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ivyuns · 2 years

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wishing upon a star - sunoo

genre: angst | fluff

word count: 1.6k

warnings: reader getting hospitalized, sunoo accidently hitting reader, passing out, neglecting health, arguments, sunoo being a lazy bum in the beginning, sunoo doing his best, reader blaming herself for everything, lmk if i missed anything else!

summary: you came home very tired after working two shifts. you wanted to come home, wanting nothing but you in sunoos arms in bed. but that went out of the window when a very small argument that couldve been handled broke out. what worst is that youre now hospitalized and sunoo wishes he could just go back in time to fix everything.

note: hii omg saur ive been real emo these past weeks so ive kinda wrote my emotions in like 10 different drafts so be on a look out for those. ++ im not sure when ill update fever bc im still not even half way done w part two 😭😭 enjoy ~

masterlist

it was a week after your fight, over something that could’ve been easily forgiven after talking out. something that could’ve been solved.

but no. you had left your house before he had done anything else stupid.

it was all because you were just asking sunoo nicely to clean up the place after you had many shifts to pick up, as well as studying to get in your dream school.

“sun? you here?” you had walked through the front door, dragging your tired feet to the living room, in which sunoo was still gaming with niki before you left— 6 hours ago.

the living room was a mess with finished chip bags and crumbs everywhere. oh you wanted to just breakdown.

“sun? hello?” you waved your hand in front of it to snap him out of his game. “hey baby, how was work?” he asked, still playing games. you ignored him and just cleaned his mess up.

you went to your bathroom to wash up and heading straight to bed, not having the energy for talking to the boy or anything.

sunoo realized you were gone for a bit and ended his game. he was putting his controller away and before he got up, he felt a pang of guilt. the guilt that you had to do everything, once again.

he quickly put everything away, turning off the lights and headed to your room. where he saw you almost dozing off to your fruit sensory videos that seemed to make you stay sane.

you sensed that he was coming on the bed with you, so you turned around and turned off your phone to charge and fell asleep. or tried to. “y/n?” he called out your name, hugging you from behind. you didn’t respond, too tired to do anything.

sunoo sighed. “i’m sorry i-“ “am i not doing enough for you?” you quietly said, tears flowing already.

you had such a bad week and just wanted to cuddle with sunoo. but everyday as you came home, the house was always a mess and sunoo was always in the same spot before you left. you felt like just crying for hours but you held it in. you didn’t want to see anyone, especially sunoo, to see you in your worst state.

“all i wanted to do when i got home was- was to be in your arms. be in our bed. i hated work so much. you never came to text me, or ask me how was i. im tired of coming home to you and the house a mess. ‘m sorry sunoo. im sorry im selfish.”

you cried into your arms and felt sunoo try to lift your arms up to hug you but you wouldn’t budge.

sunoo felt so heartbroken. how could he let his most precious girl feel like this. “im sorr-“ “im gonna go sunoo.”

you pushed sunoo away and went to the closet, wiping your tears at the same time. sunoo felt everything breaking down, he couldn’t let you go. especially so late at night.

he got up and saw you packing your essentials in your suitcase. he panicked and grabbed your wrist, a bit too harsh. “y/n! you cant go!” he shouted at you.

the tears increased as his grip was getting tighter, and the way he yelled at you. “s-sunoo. sunoo let go” you whimper. he didn’t listen, but the second time he heard you shout his name with a horrified face, he let go.

he saw the red mark he left. he saw you red puffy eyes. he saw the way you felt sick to your stomach. you wanted to run away and it was all his fault.

he stood up and tried to speak words out, but no words came out of him. you hurried to pack and left the house, leaving your promise ring and house keys.

after that night, he kept calling you, texting you, begging you to come back. he didn’t know where you were staying at, he didn’t know if you were warm and safe, he didn’t know if you were in someone else’s presence.

the house made him feel so alone. he stopped playing games and he cleaned the house, hoping you’ll just walk through the front door with a smile.

he put up the paintings you wanted to hang up on the walls, he built the dinning table that was just leaning against the dinning room wall. he did everything you asked him to do a while ago.

but everytime he tried to go to the closet, visions of him hurting you kept reminding himself that that was the only reason why you’re not coming back.

he sat alone in there, sobs muffled into the sleeve of his hoodie. “im sorry y/n. just come to my arms please.”

everywhere around the house had pictures of you two, decorated. polaroids scattered everywhere, memories everywhere.

until a phone call disturbed his thoughts. he looked at the contact, saying it’s from you. and immediately answered.

“sunoo!”

it wasn’t you. you friend had went through your phone to call him about you. “y-y/n, she-“ “she what!” sunoo yelled. he was scared what happened to you.

“she’s in the hospital. please come quick.”

—

sunoo drove quickly to the hospital your friend had told him. his hair a mess, eyes bloodshot, he was just a mess. he looked at the emergency exit and saw you friend holding your hand while you were on the bed, blood everywhere.

“y/n!” he called out your name. he ran to your moving bed and held your other hand.

your vision was blurry but you still saw the resemblance of his face. “s-sunoo?” sunoo wanted to punch the air. why did he make so much mistakes to end up you in the hospital. “im here baby” he cupped your cheek. the moment didn’t last long after the nurses had to stop him.

he tried to push them away, and yelled out your name through the door. he needed to be next to you.

the nurses reassured him, letting him know you’ll feel fine. but he wasnt having it, he needed to see if you’ll be okay.

he fell onto the waiting chairs, crying into the palms of his hands, dizzy.

it took a bit too long for sunoo. it was the next day and he didn’t get a wink of sleep. your friend had gotten a thin blanket from the nurses for him, hoping he’ll just have a 5 minute nap. but he didn’t want to lose sight of the surgery room he was next to.

the doctors had told him that you’ve been lacking nutrients. they had heard from your friend that you’ve been coming to their house after picking different shifts at your jobs everyday without eating or drinking. you’ve been sleeping with a few hours of sleep. and on top of that, the fight with sunoo has been on your mind too.

you overthink, wondering if it was dumb to run out of the house because he accidentally harmed you. you knew sunoo wouldn’t purposely hurt you, he was just protecting you.

all the stress of going back and work made you faint at work. they said you bumped your head on the counter at the kitchen, as there was a glass that also fell with you, resulting some shards cutting into you.

sunoo hoped and prayed, you will be okay.

—

you woke up hours later with wires hooked up onto you. whimpering in pain, you felt a bruise on your forehead. you looked around and no signs of sunoo or your best friend, but you could've sworn you saw them both before you fell asleep.

seeing flowers and "get well soon" balloons were blurring your vision as you remembered what happened. the sudden memory when sunoo had accidentally hurt you, when you got a message saying sunoo wasn't fine without you, how you saw sunoo's once beautiful eyes red because of you.

all of this were caused by you. is what you thought.

everything is your fault, you were the one that ran out on him in the first place. you were so in your mind, you didnt hear sunoo come in the room. "y/n!" he shouted.

he immediately exited the room and went to get your doctor, letting them know you have woken.

after the doctor ran tests on you, you were left alone with sunoo. the comforting silence was getting awkward for you. "y/n" "sunoo" you both said. sunoo slightly smiled, holding your hand for you to continue.

"im sorry, this wouldn't had happened if i didn't walk out on you" you said. tears slowly falling. sunoo felt like he just lost his best boyfriend award. you were blaming yourself when you did nothing wrong.

he looked up at you and wiped your tears away. "no im sorry for not asking how your day was in the first place my love." he paused. "im sorry for how lazy i was. i've failed to noticed your emotions after work and school. you're not selfish baby. you had every right to be upset. you are more than enough for me. i love you so much y/n. you're the best thing that happened to me. please."

you saw how sincere he was. his eyes held up the galaxies whenever he saw you, and you saw it right here. he was too in love with you. "thank you" you muttered. "let's go home."

as you walked in the door of your home after weeks, you saw the place was neatly cleaned and your walls weren't bare anymore. your dinning table all set. every room in your house was now completed, all thanks to sunoo and a bit of help of his friends.

"sun, thank you" you hugged him. he leaned in and hugged you tightly. "let's go cuddle, tell me how your days was, my lady."

with that, you guys settled in on your comfy bed, looking out of the window while the stars were out on the dark night.

you fell asleep when it happened, but sunoo held you close. right before he could close his eyes, he saw a shining shooting star. 'i wish to make you happier than ever.'

end.

(2022) © dont repost or copy | @ivyuns

#enhypen #enhypen sunoo #sunoo angst #sunoo fluff #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen angst #enhypen fluff #kpop #kpop angst #kpop fluff

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ghosttownwherenoonegoes · 2 years

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I have a very specific scenario I'd like to ask Eddie's reaction to, if I may?💖

I'll just put it here and people can choose or not to respond!

So today was meant to be a 7 hour shift; 8am-3pm. Woke up at 5 like I always do, got out of bed at 6 like always (that's my morning Eddie x reader hour and I DO NOT SKIP IT), left for work at 7, 40 minute walk to get there blasting Ozzy and Metallica.

During the shift, I was here there and everywhere helping other people in other departments doing stuff which isn't in my job description (that's normal for my job though, and I AM appreciated verbally and non-verbally for it so I'm happy to help).

But then.

Someone called in sick with another department, whose work shifts I am already familiar with because I've done cover shifts for them all summer, and I was asked if I could do this evening's cover. 230-730 (had to cut first shift short to fit this in, which meant crunching my work in less time and I nearly had an anxiety attack)... which means that not only have I just done a seven hour shift, I then get one half hour break, and then I'm doing that kitchen cover shift.

So my original 40 minutes walk + seven hour shift + 40 minutes walk home

Is now

40 minutes walk + 11.5 hour shift (8am - 730pm) + 40 minutes walk home

AND I HAVE NOT EATEN ALL DAY SINCE BREAKFAST AT 6AM.

💀💀💀💀

I'll get home at 830pm, bed by 11, to get up at 5 for tomorrow's same 8am - 3pm 😭🫠

I'm HAPPY to help people, really, but still, fuck me sideways with a chainsaw 💀

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elsfairy · 11 months

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hii emi omg i haven’t answered in a bit.

ur done tlou?? OMGG YAYY I BET IT WAS SO MUCH FUNNN!! and ikr i need ellie soooo bad i can’t take it anymore. i wanna play tlou so bad.

i’m at work rn, i wanna go home so bad but i still have a little under 6 hours left of my shift 😭

oh omg and i actually wrote yesterday!!! are u proud of me? :)

-🎀

hai baby!<3

I CRIED SO HARD WHEN I FINISHED IT 💔 I am honestly tempted to replay it on the hardest difficulty (I have a problem with doing that with every game I finish</3) I really loved it though! Playyyyy it pls<3 oh for sure, Santa Barbara Ellie had me in a fuckin choke hold 😭 aw noo:( coming to pick you up & save you rn ok. I hope you're eating and drinking plenty, though <3 and besides from working, I hope your day is going great angel<3 YOU DID??? Omg, baby, I'm always proud of you 💓

#ೃ⁀➷ 🎀

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quantumkaworu · 4 months

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damn I was wondering where all my time and energy went and then looking at the last few schedules I realized I work the most hours of the part time cashiers lololol plus the addition of holidays turns my usually 6 hours shifts into 7 and a half for like four days ina row??? like damn no wonder by yesterday I was barely able to walk around with leaning on a cart.

also having two shifts in a row that's 9:45-5 and then 10-5:15 BRUH IS THR SAME SHIFT WHY MOVE IT 15 MIN TO THE LEFT 😭😭😭

anyway yeah that's where all my time and energy has gone. and I still haven't gone Christmas shopping 😅

#salt/

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bug4u · 2 years

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Fjdkfks It was sooo bad today my coworker who I thought was being nice just to be nice to me asked me out the morning my shift literally started and it literally gave me ptsd from that time a college boy asked me out when I was walking to my hs 😭 firstly u should never ever ever ever ask someone out while they r working r u insane ??? especially if ur a coworker like wtf sidksifwke why would u do that literally could’ve done it in the breakroom when i have the option to leave. But no u had to do it when I still had like 6 something hours left for the day. secondly he was like 29… Im 19 and I know I joke abt likijg older guys but god I didnt mean older guys who r also my coworkers sjdjsjds ??? He was all like I wanna take u out if u want ajd Im like… blanking out but managed to say I dont date and he’s like we dont have to date we can just hang :) and im like… ok what type of hanging out r a 19 and 29 yr old gonna do bruh u were 10 and i was just born pls. I cant It literally did caused me brain damage it’s also really sad Im naive on purpose most of the time and am nice to others a little too much maybe but God. I was like. Yk what this was a nice coworker relationship we had he was very kind to me and I naively thought he didnt have ulterior motives I thought wrong. men suck

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milktea067 · 2 years

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Please don’t take my sunshine away.

I HAD THE BEST IDEA EVER AND ITS LIKE 6:00 AM RN. I CANT LET MYSELF FORGET THIS SO I GOTTA DO IT NOW I HOPE YOU DONT MIND.

Sunnydrop x gender neutral reader! Platonic!

Warnings:mentions of sunny having a bad day! ☹️ mentions of sunny getting yelled at by a parent because of moon! Mentions of possible character death (moon/sun getting deactivated) mentions of anger, mentions of reader crying (Let me know if I missed any warnings!)

Angst and comfort!

Not proofread very well!

Written at like 6:30 in the morning so please forgive me 😭🙏

———————————————————————

“What is wrong with you! Can’t you control that dreadful thing! You scared my boy! He nearly got a concussion trying to get away from you!” A parent screamed, making sunny flinch while he looked down at the ground.

He was sorry, he was really really sorry, he never meant for anyone to get hurt, especially one of his little children. It wasn’t like him and moon were the same person, even though they shared the same body. He tried to control him, he really did! But…it doesn’t always work the way he wants it to.

“I-I’m sorry! I-I tried not to let him come out-“ sunny started, attempting to reach out to the little boy and comfort him. The little boy was crying and frightened, and sunny didn’t blame him.

Before his hand could make contact with the child, sunny saw him visibly flinch and cry out in fear.

What..?

Was he really that scary..? All he did was want to make the boy feel better…! Why couldn’t moon just behave! Now he was getting screamed at for something that wasn’t even his fault.

Instead of saying anything else, he stood there for the next five minutes and let the parent yell and scold him, even standing through it when they threatened to report him to the main office and have him disassembled.

After a while the angry parent stormed out, leaving sunny quaking with fear and guilt. Disassembled…? He knew the situation was bad, and he was trying to keep the lights on in the daycare more often, but disassembled…?

He was trying his hardest, and they were still going to take him apart. He was scared. Scared of what it would be like when he was taken apart and never put back together again, but most importantly, he was scared that he would never see you again.

You would be sad if he left one day and never came back, but you would be even more sad if you knew there was a chance he would be deactivated. He couldn’t tell you what was happening, he didn’t want you to he even more upset than you have to be.

(Time-skip to when you come in for your shift a couple days later!)

It was just after 11:00 p.m. and you had gotten here a bit early. You were excited because you had made plans with a certain someone. You and him hadn’t gotten to hang out together lately, and you wanted to be around him again like you used to before you had gotten less hours.

For the past couple weeks you and him had been trying to hanging around each other more in an attempt to come back together, after nearly being laid off you had to prove you could be useful again which meant time apart from your best friend.

Sunny? Sunny seemed happy to have you back with him, so…why did you find a big banner hanging above the daycare doors that said something that utterly confused you.

“Y/n has been banned from the daycare!”

What..? Why! You hadn’t done anything wrong! What made it even worse was that he had put a frowning face at the end of it, it looked like it was angry and sad at the same time.

Deciding to go in there and give sunny a piece of your mind, you reached up and grabbed it, yanking it down off the wall and bringing it in there as you stormed past the doors.

“Sunny sunrise!!” You yelled, holding the banner angrily in your hands.

Oh no, you used his full name AND you sounded mad. He never meant to make you mad, he hated putting up that banner, he knew it would make you sad.

“Y-yea..?” He said, peaking out from behind his curtain timidly. He had already gotten yelled at by a parent, he was sure getting scolded by you would make him feel worse.

“What is this?” You said, tapping your foot on the ground as you held up the fabric thing high enough he could see and read it. You wanted answers and you wanted them now. You didn’t almost get fired because you were hanging out with him to have him bale AND ban you on your designated hang out night.

“I-it’s a sign! A-and you’re supposed to be banned!” He said, hiding more behind the curtain. Okay, If you weren’t angry before, you were furious now.

You fumed as you hopped into the ball-pit and walked through it to the other side, pulling yourself up onto solid ground before making your way behind sunny’s curtain.

Oh no, he really did it now.

“What do you mean I’m banned! I didn’t do anything! Plus we were supposed to be hanging out tonight.” You said, tossing the banner to the floor. Despite being human, you were just as intuitive as sunny was. You knew something was wrong. He would never just do this to you without a reason.

“I-I…I don’t wanna be friends anymore!” He said, quickly covering his mouth as he processed the words he just said. Looking up at you to see if you really heard the awful words he just spoke, he froze.

The look on your face was nothing short of hurt, hurt and pain. Once you got over the initial shock of what he had said tears began to fill your eyes and stream down your cheeks. For a moment your anger disappeared, completely over shadowed by sadness. That didn’t last very long, though.

The sight broke sunny’s heart, not only were you crying but you were crying because of something he had said! He never wanted you to cry. That was the exact reason he was shutting you out and pushing you away.

“I-I’m…I’m so-“ he started, beginning to reach his hand out once more only to have you brush it off while you stormed out of his room and towards the door.

You didn’t understand, and that just made you more angry. What did you do to deserve this? If that’s what he really wants than so be it.

Once he realized the gravity of the situation, he immediately began to scramble towards you, calling out to you and begging you to wait for just a second. He had fallen and tripped many times, (mainly in the ball-pit) but that didn’t stop him from grabbing onto you in a tight bear hug from behind before you could open the doors.

“Get off of me! What do you think you’re doing! You wanted me to leave so I’m leaving!!” You said, trying to reach the door handle while he dragged you backwards and held you above his head to make sure you couldn’t run anymore.

“J-just let me say something! I-i promise you this will all make sense if you just let me speak!” He said, holding your thrashing and kicking frame above his head while he looked up at you.

“No! You said what you wanted to say isn’t that enough!” You yelled, your voice breaking as tears streamed down your cheeks and fell like rain onto his metal face.

He wanted to cry too, but unfortunately he couldn’t physically express that and it drove him crazy.

“Y-y/n I’m sorry! I never meant what I said! I-I love being friends with you! You’re my only friend in the whole world!” He said, his voice also shakily and broken as If he himself was on the verge of tears.

“T-than why…why are you pushing me away all of the sudden…did I do something wrong..?” You said, finally going limp in his hold and slowly looking up to meet his eyes.

He couldn’t stand your heartbroken face, or the fact that you thought it was your fault he was acting like this. Even though he knew it would hurt, he couldn’t let you go home thinking that he didn’t like you anymore.

“No…I-I didn’t want you to be sad when…I-I didn’t want you to be sad when I’m not around anymore…a-and I thought that maybe…maybe If we weren’t friends anymore you wouldn’t cry so bad when…”

He said, unable to get the rest of the words out. He dreaded what he was about to say next, but he knew that you had the right to know.

“When I’m deactivated…”

What…? Deactivated..? What does he mean deactivated…? You hadn’t heard anything from the main office, nor did he have any maintenance check appointments that you knew of, so why did he think he was getting deactivated?

“S-sunny, what do you mean…? You’re not gonna get deactivated..! I-If you were they would’ve told me! You know even if they did try…I wouldn’t let them…” you said, looking up at him while he slowly lowered you to the ground.

“B-but…but the mean lady…! She said that she would report me..!” He said, still holding onto your shoulders as he searched your face for a sign you might know what he was talking about.

You thought for a moment, thinking back to earlier in the week when you saw a lady and her son go up to the main office to speak to someone about the daycare attendant but no one was there, then watching as she walked out and told her son to forget about it and they would just find somewhere new to play.

You had forgotten about it, it was a couple days ago and you hadn’t had time to visit sun until today, so it had just slipped your mind.

“If you’re talking about the lady with the little boy, she left…she tried to talk to someone, but employee that runs the main office was on lunch break…she just took her son home…” you said, sighing softly as tried not to laugh at the odd circumstance.

You saw sun visibly relax at this, slowly pulling you into a hug as he rested his head on your shoulder. You felt horrible that he had been so scared and so sad for days while you had been working at the other end of the mega-plex. It wasn’t fair to him that you weren’t around as much, and you were gonna try and fix that.

“Everything’s okay now…you need to relax a bit…I know you robots don’t get tired, but you should rest a little bit…you must have been stressing for days…” you said, holding his hand.

He agreed as he let you walk him back to his room. He had just been through mental hell, and all he wanted right now was to cuddle with his best friend. You had just the thing, too.

Eventually you had him lying on the floor with his head in your lap, still holding his hand as he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of your breathing. He liked hearing the sound of your breathing and your heart beating, it let him know you were still here with him.

You and him had always cuddled together when one of you felt bad, and you always sang small songs in an attempt to comfort one another or made you two laugh to brighten the mood, and right now you thought that he needed that.

Still holding his hand, you began to brainstorm what song you should sing to him tonight, and soon enough you thought or the perfect one.

Sun was beginning to get comfortable on your lap, trying his hardest not to lay in a way that made your legs hurt or go numb. The happenings of today still plagued his mind, making him a little restless before your familiar voice broke through the silence and fog of his crowded mind.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…you make me happy…when skies are grey….you’ll never know, dear…how much I love you…” you whispered, still in a soft singing voice as you ran your thumb over sunny’s palm, letting him know that you meant each and every word you spoke.

“Please don’t take…my sunshine away…”

Wow, sorry about how long it is and some of you might find this last part cringe- (sorry it was early in the morning and I had just woken up with that idea) but I hope you like it!

Taglist!: @starryshipz @caigas-bullshit @boxofbadsenses @femalemarvelself

#fnaf security breach #sunnydrop fnaf #sunnydrop x reader #sunnydrop #x reader #moondrop security breach #security breach #fivenightsatfreddyssecuritybreach #five nights at freddy's #comfort #angst #sad thoughts #happy things

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pianostarinwonderland · 2 years

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"This might be my warmest recipe yet." Azul sighs, setting a meal before you. The aroma of seafood against tamarind as well as leafy vegetables stewing in it.

"Eat up." He says, removing his apron from his waist. "It will take me some time before I can get used to the food from your world." He says ehol washing his hands. "But nevertheless, you should at least enjoy a taste of home while you're here."

"Tell me what I need to improve on later."

Anon ksnjnbjsbgjsg I actually got this ask a long time ago but I typed the first 2k words in the first week I got this and left it alone for who knows how long because my motivation to write plummeted 😭 and it was only recently that I even got the will to write again knsnfknkksngsd

Thank you for making me write 3k+ words on a brainrot fic about sinigang 🤡 sobs so hard This has been in my drafts for more than 6 months, and I feel a little embarrassed about that, but I hope you guys enjoy ahahaha :”)

Feet dragging on the stone path of Main Street, I walked with a groggy pace past the statues of the Great Seven, whose unmoving eyes sent a cold feeling on my back that only judgmental stares could give. My eyelids threatened to lower until my vision turned black, craving for the comfort of thin blankets and a firm mattress.

I yawned. A hand went up to cover my open mouth, lingering until the yawn passed. It dropped to the area of my stomach, where a hollowness ached to be filled. I sighed, inserting another hand into the pockets of my school blazer, and upon feeling the wrinkled texture of old bills, I let myself smile slightly.

Hmm... I’m gonna be passing by Sam’s shop on the way. Maybe I should buy some things on the way. I do need to restock the cupboards. I planned in my head.

I made my way down the staircase and through the path that led to the short tower in front of the Mystery Shop, a bit more energy in my steps from a small goal being set. But upon stopping by the shop itself, my legs felt reluctant with moving towards the door.

Hnngh, I’m too tired, though, to interact with anybody. I thought to myself. Maybe tomorrow. I still have some eggs there. I can make a scrambled egg for dinner. Hopefully, it will be enough to keep me sustained for a few hours.

And with empty hands, I walked away from the shop.

Not much time passed before I arrived at the fork in the road that either led to the Hall of Mirrors or to the Ramshackle dorm. A groan escaped my lips. “Ugh, I’m so tired,” I complained to the air. “I just want to rest already. Why is Ramshackle so far from the school?” Tempting as it is, I didn’t bother to stop and rest, knowing that I can rest for a longer time later. And so, I turned left towards Ramshackle.

Another grumble emanated from my stomach. I must look miserable right now, with my groggy way of walking, heavy eyelids, and hand over an empty stomach. I miss having a car, I thought. Having a driver to bring you home sounds so nice right now.

At the thought of a car, my mind started taking its own walk down a path, except it’s not dragging itself down a dirt road but wandering through a road of movies playing memories. It felt so long ago that I would wear a long skirt that would flutter from my movements as I picked up my things and walked to my car. Afterwards, I would either be brought to my piano lessons or to my home, depending on what day of the week it was. Should I be brought to my lessons, I would be there for an hour before being brought home. The roads would be filled with eager cars driving home, and I myself would lean on the car window, watching a once blue sky shift to oranges and occasional pinks then to dark blues. Sometimes, in these car rides, dinner would occupy my thoughts. On some days, I would think about simply filling up my stomach after a long day. But on other days, I would envision a certain meal, from its familiar bowl on the dinner table down to the aroma it exuded.

Right now, as I headed back to the dorm, my mind’s eye could visualize the dinner table filled. Placemats would be laid in front of each chair, where plates and tableware sit. A bowl of rice would sit on the middle of the table, and beside it would be a larger bowl of a tamarind broth filled with leafy vegetables and cuts of pork. The vision was vivid in my mind, to the point that the fragrance of the broth felt real under my nose.

... Hold on.

I sniffed the air.

There’s no way that I just smelled the exact same dish I was thinking of.

But I sniffed again, and the scent was still there. I frowned in confusion as I looked around for where the smell could possibly come from, and my nose pointed to the Ramshackle dorm that moved closer in my sight.

“Huh?” I uttered out loud. “Who would be cooking sinigang right now?”

I wanted to think the ghosts decided to try their hand at cooking, but I knew they barely knew anything about the culinary world. Heck, they probably might not know of a native dish that may or may not exist in Twisted Wonderland.

Nevertheless, the smell itself rejuvenated me. My pace quickened as I opened the gate and climbed the stone pathway leading to the front door. Turning the knob and pushing the door open, I could smell the familiar sourness of the sinigang, which was now much stronger than it was outside. This time, a subtle flavor accompanied the aroma of the broth, a certain kind of salt that only the ocean could possess. The lights of the corridor, lounge, and kitchen were turned on, bathing the recently painted walls in yellow and white light.

“Oh, you’re home!”

Appearing through the wall, the three Ramshackle ghosts who resided in the dorm along with me approached me. “Oh hi!” I greet, my voice brighter than earlier. Their goofy smiles brought a smile to my own face before I asked: “What’s going on? I smell food here. Are you cooking something?”

“Oh…” A cheeky smile started forming on one of the ghosts’ faces. “About that...”

“Hihihi~” the second snickered as a wider grin makes its way onto his face. “You should see for yourself!”

“Go to the kitchen and find out!” The third ghost pointed to the direction of the kitchen.

I look at their expressions with growing suspicion. “Erm… okay…?”

I hesitantly made my way to the kitchen. It doesn’t sound bad exactly, but what if I’m being lured to something, my mind said. A horrible thought to have entered my mind.

What if it’s a killer waiting for me? Wait, but this place is protected from intruders. Oh no, what if Trein paid me a visit because I missed something that I didn’t know I missed? Or even Crewel? Or what if it’s something else–

As I approached the open threshold of the kitchen, I kept my body by the wall, taking a peek from my hiding spot to see who was there.

A sharp inhale went through my nose.

Hold the fuck up—!

I immediately retreated and leaned on the wall, my earlier exhaustion gone entirely, replaced by the fast beating of my heart and the butterflies flying about in my stomach. There is no way in the world that he would be there in my messy kitchen, cooking a meal that I hadn’t eaten since arriving in Twisted Wonderland.

But I recognized the silver hair and the undercut below it. That hair is undoubtedly Azul’s.

“I know you’re there,” his voice echoes from the kitchen. My heart seemed to jump from its place at the same time my breath hitched.

Slowly, I approached the kitchen. Part of me wondered if I was dreaming and if I was going to wake up soon. Standing by the stove, Azul seemed to be stirring the pot of sinigang, with his back faced towards me. He seemed to be in his dorm uniform, judging by the black straps of the suspenders he wears. The familiar coat was absent, however, and so was his black blazer, leaving him in a long-sleeved white polo. From the purple ribbons coming from the front that were tied together, he appeared to be wearing an apron.

Azul always looked like someone of high authority, whose confidence and smugness left me gazing at him with mad love. But here he was, with an unusual domestic-looking appearance, and I felt my already exhausted knees nearly buckling from the shock.

He turned to look at me. The sight of his beautiful face, paired with the apron over a white polo, made me inhale sharply through the nose. “Is there something on me? Why are you simply standing in place?”

His voice shook me from my stupor. “Wait, why are you here,” I finally asked. “I thought you had the Mostro Lounge to take care of.”

“Jade and Floyd are taking care of the lounge in my stead for today,” Azul replied as he picked up a large bowl. “I apologize for intruding into your home and using your kitchen without your knowledge. I simply wanted to try out a new recipe for the Mostro Lounge.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “Huh? Why here, though? Aren’t the stoves in the lounge better?”

There was a pause in his movements before he scooped up a ladle of the soup dish into the bowl. “Well... I wanted to let you taste test it since you are familiar with the dish, yes? I would have called you over to the Mostro Lounge instead, but it seemed like you were busy, so I decided to cook here instead.”

His words made my heart race. He’s trusting me with something so important, and it drove my mind crazy knowing that he’s asking me for something. Yet skepticism weighed in my head. Something about the reasons seemed a bit odd. His voice, usually so suave and stable with a touch of sass, seemed slightly shakier, though it’s so subtle that I found myself wondering if I must be imagining it.

The sound of a switch suddenly resounded across the kitchen, causing Azul to move his head to a white rice cooker whose switch is set to warm. “Ah, perfect timing,” he exclaims. His voice regained its usual elegance. “Have a seat while I prepare the food. You must be tired from walking all the way here.”

Again, the butterflies fluttered in my stomach, but this time, an overwhelming feeling of warmth grew in my chest. It was a ball of light that seemed to glow so ardently that I felt my knees might weaken to the point I fall on the spot. Unable to handle it without possibly making a mess of myself, I pulled out a chair with a plate and tableware set in front of it. My gaze immediately landed on Azul, and I watched as he scooped up the white rice into another bowl. The warmth in my chest seemed to grow while gazing at each movement.

“This might be my warmest recipe yet,” Azul spoke up, setting down the bowl of rice on the table before the larger bowl of sinigang with a sigh. Upon closer inspection, a whitish meat floated on the broth with a distinct black skin in the middle of it.

Bangus, I noted with surprise. There is bangus around here?!

He walked to the counter to grab the bowl of rice and arrived back to the table to set it down. Wisps of smoke visibly flew into the air from its soft whiteness, a sight I thought I’d never see again.

I knew my tummy was aching for food a while ago. I knew that. Yet I couldn’t pick up my tableware, and instead, I could only stare at the food with an agape mouth. The feelings within my chest continued to grow, soon spreading to my gut and throat like a fire set ablaze. They threatened to spill out of me into a bunch of ‘I love you’ and ‘why do you always find a way to make my heart beat fast’, but my lips suppressed any form of sound that would let it all leak out. I couldn’t let Azul know how I truly felt for him, not yet.

“Eat up,” he said as his hands traveled to the ribbon on his back. With an elegant grace, he unraveled the ribbon and lifted the apron from his body, folding the clothing in half in the air before setting it down on a chair with another set up plate in front of it. He then walked to the sink, turning on the faucet with slight difficulty and placing his hands under the running water.

Despite the shock of seeing Azul in my dorm that still left me stunned, his words moved me to grab a few spoonfuls of rice, my mind mentally calculating how much rice I need to fill myself up before stopping. I got the spoon for the sinigang, scooping myself some kangkong — there’s kangkong around these parts!? — and bangus before scooping the broth and pouring it over my rice. Each grain soaked up the soup, almost reaching the point that it would spill over to the plate.

“I hope that this is to your liking,” Azul spoke up. He approached the table and pulled out his own chair before taking a seat. “This is my first time making this, after all.”

“It…” I paused for a moment, trying to gain enough composure to speak properly. “It’s already smelling the way it’s supposed to! And you even have the kangkong and the bangus, and that’s pretty accurate, and I- I didn’t know you had these things here in Sage Island!” I stopped myself before I could say anymore compliments. Slight embarrassment joined the butterflies in my stomach from letting my excitement leak out.

He softly chuckled in reply. “We don’t, but I have a few connections that enabled me to buy the best quality ingredients.” He smiles, but there’s a mischievous charm to it. All the same, his voice and his face left me breathless and my chest tight from the intense feelings I felt towards him.

“I see,” I said with a nod. Immediately after, a quiet grumble emitted from my stomach, reminding me once more of my famished state. Wordlessly, I quickly turned my attention back to my plate, relieved for a distraction from Azul. Using my spoon and fork, I cut the bangus into small pieces, a task not difficult thanks to the softness of the fish. Once I was satisfied with the pieces I cut, I moved on to cutting the kangkong leaves and stems to smaller pieces as well, occasionally having to apply a bit more force to cut the fibers completely.

“Do you always take your time in preparing your meal,” Azul asked as I nearly finish cutting the kangkong.

I turned my head up back to him, perhaps a little too excitedly. “Oh well, yeah,” I answered. “I don’t usually do this with every meal, but when it’s sinigang, I like cutting the bangus and kangkong and mixing them together with the rice.”

He nodded with a hum. “I see.”

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed the still empty plate in front of him. “Aren’t you going to eat, Azul?”

“I will,” he answered. “I simply wish to know your thoughts first before trying it. Tell me what I should improve on later.”

My thoughts matter to him? The mere thought caused that ball of warmth and light in my chest to grow more. If I had been paying attention, I would have noticed the subtle tautness of his voice that was there earlier, but I was too caught up in that thought that in some way, he was being considerate of what I thought.

Okay, calm down, he’s probably just sweet talking you, I told myself. Plus, you still have to eat.

I returned to my food, and I started mixing the food with my rice, taking care that everything is uniformly mixed. And once that was done, it was finally time to satisfy my stomach.

I’m about to be trying Azul’s cooking for the first time, was the thought weighing in my mind as I scooped a decent amount of rice and viand into my spoon. As I lifted the spoon to my lips, a part of me wondered if I will be let down. Even if it smelled the way it did, even if the ingredients are accurate, will it be delicious? Will I actually be able to genuinely compliment it? And will I end up with an okay stomach or will I end up having to take stomach medicines? There was a time that I had sinigang that caused my stomach to hurt badly, and I didn’t wish for a repeat of that time. I didn’t want to make Azul feel bad by saying that it’s not good.

But more than that, I was more occupied by the thought that Azul actually cooked this for me, even if it’s for simple taste testing for an upcoming menu item for the Mostro Lounge. What being up in the heavens decided that I was worthy of this? That I, an ordinary human in this world of magic, would let me be blessed with not only the unexpected presence of the most beautiful boy I’ve ever met but also be graced with his cooking just because he wanted to run it by me?

And that’s why, I quickly told myself, I need to taste this before he gets suspicious about why I’m hesitating!

I put the spoonful of food in my mouth. The spoon barely left my mouth when a my eyes bulged slightly from the undeniably familiar sourness of the broth that coated each grain of rice and each piece of fish. The bangus was soft, and much to my relief, it contained its distinct flavor that I never knew I missed until now. A soft crunching sound reached my ears as I bit into a piece of kangkong stem, adding a texture to the softness of the mixture of rice and the fish.

A hum of delight left my throat, and a smile formed on my face as I felt my shoulders slackened from the taste of the sinigang. It’s not just good. It tasted like home.

I scooped myself another spoonful of my meal as I chewed, ready for me to eat once I swallow the food in my mouth. But once I swallowed, I looked at Azul, whose eyes were looking at me expectantly. “It’s so good,” I exclaimed to him.

His face seemed to relax at my words, a relieved smile forming on his face. “I’m glad to hear that,” he spoke. For what felt like the nth time that evening, my breath nearly hitched from his smile and voice. The genuine relief that he displayed was exquisite.

As I took my second spoonful of the food, he moved to get his own rice and sinigang. His eyes scrutinized the rice on his plate, getting what seemed to be a cup exactly before getting his own fish and veggies. He got his own spoonful of rice and fish, with a bit of leaf atop of it, and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up with what seemed like pleasant surprise, a look that made my heart jump in place, and soon, he swallowed, a smile forming on his face as he said, “It does taste good.”

“Yeah,” I exclaimed, “because–” it was you who made it, Azul, I almost said but stopped myself in time, “– the ingredients are correct and everything. It was easy to tell from the smell that this was going to be good! And this is your first try too!”

His smile grew. “That’s good to hear.”

We continued to eat our meals, but as I ate, I couldn’t help myself and occasionally glanced at him. There was a refinement to the way Azul enjoyed his meal, and my eyes could not leave him or any of the small movements that he made. I knew this feeling: that when you’re in love, every single mundane action that the one you love does brings all the brightest colors in the world in your vision. In that moment, the kitchen lost its drab dreary look, and all I could see was a homey place. The flickering light above gave a nostalgic charm, one that I never noticed. The walls and cupboards seemed brighter, no longer grey or light brown in my vision. The smell of the broth filled my nose, and the taste of the food in my mouth made me melt further in my seat. And in the middle of it all was Azul, the reason why everything was so bright around me, the reason why my heart continued racing even as I ate, the reason why I could be happy no matter how tiring the day may be.

I felt no arms wrapping around my body, but it felt like I was receiving the warmest hug I ever had. One that brought even a tear to my eye, a tiny bead of water that contained all the emotions that warmed me from within.

Before I realized it, I was already inserting my last spoonful of rice into my mouth, chewing slowly to savor the flavors before swallowing. A contented sigh left my lips as I propped an elbow on the table and rested my head on my hand, a lazy smile forming on my face. “That was so good. I haven’t had sinigang in so long.”

“I’m very pleased to hear that you enjoyed,” Azul replied, having finished his meal as well. “Is there anything that I could have improved?”

“Mmm, not that I can think of,” I said in reply. “It was really good.”

He nodded. “I see.” He then stood from his seat, picking up his plate while doing so. He reached a hand out to me, and I sat up straight and alert. Is he reaching for my hand, I thought excitedly, but that thought quickly died when he spoke: “Give me your plate.”

“E-eh?” I stood up from my own seat. “No, I can wash the dishes, it’s ok! You already did the cooking.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “I want you to relax for today, so let me do this for you.”

What?

No reply left my lips. I froze in place. unable to stop him as he approached my side of the table and took my empty plate. His blue eyes seemed to twinkle in amusement at my sudden silence, and his lips quirked up in a smile before taking his leave towards the sink.

“W... why,” I finally asked as the sound of rushing water from the sink filled the kitchen. “Why are you doing this much for me all of a sudden?”

He didn’t respond at first. Instead, I received the squeaky noise of a sponge rubbing a plate first, and that, alongside the running water, was the only sound in the room for a few seconds. I couldn’t see his expression from my spot, only the back of his head and his hands washing the dishes.

“Well,” Azul finally spoke. For once, he didn’t sound like he’d start talking in palavers and haughty tones, but rather, there was something honest in his voice. “Truth be told, I wanted to do this as a form of payment for everything you’ve done for me.”

I frowned in confusion. “Eh? What for?”

There was a pause for a moment. “... Remember back when I took your dorm as the collateral for freeing the students from the Mostro Lounge,” he asked, though it seemed like a rhetorical question. Nevertheless, I replied with a hum of approval.

“I fully expected you to hate me or insult me after everything that happened,” Azul spoke. My eyebrows raised in surprise at his response, but I remained quiet. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you did. After all, anyone who signed my deals come out of it calling me names. Not that it bothers me, since I benefit from our deals more than they do.” A certain smugness accompanied his latter words.

“But you... you called me a hard worker.” The faucet was turned off, and Azul placed a plate on the rack for wet dishes but made no move to continue washing. “I’ve been meaning to find a proper way of paying you back, and after learning a little bit more about you, I thought that this was the best way to do it. You should at least enjoy a taste of home while you're here.”

No words left my lips. There was no sound in the room except for the beat of my heart thrumming in my ears. My own voice was gripped by the shock that I feel, yet there is a whole speech forming in my head that wanted to make itself known. You shouldn’t be paying me back, Azul. You’re the one who’s done so much more for me. You made my school year so much more beautiful and gave me a reason to keep on going despite me being far away from home. I should be the one doing something for you.

A hand landed on my shoulder. Jolting slightly from surprise, I looked up to see Azul right beside me. At the close proximity, the butterflies in my stomach fluttered even more wildly. “There’s no need to pay me back,” he spoke with a reassuring smile. “For once, I'm letting you take my services for free.”

“H... huh?!” I exclaimed.

“Of course, I wouldn’t complain if you do decide to repay me,” he adds with a mischievous smirk, a kind of smirk that I want to punch for how much it makes my brain short-circuit from how much it affects me.

“W-well...” I don’t mind paying you back. I wanted to say, but I felt like saying that would be walking onto a landmine. “Tha... thank you, Azul.”

For a short moment, he appeared stunned by my gratitude, before his face melted into a smile that nearly made me crumble to my knees. “You’re welcome.”

The students of Octavinelle dorm felt something different when they watched their dorm leader enter. Usually, they’d feel a slight sense of fear from the sharp tap of his shoes and serious face, but at this moment, his feet had a lightness to it, and his eyes looked softer as a smile accompanied them.

Azul no longer looked like a dorm leader or a businessman who snagged a win in that moment but a boy who seemed genuinely happy for once.

He made his way to Mostro Lounge, the happy aura he radiated never fading. As he entered the VIP Room, he encountered Jade, who smiled in amusement while he watched Azul sit on the leather couch.

“So how was your time in Ramshackle, Azul,” he asked.

The smile on his face widened, and his sky blue eyes gleamed with pure glee. “It went well,” he said with an even voice.

Jade chuckled. “It seems like it went more than well, Azul.”

Azul didn’t argue back. Because Jade’s right. It went more than well if it means he got to see that beautiful smile on his beloved’s face.

#ask #twisted wonderland #twst #Azul Ashengrotto

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