyes weren't playing tricks earlier. It wasn't just a trick of the light. Blooming across his cheek bone and at the corner of his lips were two bruises, and there was even a small cut near his brow that would easily be covered by his hair, were he not on his back.

“Hyunjin, what happened to you…?” You breathed, dropping the pillow. Slowly dropping to your knees, you sat on Hyunjins hips, keeping him pinned in place so he couldn't escape.

Hyunjin didn't answer. He couldn’t even meet your eyes as your fingers barely ghosted over the discolored skin. Without realizing it, you dropped your hand on his side, only to snap your hand away when he flinched in pain. You sat as still as a statue for a few moments before reaching down and lifting his shirt, showing more discoloration.

You felt horrible. How could you not notice? How could you not see? The instant the thought popped into your head, realization hit you.

“This is why you didn't want to be by the front door… with the light right on you. You didn't worry in my room cause the lights were off, and in the bathroom and kitchen too… There was only dim lighting. It was so I couldn't see.” The look of guilt on Hyunjins face was all you needed to confirm that you were right. He was hiding this from you, but why? What happened to your Hyunjin that he came to you so hurt?

“Please don't cry, beautiful. You've already cried so much tonight.”

“Then tell me what happened,” you said firmly.

Hyunjins lips pressed together, he didn't want to open up, he especially didn't want to ruin the special evening you two were just having together. But he knew you wouldn't let this slide, and if he was honest… someone about the way you were dressed brought him back to the surprising feeling of comfort he felt while being in bed with you.

“... okay,” he eventually relented, gingerly sitting up and bumping noses with you. “But kiss me first.”

“Huh?”

“Just… please.”

He sounded so tired and defeated. Wanting nothing more than to swallow up all his pain, you didn't hesitate again, wrapping your arms around his neck and bushing your lips over his.

Hyunjin kissed you back desperately, wrapping his arms around you and holding on to you. If he didn't, he felt he would fall apart, a stark contrast to the way he held you in your doorway. You didn't realize when his hand had slipped under his flanel until his nails raked over your back, raising goosebumps in their wake as his hands traveled between your bodies.

“Hyunjin,” you called, pulling from his lips. He didn't stop, his lips dropping to your neck the moment you pulled away. “Hyunjin,” you said again, attempting to sound more stern with little success. You were melting under his touch again.

“I just want to feel you against me,” he mumbled against your skin, unbuttoning the flannel and opening it just enough to expose you, but not take it off completely. He then pulled back, once again pulling off his tee before leaning back into you, his arms snaking around you under his shirt and his face buried in the crook of your neck.

You two stayed stationery in that position for a few moments, the only sound coming from your forgotten move. Not knowing what else to do for Hyunjin, at that moment, you slid your fingers into his hair and scratched gently at his skull. Only then did Hyunjin finally relax. He finally felt the same warmth, safety, and intimacy from earlier, making it easier for him to finally explain what happened.

You weren't the only one heartbroken that night. Hyunjin had gotten involved with an older woman. He was really having fun with her. He thought she actually cared about him. She made him feel like somebody. But right when he thought things were going great, that's when everything went wrong.

What was supposed to be a normal night together turned into him finding out she was married in the worst way possibly, with her husband catching them getting hot and heavy together and beating the shit out of Hyunjin for messing around with someone he shouldn't. The guy wouldn't even believe Hyunjin when he said he didn't know the woman was married.

Turns out this woman has a history of luring young, hot guys to her with tons of spoiling and praise, only to then have her way with them until her husband finds out and beats the shit out of the poor boy. Rinse and repeat, right up to Hyunjin. The latest in a line of victims.

Hyunjin managed to get away but never before had he felt so cheap and pathetic, this wasn't the first time a girl slept with him for her own gain but sometimes about this time just made him feel so… worthless. It brought tears to his eyes to admit this, and he clung to you tightly as he cried.

You've never known Hyunjin could cry so hard, and it broke your heart to learn that this happened to him, but you were also proud of him. He said he never intended on telling anyone and that he was just going to hold on to this until the day he died, but he didn't. He told you, he let it out, and even though it broke your heart to see him like this, you wanted him to always talk to someone, even if it wasn't you. You also promised that you would do whatever it took to make him comfortable enough to open up, that while you couldn't fix his problems, you could be his safe place.

“It's funny, but… this is what we're doing right now. It's what I need. This is my safe place,” Hyunjin admitted, his lips tickling your collar bone.

“The skin contact??” By now you and Hyunjin had made your way back to your bed, settling in under the covers, each of you wearing next to nothing so Hyunjin could feel as much of you against him as possible.

“Kinda, just… the intimacy of it all. If I could, I'd be buried inside you again. I want to be as close to you as I can. It makes me feel like I'm not worthless. It makes me feel wanted.”

“Having your dick in someone makes you feel wanted?” You teasingly asked with a giggle.

“No, baby,” Hyunjin replied with a laugh, lifting his head from your chest to fix you with a soft stare. “I only feel like this because it's you. The only girl I've shared years of my life and my darkest secrets. The only girl who trusts me so much she'd ask me to be her first and who loves me enough to sit in and listen to my problems the same night.” You were too stunned to speak, but you were sure Hyunjin could see just how red your face was. “You're my closest and most trusted friend, Y/N. I think sex and stuff like that will only feel this special, this safe and warm, with you.” It was also because Hyunjin was secretly in love with you too, but he decided to keep that part to himself, he wanted to enjoy this moment, this look on your face, for just a little while longer.

“I… I think so too, Hyun. It won't ever mean the same with anyone else,” you said, decidingly also refusing to admit the feelings you've been harboring for Hyunjin.

A sweet smile spread across Hyunjin's face, his eyes curving into crescents. You knew you were essentially digging your own grave, dooming yourself to what you assumed was going to be a mainly physical relationship, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. Not when Hyunjin looked so irresistible and said such endearments, snuggling against you and showering your skin with kisses, leading you two to get lost in each other again until you fell asleep in each other's arms, only for him to cling to you the all throughout the next morning. If you could just have more moments like this with him, it would all be worth it. Anything to be the safe space for the boy you were so desperately in love with.

○●☆♡☆●○

“So that's it, that's how you and Hyunjin became, well, you and Hyunjin. You were in love with him, and you were his security blanket.”

“I mean, kinda,” you replied, polishing off the last of your water bottle and opening another. “Sex with me, at least at the beginning, meant so much to him because I was someone who really cared about him. He never had to doubt if I was doing things with him for clout or for some sick kick. That gave him a sense of safety, and it gave him space to open up. And I was only too eager to please cause not only was I completely in love with him, but he did mean so much to me beyond that. He was a friend who put everything aside, even his own issues, to look out for me.”

“Which is why you feel bad you can't be as close to him as you used to be and why when he keeps things to himself, it bothers you so much.”

“Exactly.” Heaving a deep sigh, you rummaged through your pile of trash to hopefully find an unopened piece of candy. Meanwhile, Felix sat silently next to you, feeling sympathetic to your situation.

“I take it you and Changbin haven't talked about any of this?” Felix asked tentatively, making you pause your search.

“... No, I'm not even sure if it's worth bringing up,” you admitted, laying back against Felix's mattress and watching his ceiling fan turn. “It was such a big part of my life, but it's over now. I made my choice, and I chose myself. I'm finally with someone who's as much mine as I am theirs. I don't want to throw a wrench into things by telling him about something that ended before we even got together.”

“So you have no regrets then?”

“None. I'm happy with Changbin, even if I don't get to see him as often as I like.”

Just then, the sound of Chan's door opening and closing caught yours and Felix's attention. It was the first time you've heard any noise coming from him since you even got to the boys' shared apartment, and upon checking the time, you noticed that it was already 11 in the evening.

“Hey, how often do you get to see Bin?” Felix asked.

“Barely… I see him just slightly more often than I see my own roommate.”

“I hardly see my roommate anymore either,” Felix said, a deep sense of dread building in him. “How… How long has it been since you and Bin started dating?” You swallowed hard at his question, choosing instead to focus on the sound of Chan rustling through the kitchen before returning to his room. You knew where Felix was going with this.

“It's only been a little over a month.”

A tense silence settled between the two of you, neither one of you daring to say it. But you knew what he was thinking. You could feel the worry radiating off of Felix's slender body, seeping into your bones. You had essentially severed your deepest and longest lasting relationship to be with Changbin, and now, due to one stroke of chance you barely get to see him and can't even turn to the person from your second longest lasting relationship for aid.

What's going to happen to your freshly established relationship if this demand for 3racha keeps going? How will you survive not being able to see, not only your boyfriend, but one of your best friends who championed your budding connection to said boyfriend? Especially when the only deep connection you had left was someone you were desperately attempting to put space around?

These worries troubled you. Long after Felix's attempts to sedate them, long after you bid him good night and drove yourself home, and long after, you readied yourself inside your all too silent apartment and clambered into bed. You had been so happy for 3racha, so determined to support them, but now all that lingered over head was the fact that in one fleeting moment you realized you no longer had the steady foundation built by the three most precious people in your life.

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

Well... this chapter certainly ended up taking on a life of its own, and as I mentioned in this post, it ended up coming to mean a bit more to me than the other chapters.

Anyway, I had intended on this to be a bonus chapter, but I thought it flowed better as part of the main story. I'm getting better at placing the back stories/flashbacks.

If you go back to the first couple of chapters, you can see I was formatting the story differently. I was struggling with the build-up of the story and then found my stride in later chapters. If I allow myself to be a bit delulu for a moment, if i ever get my E. L. James or Anna Todd moment, I'd definitely go back and re-write those beginning segments.

Taglist: @groovygroovyhyunjin @hhwangsmoon @luvyblossom @doggezz@kayleefriedchicken @hyunjinhoexxx

#bang chan #han jisung #stray kids fanfic #changbin x reader #hwang hyunjin x reader #hyunjin x reader #seo changbin x reader #skz stay #slow burn #lee felix #what once was mine #slight angst #slight hurt/comfort #series #hyunjin x you #hyunjin focused chapter #hyunjin smut #loss of virginity #flashback #fanfiction

[nerdasaurus1200]

A recent reblog from @tangledbea just made me realize I never did a masterpost of the books, so in honor of St Patrick’s Day here’s pdfs of all the Tangled books!

Lost Lagoon:

Vanishing Village:

Rise of Flynn Rider:

Mother Knows Best:

What Once Was Mine:

#tts #rta #tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #nerd talks #books #rapunzel and the lost lagoon #rapunzel and the vanishing village #what once was mine #the rise of flynn rider #mother knows best: a tale of the old witch #cassandra #rapunzel #eugene fitzherbert #lance strongbow #gothel

[pedrito-friskito]

what once was mine - frank castle x fem!reader

summary: frank finds his way back into your life, and asks you to teach him a thing or two.

warnings: a bit of angst, some fluff, frank being cute, unprotected p-in-v (not completely explicit but it’s there)

a/n: in a shocking twist - ANOTHER ONE of these that didn’t go how I planned originally but I love where we ended up!! enjoy lovelies 🧡

🍂kay’s autumn adventures🍂

You’ve been trying your hardest to forget him.

It’s no easy feat; Franke Castle is not a man you can simply wipe from your mind, push from your memories. He’s permanent in a way that no other man has been for you before. It’s not just the strength of his body, it’s the strength of his personality, his drive, his wit. He rumbled his way into your life without warning, and disappeared in the same fashion, leaving you gasping for air, the rug yanked from beneath your feet. You’d worried from the start that it would end up that way, that you’d get comfortable, let yourself get happy again, and then he’d be gone.

And you were right.

Doesn’t make it any easier to forget him.

It was a few weeks before you’d removed any trace of him from your apartment, boxing up the minimal clothing he’d left in your bottom drawer, tossing out his toothbrush, shoving the worn copy of Slaughterhouse Five he’d been reading into the same box, the entire thing pushed to the top shelf of your closet, as far out of reach as you could muster. Out of sight, out of mind.

There were no photos to throw away, except for the few candids saved on your phone. You’d steeled yourself for the deleting, armed with a glass of wine and a slew of tissues. The glass was empty before you even found the courage to open the app, the tissues soaked and wadded in your lap by the end of it.

You hadn’t hit delete even once, just staring at his face on your tiny screen. The day at the pier, dinner at that fancy restaurant uptown, him driving your car with your linked hands lifted to his mouth for a kiss. You swiped through them all, each snapshot hitting harder than the last. You even fell asleep like that, curled up on your couch, phone clutched in your grasp, tears on your face.

If you knew why, things would be easier. If you knew what had driven him from you, be it you or something bigger than you, something you knew lurked in his shadow, something he hadn’t been able to shake, then maybe it would be easier. Maybe then you’d have some kind of closure. But the not knowing, that’s what hurt the most.

Six months, and you’re still trying to forget him. It’s easier than it was, and there are less nights that find you staring at the bottom of a bottle, wine-stained lips and tears on your cheeks, but he still lurks in your memory like a ghost. You’ve taken to combing the newspapers, desperate for a hint, for a notion that he’s still alive, that he’s okay. But…nothing.

You’re not expecting the evidence you get instead.

Late October, and the world outside your apartment is an autumn wonderland, picturesque beyond belief. Changing colours and piles of crunchy leaves on the sidewalks, long rainy days and dropping temperatures that have you curled up under a blanket most nights. That’s where you are right now, propped on the couch, half asleep with your head balanced in your head, when there’s a knock at the door.

Confusion furrows your brow as you peel the blanket back, sliding your feet into your slippers as the knock sounds again. “I’m coming!” you call, rubbing the sleep from your eyes, cursing quietly when you remember the makeup that’s now smudged on your finger. You wipe it haphazardly on your leggings as you reach the door.

Frank Castle stands on the other side. Alive, just as stupidly handsome as your memory serves, purple bruise on his cheek and his knuckles the same. He’s clutching a bouquet of white daisies, and his jaw ticks as he lays eyes on you.

“Hi.”

“Frank,” you start, white-knuckling the edge of your door. “What are you…?”

“I know that you probably don’t wanna see me,” he says, looking down at his boots, lips quirking. “Hell, I’m sure I’m the last person you wanna see and I wouldn’t blame you for kicking my ass to the curb right now, but I just…” He holds the daisies towards you and you reach out a tentative hand, trying not to let your hand brush his as you take them. “I had to see you, baby. I had to tell you I’m sorry.”

Against your better judgement, you let him in.

The night is spent on your couch, the pair of you talking well into the early morning. He explains himself, why he had to go, why he disappeared so abruptly. Some details he tells you he can’t disclose, and you find yourself okay with that. Wine glasses are filled and emptied, and you find yourself inching closer to him with every sip. He talks with his hands more and more, and you reach for his wrist after awhile, threading your fingers through his, keeping his hand in your lap while he continues his stories.

The clock reads nearly four in the morning once everything that needs to be said has been. The daisies are in a vase on your coffee table, and Frank stares up at you with big puppy dog eyes as you get to your feet, pulling on his hand, and pull him along behind you towards your bedroom.

You pause outside the door, putting a soft hand on his chest, biting your lip when his muscle jumps beneath your palm. “You only get one second chance, Castle,” you say quietly, eyes glued to your hand for a long moment before they flick up to his. “Only one.”

He nods.

+

Come morning, he’s still there. 

That large body curled around yours, chest pressed to your back, face buried against the base of your neck. He holds you impossibly close, murmurs sweet nothings as he kisses you awake, promises to never leave you again. You want to believe him, want to let yourself give in completely to his warmth and familiarity. But something still lingers in the back of your mind, that fear that he’ll disappear on you again, leaving you aching like he had.

It feels different, as time goes on. He’s different. More attentive, more protective, more affectionate. You meant what you said about one second chance, and it seems like he knows too. Things between you are close to what was there before he left, but there’s just something different. 

He’s never been one to talk about his past, and you’ve never been one to pry. You’d read the newspapers, heard the stories, and he gave you enough detail that you could see between truth and fiction, but there was a line in the sand.

Now, it’s like that line doesn’t exist. He’s still careful with his words, telling you firmly that there are some things you are better off not knowing, and you leave it at that. You don’t ask questions; you let him come to you. You take the stories as he offers them, listening to every word and only speaking when you want clarification. He gives you answers willingly, sometimes dropping his gaze as he recounts, but then his eyes find yours again and you’re almost taken aback by the love in them.

The one thing he won’t talk about: his family. And you don’t pry. But the curiosity about the rest of it gets the better of you.

“You never wanted to tell me any of this before,” you say after he’s done talking one night. His brow furrows at the comment, and you continue. “Before you left, you kept me at arm’s length, I guess. I’m just…what changed?”

He leans forward, elbows planted on his knees, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Everything that happened, it’s a part of me,” he answers, his voice low, “and I used to think that if I told you what I’d been through, that it would scare you off. But now, I…” He steeples his fingers in front of his lips. “I’ve lost too much, baby, and losing you too, I can’t…” He shakes his head. “I won’t.”

You pull him into your chest, curling your arms around his broad body, kissing the crown of his head. “You won’t.”

+

The holiday season sneaks up on you. It’s like you blink and it’s nearly the end of November. Frank is a near-permanent fixture in your apartment once more, though he’s got his own place a few blocks over — moving in together is not a line you’re willing to cross just yet, and he’s understanding. Your family is a write-off for a thanksgiving dinner, most of them vacationing somewhere much warmer than rainy New York, and you opt for a quiet get-together with a few friends, Frank included, and you’re surprised at his request when you tell him the date:

“Would you teach me to cook?”

You balk at the question, lips pulling in a happy little smirk, brow slightly furrowed. “To cook?”

“Yeah,” he blushes, leaning on the kitchen counter. “You don’t have to, I just thought…” He trails off, tapping his fingers on the countertop, cheeks flushing an even brighter red as he stares down at his hands. “It’s silly.”

“It’s not,” you say, rounding the corner, coming to stand in front of him. You pull at one of his hands, threading your knuckles against his, your free hand lifting to cup his cheek, thumb swiping beneath his eye. “Of course, I will. You can help me with thanksgiving dinner.”

“Really?”

You lean up on your toes and kiss his mouth softly. “Really.”

It starts with a trip to the grocery store.

Frank follows you dutifully around the store, pushing the cart as you make your way down the aisles. He slides his arm around your waist when you get close, hooks his hand in your back pocket when you stray too far. It’s domestic and it’s comfortable and it makes your chest ache in the best kind of way.

He waves you off when you try to carry some of the bags upstairs, grabbing them all in one meaty grip, his other hand free to hold yours as you get back up to your apartment. You put things away, leave out the ones you’ll need for the dinner on the counter. Frank watches for a while, hanging in the doorway, before you start giving him directions, veggies to clean and chop, reheating the oven, grabbing mixing bowls.

Before long, the kitchen is buzzing with activity, pots on the stove and trays in the oven. Biscuits and mashed potatoes, three different vegetables and a turkey that Frank claims is the biggest bird he’s ever seen. You make a good team, and Frank is unsurprisingly good with his hands, staying close to your side as you move through the kitchen, taking your instruction, asking questions in that low voice of his.

“Everyone’s excited to meet you,” you tell him, the pair of you stood at the counter, Frank stirring the gravy on the stove while you put the biscuits in a bowl. 

“I gotta admit, baby,” he says, staring down into the pot. “I’m nervous.”

“Nervous?” you repeat, nudging his hip with yours. “The big badass Frank Castle is nervous?”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “It’s my first holiday in a while, all right? And I want your friends to like me.”

“They’ll love you,” you reassure him, turning to kiss the top of his shoulder. You pause, a question bubbling in your mind, but you’re hesitant, not sure if it’s crossing the unseen line that’s always existed, that he’s still kept intact even now, with the way he’s been more open. “When was the last holiday?”

His throat bobs, and you’re instantly worried, opening your mouth to retract the question, but he speaks before you can. “It was thanksgiving, actually. Before Maria, before everything…” He pauses, one fist pressed into the countertop. You reach out quickly, covering his hand with your own. “She did all the cooking, you know? I wasn’t…I was home, but I wasn’t there, not really. She did everything, and I just sat in the background, drank my beer and watched the game. I…” He clears his throat.

“Frank, you don’t—”

“I regret it,” he says, turning his head towards you but his eyes not touching your face. “I regret not being a bigger part of my family, of being gone so often, of not spending time with them when they were still…” He trails off again, setting the spoon down on the counter before fully turning to you. “I don’t want us to be like that, baby. I wanna be here, with you, all the time. For all of it. Everything. What you said about second chances, you’re right. I only get one, and I have to do it right.”

There are tears in your eyes at the thickness to his voice, the way it wavers slightly. His breath hitches, chest heaving as you slip your arms around his waist, pulling him close. You don’t say a word, just press your body against his, your heart to his, your breaths syncing with his. It’s a beat before his arms wrap around your shoulders, his nose tucked against your neck, one hand curling against the back of your head, strands of hair around his knuckles. 

He holds you for a few minutes before he’s cursing under his breath as something bubbles over on the stove, the two of you flinching apart and returning to your cooking. Once everything has settled again, he leans over to you, a lingering kiss pressed to you lips.

“I love you, baby.”

You grin, kissing him once more. “Love you, too.”

+

Dinner is a hit, and Frank even more so. Your friends are instantly enamoured, peppering him with questions all night. He answers them easily, the story you know as his cover rolling easily off his wine-tainted tongue. You fall into step with him easily, the truth sitting at the back of your head, but it’s all right, it can stay there. You know the truth, his truth, and that’s enough.

The night is perfect, the food delicious and the comforting feeling of his arm resting along the back of your chair making everything that much warmer, that much more perfect. He reaches over at one point, fingers dragging along your jaw to turn your head towards him, and when he leans over to give you a soft kiss, it’s met with a chorus of awhs from your friends.

Later, after the leftovers have been packed up, the table cleared and the dishes cleaned, Frank slots his fingers through yours and takes you to bed, quickly checking that the door has been locked and all the candles blown out before he does.

He pushes you against the bedroom door first, hands gripping your sides, fingers curling in the fabric of your sweater. His kiss is heavy, his lips tasting of wine and apple pie, his tongue insistent in its sweep across yours, tasting the roof of your mouth, prodding past your teeth. You nip at his bottom lip, earning a deep growl that vibrates from his chest to yours.

Frank finds the hem of your sweater, hands diving beneath it, glancing up your bare skin until he’s cupping your breasts, thumbs swiping across your nipples. It makes the air feel hotter, your body reacting to his the same way it always had, but this time feels different. More intense.

It’s not sex, you realize. It’s not fucking.

It’s making love.

He goes slow. He strips you down like it’s the first time he’s ever seen you bare before him. He worships your body like never before, mouth seeking out every inch of heated skin, leaving a trail of kisses and nips and laves of his tongue as he goes. 

You lay back on the bed and take him with you, hands gripping his shoulders like a lifeline. You can’t hold back your gasp when he sinks into you, pleasure replacing the very blood in your veins as he starts to move, hips rocking into yours, one hand buried in your hair, mouth by your ear, whispering sweet nothings that have you keening, stars shooting across your vision.

You return his words with your own, murmuring to him after your own pleasure crests, wanting to feel him, see him, taste him as he comes undone. You pull his face to yours, eyes locking as his mouth drops open, pupils blown wide as his hips stutter, muscles tensing above you.

The night bleeds into a blur. You lose track of time, lose count of the orgasms and the endless touching, the never-ending kisses and the drawn-out noises. It’s bliss, it’s magic, it’s perfect.

It’s love.

—————

if you’d like to join my taglist, the form is here. ✨

frank castle tags: @saintmurd0ck @moonlarking @mindidjarin @freshabogados @steadyasthe-flowers @whosfrankie @ancientbeing10 @currentobsessionrabbithole @itwasthereaminuteago @maddiewinchester @winchestershiresauce @enchantingqueenkitten @lunarpenumbra @minxsblog @bluestuesday @eatommo @a-zterisk @i-simp-much @trinkets01 @greeneyedblondie44 @dead-pool-simp @ruhro7 @dropsofprecipitation @hellskitchenswhore @shadowzena43 @arson-tm @apageinthecastle @december16-1991 @urmomdotcom5678 @m00nkn1ghts @andrewlovebot @trickstersp8 @dracosluvbot @billyhargrovesprincess @detectivecarisi-1 @idrinkcoffeeandobsess @valkyrieswife67 @paintlavillered @dnxgma @ryethebrokengae @myguiltypleasures21 @alexxavicry @emiemiemiii @s1errasposts @amneris21 @janebby @karlawithacapitalk @milkymoon2483

#kay’s autumn adventures #my fics #frank castle #frank castle x reader #frank castle x fem!reader #frank castle imagine #the punisher #the punisher smut #the punisher au #frank castle au #frank castle fluff #frank castle smut #what once was mine

[starswhogaze]

I finished reading What Once Was Mine this Summer and have been wanting to draw Rapunzel as I envisioned her in this version of the story I hope you like!

#mine #starswhogaze #what once was mine #twisted tales #disney #rapunzel #moon flower #fan art #liz braswell #disney books #tangled

[whosbex]

Okay my peeps I got the book!!!! And I’m excited to read it!!!

#tangled #tangled the series #what once was mine

[little-bumblebeeee]

my adhd ass seeing a map and world building in a new book before the first chapter even starts

#books #(The book is called Lore by Alexandra Bracken if ur into that stuff) #adhd #I have to put the office on just to read a book because I need something in the background #the office us #greek mythology #bookblr #Honestly I learned to read when I was 2 but lost traction at about 13 because ever since then it's been getting a lot harder for me- #-To focus on simple tasks like washing dishes or reading or putting away groceries #Also I just read that Eddie Munson book and it had me stressed tf out so I might just reread a good romance book to calm me down for a bit #What Once Was Mine is good and I didn't expect it to be as romance-y as it was but I ended up loving it #flight of icarus #What once was mine

[zonerobotnik]

If these tears were gasoline I’d light a fire, make you notice me Swim in a lightning storm to make you see Nothing too crazy If it makes you notice me -- How long had Rapunzel been longing to be able to touch, to talk to, to sit close to, to sing with someone without worrying about killing them if she does it on the wrong phase of the moon? Varian, who also had powers of the Moon, was handsome, kind, understanding, gentle, patient, and she didn't have to worry about killing him by accident if she made one small mistake. If only he was interested in her, instead of looking for a host for his beloved Sundrop Flower! Maybe she could get him to look her way, while he's helping her understand the origin of her powers? -- Okay, so I confess I have been kind of working on a fanfic that takes place after the "What Once Was Mine" storyline (minus the narrator and his sister) that actually has series elements and Moondrop Rapunzel meets Moonstone Varian, who has been watching over the Sundrop Flower. While I don't normally include content from the books, I was just so annoyed about what happened at the end of it that Moon Varian went "Nnnnnnooooope, that's not happening".

Anyways, I don't have much of it written up, I just wanted to share that it's a gradual work in progress.

It's been...interesting working with the Christian religion of the book with the series canon lore where the only person that even mentions God is Eugene.

#tangled the series #what once was mine #moondrop rapunzel #moon varian #moonshine #fanfic

[angelsartcorner]

Rapunzel sundrop and moondrop

#tangled #what once was mine #disney #disney fanart #disney a twisted tale #a twisted tale #tangled fanart #rapunzel #rapunzel fanart #tangled rapunzel #rapunzel tangled #liz braswell

[bouquet-full-of-wildflowers]

What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell Review

《 ☆☆☆ 》

tl;dr: it was fun to read, but almost none of the characters felt like the same characters as the ones in the movie. i honestly think this book could've been better if they removed any connections to tangled the movie. it would've been a great standalone!

spoilers below!!

i will say, as a huge fan of tangled, and because of my love for the movie and the characters, i really didn't enjoy this book as an extension of the movie. that being said, this review is admittedly very biased.

it was well written, but it felt very out of character for most of the characters and read almost like fanfiction. to be fair, i haven't read any of the other twisted tales, so i don't it quite know how these stories are generally set up. it was fun to read, given an air of suspension knowing that liz braswell was not in the writer's room for the movie. it also felt very unnecessary that the book was a story told by a boy to his sister going through chemo in a hospital. i'm still not quite sure why that had to be in the book without it just being a story about rapunzel with the powers of a different flower.

my biggest issue with this book is that the sense of time was not there. the first part of the book was nearly identical to the movie, and rapunzel had sent mother gothel on the two day journey to get her the white seashell paint to be able to escape the tower to see the laterns. in the next couple of pages, it was revealed that she had taken a shortcut so it wasn't as long of a trip, but in rapunzel's pov it felt like she was only gone for a couple hours. there are several examples of this time shift where it felt like some parts of the story (rapunzel spending time at the witch cottage to learn her powers) that felt like it was over weeks of time but the whole point of her leaving the tower was to see the lanterns which, at this point of the book, i was unsure if she missed them due to being chased or if everything had just been taking place over several hours and everything movee very quickly, which doesn't make sense since her powers involve moon phases. it is later revealed that it had been 9 days since she had left the tower, which, if i am recalling correctly (i will have to go double check), earlier in the book it was said that the lanterns would be in 3 days.

flynn never climbed rapunzel's tower. rapunzel simply saw him drop off a bag in a cove, and she decided then that he'd be the one to take her to the lanterns. it seemed like a very implusive decision from someone who is not impulsive. rapunzel also very much seems like a damsel in distress when she very much doesn't want to come across as one. because flynn didn't climb her tower, she didn't use the frying pan as a weapon, and so the entire book she has no weapon and has to watch her friends fight for her.

another couple minor issues that i had were:

- rapunzel being told that she is the lost princess instead of being able to have the realization herself

- flynn is simply written horribly

- arianna and frederic decided to tell the kingdom that rapunzel had died as an infant. how can she then come back as the princess if the princess is dead? it feels like it opens plot holes like the people losing trust in the crown for lying to them for 19 years about the fate of the princess

overall, even with all of my criticisms, i read the entire thing and had a great time doing it. it was a fun story and an intriguing ride, and i honestly couldn't put it down even with my thoughts.

likes:

○ i very much enjoy gina! she was a fun character

○ the premise is very neat! i definitely feel like it could've been fleshed out more!

○ i loved the ending. it felt like it had enough connections to the movie and the characters to give me good vibes

dislikes:

○ real world mentions of europe and christianity/christian god

○ multiple different powers

#booklr #book review #liz braswell #what once was mine #a twisted tale #booktok #bibliophile #☆☆☆ #rapunzel #tangled #disney #bouquet full of wildflowers #spoilers #reading #book #bookrecommendations #book recommendations #it was alright #flynn rider #mother gothel #gif

[keysandopenmind]

I read What Once Was Mine and I have... Thoughts.

(link to the Etsy shop where I got the Rapunzel brooch and Pascal earrings)

Yeah, so, uh, this got long. 😂This review has all the spoilers.

General:

The Framing Device

So I've only read one other Twisted Tale and it didn't do this, and from a couple of reviews I read, I gather none of the other Twisted Tales do this.

It's trying to be The Princess Bride, with a brother re-writing the story of Tangled for his sixteen-year-old sister, who is undergoing chemotherapy. He's patiently sat through the movie with her multiple times and read the book of the movie to her twice, so he suggests this time, he put his own spin on the story and tell her a different version.

One which includes historical figures like Countess Bathory. I think the idea was “Brendan is a history nerd and he’s showing off in his reinterpretation of the story” but it just didn’t make much sense (see “The Setting”, below).

I guess this would be fine if it just bookended the book, but it doesn't. Every now and then there's a couple of pages where Daniella questions the direction the plot is taking, and Brendan justifies it, and tells her to just wait, he’s got it figured out.

Honestly, it felt like these scenes were a way for the author to say, “Yeah, I know this bit’s weird and maybe doesn’t work, but shhh, we’re rolling with it.”

When you read the author’s note, you learn that Liz Braswell’s sister had cancer and lost her hair and it was through that journey that she realised why Rapunzel’s hair is such a key thing and so symbolic for a lot of people and I’m just… you could have still had that in mind and just not actually put it in your book.

The Setting

So instead of being set in Ye Olde Fantasy Times in Ye Olde Fantasy Setting, this is set in Europe. Our Europe. Supposedly. During the late fifteenth century. And all I can think of, if we’re somewhere in the Hungary/Slovakia/Czech Republic region during that time period, how on Earth has Corona maintained its independence and not being taken over by the Hapsburgs?

The “Twist” // The Plot

This is a Twisted Tale after all, and I liked the idea of the Moondrop Flower instead of the Sundrop in general. I also liked the idea of Rapunzel’s magic being tied to the phases of the moon and mostly being different types of transformation.

It’s a very surface-level story, though? There’re no big themes about finding your dreams. She doesn’t even SEE THE LANTERNS in the end. THE LANTERNS. RAPUNZEL’S WHOLE THING. They just end up missing that entirely, and she’s totally cool with it.

It’s really just a thing happens and then that is followed by another thing, and then another. The cause and effect is limited, and there’s no foreshadowing anything.

There are people after her, but the stakes never really feel high. The showdown at the end is all done and dusted in a couple of pages. There is no real villain.

Also, it’s one thing in the original where Rapunzel is kidnapped and her parents have no idea where she’s been taken. Even though they don’t know exactly where she is in this one, they did give her up willingly because they were scared of the damage her hair could do… but you’re telling me they didn’t spend every waking hour researching the Moonflower and talking to every witch in the vicinity and finding out exactly how its powers work, all with the intention of bringing Rapunzel home asap?

It honestly feels like a teenager’s improvised fanfiction, and if that’s what they were going for with the whole Brendan and Daniella device, then… well done, I guess?

Characters:

Rapunzel

Her characterisation was pretty good. She’s still got that boundless enthusiasm for learning and for adventure. She’s resourceful. Gothel has her convinced that she killed her parents with her hair and that she’s a murderer, rather than “the outside world is dangerous”, which was an interesting change. She still loves to paint and when she learns how her power changes throughout the lunar cycle, she starts painting lunar charts to document it and that felt really in character. The whole “have to visit a magic circle of rocks and make an offering to the goddess to tap into your powers properly” felt out of place though. Canon Rapunzel isn’t called a witch for her magic, and I didn’t really see why this version had to be either (don’t get me wrong, I love me some witchcraft in my fantasy books, but just… not here).

Flynn/Eugene

Heh. He’s still working with the Stabbingtons and steals the crown and is apparently a totally accomplished thief and a rogue and all that but he just felt a lot younger and less swashbuckling. Also he got badly injured in the confrontation where Rapunzel is captured and taken to Bathory, and I think the author was going for a parallel with Gothel stabbing him in the movie, but there isn’t the same level of connection between him and Rapunzel here, so there’s no big sacrifice, and honestly, I found it kind of funny when he kept fainting from the pain during the final rescue. I’m pretty sure I was not supposed to find it funny.

Which brings me to the romance.

If this hadn’t been a Tangled retelling, I probably would have been okay with it. It wouldn’t have excited me but I would have accepted it. But because it is a Tangled retelling, it just feels like it’s missing so much. There’s no charm. Not much in the way of flirting. There’s no real evolution of Flynn’s feelings, just one second, he’s bringing Rapunzel flowers to apologise for the fact that they’re going to miss the lanterns because he how much she wanted to see them. And then he just randomly kisses her because apparently he ~cares~ about her now.

Admittedly, I did get a great deal of amusement out of this exchange:

Flynn: {attempts the Smoulder on Rapunzel} Rapunzel: {thinking} What is he doing with his face? {tries to mimic him} Flynn: Oh my god, what are you doing with your face? Rapunzel: I don’t know, what are you doing with yours?

Mother Gothel

… what was the point of her? She still had the Sundrop flower to keep her young. So I couldn’t work out why she wanted to raise Rapunzel. It seems her whole plan was spend nineteen years raising her and then live off the profits of selling her in marriage to the highest bidder. Hell of a long game. She wasn’t even selling the trinkets the royal family sent for Rapunzel. She is not the same kind of threat to Rapunzel that she is in the movie. She seems mildly annoyed that Rapunzel won’t come home with her, but then she sort of just flounces off. Rapunzel has the crown with her this whole time, so she can’t shove it in Rapunzel’s face or anything.

Maximus

Okay, if you are going to turn Max into a human, at least do it like @chaico did here. (ngl, still obsessed with that drawing of Max and Eugene together). He should be in the prime of his life, not an aging captain close to retirement!

And if you’re going to make him human, just… stick with that. DON’T FREAKING TURN HIM INTO A LITERAL HORSE AT THE END.

Gina

Whoops, I nearly forgot to include them, that's how memorable they were. I didn't mind Gina. Sometimes she gave me Cass vibes? But other times very much not.

Bathory

She’s supposedly the main villain? But she’s barely there, and when she is, she doesn’t seem all that threatening? I mean, she does threaten to kill Rapunzel if Rapunzel doesn’t do as she says, but again, it’s just so flat and superficial.  I had no reason to fear.

This is over 1300 words now. I feel like I should stop. 😭

#what once was mine #disney twisted tales #twisted tale #liz braswell #tangled #disney tangled

[talesofesther]

what once was mine | ch 4

Loki x Reader

Series Summary: When watching what once was supposed to be the rest of his life, in an empty room in the TVA, Loki sees someone he can't recognize; a girl who's all tenderness and loose smiles, and most importantly, she was smiling at him.

A/N: Not sure if I'm completely happy with how this chapter came out, but I hope you still enjoy it.

Masterlist | Read ch 3 here

Loki had watched through a checkered screen how you held onto his hand as if he were your whole world. He had watched the love in your eyes and the smile on your lips, all directed at him. And now, he watched as you, in flesh and bone right in front of him, walked away.

There was a foreign feeling consuming his heart the more you distanced yourself from him. It was akin to loss, but how could he lose something that wasn't even his?

He was about to make the mistake of going after you when Mobius finally returned from the storage room he had been talking to you in.

"What happened?" Loki asked with a hint of urgency, his brows furrowed.

Mobius took in a long breath and then let it go past his lips. "She said she wants nothing to do with you."

Loki's frown only deepened, his eyes shifting between Mobius and the place you had disappeared into. If anything, he looked slightly offended. "Why?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious that she watched her Loki die, right?" Mobius gestured around, sounding a little fed up with all of this. "So it's a delicate subject, give her time, don't get on her face, don't be obnoxious, and she'll likely come around and be willing to answer whatever it is you wanna ask."

Loki blinked at the words, chewing at the inside of his cheek. "I'm not obnoxious."

─── ·❆· ───

"Stop looking at me like a lost puppy," you grumbled with a scowl on your features, gripping tightly onto your food tray.

Loki, who stood right beside you, scoffed. "I am not. I'm looking at the rice you're standing right in front of."

You breathed in, slowly, holding yourself back from rolling your eyes. It's been three weeks since Mobius tried to reintroduce you two, and for the past two weeks, you've gained a new shadow. He doesn't talk much; or interacts much with you at all for that matter. But he's always there.

TVA's cafeteria was usually bustling with people this time of day, which was exactly why you always came by at least an hour earlier; but today you got caught up with work and there was no other option than to brave the crowds, otherwise, you'd stay without lunch.

When you'd picked up everything you wanted to eat, you turned around and surveyed the spacious room for any vacant tables. By the corner and near the railings that overlooked the city—or, what you would call a city here in the TVA, because to be honest, you still weren't sure what to name most of the things in this place—stood the only vacant table left, small and round, with two lonely chairs.

You closed your eyes and mumbled a curse under your breath. You made a beeline for the table, and you didn't have to look behind you to know that Loki was following your steps.

You settled into a chair and a few seconds later Loki made himself comfortable beside you. It was… strange, having him around. The racing of your heart every time he was near you was inevitable, but you were doing the impossible to dissociate any feelings from it. He was just another variant, that was it, nothing more. You just wished you knew what his obsession with you was all about, so what if he saw his would-be future with you? That was not yours or his life anymore.

"Your food is gonna get cold."

Loki's voice caught your attention, you glanced toward him with a frown, only now realizing that you'd been poking your food around with your fork for a while, lost in thought. For a heartbeat, you held his gaze, you allowed yourself to drown in those ever-familiar bright eyes that you'd missed so much. But before you could lose yourself in the ocean, you swam back up. This wasn't your Loki, no; you had to remind yourself of it, time and time again. For your own sake, you had to believe in that lie.

For the last couple of weeks that he'd been following you around, more and more you noticed the same glint in Loki's eyes, a mix between expectant and lost. You wondered if even he knew what exactly he wanted from you.

The only answer you gave to him was a low hum.

─── ·❆· ───

The days inside the TVA blend together easily, that was something you learned in your first few weeks here. In all fairness, it's what one would expect for a place out of time. Sometimes the day they captured you as just another variant felt like ages ago. Sometimes, it felt like just yesterday.

It had been difficult when you first arrived here, nearly unbearably so. In the blink of an eye, you had lost your entire life, everyone you still loved and held dear became unreachable. It was either starting a new life here, or ending your life altogether. For some reason, you still felt like living.

The TVA kept you busy then, enough for you to not succumb to panic. As days went by, it became easier; as time passed, or as Mobius would tell you, as time passed differently, you became almost numb to what you'd lost. Almost.

A sigh went past your lips as you ran your fingertips over the paper. Mobius usually had you go over each file reporting a possible new Loki variant. Finding patterns and creating connections they otherwise wouldn't have noticed. You tried not to dwell too much on the fact that you had to use your connection to the person you once loved as a form of work.

Your desk stood by the edge of the library, away from too much commotion, a cozy little space you'd given your own personal touch to over the time you'd been here. A few books here, a small cassette player there, a snack drawer, a sketchbook, a purple desk lamp; small things to remind yourself you were still human.

As much as you could, you made a new home here.

A shadow suddenly appeared over the paper in your hands, you straightened your posture on your chair before looking up.

Loki stood before you, in his dress shirt and dark jacket with the word variant on the back—you'd worn one of those too on your first days here, now that you recall. He held a fresh stack of papers in his hands that already had you internally groaning.

"Mobius sends his regards," Loki smirked as he dropped the papers on your desk.

"Great," you mumbled, sarcasm dripping from your words, "it's not like I wanted to sleep tonight anyway."

A beat passed and you could feel Loki's gaze still lingering on you. From the corner of your eyes you watched as his fingers nervously tapped the wood of your desk. You hated that you knew this habit of his oh so well.

"Maybe I could assist you." Loki pulled a chair from the empty table to your left, setting it on the edge of your desk so he could sit down. But before he did so, he said, "If you'd like."

He was giving you an out from spending time with him, even if that was clearly what he wanted. You nearly took it. Your lips hung open, ready to say something like; I work better alone, or go bother someone else. But your eyes suddenly had a faint burn behind them, your chest squeezing tight around your heart—the heart that still bled and missed him every day. "Knock yourself out," you found yourself saying, without looking up from your paperwork.

Loki sat down on his chair beside you, took a few of the papers in his hands, and for a good few minutes, the silence that lingered between you was, surprisingly, somewhat comfortable.

Stealing glances at you was inevitable. As Loki read the files in his hands, the words started to blur together, and he found his gaze drifting to you. He observed the way you'd frown slightly as you read over the lines, sometimes scoffing or mumbling something to yourself.

You were quite annoying, Loki had to agree with Mobius on that. Stubborn, closed off, and hard to read. If it were anyone else, Loki wouldn't even consider losing his time of day, but each time he saw you, his heart jumped and stumbled inside his chest, he grew short of breath, cold hands turning clammy. It was inevitable. His body acting against his will, as if his soul ached to touch yours.

He had to know why.

"May I ask," Loki began, hints of hesitance in his words.

Your eyebrow perked up a little, but you still refused to look at him.

Loki pursed his lips before speaking, "Mobius mentioned you've been here a while, that he found you could be useful. But he never went into detail." He let go of the papers in his hands, "how did you get here? Why didn't they prune you?"

You visibly tensed. Jaw setting tightly into place as you took in a short breath through your nose. For several moments, you kept quiet, eyes fixed on the same words in the file you held as you considered whether to humor him or not. You weren't sure why you answered, the words simply rolled off your tongue; a subconscious reaction to the sound of his voice.

"It was my fault, I tried to travel through time when I knew I shouldn't. They caught me pretty much immediately." You chuckled humorlessly, stealing a glance toward Loki only to find his eyes already focused on you. You nearly drowned again. "They kept me around because…" You hesitated, and then merely gestured to the scattered papers on your desk; "I know a lot about Lokis," you shrugged, "and they needed help with that."

A small frown came to Loki's features as he weighed your words. He twirled one of your pencils between his fingers. "Why would you travel through time if you knew you shouldn't?"

Immediately, Loki knew he'd touched a nerve. Your whole demeanor changed, it almost felt like a curtain had fallen over you and a whole new person sat beside him. What little you had began to open up, was back under lock and key.

You didn't raise your voice, you didn't lash out. You simply cleared your throat, turned away from him, and said; "I thought you wanted to stay to help me work. So either do that, or leave me be."

Loki's lips hovered, ready to retaliate with a quip of his own, but he bit back any words he might want to say. Give her time.

He nodded to no one in particular, and indeed went back to work.

Later at night, when the TVA was strangely quiet, and most people had already turned in for the night. Loki glanced beside him only to find you drifting into sleep; one hand holding your cheek and the other loosely holding a pencil that had scratched a weird, faint line into the file on your desk.

It felt unexpectedly intimate. Loki glanced from one side of the dim-lit library to the other, as if looking for a clue on what he should do.

Carefully, almost comically so, he took the pencil from your delicate hold and stacked the file you had with the small pile he'd created.

The desk lamp right beside you cast a faint glow over your features, shaping your cheekbones, nose, and lips. Loki couldn't help but notice, that the light also shaped a thin but rather deep scar running from your forehead to the beginning of your left eyebrow; from the look of it, it appeared to have been there for a while now.

Without giving himself too much room to overthink, Loki reached out and gave a single push to your shoulder. His fingers tingled from your warmth.

You stirred awake, gasping softly as soon as you opened your eyes. You blinked several times, willing your mind to focus back on reality.

"I suppose we're done," Loki told you, keeping his voice just an octave lower as he turned his gaze to the small stack of papers. "If you're quick, you can still grab a few hours of sleep before the new day starts."

"Right," you breathed, running a hand through your hair. Eyebrows still furrowed as you processed what was happening.

You tidied your desk in silence, and Loki put the chair he had borrowed back in its place. He turned to you then, half expecting you to simply turn around and walk away. You didn't, and maybe it was a trick of the light, or the fact that he could visibly notice your eyes dropping from tiredness, but your features were the softest he had ever seen them be. A quick glimpse of the girl he'd first seen from the life he was supposed to have.

Loki held his breath. He wasn't sure why, but he did.

"Thank you for the help," you gave him a tight-lipped smile, refusing to hold his gaze for more than a second, "see you around."

With that, you turned around and left. Loki's heartbeat kept the same rushed pace until he reached his own small bedroom.

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Read ch 5 here

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are literally what keeps me motivated to continue posting here, so I’d appreciate it if you could take some time to reblog and comment. <3

You do not have permission to repost, copy, or translate my works on any platforms (even with credit), please respect.

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#loki x reader #loki laufeyson #loki imagine #loki #marvel #loki series #loki x you #marvel x reader #loki x female reader #imagine #fanfic #angst #fluff #what once was mine #loki fanfic #my story #loki laufeyson x reader

[broken-glowsticks]

What Once was Mine

Chapter 1 - When he was hers

Genre: Childhood friends, Eventual Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Love corner/love triangle, love rivals, Series. Not all chapters will be proofread!!

Warnings: 18+, mdni, mentions of sex and alcohol consumption, additional warnings will be added to individual chapters as needed.

Main • Next

Everyone knew Hwang Hyunjin. Of course they did, he was arguably one of the most gorgeous guys in town, and growing up with such a pretty face caused people to almost instinctively gravitate towards him. Instead of shrinking back from unwanted attention, this caused Hyunjin to flourish in charisma. He became a magnet, dazzling anyone and everyone with his sweet, effortless smile and crescent eyes. He was friendly, knowledgeable about every party in town, and casually flirty without somehow gaining any kind of negative reputation.

Everybody knew Hwang Hyunjin. But nobody knew him like you did.

The plush of his lips, the curve of his neck, the softness of his hair, how his frame is slender yet strong, how his arms felt wrapped around you. Sure, you weren’t the only girl to feel these things in general, but you didn't know of a single girl to feel these things twice, let alone the number of times you have.

You knew Hyunjin for a long time. Both your dad and his had hit it off at work and decided together to leave their company and start up their very own business together being painters.

It was just them two at first and money was tight, so to save themselves from having to hire babysitters they would instead drag Hyunjin and yourself along to help out whenever a no-school day landed on a secular work day.

It was awkward at first, two pre-teens with no previous painting experience being thrust together to paint fences or low house trimmings. But as time went on, the two of you began to grow used to each other and bonded over your shared fate of forced labor while your classmates got to stay home.

Eventually, your friendship would grow beyond your moments of labor and spill over to weekends and evenings. Your families would often share meals together and whenever the summers of your older years rolled around the two of you would often spend your days at eachothers houses, watching movies, hanging out in the backyard, swimming in the local creek or painting on canvases instead of walls in his bedroom.

You grew comfortable in each other's homes, rummaging through the fridge whether it was your own or not, lounging casually on the furniture, often climbing into each other's bed when one or both of you were tired and in need of a nap. Summers were your favorite time of year because summers were when you got Hyunjin all to yourself. Until high school started.

Suddenly, Hyunjin wasn't all yours anymore. His weekends and even some evenings were often filled with dates and parties. You never shared a class with him in school, so it wasn't odd not seeing him through the day - save for the friendly “hi” in passing between classes - but he would often walk you part of the way home every day.

Now, he would only hang out in the hallways or at the bus station with his clique. And while you stayed on with the painting business, becoming an official part-timer to earn some money, the company had grown enough that Hyunjin wasn't needed anymore. The only times you ever saw Hyunjin now were the occasional dinners your family and his would share together, assuming he even showed up, or when he would come visit your room in the middle of the night.

He would tap gently at your window, but you would always wake up. Hyunjin grew a little reckless before his final year of high school, often telling his parents he was at a friend's house when he was out partying or hooking up with a girl instead. And every time he was done, he would come to your room to sleep in your bed. The first time he ever did that, it startled you.

○●☆♡☆●○

“I can't go back home. Come on Y/N let me stay here just this once? Please?” He begged, his eyes sparkling. How could you say no to that?

You figured you'd just toss him a pillow and a blanket, and he'd sleep on the floor, so you let him in. Your heart almost stopped when he clambered into your bed, kicking off his shoes and yanking off his shirt.

“What are you doing?” You hiss, closing your window to avoid staring at his abs, when did he get abs?

“Getting comfortable so I can sleep? What are you doing just standing there?” He asked, pulling back the comforter.

“I… I thought you were going to sleep on the floor or something.”

“Why would I do that when there's a perfectly good bed right here?” He replied, lounging back onto the mattress, giving you an incredulous look. “What are you waiting for? Get over here. I'm freezing.”

“Hyunjin I can't-!” You began, turning to face him when he cut you off.

“What's the big deal, Y/N?” He asked, “we used to nap together all the time when we were kids.”

“Yeah, but this - this is different.” You stammer out.

“How?” He asked, holding eye contact with you. You couldn't come up with an answer.

‘Because you're different,’ you wanted to say, but the words died before they could pass your lips. Instead, you silently made your way back to your bed, sliding in once Hyunjin made room for you on the mattresses. The moment you made yourself comfortable, he pulled the comforter tightly around the two of you, pulling you close against him. You shuttered the moment your bodies met, he really was cold and he physically relaxed as he wrapped himself around you.

You couldn't help but be aware of how small your bed was and how you two would be pressed against each other all night. The thought made your heart hammer in your chest.

“I can feel how tense you are.” He murmured against your hair.

You didn’t know what to say to that. After all, why wouldn't you be tense? The boy who was once your closest friend, who you hadn't really gotten to spend any quality time with since you couldn’t remember when, suddenly shows up at your window in the middle of the night, asking to sleep here in your bed, and you're supposed to just be fine with that?

“Why? It's just me, Y/N.” Something about how he said this irked you. It irked you enough to make you say something.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean Hyunjin? ‘It's just you’?” You snapped, making him pull back in surprise, the emotion clear on his face. “Hyunjin, I don't know who you are anymore. I never see you anymore. And now you want to show up out of the blue and just act like nothing’s changed between us? Like you haven't been ignoring me basically since we started high school?”

“What do you mean I've been ignoring you? When have I ever ignored you?” He asked defensively.

“Oh come on, Hyunjin,” you say exasperated, sitting up and looking down at him. “You never say hi to me at school anymore, you stopped walking me home, you never spend any time with me! You're always with your friends or your girlfriend!” Part of you was worried you were being too loud, that your parents would come in and get the wrong idea from the scene they would encounter. Miraculously, nobody came.

“Why?” You asked after a beat of silence, your throat getting tight with the tears that had begun to well up. “Why did you just abandon me? Is it… Is it cause I'm not popular enough? Your girlfriend doesn’t like me? Cause I'm not pretty?” Your voice choked out as you began to cry, your hands coming to your mouth to stifle your sobs.

Hyunjin laid there stunned. He couldn't believe himself. Did he really make you feel so abandoned? From his point of view, he wasn't going out of his way to ignore you or anything like that. To him, the two of you just didn't have any classes together. He never saw you in the halls, you never shared the same group of friends, and you two didn't work together anymore. Sure, he would hang out with his friends a lot, but he always made it a point to make it to the weekly dinners his and your families would have.

Well… maybe he's missed the last two… or three… okay, maybe four?

Oh god, he has been neglecting you. What an asshole.

Running his hands over his face before sitting up, Hyunjin only now realized exactly how badly he fucked up. Hesitantly reaching out, he first placed a hand on your shoulder to gage your reaction. You slightly jumped at the sudden contact but when he saw how you didn’t pull away he slowly wrapped his arms around your slightly trembling frame, once again pulling you close to hold you gently as you cry.

“I'm sorry…” he whispered, rubbing your shoulder gently. “I didn't realize I had pulled away so much. I didn't mean to, I just- I got so wrapped up in my own thing and just kind of took for granted that you'd always be there.”

Gingerly he moved his arms from around you and took your face in his hands, wiping your tears away with his thumbs. “It wasn't because you're not popular, or because of some girlfriend- which i don't have, by the way. I just thought you were okay because you had your friends at school and your job and your family. I… I figured you were just as busy as I was, so I didn't need to reach out cause we would see each other whenever our parents all got together. But that wasn't fair of me to do to you.”

“I missed you.” You managed between sobs.

“I know that now, I'm sorry.” He said gently, placing his forehead against yours. “I'm so, so sorry Y/N. Please, forgive me and I'll never leave you alone again.”

You didn’t believe him. How could you? He already left you once, what's to stop him from doing it again? But a part of you hoped, a part of you wanted to believe him. Like you said, you missed him. So you agreed.

“If… if you do. I know where you live, Hwang Hyunjin.” You stutter out, trying your best to sound menacing while weakly glaring.

All this did was make Hyunjin laugh softly as he closed his eyes, savoring the warmth of your skin against his. How could he have forgotten how your very presence comforted him, how all the years you've spent together, all the memories, would wrap around him like a blanket?

“Can I still sleep here even though I made you cry?” He joked once your breathing calmed, managing to get a chuckle out of you.

“Yes,” you said with a shaky breath, “yes, you can.”

“Good.” He grinned with that dazzling smile of his as the two of you resumed your snuggled position from earlier.

“And for the record,” he said as he began to run his fingers through your hair, “I think you're stunning. You're absolutely beautiful Y/N, okay? So don't ever say you're not pretty ever again.”

It was from that night onwards that Hyunjin would come to see you in the dead of night, either because he needed a place to stay after a party or a hookup, or just because he missed you.

He was still as busy as ever, being Mr. Popular and all, but he kept his promise and tried to carve out time for you whenever he could aside from visiting you in the night, even if that was just saying “hi” in the halls or after school. He would also make it to dinner every single week, without fail, something your parents all delighted in. It seems you weren't the only one who missed seeing Hyunjin around.

One other thing he started doing ever since that night was he started calling you by a little nickname, one that made your friends question when you suddenly started dating the Hwang Hyunjin.

“What? No, we're not dating. We used to be really close when we were younger and just reconnected, that's all.” You told them as nonchalantly as possible.

“Yeah, ok, sure Y/N, whatever you say.” One of them said, not fully believing you. “But uhm… did he always use to call you ‘Beautiful’?”

○●☆♡☆●○

“Shh, quite Beautiful, we don't want to get caught.” Hyunjin murmured as he continued the leisurely roll of his hips, repeatedly hitting your sweet spot despite his warning.

As much as you attempted to keep quiet, you could still hear the soft echo of your escaping moans bouncing through the mirrored walls of the dimly lit dance studio. To help keep you quiet, Hyunjin moved his kiss swollen lips from the slope of your neck to your mouth, slipping his tongue between your lips. You kissed back eagerly, grateful for the attempt at finding something other than the sensation of Hyunjin pulling out agonizingly slowly only to bottom out with the same infuriatingly unhurried pace, torturously fucking you into the wall, watching how long you could endure.

Your mind was starting to go fuzzy when Hyunjin pinned your hand to the wall by your head, a subtle hint that you knew meant he was close.

Entwining your fingers together, Hyunjin held your hand firmly, growling as he dropped his head to rest on your shoulder, lifting your leg that was wrapped around his waist in search of a better angle. He suddenly wanted, no, needed to hear you screaming his name as languid thrust grew erratic.

You were close to cumming yourself, so close, you just needed a bit more, he could feel it. Dropping your hand to wrap both of his around your thighs, he gathered his strength before lifting you off the floor entirely. You couldn't help but gasp, impressed with this show of strength. You sometimes forgot just how strong he was.

“Come on Beautiful, cum for me.” He said, his voice hoarse and his thrusts turning sudden, quick and aggressive, his dick mercilessly slamming into you.

Wrapping your arms tightly around his shoulders you felt your walls tighten and flutter around him as you hit your limit, cumming hard around his cock. But he didn't stop, instead speeding up. You were starting to become over-stimulated, gasps and moans carelessly spilling out of you as Hyunjin chased his own orgasm.

“Say my name Beautiful. I'm so close to cumming, I just need to hear you.” He rasped out and you couldn't help but readily comply with his request, forcing yourself to form the sounds it took to call out for him instead of making the incoherent noises you were making before.

Your worn and fucked out voice was all it took for him to finally cum, the sensation shaking his body as he rode out his orgasm inside you.

Unable to hold you up anymore he set you down as gently as he could, sliding out of you to quickly remove his condom and adjust his clothes. This gave you a moment to do the same, dressing yourself with shaky hands as Hyunjin did away with the evidence of what just happened.

“You okay Beautiful?” Hyunjins voice pulled you from your daze and he couldn't help but chuckle at the absolutely adorable expression on your face. It almost made him want another go.

“Yeah, I'm good.” You said, managing a smile despite how tired you felt. Feeling the wall for the light switch you squinted once the bright, fluorescent lights came alive, your eyes not wanting to adjust as Hyunjin made his way back to your side to pull you into his arms.

“Thank you for coming, I needed the stress relief.” He said as he kissed your hair, pulling you over to a table that sat in an alcove towards the corner of the dance studio, his desk.

“I needed it too,” you admitted, letting Hyunjin sit in his desk chair as you elected to sit on his desk where he had you moments earlier, his head buried between your legs.

“Work has been a lot?” He asked with a tip of his head, his hands resting comfortably on his stomach as he began swiveling his chair.

“Oh like you wouldn't believe!” You huffed, fishing out the hand-held mirror Hyunjin kept in his desk just for you and began scanning your reflection to fix any smudged makeup.

If anybody walked in right now, they never would have guessed that you two were doing anything other than hanging out based on Hyunjin alone. Being a dance instructor made it easy to dismiss Hyunjins' disheveled appearance and noticeable, glistening skin. You, however, still had to go through the extra effort of making yourself look presentable.

“My boss just loves to pile on the work. I miss working for our dads. It was such an easy job, and they never breathed down my neck.” You complained, giving a frown when you heard Hyunjin snicker next to you. “Don't laugh. We can't all work our dream job.”

“It's just funny. You're the one who was so excited to get out from under our dads, but now you're realizing just how good you had it with them.” He teased as he slid his desk chair in front of you to help you straighten up.

“As if you didn't do the same.” You pout.

“Oh, I didn't complain while I was working with them.” He shot back, reaching out to wipe a smear of lipgloss you had missed from the corner of your lips. He got you there.

A phone alarm caught your attention, causing you to heave a heavy sigh.

“Time to go.” You said.

“Or you could always stay and sit in.”

“No thanks. I'm not really in the mood for any more dating allegations from your younger students. And I'm definitely not in the mood for your thirsty ass adult students glaring at me.”

“Come on, baby, stay. You could hang out in the staff lounge.” He offered.

“Pet names like that is why people think we're dating, you know.”

“I think the new guy likes you, could give you two a chance to get acquainted.”

“Pass.”

“Boo… fine.” Hyunjin said with a pout as he flopped back into his chair, a hand melodramatically clutching at his heart. “Go ahead, leave me. It's obvious you don't love me anymore.”

“Yeah, because it's not like I drove over an hour from home to see you or anything.” You scoff as you slip off the desk, poking him playfully on the forehead and laughing at how he acted like you had just punched him square in the face.

Hyunjin had moved from your small town to the nearby city to attend college and became a permanent resident when he got his job at an all-ages dance studio. Meanwhile, you stayed in your hometown and moved into an apartment with your high school friend Jisung, but you would come and see Hyunjin whenever you missed him and he had time to spend with you. Lately, those moments have started to become fewer and further apart.

“Do you really have to go home?” He asked as you did one final once over of your reflection in the dance studio mirrors.

“Unfortunately. I promised Ji I'd join him and the guys for karaoke tonight. I'm already going to be late cause I decided to stay here longer instead of leaving this morning like I planned.”

Hyunjin frowned, draping himself over your shoulders in defeat. He wanted to whine, to make you stay, to not have to give you back, but he didn't want to keep you from your friends. Especially not when you already made the commitment to spend time with them. He nuzzled his face into your shoulder, and you knew he was going to walk you out this way. Luckily for you, though, he only took you so far as the front door of the building.

“Promise me you'll come see me again soon, okay, Beautiful?” He whispered into your ear before letting you go.

“I promise.” With a kiss to his cheek, you were out the door and to your car. You didn't want to admit this, but you were eager to be on your way back home. As much as you loved spending time with Hyunjin, recently, he's been too busy to see you or even really talk to you. You knew it wasn't his fault, he loved putting his all into his job and deserved a social life outside of your friendship, so you decided to try to busy yourself by spending more time with Jisung and his friends.

You loved spending time with them, with all of them, of course, but mostly one of them in particular.

#hyunjin x reader #hyunjin #seo changbin x reader #changbin x reader #bang chan #lee felix #han jisung #hwang hyunjin x reader #smut #backstory #jealousy #stray kids fanfic #stray kids x reader #stay #skz stay #what once was mine #Glow's ✨️ Fics #eventual established relationship #established relationship

[nerdasaurus1200]

So my friend @monster13souhaits got the Twisted Tale coloring book and eeee! We finally got a look at Gina’s appearance and more New Dream cuteness!!!!

#tts #rta #tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #twisted tale #what once was mine #nerd talks #rapunzel #eugene fitzherbert #gina #new dream

[daniellesreadingnook]

Now adding “The Desolations of Devil’s Acre” to my current reads pile!!

#danielle's reading nook #booklr #currently reading #current reads #the desolations of devils acre #almost there #what once was mine

[neorukixart]

A very dirty warmup rkgk in which I try to imagine how Cass would look as Gina from the twisted tale "What once was mine" because I still think Gina is Cass (ง ื▿ ื)ว (but I overdid I think...)

#tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #cassandra #tts #rta #twisted tale #what once was mine