#I’ve read more books the last two months than in the past two years

[thebomb-thebird-andtheburntbitch]

The goal is to start reading more so I get inspired to write more next year

#manifesting #I’ve read more books the last two months than in the past two years #it’s only 5 but hey I’ll take it #and yes I count the bnha school briefs novels LOL

[astayinwonderland]

Silk and Fire - Chapter 1

Read more about the series and find updates here (;

pairing: namjoon x f.reader x jungkook

guest starring: jin, yoongi, hoseok

genre: romance | drama | smut +18 MDNI

summary: it's your best friend's engagement party and you agree to meet everyone at the venue. however, you end up running late and in danger. fortunately, someone's there to offer a helping hand... or hands.

status: ongoing

warnings: mentions of anxiety

wc: 1.7k words

a/n: this is pure ✨fiction✨

do not copy or translate

“Babe, you’ll look amazing no matter what you wear,” Namjoon puts his book down to look at you. “I love that dress on you,” he smiles, dimples showing. 

“You’ve said the same thing about the last six outfits I’ve tried on,” you laugh. 

“I am just being honest”. 

Namjoon leaves his comfy reading chair and walks over to your figure. You stand in front of the mirror and stand on your tippy toes mimicking how you would look in heels. Strong arms hug you from behind, and he buries his face in the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent. Namjoon has been quite busy with work lately and in moments like this he wishes he could whisk you away and take you somewhere secluded, nice, romantic, where only the two of you existed. But alas, this wasn’t that day. 

In a couple of hours, you two would be at your best friend’s engagement party, who would have thought she would be the marrying kind after all? Everyone would be there, including the one friend you have never met in person. You are quite excited to meet him finally, he has been travelling around the world for the past year, and in your eight months of dating Namjoon, all the group of friends can talk about is how much they miss their group of 7. 

“You smell so good, you always do,” Namjoon whispers and plants a kiss on your soft skin. 

You run your fingers through his hair in an attempt to make time go still, but your eyes catch the clock by your nightstand and you jump. 

“Fuck, Joon! Look at the time. I have to go to the salon, the dry cleaners, go get my shoes…” 

Namjoon laughs at the way you rush around your shared house, he asked you to move in while you celebrated your 7th month together. The question came abruptly out of his mouth, but it felt right. He knew you were very special from the moment he laid eyes on you. Your looks are breathtaking for sure, but Namjoon felt an intense attraction to you because of your energy and intellect. You are sharp and smart, in a very different way than he is, and that makes him head over heels for you. 

“Alright, alright… Sure you don’t want me to pick you up and get there together?” 

“The salon is right across the venue, I’ll walk there once I’m done. Don’t worry, love,” you smile at him. 

You should have listened to your boyfriend. You should have. Honestly, at least if he were here, you would not feel this stress. It is 7:30 p.m., and you should already be at the venue calming your best friend’s nerves. You are the maid of honour after all. But things went south from the moment the dry cleaners didn’t have your dress ready and you were far behind with your hair. 

“Please just do whatever… the easiest thing. Anything! I really need to go,” you beg at the stylist, and even though she does try, your anxiety isn’t going anywhere. 

By the time you finish, it’s 8:02 p.m. Your bestie sends you text after text. 

Where the fuck are you? 

Are you close? 

Hello!???? 

I’m freaking out please, are you ok? 

You feel too guilty and anxious to give a full explanation so you just text her one sentence. 

I’ll be there in 5. 

You quickly make your way out of the salon and cross the street. The night is a bit cold and windy, your cheeks hurt a little from the cool air brushing against your face. You run in your heels praying you don’t twist your ankle. As you try to look for your lipstick in your clutch, you find yourself already a few steps away from the hotel door. The revolving door activates as you step in but it stops, leaving a small space open between the glass and the entrance. 

“Fuck!” you bang on the door to try and move it, but nothing happens. 

A muffled voice comes from the outside. You turn around to find a cheeky smile, lip piercing, and big doe eyes looking right into yours. 

“What?” your voice is louder than usual since you can’t hear him properly. 

His face now comes closer to the reduced space between the glass and the entrance. 

“You need to step back.” 

You try to move but it seems pointless and your anxiety peaks when it dawns on you that you may be trapped here for a long time. Your breath is heavy and your palms start to sweat. Hell, your vision is blurry. The man watches you lose it in a matter of seconds, and he would be damned if he didn’t do something about it. Somehow, his large frame squeezed through the little space left, catching you before you fell to your knees. 

“Darling, if you are going to get on your knees for me it better not be like this.” 

You try to focus your eyes on the man that helps you stand. Your face leaning against his crisp white shirt, makeup transferring a little bit onto it. 

“Are you okay?” 

And now you get a closer look. His long dark hair falls graciously on his forehead and temples, the rest of it framing his beautiful face. It is a mystery how he squeezed in with those broad shoulders and big arms. Those same arms holding you in place. 

“Breathe,” he gives you a warm smile.

So you breathe and try to pull yourself together, but his hands reach your waist and pull you against him. A gasp leaves your lips. 

“See?” he points at a tiny red dot near the door. “That’s a sensor, if you stand up too close you might get stuck. You just need to move a little bit–” and he pulls you even closer to him, his hips slightly gracing your body. “--back,” and that does the trick. 

Finally the door moves. Just as hotel employees are coming to your rescue. 

“It’s okay, I'm fine!” you yell running to the elevator. 

The man calmly walks after you and watches you desperately run. 

“Thank you!” you yell. 

Elegance. Poise. Charm. Love. 

You find yourself in a small but beautiful space where ivory and gold decorate the room and the chandeliers shimmered light delicately down to the guests. You spot your best friend and her fiancé across the room. Luckily your little meltdown didn’t completely ruin your hair, so you make your way in saying your polite ‘hellos’ and hoping she doesn’t kill you for being this late. 

“You look beautiful,” you hug her. 

“What the fuck happened?” you can see worry in her eyes. 

“The question is, what didn’t happen? Everything went wrong today, I’ll tell you later.” 

“She was about to call the police and put together a search party in order to find you.” 

You look at the man who your best friend decided to marry. Min Yoongi is no ordinary man. He is respectable, admirable, handsome, and the most important thing, he is husband material and perfect for Camille. He loves her dearly, erasing past traumas and filling her with acceptance and reassurance. You couldn’t be happier for them. 

“I was not going to call the police, Yoongi,” she rolls her eyes. 

“Yes she was,” he gives her the fondest of smiles and kisses her temple. His PDA is rare, but when it happens it is from the heart and that makes you long for the perfect man for you. 

“Where is he?” you say scanning the room, and then your eyes meet his. “Please excuse me for a minute…” 

Namjoon smiles as he sees you. Black shirt neatly tucked into his gray pants. His black hair parted to the side. He makes his way to you and you to him, meeting him in a tight embrace that seems to cure all your anxiety. 

“I’m glad you’re finally here,” he gives you a peck on the lips. “Missed you,” 

“And I missed you too!” even though you don’t see him you know it’s Hoseok behind you. You give him a tight hug. To be honest you missed hanging with Namjoon’s friends as well. They bring a certain spark to all gatherings that is hard to match. 

Namjoon gives you a quizzical look. 

“The dry cleaners didn’t have the dress ready on time, then my hair appointment was delayed an hour and a half, and on top of everything I got stuck in the stupid revolving doors,” 

“No way…” and the most boisterous laugh you’ve ever heard in your life comes from one of the most handsome faces you’ve seen in your life. 

“It did happen, Jin,” 

“If it was going to happen to someone it had to happen to you,” he sweetly kissed both of your cheeks. 

“Have you seen Jungkook yet?” Hoseok asks, elegantly holding a champagne flute. 

“Oh is he here yet?” you ask intrigued, excited even. 

“You know he likes a big entrance,” Jin adds. 

Namjoon then offers to get you a drink which you accept. You stay with Jin and Hoseok making casual conversation, but you spot your saviour in the small crowd. What is ‘revolving door guy’ doing here? You excuse yourself and make your way to him, saying hello to Camille’s family as you cross the room. His doe eyes open wide and his lips curve in a smile. 

“You are here,” he says. 

“Yes. Why are you here? Are you following me or something?” you whisper, confused. 

“Maybe I am,” he smirks and takes a sip of his neat whiskey. 

“I’m okay, no need to check on me,” you do your best to smile and reassure him you are doing just fine.  “Thank you, again.” 

“Okay… I won’t check on you, but I will check you out,” and there’s that cheeky smile again.

Shock. 

“Excuse me?” 

“There you are!” Namjoon hands you a glass of white wine and puts his hand around your waist. “Ah! I see you finally met each other.” 

Your eyes go from your man to ‘revolving door guy’ and back to your man. 

“Babe, this is Jeon Jungkook.”

#kpop smut #kpop fanfic #kpop series #bts fanfic #bts smut #bts scenarios #jungkook imagines #jungkook scenarios #jungkook smut #namjoon smut #namjoon imagine #namjoon scenarios #bts x reader #namjoon x reader #jungkook x reader #bts imagines #bts series #astayinwonderland

[thesamoanqueen]

Run this town

Raitings: 16+

Warnings: Age gapping! (I’ve made my research about the consent age, so its just a couple of years); a bit of sugar daddy; Mob Boss Roman.

A/N: Its a prologue of “Trust” but there’s no need to read it before, so enjoy~

Lessons that day had been a pain and had drained her. She wasn’t backing up with the program, she liked studying and she had more than one reason to do so, but her mind was on strike that day. She was tired, sleepy, her stomach was almost empty as always and she couldn't help but think about what had happened the previous night. She couldn't stop thinking about him… the way his eyes had looked into her soul. It had been terrifying, in many dangerous ways.

- Watch where you go! - one of the chicks from the gymnastics club scolded her, hitting her with a huge purse and bringing Y/N back to her empty reality.

She glared at her and with a heavy sigh picked up the books that had fallen out, as she watched her trot to her friends. They were giggling and running their mouths about something out of school, probably some dude on the football team or maybe picking their victim of the month, she didn't have time for that nonsense. She had a whole day of lessons to make up for, some shopping – however meager – to do to avoid yet another unhealthy dinner and some gas to buy with some bucks the teacher had offered her, God bless her. She passed them in silence, her head down as she rummaged to retrieve the keys that ended up among her books and she only came out when was in front of her old bad shape car. Leaning on her knee against the door, in an absolutely not elegant pose, she was suddenly paralyzed, heart racing in her throat and mind in panic.

He was across the street. He was there.

He had found her.

Petrified, she clutched the car keys, watching him peer through the outgoing crowd.

Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he was there for someone else. But he couldn't have a daughter of her age, he was young, well, he shouldn't have been her age, but he was way too fit to be someone's daddy. Or maybe not. What the heck was she thinking now?! After what he'd seen the night before she couldn't tell those stories, it was clear he was there for her and that wasn't a good thing.

Before she had time to recover, she saw him turn in her direction, one of the two boys she had also seen with him last night, pointing at her without worrying about discretion.

Shit.

Was she supposed to ask for help? Maybe none of her classmates would come to save her, she wasn't very popular, but maybe a teacher. She was surrounded by people, they wouldn't draw their guns there. Right? Would they use them against her? And did they have guns? She didn't really know what he was capable of, but he didn't seem like one who cared about what he could or could not do and she had been in the wrong place, at the wrong time that night with him.

The parking lot would be empty soon. She was supposed to drive away, but even if the traffic was in her favor, he had a SUV that could have driven over a tree and she had a car that struggled even to get her there. Was she supposed to call the cops?

She was panicking and it wasn't something she was used to. She usually knew what to do. She usually knew how to react with coolness, it was one of her qualities, the one that would one day come in more use as a doctor. If she would get to that day.

She tightened her grip on the purse, still motionless, still staring at him.

And he kept looking at her. Like the night before. Why did he look at her and do nothing more?

***

Sitting on the stands of the football field, she peered past her textbook as the distant sound of the departing car reached her. She saw the black car-body gleam even on that not-so-sunny day, the rims spinning faster and faster as he drove away from the back of the school and back into town, the tinted windows all closed now, even the one from which he'd watched her for more than an hour.

It had been two weeks since he had first been there. Y/N'd thought she'd die that day, having barely survived the night their paths had accidentally crossed, but nothing had happened. He'd let her go without a word that day, like the night before and it had happened again and again. She saw him every day, when she got to school or when she finished, on a couple of time she saw him during breaks between lessons. He didn't have a routine, but he was always there. Sometimes she also saw those two boys with him, sometimes a white well dressed man, but didn't change anything for her. He didn't talk to her, didn't approach her, just seemed to control her, he never even tried following her car or finding her when she was away from there.

- Y/N! Here you are! I thought you were gone... take this. Your pass. – called her, Mrs. Tray, leaning forward without climbing into the stands, with a look of hurry and a small plastic bag in her hand.

- My pass? – she asked, taking out the contents, on which they had stamped a code and her full name.

A cafeteria pass? She had never had something like that. What…?

***

Another week had passed and after the pass, new books had arrived in her locker, a tracksuit for gymnastics lessons, bags on the backseat of her car, still closed and full of gas, with everything she usually wouldn't have been able to afford and more than even a girl with a family could ask for. She'd never heard of a criminal paying someone's hush with cafeteria pass, books and gifts, but she was sure by now that he was behind all these new additions to her life.

He kept standing there in front of school, at a distance, not talking to her or approaching her, but when she went to the convenience store next to the bowling alley and the owner refused to take her money like she had a virus, all doubts disappeared and Y/N decided she had enough. It was clear, that he didn't follow her because he knew perfectly where she went, yet he only showed up in front of her school. He was playing with her, but she didn't like it and she'd been through too much already at her age not to want an explanation.

With her bag over her shoulder, without hesitation she crossed the street, marching straight towards the car parked in a corner of the parking lot. She watched the front door open and one of the twins rush out, looking surprised as if she had caught them off guard, as he positioned himself beside the window from which he was watching her as always.

- Hey, hey! – he braked her, reaching out to stop Y/N and keep some space between them.

- Roman Reigns, right? - Y/N asked, completely ignoring his warning.

She saw him raise his brown eyes to hers, not as impressed with her tone, as her friend next to her seemed to be. He had an almost amused expression, a shadow in his luscious gaze that was all too dangerous and when Y/N saw him curl his lips in a grin, something in her stomach turned and it wasn't the kind of feeling she should have had in front of the man who ruled their city.

- You already know – he nodded slowly and his low, smooth voice seemed to move earth under her feet, her grip suddenly less firm on the purse, legs softening.

Was she afraid? Or was it something else? She couldn't think about it now, it was too late. She was there, in front of him now and she demanded answers, even if it was the last thing she did.

- I know I saw something I shouldn't have seen and you let me go anyway. I know you perfectly know the places I go and when I go there. I know you paid for my pass, for books, and you put those things in my car. I know you've been here for a month, but you do nothing to me. What I don't know is what you want – she said, teeth clenched and head high, as he raised an eyebrow.

- Did you want me to do something to you, babygirl? - she heard him inquire, and her face burned suddenly at the petname, as if she had built it out of matches.

- W-what? – she stammered, seeing him frown a little playfully.

- Just ask. Im a generous man.

She was pretty sure nothing could have prepared her for that kind of audacity, and though her body, due to some hormonal imbalance, had just decided to find alluring whatever this man was making her suspect, her mind was screaming for her to regain consciousness. He was a criminal, the mob boss of their city, she couldn't be so naive and stupid as to put everything aside just because he was young, too young to be in such a position of power and breathtakingly attractive.

- so its funny playing with me? Is that the point? Im a joke – she asked, pushing the blush away from her cheeks to tighten her knuckles when she saw the shadow of a smile even on the guy standing next to her.

It was embarrassing, offensive and ridiculous. They were teasing her without even pretending and she at least wanted to know why before the situation escalated, because it would. It was inevitable at this point and she had been the one to speed things up, but deep down she had never had an alternative. Her life had been an endless series of dead ends, there had never been nothing at the end, no future. That was yet another test.

- I'm not playing. I will take care of you. – Y/N heard him assure her, his expression serious, too serious for her liking.

What was that story now? Taking… care of her?!

They didn't know each other. Not enough to warrant something like this. He didn't have a good reputation and she didn't want trouble of that magnitude, she didn't want trouble, period. Their paths had crossed by mistake, it shouldn't have happened, but she couldn't end up like this, she wasn't stupid enough to believe it. Why should he care about her? Why should he care when even her parents didn't want to be around her? It was just a bad Y/Nke, another way to play with the stupid girl before getting her out of the way, and if it was going to happen, she didn't want any sugar coating.

- You have time and money to waste – she replied abruptly, looking him straight in the eyes without pulling back.

He didn't seem impressed or offended. For a heavy, long moment, his expression didn't change until another faint grin curled his lips as he nodded at her.

- Get in the car.

- I already have my car.

- Jey.

- What?! No! Stop! Leave my car out of this! It's all I have, no! – she tried, reflexively turning to Roman, who still sat staring out the window.

She didn't get an answer, but she immediately heard the clanging of the old rusty and dazed door and she watched that guy named Jey slip in and start the engine, as if he had the keys and it was a car that left the dealership. It took her ten minutes each time to do same and him, how long? Ten seconds?

- Get in. I promise to be good. - Roman called from behind her and she turned to look at him again, speechless.

***

- You have to go there to study, not to be a teacher.

She felt his hand caressing her shoulder before seeing him, his large firm body occupying almost the couch entirety in the corner of the club, suit stuck to his pecs, arms spreading across the back, engulfing her too. He always had that aura, as if the rest of the world couldn't touch him and ever since they had first spoken, Y/N wanted nothing more than to succeed on this challenge. She tried to resist, not to think about it, to keep herself away, but it was an almost impossible feat.

- I don't like to be unprepared – she muttered, swallowing hard to cover the warmth that had assaulted her feeling him close, the book she was studying suddenly uninteresting.

- You won't be. And I have something for you. - Roman smiled, placing in front of her a key with card.

Speechless, she took it between her fingers, the music still soft in the club filling the silence in which she was sunk. It couldn't be what she thought, it sure wasn't what she thought.

- I want you to stay there until you finish college. Then we will see – she heard Roman say, his head cocked a little to the side to get a better look at her.

It was exactly what she thought instead and realizing it made her snap like a spring. She spun abruptly to face him, hand flailing angrily in front of his face.

- Whats your problem?! Are you doing charity now so you don't burn dirty money? This was not in the deal! – she scolded him without caring that anyone would listen to them, book now closed in protest.

The last few months at school had been a dream for her: no more vending machines, no books falling apart or frozen feet in order not to turn on the car heater. She even had a place for the night in that club, not the best, but definitely more than the seat of her car. But that... it was a house they were talking about, a house with someone's name on, with bills to pay, mail to receive!

- I said I'd take care of you, that's the only deal. - he cut short, his expression serious.

Having someone looking after her wasn't something she had been used to, she hadn't had a family, not even a community to grow up in that she felt she belonged to. In foster homes things didn't go that way, everyone thought of himself and all her life Y/N had thought that this was how the world went, but Roman had thrown her beliefs down without even asking for permission. He didn't ask anyone's permission, he was the law there. For some absurd reason, the look they had exchanged in that parking lot, more than six months ago now under the worst circumstances imaginable, had attracted his attention and he always said laughing that where he comes from, the head of the table looks after the rest of the family. Y/N had no idea why he thought she was part of the family, maybe because she lived on the streets and the streets here were all hers, but she had believed him. Partly to take advantage of that windfall, partly because she really wanted to believe she was of value to someone. And he wasn't just someone and strangely he was good to her.

- It's just an alternative to the dormitory, not a home for us, don't worry. But no visits, no friends and no men, ya heard me? My cousins and I have the keys, wouldn't it be a nice visit for them… hm? - he punctuated with a nod to emphasize his words and she would have really preferred to die there, at that moment, of a cardiac arrest without help.

Why did he always say those things? It was-was…

- I don't do that kind of thing. – she murmured, feigning offense and immediately felt him reach out his hand, fingers again stroking her shoulder, up to the back of her neck.

- Good girl ‘cause I don’t share. - Roman blew into her ear, causing her yet another flush of heat where shouldn't have.

He acted like a sugar daddy when they talked about those stuff, not that she knew anything about them, she'd never been in a relationship like that and she highly doubted that with that look and fame, Roman was running out of women to have fun with and he needed to occupy time with someone like her. What's more, he had never really done anything that made her suspect true interest or that he wanted something like that in return for his help, just words and those caresses were not worth, even if they had begun to have a weight for her.

- Stop that. There’s nothing to share – she moaned, feeling him move down her back to spread his hand, the touch different, her fingers twisting anxious the cover of her textbook.

- Because it's all mine, understand little one?

It was nice to believe that there was more, even if it wasn't the love story every girl dreams of and it didn't bode well even in her fantasies. It was good after all that time, to know that there was someone watching where she was or that nothing bad happened to her and did it really matter that he could have done that bad to her? It never happened, he just spoiled her, and a few jokes never killed anyone. Aside from her sanity, who was probably compromised and would require more than a few sessions of psychoanalysis and self-examination.

- You suffer from unmotivated control freaks. - she added, trying to fill the silence with which he was looking at her.

- The things we care about require attention and sacrifices babygirl. - he said with his mind who knows where, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, before getting up.

She felt her cheeks burn, her heart pound and a strange sense of dejection at knowing that he was leaving again, not telling her where or when he would be back. She had gotten used to him too quickly and now she was starting to worry too. Definitely not one of the variants contemplated when she had decided to take advantage of the help of who had power over an entire city.

- Keep your head on the books. - he advised her thoughtfully and she bit her lip.

- I'll sew you up when I learn to stitch - he laughed, nothing could touch him.

***

It was strange to hear his voice on the phone after all that time. Her stomach had closed up as soon as she read his name and now she felt like the walls were falling down on her too. The apartment was silent, she could hear his low breathing on the other side, who knows where.

- …You haven't called in two weeks… - she said, her eyes fixed on the blanket that covered her legs to keep her warm as she lay on the couch.

If Y/N had imagined that day a year earlier, she would have sadly laughed without believing it. No one had ever looked for her every day, no one had ever called her out of the pure desire to know how her life was going. No one had ever been like Roman and without even realizing it, in less than a summer, she had basked in that feeling until she became addicted. She'd never really known what she'd been missing in life until Roman had given it to her, but she'd only realized in those two weeks what it was and it wasn’t about the apartment he'd gotten her, the fridge full and the gifts she kept finding in the living room without knowing how they got there.

And she had also realized how easily everything could disappear, when just as he had come to her, he hadn't shown up again for what had seemed an eternity to her. No calls, no news, not even a visit from the twins, the only ones who had continued direct contact with her after she'd moved there for college. She had waited, keeping her thoughts to herself, she couldn't call him. After a week she gave up. Everything around her was back to how it was before, empty and silent. She had saved up the money in the account, looked for a job: sooner or later the house would disappear too, but she didn't care. She had moved on, pushed by the flow of her new life there, enduring, resigning herself to being alone again. It had been like a strange dream and it hurt, had continued to hurt. But another week had passed and his name had popped on her phone.

- I was busy. How are the lessons going?

Busy, sure. The city was in his hands, and that sort of thing couldn't wait like her. He seemed calm, his voice was not worried. It must have been a business matter, he was fine. He was fine but she wasn't. At all.

- Well.

- Well? That's all?

- Well. Everything is okay here too, the house is in order. - she said flatly, instinctively looking around.

She heard him laugh a lil at that last comment, he never cared what she did with what he gave her, money or things, but she always remembered all of his recommendations regarding that apartment. She didn't want to piss him off, she wanted to show him that she could be trusted, that she was… loyal?

- How was the test? – she heard him ask and she bit hard her lip.

She had erased it from her memory, and even though she would have been happy in another moment that he had remembered it, now she just didn't want to think about it. It would have been like going back, feeling that emptiness again... she had hardly slept in those days, she hadn't been able to concentrate, she had had the impression that they sucked her energy away, it had been horrendous.

- It was last week.

- So?

- I have to do it again. - she admitted in a heavy voice, torturing the edge of the blanket, eyes lowered despite the fact that there was no one there to look at her with reproach.

It was her dream to become a doctor. She had worked day and night to be able to enter that college and have an opportunity and she knew the value of opportunities, so she didnt fail her exams. She never failed her exams. That had been the first.

- … what happened? - Roman inquired after a long moment of silence, his voice serious, low and she felt her stomach tighten, a strange anger building inside her.

- Nothing. I have to do it again…

- Babygirl.

- You haven't called in two weeks.

- I didn't know I had to call you every day and I don't understand what that has to do with the test that went wrong.

He was getting annoyed, she could tell by the tone he was using, but it didn't matter, it wasn't going to get any worse. She was tired, they weren't going to continue that conversation. It was useless and she no longer felt like talking. She could have memorized every book, but she'd been about to screw it up just for a silly fantasy, because her mind had gone where it shouldn't… she was disappointed in herself. He was so clear…

- I’ll study more, I’ll do better. - she promised, looking at her reflection in the window and putting down. The empty house around her and her eyes watering.

She was angry with herself. With her self and no one else. But was that really the reason she felt so sad?

***

Her alarm clock marked almost five in the morning, outside the sky was slowly beginning to take on colour, but the house was still dark. She stared at the closed door to her bedroom, concentrating on the inaudible noise that had come from the living room. If she hadn't been half awake she probably wouldn't have realized it, but she had heard it and she was starting to worry. There was someone in the house with her and certainly wasn't one of the twins: they made noise at any hour, that someone didn't or was trying not to do. She huddled against the headboard, waiting a few more seconds, in one hand her phone and in the other the cup that she had forgotten on the bedside table, the only thing she could think she could use as a weapon. Nothing. Slowly, she pulled the covers aside and moved to get off the bed, but before she could even put her feet on the floor, the handle snapped, letting in some light from the living room.

- Did I wake you up? - Roman asked with a heavy sigh when he saw her and without thinking too much, Y/N crossed the bed again, throwing her arms around his neck to bury her face in the crook of his neck with a sigh of relief.

She had been afraid. She had been about to call him, she hadn't thought of anyone else and he was there now. She hadn't seen him since the first day of college and the last time they spoke didn't end well, but he was there now and as soon as she fully realized it, her hands started touching everywhere, attention at an all-time high, looking for any trace, forgetting the rest.

- Are you hurt? Did something happen? - she looked at him seriously, his big hands still on her hips and eyes fixed on her.

He'd never come there to see her, which wasn't a good sign. If he was there something must have happened. Not that she could ever be of any help in his business and she didn't even want to get in there, but maybe he needed a place to hide out, maybe he needed a few hours. Maybe it had to do with his disappearance two weeks ago, was he hurt? Had they, whoever they were, hurt him? She had to figure out where he was hurt, timing was everything.

- I had to make it up to you - Y/N heard him admit and suddendly she froze, lifting her eyes to meet him.

… had he gone there for her? For that call?

Speechless, she felt her heart on her throat and thanked the almost total lack of light in the room, because she was only realizing at that moment that she had stuck to him and was absolutely sure that her face had completely changed color now. He held her by her hips, his torso completely covering her as she knelt on the bed, he was warm, inviting and she had never felt better than in that moment, feeling him so close to her. Roman always had that effect on her… it was a curse.

Their first meeting had been a waking nightmare, the kind of situation that anyone should avoid and from which she herself had tried to keep away for months, even when their paths had crossed again. But what happened next, was able to erase that memory as well. Her mind was still screaming at her to stay away from him, not to trust him, that he was dangerous, but there was something in the pit of her belly that stopped her from doing it and those weeks without him had destroyed her more than years sleeping in a car, with nothing to eat, struggling to get to the next day.

He had gone there for her. No one had ever done all those things for her.

- You scared me - she said seriously, feeling him caress her hips with a nod of his head, but she didn't give him time to speak or do anything else, arms twisting around his neck.

She kissed him quickly, almost slamming against his mouth, with pretension and the same state of mind in which she could have jumped off a plane. Her head seemed about to explode, torn between the terror of that choice, the desire to continue and the fear of being rejected. His lips were soft, his beard was tingling her face, and his warm breath against her was making Y/N toes curl. She hadn't thought about what to expect, but when she felt one of his hands travel up her back to bring her closer, her body seemed to melt, her mind suddenly blank.

- You can do it, bear it for me - she heard him blowing against her mouth, the arm with which he had held her until then, lifting her body to lay her down.

Before she had time to do anything but cling to his shoulders, Y/N felt her back press into the bed and his body make its way over her, covering her completely. A kiss and another, fingers exploring under the shabby pj she was wearing, the heat rising from her and his teeth marking her. It was dangerous and continuing on that way would lead her to a point of no return, but there was nothing in that moment she wanted more than to lose herself in Roman hands, letting him erase even what he hadn't taken yet.

- My brave girl - she heard him laugh when a moan made her vibrate under him.

It sounded good. His breathing in a dark room, his laughter drowned out by the sound of clothes ending up on the floor, that “my” all for her. It sounded so good it made her want it for the rest of her life. Nothing bad could happen, as long as they were together, nothing could touch her but him.

Tag squad: @sunnyfleur23 @racerchix21 @alyyaanna @angelreigns444 @romanreignsdefencesquad @romanstheory @claymorexpunisher @keybladeofsteel @iovereigns @msbigredmachine @nayys-world @gobbersworld @utika151209 @cumxxslutt @civildawn @romanmydaddy @triscillal @papireigns-05 @helensanders92 @darqchilddaydreamz @meggylynnloves @unfriendly--blvck--hottie @nicolewoo @wrestlezaynia @reignsx @reigns-central-blog @kianaleani @daguenoire @extra-11 @thedonsfactory @snowpanda18 @brattyfics @mzv11 @romanreignseater @namjoonspinkytoenail @tribalchiefdaily @2baddies2furious @vebner37 @depressedneedingrevenge @cyberdejos2 @thewarlordsworld @jeonmahi1864 @jxtina-86 @harmshake @harlem11680 @joanoai @southerngirl41 @blkbutterfly816

#roman reigns fanfiction #roman reigns smut #roman reigns x oc #roman reigns x female reader #roman reigns x reader #roman reigns x y/n #roman reigns oneshot #roman reigns one shot #wwe fanfiction #wwe fic

[ichxraaa]

the little things ft. nanase haruka

⤷ sometimes haru can´t help but wonder f you wud be better with someone else, someone... less boring.

⊱♥︎ is the free! fandom as dead as a ghost town? probably, do i care? not at all, i have been watching the last season and this little thing came up, i have many feelings about haruka nanase.

Haruka wouldn’t necessarily call himself boring, but if put side by side with his friends he could. He doesn’t have Asahi’s boldness, or Nagisa’s bubbliness, or Kisumi’s way of making anyone feel welcome, much less Rin’s ease to break the ice stating that even while having a girl’s name he is a boy, and of course he is far from having Makoto’s wit to start a conversation with any topic. 

And after the first awkward stage of your relationship breaks, the one from the first 3 months give or take he begins to worry about it in a way he simply didn’t care about before. 

He finds it odd, new. The past year he has been so confused and then hesitant to take your friendship from just that to a relationship that he never really thought how things would be once you were together. 

And it’s been bothering ever since he accidentally heard a conversation you had with a friend last week when he went to pick you up from the library. 

“…But seriously, what do you two even talk about?” She laughs, and you laugh with her. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say more than three words together”.

“You just haven’t been lucky then, but don’t worry about me, Haru is plenty interesting even when he is quiet”.

And your answer eases him, and yet he can’t help but be bugged about it in an intrusive way that shows up even when he is trying to eat. 

Right now you’re lying next to him. Your feet are on his lap and his are next to your hips. Sitting on opposing sides of the couch you’re both reading. He can see you’re really focused by the way your brows have furrowed. 

Is this really what you’d like to be doing right now? It is Friday night and even if he has practice tomorrow morning, you don’t. 

“Do you wanna do something else tonight?”

“Mmm?” Your eyes lift from the page with a curious look headed his way. There’s always something in the way you look at him, so openly and intensely yet kind and soft that has him nearly blushing.

“I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to go out or something…”

You smile, hand reaching for his calves and softly massaging the hard muscle. “Not really, do you want to go out?”.

“Not really”.

You laugh and put your book down on the floor while snuggling into the armrest. He inadvertently moves to give you room to accommodate yourself.

“Do you wanna watch a bad movie and order take out?” You ask.

Haru smiles, softly and  nearly missable from the untrained eye. 

Sometimes Haru worries you’re gonna get bored of him, he frequently quotes his grandma as a source of wisdom, he eats nearly the same stuff every day and he is obsessed with water. 

If only he knew those same particularities are such a big part of why you fell in love so quickly, why you went to bed dreaming of the day where you would be bold enough to tell him how you felt. Except he had beat you to it.

Sometimes he worries you’re gonna get bored of him, but fortunately right now his biggest concern is what kind of mackerel dish he’s gonna get for dinner.

#another one of my new year resolution´s was post more writing #even if i feel t´s not perfect #just so my drafts stop collectting dust #free! x reader #haruka nanase x reader #haruka x reader #free! imagines #free! iwatobi swim club x reader #haruka nanase #nanase haruka

[moonlitlex]

i have so much to say abt chalice of the gods so im just gonna copy paste my review from goodreads here. you can also read it on goodreads

ok. i promised i would hate this book. and i do. i hate this book. i also hate rick riordan. in addition, i hate capitalism. i promise that’s relevant.

let’s talk about the book now. i’ll cover the things i love first. i love percy jackson. i love grover. i love annabeth. i love sally. i love paul. i love percy annabeth and grover together. all of these things are very obvious and self-explanatory. percy is hands down THE main character of all time. i have nothing bad to say about him. his literal fatal flaw is loyalty. he’s actually perfect and has no flaws. this is expected from the son of sally jackson, the perfect person. paul is sweet and kind to sally and that’s really all that matters. annabeth is awesome and supportive and so is grover and they’re all besties forever. you get it. you’ve read percy jackson.

the jokes are better than before. there are definitely some legitimately funny jokes in this book, which i was really missing from the last few rick riordan installments. and i don’t think this is because rick suddenly got funnier. i think it’s because this style of joke works for percy. of all of rick’s protagonists, percy seems the most natural fit for these jokes.

sally is great. grover and annabeth are generally on form. so is percy, as much as can be expected from rick riordan at this point. i will elaborate on this later.

now to complain. this is the stupidest premise i’ve ever heard of. percy is a high school senior. he is going to go to new rome university. he needs 3 divine recommendations. this is already a stupid premise but don’t worry, it gets worse. poseidon reveals that the reason percy needs these recommendations is that it’s a special requirement for him specifically made by zeus. and the reason he gets to have this stupid requirement is that he’s a child of the big three and shouldn’t exist.

hello. zeus. yes, lord zeus, it’s me. alexis.

what the absolute FUCK are you saying.

this doesn’t MAKE SENSE. the only reason percy shouldn’t have existed was that the gods had a stupid pact to not have any kids because of a stupid prophecy. two things here. one - that prophecy is OVER. everything turned out fine. thanks to percy jackson. you’re welcome, gods of olympus. two - percy has literally saved olympus TWICE now. two times. this is genuinely such a dumb and made up reason to send percy on a quest that i can’t even turn my brain off and enjoy it. it’s not fun. leave percy alone. LEAVE HIM ALONE.

it’s literally insane how stupid this setup is. rick keeps writing books about how the gods are horrible and take advantage of the demigods and the demigods live terrible lives. in this book, percy has LITERALLY saved olympus TWICE and motherfucking zeus (literally) had to be talked down from making him get 25 letters of recommendation to 3. this is AFTER percy spent 3 years in pjo almost being killed and got his memory wiped for 6-8 months depending on which book you read in hoo and then got sent on a quest to save the entire world AGAIN. this CHILD got like a 2-4 month break (depending on which book you’re reading) and he woke up with no fucking memory and had to spend like 2 more months fighting monsters and the literal primordial earth goddess. and now he has to go on literally pointless quests that someone who didn’t just get back home from saving the actual world could ALSO just do. because he needs to get some fucking letters of recommendation.

look. genuinely. percy jackson should snap at this point in the story. this boy should’ve snapped like at least 5 books ago. at minimum. rick wrote the perfect setup to show us percy’s instant descent into madness. he should LOSE it. all the gods have done for the ENTIRE time he’s known he’s a demigod is treat demigods like disposable tools. this is the point in the story where percy goes. wow. luke was right. you guys are all assholes who don’t care about us even a little bit. i am NOT saying what needs to follow is a fanfic-esque dark!percy story where he successfully destroys olympus or something. what i AM saying. is at bare minimum this is where percy goes you know what fuck you i hate you guys and washes his hands of being a demigod at least temporarily. at the very least he should sit back and think yeah, i don’t really want to go to new rome university. it’s not worth it. i will just go to a different university. look. it’s percy jackson. he can literally one shot all but the most fearsome monsters (typhon, the giants, a drakon, etc). he is literally going to be 100% completely fine going to mortal university AND he wont have to deal with zeus’s annoying ass.

listen. MY percy jackson wanted to kill smelly gabe as a 12 year old because he abused his mother. MY percy jackson doesn’t like bullies. MY percy jackson challenged ares to a fight just on the basis that ares was a fucking asshole.

MY percy jackson is not going on useless fucking quests to go to new rome university of all places.

which reminds me. why DOES he want to go to new rome university. this is percy jackson. he LOVES new york. why is percy “what did they do to my city” jackson going to university ACROSS THE COUNTRY from the city he loves. why is he doing that. and hey look. sally and paul (and soon estelle) are ALSO going to be in new york. so like WHY is he leaving for real. percy my fatal flaw is loyalty jackson. IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE OK! it’s percy he is seriously not going to have issues with common monsters attacking him. we literally saw him fight off titans and giants a fucking hellhound isn’t gonna get his ass. WHY is he leaving. it does NOT make sense.

there’s this scene ok. where sally tells them she’s pregnant. and percy’s like oh my god…. i’m going to be in california…. and my sister is going to be here…. and i was just sitting there going. yeah bro. why are you going to california. i literally do not understand. you literally are from nyc. you live here. your family is here. your friends from chb are like a short pegasus ride away. there are like 50 universities in new york. just go here. why are you leaving. you are percy jackson. being a new yorker is literally one of your defining traits. stay here. WHY AR EYOU LEAVING I DO NOT UNDERSTAND PERSEUS

and listen. if your argument is that annabeth is going to be in nru. why the FUCK is ANNABETH going to nru!!!!! WHY WOULD SHE DO THAT!!!! EXPLAIN IT!!!! percy LITERALLY says annabeth is such an overachiever she’s already run out of ap classes to take. he literally says that. why the fuck is this girl going to nru where let’s be real her admission is guaranteed. annabeth is 100% someone who would want to go to an ivy. and would you fucking believe it there’s an ivy right here in nyc. like let’s be fucking realistic here. annabeth started her architecture career at SIXTEEN designing the city the fucking GODS live in. so like. don’t you think she’d want to be a bit more challenged. don’t you think she’d want to go to a university that is actually recognizable to mortals. annabeth did NOT love new rome that much like did richard forget what he wrote. this girl was freaking out about new rome until percy said he only likes it because they could live together there. she literally does not care about new rome and she is WAY too ambitious and academically inclined to be happy with going to some small as uni 99% of employers have never heard of.

this isn’t even the worst character assassination in the book. that award goes to the way rick wrote percy. percy. my darling percy. my beloved percy. perseus jackson. light of my life. as i said before, he is MOSTLY on form. the him really wanting to cali thing is definitely ooc for him but it is NOTHING compared to the sheer amount of times rick portrays percy as stupid in this accursed novel. his internal monologue is constantly shit like i’m always so behind annabeth and omg i’m being so dumb right now and annabeth calls me seaweed brain because i’m an idiot and blah blah fucking blah.

dick riordan has forgotten that perseus jackson is, in fact, not stupid at all. he is INCREDIBLY clever. he is just not particularly academically inclined/not very book smart and it would also be perfectly understandable given the fucking books that riordan wrote to interpret that as percy being very discouraged from engaging with his studies. he genuinely enjoys chiron’s class at yancy because chiron is an engaging teacher and encourages him. he spends 90% of his time in pjo deducing what’s going on with extremely limited information because rick decided none of the characters can tell him anything because of plot and exposition reasons. in son of neptune he literally just coasts on having sherlockian (not bbc that’s a whole other angry review) powers of deduction. to the point where the characters around him are amazed at how he’s figuring stuff out. literally in house of hades annabeth’s pov’s are constantly her commenting on how she gives percy shit for being a dumbass but he’s actually really clever.

it genuinely feels like at some point during the writing of mark of athena rick decided to just slowly start making various fanon ideas canon. percy being stupid is very commonly accepted fanon because he doesn’t realize how smart he is (and fans don’t realize he’s an unreliable narrator) and the fans also love to infantilize characters with more in your face adhd (leo is another victim of this phenomenon). we’ve spent 5 books in percy’s head and he doesn’t think he’s particularly clever so it makes sense to ignore the mountains of evidence pointing towards his quick and creative thought process in favour of haha percy is dumb jokes.

the wild thing is, percy isn’t even that hard on himself in pjo. he obviously doesn’t see himself in the same way we later come to find out other people see him (mainly thinking about hazel and frank in son of neptune, which is the only time in hoo he genuinely feels like the same character as pjo percy) but he’s not really dealing with crazy self doubt and self esteem issues. he does have his down on himself moments but they’re all extremely understandable given the context because he literally faces impossible odds in every single pjo book. at one point he’s disappointed he couldn’t tell that ares and luke manipulated him… like yes bestie that’s a very valid thing to feel upset and betrayed about. it doesn’t mean that he’s actually stupid though and genuinely he comes across more as humble and not realizing just how awesome and cool and interesting he is than anything else. percy consistently shows that he is really clever. half of pjo is percy figuring out a new and interesting way of defeating his enemies and the other half is percy figuring out how to bait his enemies into a duel to improve his odds. it’s horrible what rick does to percy in his internal monologue.

it’s to an insane degree. yes i realize i have already written 500 words about percy not being stupid alone but i must stress how egregious this is. it’s literally characters who have previously acknowledged percy’s intelligence who start remarking about how he’s stupid. in house of hades percy and annabeth get out of fucking TARTARUS and reyna makes a jab about how percy wouldn’t be able to find his way out of a paper bag without annabeth. that is an INSANE thing to say for reyna and for rick. rick has not written a stupid character so it’s weird to make that something a character does without really trying to show them being wrong. from reyna’s perspective, this is a guy she was complimenting a few short weeks ago. this is a guy she immediately wanted to make a leader at the camp that she loves and is her home. this is guy she barely knows and she pretty much immediately proposes to him. WHY would she suddenly start making jokes about how dumb he is? it’s not like she actually knows him better now. he came to the battle with reinforcements and basically immediately dipped after the feast. how are we to accept reyna treating our beloved perseus in this horrific manner? we simply cannot. it is unnacceptable. this is inaccurate.

it’s so WRONG to do this to percy. yES I UNDERSTAND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR TOO LONG. I DON’T CARE. PERCY JACKSON IS MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE AND I NEED TO DEFEND HIM FROM THIS SLANDER. I AM ONLY PARTIALLY JOKING. listen. liSTEN. this is the guy whose signature move is manipulate your enemy into dueling with you when you’re outnumbered or outmatched. he very coolly manipulated bob into killing his own brother (btw this was very hot and sexy and clever and attractive perseus is king of gaslight gatekeep girlboss). he is NOT stupid. he is impulsive. he is extremely oblivious about some things. he is NOT stupid. i watched perseus jackson grow up for 5 books and he is not stupid. i always say this. i always say that percy is not stupid and richard riordan refuses to listen to me.

there are such horrendous lines as “i am a guy of limited talents. if i can’t kill it with water, a sword, or sarcasm, i’m basically defenseless.” richard how DARE you say this about my beloved perseus. he is NEVER like this. he literally would never say that. even at absolute worst percy’s internal monologue was “this plan is stupid and will get us killed. but it’s the plan i have.” he’s NOT a being defenseless guy. what hte fuck are you saying. richard did you read your own books. RICHARD. DID YOU. at one point he says that he is constantly several steps behind annabeth’s thought process. he has literally never thought this before and it is also untrue. richard. i hate you. read your own fucking books oh my god.

ok. i think i have sufficiently harped on the fact that percy is not stupid. now i will complain about another thing. and this was just in one part but it bothered me and this is my review so i get to talk about whatever i want. if you don’t like it read someone else’s review. don’t hate read my review. i didn't charge you money to read it

at one point, percy has to wrestle a god who hercules once wrestled. and annabeth says something about hercules brute forcing it. and look. i GET that hercules was freakishly strong. i get that. i understand it. but when annabeth says hercules just brute forced it they’re both like ah shit i can’t do that. perseus. beloved. you ripped the minotaurs horn off its head with your bare hands as a 12 year old with no training. you are literally insanely strong as is. that is an insane thing for a 12 year old to be able to do. hell, that would be an insane thing for a grown adult to do. i don’t think rick realizes how op percy is. he was so caught up in making percy cool (which is, you know, extremely understandable and right and correct percy jackson is the coolest man in fiction for a reason i get it) that he forgot that he made percy extremely unbelievably powerful too. with the curse of achilles he was potentially matching minor gods in power level. he fights while sustaining mini-hurricanes and explodes glaciers and shit.

some more things. the prose is… acceptable. the plot reads like a fever dream. there is a smoothie shop called himbo juice that annabeth percy and grover are evidently regulars at. and there are. himbos. that serve. juice. so you can imagine what this fever dream looks like. like the last couple rick riordan releases, this one reads like published fanfiction too, just with better quality of writing than the sun and the star.

there are some WEIRD continuity errors in here. one of them is fairly minor but i still noticed it - percy says his father compared his mother to a princess. this is not true. poseidon compared sally to a queen. specifically, he called her “a queen among women”. i know this because i am sally jackson’s number 1 fan.

more egregiously, however, is annabeth’s yankees cap heebie jeebies. percy puts on annabeths’s cap and gets the heebie jeebies while using it. and then he goes wow annabeth. you never told me that using the cap is like this. and annabeth is like yeah well. power is like that. richard. riordan. did you fucking FORGET that percy has, in fact, worn annabeth’s cap before. and it was literally completely. once again, richard, did you read your own books.

one more good thing - when percy fights geras/gary, who is the god/personification of old age, the way he does it is by imagining him and his friends getting older and embracing it. this was a genuinely good and sweet moment and it was very touching. the trio’s talks about this after the fact are also absolutely a return to form from riordan. for like, a few paragraphs. but still.

the biggest problem is just how obvious it is that this book is a cash grab. we had pjo. then we had a sequel series. then we had ANOTHER sequel series. and now we’re getting random standalone novels that are extremely unnecessary and don’t add anything. rick riordan has dollar signs in his eyes. these are not stories that make sense. these are not stories rick genuinely wanted to tell. these are stories that are being told because the purpose of publishing books now is to maximize profit. (sidebar - i told you the capitalism thing would be relevant. you should believe me more often. smh) the only reason rick is still writing these books is that they make money. they feel extremely empty and hollow.

percy is trapped as a teenager forever because rick refuses to let him age up. percy accepting old age would make FAR more sense for a percy who’s in his 20’s and just now realizing that he lived past all the shit he thought was going to kill him and he has a real life that he likes and he could actually grow old now. but percy must be a child for marketing purposes, so he stays a child. the world itself is trapped in a cycle of the gods promising they’ll be better and the gods literally not changing at all. and for the sake of the book series, it can’t change. if we had real change in the world, that would actually mean something, silly. we can’t have consequences. we have to reset every 5 years like a fucking comic book so that we can make infinite money. this is the infinite money glitch irl. just make trash that doesn’t need to be made. the end point of capitalism is making trash no one asked for that has no artistic merit just because you can make money off of it.

by the way, dr emily wilson’s iliad translation, which was also out on the same day, is LESS expensive than this book. this cashgrab nonsense novel is MORE expensive than a book a professor in classics who has a phd spent 4 years on. this is just wrong. the fun and stupid cashgrab book should NOT be more expensive than a book that someone spent 4 years meticulously translating from ancient greek. it’s just so clear and in your face. trials of apollo absolutely felt like a cashgrab but at least there was SOME semblance of effort there. this is literally just the most plain and simple cashgrab novel you can make.

hey. you know the infinite monkey theorem? the infinite monkey theorem is that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type any given text including shakespeare. richard riordan is a monkey with a typewriter. you get it. you’ve read percy jackson.

rick riordan struck gold with pjo. it’s genuinely to this day one of my favourite things i’ve ever read, flaws and all. it’s FUN. it’s COOL. it’s THEMATICALLY COHESIVE. the characters grow and change. they feel like real people with personalities. it literally doesn’t even matter how op percy is because THAT’S how good of a character he is. he is so compelling that you want to read about him anyway even though you can tell right from the minotaur fight that this kid can decimate whatever opponent he has. the books are funny and moving because you can genuinely connect to these characters. the more i read rick riordan’s work, the more certain i am that pjo was a fluke. i don’t think he knows what he’s doing. i think he should retire from writing.

unfortunately for me, richard riordan seems to have no intention of retiring. he has announced another percy jackson book that will be released next year. i assume there will be at least 2 more books based on the setup in this one.

rick. listen. i know you’re listening because what else will you do with your time. rick, why are you doing this. hasn’t percy been through enough. when will it end. give it a rest. stop it. get some help. at the very least, read your own books before writing percy. i am right about him and you are wrong about him. you are the author and i’m killing you right now. i am strangling you and i am hitting you with weapons. all at once. i am very proficient at causing deaths. (this is a metaphor referring to roland barthes’ death of the author. i wish no bodily harm to richard riordan).

this book is… alright. percy is my smart king. sally jackson is queen of my heart. it’s a fun read but you do have to turn your brain off completely and read through some serious percy defamation.

[edit: i am downgrading this book to one star (was at 2). the more i think about it, the more angry i am. there is literally a paragraph tailor made to rub jason's death in our faces. it's about how he looks forward to getting old being married to piper and having grandchildren. it's a very low blow. jason is literally rick riordan's biggest missed opportunity and he's rubbing in how poorly he treated jason even after killing him off for apollo's character development.

annabeth still keeps putting percy down because rick doesn't realize how mean she is i guess. she's still scared of him. canonically. which is a really weird and fucked up thing to write imo. this relationship doesn't seem healthy in canon (they are healthy in my head, however, because i know what women are like) but rick refuses to address it or let them break up. i LOVE annabeth. i love her. but she is an extremely flawed character and rick never treats her as such. and it just makes it exhausting to read about her.

percy IS on form but it genuinely feels like he's tlt percy, not post hoo percy. his inner voice sounds way more immature than it has for most of pjo and in son. riordan also repurposes the "look, i didn't want to be a half-blood" line from tlt to make a dumb little joke about how high school is hard. it was a GOOD opening line. it immediately set the tone and told us so much about percy in literally just a handful of words. now it's a joke about how being a senior in high school sucks. it's this mcu-esque allergy to being sincere that pjo never had.

there is BARELY any grover in this book. i love grover so much that i was cheering any time he was there, but there is very little of him. he's in like 2 or 3 scenes and has his own side plot going on with juniper and being bad at understanding what his girlfriend wants or whatever. extremely unnecessary and not what i want for grover. this book kind of ends up feeling like it's about annabeth but from percy's perspective. she gets good moments at percy's expense. percy spends the book monologuing about how annabeth is way smarter than him and all he has is his sick ass water powers and the best swordfighting skill in 300 years, both of which are very downplayed. percy explodes a river and it's treated like this crazy freaky scary thing but two years ago in universe he made a volcano erupt and everyone was like yeah this makes sense percy is that powerful. in son he explodes a glacier and it's just a normal tuesday for him. he literally doesn't even react to it. and now we're supposed to believe his exploding and purifying a river feat is some unbelievable feat.]

in conclusion, i want a refund. no i did not purchase this book. however, i would like to be reimbursed about $5000 in emotional damages. i will also be suing richard riordan for defamation on percy’s behalf. good night new york city. and my beloved perseus jackson who lives in new york city.

#alexis.exe #pjo #cotg crit #rr crit #cotg spoilers #cotg #i hope yall who dont want negative stuff have the crit tag blacklisted lol dont come at me

[you-remind-me-of-the-babe]

Another lovely year in this wonderful fandom. Here’s a little recap of how my year went:

My Writing:

Depth of Reason - Mature - 70k

How to Avoid a Scandal - Teen - 43k

Episode 3: The Diplomat, A Star Trek Redemption story - Teen - 13.5k

This list is much shorter than my list of fics written in 2022, but my fics last year were much shorter. Also, this word count is deceptive, because I wrote about 22k of Depth of Reason last year and about 20k of How to Avoid a Scandal last year as well. But! My writing goals this year were to finish these two WIPs and not take on any other projects until they were finished and I very nearly did that! Took on two projects (and more below), but I still finished these before the year finished, so pretty good!

Total words:

About 83k. Last year was more like 120k.

Other works:

Podfic of Petrichor - Teen - 34 minutes

Themes:

Finishing long works apparently! One was for my 2022 COBB and the other for my 2022 CORB. Even though these were started last year, they are the longest things I wrote since my first fic (49k) back in the second half of 2021.

Also, trying new things! Writing sci-if and recording a podfic felt very outside my wheelhouse at the time, but ultimately, I’m glad I went for it.

Top 10 fics I read in 2023:

Someone Wicked - Explicit - 60k by @artsyunderstudy

Three Months or 3,000 Miles - Gen - 3k by @larkral and art by @theimpossibledemon

Blood, Salt and Hummingbirds - Teen - 32k by @hushed-chorus

Restoration Ecology - The REmix (Baz’s version) - Explicit - 62k by @royalasstronaut

Good at Something - Explicit - 19k by @larkral

A Gift From the Propheseals - Mature - 6.5k by @skeedelvee with art by @letraspal

What Remains After the Storm - Mature - 86k by @hushed-chorus art by @erzbethluna

To Do, to Know, to Want - Mature - 8.5k by @facewithoutheart

Mishaps on Zoom - Explicit - 10k by @eelwinks

Swords Into Plowshares - Teen - 6.5k by @ileadacharmedlife

WIPs I’m excited to keep reading in 2024:

I Knew A Boy, I Knew A Man - Teen, by @shrekgogurt

Hiding Out In The Open - Mature, by @cutestkilla

A Little Bit Deadly- Explicit, by @emeryhall

Basil Pitch’s Diary - Teen, by @bookish-bogwitch

Other notable fandom things:

I helped to run @carryon-reverse-bang again with @angelsfalling16 as well as helped to put on a new event this year, @caught-on-tape-fest with @cutestkilla and @sillyunicorn

I met up with fandom friends while on a trip this past summer. Making personalized friendship bracelets as gifts, doing fic readings and crafts, and putting on our own Lady Ruth style tea party were some of my fave moments <3

I did a book club style reread of some of my fave fics with friends. I hope we do a few more in 2024!

It’s safe to say I engaged with this fandom everyday of 2023. I might get quiet on the main Discord server or Tumblr, but I’m certain I read, reblogged, wrote, DMd or otherwise participated in some way, shape or form throughout the entirety of the year.

Goals for 2024:

Read more fic! This fandom has such a wealth of works, my TBR list is a mile long and isn’t organized. I’d like to formally rework my AO3 bookmarks to exclusively show recs and either utilize the Marked for Later function or make a spreadsheet or something to better organize a proper TBR list so i don’t lose track of what I want to read next. Currently, having a dozen tabs open on my phone and another dozen on my iPad doesn’t really work well. If anyone has a brilliant system you’d suggest, please enlighten me!

I also want to read all of my physical canon books this year. I’ve only ever listened to the audiobooks! I’m currently reading my anniversary edition of Fangirl. (I think this is the prettiest book I’ve ever owned.) Up next, the Fangirl Manga, followed by the trilogy and Snow for Christmas.

More fandom meet ups! Already planning for June…

I don’t have any writing plans currently, so we shall see if/what I decide to create. I have a few ideas rolling around in my head, but nothing I’ve felt urged to put down in words. I’m sure I’ll write something, I just don’t know what it’ll be yet.

#That’s a wrap! #Love being a part of this fandom #Y’all are wonderful #here’s to another great year! #fandom year in review

[spoiled-milk]

genshin guys as people in your life (modern college au)

a/n: i’ve played papa’s freezeria more times than i’ve opened genshin in this past week lmao. went overboard with childe’s and alhaitham’s parts but oh well.

content warning : none other than probably ooc for everyone (i have not touched the game in months). gender neutral reader. not proof read

word count: ~1.06k words

you see tattoo artist albedo pretty often even though you don’t have a single tattoo on you. your close friend who has dozens of tattoos often calls you from there to pick them up from his shop. one time they ask you if you’d like to join their session (with albedo’s permission of course) since you’ve talked about getting a tattoo a few times. as albedo continues to work on their upper arms, you sit back in a chair next to your roommate and unconsciously gaze at albedo. he catches your stare and you turn your eyes away. you pull out a book from your british literature class and start to read. you can feel his eyes on you every now and then while you annotate your book. at the end of the appointment, your friend leaves to go use the bathroom before the two of you leave. as albedo cleans down his equipment he makes small talk with you. 

"whenever you’re ready, I’d be more than happy to be your first.” he hands you a business card with his name and email address on it. He gets super close to you as he whispers “I promise I’ll be gentle with you.” you feel your ears heat up at his comment. you thank him as you help your friend into your car. you flip over the back of the business card to see a phone number written in dark blue ink. 

whenever you come back to your hometown for the holidays or break, childe is a face you always see. you went to the same high school and you shared a class together, but he was in his social bubble and you stayed in yours. you did have  a small crush on him for a short period of time, but that has since faded since you’ve left for your studies and since he graduated. you did share a calculus class with him and you were assigned to be seated next to each other the entire year, but that was two years ago. he’s a year older than you and you both have different friend groups, but they all have a get together every once in a while at someone’s house. This brings you to your current situation where you and childe are locked in someone’s closet after being forced to play 7 minutes in heaven. the two of you awkwardly sit in the cramped closet. 

“you’ve gotten a lot cuter since high school.” childe breaks the silence. “is that so? I would like to think that I’ve put a lot more thought into my appearance than I did last time we spoke.” your high school wardrobe of sweatpants and oversized t-shirts come back to mind. “what’s a busy person like you up to now a days? I’ve hardly seen you around town.” you tell him that you’re at university for at least another year or two. “I heard that you’ve got a pretty good job, travelling all the time.” you fiddle with the hem of your clothes. childe moves closer to you and you don’t move away. “it has its drawbacks. like not being able to see you often.” you feel the tips of your ears blush as he moves closer and closer to you until he has his hand on the wall of the closet with you caged between him and the wall. he tilts his head and plants a kiss onto your left cheekbone. the closet door swings open and your friends’ faces appears in the doorway, some of them with teasing smiles and eyes. you shift your face away from them. you and childe exit the closet but childe stops you a moment before you sit back down. he hands you a piece of paper from his to yours. “i look forward to calling you tonight.”

when you work in the school library in the morning or in the evening, alhaitham is someone you quite often see no matter when you work. you open the library in the morning, he is checking out a stack of books when he arrives an hour after opening. you close the library and he leaves with a huge stack of books when you tell him y’all are closing. you try to think about what could he be majoring in to a) read that many books and b) have time to read that many books as a university student. you’ve thought he was an english major, but then you saw him read a thesis with some big physics words in the title. you then thought “ah physics major then. makes sense.” but then this mf pulls out a book on organic chemistry the size of your head and confuses you some more. you think he’s caught you staring at him, but you absolutely under no circumstances can you bring this up with him (if he notices, he’s not telling you). 

you’ve finally finished putting books away on the first floor and after a short break you start on putting away books on the second floor. you see alhaitham reading on the second floor seated at one of the tables under a large window. you can see the sunlight peer through and illuminate his muscular form. the sunlight highlights the sharp features on his face and the intensity of his stare at his textbooks. you don’t notice that he’s staring back until he talks to you. you apologize about staring and continue to shelve books back while trying not to blush (it doesn’t work). “is it normal for library assistants to stare at their guests?” you laugh nervously and tell him no it isn’t. “sorry, I’m not used to seeing really attractive” you think long and hard about what he could major in. “pre-med majors?” judging by the look on his face he was not in fact a pre-med major. “uhh you’re a mathematics major? biochem major?” alhaitham still gives you the same look. “English major minoring in linguistics.” damn well you were kinda right with your first guess. “either way, I am not used to seeing attractive men reading at the library. my apologies if my staring made you uncomfortable.” you take your empty cart and wheel it out of the second floor. you don’t notice the blush creeping on the tip of his ears as you pass him to the elevator.

#genshin x reader #albedo x reader #childe x reader #alhaitham x reader #genshin albedo x reader #genshin childe x reader #genshin alhaitham x reader #milk.txt

[novaacanee]

To The Things I Can’t Control

AlucardxBlack!Reader

Pt.2

“To The Things I Can’t Control

It has been two years since the passing of my parents at the hands of the church. I miss them both dearly. I am currently spending my days working at a Botique known as Modiste. My boss is a lively French woman who sometimes lets me barrow some fabric to make myself a new dress.

These days, I’ve been think about the past and those who encapsulated it. Adrian, my first love. I miss him most deeply. His father has waged war against all of the humans after the church murder his human wife Lisa Tepes. I hope he is okay. I do wonder if I can find him. Would you even allow me to find him again? Will he even recognize me?” The pen in her hand came to a halt. A feeling of sadness overwhelmed her spirit.

She closed her notebook and stood from her bed, walking over to a tote laying in a velvet chair within her bedroom. Verena placed the book inside, along with a pen and some spare clothing. Though she appreciated all that Genevieve had done for her but, she must set out.

Within the last few years, she had been plotting revenge for what the church had done to her. What they did to her family and her home. Her mission was to speak with the Speakers that we’re currently residing in Gresit for the time being. They were familiar with almost all legends and information that circulate around Wallachia.

With her bag in hand, she went down the spiral staircase and left an envelope on Genevieve’s desk before heading out. She has saved up enough coin to buy herself a horse for the harrowing journey ahead.

The ambient sound of the leaves moving in the wind surrounded Verena. Her instincts on high alert as her and her horse travelled through the woods. The sound of leaves crunching under the horses hoof broke her attention momentarily. She was very familiar with the presence of what was know as night creature within the surrounding lands.

A dagger sparkled under the moonlight as it laid firmly in her grip. A chill went down her spine as she felt a presence besides her own. “I know you’re here. You smell Fucking disgusting. We’re so close to a stream and you have forgone bathing all together?” She huffed, hopping off of her horse. “Come out, I have places to be.”

And with that a tall-winged beast flew out from the surrounding trees. A hellish screech leaving its mouth. “Ohh so you’re one of those night creatures everyone has been raving about? Definitely quite ugly…” she said as the monster swooped down at her, aiming its sharp claws for anything it could reach.

Verena managed to dodge just in the knick of time. She held out her weapon, aiming it towards the creature making its second round towards her. With all of her strength, she through the sharp metal. The sound of it being sheared into the head of the beast was rather nauseating but satisfactory. It signified that she was to live another day.

Tattered clothing now stained with grass, night creature blood, guts and dirt. A shaky hand rested on her chest as she felt herself breathing heavily. Verena moved closer to the beat ,analyzing its corpse that laid in front of her.

Through the trees, she could see a small village. “I hope to whatever god that that is Gresit and not a completely different village. You would think Father would have taught me how to read a map.” She chuckled bitterly and went over to where she left her horse only to find it deceased. “Fuck! I saved up for 4 months.” She exhaled sharply.

She sauntered over to the horse and kneeled next to the animal. She reached into her bag and placed it next to the horses gingerly. “I’m sorry I put you in this position. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.” Verena ran a hand through the blood soaked mane before standing again. “Onward I guess.” She hummed, making her way toward the direction of the village.

The village was rather nightmarish; much more so than she remembered. Puddles of blood stained the perimeter of it. The building practically ruins at this point. It was a miracle anyone could still call this place home. She was about to continue on her way when she bumped face first into the chest of a man “God it’s not even the evening yet and people already drunk. Men.” Verena thought she had said this in her head…she did not.

“And who the fuck are you?” A gruff voice answered. “Talk a lot of shit for someone who bumped into me first. I didn’t say anything about you looking like a failed attempt of a noble.” The man towered her figure. Chocolate locs and striking blue eyes was the first thing she noticed. The second thing was the crest on his Tunic.

Her eyes widened a little as she felt her heart drop. “Belmont…? I thought you guys got wiped out? The hell are you doing here?” Verena asked, praying to any and every god once again that her fangs weren’t visible. “Yeah well her I am. Who the fuck are you?” He asked, drunken annoyance coating his tongue. “My name is Verena. My family name is of no importance to you. I’m only here to converse with the speakers.”

“I really didn’t ask for your life story hun. You’re in luck though, I’m looking for em too.” Verena’s ear perked up as she heard this. “Well then, hope you don’t mind me following you then since you obviously know more than me.” She responded sarcastically. “I do mind actually.” Trevor began to walk away from her, turning into a small alleyway. Verena followed suit, she quite honestly could give less of a fuck if he wanted her there or not. She had a mission that she needed to accomplish.

She noticed 3 men brush past Trevor. Two of them in church attire and the other in a purple cloak. They seemed to be antagonizing the poor old man. “I’m not getting involved.” Trevor mumbled to himself, still watching the altercation. Verena turned to look at him. “Flagitium hominis (disgrace of a man)” she spoke in Latin. “He’s just an old man. He has no means of defense against them.”

Trevor groaned aloud. “What are you the rebirth of Christ? Fine.” A heavy sighed escaped his lips as her reached for his whip just in time to save the older speaker from enduring any injuries from the clergymen. Verena watched as Trevor fought against them a little amused. “Not bad for a human.” She thought to herself. “Wait, I’m part human too, I shouldn’t insult myself.” Trevor scared off the two clergymen and turned to her . “You really don’t know how to not say your thought aloud huh?” Verena gave him a blank look. “Oops.” She shrugged.

“The violence wasn’t necessary however, your kindness is much appreciated.” Trevor shrugged. “You’re welcome although, can I accompany you to your lodging?” Verena physically face palmed at his forwardness however; the speaker abliged. “We speakers are nomadic individuals however; you both are welcome to accompany me.”

The walk to the speaker’s lodging was short. The older speaker invited them in and explained their current situation with their presence in Gresit and the church as well as his missing Grandchild. Verena watched Trevor speak with them, drinking some water. “You might as well help them, ain’t got shit else to do.” She whistled, taking another sip of her water and ignoring the side glare he had given her. “God if the night creatures to Fucking kill me, the sound of your voice will.”

#adrian tepes x reader #castlevania black!reader #alucard x reader #alucardxblack!reader #castlevania alucard x reader #castlevania netflix #castlevania nocturne #netflix original

[lambergeier]

silviculture - 13.1k, alhaitham/kaveh

in which alhaitham switches places with his younger self and everyone handles this extraordinarily badly. we will improve this situationship or die trying. now on ao3! first two scenes below for ur reading pleasure.

Alhaitham, being no longer in his living room, decides the first thing he should do is sit down. He does so.

He’s in an Akademiya dorm room. It’s early afternoon. A few moments ago it was late at night and he was speaking with Kaveh, who was in the kitchen of Alhaitham’s own house. Alhaitham was leaning against the couch in the living room and flipping through a book that wasn’t worth the paper it’d been printed on. The book is also gone.

Alhaitham only began dreaming again eight months ago, but he’s confident that this isn’t a dream. It looks, with a great deal more specificity than could be possible even for his sleeping mind, like Kaveh’s dorm room. Books of design, materials science, desert exploration, runic translation, and piano theory are piled on the desk. There is, laying on the bedsheets by Alhaitham’s hand, a cheap but fashionable earring he remembers vividly for the way it had caught the light in their single shared lecture, late afternoon in the hall below the Sanctuary. Semiotics and Glassmaking in Deshret’s Kingdom. He skims the earring briefly with a fingertip then moves his hand to his lap.

He considers what this might mean.

The door swings open and Kaveh says, “Haitham, can you take some of these? I borrowed everything I could find on desert Seelies but it’s really almost nothing, like I can’t tell if we’re running into another ridiculous knowledge restriction again or if genuinely no one’s ever tried to track the Seelie courts in Upper Setekh, which would be so typical, wouldn’t it, so I grabbed everything else I saw on the–”

Kaveh’s face is bright, young, flushed, freckled, happy. He’s wearing an Akademiya uniform and is as tall as the last time Alhaitham saw him (fifteen minutes ago) which means he’s an inch or two shorter than the last time Alhaitham saw him, because the uniform boots are heeled. He’s staring at Alhaitham with the aforementioned flush spreading like dye over the silk of his cheeks.

“Kaveh,” Alhaitham says. “Don’t freak out. I believe I’ve been displaced in time.”

“Oh, I,” Kaveh says. His hands start to go slack beneath the stack of books leaning against his chest, so Alhaitham takes the books from him and sets them on the chair beside the desk.

“You–yes,” Kaveh says, the flush climbing down his neck and up to his ears now. “I–oh.”

He couldn’t be more than eighteen. Which would make it, assuming this is in fact the past Alhaitham remembers, which he really has no way to determine without further investigation, the year Alhaitham himself turned sixteen.

“I developed a bodybuilding habit when I was twenty and attempting to do some metabolic experiments that ultimately proved unfruitful,” Alhaitham says. “You can touch my shoulders if that would get this over with.”

Kaveh, whose left hand had begun to drift with little apparent thought towards Alhaitham’s bare deltoid, snaps back so hard his head smacks into the doorframe. “I’m so sorry!” he says. “I’m so sorry, this is so rude of me, I should never have assumed, I’m so sorry, and you’re so much older, and you never said–”

Alhaitham sighs.

--

Kaveh stands bent over the kitchen sink, working his jaw and watching his cuticles slowly go to ribbons in the soapy water. Not literally. Literally enough. He should have let Alhaitham buy the stupid gentle dish soap that didn’t ruin Kaveh’s cuticles. Kaveh stops himself from thinking further on Alhaitham’s incredibly domineering dish soap opinions.

Alhaitham has gone quiet in the living room, but that doesn’t mean very much. The state of their immortal souls could be at stake and Alhaitham would still bar himself from Celestia before he continued a conversation he continued boring. Or a fight.

Kaveh works his jaw harder, tension dull and radiant above one eye. It’s not impossible for him to wait Alhaitham’s silence out. He’s done it before and he could do it again. It’s a way to end a fight, and wouldn’t it be nice, ever, to end a fight? Without starting another? Could they hope for that much peace, at the least?

Suds climb up Kaveh’s wrists. The number of nights he’s spent in this same position, mirroring himself like silvered glass over the past year and whatever he’s lived in Alhaitham’s house, frustrated and sad and exhausted by this whole situation, feels suddenly like a millstone around his neck. What a joke.

“Look, I get that you don’t think conversation is worth your time!” Kaveh shouts as he slams the cutting board into the sink. “But pretending like this isn’t a problem just because you’re bored is not actually a long-term solution to the problem!”

Silence. “Haitham, I know you’re still out there!”

“Kaveh?” Alhaitham calls back. His voice ends on a high and uncharacteristic quaver.

Kaveh throws himself through the door to the living room.

There’s a different Alhaitham standing in the soft streetlamp glow of the window. There’s an infant Alhaitham. He’s skinny, teetering, his hair too long over his ears, where are his headphones?, god, look at those stretch marks on his shoulders, red as fresh paint—

Alhaitham is looking up at the ceiling, head tipped back, balancing poorly on his heels as he turns. His head follows the lines of the woodwork. “Is this—” His voice cracks, squeaking in a way that Kaveh was viciously self-conscious of when he was young and Alhaitham never gave a shit about. Alhaitham didn’t start the masculinizing meds until he was at least fifteen, supplies a portion of Kaveh’s heart that very rarely forgets. His voice hasn’t cracked since they were—

Alhaitham looks from the vaulted ribs of his home to Kaveh. His eyes are enormous. He appears full of stars. “Is this the research center… you designed?” he asks. “This is our project?”

“Oh, no,” says Kaveh.

He’s wearing the undershirt and trousers of an Akademiya uniform. The permanent frowning divot between his eyebrows has yet to form. The longer he looks at Kaveh, his pale eyes flickering from Kaveh’s face to hands to chest to belt, the more he appears, ludicrously, to blush.

“Oh, no,” says Kaveh, as Alhaitham trips backwards over the footstool and lands flat on his ass.

and u can get the rest of this over here 👍👍

#genshin impact #haikaveh #hkvh #kavetham #this bitch fought me good but she's finally done and i love her 👌👌

[tarirose]

From Best Friends To Lovers

Garreth Weasley x Reader

I’m also taking requests for Sebastian and Garreth so I can get more into writing. So feel free to send me some requests :)

Based on this request: Flirty Garreth trying to get the MC’s attention and him hinting that he likes them. But MC thinks that it’s just his dorky self. Because he’s just clumsy! He even went as far as mentioning Amortentia, hoping it would perk up their attention. Garreth and MC are best friends, but he always tries to hide away to cover his blushing face whenever he tries to flirt, or there’s any kind of physical affection. Until he finally gets what he has been trying so hard to do. And things get a little heated.

Warnings: Fluff and Smut. Characters are aged up.

Thank you for requesting this! I absolutely love Garreth! Your message made me super happy and I’m glad you enjoyed my last one. I’m still super nervous I’m not very good. But I really appreciate your message, I tried my best, and it may have gone in a bit of a different direction. I also hope you are doing well 🥹

Also @thedarkjotun I can finally tag you 🥰 I’ll tag you in any others I do!

You were sat in the library, head buried in between a book you had been studying for hours. Garreth had told you about a new potion he wanted to try, he wouldn’t tell you exactly what it was, but he needed your help with the ingredients.

Of course, he himself had accompanied you. He was always by your side. You two were always seen together, always paired up in the classes you shared, always sat near each other in the Great Hall. As you were both in the same house, he would always walk with you back to the dorm. He would leave you little notes, telling you what he has found, if he found something you like, or something new he wanted you both to try.

Over the past years of your time at Hogwarts, you and Garreth had become relatively close to one another. You would consider him as your best friend. You piqued his interest from the moment you shared the same level of excitement in potions as him. He had started to develop feelings for you, and quickly became attached to you. You were kind, funny, smart and beautiful.

Garreth was sat beside you, finding any way he possibly can to entertain himself whilst you were trying to find out more about the type of ingredients he needed for this mysterious concoction. Throwing you little notes, poking at you, making stupid flirtatious jokes was his way of trying to express his true feelings towards you. But in your mind, this was just Garreth being the dork he is.

“Are you sure you’re not tired?… Because you’ve been running through my mind all day.” He was terrible at this. It landed him a smack across the head with the book you were currently reading.

“Garreth, tell me why you would need Castor Oil and Gurdyroot? From what I’ve read about them, they’re used for love potions and stamina? Mind telling me the thought behind this?” You asked, eyebrows furrowed, as you were curious as to why he would possibly need them. There was also another ingredient, but that one you couldn’t find. Little did you know, it was a simple craving ingredient. Which would have the drinker taste of what they craved the most.

“Ah, can’t be telling you all my secrets now can I, Y/N? Garreth replied, a small smirk forming on his face, sending you a wink.

He had been trying for months, perhaps longer, trying to get your attention with things. Whether it was just simply getting your favourite sweets from Honeydukes. Giving you his robes if you were caught out in the rain. But you never took it as anything other than friendship.

It was getting late, the two of you had been in the library for what seemed like hours. There was a now comfortable silence between the two of you, you could feel your eyes getting heavier by the minute. Garreth took notice of this, he took the book from your hand, his hand ever so slightly brushing against yours. He quickly turned away to put the books back, trying his best to hide the embarrassment. His face turning as red as a tomato from the feel of your skin on his.

Garreth couldn’t sleep that night. He was wide awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking of you, thinking of your smile, your laugh, how beautiful you were. The man was in love, and you still hadn’t noticed. He has never felt this feeling before. Never been in love. Never been with someone. Before you came, he was alone. Yes he was popular, but more in a way where, he was only needed for laughs. You made him feel like he was wanted. He enjoyed your company, he loved how you had taken an interest in what he likes doing. He had to do something, anything that would indicate that he liked you.

The two of you made your way to the Great Hall for breakfast, he knew what you loved to eat, so he quickly filled your own plate up before his. A small smile forming on your face, it made his heart melt. He went to pour you some orange juice, but the thoughts in his head made him lose concentration on what he was doing-

“Garreth!” You spurted out, breaking out into a laughter that filled his ears and turned his attention to you and what he had done.

He had poured it all over you, your blouse was soaked and turning see through, your legs were left feeling sticky. The shock forming on his face, eyes wide open, realising what he has done, “Y/N, I am so sorry!”

Garreth was always, and had always been clumsy. He was always messing something up, blowing up his experimental potions, spilling stuff everywhere, setting off some kind of explosion. He always made a fool of himself, but you were never angry at him like most other students.

He noticed how see through your blouse was getting, and noticed you had nothing else to wear over it. He quickly removed his sweater and handed it to you. All whilst being careful and trying to hide the growth that was starting to appear in his pants.

He couldn’t help but stare at you wearing his clothes. You looked so cute, so perfect. A grin moulding onto his face, he quietly whispered in your ear, “It looks good on you.”

You returned the smile, “You’re just saying that” you gently gave him a slap on the arm, not understanding that he was generally complimenting you.

“No, you really do look good in my things.” He replied, taking your hand in his, he had to quickly turn away. The red-headed’s face was beginning to tinge that familiar rose colour he had become so accustomed to. Garreth felt like his heart was going to explode, was he really holding your hand under the table? Are you finally starting to take his hints?

You both had a free period, and what better way to spend it then brewing up some kind of potions, which you had no idea what they were, or what would happen. Of course, it was Garreth’s idea. You had shown him your Room Of Requirement back at the end of fifth year, so you two always had privacy. It was a haven for him, so many potion tables plotted about.

An explosion had begun to erupt, sparks flying everywhere around the room, foam and froth started pouring out of the cauldron, uncontrollably. You both had no idea what to do, but just stared at each other. Then all of a sudden, you were both covered in whatever was just in that pot. Smelling of ginger and oranges. You both just broke down in a complete fit of laughter.

“Well…. That went well.” You spoke up, completely baffled by what just happened.

“It went better than I expected!” He replied back.

“What was it you were expecting?”

“A fire, that’s what usually happens.” His reply made you giggle.

He always felt a sense of happiness knowing that he was the one to hear you giggle and laugh. It made his heart beat faster, and without thinking, he started to wipe you down, free of all the foam and froth that had covered you.

Garreth had always been a big flirt with you, but to his end, it never seemed to work. Was he just not very good at it? He was always complimenting you, at one point he straight up told you how beautiful you looked one night.

You couldn’t sleep, so you walked down into the common room, your hair dangling down, night robe on. You made your way to the fireplace to keep warm, and opted for reading a love story you had found. Garreth was also awake, quietly sat in another corner of the room, reading about Amortenia. He looked up and gazed at you, watching you silently, admiring how you looked. But you didn’t acknowledge he was there. Until he accidentally made a noise. He froze in place, you were staring straight at him, slightly embarrassed that he saw you like this.

“Oh! Garreth! I-I didn’t know you were there, what are you doing?” You said, trying to cover yourself up, as your nightrobe was a bit revealing and short.

He didn’t know what to say. He was taken back, he just glared right through you. Never taking his eyes off you.

You shifted in your seat, trying to look away and avoid this intense situation. “Garreth-“

“You look beautiful.” Is all he could say. His gaze was soon cut off by a pillow flying into his face. Now he had a reason to hide behind it. What did he just do? Had he ruined anything you had by telling you that? Why did he feel so shy whenever he made any kind of flirtatious interaction with you?

You made your way over to him, leaning over to see what he was reading.

“A love potion? Garreth! I didn’t take you as a romantic person.”

“I can be, with the right person.” He sent you a playful wink, then hiding back behind his book as a blush was appearing over his face, his ears beginning to heat up.

“I was wondering about it actually, to satisfy your curiosity, little miss nosey.” He peaked up, shoving a finger into your cheek.

You scooted your way next to him, resting your head on his shoulder, his body radiating heat onto you.

“What’s got you wondering about it? I heard it creates an obsession with whoever drinks it, and that each smell is different to what attracts you.”

“Correct.” He shyly responded, “It made me curious as to what I would smell, would it be what I really desired and desperately want?”

His face was mere inches away from yours, and you could feel his eyes melting into yours.

You both felt nervous, but in your mind, that was normal for Garreth. He was just playful. But to Garreth, it was more than the friendship you had cherished. All he wanted to do was lean into you, pull you close to him, feel your lips on his. But every time, he would shy away. Him being the idiot he was, instead of just telling you how he felt, he just pulled out the worst thing he could think of. “This might be cheesy, but you’re grate.”

He instantly recoiled, feeling ridiculous. But to his surprise, you let out a laugh, hitting him with another pillow to the face. “You’re absurd Garreth” your hands suddenly touching his face. You could feel his face heating up from your touch. He began leaning in to your touch, eyes closed. You moved your hands to his sides, he was extremely ticklish. You had him rolling around on the couch, and the pair of you fell to the floor, breaking out in laugher.

A moment of silence passed, and he was quick to see the position you were in. Lying trapped under his grip, his hands around your wrists. His face turned as red as his hair.

“Oh! Y/N, I am so sorry!!” He rushed to get himself up off you, not wanting to cause anymore embarrassment. He held his hand out for you to grab and get back on your feet.

You took his hand in yours, it was sweaty to grip, which suddenly made you topple back to the ground. But before your body could hit the cold floor, his hands were around your waist, and he pulled you back to your feet.

You tugged him into an embrace. Throwing your hands around his neck, his hands pulling you closer to him. He rested his head on your shoulder, letting out a sign. I guess this was the closest he would get to you.

You freed yourself from him and his grip, planting a kiss to his cheek, “Goodnight, Garreth Weasley.” You said to him, with a slight flirt to your tone.

His thoughts on that night were interrupted by the feel of bubbles being thrown into his face. He had completely forgot that he was currently with you, brewing failed potions. Now was his time, he wanted to kiss you.

You were so close to him in this moment. He took his chance. He grabbed your face, planted his lips on yours, but he swiftly pulled away. “That was stupid of me, I don’t know why I did that. We’re friends. I shouldn’t of assu-“

He was immediately cut off, by you throwing your arms around his neck, kissing him again, but only this time, deeper, more intense. He pulled you closer to him, holding you tight. Slipping one of his hands through your hair, one kept on your waist. He had waited years for this, he never wanted to let you go. He began to push his tongue into your mouth, your own licking around his, sending twisting motions as you both flicked around each other’s mouth.

You gently pulled back and broke his kiss. He was a worried mess. Did he push you away? We’re you going to tell him how wrong it felt?

You felt a tingly sensation roaming through you. You never realised before just how attractive he really was. His curly ginger locks, falling over his face. His green emerald eyes, you now found them stunning. It all came to you. All those times he had given you his clothes and let you keep them for the night. You remembered how they would always smell of him, and how you always kept them close to you. He had feelings for you. And only now, have you come to senses that everything he did, was to get your attention.

“Garreth, I never knew”

He let out a low laugh, “I thought I tried enough to show you, but obviously I wasn’t very good at showing it.” He sounded let down.

You took his hands in yours, intertwining your fingers with each other, and led him over to one of the couches you had conjured in the past. “Tell me everything. I want to know.”

He gently tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. “You’re beautiful Y/N. I’ve waited so long for you to notice, and I would of carried on waiting however long it would of took. I have wanted this for so long.” His hand reaches for your face, cupping your cheek.

“So that’s why you were reading about Amortenia.” Sending a playful smile his way.

Garreth returning the playful exchange with a seductive wink, “I could of used it on you, made you as obsessed with me as I am with you.”

You sent a playful smack his way. Once again pulling his body to yours and crashing your lips on his. He desperately increased the kiss, hungrily moving against you. You pulling at his robes. He pushed you back against the couch, tossing his body over yours. This time, not afraid to hide how he feels. He kisses you again, with so much love, it was sweet and gentle. He was compassionate, he wanted this to be right. Not rushed. He wanted to take his time. Make sure it felt right.

He moved his lips to your neck, your hands gripping into his curls. He could feel himself getting hard, just the touch of you on him sent him wild. He went back and fourth from your lips, to your jaw, your neck. Each time you let out a small moan. Your hands moved from his hair, to the back of his neck, pulling his body closer to you, closing the gap between you. He completely melted at the touch of you.

His free hand gracefully starting to make its way over your body, shyly making its way under your blouse, caressing every part of you. Moans becoming gradually louder and more frequent from your mouth, straight into his ear. It overwhelmed him, he was sweating out in nerves.

Your bodies heavily pressed together, moving against one another in a rhythm, one of his legs pressed tight in between your thighs. Which meant you could grind your hips around him. Your free hand roamed and explored his body, feeling his tense chest through his clothes. Your hands lowered and lingered around the bulge of his pants. Slowly starting to stroke it, waiting for his response.

He sank his head into the crook of your neck, letting out moans from your touch right into your ear. Your hand carrying on, slowly stroking the base of him, trying to remove his belt. He swiftly lifted himself up, looking you directly in your eyes.

“I-I’ve never done this before..” He admitted, feeling embarrassed that this was his first time.

“Don’t worry Garreth. Me too. But I want you.” You whispered into his ear.

“I want you too sweetheart. I really do.”

And that was all he needed to hear. His nerves slowly fading away. Removing your clothes, then removing his own. He was left stunned, looking down at you, taking in the view left under him.

Both of you exploring each other bodies, hands roaming over places he had only dreamed of before. Feeling every inch of each other’s skin. He wanted more. It wasn’t enough. Both of you were screaming for more.

He placed himself between your legs, right at your entrance and gently pushed himself into you. A sweet moan escaping your mouth, a sign of pleasure that he seemed to enjoy.

He took his time, gradually and slowly inserting his full self into you.

Once fully in, Garreth breathed straight into your neck. He started to thrust more and more, it was sloppy and clumsy. But it didn’t matter, you both had never done this before. You wanted him to enjoy it, and it was a celestial feeling. Each hit sent you into a sensation you both had never felt before. It had you arching your back, breathing heavily.

He started to pound faster, more rough, quickening up his pace as you could feel a tension flowing throughout your body. A wave of pleasure and emotion rushing over both of your bodies. Both of you shaking with pleasure and excitement. Sweat pouring from his curly red hair, dripping onto your face. He pulled out, catching his breathe as he pulled you back into his arms. One hand running through your hair, the other rubbing circles onto your back. You rested your head on his chest, feeling how fast his heart was beating.

Garreth kissed your forehead, never wanting to let go of you. He finally had you. And things were about to change between the two of you.

#garreth weasley #garreth weasley x reader #garreth weasley x imagine #hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy imagine #hogwarts legacy x reader

[yancherrysoda]

Ephemeral Emancipation

This takes place one year after the events of Wind God. I had planned to write about what happens a month later and then six months later, but I'm currently out of ideas for those parts.

I'm not sure if sharing this was a good idea, considering that there are two more parts that come before it that I haven't written yet. This might confuse the readers. However, I really enjoyed writing it since I have an inclination towards violent scenes, and since I won't be writing anything very soon, I decided to post it anyway.

Warnings: decapitation, slashes being inflicted on a person

Word count: 5.246

''I would like to leave this place.''

Venti almost choked on the apple he was munching on. "Huh?"

You shifted from one foot to another as you nervously fiddled with the bottom hem of your shorts and repeated yourself, "I want to go out."

He set the half-eaten apple down on the table and leaned back in his chair, studying your face. The wind stirred his dark locks as he pondered your words. "You know I can't let you leave, right?"

You sighed, knowing this conversation won’t be an easy one. "I know, but I just... I miss the outside world so much. The endless blue skies, the warmth of the sun on my skin, the sound of birds chirping, and the fresh air."

Venti raised an eyebrow and asked, "How is the air outside any different from the air in here?"

You took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to express how you felt. "It's not just about the air; it's about freedom, you know, the thing that you're supposed to represent." You crossed your arms over your chest. "It's about living, rather than just existing."

He brought his fingers up to his chin, contemplating your words. ''I tried my best to make you feel happy in here,'' he said. ''Wasn't that enough?''

As you thought back on the various moments you two had spent together, memories flooded your mind, including the times you had danced under the stars or sat on the swing while he tried to teach you how to play the lyre.

"You don't get it," you said, stepping forward and looking into his eyes. "Maybe this may be enough for you since you don't have the same perception of time as I do—being immortal and all that—but for me, it feels like I'm stuck in a never-ending loop."

You knew that discussing this topic with Venti required a different approach if you wanted to get through to him.

Your thoughts returned to the countless hours you'd spent poring over the books in Lisa's library; pages of Old Mondstadt unfurled like scrolls in front of your eyes, as if presenting you with a plan.

''You know, I've been curious about your past,'' you began, trying to pique Venti's interest. ''I've read stories about Old Mondstadt, but I always wondered what the experience of the people that lived there was like.''

That was true. Being from Mondstadt, you were curious about your city's history and how it evolved over time, but you never knew that the way you would get to briefly experience it was thanks to the situation you found yourself in about a year ago.

Venti's eyes narrowed slightly, the wind rustling his viridian attire. "How come you're suddenly interested in that? You could have asked me about my past a long time ago."

''But a long time ago you wouldn't have let me out!''

''What makes you think I would now?''

You crossed your arms behind your back and looked to the side. "Because I behaved well and followed your rules. I've proven that I can be trusted, didn't I?" you looked back at him. "I thought maybe you could walk me around while you explain its history to me. It would be a nice chance for me to learn more about you and experience the real world once again at the same time."

He sat up straight in his chair, considering your request. "Well, I suppose that could be arranged," he responded. "But only if you promise not to do anything stupid like last time. I'll be keeping a close eye on you."

You nodded eagerly.

He approached you and grabbed you by the waist, pulling you closer to him as a golden mist enveloped you both. You now found yourself standing on a cobblestone path surrounded by stone arches. You inhaled deeply, taking in the crisp, fresh air.

''Is the air different?'' he laughed.

''It's fresher,'' you said simply.

''Oh, come on.''

You looked around. "Well then, tell me something about this place. Since you've been here during its downfall centuries ago, I expect a tour in great detail."

He crossed his arms and looked down at the cobblestones beneath his feet, then at you. "This area was ruled by Decarabian, the God of Storms, who thought he protected the city and its people from the harsh winds that would sweep through," he began. "Back then, the entire Mondstadt region was known for being covered in snow and ice, which made it a difficult place to live in. Decarabian used his powers to form a wind barrier around Old Mondstadt, shielding it from the elements and creating what he thought was a haven for its inhabitants.'' He paused for a moment. ''However, as time passed, people began to realize that they were living in a false sense of security. The wind barrier became a prison, trapping them within its walls and preventing any contact with anything that was on the other side of it," he continued as you both walked along the path.

You hopped onto a fallen pillar, trying to balance yourself. "Reminds me of a certain someone."

Venti chuckled and looked up at you. "Unlike Decarabian, I don't create barriers to, quote on quote, protect people."

"But you decided to kidnap a person and strip them of freedom," you interjected, raising an eyebrow at him.

He sighed, "Do you want to listen to what I have to say or should we go back?"

"Fine, fine," you said, hopping off the pillar and gesturing for him to continue.

-

As you continued walking through the ancient streets of Old Mondstadt, Venti pointed out various landmarks and shared stories of the city's past. He also mentioned the grand tower that is still standing at the heart of the city, where Decarabian would reside.

You listened intently as he spoke, genuinely captivated by the tales of old.

He explained that after centuries of ruling, Decarabian’s people began to question his authority and the validity of his so-called protection. They desired freedom and the ability to explore beyond the confines of the city. Their discontent eventually grew into a rebellion led by a group of individuals who sought to end his reign and free the city from his control—Venti among them.

''Everyone fought against his oppressive rule, even his partner. The rebellion was successful, and Decarabian was overthrown, giving the people of Old Mondstadt the freedom they had longed for,'' he spoke.

"He had a partner?" You raised your eyebrows in surprise. "Did he kidnap her too?"

''...No, and yes, Decarabian had a partner—a mortal who had been by his side through his reign—and who then saw the injustice he had inflicted upon their people. She couldn't bear to stand by his side any longer, and so she joined the rebellion.''

You drew circles on the dirt with your foot, pondering Venti's words, "And how did you become the Anemo Archon?"

''The individuals who led the rebellion were his partner, Amos, a young boy, and me." Venti's gaze turned sorrowful. ''They both perished, leaving me and Andrius—who also fought against Decarabian and who is now one of the Four Winds—as candidates for the position of the new Anemo Archon,'' he paused. ''Andrius was chosen, but he declined the offer, feeling that he was not suited for such a role. He believed that he was unworthy of this position due to his perceived lack of love for humanity that an Archon ought to have, and so the responsibility fell upon me. I accepted the role, not because I believed myself to be the most qualified,'' he said, lifting up a finger. ''But because I believed in freedom and the goodness of humanity, and once I became the Anemo Archon, I vowed to never repeat Decarabian's mistakes and to protect my people. I reshaped the terrain and changed Mondstadt's climate to its current state and then moved everyone to what is now the current City of Freedom,'' he concluded.

You exhaled heavily as the weight of Venti's words settled in your chest. ''What a journey that must have been.''

"What a journey indeed," he replied, a hint of weariness in his eyes. "I'm glad you didn't get to experience such an event."

Both of you came to a halt, taking in the view of the abandoned city.

''You said you took the form of a human, what did you look like before?''

''Ah, before I took the form of a human, I was just a tiny being who lived in the wind. I had no physical form but rather existed as a manifestation of the wind itself,'' he explained with a smile.

"So now you're, what, human-shaped air?" you asked, trying to wrap your head around the concept.

Venti laughed at your question. "That's an interesting way of describing it! I suppose you could say that.''

You simply nodded and resumed your walking.

You spotted a small opening in the rockface—a split in the wall just wide enough to squeeze through it—from which you could see the light shining out. A flicker of doubt crossed your mind, but you needed to take the chance, so you grabbed his hand and started walking towards it, leaving him no time for reaction.

"I don't think we should go there," he voiced, but you kept dragging him.

"It's alright; I promised I wouldn't do anything stupid, didn't I?"

"Is this your idea of not stupid?"

‘’Just for a while, there’s nothing wrong with that. Besides, you're still keeping an eye on me.’’

As you made your way through the narrow opening, the sharp edges scraped against your skin, causing slight discomfort. Venti followed closely behind, his grip on your hand tight.

Finally, you emerged from the darkness and onto a long and wide road amidst tall boulders. The sky overhead was clear blue with puffy white clouds, and the sound of wind around you was but a low hum. The birds soared over the trees and chirped out a song, unlike the melancholic silence of the abandoned city you had just left behind.

You let go of his hand and walked ahead, taking in the beauty of the surroundings. The vibrant swaying grass danced in harmony with the gentle breeze, and although it was pretty similar to what you had in the Serenitea Pot, it somehow felt different.

"Hold on, you're walking too fast!" Venti called out and hurried to catch up to you.

You didn't listen to him; instead, you kept powering forward until you were met with a small beach overlooking a lake that shimmered under the golden rays of the sun. The water stretched out before you like a sparkling mirror, reflecting the hues of the sky and creating a captivating scene.

A gust of wind gently pushed you back onto Venti's chest, causing you to stumble slightly. He grabbed your chin and lifted it up to make you look at him. "I told you not to run off like that."

"Couldn't help it," you shrugged. "What did you expect? I haven't been here in so long."

His hand squeezed your cheeks. "I get it, but please try to stay by my side."

You huffed in annoyance, letting out a loud and long sigh. "Right, I'm supposed to behave, I totally forgot about that."

"Y/N, I'm serious." He was afraid that the two of you would run into someone familiar and that you would take that as an opportunity to run away, so he tried to be cautious.

You wiggled free from his grasp and made your way towards the lake, taking a few steps closer to the water's edge. "You know I most likely won't get to experience being here again, right? You've been very adamant about keeping me confined in that realm, let me at least enjoy this."

He joined you by the shore. "I didn't say you couldn't enjoy this. I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

You snorted, "Safe from who? I don't see anybody else around here other than you."

Looking around, you noticed a wooden boat tethered to a nearby rock and ran up to it, excitedly tugging on the rope to set it free. Venti trailed close behind, a worried expression on his face. "What are you doing?"

You threw the rope to the side and turned to face him. "I want to go on a boat ride, we don't have that luxury in the realm. We won't go far, just a short trip around the lake. Does that sound good, or are you going to baby me again?"

You both then pushed the boat into the water. He reached out to take your hand in his, helping you lift one leg over the side of the boat and then the other. As you settled into the boat, you saw Venti take his place beside you, a small smile playing on his lips.

The boat gently rocked as it sailed across the still surface of the lake, and the sound of the water lapping against the hull gave you a sense of peace that you hadn't felt in a long time.

You felt a sense of liberation wash over you as the boat moved further away from the shore. The wind tossed through your hair, and the warm sun kissed your skin. You closed your eyes and let out a contented sigh, savoring every moment of this brief taste of freedom.

You leaned over the side of the boat and ran your fingers through the cold water. The fish swam lazily beneath the surface, their scales glistening in the sunlight and creating a vibrant display of colors.

Venti watched you with admiration in his eyes. He understood the significance of this moment for you, and despite his reservations, he was captivated by your joy and the way it lit up your face.

The boat continued to drift along the lake, taking you deeper into its embrace. The surrounding landscape was a picturesque panorama of meadows adorned with wildflowers and half-cut mountains in the distance.

Taking a glance at Venti, you saw him look in another direction with a mix of emotions on his face, one of which was predominantly sadness. He wished he could give you more of these moments where you could truly be free, but he also didn't want to risk losing you.

You dipped your hand into the water again and splashed a handful of droplets onto Venti's face, breaking him out of his pensive state.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be, huh?" he teased, wiping the water off his face with his sleeve.

"Well, I couldn't resist," you replied, splashing some more water in his direction.

"If you're going to play dirty, then I guess I'll have to retaliate," he said, reaching over to splash water back at you.

The boat rocked with your antics, as you two engaged in a water fight, and the tension and sadness that had been lingering in the air vanished, replaced by pure joy and laughter.

You both eventually calmed down, catching your breath and letting the laughter subside. The boat continued its journey across the lake until it arrived on the other side of the shore. You two stepped off drenched but with smiles on your faces.

As you walked on the sand, you talked about everything and nothing at the same time. The conversation flowed effortlessly, as if the water had washed away all the barriers that had been holding you back. While you were talking, you saw a Sunsettia tree a few steps away, its vivid orange fruits hanging from the branches like jewelry. You walked towards it, plucked two of them, and handed one to Venti.

"Here," you said, offering him the Sunsettia fruit.

He took it with a grateful smile. "Thank you. This has been fun, I'm glad I agreed to bring you here."

You smiled back at him. Perhaps thanks to this little adventure, he will let you out more often.

You leaned back against the tree trunk. The soothing rustle of the leaves above provided a calming soundtrack to your conversation.

As the sun began its descent, casting a warm golden glow across the landscape, you felt a gloved hand cover your mouth and push you onto the ground. Looking up, you saw a person wearing a coat and whose face was covered by a mask. You struggled against their grip, but their strength overpowered yours. Panic welled up inside you, and you desperately searched for Venti, only to see that he was apprehended by another masked figure.

The clapping of hands and a voice that sounded like a snake, hissing and ready to strike at any moment, resonated across the air from behind him. ''Well, well, well, what do we have here? A little romantic date interrupted by some unwanted guests?''

You both were lifted from the ground and forced to sit on your knees, hands bound behind your backs. The playful atmosphere had vanished, replaced by a tense and dangerous situation.

Your heart thumped in your chest, and your throat tightened with fear as you looked over your shoulder to see four people standing behind you. You exchanged a quick glance at Venti, who silently tried to reassure you that you would find a way out of this together.

As the voice taunted and threatened, you turned to see a blonde woman in a revealing dress, a cloak draped over her shoulders, and some kind of crown perched on her head.

She approached Venti from behind and grabbed him by the hair, forcing his head back. "You thought you could avoid me, bard?" she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "No more slipping away, you little rat."

Venti let out a laugh. "What more, O highness, dost thou crave from me? Yet more songs, perchance, to set your spirit free?" he joked.

The woman's grip tightened on Venti's hair, her nails digging into his scalp. "Quit it with the rhymes," she hissed, and her eyes were like flames, scorching everything they touched. "I assure you; this is far from a laughing matter. I already took your Gnosis; maybe I can take something more from you." She let go of his hair and turned to face you.

It looked like Venti had encountered this woman before, and she had some deep-seated vendetta against him.

The masked man who was holding you in place pulled out a dagger and pressed it against your throat, causing you to take a sharp intake of breath. The cold metal glinted ominously in the dying light of the sun, casting a shadow across your face.

Venti shifted uneasily in front of you, his eyes locked on the dagger that threatened your life. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

''Isn't this the mortal you hold so dear? The one you spent countless days serenading with your songs and that you now hold behind lock and key? How selfish of a God of Freedom,'' the woman mocked, ''I must say, I've never seen such devotion from a God before. It's truly touching,'' she gestured towards the person behind you. "But you're no better than your predecessor.''

Venti's body tightened at the sight of the dagger pressing deeper against your skin. He clenched his fists and said, ''I fucking swear, if you do something to her, you will regret it. I spared you many times before, but my patience is wearing thin. I won't hesitate to kill you and your stupid fatui puppets." His voice trembled with a mix of anger and desperation.

The woman laughed coldly, her eyes narrowing with amusement. "Oh, how bold of you to threaten me, Barbatos. But I think you underestimate the lengths I'm willing to go to get what I want."

As he locked eyes with the woman, his demeanor darkened and his speech took on a more serious tone. "Did you forget who you're dealing with, Rosalyne?"

Her eyes widened at the mention of her name, and she slapped him, the sound echoing throughout the tense atmosphere. Venti's head snapped to the side, but he didn't flinch; his defiance only seemed to fuel her anger.

''Is this how you always greet people? By slapping their faces?'' he laughed sarcastically. "You should be more careful with your actions and words, they leave traces.''

She leaned closer to him. "You don't get to mock me, Barbatos. You see, I would like to know what you would do if I were to end your mortal's life right in front of you. Would you still have the audacity to talk to me like that?''

The fatui behind you retracted the blade from your throat only to twist it around his hand and try to stab you, but you never felt it pierce your skin.

At that, a powerful surge of wind swept through the air, and you heard heavy weights fall to the ground. You looked up to your sides just to see a gruesome scene; the heads of the fatui rolling across the ground and leaving a trail of blood in their wake, their lifeless eyes staring back at you. In horror, you quickly closed your eyes and tried to fight the nauseous feeling in your stomach.

Venti stood tall in the midst of the chaos, as the wind whipped around him, carrying the scent of blood.

''I warned you, didn't I? I warned what would happen if you dared to harm her.'' He spoke with a chilling conviction that sent shivers down your spine.

Rosalyne took a few steps back and attempted to channel her elemental powers through her catalyst in a desperate attempt to regain control of the situation. Venti raised his hand, and a whirlwind formed around him before she could utter a single incantation. The wind blew her off her feet, causing her to collide with a nearby wall. As she collided with the hard surface, she let out a strangled cry of pain, and her body crumbled to the ground.

He stood over her, ''I don't think you're familiar with the expression fuck around and find out, are you?''

She attempted to stand, but her body trembled from pain. "I'm from Mondstadt, you wouldn't harm someone from your nation,'' she panted. "Try to kill me, and I'll make sure your precious little—''

Slashes began to appear on her body as if carved by an unseen force, causing her to scream in agony. Venti's wind continued to slice through her with precision, each cut calculated, inflicting pain but avoiding any fatal blows.

As the wind howled around them and the air was thick with tension, carrying the echoes of Rosalyne's screams, his eyes bore into her writhing form. His once playful and carefree demeanor had morphed into something dark and unyielding.

With one last slash, his wind finally ceased, leaving her broken and bloodied on the ground. Her body twitched and convulsed with each ragged breath she took. "Do me a favor and die here, Rosalyne," he said with a frosty tone, his words lacking any warmth or emotion.

As you stared in disbelief, he turned around and began walking towards you. His steps were heavy, each one echoing in the silence until he came to a halt in front of you. His eyes, now devoid of their usual gleam, were hauntingly intense. He knelt down and gently stroked some of your blood-stained hair; it was gentle, contrasting with the brutality he had displayed moments before.

''We're going home,'' he said, and grabbed you by the wrist to pull you up from the ground. The golden mist from before swirled around you both once more, taking you back to the realm.

You now stood at the entryway of the house. Your heart still pounded from the horrifying events that happened during the evening.

Venti looked you up and down. "Take your clothes off and go bathe. There's blood on you,'' he commanded.

You didn't move, your voice shaky as you spoke, "What did you do?"

His eyes met yours. "What did you want me to do?"

''You murdered those people!''

"Would you have rather died?" he yelled. "I protected you!"

''Yes! ...no, I don't know! You're not supposed to protect me by killing other people!'' You managed to say through labored breaths, ''There must have been another way to handle the situation, we could have found a peaceful resolution, or we could have tried to escape...''

As he listened to your words, his gaze hardened, and his jaw clenched tightly. ''Peaceful resolution? With someone like her?''

"I don't know what you did to her to make her hate you so much, but resorting to violence is not an answer!"

''Enough!'' he snapped, ''You will not be leaving again.''

"Venti," his name escaped your lips.

He shivered. This was the first time you pronounced his name since he brought you here. He wanted you to call his name for so long, but not like this.

You lowered your voice, making it gentle and soothing to try and reach him in his hardened state. "Was a single life above those people?"

''Your life is above those people. You don't realize just how important you're to me, Y/N." He tried to come closer to you, but you stepped back.

You didn't want to continue this conversation anymore. It was futile to reason with him.

-

This whole situation was giving you a horrible night. Every time you were close to falling asleep, you'd toss and turn in bed, replaying the events of the evening in your mind. The images of heads rolling on the floor and that woman's horrifying scream as Venti slashed through her kept flashing before your eyes.

You tensed up as you heard the door creak open, your heart racing once more. You watched Venti stumble into your room as he clumsily made his way over to you. He sat on the bed and leaned in close, his lips almost brushing yours and his breath heavy with the scent of dandelion wine.

You backed down, causing him to fall on you and rest his cheek on your collarbone as he sighed heavily. You nudged him to sit up straight, but he groaned and buried his face deeper into your collarbone, both arms tightly wrapped around you, refusing to let go.

"Y/N..." he murmured, his voice muffled against your skin. His shirt was rumpled and unbuttoned, exposing a teal tattoo on his chest. This was the first time you saw his bare skin in such an intimate way and you couldn't help but trace your fingers over the design, admiring the details and the way it seemed to glow under your touch.

While you lay there, fascinated by the intricate tattoo, you felt Venti slowly lift his head from your collarbone and leave a trail of soft kisses down your neck. The feeling of his lips against your skin sent shivers down your spine, and a rush of warmth flooded your cheeks.

"Hey," you said, placing your fisted hand on his chest and lightly pushing him away. "You should go to bed. You're drunk."

Venti looked up at you, his usually vibrant eyes now hazy and clouded with the effects of alcohol. He let out a small chuckle. "I'm in bed."

''Not in yours...''

He hugged you tighter, ''What does it matter?''

You sighed, trying to come up with an excuse, ''It matters because this bed is not big enough for the both of us.'' That was a lie; the bed was large enough for two people, but you felt uneasy about this situation and wanted to create some distance between yourself and Venti.

He resumed giving you neck kisses as one of his hands made its way underneath your shirt, caressing your bare back. ''I love you, haah... I love you a lot,'' he breathed out. ''Give in to me already.''

"Venti, this is getting out of control." You tried to push him away harder, but his other arm wrapped around your waist and held you firmly in place. "You need to get back to your room."

You attempted to wriggle out of his grasp, but his strength was surprisingly strong for someone who seemed to be so intoxicated. The two of you lay there in a tangled mess of limbs.

You took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. You couldn't help but think about the complicated relationship you shared with him. He kidnapped you and forced you to stay by his side, yet he never treated you badly; in fact, he had shown you nothing but kindness and affection.

A soft snore escaped his lips, and you turned your head to see him knocked out. You scanned his features, taking in the relaxed expression on his face and the way his chest rose and fell with each breath.

-

You woke up the next morning to soft rays of sunshine filtering through the curtains. As you stretched and yawned, you realized that you were no longer tangled with Venti. You turned your head and saw him still peacefully asleep beside you; his messy hair was spread across the pillow, and he was now covered in a blanket, hiding the teal tattoo that had captivated you the night before. You carefully removed your side of the blanket and tried to slip out of bed, but as you did, Venti stirred and his eyes fluttered open. He groaned and rubbed them, looking at you with confusion.

"What am I doing here?" he mumbled, his voice rough and low.

"You came home drunk last night and made your way into my bed," you replied, trying to hide the lingering warmth on your cheeks.

As he propped himself up on his elbows, his expression changed from confusion to realization. He took in the familiar surroundings of your bedroom as he looked around. He then glanced down and saw that his shirt was still on, albeit slightly wrinkled and unbuttoned halfway, causing it to fall loosely off his shoulders.

''Nothing happened,'' you quickly added, hoping he wouldn't misinterpret the situation.

He watched you walk up to the dresser, grab a brush, and run it through your hair while you tried not to look at him. He leaned back against the pillow, one arm behind his head as his hand absentmindedly ran through his messy hair.

''Venti,'' you turned to him, ''The state you were in last night was because of—''

''The fatui,'' he interrupted. ''I made you uncomfortable. I made you fear me,'' he said, looking up at the ceiling. ''I don't want you to see me as a monster, Y/N.''

You didn't say anything, instead, you kept brushing your hair.

''I'm sorry. I can't make it up to you with words alone, but," he paused for a second, "I don't want to lose you. I sacrificed so much in my life. I said goodbye to so many people." His voice faded away, losing its strength and volume. "If I had someone to pray to, I would ask them to let me keep at least one person by my side, just one is enough."

He got out of bed and walked over to you, taking your hands in his and looking you in the eyes. He brought them up to his lips and gently kissed your fingers. "You're everything I have."

#yandere #venti x reader #venti x y/n #yandere venti #lord barbatos #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #la signora #fatui

[call-me-maggie13]

Mary whacks the back of her head, snapping her head forward and knocking her book awry.

"What the hell?" Beatrice rubs the spot Mary hit, flinching when Mary raises her hand to scrape down her face.

"You squint any harder, your face is going to freeze like that." Mary squints her eyes and scrunches her mouth, leaning forward until her nose is nearly touching the book Beatrice is reading. "You need glasses."

"I do not!" Beatrice scoffs, turns to Shannon indignantly. "Do you hear your wife?"

"Yeah," Shannon doesn’t look up from her easel. "She’s right, Speedy. You can’t see. I’ve been telling you that for years. But what do I know? I only taught you how to ride a bike and drive a car and write a check and - "

"Yeah yeah, we get it, you were parentified, moving on." Mary waves her hand dismissively and Shannon pokes her head out from behind the painting to stick her tongue out at her. "Beatrice, you need glasses. You’re fuckin’ blind."

"Why would you think that?"

"The State would like to present exhibit A, if it so pleases the court?" Mary stands, rolls her wrist in a feigned curtsy to Beatrice.

"Oh, you took one class in pre-law and it was on accident, shut the hell up."

"I presume it doesn’t please the court," Mary chuckles, turning back to Shannon bemused. Beatrice throws her book at Mary’s back, she misses and it sails through the air, hurtling in slow motion towards Shannon’s easel.

In this moment, Beatrice realizes three things.

1) She probably should have joined a sports team like Shannon had suggested when she was twelve, Shannon’s always right about things like this. Not only would it have improved her aim, but it also would have given her a chance to outrun Shannon.

2) She needs glasses. Desperately. Mary was less than two meters away from her, there is no reason she should’ve missed that throw.

3) She is about to die. If that book even touches Shannon’s easel, not to mention the canvas Shannon has been diligently working on for the last month, Beatrice will not have enough time to apologize before Martha and Rich are shopping for her coffin.

There are three things everyone knows not to mess with around Shannon: her art, her sister, and her music. At this rate, Taylor Swift bursting through the door to formally apologize for Beatrice’s blunder wouldn’t be able to save her.

And the only person Shannon loves more than Beatrice is Taylor Swift.

Beatrice turns to run but she’s not fast enough, she hears the book make contact and Shannon yelps and screams a slew of curses as Beatrice runs from the room. She doesn’t even stop to apologize, there’s no time, she has to save her breath in case she has to hold it while she hides from Shannon long enough for her to stop being angry.

"BEATRICE NO MIDDLE NAME MASTERS, I SWEAR TO GOD!" Shannon’s voice echoes down the hall Beatrice darts through, opening and closing doors frantically searching for the best hiding place. But this is Shannon’s house, no one knows it better than Shannon.

Except Mary.

Beatrice hides in the utility closet behind the water heater until she hears Shannon storm past her, peeking down the hall before creeping back to the living room in search of Mary.

There’s paint all over their new carpet, the mixing palette overturned on the ground, smearing red and blue and purple into their brand new, white carpet. But the easel is still upright, and the canvas is still in its place.

"Mary," Beatrice whispers, still hunched over and nearly crawling.

"Oh no, kiddo. I’m not getting you out of this one. We haven’t had this carpet one month — one month, Beatrice. Haven’t had it thirty-one days yet, and you’ve already stained it. Stained! You ruined our new carpet and now Shannon will never forgive me for egging you on, you are a terrible sister-in-law." Her tone is light and teasing, but there’s a little rawness in her words that strikes Beatrice between the ribs.

"Don’t talk to her like that," Shannon mutters and Beatrice nearly jumps out of her skin, turning and bracing for her punishment. "She didn’t mean to. That’s what happens when we throw things at each other. We’re adults, we should’ve known the risks. I shouldn’t have been painting on the new carpet anyways."

"Shan, I will pay to have this cleaned, I’m so sorry! What can I do, tell me, what do I need to do?" Beatrice fights the urge to get down on her knees and clasp her hands together and beg for Shannon’s forgiveness.

"You can start by washing this paint out of my hair and end by seeing an eye doctor." Shannon scrubs a particularly difficult stain on her shirt, fingers dyed blue.

"Yeah… maybe I do need glasses… what’re you working on anyways?" She reaches for the canvas only for her wrist to be slapped and pulled away.

"I would show you but it’s not like you could see it anyways." Shannon’s nose twitches when she lies. It has the entire time Beatrice has known her. It’s how Beatrice always wins when they’re playing poker and how she always knew when Shannon was upset with her in the beginning. Shannon hated getting upset with her in the beginning, because Beatrice could shut down for two or three days if she thought Shannon hated her, so Shannon buried a lot until Beatrice started to trust her. To trust herself.

"Is it for my birthday?" Beatrice hates her birthday. Always has, probably always will. Shannon’s nose twitches when she glances at Mary.

"Dude, isn’t your birthday in like three months?" Mary calls everyone dude when she’s lying.

Beatrice’s birthday is in exactly eleven days, sixteen hours and twenty-two minutes. But she’s not counting. Shannon is, but Beatrice isn’t. Because Beatrice hates her birthday.

Always has.

Beatrice doesn’t respond to Mary’s fib, takes the cloth from Shannon’s hand and wipes away a red streak across her cheek.

"Bathroom or kitchen?" Shannon grins and grabs a dining chair, drags it in front of the sink and turns the water on. Beatrice gathers her shampoo and conditioner and a towel from the bathroom while they wait for the water to get warm. Beatrice folds the towel over the edge of the sink and Shannon leans back, hanging her head over the basin. She winks at Beatrice while she wets her hair, smile warm and dopey and so Shannon that it makes her chest ache.

"I love you, ya know?" Beatrice pauses her movement to meet Shannon’s gaze. "You’ve always been my favorite, Speedy. Even when you’re ruining my new carpet or stealing my favorite cardigan or scratching my car. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me."

Beatrice doesn’t fight the tears in her eyes, leans down to press a kiss against Shannon’s forehead and lingers in her embrace, in the turpentine and acrylic paint and lemongrass shampoo scent that Shannon has always carried everywhere she goes. If Beatrice could bottle the smell in a jar, she would carry it with her everywhere and take a deep breath of it when she needs to settle her nerves.

Shannon is the best thing that’s ever happened to Beatrice too. But she knows this. She’s known since the night before her thirteenth birthday when Beatrice asked her what she could give her as a gift and Shannon had responded with simply a hug. And when Beatrice had asked why, Shannon had smiled and said that’s what sisters are for, isn’t it?

Something that had been broken in Beatrice for as long as she could remember was repaired that day. Something was fixed and it made her hold her head a little higher and walk a little faster and smile a little brighter. Because she had a sister. She had a sister that wanted her.

She has a sister who loves her more than gifts.

"Where’s this coming from, if you don’t mind my asking?" Beatrice scrubs the shampoo into Shannon’s hair, smiles at the deep sigh she exhales at the action.

"I’ve just been thinking a lot recently. About you, about me, about family and what it means. I know I tell you all the time that I love you, but I feel like sometimes you don’t understand how much I mean it. How much I love you." Shannon allows her eyes to slide closed as she relishes the way Beatrice is massaging her scalp. "You’re a good sister, Bea. You always have been. I took a while to figure it out, but you? You had it right from the start."

"You’re a good sister too, Shannon. In fact, you’re my favorite sister." Shannon rolls her eyes at Beatrice’s remark, but pulls Beatrice’s bubbly hands from her hair to hold them in front of her face.

"You’re easy to love, you know that, right? You’re easy to love and you deserve to be loved and you deserve happiness. You know all of those things are true, don’t you? Because I know I’ve told you them, but I can’t make you believe something, my bumble Bea." Beatrice nods softly, her cheeks wet and eyes burning. "Good, and if you ever start to doubt any of those things, just tell me and I’ll remind you until you can’t help but believe it."

Shannon kisses the inside of her wrist before releasing her hands, just before the line of soap and water. She hums quietly while Beatrice washes the paint from her hair, the water racing away red and blue and green. She scrunches most of the water out of her hair before helping her upright, gently raking the brush through her hair and folding it into a French braid.

If Beatrice had a strand of ribbon to tie around the end of her hair, it would’ve been just like when they were kids.

Shannon kisses her cheek before Beatrice is allowed to depart, three short squeezes on her shoulder before she’s asked to help Mary clean the paint from the carpet.

One, two, three.

I love you.

Find more here!

Beatrice tries on every set of frames in the store. Yet somehow, she hates every pair more than the last. She’s halfway through her second round when Shannon squeezes her shoulders. Beatrice sighs.

"It’s okay, you can always try contacts." Her hand is soft and warm and has green paint dried underneath her nails.

"You know I can’t." Beatrice doesn’t like things in or even near her eyes. The idea of stabbing herself on purpose every day to put in and take out contacts makes her ill. Her single attempt when she was 16 had made her violently ill. For three days. "It’s just - I don’t know. I feel like they’re going to change my life or something."

"Oh my sweet, darling bumble Bea. Glasses won’t change your life. Not as much as me killing you because you take more than three hours to decide on them." She chuckles and scrunches her nose. "Just a smidge."

"Fine. What five were your favorite?" Beatrice rolls her eyes and Shannon grins toothily, patting her shoulder before speeding away and returning with five frames. She holds them out like a mentor would extend a prized sword to their protege.

Beatrice tries each on again, turning and tilting and spinning and following every direction Shannon gives while she inspects each one intently. Finally, she decides on one. A pair of thin round, wire framed glasses. Beatrice settles for them.

The first time she wears them, she decides she hates them again and they go back in their case for a week. It isn’t until Shannon points to the faded blue stain in her living room the next time she visits that Beatrice wears them again.

She hates it. She hates that she can actually see easier. She hates that she can see each individual leaf on the trees and each petal on the flowers and each crack in the sidewalk. She hates it because it means Mary was right and there’s nothing Beatrice hates more than letting Mary be right. She hates it because Mary doesn’t know how to win with grace, she gets pretentious and persnickety and boastful. It’s annoying.

The first time she wears the glasses to Ava’s, Ava and Diana are in the kitchen making eggs. Diana has shells in her hair and Ava is scrubbing yolk off the wall with a cup of water and dishrag.

"What’s it?" Diana reaches for Beatrice’s face when she steps into the room, eggy fingers grabbing for the untainted glass.

"They’re glasses. To help me see."

"You got glasses?" Ava chirps, still cleaning the wall.

"Uh, yeah. Mary’s been telling me I’m blind almost as long as I’ve known her, apparently she was right."

"She can’t be that right, you tell me I’m pretty all the time and that’s true," Ava teases, finally dropping the rag and turning. Her cheeks are flushed and she’s breathless, it makes Beatrice’s chest tight. "Oh."

The cup slips from her hand, sloshing dirty water when it bounces against the linoleum and splashing across Ava’s feet. Her cheeks and ears burn red as she stumbles over an apology, eyes wide with reverence. She doesn’t stoop to collect the cup, frozen as she watches Beatrice watching her.

She swallows, blinks a few times and shakes her head before restarting. "Sorry, you look… wow. Okay, I’m sorry."

Finally Ava tears her eyes away, face and chest burning deep as she clears her throat and mops up the water slowly.

"Mama red," Diana whispers, rocking into her toes and back. She continues, singsonging, "Tomatillo, tomatillo, toma-toma-tillo."

"Diana." Ava’s tone is warning, it makes Beatrice’s chest warm.

Diana giggles, tucking the fingers of one hand into her mouth and reaching for Beatrice with the other. Beatrice picks her up, settles Diana on her hip and narrowly dodges her attempt to steal Beatrice’s glasses.

"Are you alright?" Beatrice’s skin itches when Ava doesn’t look at her.

"Yeah, yeah… I’m…" Ava sucks in a deep breath, holding it in her chest before exhaling slowly with an easy smile. "I’m good, are you hungry?"

"Not particularly."

Ava nods and avoids looking Beatrice in the face, scrambling the eggs in simple silence.

"Are you… are you certain you’re alright?" Beatrice doesn’t like how Ava won’t look at her, even when she settles Diana in a seat with a pile of scrambled eggs in front of her.

"Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright. You’re just…" Ava’s cheeks burn deep red and she stares intensely at her feet, her hair creating a curtain for her to hide behind. Beatrice picks an egg out of Diana’s hair and resists the urge to brush Ava’s hair out of her face, resists the urge to make her continue. Ava takes a quick, deep breathe before exhaling, "You’re making me nervous."

"I apologize," Beatrice takes a large step back, Ava’s fingers wrap around her wrist and pull her back, glancing up at her quickly before dropping her eyes again.

"It’s - it’s not a bad thing. I don’t - I don’t think. It’s - its - good nervous," Ava stumbles, twisting Beatrice’s fingers. "I’m sorry…"

"Is it the glasses?" Beatrice is timid, pushing her glasses up her nose. Ava looks up slowly, eyes wide and cheeks pink when she nods.

"A bit."

Oh. Beatrice blushes and bites the inside of her lip to suppress her smile.

~*~

There is one thing.

Well, two things. Two little things that Beatrice wasn’t expecting to happen when she started wearing her glasses.

Number one is Diana’s freckles. She has so many. She’s more freckle than not. She has a smattering across her face, splattered down her shoulders and back, sprayed over her legs. Nearly every millimeter of her skin is covered in tiny, pale, freckles. It’s adorable.

"Has she always had this many freckles?" Beatrice is connecting a group of them to form a star across Diana’s back.

"Yeah, Bea. Have you always been this blind?" Ava smiles at her, drops her head on Beatrice’s shoulder.

"It would be a fair presumption, yes." Beatrice rests her cheek on the top of her head, lets the warmth of her touch burn into her bones.

"I have to say," Ava lifts her head up, takes Beatrice’s chin between her thumb and forefinger, tilts her head every direction while watching closely. "They do make you look hot."

Oh god. Oh no.

Beatrice’s cheeks burn a deep crimson red, her heartbeat thrashing in her ears and her heart trying to chisel out from beneath her ribcage. It’s unfair. It’s unfair how easy it is for Ava to do this to her. To make her forget how to breathe and become a complete dunce for ninety seconds while her brain reboots.

"I - uh - thank you." Beatrice can’t look at her. She can’t look at her because of the second little thing she hadn’t been expecting.

The second thing is Ava. Not just her compliments. But all of her. Beatrice can see the way her eyes sparkle when she smiles and her freckles dance when she laughs and she bites her lip when Beatrice tells a terrible joke.

Beatrice was already infatuated with Ava before she could see the crinkle in the corners of her eyes when she makes Beatrice laugh, before she could see the way her nose twitches when she sleeps. Before she knew, without a doubt, Ava is the most beautiful person to ever exist.

Diana twists in Beatrice’s lap and holds up the picture she’s coloring, it’s a very obviously giant orange cat. There’s a shaky house-shaped object, a sun in the corner of the page, and flowers that reach above the rooftop.

"Oh wow, Diana! This is amazing!" Beatrice leans closer to inspect it, traces the sun’s smile with the pad of her thumb. "Tell me about it."

"Arson." She growls his name then giggles brightly, swinging the paper through the air. "Like?"

"Like? Diana, I love your picture." Diana grins and presses a wet kiss on Beatrice’s cheek, thrusting the paper into her chest. "Are you giving this to me?"

Diana nods and Beatrice smiles, "Can I put it on my wall?"

Diana dances in front of her all the way to the wall where Beatrice proudly displays all of the art Diana has made her. Diana points to an empty space and Beatrice tacks the image there, stepping back and admiring the collage of scribbles that cover most of the wall.

"Come on, Picasso." She nods back to Ava, face alight with something Ava can’t name but it’s bright and shiny and makes Ava want to pinch her freckled cheeks.

Diana steals Beatrice’s glasses when she climbs back into her lap, attempting to balance them on her tiny nose. Beatrice laughs and helps her hold the frames in place, Diana grins.

#warrior nun #sister beatrice #ava silva #avatrice #warrior nun s2 #bea and ava #warrior nun season 2 #wn s2 #save warrior nun #warrior nun netflix #warrior nun fic #warrior nun fanfic #wn s1 #warrior nun season one #warrior nun s1 #warrior nun season two #warrior nun season 1 #fic: like the princess #babysitting au #babysitter au #shannon masters #sister shannon #shotgun mary

[seidenbros]

Im sorry if this is too intense of a request, but I’ve been going through something lately and could use the comfort. Could you do a Eddie/fem!reader where they’re in a relationship and Eddie finds out your previous boyfriend was abusive?

Hello love! I'm really sorry to hear that, and if you ever want to talk, my inbox is always open, just so you know. If you just want to get something off your chest or want a shoulder to lean on: I'm here! That being said, I pushed this up on my to-do-list and just finished it (it's not beta'd though) So that you can hopefully get some comfort out of this and I didn't go too dark in some parts.

Requests are open | prompt lists for inspiration | Stranger Things Masterlist

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!Reader Word count: 2598 something Warning/Tags: angst, hurt/comfort, domestic abuse, child abuse (mentioned), scars, violence, fluff in the end, Wayne Munson being our hero again (let me know if I missed something) Read on AO3

Two months. For two months, you’d officially been Eddie’s girlfriend now, but you’d met even before that, had gotten to know each other better, before he’d made a move and asked you out on a real date. At first, you’d been a little reserved, the memories of your ex-boyfriend still very vivid in your head, and they even haunted you at night, but Eddie had been so sweet, and hadn’t given up, so you’d agreed. After all, you’d already spent your afternoons together studying.

That was how it all had started, because you’d been paired up for a project. You’d started talking about a whole lot more than just the project. While you’d gotten some mix tapes from Eddie to give a listen to, he’d gotten a book from you that he had to give a chance. Sure, you knew that nothing would live up to The Lord of the Rings, but it was still one of your favourites. In the end, you’d told him that you’d go on a date with him if he read the book. The next day, he’d stood in front of you, book in hand and had started a whole conversation about it.

“Pick you up at seven tomorrow night,” he’d said when he’d left and ever since then, you’d spent pretty much every day together, still getting to know each other better, and falling deeper in love with each other. Still, there was a lot you hadn’t told him, but Eddie was patient.

While you loved feeling his hands on your skin, you hadn’t gone any further. You always tensed up when you felt his hands closer to the clasp of your bra. Not because you didn’t want this, but because of the memories that haunted you. Eddie always picked up on it, always told you, that you didn’t need to rush anything, but you couldn’t blame him for trying.

You’d slept over at his trailer a couple of times, had slept in his arms, or had at least tried to do so, but you were always scared that you’d wake up from the nightmares. So instead you’d stayed awake most of the night, had watched him sleep peacefully. Deep down you knew that Eddie would never hurt you, but that little nagging voice in your had told you that you’d thought the same about Luke. Until he’d raised his hand for the first time, until he’d done it again and again, had treated you like you were one of his belongings, not a human being. At one point, you’d gotten out, but only because he’d found some other girl that he’d liked more. You only hoped that he wouldn’t treat her the same way he’d treated you.

Luke was your past, not your present anymore, and it was a good thing that he’d left the school last year so that you didn’t have to see him anymore. Too bad, he hadn’t taken the memories with him. The scar close to your left temple would always remind you of him anyway.

Today, you’d spent all day outside, and were absolutely exhausted when you eventually lay in bed with Eddie, his arms wrapped around your middle, holding you close to him.

“You need your sleep, sweetheart. You can hardly keep your eyes open.” Eddie smoothed a hand over your hair before he pressed his lips to your forehead.

“I’m alright,” you whispered against his chest, stifling a yawn. You knew that you needed your sleep, but you were also afraid that you’d wake up drenched in your own sweat, yelling, because that had happened before. Your Mum had been by your side in no time, but even she didn’t know what had happened with Luke. You’d told her some sorry excuse that you’d tried to skateboard, because it had looked like so much fun, but you’d fallen off. You’d had to tell her something when the hospital had called her to pick you up.

“Sure you are.” You could hear the smirk in his voice, heard some rustling, before you looked up. “Just relax and I’ll read you something, ‘kay?”

How were you supposed to say no when he was holding your favourite book, the one you’d given him, that had led up to your first real date? He wasn’t even finished with the first page when you fell asleep with your head nestled on his chest.

It didn’t take long until you heard Eddie’s soothing voice, but it still held a hint of panick.

“It’s okay, it’s me, Y/N! It’s me, it’s Eddie!”

“No, no, no, no, no!” You mumbled still half asleep when your eyes suddenly opened, because you couldn’t move your hands anymore, hands wrapped firmly around your wrists. “LUKE, NO! Let me go!” You pushed yourself away, ripped your hands free and pressed your back against the wall behind you, chest heaving because you were breathing so hard. Your eyes needed a moment to adjust to the darkness in the room. Deep down, you knew where you were, but your nightmare was still so vivid, that it was hard to really comprehend what was going on.

“It’s not Luke, it’s Eddie,” he spoke to you again, keeping his hands up so that you could see them. His voice was still steady, but he was careful not to move too quickly. “It’s okay, you’re safe here!” While he didn’t yet know what had happened to you, he had a pretty good idea what might have caused your reaction.

“Ed… Eddie?” you whispered with a trembling voice, a sob ready to break out of you any moment now, and when he really came into focus, when you realised where you were that you were really safe, the tears started flowing. Eddie didn’t know what was the right thing to do now, whether you needed him to stay away or wrap his arms around you, so he just opened his arms for you, but stayed where he was to give you some space.

“I’m right here, sweetheart. Tell me what you need!” He wanted to help you, but he didn’t know how, but he was more than relieved when you threw yourself into his arms, curled up on his lap and buried your head in the crook of his neck. Eddie gently wrapped his arms around your body, placed both of his hands on your back and rubbed them slowly up and down. He could feel your tears against his skin, and he just held you in his arms, letting you cry your heart out, because it seemed like it was just what you needed.

You had no idea how long you’d been sitting there until you were finally able to raise your head again and look at him.

“I’m so sorry…” Your voice was hoarse from sobbing, which led up to a few hiccups. Your hands came up to rub at your eyes, brush the remaining tears away, because you were slowly calming down, feeling utterly safe in Eddie’s embrace.

“You don’t have to apologise, princess.” Eddie brushed his knuckles across your cheek, let his hand drop to take ahold of yours then. “You scared me there, but I’m more worried about you than anything else.” 

Your eyes landed on his chest, where you saw the damage you’d done. There were scratch marks from your fingernails that hadn’t been there when you’d gone to sleep.

“I hurt you.”

“That’s nothing, really,” he reassured you, raising your hand to kiss each knuckle, hopefully calming you down a little more. “You were whispering in your sleep and then you started yelling and flailing your arms around. I was just worried about you.”

“Still… I’m sorry about this.” You touched your fingertips to the scratches as if to soothe them. You never wanted to hurt him, but now you had, even if you hadn’t really been in control of your own body.

“No more apologies, okay?” Eddie leaned forward to brush a kiss over your nose, not really sure whether it was okay to properly kiss you right now or not. He didn’t want to overstep any boundaries and make you feel safe here with him. A nod from you made him smile again. “Do you want to talk about it?” He felt you tense up a little bit again, which made him add: “You don’t have to. Just know that I’m here to listen, alright?”

No, you didn’t want to talk about it, but you felt the need to say it out loud. You wouldn’t heal if you kept this to yourself and pulled away from Eddie. You’d realised that you loved him, but hadn’t been able to tell him that yet. You hadn’t found the courage to speak the words.

“It’s just…” you started, but needed to take a deep breath, before you kept on talking. Honestly, you didn’t even really know where to start. “My ex…”

“Luke,” Eddie provided, because he wanted you to use his name, because it was one person who’d done this to you. He didn’t yet know what exactly, but he was prepared to find out.

“Yes…” You wet your lips with your tongue, eyes firmly on his chest, because you couldn’t look him in the eyes. Your hands still in his, the one thing you were holding onto, that was grounding you somehow. “I don’t even really remember when it started, but when he didn’t like what I had to say… he raised his hand.” Another deep breath, trying to push away the memories. “And then it happened more frequently… One time he hit me again and again and I ended up in hospital. That’s how I got this scar.”

You disentangled your hand from his, pushed the hair away from your temple and showed him the fine scar. Your eyes closed, when his fingertips touched the delicate skin. In the next moment, you felt his lips there, just a soft brush, but it still managed to make your lips curl up into a smile for a moment.

“And you didn’t tell them.” It wasn’t a question, and there was no judgement in his words, it was just what happened most of the time, and he knew what he was talking about.

“I told my Mum that I tried to skateboard and fell.” Your mother had believed you, or had at least not asked any more questions, so you’d never talked about what had really happened up until now.

“Yeah, we tend to do that,” Eddie said softly, which got your attention.

“We?”

Now, it was Eddie’s turn to sigh. He took your right hand and guided it through his hair to the back of his head, where you could feel a small scar, your fingers gently stroking over the skin.

“There were multiple reasons why I ended up living with my uncle. That’s one of them.” It hadn’t been the first time it had happened, but the last, because as soon as Wayne had found out, he’d taken the steps to get Eddie to live with him.

“Oh Eddie…” Cradling his face in your hands, you captured his lips in a soft kiss. Thinking about little Eddie going through this… it broke your heart, but it made you appreciate everything Wayne did and had done even more. He was a saint, really.

“It’s been years, but I’ve had nightmares as well.”

“How… did you deal with it?” you asked quietly, leaning your forehead against his, closing your eyes. Your hands dropped to his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath them, reassuring you that he was here, that this was real and everything else had really just been a nightmare.

“I talked about it.” Eddie put his hands on your waist to pull you close again. “I know how that sounds, and I didn’t open up at first as well, but Wayne was always there, listening, and once I talked about it with him, the nightmares ceased.” His thumbs brushed over your waist, before he pushed them to your back, rubbing soothing circles all over it. “They come back occasionally, but they are not as terrible anymore.” “What’s changed?”

“I’ve got people in my life that love me… and that I love.” Eddie brushed your nose with his making you look into his eyes. “People I trust.” His lips ghosted over yours before he pulled back slightly to look at you.

“I do trust you.” Your voice was soft, quiet, but he heard every word, and it filled him with pride. “And I… And I love you.” There, the words you’d been too afraid to speak were out now, but after tonight, after you’d finally been able to talk about what had happened, you felt so relieved that you had to tell him.

“If that wasn’t clear before, I love you, too. You belong to these people that make my life a whole lot better.” Eddie leaned down and kissed you. A proper kiss this time that lingered, that touched your soul and made you crave even more.

“I should have told you sooner.”

“No.” Eddie quickly shook his head and sat up a little more. “You needed your time, and that’s perfectly fine. Just know that I’ll always be right here to listen, sweetheart. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there.”

“Stop, or you’ll make my cry again!”

“As long as you’re not crying in pain or fear… it’s a good sign, right?”

“Yeah, probably,” you had to admit as you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him close again, connecting your lips with his in a sweet kiss. For a moment, you stayed just like this.

“I just have one question,” Eddie broke the silence, framing your face with his hands again so that he could look in your eyes. “That no good bastard… where is he?”

“Not in Hawkins anymore. He graduated last year and left the town as quickly as possible.”

“Good.” “Why you asking?”

“Just thought I’d give him a piece of mind, defend your honour and shit.” Eddie grinned at you, gave your waist a gentle squeeze.

“You’re an idiot,” you said with a laugh, shaking your head. It was the sweetest and at the same time the dumbest thing he’d ever told you, because you really didn’t want him anywhere near Luke, because he’d only get into trouble. But that he wanted to defend your honour was something right out of a book or a movie, and so sweet, you simply had to kiss him.

“Yeah, your idiot, don’t forget that!” he whispered against your lips, before he sealed them with his again.

No, no that was something you definitely wouldn’t forget. He was yours and you were his in the best way possible.

“How about you get some sleep now? You must be exhausted.”

“Yeah… I am.” The nightmare had been draining enough, talking about it had done the rest, but at least, you were feeling a lot more relaxed now, relieved even. “What about you?”

“Oh, I’ll just watch over you for a bit until I’m sure that you’re sound asleep and no nightmares will haunt you for the rest of the night.”

You had no idea how he wanted to achieve that, because he couldn’t control what you were dreaming, but it worked. No more nightmares woke you that night, and ever since opening up to Eddie, the nightmares were becoming less and less. You’d always carry the scars on your body and soul, but now you had someone who understood you, someone you trusted, and someone who’d do anything to protect you.

Tag-list: @violetpenguinkris @tellhound @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @spideyanakin-interacts @bellamy-barnes @beepisbeep @snapefiction @hardysbitch

Let me know if you want to be tagged for this series, or Eddie stuff in general 💚 

#eddie munson x reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfiction #stranger things x reader #stranger things #stranger things season 4 #stranger things imagine #eddie munson angst #eddie munson hurt/comfort #staffi writes #anon request

[can-youimagine]

Story of Us (Spencer Reid x Reader)

Summary: Of all the bookstores in the world, Spencer Reid chose yours (and you couldn't be happier)

Content: bookstore au!, Spencer (and Reader) being awkwardly in love, bau just wants spence to be happy, fluff

Word Count: 1,392

Masterlist

Spencer Reid has come into your bookstore as soon as you open nearly every Monday like clockwork for the past few years. You noticed his FBI badge right away, and when he misses his first Monday, he explains that he works for the BAU, not that you really understand what that means other than he occasionally will miss a Monday.

He is certainly something. A few times a year, he buys children’s books for his coworkers. Occasionally, he mixes his nonfiction books with novels for his friends. If you mention a book you’ve read, you notice it in his pile the next week.

This Monday, you let out a small laugh when he sets the stack of books on the counter in front of you. “I mean, I know I shouldn’t be driving away my number one customer, but you know it would be cheaper to get a library card, right?”

His cheeks turn pink. “I like to annotate,” he answers.

You take the books from him. “I’m surprised you haven’t bought every book I sell.”

He shrugs. “I’ve read almost all of your science fiction. You seem to get a new nonfiction book every few weeks, so there’s always something there. My friends started teasing me for always having my nose stuck in some ‘nerdy’ book, so I tried to pick a few things outside of my comfort zone.”

You check out his selections. “You’ve made some good choices. Y’know, if these work out for you, I’d be happy to recommend some more.”

Handing you the money, he smiles. “Thank you.”

“Of course. See you next week, Spencer.”

His cheeks blush impossibly pinker, as he takes the bag from you. “See you next week.”

You hadn’t intended to ever fall in love with a customer. You surely never intended to fall in love with Spencer.

Spencer walks into the BAU with a stack of books in his arms. He sets the ones for him on the table before taking a few up to Hotch’s office.

“Come in.”

“The other day you said that you and Jack had been reading the Magic Treehouse series,” Spencer explains, holding the books up, “and I know his birthday is coming up, so I-”

Hotch cuts him off with a smile. “Thanks, Reid. I’ve been meaning to get the next couple books but haven’t found the time to.”

“Of course.” Spencer shoves his hands in his pockets, leaving as Hotch examines the book in his hands. This is not the first book Reid had brought him. It’s not even the first one he brought him this month. Last week he came in with a biography of General Patton. 

Curiously, he watches as Reid picks up another book, leaving it on Morgan’s desk. What would possess him to stop at that bookstore every week?

Then, he notices the book that Reid quickly shoves into his bag. He can’t quite make out the title, but the half-dressed man on the cover tells Hotch all he needs to know. He shakes his head with a smile and lets Spencer keep his secret crush.

You’re surprised Tuesday morning to see a man in a suit waiting for you to open.

“Can I help you?”

“No,” he answers. “I’m sorry to bother you. I wasn’t sure what time you opened.”

Ushering him inside, you smile. “Of course. Come on in.”

He takes a look around the store. It’s cozy. He can see why Reid was drawn in. “My son’s birthday is at the end of the week. My friend came and got a few Magic Treehouse books for him, but I still need to find something.”

You try to contain your smile when he mentions Spencer and recommend a few other books for the boy, wishing him a happy birthday. 

Wednesday afternoon two women who obviously have government jobs walk in. They wander around the store a few minutes before the blonde picks up the book you recommended for the man’s son yesterday. The brunette follows with a Vonnegut in hand. As she checks out, she grabs a bookmark with the store’s logo on it, giggling the entire time.

Thursday a couple come in. The woman’s bright pink heels click all the way to the romance section, handing the man at least four books to buy. As the man takes out his wallet, he not so subtly flashes his FBI badge. Suddenly, your new customers don’t seem so random.

Friday evening an older man strolls into the stop, heading straight to the true crime section and picking out a book with an author photo that looks suspiciously like him. 

As Rossi leaves the bookstore, he gets a call from Aaron, letting him know they have a case this weekend. Normally, he would be beyond embarrassed to be seen with a copy of his own book, but sensing that this could be the final push to get Spencer to ask you out, he marches into the BAU office, holding the book proudly.

Spencer knows something is up. He just can’t place what it is. Hotch had been giving Spencer soft smiles all week, and it was starting to get a bit unnerving. JJ and Emily have been giggling all week whenever Emily pulls out her book. Derek has been teasing him a bit more than usual. Even Penelope seems to be bouncing around the office more than usual.

The only one who hasn’t changed is Rossi.

At least, Spencer believes that until they show up for the briefing. Rossi sets a copy of his own book on the table in front of him.

And, no one mentions it.

No eye roll from Emily. No tease from Morgan. No quip about vanity from Hotch.

“Wheels up in-”

Spencer snaps. “What is going on?”

The team laughs at his frantic state.

“No, something is up. What is it? Tell me!”

JJ places a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs it off. “Calm down, Spence. It’s nothing.”

He walks out of the room in a huff and resigns himself to being left out like he always is. 

Boarding the jet, he chooses a seat by himself, setting his bag in the seat across from him. That does not deter Morgan, who tosses the bag to the ground. Spencer tries to protest, but Morgan interrupts, “What’re you reading?”

He shrugs, keeping the book you recommended in his bag. “Nothing.”

“You’re really going to lie to a profiler?” When Spencer doesn’t respond, he continues, “Alright, so I’m guessing it’s not something nonfiction, otherwise you would have told me all about it. It’s probably not a sci-fi or historical fiction because you would be laughing at all the inaccuracies, so I’m guessing this is something you wouldn’t normally read. But, what would make Spencer Reid step out of his comfort zone?” He leans forward. “Look, pretty boy, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but we all went to the bookstore. Just ask them out already.”

Spencer’s eyes widen as he tries to stammer out an explanation for everything. Unfortunately, Morgan leaves before he can figure out what to say. 

Monday morning goes by without Spencer walking into your shop. By Tuesday morning, the only word Britt can use to describe you is mopey. Luckily, your mood changes on Wednesday. As soon as you step inside the shop, you hear the bell on the shop door ding. “Welco-Spencer!”

He gives you a small greeting as he walks over to the register. “Hi, I’m sorry. I’ve been in Wisconsin.”

“I’ve missed you.” Reaching under the counter, you grab a book that you’ve been holding for him since the first day he walked in. “The other day you said you liked to annotate. I do too. I thought maybe you coul-”

“I actually have something for you, too.” He reaches into his satchel, pulling out a copy of the last book you sold him. “I think we may have had the same idea,” he explains with a shy smile. 

You set your book on top of the counter next to his. “Well, I better get reading.”

“Yeah, me too,” he responds, thumbing through the pages. “Why are some of the page numbers circled?”

“I only circled ten numbers. You should be able to figure it out,” you tease.

His eyes light up when he realizes you left him your number. 

#spencer reid x you #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds x you #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds imagine

[cloverdaisies]

CLOVERDAISIES’ WATTPAD ☆ BOOKS

hi deobis! ∩^ω^∩ here is a link and description of my books in case you were looking for a read ! <3 if i’m not active on here i’m usually posting updates over on wp so don’t hesitate to come say hi!

# TARGET: lover

member: juyeon

genre: mafia au

status: completed

description: “late at night, a wander down the streets of downtown is not the safest trip for a young girl approaching her mid twenties to endeavor on..

when yanked head first in to danger, y/n can choose one of two reckless fates... he's cold, twisted, murderous in intent, nothing but a facade of someone who's lost his way in such a dark world...

is it possible that someone so cruel, could ever find love in this dysfunctional world of money, drugs & murder?

mission accepted - welcome to TARGET: lover.. ”

a/n: listen this is the first book i’d ever wrote, i know she’s not everyone’s cup of tea but she means a lot to be so please be nice to her <3

☆*:.｡.

# JUVENILE

member: sunwoo

genre: bad boy cliché, college au

status: completed

description: “LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT: "the court hear by sentences that sunwoo kim, will face up to 6 months and 10 days in prison with no chances of parole on charges of vandalism and possession of Class A substances."

kim sunwoo returns to campus after being released from juvie but has the old him ever changed? still smoking, drinking and partying with his insane friend group. juvie didn't scare him one bit.

it's been 5 months since Y/N, introverted, clever and pretty, moved to LA. she's only heard rumors of sunwoo kim. the young criminal who no one wanted to get on the wrong side of, the news of him coming back was the buzz of the entire campus.

an unexpected encounter brings two opposite people.

a/n: probably one of my proudest works! juvenile is the most successful book of mine and to this day i still sm in love with the characters and universe i created in this lil world.

☆*:.｡.

# 1984

member: chanhee

genre: 80s, romance

status: completed

description: what happens when a present day girl gets sucked into the 80s - big hair, big stars, old cars and young hearts.. the year is 2021, full of social media absorbed teens using these little silver boxes called mobile phones... hopeless without today's unrealistic present... what happens when Y/N, your typical zombified teenager is warped into the past... does she come back with more than she bargained for ?...

a/n: probably the most detailed book i’ve ever written, 1984 depicts a whirlwind of a vintage romance that if you’re into the 80s vibes you’ll love.

☆*:.｡.

# ANGEL BOY

member: juyeon

genre: boarding school romance

status: ongoing almost complete

description: “when American dream girl Y/N finally pulls the last straw with her father, she gets shipped off to an all girls private school in England..

is there more to the school than lacrosse and rich girls?...

a Lee Juyeon fanfiction, based on and inspired by Wild Child”

a/n: i absolutely love the film wild child and became so inspired to write something like it, there’s a lot of characters to get to know who aren’t necessarily based on k-pop idols but i created them myself and i hope you could love and get to know them as much as i do

☆*:.｡.

# MENSWEAR

member: juyeon (sorry i’m in love with the man)

genre: angsty college au

status: ongoing

description: "i love you, i told you i do."

"i want to see sunshine, flowers, hold someone in the long grass on a summers day. i want to be in love like the poets write, the story the birds sing to. but i'll never be that guy. i'll never be your romantic shit show of a love story."

"but you are."

a lee juyeon fanfiction set in the same universe as juvenile, a kim sunwoo fanfiction. ”

a/n: right i absolutely loved juvenile so much that i had to write a spin off with juyeon’s character, yes it’s only at the beginning ! but summer awaits and i will be working hard to complete it ! <3

☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ !

i know it’s a lot of juyeon but there is more to come ! i can’t wait to cherish the summer and give you more members books ! i hope that this rough index could lead you into my little romantic world and give you some laughs along the way

sending my love always,

clover <3

#the boyz x reader #kpop imagines #the boyz imagines #the boyz fanfic #the boyz #the boyz x you #tbz #the boyz fluff #the boyz angst #the boyz juyeon #juyeon #sunwoo #juyeon fic #sunwoo fic #chanhee fic #the boyz wattpad #the boyz scenarios #kpop #kpop fanfic #kpop fic recs #tbz imagines #deobi #kpop fanfics #kpop fanfiction

[padfootagain]

The Last Chance (II)

Chapter 2: Finding

Here is the second part of my short series for Ben, that I’ve written based on a request for my Comeback Event! The trope requested was ‘wrong time to right time’.

I hope you like this second part! Tell me what you think about it!

****

Pairing: Ben Barnes x reader

Warning: angst… with a happy ending 😉 But for this first part, it’s rather just a mix of angst and fluff.

Summary: you and Ben have been caught in a game of hide and seek for decades now; always loving each other at the wrong time in your lives. Can this finally be the right moment for the two of you?

Word count: 5600

John seems a little bored, but you’re still thankful that he’s not complaining or pushing you to leave. You know you’re spending too much time in this bookshop, but you can’t help it. This used to be your bookshop.

Your fingers travel across the soft covers, you take in a deep breath to fill your lungs with the specific scent of new books.

You used to come here as a student. It was a long time ago though. A decade has passed since you’ve been back in this neighbourhood. How time flies…

You remember coming here with Cassie to buy as many books as you could afford with the money you saved from working during the summer. You remember coming with him too… with Ben…

He always carried your books, until he started buying some for himself too, and you always walked out with two equally large piles of books in your arms. He joked that you were even more obsessed with books than he was, and you always contradicted him.

You stare at this corner, over there. It’s dimly lit because of a tall shelf blocking the nearest lamp suspended at the ceiling. Shelves of wood. Leather covers. You remember how Ben kissed you there that afternoon. It was raining, he was soaked, just like you. You remember his wet hair falling before his glimmering eyes, and his loud laugh, and the way raindrops slipped down his cheek to hang at his jawline, as if they didn’t want to fall…

You look away. This is ridiculous. You haven’t seen Ben in ten years, and for all you know, he’s off somewhere on the other side of the planet to work on a film or a tv-show. He’s probably in LA, under the sun. Meanwhile you’re in London, under the rain…

Still, you don’t regret coming here. It’s nice to see that this place has barely changed since the days when you were a student gathering books and happy memories between these walls.

John is on his phone now, and you don’t pay any attention to him. He’s not worth it. He’s nice enough and he’s good in bed, so you’ve given him a chance. But it’s been two months and you can already tell there’s nothing there. You’re looking for something more, and he can’t give it to you. He’s a little too… self-centred.

You wonder why you’re here with him at all, actually.

You pick up a book, turn it around and read the summary written at the back. The pretty cover caught your eye, and you’re weighing your options. You’re already carrying three books in your hands, maybe that’s enough for one trip to the bookshop. You can hear Ben’s voice though…

One can never have too many books, darling…

It’s funny that you’re thinking about him like this today. You haven’t really thought about him in a long time. You are reminded of him whenever you see an article in a magazine, a picture of him on a bus, his face on a screen. But then again, you spent a lot of time together in this bookshop, it must be the reason why he’s in your thoughts right now.

You walk around a table, scanning the covers and the titles, with four books in your arms now. Still, you want to stay a little longer; might as well keep hunting then…

You look around in search for inspiration when you notice a silhouette you’re almost certain to recognize. Tall, dark hair… his back is to you, but the height is the same, and his posture, and everything about him…

Surely, you’re merely hallucinating. It’s just the past playing with your head because you came back in this stupid bookshop…

You can’t help but stare though, and he must have felt your gaze because he turns around now with a slight frown.

And it’s him. It’s Ben.

You let out an audible gasp, your eyes growing round. What are the chances for you to see your ex here? He’s supposed to be on the other side of the planet?!

You recognize him in an instant though, you had no doubt in your mind that it is truly Ben standing there, before you. His face, his stubble, his dark eyes… dear God, those eyes…

And he seems to immediately recognize you as well, because you see his eyes growing round with shock, his eyebrows shooting up and his lips parting. He seems to be as aghast as you are.

You tighten your hold on your books, hesitating. Should you go talk to him? Or ignore him?

You told him you didn’t want to see him again when the two of you broke up, but then again, this was ten years ago. You are over him now. And he is over you. Surely, a hello can’t hurt.

He starts walking towards you, dark eyes fixed upon your gaze, and you advance as well, forcing a shy smile to your lips. You both stop a couple of steps away from each other.

“Y/N?”

You nod.

“Hi, Ben.”

“Wow… I… I did not expect to see you here,” he admits. “But… how are you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m… I’m great, huh… I’ve moved back to London a few months ago and… thought I’d come back to this bookshop. You know, now that we’re over thirty it’s time for melancholia and all that cheesy shit.”

He laughs, this same laugh you remember perfectly. He still seems a little lost, a little aghast, but he’s laughing all the same, and it still feels warm and reassuring, even after all those years.

Damn, he is even more handsome than the last time you saw him, how can this even be possible?

Meanwhile, he thinks you haven’t changed a bit. Still the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Still hilarious.

Damn, you’re even more beautiful than the last time he saw you, how can this even be possible?

He opens his mouth to say something, anything, as long as the conversation doesn’t end so quickly and you don’t leave, but he finds himself at a loss for words. Seeing you again like this, unexpected… it’s too much for him.

“What about you?” you ask, and he’s thankful that you’re speaking again, that you’re not simply disappearing. “I thought you were somewhere exotic like… LA or… Toronto… or Sydney. But not here in this awfully wet weather.”

“I… I’m here to see my family, actually. I’m flying to New York in a month.”

“Oh, I see. So, these are your vacations, sort of?”

“Exactly. Vacations spent with my mom who is still forcing me to cook more and playing the emotional blackmail of disappointment to do so; and trying not to answer my dad’s questions when he tries to play shrink on me; and with my little brother driving me nuts…”

“So… very good holidays, then.”

“Extremely nice, indeed.”

You exchange a smile. Yours is still as infectious as it was ten years ago. Bright, luminous, you could outshine the sun…

And he still has this freckle under his right eye, that beauty spot you loved so much back in the days. You still adore it now…

He’s about to speak again when you feel a hand rest on the small of your back. John has just appeared by your side.

“Are you ready? You’ve got everything you wanted?” he asks in a sweet tone.

You nod, before turning to Ben again.

“Huh… sorry… this is John. And John, this is Ben.”

The two men shake hands, and Ben studies John’s features. He wears nice clothes. Blond hair and handsome face, he can’t deny it. Strong handshake. Maybe too strong to be friendly, but Ben doesn’t mind. He feels like he doesn’t really want to be friends with this guy, anyway.

“How do you two know each other?” John asks, his hand still on your back, and Ben doesn’t need any more explanation to understand that he’s at least your boyfriend, at most your husband.

Your husband… are you married? You could be, after ten years, it would be perfectly logical. Maybe… maybe you even have children…

You’re not sure what to say, you don’t want to tell that Ben is your ex. It’s none of John’s business anyway.

Ben comes to your rescue, luckily.

“We went to university together,” he answers. “We haven’t seen each other in… a long time. Better not count, at this point,” he jokes, and you feel John relaxing by your side.

“Oh, that’s weird that you’re bumping into each other like that!”

“Yes, it is.”

“We… we used to come here to buy books together, back in the days,” you added, and you saw Ben’s eyes growing more tender.

“We spent all the money we had on books…”

“I still do,” you joke, showing the four books in your arms, making Ben laugh and John smile.

“Well… you haven’t changed a bit,” Ben adds, his voice a little weak, but then his throat has tightened, and it’s harder for him to breathe.

“You haven’t changed that much either.”

Ben doesn’t know what has gotten into him when he speaks again. Because… this is a bad idea. The two of you broke up for a reason, and you said you never wanted to see him again for a reason and now… this man could be your husband, you could have kids and then… is it a good idea to ask you this? When clearly, judging by the way Ben’s heart is beating faster and faster by the minute, he’s clearly not completely over you.

Or no, it’s not true. He is over you. He is. He’s had serious relationships since the two of you broke up. He loved you dearly, but he has fallen for other women since your breakup. And he has an amazing life, and a great career, he’s doing what he wanted to do when he was younger. He loves it. He has a great life. He’s over this, over you, over your adorable smile, and your pretty eyes, and your infectious laugh, he is over all of this. He hasn’t thought about you in a long time.

He's over you, and yet, it’s so strange to see you here, like this… he wants to know what has happened in your life since your paths parted. He wants to know if you’re happy.

And so, he makes you an offer that surprises you both.

“Actually… I mean… it’s so crazy that we’re meeting here like this… what would you say if we grabbed a coffee and caught up on lost time?”

You raise your eyebrows, and he can see that you’re hesitating.

“I mean… I’m only staying for a few weeks, but… maybe we can take an hour to talk around some coffee or tea and then we’ll go our separate ways again. Would you like that?”

You want to say no. You really do. Because, you’re over him. You’ve had serious relationships in these ten years that followed your breakup. You’re happy, you have a nice job.

You’re over him… right?

Your heart is beating so fast though, as you stare into his eyes. Still as dark as they were ten years ago. A shade of brown so dark that you can’t see where his pupils start and where his irises end. It drives you crazy…

No, you’re over him. All of this… it’s just because you’re seeing him again after so long, out of the blue, and you’re kind of in shock because of it. That’s all. You’re in shock.

But if you take some time to talk with him, then you’ll realize that Ben belongs to the past.

“Actually… that would be lovely. Yeah, I’d love that.”

Ben grins.

“What about… I saw that this old coffeeshop where we used to go… the one around the corner of this small street, near the park… do you remember that?”

“Of course, I remember.”

“Apparently, the place is still open. Maybe we could meet there?”

“Alright… Saturday afternoon?”

“At four?”

“Perfect!”

“Alright!”

You grin at each other like two idiots. You don’t even notice anymore that John is standing next to you, that you’re in a bookshop surrounded by people. You just… stare at Ben and his wonderful eyes, and his warm smile and…

… you can’t wait for this cup of tea.

You’re more nervous than you care to admit. It’s ridiculous because this is just Ben. Ben who used to be your boyfriend, Ben whom you have not seen in ten years. You don’t need to be nervous. You know him already, or well, this old version of him. You don’t need to impress him, because the two of you broke up and it was for the best, really. No need to be nervous. Not at all…

Still, as you wait for him, sitting at a table next to a large window, you are terribly nervous. You try to distract yourself by looking at all these strangers passing by. The sky is grey but the weather is not bad today. You want to go for a walk after this. It’s the beginning of spring, there must be flowers in full bloom already, somewhere.

You’re busy looking at the cars passing by, and you don’t notice the door of the café opening and closing. You only notice Ben once he has already reached the table.

“Hi,” you greet him with a broad smile, and he gives you a matching one too.

“Hello.”

He sits down, takes off his grey coat. You notice that he’s blushing, and you can’t help but smile. He’s still shy…

You order some tea, and it’s awkward at the beginning. He looks as nervous as you, and rightly so. He’s more nervous than he’s been in years. In a good way though. No matter his nerves, he’s happy to see you.

You look so beautiful like this…

“So… how are you doing these days? How is work?” you ask, deciding to lead the conversation, as Ben remains quiet for now.

“Good. Great, actually. It’s working out pretty great.”

“I saw your face on a few buses along the years…” you joke, and he chuckles, but still seems embarrassed.

“Right… yeah, it’s worked out well.”

“I’ve watched some of your stuff.”

“You have?”

You nod, cursing yourself for confessing this so easily.

“And… you weren’t too ashamed of me, then?” he jokes, but you look serious when you answer.

“I’ll never be ashamed of you, Ben,” you shake your head.

He feels his throat tightening, and he has to look away.

Damn… he’s been here for ten minutes and you are already turning his whole world upside-down…

“I mean… at the exception of the boyband incident…”

He explodes with laughter, and you do too. The tension in the air diminishes a little. It feels good. You feel yourself relaxing in your chair at the sound of his loud laughter. It’s soothing, happy. Just the way you remember it.

“Let’s not bring that up, please. I’ve done so many more things since.”

“More ridiculous ones? For that kind of stories, I’m all ears.”

You’re laughing again, and Ben is finally relaxing. It’s still you. Even after ten years, it’s still you right there, in front of him. Same laugh. Same adorable smile. You still make him feel warm and happy and joyous. You’re still hilarious.

He’s missed you so much, more than he will ever admit.

You talk about his career for a while, he tells you some funny stories, and time flies by without either of you noticing. Your cups are empty, they have been so for a while, but you don’t care. When the conversation drifts back towards you, it’s been almost an hour. You tell him about your career, your family, your friends.

“So, you’re still writing, then,” he says with a tender smile on his lips.

“Yep. In a very small newspaper, which will never earn me a Pulitzer. And I am very happy about it. It’s not really my thing. I prefer to be… invisible. I’m not ambitious enough to be in the spotlight, I reckon.”

He nods, and you notice that he clenches his jaw.

“You would have hated my life,” he states, you know it’s not a question, more of a fact. “I’m not that famous though, you know? It’s very rare that anyone recognizes me in the street.”

“Yeah, well… Still… you have a Wikipedia page. That’s already way too much for me.”

Again, he nods his head, looks down at the inside of his empty cup, at the brown stains left by tea on the white porcelain.

“We were right to break up, weren’t we?”

He doesn’t look up at you again before he’s finished asking his question. You give him a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, I think we were right. What else could we have done?”

He takes a deep breath, sitting straighter again on his chair.

He’s got stubble colouring his cheeks, almost a beard really, at this point. You decide it suits him. You wish you could run your hands up and down his cheeks, just to know how it feels to touch him like this…

“You haven’t told me anything about John yet!” Ben points out.

But you merely shrug.

“There’s not much to tell, really. We’ve been together for a couple of months but… I don’t think it’s going to work.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not like there is any drama behind it. He’s nice but… we don’t like the same things. And he finds the things I love boring, and I’m really not interested in the things he loves so… I don’t know, we’ll see.”

Ben hates the way his throat tightens when he’s about to ask his next question. He hates that he dreads the answer, because he wants you to be happy. You were something ages ago, but now… he genuinely hopes you’re happy and have a fulfilling life. It’s selfish of him to wish there was no one in your life…

“And… do you have children? An ex-husband? Or wife, who knows?”

You chuckle, but shake your head.

“None of the above. You?”

“Nope. It’s hard to settle down with my job and… everything, really. It’s hard.”

“Because you travel a lot?”

“Yeah, I would be lying if I pretended it’s not an issue. But then… I’m a little cautious too, too much perhaps. But I know some people are not around me just for my wonderful sense of humour, let’s put it that way.”

“Oh… that must hurt.”

“It does, the first time around. Then… you expect it.”

“I’m sorry something like that happened to you. You don’t deserve to live something like that.”

“Because someone else does?”

“I mean… you’re… you’re you.”

He frowns at that, amused. You struggle to find the right words, unwilling to be too earnest, but you end up speaking your mind anyway.

“You’re probably the kindest person I’ve ever met. That’s what I meant. You’re a nice guy.”

He gives you a tender smile, maybe too tender…

“Although, you must admit that you’re sense of humour is terrible, so…”

“Shut up!”

You’re both laughing again.

“I’m hilarious,” he protests.

“You truly are. In a very cute way.”

“Ha… I’m still not a bad boy, that I’ll admit.”

“Good. That would have been too cliché. The hot guy being a baddie…”

“You think I’m hot? I didn’t even have to use the drummer-in-a-rock-band argument this time around!”

You’re in public, maybe you shouldn’t be laughing so loudly, but you don’t care. You haven’t laughed this much in ages.

It feels good to have him back.

He checks his watch, and winces.

“We’ve been talking for almost two hours now…” he says, looking guilty. “I’m sorry if you’re late for something…”

“No, no, no! I… have nothing planned after this. Do you?”

“No, nothing.”

“I just… I wanted to take a walk, that’s all.”

“That’s nice. Flowers have started blooming, it’s the perfect season.”

“Exactly.”

You bite your lip before asking your next question, and Ben’s heart melts under his ribs…

“Would you like to take a walk with me then?”

He gives you one of his brightest grins.

“Yeah, sure… I’d love that.”

You leave the coffee shop and walk across the streets of London, end up eating a pizza sitting on the banks of the Thames, before heading for a pub.

And all the while you’re laughing. It’s easy to be around Ben. You thought it wouldn’t be after so long, after what happened between the two of you, but it is. It truly is as easy as breathing. Conversation and jokes and banter come naturally between the two of you, and when silence settles for a while, it is a warm and welcoming one.

He insists on walking you home, cause it’s already past midnight when you walk out of a bar and decide to call it a night. He walks all the way to the door of your building, and the truth is, he’s not being zealous solely to ensure you’re not bothered by some drunken guy in a dark alley. He simply doesn’t want this to end…

“I’m leaving in three weeks,” he says out of the blue, right when you’re about to bid him good night.

“I know.”

“Well… I thought… I don’t know about you but… I had a lovely time today. It felt… it was great to see you again, and to catch up.”

“Yes, it was nice. I’ve enjoyed this afternoon… turned evening… turned night…”

You both chuckle, Ben burying his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. He’s nervous, you can tell. He’s blushing again, enough so for you to notice it in the dim light of the street. He’s handsome like this, with his grey coat, and dark jeans, and white shirt…

“Well, as I still have a little time before leaving… maybe we could do something together, before I go. We could… I don’t know what you would want to do but… I’d love to see you again, at least once, before I leave.”

You’re hesitating, he can tell. You’re biting your lower lip nervously, looking away.

You’re beautiful like this, bathed in golden streetlights…

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” he goes on, a kind smile on his face, although he’s terrible at hiding his disappointment. “I get it. We were… something a long time ago, but we’re not anymore. And the plan was to never cross paths again. So… if you don’t want to see me again, that’s fine. It’s okay, Y/N.”

But when you look up at him, you’re smiling.

“Have you been to the British Museum since you’ve come back? I heard they have a special exhibition about Italian Renaissance these days.”

“I… no, I haven’t. Sounds interesting, though.”

“We could go together. Next Saturday? Some people here have a regular job during the week…”

You both laugh, and a grin remains on your two faces when Ben nods.

“I’d love that. 2pm?”

“Perfect. Goodnight, Ben.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

You don’t push him away when you see him bending down towards you. You don’t stop him when he cups your face, his thumb brushing your skin. You don’t move away when he leans to drop a kiss on your cheek, lips warm and soft. It’s tender and delicate. You can’t help but close your eyes.

It only lasts a few seconds, and then he’s gone again, hand falling back to his side, and lips curving up in a smile as he looks at you.

You smile up at him, trying to control the way your heart is pounding against your ribcage. You hurry to the door, and he waits until you’ve disappeared to head back to the Tube.

When you go home, you fall on your bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to process this crazy day of yours. You reach for your phone, scroll down to John’s name to send him a text.

We need to talk tomorrow. Can I drop by?

Send.

You wait until the little ticking symbol appears on the screen to make sure the text has reached its destination, and you look up at the ceiling again.

You need to break up with him…

It’s raining again, you don’t mind though. You like the sound of heavy rain on the glass dome of the museum.

You’ve spent most of your afternoon walking across the galleries with Ben, talking, looking at the exhibits. You’re not sure when you’ve started holding his arm, but you’ve been walking in a leisurely pace like this for a while, that’s for certain.

You’re crossing the hall now, heading towards the exit, walking across the white room. There are children running on your right and laughing. Some tourists take pictures of the entrance hall. It’s busy. There are many people going back and forth, in and out of the galleries. You don’t really notice any of them though. Ben has slowed down, and you’ve noticed the way he stands a little closer to you now.

He doesn’t want this afternoon to end, and neither do you.

You’re not sure what you feel, or why you feel this way. Is it all because Ben was your first love? Is it because of how things ended? Is it out of melancholia?

You’re not sure. Do you like him still? Do you… do you love him still?

You’re not sure, and it doesn’t matter. He gives you butterflies in the stomach and it’s enough.

You linger there, on the threshold. Right before the exit, under the tall columns of stone. It’s quite cold outside, and you shiver. Ben takes your cold hand in his in response.

“I don’t want today to end,” he confesses in a whisper.

“Me neither…”

You stare at each other for a moment, unable to move. You try to read through him, but you can’t…

Someone bumps into you, apologizing, but it’s too late. The spell is broken, the moment has passed. You clear your throat taking a step forward to leave, but Ben doesn’t move, and you have to turn around with a frown.

He’s still staring at you. There’s something strange in his eyes, you’re not sure what it is. He seems a little out of breath, too.

Instead of following you, he takes a deep breath, as if gathering his courage, and he pulls you away. You follow him in silence as he guides you further away, down the passage between the façade and the columns. It’s not really intimate, but it’s out of the way enough, and no one seems to care about the two of you. Actually, you don’t care about anyone but Ben either, at this moment.

“Ben? What’s wrong?” you ask, still frowning.

He stops before a column, near the end of the row of tall pillars. It’s far enough from the entrance for the sound of the heavy rain to almost fully cover the humming of distant conversations from the visitors of the museum. It’s quiet enough.

He takes another deep breath, letting go of your hand and unlocking your arms. He doesn’t step away though, he merely stares at you some more, facing you. He opens his mouth, and you’re sure you’re going to melt under the intensity of his dark eyes. There’s something urgent there, in his gaze. Like… like he’s doing something crazy, something risky, something he didn’t think he would have the courage to do.

But then, a thought seems to pass through his head and he relaxes again. Or rather, he looks less confident. His mouth closes, his jaw sets, his shoulders drop. He looks down at the tip of his shoes.

He’s not like that. He’s not this kind of man. Even if your relationship with this John doesn’t seem serious, he can’t possibly tell you all this when you’re not single. He can’t do it, even if it kills him. He’s not enough of a bad boy to do it…

You’re not sure why you blurt out the news like that. Perhaps because you’re hoping for Ben to say something… and you’re afraid that he’s giving up because of John…

“I’ve broken up with John, by the way.”

His head shoots up.

“What?” he asks in a breath.

“I told you… I didn’t like him that much so… we broke up. I’m single again.”

“Oh…”

“Not that it’s of any interest to you but… I reckon I didn’t tell you about that yet, so…”

“No… no, you didn’t.”

“So… here. I reckon I’ve really said everything interesting that has happened to me in the past ten years now,” you try to joke, but Ben is looking at you with this same intense stare again, and you can’t focus on anything but him.

He blushes, hard, his cheeks turning crimson. But he’s got to say it, because he might not have another chance.

“I know that this is… completely… not what you want to hear, I’m sure. Because we stayed away from each other for a reason, and… we were right to break up. Look at our lives, they are… so different. Insanely so.”

“I agree.”

“And… we couldn’t possibly have a relationship now either, because of how different our lives are, because we don’t want the same things at all.”

“I know.”

“And I should not say that but… despite everything, despite the fact that we haven’t seen each other in ten years, and despite the fact that we can’t be together in a serious relationship… I have to confess that I… I can’t stop thinking about you. Ever since that afternoon in the bookshop I… I can’t stop thinking about you, all the time. I even dream about you. It’s like… you’re keeping my soul, or something. And I have to confess, that… I really want to kiss you right now.”

You stare at him for a moment, unable to breathe, to control your pounding heart, to think at all, really.

He’s waiting for you to say something, anything at all. He reckons he’s fucked up everything, but does it matter? Because you haven’t seen each other in so long, and you were not even supposed to meet again, so what is there to mess up, really?

But instead of speaking, you decide to act. And before Ben can react, you’re leaning up to crash your lips to his.

And it’s just how you remember it. Tender and passionate, like your whole world has shrunk down to the size of his embrace. He wraps an arm around your waist, and holds your face in a soft grasp. You haven’t been kissed so passionately in years…

When the two of you break away, you’re breathless. He rests his forehead against yours, trying to slow down his heartbeat. He fails.

“Do you want to come to my place?”

He finally opens his eyes at that, looking up at you with eyes slightly round. But he recognizes the determination in your gaze. You won’t regret this, he knows it. You want this, as much as he does.

“I’d love that.”

You nod, grins slowly forming on your two faces.

“Maybe… maybe in two weeks, once you go back to LA we could… stay in touch this time,” you offer. “Not… I’m not talking about a relationship, because I know we can’t but… Still, maybe we could stop being strangers?”

Slowly, he nods. But he’s worried as well, you recognize the little frown.

Because… is all this a good idea? He’s acting very spontaneously right now, and he can’t say that he likes it. This is going too fast. It’s dangerous. He doesn’t want to get hurt, and above all, he doesn’t want to hurt you. If you’re to be friends, is sleeping with you now a wise decision?

“If we want to do this, to stay in touch after I’m back in LA… is it a good idea? That we… spend the night together, I mean.”

You shrug.

“I don’t know.”

“Then let’s… let’s make a deal. We spend tonight together. We spend… the following weeks together, actually. We stay in touch after I leave, but then… just as friends. These two weeks are the last time we’re more than friends. Because otherwise, it’s just going to be a mess…”

“Deal. I agree.”

“You’re sure?”

But you nod and give him a reassuring smile.

“I’m sure. I agree with that.”

“Alright.”

“Alright.”

Before you can add another word, Ben kisses you again, even more passionately than before, if that is even possible. He takes a step forward to press your back against the column behind you, while you lose your fingers in his hair.

He tastes of tea and something sweet… a fruit you can’t quite recognize.

When his lips leave yours to trace a hot trail of kisses down your jaw and neck, you run your fingers through his short beard, shivers running up your spine as he sucks on the skin of your throat.

“We should go, Ben.”

He finally detaches his lips from your skin, biting playfully your earlobe before taking a step back. You’re both out of breath again, his lips look a little bruised already.

He offers you his open hand and a grin.

“Let’s go then, darling.”

You hate the fact that your knees grow weak at the sound of your old pet name, but you take his hand anyway, and together you run under the rain, laughing, heading to the subway.

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