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tainted-wine · 4 years

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Tuning In Tonight

Present Mic x Reader (NSFW)

(A 10k story because I have no self-control. Here’s a fic about a troubled cafe employee that turns into a Mic fan and later SEX)

You soaked in the heat of your apartment after enduring the chilly walk back home from work. Wasting no time, you tossed your coat aside and kicked off your shoes before plopping onto the bed. Another week, another paycheck. Today was exceptionally busy at the cafe. Fridays always were, really, but today had put you to the test against quite the cast of characters. But even in the face of screaming kids with careless mothers, business people with absolutely no patience, and teens that didn’t think you were worth making eye contact with, you prevailed. You liked your job, even with the odd rough days. The staff was kind, the pay was fair, and the fact that it was smack-dab in the middle of the city means that it was visited by the occasional hero. Those were the days that filled you with joy, taking you back to the times when you dreamed of having the same career. But some things just weren’t meant to be. Your younger, more passionate self would chide you for accepting this life. For not using every breath in your body to ensure that you would one day become a hero that everyone remembered, but such persistence would only hurt you more in the long run. At least you were still able to find a comfortable living elsewhere. You settled with the cards you were dealt just fine, and yet that’s exactly what bothers you. Is it really okay to just give up and settle this after trying so hard? 'Nope, my mind’s not going anywhere near that rabbit hole today.' You sprang back up, heading to your room with extra pep in your step to undress and prepare a shower. The hot water soothed your tense body and cleared your mess of a mind. There was no room for any negative thoughts on a Friday night, the nights that you always look forward to the most, because it was time for the weekly radio show hosted by the lively pro hero Present Mic.

Your first experience with the show happened months ago, during a day where you were feeling extra exhausted for no particular reason. Turning on your old radio to lift your spirits, you happened to tune in just in time for the voice hero’s live caller segment. ‘Why not?’ you thought to yourself as you dialed the station's number and patiently listened to the rings. “Hey, thanks for calling, my dear listener! Hope you’ve been having a rockin’ day today!” There was something about having such an energetic and carefree voice directed to you that just brightened you up from inside. The conversation didn’t last very long, your sudden shyness being part of the reason why. It ended with you honoring the usual routine of requesting a song before disconnecting. As short as the encounter was, it left a strong impression, and you wanted it to happen again. Just like that, you became a loyal fan of Put Your Hands Up! radio. It was a great way to end work for the week, winding down and getting ready for the weekend as the station played a wide variety of tunes. And every time Mic was ready to take calls, your phone was ready to dial. You talked about whatever came to mind—how work was treating you, discussing his latest accomplishments as a pro hero, sharing silly events the two of you had in life. Whatever you discussed, no matter how mundane the topic, Mic always sounded eager to listen and respond with the boisterous voice he was known for. Even on the nights where you felt especially drained or under the weather, his unwavering enthusiasm never failed to clear the dark clouds over your head. In short, he was a lovable guy. So you relaxed and killed some time with the help of the internet and some phone games until that special hour arrived. You turned to the station and was greeted with the loud intro that took some getting used to. “Yeeeaaaahh! Present Mic here, and thank you for tuning in to Put Your Hands Up! Are they up? Because we’re about to get started!” And so begins the music that you swear is just a playlist of the hero’s personal favorites. You laid back on your bed and let your mind drift as the songs played. Your friends plan on meeting up for a movie tomorrow; can’t miss out on that. Maybe you’ll stop by the store afterwards so you can restock your fridge. What should you do Sunday? Meh, just make it a lazy day and hang around at home, you suppose. You returned to your phone and continued scrolling through your favorite websites. Time went by quicker than expected, Mic’s announcement of taking calls catching you by surprise. The first few calls were picked up by other listeners, doing the usual routine of sharing their day or talking about recent issues. Mic gave advice wherever he could, and his desire to help anyone who was willing to reach out to him felt so damn genuine that it made you smile. Another call was picked up before yours. Oh well. You listened to what ended up being a youthful male on the line. “H-hi, Mr. Present Mic!” The nervous yet excited voice was pretty heartwarming. A young teen, most likely.

Mic laughed. “No need for the ‘mister,’ listener! You’ll make me feel old!”

A bunch of frantic stuttering could be heard from the boy. “Ah, so sorry, sir—I mean mister—I mean Mic!” You giggled along with Mic as the poor boy tried to collect himself. “Deep breaths, little listener. What’s on that speedy little mind tonight?” “Well,” the boy had finally steadied himself. “I’ll be finishing middle school soon, and I’m ready to start training to be a hero. I just really hope I can get into U.A. and meet you! I wish you could be my English teacher!”

Awww. “Shucks, little guy. First, good job on finishing up middle school. I hope your parents have a rockin’ party ready for you! Second, you’ve got guts for aiming for the highest! Make sure you study and prepare, 'cause U.A. only accepts the best!” There was a pause on the other end. “So, is there a chance that I won’t make it?" “My little listener,” you could tell that there was a gentle expression on Mic’s face as he spoke. “There’s always a chance, so I want you to promise me one thing. If that chance hits you, don’t give up on your dream. Get the most out of whichever school accepts you. You know how many amazing heroes I met who came from schools with pretty lame reputations? There’s a lot of them, trust me. I’ve also met my share of cocky young heroes who rag on others just because they don’t have the fancy brand of U.A. or Shiketsu on their resume. That’s all it is, kid. A brand. Just because you couldn’t strike a deal with a major record label doesn’t mean your music career is already dead.” “Music?” the boy said in confusion. “But I’m not talking about mu—oh…metaphor.” Mic chuckled lightly. “There ya go, listener! Your language is doin’ fine. You don’t need me! But if you think you do, you know where to call me for another chat!” “I do!” the boy said happily. “Thank you, Present Mic! I promise I’ll keep doing my best!” You listened to the two talk for a little longer. The boy had some real determination and you admired it. He’ll hopefully reach his dream. You won’t wish ill will on others just because you didn’t reach yours. Giving everything you had and still not being enough was something no one deserved to experience. The boy had requested a rather angsty rock song that was trying really hard to sour your mood, but you’re not going to give the depressing vocalist what he wants. On the next segment, you internally rejoiced when you hear Mic’s voice in your ear. “Hey there, Mic.” “Oh? Is that my favorite lady listener I hear?” You giggled at the flattering question? “Maybe? I didn’t know you had favorites.” “Ah, you’re right! Not very professional of me! Don’t worry, listeners! I swear I love you all equally!” He boomed. It’s moments like this that taught you to keep your phone a fair distance away from your ear when you speak to the great voice hero himself. “So how’s the cafe treating you?” After so many talks, Mic had learned a few personal details about you, including your job and the area you worked in. He’s commented on how humble your life sounds; you didn’t disagree. “It’s been the same. Nothing new.” Your plan was to share one of your experiences with the more unruly customers today, but something else was weighing on your mind now. “Come on, girl. You’ve gotta have something spicy to share with us, don’t ya?” “Actually,” the last call was really sticking to you for some reason, you couldn’t help but let it slip out. “I want to say that what you told that boy was very sweet. And I was wondering…” Your voice caught in your throat. “I was wondering…” ‘Is it okay to give up?’ You didn’t want to say that. ‘What if you sacrifice everything you have, but still fail?’ You don’t tune in to be a downer. ‘Did you know that I was like that boy once?’ You talk to Present Mic to feel good. “Wondering what? You still with me, listener?” Mic asked. The concern in his voice urged you to spit something out already. “I was wondering exactly which pro heroes you knew personally. You said that you’ve met a lot,” you lied. You weren’t wondering that at all. Still, you won’t mind hearing his answer. “Ha! Where do I even start? Now’s the perfect time for some free promotion for the awesome heroes out there that deserve some sweet limelight! Let me start with a cool guy named Koi. He’s pretty new to the scene and works on the coast.” He went on and on about many lesser known heroes you weren’t familiar with at all, but that made the information all the more intriguing. He spoke highly of each person, listing their accomplishments and how hard they worked to get where they are. As always, he managed to perk you back up. You made a mental note to look up these heroes later. “Whoa whoa, record scratch, guys! The lady’s got me rambling for way too long. Trying to soak up all the time, are ya?” He sneered in the most light-hearted way. You laughed innocently. “Of course not! You were being so passionate about every hero that you mentioned, I didn’t have it in me to stop you.” “Well, I’ll forgive you just this once! You know how to end it. Hit me with that request!” The rest of the broadcast carried on through the night as a drowsiness began to creep on you. You listened to the last of the songs while getting cozy under your sheets. “Time to finally put those hands down! It’s been a blast, listeners! I hope you’re ready to rock with me next time! Good night!” You switched off the radio and finally allowed yourself to drift off. ‘Good night.’ ——— The weekend had flown by. Before you knew it, it was back to business at the cafe. You were always thankful for not being part of the morning shift on Mondays, your co-workers sharing horror stories of the tired and moody zombies demanding complicated orders as quickly as possible. Your shift started at noon. The day was going by smoothly, no wrenches thrown into your usual pattern. Small talk with the customers, impressing the regulars by guessing their orders correctly, practicing your latte art, it was a meditative cycle for you. By the time the sun was down with no recent customers, you were ready to start cleaning up. The place closes in less than twenty minutes and the rest of the staff was sitting around patiently. A ring at the door alerted you all to the sight of a man briskly walking in, gripping at his overcoat as he recovered from the cold outdoors. “Welcome sir,” you greeted while heading to your position behind the counter. The other workers gave their own welcome and followed suit. “Hey!” He said loudly. “Didn’t mean to barge in like that. It’s cold enough tonight without all of this wind.” The voice made you pause. The man approaching you had blonde hair pinned up into a messy bun, some stray locks hanging freely. He adjusted his glasses as he flashed you a smile. That voice…and paired with his appearance…there was no doubt about it. 'Present Mic?' “Heh, looks like I’ve been exposed already!” Mic said with a chuckle. You placed a hand over your mouth, not realizing you had said his name out loud. “Sorry, it’s just really nice to meet you in person. I’m a fan.” You thought you saw him pause as well, eyes widening for a brief moment before asking, “Are you, now? And have we talked before, dear fan?” His voice was calmer than what you were used to hearing on his show. “We have, on the radio. Quite a few times, actually,” you admitted. And with that, his smile was enhanced to blinding levels. “My favorite lady listener! I thought I recognized that sweet voice!” Mic didn’t seem to respond to your blush and kept going. “I remember you said that you worked around here, but I sure didn’t expect to bump into you!” “Well, fate’s treating us both well tonight. I can’t properly express how excited I am to meet you while on the job. What can I get you tonight?” You hid behind your professionalism and waited for his order. Mic rubbed at his chin and pondered. “Well, I’ve been convinced by word-of-mouth that you guys have some yummy pastries. What do you think will go well with some hot cocoa?” Fortunately, the cafe’s menu was practically branded into your mind, so even the presence of a pro hero isn’t enough to make you draw a blank. “I’d personally recommend one of our warm treats. Maybe you’d like to try our filled croissants? The strawberry one is my favorite.” “Mmm, sounds delish. I trust you,” His grins were seriously trying to make you melt. “Hit me up with a cocoa and a strawberry croissant for here!” After taking his order, Mic seated himself at a table to wait for his sugary meal. As you prepared his chocolate and croissant, you couldn’t resist stealing an occasional glance at him. He was studying the cute decorations that littered the place and gently bobbing his head to the indie music playing through the speakers, but the two of you happened to lock eyes once, forcing you to immediately look away. Whenever you saw him in the media, his eyes were usually obscured by the orange shades that went with his hero outfit. Now you realize just how green they are, almost as if they glowed. It didn’t take long to prepare his order, and you decided to grant him the special treatment of delivering the food to his table. There was no one else to serve, after all. “Hey,” he said. “Would you mind sitting down with me?” Your heart fluttered. “Not at all, Mic.” You pulled back the chair opposite to him and took a seat. “Call me Hizashi.” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Present Mic is always too busy for a snack break.” “Of course, Hizashi.” You listened to Hizashi’s compliments on the food and drink, trying not to stare as he ate. You were always so sure that he couldn’t possibly be as loud and lively as his hero persona, and you were mostly right, but even now as he dined at a simple cafe, he still somehow radiated a cheerful and positive energy. The warm feeling you got from hearing him on the radio was dwarfed by what you currently feel now that you are seeing him in person. He had eaten the last of the flaky bread before speaking again. “You know, now that you’re right here in the flesh, I gotta ask you something that’s been bothering me since my last show.” Lime green eyes peered into yours as he idly stirred the cup of chocolate. “Were you alright that night? You sounded…conflicted when we were talking.” A lump caught in your throat. You didn’t expect something like that to stick with him. Surely he had more important matters to worry about. “Don’t worry about it,” you answered. “I just had silly things crossing my mind at the moment.” Hizashi took a sip, his eyes not leaving you. “Alright, I don’t wanna pry. I know you’re a grown woman, but I do like helping people. It’s my favorite part of all three of my jobs.” His smile never faded since he walked in here and man, you weren’t used to him looking or sounding so soft. You sat there silently, fighting internally as you tried to decide whether or not to confess. The pro hero waited, drinking and showing no signs of impatience. Your hands gripped at your apron as you took a breath. “I wanted to be a hero.” The only sort of reaction you noticed were his raising eyebrows. “Ah,” he murmured. “Do you still want to be a hero?” A beat of silence. “…No.” Hizashi watched, probably waiting for you to say more, but you still didn’t know how much you wanted to share. “Does that bother you?” He asked. You nodded. “I’d like to hear why, listener.” Hearing the term you were so used to on his show lifted some of the pressure. Ironically, he was probably the best listener out of anyone that tuned in. You straightened your posture and swallowed. “Then I should probably start from the beginning.” And so you let it all spill. How you once had the same glorious dream as so many other children. You explained all of the time and effort you put into the tests and exams, but it was never enough, and your quirk always failed to impress spectators. You had family and friends that supported you for so long, had sacrificed so much to make this happen, but when you realized that your pursuit was leading you to homelessness, you accepted defeat. Hizashi paid close attention, only making a small comment here and there, but he waited for you to finish to say anything more. “I’m sorry you couldn’t get there,” he said sympathetically. “It’s fine.” You were looking down at your lap, unable to hold his gaze throughout most of the story. “I recovered pretty well. It’s nice here.” He hummed and leaned back in his seat. “That’s good! Not everyone can bounce back from that. Sounds like it’s still bothering you, though. Are you sure you don’t want to try again? I’m more than happy to help you out.” You shook your head at the generous offer. This man was too kind. “Thanks, but that’s alright. I’m happy where I am, it’s just that…” You paused as you tried to form the frustration you’ve felt for years into words. “I had put my whole life into this, gave up everything I had, and…and I don’t have anything to show for it, you know? Feels like the biggest waste.” “Yeah, maybe it was.” His blunt admittance surprised you. “But when you realized you weren’t getting anywhere, you stopped before you hit rock bottom. I know some students of mine who wouldn’t have that self-control.” He gave a soft snort at the thought. “Hell, when everyday is such a painful climb, you forget if there’s even anything waiting for you at the top. Maybe you would’ve reached the peak just to finally keel over.” You nodded along with his feedback. It wasn’t anything new; you’ve comforted yourself with similar words, albeit with less metaphors. And yet, your pesky mind couldn’t accept such logic. “But people don’t like quitters.” Hizashi kept going, arms crossed and staring intensely at his empty plate. “Because quitting apparently means that you’re weak, not that you were smart enough to see that you’re just hurting yourself at a certain point. Man, you know how many people wouldn’t be stuck doing stuff that they hate if this mindset didn’t exist? I know a guy who finally won the heart of the heroine of his dreams, and I was like, ‘Awesome, dude!’” You watched with mild amusement as Hizashi’s volume was slowly rising along with his increasingly animated movements. “But surprise! Turns out that she makes for the world’s worst girlfriend! The poor guy is in his own little hell, but he’s wanted this gal for soooo long and he’s still soooo sure that they’re fated to be together. If I used my quirk to scream at the guy to break it off already, he’d still manage to ignore me!” A snicker nearby caught both of your attentions, turning to see the other staff members looking very entertained by his storytelling. Hizashi coughed out of awkwardness and shuffled in his seat. “You, uh, you get what I’m saying?” His voice returned to a calm tone. “Yeah, I get it,” You replied. “I never considered all of that. Sucks for your friend, but I understand the feeling. It must be frustrating to watch from the outside, too.” “Oh yeah, it is.” He sighed and rested his face in one of his hands. “I know they say that you can’t save people that don’t want to be saved, but it’s not gonna keep me from trying. Good to know that you climbed out of that hole yourself. Well, almost.” He finished off the now-lukewarm chocolate. “Your dream died, so handle it like any other death. Mourn and move on. Dwelling on it or thinking about everything you could have done differently is irrational.” You heard him mutter something under his breath, something about someone rubbing off on him too much. The gears turn in your head. Your eyes wonder to a small stain on the table as Hizashi’s advice breaks through your somber barrier. Mourn and move on.

“I’ll try,” You’re shocked by how dry your throat suddenly is. The sound of sweeping and chairs scraping across the floor makes you snap your head to the clock. It was past closing time! “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!” You didn’t even know if you were apologizing to Hizashi or your co-workers. “I lost track of time! Let me get that for you.” You took his trash before he could respond and quickly joined the others to clean up. “Sorry about that,” one of your friends said. “I guess we all got caught up in your cute little talk.” “Do you have to eavesdrop on every table in this place?” You asked with no real malice. Pretty much the whole staff has a fondness for gossip; perhaps it was just a side effect of working such a job. “Oh, you know me. Why do you even ask?” she laughed. You focused on cleaning the tables as Hizashi stood and straightened out his clothes. You hoped that he wouldn’t leave just yet. His pep talk was appreciated and you wanted to thank him properly before your bus got here. Your bus that was scheduled to arrive ten minutes ago. 'Oh shit!' “My bus! I have to—dammit! I gotta go!” You dashed into the back to gather your belongings and grab your bag. Hizashi and the others looked too stunned by your burst of speed as you exited the cafe and rushed to the bus stop, the biting cold having little effect on your adrenaline-filled body. 'Maybe the bus is late too. Maybe I can still make it.' Your sprint slowed down the moment you saw your ride home already speeding away. It was too late to catch up. You could only watch as the large vehicle drove out of sight, dropping onto the stop’s bench as you caught your breath. Wonderful. This is what you get for getting too comfortable with one of your customers, hero or not. “Hey!” Speak of the devil. You turned to the sight of Hizashi jogging around the corner and toward you. “Man, you move pretty fast.” He caught up to you and took in your tired and defeated form. “And by the looks of it, you still weren’t fast enough.” A loud groan escaped you. “It’s no big deal, really. Another one arrives in about thirty minutes.” “Ah, think you can wait that long in this cold?” A shiver ran through your body immediately after his question. Wow, it really was freezing tonight. You shrugged your shaking shoulders. “I’ll have to. It’s still better than walking.” “Or maybe I can take you home?” Your head snaps back to him. Did you hear that right? “You…you want to take me home?” You repeated. That radiant smile returns to his face and adds another wave of trembles to your body. “I help where I can, and I’m kinda the reason you missed it in the first place. It’s the least I can do for such a loyal listener.” You hesitate, your still-harsh breaths forming misty clouds. You trusted him, no doubt about that. No, what was making you hesitate were his tender expressions that were illuminated by the nearby streetlight, and his lax and inviting posture as he waited for your answer with his hands tucked in his coat, and the realization that Yamada Hizashi was pretty damn handsome. Pure hot red was rushing up to your face. Surely that was the cold’s fault. “That sounds great,” you uttered before you could even stop yourself. “Alright! Come on, then. I’m totally not dressed to be standing out here for long.” You followed him back to the cafe where an old-fashioned Ford mustang was parked. ‘Classy.' Your co-workers were watching you enter his car, some with smirks or giving you a thumbs-up. ‘Perverts. It’s not like that.’ At least, you didn’t think it was. The drive home was calming. The radio played lowly as background music while you gave him directions to your apartment. You kept sneaking a peek at him from the corner of your vision, a peaceful look on his face as his fingers tapped on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. He seemed to be the type that hated complete silence; you didn’t mind. The streets were fairly empty, so it didn’t take too long to reach your complex. Hizashi pulled up and parked. “Welp, here’s your stop!” He announced as he hit you with another knockout smile. “Thanks for taking the Present Mic Express, listener.” You removed your seat belt, but made no further movements. “Thank you, Hizashi. For the ride…and the talk. You’ve helped me a lot today.” You say as you dare to look into his hypnotizing irises. He shrugged at your gratitude. “I’m just a customer who was in need of a nighttime snack and met a special gal that turned out to be even greater in person.” It took everything in your power not to cover your face like a flustered schoolgirl, instead breaking eye contact as you felt the heat return to your cheeks. “Thanks, you’re pretty great too.” You shuffled a bit as you both sat in silence. “I’m leaving now.”

“Okay.” You stayed where you were, staring at the door handle like it was the last thing you might ever touch. “I can’t wait to talk to you again on your show.” “Ditto.” “Alright…I’m leaving now.” “You already said that.” You squirmed some more. ‘Come on, you probably just look creepy at this point. Hurry the hell up and say something.’ “Is there something else you wanna tell me?” There was a small hint of amusement in his voice, and you gathered the courage to look at him again, shocked to see that his friendly smile had shifted into something a little more smug. It was probably safe to say that he’s reading the atmosphere pretty well. ‘Then just go for it.’

“Do you…do you want to come inside me—” FUCK. “Come inside with me! Do you want to come inside with me?!” You were practically shouting the invitation in a feeble attempt to hide your slip-up. Hizashi threw his head back and cackled. “I’d love to, sweetheart! No need to be shy about it. I don’t bite.” You still sat there as the car turned off, his casual acceptance putting you into a stupor. Which version of the question was he even saying yes to? Whichever one it was, he had just accepted your offer to sleep together. You hadn’t been with anyone in years, and now you suddenly do this? A rush of cold wind hit you when he opened his door. “Come on, unless you planned on doing it in the car?” He laughed when you furiously shook your head. “Good. As much as I love my old girl, she’s probably not very comfortable for something like that.” You only shivered in response as you finally stepped out of his car and joined his side to guide him to your place. All it took was an elevator and a quick walk down the hall to reach your door. It was a little embarrassing to bring a pro hero into your small single-bedroom apartment. It had all of the essentials for a comfortable living, but there wasn’t much room for luxuries. You both kicked off your shoes at the entrance before you hurried to organize some stray clothes and bags. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting guests.” “No worries,” Hizashi didn’t seem to mind as he got comfortable on a chair near your kitchen area and scanned the place. “This is nice.” You snorted at the comment. “I suppose,” you murmured. “It’s nothing worth praising.” “What, finding a place to stay after running yourself down for years? I think that deserves some praise,” he says so matter-of-factually. That was a really admirable way to put it. “Thank you.” “Mmhmm,” he hummed, watching you finish replacing your things. Now you’re just standing here, not sure what to do next. How do you even start this? Your only experience was a clumsy one with a friend way back. “Well, we can’t do much at this distance, can we?” He says lightly as he gestures you to come closer. You comply and take his offered hand, letting him gently tug you down and onto his lap. He positioned you sideways, your legs laid out over his and making you look and feel like a nervous child. His face was so close, those green eyes looking shinier than ever. “You’ve done this before, right?” His warm breath brushes against your face as he speaks. “Yeah, I have,” you paused and wondered if you should tell him more. Hizashi was getting to know you more than you ever intended. “With a friend some years ago…it was a mess. Two virgins that had no idea what they were doing.” You laughed at the memory. “Heh, I feel you on that one. My first wasn’t the most dignified moment either.” You felt his body shake with his chuckle. His hand was still holding yours, thumb pressing against the space between your knuckles in a sort of massage. The feeling soothed you as his free hand came up to remove his glasses, your body shifting with his as he set them down close by. “In fact, your boy used to be a one pump wonder!” He smiled at your bewildered reaction to the information. “Hey, it’s not my fault sex feels so awesome!” You giggled into his shoulder. He spoke to you with such familiarity that it was impossible to stay anxious. It was why you enjoyed talking to him on the radio, but you never imagined it being the same during a scenario as intimate as this. “Hey, Don’t laugh at me! I’ve gotten better!” He said in mock anger. “And lucky for you, you get to see just how much. Welcome to my private show, listener.” He wiggled his eyebrows in a way that was more comical than seductive. A hand gently held the back of your head, and you let it pull you in to press your lips against his. You closed your eyes and savored the feeling, his lips softer than expected. Your kisses were timid, giving little more than lingering pecks, and Hizashi patiently returned them, slowly adding more pressure and passion as encouragement. The feel of a tongue swiping against your lips made you squeak in shock, getting a chuckle out of him. “That was adorable,” he teased, his voice suddenly at a lower pitch that made you shudder. “You startled me,” you retorted before returning to the kiss, this time with your lips parted to grant him entry. He caught you off guard again by sucking lightly at your lips instead, forcing a gasp out of you before slipping his tongue into your mouth. Your own muscle shyly met his, stroking each other in a lazy dance. His hands moved to hold your face and he’s doing it so tenderly. A hot desire is flowing through your veins from his kisses alone; you can only imagine what else he has in store for you. After a few more wet smacks, the two of you finally parted to catch your breaths, you especially. “Wow,” you couldn’t help but gasp. Hizashi gave a breathless laugh. “Getting overwhelmed already? We haven’t even taken any clothes off yet.” He wasn’t as composed as he let on, a red flush spreading across his face. The hands holding your face moved down to wrap around your waist as he moved his kisses down to your jaw. You sighed and tilted your head back to give him access to your neck, burying your fingers in his hair as you felt him lick and suck at your pulse. Beneath the smooth locks you felt a pin that held his sloppy bun together. “Hizashi? Can I-ah,” a hard suck on your sensitive throat forces you to pause. “Can I…your hair?” You tapped at the pin to get your point across. “Go ahead,” he groaned against your neck, not even slowing his assault as you pulled the small clip out and watched his golden locks fall to his shoulders. He purred to the feeling of you combing through his hair like fine threads. “It’s really pretty,” you whispered, still shivering from the love that he was showering on your skin. He pulls away from your neck. “Are you saying my hair isn’t always pretty? Trying to hurt Mic’s feelings?” He said with a pout. He looked all the hotter with his long hair draping the sides of his face. “Not at all! I think Mic makes for a handsome cockatoo,” you jest with a smirk. “Heh, you got jokes, huh? We’ll see who’s laughing once I get these annoying clothes out of the way.” He double tapped your thigh. “Up.” You stood up and watched him follow instantly, noticing the bulge that was beginning to grow beneath his pants. You quickly tore your eyes away from it. “Hold on a minute, I know what we’re missing.” He reached into his coat pocket and retrieved his phone. You waited, wondering what he could possibly need on his phone right now. A few taps later, a smooth melody began playing from the device. “Oh yeah, I’m feelin’ it already.” He set the phone down and shut his eyes, getting a feel for the beat of the sensual R&B song. This man was unreal. “You have…a lovemaking playlist?” You uttered while watching him get into a groove. “I’ve got a playlist for a lot of things, baby. Nothing sets the mood like a good tune. Don’t worry, sweetie, I’ll go first.” And so he began his slow movements, swaying and bouncing in rhythm to the music, pulling his coat back and shrugging it off in a steady and seductive manner, tossing it aside. Watching a personal strip show of one of your favorite heroes was both hilarious and hot. On one hand, he was giving you playful and goofy faces while lip-singing to the sensual vocals. On the other, ‘I’ll be damned,’ you thought, because he really did know how to move his body and was successfully captivating you. His hips were moving in slow circles as he grabbed the bottom of his shirt, lifting it up and revealing his impressively lean torso. ‘Oh, his hero outfit doesn’t do his body justice.’ You were so impressed by the chest and the abs that were just thick enough to be visible, you didn’t notice him struggling to pull the shirt off of his head. With his top completely bare, he smoothed a hand down his hair and leered at you with a slow lick over his lip. “Liking what you see, baby?” How the hell did his voice get so deep? Why was he being so sexy right now? Your throat was dry all of a sudden, so you simply nodded. “Good.” His hands ran over his chest, making sure you were watching them before they began an agonizingly slow descent, tracing over hard lines, his muscles rippling with the mesmerizing thrust of his hips, a sight so erotic that you wanted to look away, but just couldn’t. With the buttons and zipper quickly undone, his thumbs hooked beneath his pants and began to pull down and oh shit he was pulling at his boxers too. You were really about to see it and you didn’t know if you were ready, but your eyes remained glued to his waist as his masculine v-line and a neat trail of blonde curls was revealed, your breathing getting heavier with the knowledge that he was only centimeters away from revealing his… “Naaaah, I’ll leave these on for now.” Just like that, his voice returned to his loud and cheerful pitch, pants readjusted and no longer on the brink of revealing his manhood. Confused, you look back up to see an infuriatingly innocent face staring back at you. A pang of disappointment hits you hard; Hizashi had just teased you big time. “Your turn.” You stood there awkwardly, having no idea where to even start. “I…uh…” You try to get into rhythm with the song and already feel like a fool. “I’m not much of a dancer. Can I just undress?” You felt a little bad. You didn’t want to kill the mood just because you didn’t know how to be as light and silly as him. Hizashi casually approached in all of his topless glory. “Don’t stress, girl. The stage and spotlight ain’t for everyone,” he empathized. Slender fingers took hold of the bottom of your shirt, and he looked into your eyes for silent permission. You gave a slow nod of approval and lifted your arms so that he could smoothly remove your first article of clothing. He discarded the shirt quickly to lay his hands on your bare waist, tracing over your soft and sensitive skin, making you jump slightly. “That tickles,” you snickered. “Sorry, sorry.” His hands went higher until they reached your bra, fumbling with the clasp at your back. “Mind helping me out? I still haven’t mastered these contraptions,” he asked through gritted teeth. The fully concentrated face for removing an undergarment was a real hoot, but you showed mercy and joined his hands to undo the fastening and pulled the straps down your arms. With how hard he was staring at your exposed breasts, it took everything in your power not to cover yourself, keeping your arms at your sides. “Damn. You’re gorgeous, you know that?” He spoke softly, giving feather-light touches over the mounds of flesh. “Can’t believe you’re giving me the honor of seeing you like this.” You warmed over at the praise and his touch, a thumb brushing lightly over your nipple. “You…look really good too,” you complimented back, your own hands coming up as you considered exploring his body. Hizashi noticed your hesitation and took a hold of your wrists. “You can check me out with more than your eyes, babe,” he says with a wink, and then places your hands right onto his hot and hard chest. ‘Woah.’ You swear that your heart stopped for several seconds. Hands slightly trembling, you run them slowly over his firm pecs, listening to his quickening breaths as you went lower to feel his abs. Present Mic was never really on your list of sexy heroes. You never bothered to imagined what the rowdy guy looked like underneath that superstar getup. ‘Shame on me, I suppose.’ The hero quietly reveled in your touch as he returned to your breasts, kneading them gently to bring out soft moans from you. There was something extra close and affectionate about just feeling each other, hands caressing and pressing every inch of both of your bodies. Your first time wasn’t this slow and steady; you and your partner were too embarrassed by so much clumsy fumbling that you ended up rushing to the main act. An arm wrapped around you and pulled you closer, a pair of lips speaking right next to your ear. “To the bed.” The song currently playing had a much more raunchy vibe to it, matching the growing intensity of the room as Hizashi gently pushed you back onto the mattress so that he could peer down and take in your body from above. You felt even more vulnerable in this position, but the man’s gaze, although lustful, was still gentle and nothing to be afraid of. You had enough courage to take his face and bring him down for another kiss, lips moving more boldly this time. Hizashi smiled behind the kiss, but had other plans and trailed downward, picking up where he left off during the first make-out. He licked a wet trail across your neck, wasting no time in reaching your breasts and peppering one with kisses, the slightly ticklish sensation filling you with pleasurable tingles. Too modest to watch him shower your body with love, you instead closed your eyes and focused on the feeling as the naughty music played on. The wetness of a tongue was flicking across your nipple, making your breath hitch, but it was the complete engulfment of wet heat that made your eyes fly open to the sight of him hungrily sucking at you like he was being nursed. You could still feel his tongue swirling around your nipple in the wet cavern of his mouth. It felt so good, bringing forth an ache within your lower body. “Ah, Hizashi…more…” Your plea came out as a shuddering moan. “Patience, babe,” he panted before switching to your other breast and giving it the same delicious treatment. Soon he continued his trek downwards, kissing at your stomach and playfully dipping his tongue into your navel. “Alright, time for these pants to go.” You lifted your hips to help him pull them off, nervous but so desperate to feel him touch you more. Surprisingly, he left your panties on and placed his lips right on your hipbone, making you twitch. The kisses wandered to your thighs, taking his time in enjoying the texture of your flesh as he licked, sucked, and gave the occasional nip to make you jump. You can feel the hot desire in your core building up as he got closer to your mound, your insides throbbing in anticipation, ready to be probed and explored already. Finally his face was right at your clothed pussy, a sinful grin forming as he observed the very damp spot. You were ready for him to finally remove the last barrier that prevented your bodies from joining. What you weren’t ready for was the shock of his tongue pressing against the thin cotton and licking at you like it wasn’t even there. Even with the shaky gasp that escaped you, you felt mortified. “H-Hizashi? What are—that’s—ohhh.” His lips managed to close right around your protected clit, the feeling muted but still powerful, but this was all so new to you. It’s one thing to fantasize having someone put their mouth there, but to actually…! Hizashi halted his ministrations and looked up at you. “What is it? Did I do something wrong?” The panic in your breathless voice probably worried him a bit. You didn’t want him to think that he screwed up, it’s just that…ugh, you didn’t even know! “I, uh, you don’t have to do that, really,” you stammered. The pure confusion on his face was unexpected. “What? Go down on you? I love doin’ that, babe. You don’t?”

You were tempted to grab a pillow and hide your face. “I…don’t know. No one’s ever done that to me.” “Oh?” He tilted his head, resting on one of your thighs as he watched you curiously. “Well this guy would love to do it to you. May I?” ‘Yes. Yes, please do it.’ You just couldn’t be as shameless as your inner thoughts, so the most you could do was squeak, “If you want.” Hizashi rubbed soothing circles around your inner thighs. “I’ll just give you a sample, alright? You just lie back and feel it. Actually…” He raised himself and took a hold of your hips, tugging you to the edge of the bed. He was now kneeling on the floor with your legs hanging over his shoulders. Even with your panties still on, you never felt more exposed. His mouth was back on you in an instant, licking long stripes up your covered womanhood. You could feel your heated lust, could feel your juices seeping out to mix with the saliva that was coating your ravaged underwear. But it didn’t look like Hizashi planned on letting up on his assault anytime soon, pressing his face against you as if he was craving your nectar from the source, but insisted on holding himself back. As you whimpered from the wet grazes and your growing arousal, you realized that this just wasn’t going to be enough. “Please,” you whined. “I need more.” “More?” The hero’s voice was husky, and the wicked look he was giving you wasn’t helping matters at all. “What do you want more of?” Your knuckles were turning white from how hard you were clutching the sheets beneath you. “You! Your mouth! Please, take them off!” “You like what my mouth does, baby?” He gave you a quick lick. “Yes.” “You wanna feel more of it?” “Yes, please!” You begged. “Wanna feel my tongue push inside your pussy?” The sudden vulgarity of his words made you clench. “Y-yes.” A finger runs up and down your slit, the cloth’s texture doing nothing but irritating you at this point. “Good, because your taste and smell is driving me wild.” His fingers hooked around the lace and, thank the gods above, finally pulled them off, sticky strands of your arousal being pulled along with it. Repositioning himself, he used his thumbs to spread you open and take a good look at you. ‘Oh God, that’s a bit much.’ You shut your eyes to avoid his invasive ones that were looking straight inside of you. Just before he dove in, a new track began to play. “Oooooh shit, I love this song!” You looked to see Hizashi on the verge of jumping up in excitement. After being so turned on, you managed to forget that he’s a dork. “They’re just asking me to go all-out on you, aren’t they? Get ready, sweetheart. I’m about to send you to heaven.” Your breathing quickened as he leaned in, suddenly understanding that his teasing was just to make you extra sensitive to the real deal, because his breath alone was sending pleasant shocks through you. The first long lick up your sex already had you moaning loudly. A pair of hands held your hips down to prevent you from bucking too wildly, thighs quivering on his shoulders as he hungrily lapped at you. Among the indecent sounds between your legs, you also noticed the song’s lyrics were describing the very act Hizashi was performing right now, his mouth working more vigorously whenever the singer expressed the desire to lick a girl, to make her cum all week. He was avoiding your clit, giving full attention to your sopping folds, sucking on them loudly before deciding to plunge his tongue straight inside of your pussy. The intruding muscle had you squirming against his hold, rubbing against your walls and pushing into you as far as possible. You noticed that Hizashi’s eyes were closed in bliss, giving soft moans as if this was bringing him just as much pleasure. Whatever the case, the sight of him enjoying himself so much was something you’ll be seeing in your erotic dreams for weeks, maybe months to come. You lost control of the sounds leaving your body as the pleasing heat grew, tongue thrusting in and out of your body, his nose pressing against your neglected clit. The thorough tongue-fucking was bringing you so close to the edge. Hizashi released a long and deep moan and…you don’t even understand what happened next. The sound sent the mother of all vibrations bouncing throughout your insides, forcing you into a violent convulsion of an orgasm. You didn’t hear your own scream, the music, or see Hizashi’s amazed expression when you tightened your legs around his head in a vice-like grip. Everything was suddenly muted save for the tremors wracking your entire being without mercy, pleasure pouring over you so strongly that it was frightening. Your surroundings slowly took shape again as you came down from your high, panting and waiting for your limbs to become responsive again. A hand brushed stray hairs away from your face, and you saw a very pleased hero laying beside you. “You alright, baby? You know where you are?” He asked jokingly. “Yeah,” you breathed. “How many fingers am I holding up?” “Shut up.” You swung your weak arm and smacked him in the chest. “What the hell did you do to me?” “Sometimes I use my quirk to add a little kick,” he explained while rolling onto his side, giving your damp face a quick peck. “All it takes is a bass boost to soak the dancefloor, am I right? Though maybe that was too much. I didn’t know whether to be turned on or scared with the way you were spazzing out. Hope your neighbors didn’t think you were being murdered.” You shrunk into yourself. “Oh. Sorry,” you mumbled. You watched his hand casually explore your sensitive skin, catching a glimpse of the bulge in his pants that was more prominent than ever. “Your…” You gestured to his groin. He looked down at his stiff predicament and huffed. “Ah, yeah. It’s kinda been killin’ me. You good to keep going, babe?” How could you possibly say no after the ride he’s given you? “Yes, of course.” You moved to get up, but he gently pushes down on you. “Stay right here. I just need a minute.” The bed shifts with the loss of his weight and you watch him grab his discarded coat, fishing for something in its pockets and mumbling about something that he always keeps around, until you hear a little “a-ha” as he triumphantly holds up a condom. “Safety first~,” he says in a sing-song voice. Wow, he’s a prepared guy. Disobeying his orders, you raised yourself to sit upright. “Can I do the honors?” You asked. Honestly, you were just curious to see what he had in store for you down there. Hizashi looked surprised but pleased. “Be my guest!” he said excitedly, removing the wrapper while approaching you. The tent in his pants just sat there in front of you, begging to finally be released. “So, do you want me to finish my little show, or do you want to be the one to take’em off?” He watched your face intently as he thumbed at the band of his pants. You gulped loudly. He clearly wanted this night to be all about you, but he deserved some attention. “I’ll do it.” You whispered, taking a delicate hold of his pants to pull them down and revealing an intricately designed pair of boxers. Colorful urban-style shapes and characters covered the underwear, art that you would expect to see on the city’s walls. Any other time, you would take a moment to appreciate the impressive work, but you had a horny man to take care of. With a shaky tug, his final clothing was removed and the freed erection sprang out and smacked you in the face. The horrified ‘eep!’ and the utterly offended look you were giving his cock had Hizashi cracking up. “Shit, I’m sorry, babe!” He choked between breaths. “I guess I should have given you a heads up!” You were too embarrassed to even respond or look him in the eye. “Hey now, I promise he won’t hurt you again.” He gave you a pat on a head like a grumpy child and held out the condom to you. You silently took it and observed his manhood with a cautious look, as if it would somehow lash out and strike you again. He was pretty long; while his girth didn’t look too intimidating, you doubt that he can fit all of his length into you. It twitched when your fingers wrapped around it, rubbing up and down the soft yet firm organ and earning some sharp breaths from Hizashi. You finally attempted working with the music, stroking to match the same slow tempo. You took the lubricated protection and placed it over his swollen head, your other hand keeping up your rhythmic pumping as you pulled it down, stroking every uncovered inch until he was fully sheathed. “Fuck, girl. That was sexy,” Hizashi had watched your performance with lustful wonder. “You really don’t give yourself enough credit.” The praise excited you in more ways than one. His hands were on your shoulders and pushing you back down with him climbing on top, returning you both to your earlier positions. One hand reached between your legs and slipped a finger between your folds, dipping inside to sample your wetness. “Are you ready for me, baby?” His voice returned to that low raspy tone that had you throbbing for him all over again. Your nodding was so frantic that you made him laugh at your eagerness—your want has overpowered your doubts. He takes hold of himself and places the tip right at your entrance, your heart racing in anticipation to be filled. A sudden kiss distracts you. It was the deepest kiss he’s given you, lips practically holding yours prisoner while his tongue curled around yours. Breathy moans left both of your mouths. You were being effectively distracted until you felt the sharp burn of being stretched, your arms wrapping tightly around his neck while he pushed inside as slowly as he could. He drank up your whimpers and you consumed his growls of restraint. Every inch felt like it went on forever, hot and pulsing and overwhelming, yet your greedy pussy clamped down and sucked him in until you were completely filled. Hizashi stayed there, finally detaching his lips so that he could study your face. Those green eyes that enchanted you at the cafe for their warmth and kindness were now glazed over with something raw and insatiable. Such a look made you tighten around him, savoring the groan he gave in response. Your legs wrapped around his waist as the signal to start moving, and he complied with a slow and shallow pace. The friction was already creating another burning knot in your core. The other time someone was inside you like this…there was pleasure then as well, but it was nothing compared to this. Nothing compared to a partner who knew how to properly prepare your body and keep your mind at ease. Hizashi’s hair was draped all around you, creating a romantic enclosure of just him and you, everything else in the room feeling so far away. His thrusts were getting stronger, your heat and tightness making it too difficult for him to keep things slow. You didn’t protest and took every electrifying stroke with a helpless cry. Even with all of the sounds you were making, you dare say that the man above you was being even louder. “Ah…fuck…oh, baby you feel so fucking good. Oh yeah, fucking squeeze me just like that,” his language also became a lot more colorful, apparently. Concerning volume aside, his words only added to your pleasure. Your heels dug into him, pushing him deeper inside and brushing against that spongy bundle of nerves that had you writhing. “Shit, thanks sweetheart. Been lookin’ for that spot.” He pants with a mischievous smile across his sweaty face. With a particularly hard slam that makes you see white, he slows down and starts a deep grind. “Ah! Hizashi!” You weren’t prepared for such powerful stimulation, his dick hitting your sweet spot while his pelvis rolls against your clit. He elevates himself for a better angle, forcing you to disentangle from his neck and instead fumble desperately at his arms. The hot tension was tightening at an alarming rate with the pleasure he was giving to both of your most sensitive spots. Your gaze constantly switched between Hizashi biting his lip in a sexy focused expression to his contracting muscles as his hips press and rub against every inch of your cunt. Your nerves could only handle the sensual onslaught for so long—it didn’t take long before they were all set ablaze and reduced you into a trembling mess with your back arched and mouth hanging open in a silent scream. Sure, it wasn’t a heart-stopping climax like the one he gave you with his mouth, but the simultaneous spasms of your clit and innermost walls was its own amazing experience that had you melting into a blissful puddle. “Mmm, that’s it. That’s a good girl,” Hizashi groaned in approval. Your orgasm was still rippling through you when he buried his face into the crook of your neck and returned to his rutting, now at a much faster pace. Tears pricked at your eyes from the overstimulation. Your own choked sobs were smothered by the most intense moans you’ve ever heard sounding right in your ear. “You’re so amazing, baby…so damn beautiful.” How the fuck did he sound so sweet even when he’s on the verge of nutting? This hero has given you more than he even realized. He’s given you his company and joy every Friday, he’s given you kind words at your job, and now here he was giving all of himself to you. The emotions, the hypersensitivity, the closeness, it was all too much for you.

You came a third time, the sensation toeing the line between pain and pleasure as you clung to him tightly. He gave several more thrusts before reaching his own peak with a howl that might encourage a file complaint or two. You just held him, feeling every shiver run down his limbs and every shaky breath expelled from his powerful lungs. Both of you rested in each other’s embrace. If only things could just stay this way; Hizashi never failed to make you feel so good, in more ways than you even dreamed of. “Woah woah, you alright?” Said man’s panicked voice startled you. Before you could ask what he was talking about, you felt the moisture running down your cheeks. When did you start crying? “What’s the matter?” He tried again, his troubled eyes breaking your heart. ‘It’s nothing,’ that’s what you wanted to say, but your throat felt constricted as more tears fell. Hizashi didn’t need to hear you—he simply pulled you up into a proper hug, saying nothing as you cried in confused frustration. The music had stopped at some point during the sex, the only sound present now was your soft weeping. You let the soft rubs along your back soothe you, his other hand cradling your head. The tenderness of it all just made you want to cry more, but you held back and calmed yourself down and spoke. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” “Nothin’ to be sorry about, listener,” he returned to using that term, making this feel like another one of your friendly night talks. “It gets pretty intense sometimes.” He pulled you into a kiss, this one much lazier than the others. This was it. The kissing. It was too sweet, too sincere, the warmth of it blossomed something inside your chest that felt too earnest to be simple lust. Was he aware of what he was doing to you? Were you just overthinking this? Weren’t one-night stands supposed to have boundaries? Hizashi pulled out of you, leaving behind a sad emptiness that wanted him back immediately. He rose to his feet and headed to your bathroom, most likely to dispose of the condom. You heard his voice sound out of the room. “I’ve got little angels and devils to teach tomorrow, so I probably shouldn’t stay for long.”

Your heart felt like lead. “Okay,” you muttered. There really was nothing more to this. He was putting his boxers back on when he continued. “But…if it’s not too much to ask, maybe I can come by again?” What? Was he messing with you? “You’re serious?” You didn’t mean to sound so disbelieving, but your emotions were such a mess right now and you won’t appreciate having them toyed with. His pants were pulled up next. “One hundred percent serious!” He exclaimed with, dammit, that smile that lit up your entire being. “Maybe I’ll visit the cafe some more too. You were right about that croissant!” He returned to your side on the bed, wrapping an arm around your waist. “What I’m saying is, I think I like my favorite lady listener more than I thought.” Your heart was freed from its petrified state and swelled. Your arms swung around him before you could even stop yourself. “Hizashi…that’s so great but…you’re such a busy pro hero…I’m just a…how will this work?” You were rambling into his chest. “Easy girl, it’s nothing complicated. I’ll visit you whenever I have the time, alright? Ready to give you some support and…attention.” There’s that silly eyebrow wiggle again, making you laugh. You just kept on cuddling him, enjoying his presence for as long as you could tonight. A few minutes passed when you felt him shrug and break the silence. “Ah, what the hell.” He took hold of you and fell back onto the mattress with you now laying against him. “I guess I can stay for the night. I’ll just have to deal with waking up extra early tomorrow.” You snuggled into him and smiled. “Thank you,” you whispered. It’s unclear what kind of relationship you just formed with Hizashi; maybe this was only something temporary. All you knew is that you had him by your side, and you were going to cherish every minute of it and waste nothing. You’ll never waste a second of your life again.

#bnha #smut #present mic #yamada hizashi #present mic x reader

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5lazarus · 3 years

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Dragon Eyes: an Avatar-The Last Airbender Fanfic

Dragon Eyes

On a diplomatic mission to the Fire Nation, Katara leaves the children with Aang to have tea with Zuko and Mai. But the two of them have something they want to talk about. They've lived enough of fathers neglecting one child for the other, and they have seen enough.

Katara wishes they had propositioned her, rather than bring this up. Read on Archive of Our Own here.

Years of travel in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation have not made handling the heat any easier. Katara rejoices in shedding her layers, showing off some skin. Aang is entertaining all the kids—all of them, not just Tenzin, and Zuko’s daughter, too. She is relieved to have them out of her hair, to have the time to sit down and comb through her hair. She twists her hair into her old Fire Nation fashion and grins at herself in the mirror. She loves her hair loopies, but it’s nice to shake things up a bit.

Aang is taking the kids through the palace and tormenting the tour guide Zuko sent them with Ty Lee. Katara is taking advantage of the break. Zuko told her he’ll be in the garden with Mai, doing a tea meditation. Apparently they do that every morning, to keep a finger on each other’s pulse. At first Katara was nonplussed, wondering if that was a euphemism, and was slightly alarmed when he invited her to join them. Aang has talked about how the Air Nomads practiced polyamory. The Water Tribe does not. Katara does not.

It is terribly, terribly hot, humidity a caress on the skin, and she bends it cooler around her limbs, swiping the sweat away. Barefoot she walks down the tile path into the courtyard. Mai and Zuko are sitting by the turtleducks, drinking tea. Mai sees her first and raises a small cup in welcome.

Zuko says, “I told you she’d come.”

Mai rolls her eyes. “Hot tea on a hot day? Only offer this to Katara, not any other officials from the Water Tribe.”

“Fair,” Zuko says. He smiles at her. “Aang’s got the kids?”

Katara settles down at the tea table, one of those elegantly-carved pieces of wood that look deceptively simple and thus cost a fortune. Zuko uses wooden prongs to place a small porcelain cup before her and Mai. She touches it, eggshell thin. It’s warm.

“The tea tastes better that way,” Zuko says. Mai looks at him fondly. “Easier now that I don’t have to hide the fire bending.”

Katara smiles. “I really am surprised we didn’t run into each other earlier. Your uncle’s tea shop was so popular!”

Zuko hides his face behind his hair, and Mai puts her hand on his arm. Iroh’s death is still raw on him. She takes the tongs from him and begins pulling thin, silvery green leaves from a jar. She places them in a scoop made from bamboo.

“Bai hao yin zhen,” Mai says. “Early spring.” An eagerness underlays her usual drawl. Katara raises an eyebrow. She really likes the tea. Mai says, “Here. Smell.”

Katara leans forward. “The things I do for diplomacy!” She grins, and takes a cautious sniff. Her eyes widen, and she inhales deeper, drunk on the scent. “That’s like the sun!”

Mai smiles, and Zuko shakes himself out of his reverie to say, “Uncle always said the tasting notes were honey and sun fruits, after the rain. This is the new buds of a tea tree. There are other white teas, just as exquisite, that include the leaves, but I’ve always loved this one. It’s a treat.”

Katara says, “Well, thank you for sharing with me. If it tastes anything like it smells….”

“Uncle always served you red tea, right?” Zuko takes an open pot and closes a hand gently around its handle. The water begins to bubble. “He thought you’d like a deeper flavor. It’s good for the cold. But white tea cools me down.”

Katara leans back on her haunches, raising her face to the sun. She listens to the burble of the koi pond behind her, where Zuko has placed a shrine to Yue. Reparations, she thinks. Not enough: Sokka and Suki broke up, of course, and he has never quite been able to settle down since. She’s there, silent in the bright sky, and while it is not enough, at least the world is whole.

The courtyard is gritty under her hands, and she wipes at them, wincing at the soreness in the joints. She’s been stressed. These family trips are always stressful. Aang, for all his meditation, never seems to be able to focus on packing and he makes Bumi’s inattention worse, and then Kya gets upset that Bumi is bothering her and kicks up a fuss, and then Tenzin of course cries, and Appa covers him in slobber trying to comfort him, which makes him cry worse, and then he needs a bath, and then Bumi and Kya get upset, because the baby is the baby and the Airbender and everything, as Kya once screamed. She sighs. It is good to have some time in the sun, while Aang takes care of the kids, and have some intelligent conversation besides when she was having her next baby. She wasn’t. Three and a husband were enough.

Mai says, apropos of nothing, “Dragon eyes.” She slides the tea from the scoop into a gaiwan, shaking the leaves to spread them on the bottom.

Katara opens her eyes. “What?”

Mai says, “It means the water’s boiling. When the bubbles are that large, like dragon eyes. It means it’s the temperature that’s good for this kind of white tea. Though some brew it cooler—with crab eyes, rather than dragon eyes.”

Zuko takes his hand from the pot and skillfully pours the boiling water into the waiting gaiwan. He places its lid on the top, and pours it swiftly into another exquisite porcelain pitcher, almost translucently blue. Like blood, Katara thinks, and then banishes the thought. Hama wouldn’t like her here. The honeysuckle smell fills the garden. Zuko pours the tea, almost silver-green, into her cup.

He says, “Don’t drink. Just smell.”

Katara looks at him doubtfully. It seems like such a waste of such wonderful-smelling tea. The Fire Nation court has always struck her as excessive, though she is leery of people who prattle on about decadence.

Mai says, “You can drink it. But it’s the rinse, you rinse leaves like this the way you do rice.”

Katara says, “You ever cooked rice?” Zuko laughs, and Mai rolls her eyes.

“Very funny,” she drawls. “When we searched for Ursa. Eventually I got it right.” Zuko grins in a way that makes Katara think that perhaps she never did.

He points to the figure, painted in blue, sitting serenely at the center of the tea table. “Or you can offer it to her.” Katara picks up the porcelain figurine. It’s of a woman, a mother, holding a child close. She catches Mai’s eye. Zuko still hurts for his mother, for his father, for his cousin and his sister and his uncle. It manifests in such obvious ways, how he grieves his family. She doesn’t even need to hear it, but Zuko says it anyway. “It was my mother’s. Noriko, I mean.”

“Have you spoken to her recently?” Katara says carefully. She places the figurine back onto the table and unceremoniously dumps her cup over it, hoping it scalds through the paint. Families are complicated, Zuko’s insanely so. Mai gives her an amused look and does the same.

Zuko shrugs. “I just wish she’d talk to Azula. She hasn’t visited her once. And I know it’s hard, and you never really know when the lucid period will end, but—“

Mai says, “Loving Azula isn’t easy. It might get better when Ozai dies.”

Then they are silent as Zuko picks up the pot again and flash-brews the tea. It is hard to be sour with such a sweet smell filling the air. They don’t need to say it. It would have been better if Aang had killed Ozai. It is easier to come to peace with the dead father than the living disposed king and his mad daughter.

Zuko pours the honey-sweet tea into her little cup. She sips it, lost in its clear light taste. This is what the dew hidden in a flower tastes like, she thinks. She tries to slow down sipping at this minuscule cup, but too fast, the tea is gone. Zuko is smiling.

“Another cup?” he says, and she nods eagerly. “This was one of my uncle’s favorites. One of the many things he loved from the Earth Kingdom.”

They drink, reveling in the sheer loveliness of it. It’s like drinking light, Katara thinks. Earth and fire and water, in one cup. The warm porcelain soothes her aching hands. A muscle relaxes in her neck, and she lets her shoulders down. She rolls them, happy in their mobility.

Mai looks at her with an acupuncturist’s eye. “Pinched nerve?” she asks. “I can look at that. If you’re comfortable.”

Katara stops, cup halfway to her mouth. She’s going back to her original thought that they were hitting on her, which is flattering, but no. Absolutely not. She’s got enough going on, even if Aang wouldn’t mind, or even be into it. No.

Zuko leans forward. “There’s something we’ve been wanting to ask her.”

Katara’s heart stops. She puts the cup down, a little too hard. “I—uh—“

“Have things been alright with Aang?”

Mai’s mouth twitches. “I think she thought we were going to ask her something else.”

“Everything’s fine!” Katara blurts. Mai can be such a troll sometimes. “I mean. Traveling with the kids is always…a lot, but—why?” She’s irritated now. She has not been pleased with Aang, but three small children take a toll on communication in a marriage. She’s embarrassed that it has been that obvious. She fiddles with the figurine on the table.

Zuko and Mai exchange a look. They look like they’re waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Mai heaves a sigh.

“Bumi wrote Izumi something in a letter,” Mai says. She folds her hands in her lap. “You know how they’re friends. And it made her very upset.”

“Well,” Katara says. “If he was nasty to her, I’ll speak to him, but I don’t see what this has to do with my marriage. Bumi is—“ She stops. Bumi is always in the middle of things, fussing around, crashing into walls just like his namesake. She loses patience with him too often, she knows that, but Kya’s easy to distract with a waterbending lesson, and Tenzin just sits with his scrolls when Aang isn’t putting him through his paces. He’s so much like his father, an absolute whirlwind of energy. She’s privately thought it’s a shame he didn’t inherit his father’s bending, rather than Tenzin, but that is something she can not let herself think for long.

“He says he doesn’t think his father loves him, because he’s not a bender,” Zuko says. “Which I know is not right. But I have been in that position before. And he told her that Aang is never around, that he just travels from temple to temple with Tenzin, and he and Kya are just left at home. And that he’s worried about you too. It was a very…” He trails off, and looks at Mai.

Mai finishes, “The ink was smudge. He’d been crying. So we wanted to talk to you, because it scared Izumi. Because we both know what it is like to be ignored by our fathers.” She smiles thinly. “And the toll it took on our mothers.”

Zuko says, “I’m sorry if we overstepped, it was just—hard to read.”

Katara says, “Why didn’t he tell me? It’s—he does his best to present for the kids, but Aang has his Avatar duties, and as the last airbender, there’s so much he needs to teach Tenzin, so it’s just easier for him to bring only him along. Have you tried to move three children around the world on bison-back?”

Zuko looks wry for a second. “Well,” he says. “It depends if you count Sokka as a child.”

Mai puts her hand on his arm: not the time.

Katara says, “I wish it was better, but I knew I wasn’t walking into something that was easy. From the start. He could be a better father, but what can I do? What can I do?” She’s furious now, tears rising to her eyes, and she looses a ragged breath, surprised at her own fervor. Wordlessly Zuko pours her another cup. She downs it, barely tasting it.

Mai says, “If he’s not being a good father to your children and a good husband to you, you can leave. We’re not our mothers, Katara.” Zuko looks at her warningly. “Sorry. I don’t know how it was in the Southern Water Tribe, but for my mother, she thought she had no choice. But there is always a choice. Even if it isn’t easy. I don’t—“

Zuko says firmly, “You deserve better. Bumi and Kya deserve better. And Tenzin too. That sort of resentment between siblings is poison. I should know.”

Katara would have preferred that they proposition her. She closes her eyes. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispers. Louder, she continues, “I know Bumi deserves better. From both of us. I know it hurts them. I can see it in the way they treat Tenzin. Kya already barely speaks to Aang. But. Tenzin is my son, too. And of course he and Aang would be closer. It’s just—if I take my children and go, I’m taking Aang’s family away. And I know the Air Nomads were different, he wasn’t raised to stay in one place, if you were a bender and a boy you’d be sent to the temple and that was it, but—“

“Bumi is Southern Water Tribe,” Mai says. “And even if his father is an Air Nomad, only his brother counts as one. Because of bending. And that isn’t fair for him. For Kya either, because they are both. And you know you need to do something about it.” Katara looks up, surprised at the emotion in her voice. Mai stares at her steadily. “Katara, you saved the world. You’re the hero of the Fire Nation, the Painted Lady, the chief of the Southern Water Tribe. You deserve a husband who is a coparent to all your children, not just one.”

Katara says, “You don’t—“ and then there is a crash and a scream and the sound of raucous laughter as Aang comes running in on an air ball, Tenzin nipping at his heels.

“C’mon,” he yells behind him, “faster, you snail sloths!” He and Tenzin pause, perched on the air they so effortlessly bend. Tenzin looks a little harried. Bumi comes running in, panting, then Kya, and Izumi at a more sedate pace.

“That’s…cheating,” Kya says. She grips at the wall. “That wasn’t fair!” She is genuinely angry, almost at the brink of tears, and Izumi bumps her reassuringly. Bumi throws himself on the ground.

Tenzin says pedantically, “You didn’t say no bending.”

Izumi snaps, “Maybe it didn’t need to be said!”

Aang jumps onto his feet, and Tenzin follows. Kya is crouching over Bumi now, muttering to him. Mai’s face is a stone. Zuko is blushing.

“What’s up?” Aang says, grinning. “Did I miss anything fun?”

Katara pours herself a cup rather than answering. She considered the heat and sweetness in the air. With a flick of her risk, she bends it over the mother figurine, washing her clean.

“Oh, you know,” she says. “Diplomacy. We’ll talk about it when we get home.”

#avatar: the last airbender #atla #atla fanfiction #atla fanfic #fanfic #anti kataang #katara #mai/zuko #katara & mai friendship #katara & zuko friendship #friendship #bad dads #divorce #post canon #family drama #family issues

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tellywoodtrash · 3 years

Text

immj2 28+29.12.20 lbs

ok we just gonna skimmmmmmmmmmmmm through these eps real quick, coz i wanna get back to reading my Bridgerton books.

28.12.20

i ship this so much, it fuckin hurtsssssss. GIVE ME THE KILLING EVE-ESQUE SAPPHIC ROMANCE I WANT, TELLYWOOD, STOP BEING SUCH FUCKING COWARDSSSSSSSSSSSSS

aaaaaaand she’s disappeared.

................... coz angre got his hands on her. angre i swear to god if you don’t unhand her and go back to just simping for your wife...........

lmao she bit him and ran away.

................ straightttttttttt into vansh’s arms.

oh shit. i ship this too????? fuck, this show is just too chock-full with ridiculously good looking people and i need them all to kiss each other’s necks.

ok, maybe not. BAAT BAAT PE YEH MANHOOS CHAAKU KYUN NIKAAL LETA HAI?!!?!? HAVE YOU NOT HEARD THAT THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE POCKET-CHAKKU?!!?!?

anyway, ahaana’s got a brain and just started screaming her head offfff for riddhima. which is what a normal person (read, anyone NOT RIDDHIMA) would do.

hein who this curly haired girl????

anyway, ahaana like i gots a secrettttt to tellll you. ABOUT VANSHHHHHHHH.

kabir a messyass bitch like me and is like ooooooooooooh ab aayega mazzaaaa.

iss sab ke beech ishani like heyyyy, this is my dress!!!!!! SIS, NO ONE CARES, WE ABOUT TO GET SOME HELLA GOOD GOSSIP. JESUS. PRIORITIES!!!

ahaana like someone wants to killllllllllllllllllll meeeeeeeeeeeeeee, and riddhima is like huh what who why they wanna kill you???? and sis, i think you know from living in this murder-house that ppl don’t particularly need a reason as such to wanna kill you. they just like homicide as a hobby.

vansh like I SHALLLLLLLLLLL PROTECT YOUUUUUUUUUU, YOU SHALL LIVE HERE. sir, i’m pretty sure it’s YOU that she’s talking about that wants to kill her.

riddhima like uhhhhhhhhh??? the fuck is going on? why you promising security to this chick who wanted to phodofy your bhaanda????

SOMEONE TELL ME WHO THAT CURLY HAIR GIRL IS, HAVE I FORGOTTEN A WHOLEASS CHARACTER OF THIS SHOW COZ I DIDN’T WATCH FOR 2 DAYS???????

anyway riddhima like WHOOOOOOOO IS SHEEEEE, YOU KNOW EACH OTHER FROM BEFORE????????? like damn, your psycho murderous ex is living in this house thanks to you, and vansh can’t even know a woman that’s not you????/

ahaana going on and on about this stupid SECRET and omg just spit it out or gtfo. i have 8 books of regency era sexy shenanigans to read, and i’m wasting time here on this nonsense.

ok. she saved his life. and did “seva” it seems. lmao the mental image i have.

“vansh, apna vaada yaad hai na? ki tum mera karz chukaaoge; keemat ya shakl jo bhi ho.” oh???????? big promise from vansh, if true.

vansh beginning to regret making such lofty vows.

(also mmmmmmm, what else dat pouty mouth do, baby???)

dadi has taken over and is like you saved my vansh‘s lifeeeeeeee, i shall make sure vansh keeps his promise, blah blah. lord WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALLLLLLL THISSSSSS?!?!?

riddhima like, why did you call me if you wanted to get in touch with him? why not just call him directly????

shaaaaaady reactions from vansh/ahaana at that. lightttttt goes out.

comes back on, and angre like fuck all this, let’s celebrate the new yearrrrrrrr. not sus at all. y’all are alllllllllllllll so fucking shady man. god, ahaana, just bust my girl ridz outta here and go to alaska and eat spaghetti together. iykyk.

and they all just started ballroom dancing as if they’re in beauty and the beast. attention span of a fucking gnat these ppl have. ek baat pe dhyaan nahi tiktiiii.

i’m here for this also. i just want all the sexy ppl to be with each other. idc who is with whom. just put any two of them together and i’m happy.

these two throwing some chabayaa hua dhamkis at each other. I DON’T CAAAAAAAAAAAAAARE UNLESS YOU SPILLING SPECIFIC DEEEEEEEEEEETS.

iske dimaag ke ghode kentucky derby mein daudne lage hain.

and hubs fullllllllllllly knows. he wanted exactly that.

she tries to ask questions and as usual, he shuts her down with ainvayi ki philosophy. MAN WHAT WILL IT FUCKING TAKE FOR YOU TO ANSWER A QUESTION STRAIGHT?????

big talk about pyaaaar and vishwaaaas and bro, i fully know what you’re doing here, you fucking bastard. bloody gaslighting her into ignoring her own instincts in the name of trusting you. like yes, she’s like extraaaa with the jasoosi, but she’s asking RELEVANT, PERTINENT QUESTIONS.

meanwhile this rakshason ki toli has got their hands on the “yes okay i’m a spy!!!!!!!!!!!!!” recording that siya had. great. wonderful. best.

they decide to wait for right moment to use it and show vansh. oh you fucking dumbasses................... he already knows. this is the problem; no one bothers to fucking communicate in this family.

kabir trying to get the goss outta ahaana, but vansh ne mundi se ishaara kiya and angre just threw a drink on K, so he had to leave to go change.

i like her.

lol she called him a loser. never has a character been more right about all the men of this stupid show.

ahaana staring at vansh in a real strange way. oh bro, kya kaand kiya tha iske saath????? sach sach bolllllllllll.

these two seem have slid into each other’s inboxes already???? oh yeaaaaaaaaah.

ishani has come back with one V for Vendetta mask and is smirking some more about how riddhima is going down. *sigh* same old, same old.

more ainvayi ka dancing. man, what a waste of a filler episode.

at the dinner table, riddhima finds a chit saying your life is in danger, come meet me out in the backyard. ishani and aryan and chachi making real weird faces. did they send the note or did ahaana???? either way, this not gonna end well for riddhima. as per always.

it’s got to the point where EVEN riddhima is calling out the plotholes in the damn show out loud; saying ahaana said HER life was in danger, now how the fuck is this all about MY life being in danger???

anyway the dumbass goes to investigate.

she got shoved into a car by V for Vendetta (that’s what they should call the show.) which is now filling up with smoke. wonderful.

———————————————————————

29.12.20

she’s so fucking stupid. there’s no way the car doors can be locked from the outside in such a way that they cannot be opened from the inside. peeche ke doors pe child-lock hain bhi, toh she can just climb to the front and open the front doors and jump out. honestly riddhima.

ishani trying to distract vansh from going to look for riddhima with chocolate cake.

vansh is me. cake pakda diya toh duniya ki koi parwaah nahi. it just meeeeeeeeeee and my cake, made for each other, truuueeeeeee loveee.

ALSO LMAO WHY DOES THIS DUDE EAT CAKE LIKE THIS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

riddhima still choking and struggling like a dumbass.

cake done, vansh off to look for his wife. gotta say, he’s got his priorities straight.

ishani making shady faces with Guy Fawkes mask. godddddd. who cares who cares who caresssss?

after 19023019283092130912390 moments of suspense, he finally found her and broke her outta the car.

some loving scolding for wandering off without telling him. dude’s she’s a grownass woman, not a toddler/pet.

anyway she told him someone shoved her in the car and he’s clenching his jaw most magnificently mmmmmmm that jawwww.

ab yeh kaunsi nayi musibat hai???

he’s promising to find and punish whoever and she’s thinking omg it kabir?!?!?!!!!!!!! as if noooooone else in the house wants to murder her.

she’s like you saved me again!!!!!!!! and he’s literally like stop playing khatron ke khiladi up in here every day and i won’t have to, bitch.

ishani literalllllly flaunting that mask on her arm and riddhima like OUFF YEH KHOOONI NANAD BAAZ NAHI AATI.

side mein dekha toh kabir also has one like that.

lmao everyyyyyyone has one of these masks.

R like i need to gtfo here from the presence of all these assholes, k byeeeeee.

she’s confronting ahaana ki why you call me outside and not show up yourself????

ahaana like, bitch tf you talking about? i didn’t call you or send any chit??!?!! get used to it ahaana, iss ghar mein rahogi toh yeh hourly occurance hai, aisa random chutiyaapa. tumhein toh aadat hogi hi, pichle janam mein oberois ke saath jo rahi ho.

riddhima bringing up vansh and ahaana like YOUR MAN SHADYYYYY AF. YOU SHOULDN’T TRUST HIM SO MUCH. iss ek line se hi i have gotten it ki ahaana has been planted by vansh and he’s trying to see if riddhima falls for anyone else’s hearsay again.

riddhima is giving speech about how much she trusts vansh and they’re each others’ parchhaai or some such shit, and lmaoooooooooooooo ahaana’s face......

same, sis. absolutely saaaame.

ahaana like “zindagi mein har bimaari ki dawaai hai, par galatfehmi ki nahi.” snortttttttt.

ahaana going heavy on “vansh don’t love you, he wants to killll your ass” speech and ouff....... ofc riddhima won’t listen. dumbass.

there is not ONE wrong thing ahaana is saying about vansh. not ONE. literally all of it is true. i mean, maybe he does “love” her or whatever, but kya hi karein aise bekaar roz roz life ruin karne waale pyaar ka? isse achcha toh naa hi kare pyaar.

aaaaaaaaand she got slapped for truth-telling. fuck. riddhima, you are such a fucking dumbass. where all this slappiness for your damn husband who was lying to your face for monthssssss, huh????

ugh mera pati mera ishq bhashaan. this chick deserves to be murdered. blindass.................. she’s doing the exact same shit she did with kabir, total blindddddd faith without listening to any reason. she deserves to be fucked over if she refused to learn anything from that kaand and won’t use her fucking brain even now.

honestly this sanctimonious speech she’s giving ahaana........

but for once she’s using her MAALKIN OF THE HOUSE rutba and telling to ahaana to gtfo the house.

lmao ahaana like tell vansh to throw me out, and i’ll go.

cut to......... riddhima is randomly staring at a ladder. as one does.

helllllllllllllllllllllllo. 😏😏😏

riddhima trying to tell vansh ki ahaana is off her rocker and....

well okay then! no more talking about ahaana! 🥰🥰🥰

great. all that was buttering up for the trust test he has set up for her.

climb the ladder, it seems. oh boy. i know what’s coming............

lmaooooo she climbs it and is like ok now you know that i trust you??? can i come back down now??? LOL DUMBASS HOW DID YOU NOT GUESS WHAT HE WANTED FROM THE MOMENT HE TOLD YOU TO CLIMB???????? dimaag ghutno mein hai iss ladki ki.

he’s telling her to jump. ofc. fucking asshole. tereko shauk hai random high places se chhalaang maarne ko toh you’ll make everyone do it or what?

HE’S ACTUALLY GETTING MAD AT HER HESITATION AND ALL I’LL CATCH YOU, DO YOU NOT TRUST ME?????? main hoti toh kehti ki bro, it’s not you that i don’t trust, i just know gravity as a force is more powerful than you are.

stupid stupiddddd bitch. she’s doing it also. DUDE, THIS IS A CLASSIC ABUSIVE TECHNIQUE, WHY DON’T YOU KNOW ANYTHINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG RIDDHIMAAAAA?!!?!?!? LIKE........................ THIS IS WHY PEOPLE SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO GET MARRIED BEFORE THE AGE OF 30. THEIR BRAINS ARE JUST NOT GROWN ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

how self satisfied she looks. fucking dumbass.

while his face is like ‘i can’t believe the twit actually did it.’

some more talk about how she trusts him mosttttttttttttttttttttttttt in the world, while he gets horny for it. god, what a pair of boring dysfunctional fucks. i liked it better when he was vihaan and had a bondage kink.

bharosa talk bharosa talk and oh my god it’s sooooooo fucking obvious he’s planted ahaana to test her and her trust. aaj yeh toh bas level 1 tha. the chutiyaapa just gonna go up from here.

she’s like i don’t like ahaana, why does she have to stay here? he’s turning it back on her and saying if we trust each other, what does it matter if she stays here or says whatever????? which ....... is just some reallyyyyyyyyyyyyy manipulative BS.

he’s saying she has some “issues” that he’ll handle. oh lord. ahaana in danger of getting murdered by this fucker too.

riddhima giving some more vaasta of her neverending trust.........

while this asshole makes these very TRUSTWORTHY faces.

aaaaaaaaaaaaand someone watches them. as per usual. no wonder vansh made sure to go far far far far away from this house to get some nookie. idhar karte toh it would be like those olden days royal weddings, where the whole court would come and sit and watch the marriage being consummated.

#ishq mein marjawan 2 #immj2 #immj2 lbs #episode liveblogs

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dabis-devil · 4 years

Note

Shinso, Shigaraki, Kamanari, Shoji and Ojiro share their first kiss with their SO? I look forward to seeing your blog flourish!

Can I kiss you?

Thank you for being my first request aAaAa!! Hopefully this does you well :) since you didn't specify, Ima do some head canons. I love you sm for your encouragement 😓

Shinso

Oh boy here we go-

There you two were, outside of the movie theater.

Shinso had asked you to see some thriller movie with him.

let's just say he had a smol (huge) crush, and was finding ways to spend time with you.

Little did he know, the feeling was mutual.

His hands folded into one another, resting near his abdomen.

“ y/n, what did you think about the movie? ” Toshi asked

“ I loved it! What about you? ” you chirped.

Shinso nodded with a slight smirk. “ it was cool. . ”

In wake of the silence, you decided that tonight was the night to shoot your shot!

You tapped on shinso’s shoulder, gaining his attention. You didn't waste a second to press your soft lips against his. Your hands cupped his cheeks, skimming your thumb across his cheek bones. He tasted fruity- probably from the mountain of skittles he ate during the movie.

Shinso was admittedly starstruck for a mere second, but melted into the kiss as his senses kicked in. He moved his hand to your neck pulling you closer. You on the other hand, tasted like butter from the popcorn.

You two shared something that was either a lowkey makeout session, or a high key span of kisses. Either way, both of you were delighted.

Whew! He just had his first kiss! He looooved it!

After the fact, both of you couldn't wipe smiles off of your faces. His were moreso smug & confident, and yours were bubbly and radiant.

Shinso drove you back to the U.A. dorms, the car ride was full of easy going conversations, now that you two were on the same page.

After dropping you off he went back to his own dorm.

His fingers brushed across his lips, and he couldn't help but wear a grin by the reminder that he had been kissed- by you.

Before heading to bed, you got a text from him.

Toshi 🖤 : goodnight kitten, sleep well.

Shigaraki

Poor shigaraki.

He was always so absorbed in his hatred for Hero Society and taking over, he didn't have the time for a significant other; I mean, before now.

Besides the fact that most sane people wouldn't step within a 50 mile radius of him willingly.

Don't worry shiggy, your fans gotchu 😩

You and shigaraki had met during recruitment for the league.

You entered the villains bar in style, holding your head up high.

The way you upheld yourself was just mMmMn mAgNiFiQuE-

Shigaraki began to vigorously scratch at the sentive skin under his jaw, crimson eyes drawn to you.

He wanted you on his team.

“ Kurogiri, y/n would be a fine addition to the league. . Don'tcha think? ” a sinister smile split his lips.

After you settled in, Shigaraki watched your every move. Juuuust to be sure.

It was a few days later that shigaraki began to subtly hint at the fact you aren't absolutely terrible.

“ at least y/n can do their job! ” Tomura snapped at Toga.

To you, this all seemed like something normal for the league.

One night you found Shigaraki drinking by his lonesome at the bar, reluctantly attempting to join him.

Shigaraki jumped, his paranoia driving him to almost decay your face from your skull.

You chuckled in response, and he was a stool over heaving for dear life.

Once he managed to calm his nerves, he took a sip of his drink, turning your direction.

“ y/n, you don't happen to have somebody else in the picture, hmm? ” shigaraki rested his jaw in his fist, his exposed face examining yours. “ that'd be no fun. ”

you scoffed, sipping on your own drink. “ no. I don't. ”

That was the stem of the conversation, which went on for a while. You talked about your ideas (which he took note of), hardships, etc..

Later, you felt as if you knew shigaraki on a completely new level.

You wrapped your arms around the buzzed man's neck, searching in his eyes. Maybe he could be the one? At least for now?

Shigaraki was a tad bit nervous, but that didn't hold him back from kissing you.

Mind you, he hasn't used chapstick since the minute he set foot on this earth- but you know what? We love crusty lips.

You turnt your head to one side, him shifting the opposite direction. His hands lingered around your waist, and the kiss went on for a hasty fifteen seconds or so,

he kept coming back for small seconds.

Shigaraki full on grinned, displaying his preciously goofy smile.

You two had a good night!

Kaminari

Did denki know he was gonna have a heart attack today? Psh. No.

Denki was head over heels for you, and you knew that.

His cheesy flirting 24/7

Always smiling and waving

You catch his wandering eyes when you're in the room.

Denki sat on the couch located in the lower level of the dorms, working through a sheet of homework. You heard the boy groan of frustration, and plopped yourself onto the couch, right next to him.

“ y/n! ” the aggravated boy exclaimed. “ Heyy! ”

“ hey yourself- ” You giggled, eyes wandering over to his sheet of notes. “ what's got you hung up? ”

Denki shook his head, pushing the notebook onto the table. Now that you where here, it's not the time for studying.

“ oh, nothin. ” he beamed, placing his hands behind his head. Afterwards, crossed his legs, and wore the coolest face he could think of. “ Why? Was I, on your mind, y/n? ” denki’s eyebrows wiggled, hoping his antics would prove victorious.

“ actually. . ” you smirked. You stared at kaminari, the boy just radiating such a sense of silliness. “ let's say- hypothetically- that I knew somebody who had a crush on you. . What would you want me to do?? ”

Denki’s face rose, practically overthrown by joy. “ uh- ” he chuckled cockily. “ send them my way!! ”

It was only after the fact that he realized if you were asking. . You probably didn't feel the same way about him. He hid a frown behind a smile.

‘ let's just see whos been crushing on me! ’ he thought. ‘ maybe they will be cool too? ’

Blush spread across your cheeks, as you leaned towards the Sparky boy, planting a kiss against his lips.

Your heart: !!!

His heart: *HDISNBSJSKSM*

Internally doing backflips^^

This dumbass was too surprised to close his eyes and kiss you back. . The first time.

After you leaned away, denki pulled himself out of his dazed state. He had to make this memorable for him too! This is his first kiss! seizing the moment, He leaned forward to kiss you passionately.

You felt a small shock between your lips and his, probably because he got excited and jumped the gun

In the distance, Mina snuck pictures and videos to preserve this beautiful memory.

Good job you two.

Shoji

Shoji had viewed you under heart shaped lenses since he set eyes on you, back at the entrance exam.

Not only are you beautiful, but incredibly skilled and respected.

What's not to love??

Shoji kept to himself though.

Time for romance? No. Time to become a pro hero? Yes.

He held that logic for so long, just admiring you from afar.

That was until you approached him at lunch, sitting with him. You two chatted lunch hour away, everybody else at the table was a little annoyed with the chatiness. Toru even left to go squeeze in with Mina.

The boy watched you head back to class, honestly a bit sad you had to go.

Why couldn't there be no class today?

He just wanted to talk smh >:[

Once Shoji had his priorities in order, his sheepish walls faltered.

From that day onward you saw a lot more of the masked boy.

At your locker, before class, he would say hi while at the dorms too.

When you swallowed the breath hitched in the back of your throat, you invited him to a nearby oriental park.

“ the view- it's beautiful right? ” you chirped.

“ not as beautiful as you. ” he shamelessly complimented you.

The scenery was complete with cherry blossom trees (& trees of other assortments ) koi ponds, elemental buildings here and there.

You pulled Shoji to the bridge that crossed a man-made stream. the two of you watched the water travel down hill for a bit, silence thickening the air.

“ Shoji, ” you turned to match his gaze. “ do you want to go to dinner with me tomorrow? ”

Shoji agreed immediately. . Looks like this was going down the fast trail to being more than friends.

Shoji took the moment to gaze deeply into your eyes, deciding now is the perfect time to kiss you.

Shoji hadnt much of a clue as to what particular part of himself to kiss her with, that ended up being the lips along his face.

Shoji carefully slid down his mask, planting a soft and sensual kiss against your plush lips.

He had two knuckles under your chin to help you look up to him.

While you didn't see this go with the flow type guy to do this, you were glad he did.

Lemme just tell you

He may be calm and composed on the outside,,, despite the soft look gracing his features.

But believe me when I say

He. Was. Screaming. Internally.

Ojiro

You and Ojiro had been officially going out for a week now

This sweet boy was trying to make everything perfect, just for you.

You are his first girlfriend, and he wanted to make you happy! Duh!

Ojiro had been spending a few hours concealed in his room, and he refused to let anybody else in.

He set up a blanket fort, had all of your favorite snacks, amazon on his laptop to rent a movie. Hell, he even strung up christmas lights.

Ojiro wore an Innocent smile when locating you, blindfolding you, and taking you back to his decorative room.

Some of the other student of class 1-A were receiving a different message, one very vulgar at that.

“ whoa there- ” Mineta mumbled, gawking at the sight.

Ojiro’s tail shook from side to side, as the two of you entered the room. He pulled you down towards the ground, onto the pallette prepared with a few hefty blankets, and topped off by a fluffy one.

“ okay. . Open! ” ojiro exclaimed, holding his arms out to present what he had done.

You were left in awe. All of this, just for you? It was so plush and comfortable against your bottom, the light illuminating both of their faces and the fanned out selection of candy. Your face lit up, a beacon for mesmirization.

At this moment, Ojiro couldn't keep his intent behind the night to himself. He wanted to kiss you, and that's exactly what he did.

Ojiro supported a faint blush as he placed his palm on your cheek, inching closer. He laid his lips against yours, drawing them back shortly after.

Ojiro couldn't be more fluster than he was now, but good flustered!

You on the other hand

You swooned over this boy almost instantly.

The rest of the night was enjoyable, you shared the pallette and watched a comedy together.

You were the little spoon

You took a picture of you two on your phone, which would become both of your home screens.

And don't you worry, you were the best first kiss he could've asked for.

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razberryyum · 4 years

Video

The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 14, Part 1 of 2

(spoilers for everything MDZS/Untamed)

[covers MDZS chapters 55 and 56]

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰 (explanation at end of post)

Within the context of the show, I firmly believe that right there, in the Xuanwu cave, is where Lan Zhan finally, completely falls in love with Wei Ying, and this particular moment, as he’s humming the song he specifically created for Wei Ying and thinking back to all the unforgettable experiences they’ve shared, is when he realizes his feelings.

I really thought I would have more to say about this moment because of how significant it is and how much I love it, especially considering how perfectly and beautifully it’s constructed, leaving very little room for interpretation. I’ve watched it countless time, loving it even more every time, so I really thought I would become just so overwhelmed with words about it that I’d end up writing a 10 page essay on this moment alone, and I even made several attempts to do just that, but then I’d just end up deleting everything I tried composing as my words seemed like unnecessary noise, because at the end of the day, what IS there to say anyway that would even matter other than: this is where Lan Zhan falls in love with Wei Ying.

Period.

And honestly, how could Lan Zhan even resist falling in love? Putting aside all that they’ve gone through up until now, even if the events inside the cave happened in a bubble and this was the first time the two of them have ever actually interacted with each other, considering the life and death struggle they just went through, it would still be near impossible for them to not come out of this experience being at least the closest of friends. But when added to that the feelings Lan Zhan was already developing for Wei Ying, it’s absolutely no wonder that he would pretty much leave this whole incident a man in love, devoting basically his entire life to one Wei Wuxian.

Not to mention, all the events in the Xuanwu of Slaughter’s cave felt as if they were constructed solely to target Lan Zhan‘s protective instincts towards Wei Ying and trigger them to the maximum degree. Not only did he see Wei Ying being physically abused by Wen Chao (by kicking him all the way to the bottom of the cave), seriously injured by branding, mortally endangered by near-drowning, and then feverishly ill, but perhaps most importantly, he also witnessed for the first time Wei Ying being overcome by demonic forces, which would of course be the one fear that would plague him for the rest of Wei Ying’s current life.

Those seven days that they got to spend in the cave together would prove to be so precious too, since this is technically the last time Lan Zhan would get to be with the Wei Wuxian he first met at Cloud Recesses—the Wei Ying who still has his easy, genuine smiles and his playful attitude. By the time they meet again, Wei Ying’s golden core is already gone, his life marred by grief, tragedy and darkness, forced to grow up far too quickly, so his smiles are no longer as real or as ready to come by nor can he afford to be carefree. He is literally a changed man. I think that is also why even though Wei Ying has clearly been interested in Lan Zhan in some way all this time, he simply never gets the opportunity to really think about what that way is and what it means until pretty much at the end of this first life of his and into his next lifetime.

WangXian Odds and Ends

I thought it was really sweet of Wei Ying to not only replace Lan Zhan’s ribbon on his forehead because he knew how much it mattered to him, but he also took the effort to clean it for him.

I actually thought the WeTV translators made a big typo with the term “tushes”, because of course the first meaning I would think of is “ass”, until I looked the word up this time and saw that it actually DOES mean “long pointed tooth” (but usually on a horse). “Fang” or just the plain old “Teeth” probably would’ve worked just as well, but I guess I should applaud the translators for taking that extra distance and coming up with something less frequently used, much like they did with “childe”. Aside from that though, I just thought Wei Ying was being especially cute in that moment. Again, how could Lan Zhan resist??? Man lost the war before he even began the battle.

Wei Ying supporting Lan Zhan reminded me of a sweet gesture a caring husband would do for his delicate, precious wife. It was just adorable.

I should note that in the novel, Lan Zhan actually took the opportunity to snatch the satchel that Mian Mian gave Wei Ying while he was down with the fever, which he later turned into his coin purse. In the show, even though the medicine satchel was from Wen Ning instead, I still wish they kept that one detail because it was sweet and amusing and also poignant. By omitting that element, instead of having an actual momento that Lan Zhan could hold in his hands as a tangible remembrance of their time in the cave, all he was left were just his memories, which I’m sure he replayed many, many times during the sixteen years when Wei Ying was gone, but that just seems fleeting in comparison to a concrete item that he could actually touch.

I cannot believe that the show provided Lan Zhan and Wei Ying with a psychic link technique and then chose to NEVER use it again for the rest of the series. Seriously, Team CQL, wtf? Probably would’ve been helpful during Wei Ying’s time as the paperman at Koi Tower. And if it’s one of those cases where two magical tricks cannot be employed at the same time, I still would’ve felt better if they at least addressed it. I mean, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying has the ability to communicate by ESP!! How can they just introduce something like that, tease us with the possibilities, and then never bring it up again? What a waste.

Their fight against the Xuanwu of Slaughter was...unfortunate. To be honest, I think it’s one of the worse fights in the shows, poorly choreographed and shot, with really shoddy CGI, it reminded me a lot of the lameness that was their fight against the dancing goddess at Dafan mountain. Much like that fight, kudos to Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo for giving it their all and trying their best to sell that fight, but it was still pretty cringey overall. And sloppy: at a certain point, you can see the spot where the wire is connected to Xiao Zhan’s back so that he could be held in midair since there’s a noticeable bulge on his back. Really the only good that came out of that fight was this cute moment where Wei Ying was calling for Lan Zhan’s help (even though it’s still kinda poorly shot) and of course Lan Zhan seeing the demonic fog surrounding Wei Ying for the first time.

I actually felt a little bad for that tortoise. Sure, it’s a mass murdering creature, but only because Xue Chonghai created it to be that way. Here it was, residing peacefully in that cave for all these years since his master’s death, just happily digesting on all the people it ingested all those years ago, not really bothering anyone, only to be rudely awakened and then strangled and stabbed to death by these two whippersnappers that came out of nowhere and invaded HIS home. Poor man-eating monster. RIP.

Thanks to the bts clips we were blessed with, every time I see this moment now all I could think about is how filthy that water was and I would just feel so bad for Xiao Zhan for having to submerge his entire face in that water for even a second. He probably had to take a good round of antibiotics just to get rid of whatever he might have been infected with from that cesspool. Wang Yibo probably wasn’t acting at all when his Lan Zhan was trying to quickly fish Wei Ying out of those waters...anyone who saw how murky that pool would do the same. Seriously what was the production team even thinking, putting their lead in that kind of condition? So gross.

To be continued in Part 2....

🐰: each WangXian scene automatically gets one 🐰 even if they’re just thinking of each other; one scene can earn up to five 🐰 depending on the intensity of WangXian-ness. Each scene is separated by an “+”. In rare instances, there may be WangXian scenes that are so full of WangXian love that they warrant more than five 🐰

#The Untamed #陈情令 #spoilers #WangXian #Untamed Rewatch #Mo Dao Zu Shi #CQL #MDZS #魔道祖师 #Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation #Founder of Diabolism #Xuanwu Cave #Lan Zhan Falls In Love #Wei Ying Wei Wuxian #Lan Zhan Lan Wangji #Xuanwu of Slaughter

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moonlit-seren · 5 years

Text

Reasons To Stay || Jung Yunho x Gender Neutral Reader

Summary: Y/n’s been working for one of the biggest news companies in Seoul for five years now, and like many others she/he wants a change in scenery. However, there are a handful of things keeping her/him from leaving, and one of them came in the form of an accidental blind date.

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: SOFTNESS OVERDOSE- None

Word Count: 7.7k

A/N: I’m posting my very first Ateez imagine on my two week anniversary as a new Atiny. I’m so psyched to be a part of this growing family and I’d like to thank @every1studio for welcoming me into it UwU. The main character’s best friend was inspired by this ray of sunshine right here @rubyyong, I wanted to show her a little appreciation for being one of the many writers who influence me to become better and let her know that I’m here supporting her from afar. So yeah, happy reading. <3

꧁Masterlist꧂

I sighed, glancing through one of the floor length windows adjacent to my desk. It was a particularly nice day outside, the fluffy clouds casting dark shadows on the world while the sun lit it up with a brilliant glow. The contrast was nearly eerie, like yin and yang, both the sun and the clouds out of our reach yet seemingly tangible if you lay on your back and reach your hands for the sky.

The streets below seemed busier than usual, the already terrible traffic appeared far more congested than normal. Due to the lack of movement in the streets, the multitude of car horns blared in a messy diarray with one another, the loud sounds varying in pitch but all sharing one thing in common. They wouldn’t stop.

Looking down at the vehicles made me glad that the office’s walls were soundproof, otherwise everyone in the building would have gone deaf by now. However, there were a few unlucky people on the street who had to endure cacophony of car horns as their speed quickened while walking to whatever destination they had in mind.

“It’s terrible isn’t it?” asked one of my coworkers, the newly promoted intern seeming to appear out of the blue. Her name was Chloe and she was one of the few reasons why I hadn’t quit my job yet in this suffocating office building. We worked for one of Seoul’s biggest news companies, her in the creative department and me in the editorial department.

Our departments were located on different floors, so it surprised me to see her standing here, one hand fiddling with her ID badge and the other resting on her hip. Her eyes were trained on the streets below like mine were, before fluttering up to meet mine while waiting for my response.

I simply nodded as my eyebrows furrowed, hoping that the traffic wouldn’t be this bad when I had to drive back to my apartment in the evening. It already took a solid half an hour to drive back home without any traffic jams, and just imagining trying to get back while moving at a snail’s pace… Well, I honestly didn’t even want to imagine that.

“I heard someone in the elevator say that the city closed a few roads to repair them, so that must be the reason why there’s so much traffic,” I stated, eyebrows arched and lips pursed in an expression that read ‘I don’t really know’ while I shrugged to emphasize my lack of knowledge over the situation.

Chloe nodded as if to show that she’d agreed with my thoughts, her sleek high ponytail bouncing with the movement. She was wearing a knee length, peach colored sundress today, with soft magenta roses littering the garment like powdered sugar on freshly baked cupcakes. Her excellent sense of fashion always brought a bright burst of liveliness into the office, regardless of whether she was in a black, leather jacket or a pastel blue sweater top.

The comparison I always made, much to her distaste, was a small, yet thriving plant amidst a world of manmade objects and other inanimate items. I thought it was fitting. She just found it cliché.

It was a little off how we ended up as friends. Originally I thought that it’d be best to keep my distance, as bubbly people tend to get annoying after a while. Although, when I was asked to show her around the building, I realized that her perkiness was a breath of fresh air compared to the droopy gazes of the sleepy workers mulling about on my floor.

She was a ray of sunshine that lit my dim world and inspired me to let loose and remember what it’s like seeing things from an optimistic point of view. To put it simply, she helped me learn to live again, something I had forgotten when I reached adulthood.

Suddenly seeming to remember why she was up here, Chloe let out a small “Oh, right” while snapping her fingers before turning her body away from the window to face me instead. “I just wanted to inform you that it was lunch break, since you tend to forget while you’re immersed in the fancy world of grammar and punctuation.”

Her wild hand gestures accompanying the last three words of her sentence had me rolling my eyes. It was a known fact that no one on my floor, except for me, actually enjoyed correcting the numerous grammatical errors of others.

I couldn’t blame them though, since most of us were just here to make a living. Which brings me to my second reason for tolerating my job. I used to love the idea of doing something in this field for a living, words always had a way to entrance me in them which explains why I practically lived in libraries growing up.

I practically jumped at the opportunity when I was offered this job, but after five years of being stuck here, the magic of it all faded away into oblivion. Originally I was only working part time, since I was in my second year of college, but when I graduated I was given a full time job.

Of course, when I entered the company, I started at the very bottom of the corporate ladder. My main job was to be an errand girl like Chloe was before her promotion. I won’t even lie, it was absolutely horrible, and I know the girl in front of me would agree.

I can’t even recall how many cups of coffee just a single worker needed, as they would all fall asleep otherwise. In the first few hours of the morning, the demand for coffee was so great that I had petitioned for there to be five coffee machines rather than the two that we had.

Needless to say, I went home everyday with at least one new burn from the boiling hot liquid I had to carry around, and my hands really weren’t a pretty sight due to them. Thankfully I learned my lesson after the first week, opting to buy gloves that would help protect my hands and a bright red stop sign I attached to my tray so that people would stop running into me.

It was quite the sight, and really just a mortifying memory I have ingrained in the back of my head. Though Chloe didn’t have it as bad, shortly after I was promoted the company bought three more coffee machines as requested and hired more people so that there were more sets of hands dealing everyone their daily doses of caffeine.

Which brings me back to present day, as a 22 year old who seemed to age mentally far beyond my actual years living on this earth.

“Yeah, I didn’t notice the time. Do you want to go get a drink with me? I heard a new cafe opened up a few blocks down and so far there have only been positive reviews from the people I’ve asked about it,” I asked, kind of hoping that Chloe would agree to go, because who wouldn’t want some company?

However, I could see her response before she verbalized it in the way that she furrowed her eyebrows with a slight pout. “I can’t, there’s a new batch of interns that came in just yesterday, and for some reason none of them know how to work a coffee machine.”

I laughed at her predicament, imagining Chloe surrounded by a small group of college students too used to buying an overpriced coffee at a local cafe than to make their own brews with a machine.

“Okay, have fun,” I teased, standing up to stretch my back and roll a few cricks out of my neck. Chloe cringed at the little pops and cracks, reaching behind me to help pick up my bag that strewn across the back of my chair. It was pretty warm outside still, being in the early months of fall, which is why I didn’t have a coat with me.

I thanked her as I slipped the bag over my shoulder, before walking away with a slight wave. Since Chloe wouldn’t be going with me today, I decided to get her something at the cafe since I knew her taste in pastries and drinks quite well.

The elevator ride was pretty quick, albeit rather crowded as large groups of people were also on their way out to enjoy their break somewhere else.

The company was rather generous with its workers, allowing them a full hour long break before returning back to their 9-5 schedule. Maybe that was my third reason for staying at the company despite being sick of the mountain of words I had to go through daily.

The elevator reached the lobby floor with a small ding, the door nearly closing on me as everyone shuffled out of the metal box. I had allowed myself to get trapped near the back of the elevator as people piled in, which was why I had been the last to leave.

The front lobby was rather big, with a fancy granite front desk with gold accenting, and several marble columns spread around the floor to support the high ceiling.

To the right of the front desk was a small sitting area marked by a sprawling beige rug, dark leather couches, and a bamboo table resting in the middle. To the left of the front desk was a small water fountain with a family of koi fish lazily swimming about the bed of pennies and nickels thrown in.

I never really understood the point of throwing coins into fountains. People were basically wasting change, poisoning the fish, and drowning their elusive dreams in a supposed wishing well.

Still, I never voiced my thoughts out loud. After all, I didn’t want to crush the pure wishes of the children begging for coins from their parents in order to perform the simple act of hoping.

Not to mention that I had also fit into that crowd as a young girl, making desperate wishes to get the boy I liked to like me back. Of course, they were all left unheard, or maybe even ignored, which only served to fuel my distaste for making wishes on copper coins.

I’d much rather save my change to tip baristas, as I finally understood their struggle after having made hundreds of cups of coffee myself. It was a grueling task and I couldn’t help but sympathize with anyone who had to do what I did as an intern for a living.

Speaking of which, I made my way out of the front door of the office building, immediately cringing at the racket of noise that met my ears. Much to my bittersweet relief, the cars seemed to be moving a tad bit faster than earlier.

Albeit, the new set of cars didn’t sound any different from the last set, with their loud beeping at the mini traffic jams that hadn’t quite thinned out yet.

I reached into my purse and pulled out my earbuds, skilled fingers working quickly to untangle the messy knots the cord had fallen into. There had never been a day where I found them neatly folded like I had left them, so untangling them had become a regular part of my daily routine.

It didn’t take very long, and soon enough I had them plugged into my phone and placed in my ears. Going to my usual playlist, a slow smile spread across my face at the song that had arisen first by chance.

The noise of the car horns completely drowned out with the melody playing in my ears, and I happily mouthed along to the lyrics when the sidewalk before me cleared of any prying eyes as I walked down it.

The only people who could see me making a slight fool out of myself was the people in the cars adjacent to me, nevertheless, they all seemed far too preoccupied with their own lives to notice. Some were on their madly typing away at their phones, others messing with toys they had received with their fast food, and in the driver’s case: vigorously slamming their fists on their horns as if it would help resolve the situation.

“Snapping, snapping,” I whispered softly, eyes taking on a playful lilt as I fell into step with the beat of the song. Despite wanting to burst out dancing, I restrained myself as my mouth snapped closed with an audible click when a figure appeared several feet in front of me.

I wasn’t quite ready to let go of my dignity to the extent of having a little dance break in the middle of the sidewalk of a bustling city. I could practically see steam coming out of the nose of the young woman in front of me, so I popped out an earbud wondering what she could be fuming about.

“Stupid date left me waiting there… Screw men… If I ever get my hands on him… He’ll be dead meat…”

The rest of her words faded with the growing distance between us, having already passed by her as she was walking off in the opposite direction.

“She must’ve been stood up,” I thought, almost pitying her if not for her horrid attitude and snobby scowl. Her date might of had a reason for not showing up, who knows?

Realizing that I had reached my destination, I looked up to check the name of the cafe to be sure. The sign was done in a beautiful gradient with a faint blush pink fading into a vibrant fuchsia. Looking out front, there were bright posters taped to the windows advertising popular drinks and desserts.

Just from the prices on the posters, I could this was a higher class joint, as there was even a small seating area outside with large, turquoise blue umbrellas shielding the tables from the sun. Not to mention that the place also offered breakfast and lunch despite just being a cafe.

In spite of the high prices, I stepped through the door, taking notice of the white daisies growing in the pastel green window boxes. The golden bells above the door chimed, notifying my entrance.

Like always, I was instantly hit with the heavenly scent of freshly ground cinnamon and coffee beans that most cafes seemed to boost.

After becoming employed, I never really had to worry about spending a little extra on a higher quality drink everyday. The high paycheck was the fourth reason why I found the idea of leaving my job so difficult. Besides, It never hurt to have a little extra cash in my bank account in case of a financial emergency.

Slowly making my way to a booth, I took in the interior of the cafe. The walls of the joint were painted the same color as the window boxes, with accenting lining the corners of the spacy room matched the color of the umbrellas outside. The round tables had a translucent glass top with black metal legs, and the chairs sitting around them were made of the same black metal twisted into an intricate design.

I highly doubted the large jewels in the back of the chairs were made of real glass, though they shone the same way a real gem would in the soft lighting coming from the beautiful light fixtures dangling from the ceiling.

There was a marble front desk where the cashier was incase someone just wanted to grab a takeout coffee and/or pastry. Speaking of which, there were numerous display cases lining the marble counters filled with various treats ranging from rainbow colored macarons to cream filled mochi.

Although, there were waiters and waitresses that came to you if you get their attention, in case you have the time to sit about, which is what I choose to do. Standing in line in front of the cashier just seemed like far too much work today, so I decided to just skip the wait.

I sat down in one of the empty booths lining the wall of the cafe. They also had glass table tops, however they were rectangular and the seats were made of artificial black leather the same shade as the chairs in the center of the room.

Suddenly a tall figure burst through the front door, the bells in front of the door crashing together rather harshly unlike the gentle tingle they let out when I walked through.

The male seemed to be around my age, though it was rather hard to tell if he was older or younger considering how his youthful face was paired with a ridiculously tall stature.

The straps of his beige jacket fluttered behind him in the small gust of his abrupt entrance, nearly getting caught in the closing door. His almost puppy like features were framed was light blue hair that looked softer than the clouds I had been admiring in the morning.

I was suddenly struck with the creeping urge to run my hands through the strands, causing an immediate flush to race up my neck as I averted my gaze.

“What am I thinking?” I thought, embarrassment and guilt coursing through my veins. This was precisely why I avoided attractive men like my life depended on it, because I knew as a matter of fact that my dignity did.

The moment my eyes settled on someone who was remotely handsome, my heart raced so quickly that I felt a love struck school girl all over again. Nonetheless, I could never keep my eyes off beautiful specimen for long, hence why my gaze subconsciously traveled back to the male standing at the doorway.

His eyes had been roaming the room, his shoulders sinking dejectedly as he didn’t seem to see who or what he was looking for. However, when he continued to look around his eyes met mine, much to my horror.

His eyes lit up, his mouth forming a little ‘o’ shape, as my eyes snapped back to my lap. A string of curses flew across the forefront of my mind at getting caught staring, as I desperately hoped with all of my being that he wouldn’t walk over.

Of course the heavens ignored my plead.

The cute male slid into the seat across from mine with an apologetic smile. Which struck me as odd as I should have been the apologetic one. Yet the words that slipped out of his lips were far odder, in my opinion.

“I’m so sorry for being late, the traffic today truly was horrible and I ended up stuck in this one traffic jam for…” he started, trailing off as he lifted his wrist to check his watch for the time. “An hour.”

“Huh?” I asked, completely confused. An extremely attractive stranger suddenly appeared out of nowhere, approached me out of all the pretty girls sitting alone in this cafe, and started apologizing when we had never met each other before?

I was about as lost as the person across from me was hot. Like dang, his visuals really attracted the curious gaze of all the aforementioned ladies sitting around the room.

Suddenly something nagged at the back of my mind, the vivid image of the woman from early resurfacing from my memories.

Oh.

He must have thought that I was his blind date.

I opened my mouth to explain the situation, but before I had the chance to collect my thoughts, the guy started talking once again. He had been taking off his coat so he didn’t see the way I had been gaping while pondering how to tell him he had mistaken me for someone else.

He looked up at me, eyes widening when he realized that he never introduced himself. A spellbinding smile spreading across his soft features as he held his hand across the table for a handshake. “Right, my name is Yunho, it’s nice to meet you.”

I hesitantly took his hand, introducing myself with a shaky smile. One look into his warm eyes and I knew that I couldn’t break it to him that his real date had left like a fiery hurricane while spitting out curses like a tasteless rapper.

Yunho repeated my name slowly, as if the savor each and every syllable with a thoughtful smile. It was clear that he was about to drop a cliché pickup line from the way his eyes sparkled mischievously, however, that didn’t soften the impact as my cheeks flushed red. “What a beautiful name.”

What he did next completely caught me off guard as he started mumbling to himself with a sly smile. “I wonder what our ship name would be…”

Deciding that my heart wouldn’t be able to take anymore of his cheesiness, I waved one of the waiters over.

“Ready to order?” Asked the waiter, his ears tinting red when I directed my gaze at him. His grip tightened a little on his mini clipboard and pen, eyes averting to Yunho instead.

“How cute,” I thought, slightly flattered over his actions. Although I never really dated before, I could recognize that smitten expression anywhere. It was then that I recalled that I never actually looked at the small menu, however, that didn’t turn out to be a problem as Yunho ordered for the both of us.

“Have you been here before?” I asked, surprised because I never saw him look at the menu either before the waiter walked away. The cafe opened a few days ago, so it wasn’t entirely unbelievable that he had gone before, though I didn’t think that was the case.

“No, I just ordered the special today if that’s okay with you,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. His shy smile was a stark contrast to the confident front he had thrown up while flirting with me.

I smiled, nodding to assure that I didn’t mind as I would’ve done the same thing. From his timid gaze, I could tell that he never really went out on dates, which greatly relieved me as I hadn’t either.

The waiter came back around again in a few minutes with two plates of omelets with hot cheese oozing out of the seams and juicy, cubed tomatoes peeking through pale yellow egg. On the side of both plates were small bowls of freshly cut fruit topped with little mint sprigs.

It gave off a very insta worthy aesthetic, so I fished out my phone before taking a bite, raising the camera. A smile unknowingly spread across my face at how at peace Yunho looked with the warm afternoon sun perfectly catching the soft curves of his full cheeks while simultaneously dusting golden flakes into his umber eyes.

I lifted my camera a little further, so that it still captured the plate before me but also included Yunho’s adorably focused face. His eyes snapped up at the sound of the camera clicking, fork dangling an inch away from his mouth as I had caught him midbite.

I put my phone away, bashfully mumbling that he looked like an angel glowing in the sunlight like that and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to capture the moment. He blinked a few times in surprise, before laughing softly.

“You should’ve told me beforehand, I could’ve posed,” he teased, cheekily wiggling two peace signs in front of his eyes before drawing up two finger hearts.

I blushed, internally cooing at how cute he looked with such an innocent sparkle in his eye that I thought only existed in children. He was everything he looked like at that moment. A complete and utter angel who radiated purity under the glimmering sun.

Deciding to get something to drink, we called the waiter over once more, who whipped out his mini notepad habitually. And like earlier, he refused to meet my gaze for long, something both Yunho and I noticed.

Yunho flashed me a wink, nudging his head subtly at the waiter as if we weren’t on a date ourselves. I hid a giggle behind my hand at his goofy antics, quickly returning my arm back to the table when the waiter glanced up at me for a second.

“I’ll take two bubble teas with normal tapioca,” I requested, biting back a smile at the bewildered look Yunho shot me. He asked for an iced latte, eyes never leaving mine as the waiter walked away.

“Do you really like bubble tea that much?” He asked, a little awestruck. It wouldn’t have been all that surprising if I did, since everyone on Earth had one big craving they could never get enough of. So, I nodded firmly, looking him dead in the eye with a stoic “yes”.

He looked scared for a moment as if worried he said something wrong and at that I couldn’t hide my snicker.

“I do, but the second cup isn’t for me. I promised a friend that I’d bring her back something since she couldn’t go out for her break,” I explained, smiling cordially as his expression melted back into its usual peaceful bliss.

“How thoughtful,” he whispered, but I heard his sweet words as my disappearing blush suddenly bloomed all over again. I chose to ignore his comment, eyes flashing up to the waiter who reappeared once more with our drinks and a plate of bite size sugar cookies.

He placed all three cups down before putting down the plate with a quiet clinking sound. “Here’s a complimentary plate of sugar cookies for all customers who come during our opening week. Enjoy.”

And with that, he was gone again, almost tripping over himself in his haste to get away.

“Does he think I have the bubonic plague?” I wondered aloud, despite knowing why he was in such a rush. It was written all over the back of his neck and the tips of his ears in various hues of red.

“Maybe you should ask for his number,” mused Yunho, still very clearly amused over the waiter’s crush on me. I narorred my eyes at him, normally if a date encouraged you to pick up someone else then that’s a telltale sign that they’re obviously not interested in a relationship with you.

However, I could tell that Yunho meant everything that he was saying lightheartedly, so I decided to tease him back. “No thanks, I’d rather have yours.”

I could tell the unexpected flirt stunned Yunho, as his jaw dropped. I winked at him the same way he winked at me when the waiter came over, enjoying his flustered reaction. Despite the fact that Yunho would tower over me if we both stood up, he looked no bigger than a child at the moment shrinking into himself with a fiery blush. “Oh.”

I loved how table had turned, with how many times he caused my cheeks to tint pink. It was a small stroke of success, but I didn’t have the heart to continue. Taking the initiative, I asked him about himself, wanting to spend the time we had together developing a close friendship since he seemed to be a fun person to have around.

It wasn’t long before we fell into a deep conversation about ourselves. I learned that he was indeed younger than me by two years, and managed to convince him to call me noona but drop all other honorifics.

Honestly if anyone had told me that I’d end up on a date with someone younger than me, I wouldn’t have believed them. It was always a condition on my ideal type list that the male had to be older. Yet the ridiculous list completely faded away into nothingness in the back of my mind the longer I talked to Yunho.

Instead a new list wrote itself with only two conditions on it: His eyes had to sparkle like a galaxy of stars being reflected on a still lake and his smile had to hold the same warmth as a steaming cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter night.

In other words it was describing the person sitting right in front of me, as he threw his head back, laughing at one of the many comical stories I told him about my fanatical college days.

He was currently in college right now, majoring in the same subject that I majored in. It was nice having someone relate so hard to my past struggles, as he was going through the same things I had gone through with crazy strict teachers and boisterous students marching down the halls like they owned the school.

In return I told him about how I worked as an editor, along with a few facts about me that few people knew or cared to ask about, such as my lowkey love for the artist Chungha.

Yunho said that he had heard a few of her songs before too, leading us down another conversation about our tastes in music and other pop culture.

Sometime during the conversation, Yunho’s phone started to ring as he excused himself from the table. I called the waiter over again during that time, asking for a small takeout bag.

I stuffed the rest of the cookies into it, deciding to take them back to Chloe along with the drink. Pausing for a bit, I pulled out one cookie and placed it back onto the plate incase Yunho wanted one more.

It wasn’t long before he came back, brushing off the topic when I asked him if the call was important. I didn’t want to invade his privacy, hence why I didn’t push the topic. In fact, I only asked because I didn’t want to keep him if there was some sort of emergency.

We picked up on the tail of our last conversation, reengaging in a passionate debate over which Harry Potter book was the best and other things of the sort.

Before I knew it, half an hour past and my break was about to end in twenty minutes. As much as I enjoyed learning about Yunho’s love for sports, fascination over the Harry Potter, and sweet but wild group of friends, I didn’t even want to think about how my manager would breath down my back if I came back late.

Looking down to see my empty cup, I realized with a start that my hand had somehow ended up in Yunho’s. During our conversation his hand had gotten closer and closer to mine, as I had left it lying on the table. I didn’t remember when that had changed, from the tips of his fingers brushing mine to slipping his hand on top of my own.

I wasn’t sure if he noticed this, but when I tried to remove my hand back from his grip, his hold only tightened as his thumb brushed the back of my hand. It became clear that it had been quite intentional.

“Hey, Yunho?” I asked, eyes lifting from our hands up to his face.

“Yeah?” He asked, sweet smile never leaving his lips before the corner of his lips quirked up into a small smirk. It was clear that he was only teasing me by not letting go, as I uncomfortably shifted in my chair.

Deciding not to mention it to save a little bit of my pride, I glanced over at the antique clock on the opposite wall. “My lunch break is nearly over, I have to go.”

He nodded in acknowledgement of my statement, reaching over with his free hand to sling his coat over his arm. “Is it close to here?”

“Yeah, just a ten minute walk away.”

He got up, pulling me up with my hand in his. Before I could comprehend what he was doing, he intertwined our fingers, taking the last sugar cookie off the plate and stuffing it in my mouth to muffle my protests.

My ears were burning scarlet as he led me out of the cafe, pouting slightly as I chewed. This guy seriously… A question floated up, bubbling through my mouth as I looked up at Yunho with furrowed eyebrows. “Did we just dine and dash?”

Yunho shook his head with a little laugh, eyes shifting down to meet mine before looking forward again. “No, I covered the bill earlier.”

That had me pause in my step, causing Yunho to come to a stop too since our hands were intertwined. I don’t recall ever receiving the bill at our table, nor did I hear Yunho say that he was going up front to pay, otherwise I would’ve forced him to split the bill. Although, there was that one time he left to take a call…

That was when the realization of what had happened dawned on me and from Yunho’s knowing smile he could tell that I had figured it out. “You didn’t.”

“But, I did.” he chuckled once more, pulling me forward as he began to walk again. It was clear that he didn’t actually know where we were going, so I widened my stride a little so that we would be walking side by side. It was rather sweet how he intended to walk me back to my office, the same way a guy would take a date home.

Before we got far, my phone went off, the familiar tune of Chungha’s debut song filling the silence between us. My cheeks flushed pink at Yunho’s teasing gaze, deepening as he teased, “Didn’t you say you were just a minor fan?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I brushed him off, excusing myself to take the call. The caller ID read ‘Chlo~’ with a couple of red hearts after it.

“Where are you? You’re usually back by now!” Exclaimed Chloe from the other side of the line, the faint bubbling in the background signifying that she was currently in the lobby near the fountain.

“Sorry, I lost track of time,” I apologized, smiling sheepishly despite the fact that she couldn’t see me. I heard Chloe sigh, telling me to hurry up and get back because ‘she missed me’ before hanging up.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket, before swiftly making my way back to Yunho. “Sorry about that, my coworker was fretting over the fact that I wasn’t back yet.”

Yunho shook his head to dismiss my apology, saying not to worry about it since he was the one taking up my time.

Suddenly, a familiar voice could be heard from the distance coming closer and closer. “Stupid day… No, stupid date… Ditched by a guy now ditched by my clutch… I must have left if in that stupid cafe.”

The girl from earlier appeared in front of us as she rounded the corner, with her head down as she appeared to be typing away angrily on her phone. Pure and sheer panic coursed through my veins at the sight of her. If she was indeed who I thought she was, then the moment she opened her mouth, I’d be exposed.

However, before I could do anything, she slammed in Yunho’s chest due to not watching where she was going. Yunho’s hands flew to her shoulders to steady her, wincing at how he hadn’t seen her coming either since he had been looking at me.

“Watch where you’re- Oh,” she trailed off, eyes widening when she lifted her head up and saw Yunho’s face for the first time. It was almost comical how Yunho could attract the interest of everyone around him without even trying, me being included.

Her hands slowly slipped up to his arms, squeezing lightly while a flirtatious smile replaced her scowl. Since she was so close to Yunho, her back was to me and couldn’t see what I was doing.

Despite being wary of the situation, I couldn’t help but let out an over exaggerated, but silent, gagging noise. I muffled my own laughter at the act with the palm of my hand, however, Yunho didn’t have the liberty to, which was why he couldn’t hide his chuckle.

The girl clinging onto him was confused, but somehow took that as a positive sign as she started to bat her freakishly long eyelashes at him. “Hey, aren’t you Yunho? My name is Hayoung, I’m pretty sure a guy from my class set us up on a date. What was his name again… Junhao?”

I felt like my heart had stopped at her words, hands becoming cold and clammy as I looked at Yunho. Would he get mad at me? Maybe even leave and go on the date that he missed with Hayoung? In my defense I had tried to tell him that I wasn’t his date, though to be fair I really could have tried harder.

Still, Yunho didn’t notice my terrified gaze, instead looking at Hayoung’s hands which were shamelessly feeling up his biceps. He reached up to pry her hands off of him, stepping back to put some distance between the two of them.

“Yeah, that’s me, though I don’t think it’s appropriate to hang off a guy in front of his date,” he commented, shocking me to my core. Yunho finally looked at me with a soft smile, taking one of my hands in his once more.

Hayoung’s wide eyes weren’t nearly as large as mine as we were both baffled over what had just happened. My eyes kept scanning over Yunho’s face to see if I could get a read over his thoughts, yet all I could see in his eyes was the same warmth they always held.

He squeezed my hand in response, assuring me that he didn’t regret his actions as he turned back to look at a gaping Hayoung.

“Now if you’ll excuse us, we really need to go,” Yunho stated, quickly leading us away from the fuming girl.

Once we reached my office building, I stopped in front of it, saying that this was me. I gently pulled my hand out of his, shyly brushing a stray strand of hair out of my eyes.

Yunho, tucked both of his hands into his pockets as he stood in front of me, not quite wanting to leave, yet not having a valid reason to stay.

I took that as my que to ask the question burning in the back of my mind. “You didn’t seem very surprised at Hayoung’s appearance, did you know I wasn’t your date?”

Yunho nodded with a guilty smile, reaching up to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Yeah, the call I took earlier was from my friend Jongho, saying that Hayoung called chewing his ear off. I also may or may not have known what she looked like beforehand…”

My jaw dropped at his confession, and to think that I had worried over nothing. “You knew and yet you approached me out of the blue? Why in the world would you do something like that? Not saying that I didn’t enjoy your company, but that’s kinda creepy you know…”

“Sorry, you were just the most attractive person I’ve ever seen in my life. Not to mention the fact that you seemed to be alone in the cafe,” Yunho apologized, eyes dropping to the floor as he was unable to meet my gaze in fear of being scolded. I was stunned into silence. That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me, especially from someone so good looking.

Shoving down the reprimand I had in mind, I jokingly nudged Yunho in the ribs to get him to look at me again. “Well she didn’t really seem to be your type anyways.”

Yunho laughed at this, wholeheartedly agreeing with me. “It seems you know my type better than my own friends. Though to be honest, I’m pretty sure Jongho knew that I would never approach a girl like Hayoung and was only trying to get me back for finishing the last bottle of Sprite from his secret collection. We’re housemates.”

I laughed at his in depth explanation, relating to his struggles. Chloe moved in with me in the summer, a few months after we met. The air conditioning unit in her run down apartment kept breaking down and was twice the distance from the company than mine.

It was far more convenient with her as a housemate as we had more spare change to spend on the money we saved on rent with a split bill. However, with every housemate comes the temptation of stealing their things.

Just recalling that one time I finished the last slice of the cake Chloe bought… She deemed it fair play to sprinkle a few pinches of flour in our shared hairdryer while I was in the shower. Though I couldn’t get mad at her for it though, because she apologized immediately after, while laughing her head off. It was extremely fortunate for her that I loved her, otherwise she would have been in for it.

“Hey, you said you were an editor, but you never mentioned the fact that you worked for this particular company,” mused Yunho, drawing me back from the mini memory lane my mind had skipped down.

“Oh I must’ve forgotten to mention it,” I said, arching an eyebrow at Yunho who’s smile spread impossibly wider. I was curious as to why me working at this company sparked his interest so much.

“You know, I just passed my interview here a few months ago?” asked Yunho casually, eyes gleaming playfully at the way my eyes widened at his words.

“Holy spades, though why weren’t you with the other interns today?” I asked, recalling the reason why Chloe couldn’t join me today.

“Well we were toured around the company earlier this morning but when my group was handed off to this other woman I turned out to be the only person who knew how to work the coffee machine. I used to work part time as a barista,” he explained with a mirthful tone of voice.

“That’s explains it,” I thought, nodding at his words. As much as I loved talking to Yunho today, I knew my break was drawing to a close and that I needed to leave soon.

“Well, I guess we’ll be seeing each other more often then,” I smiled at him bashfully, already visualizing what it would be like seeing him around at the office in the future.

“Yeah,” he agreed, hesitating a little with his next actions before stepping forward and placing a chaste kiss on my cheek.

He pulled away with a burning red blush crawling up his neck as he waved goodbye and walked off, back in the direction of the cafe and what I assumed was his car.

I shoved down my own blush, trying to recollect myself as I stepped back into the front lobby of my apartment building.

Chloe was sitting on the rim of the fountain, seemingly preoccupied with her phone. It was clear that she hadn’t seen what went down outside, otherwise she would’ve pounced on me right then and there with a mountain of questions.

Sneaking up beside her, I dangled the paper bag of sugar cookies in front of her face with a small “tada”. Chloe looked up from her phone, smiling at the bag. “Ah, you’re back. Thanks.”

I also handed her the sealed takeout cup of bubble tea and a plastic straw that I had kept hidden inside of my bag. Miraculously there was still a few ice cubes left, as the cafe had its air conditioner turned pretty high to combat the early fall heat. Or maybe it was just that my bag had some sort of secret insulation tech embedded into the interior pouch. Who knows?

She accepted it with yet another “thanks” and popped the straw through the plastic covering. Taking a small sip, she hummed in content with the sweet drink. I grinned at her as she looked down at the sweet drink as if she was trying to see a visible difference between this mixture and every other milk tea she’s tried.

The cafe really did the name of bubble tea justice, with chewy tapioca pearls of a perfect consistency and a tea base with just the right amount of sugar and flavouring. It was a little pricier as expected, however the extra dollar was definitely worth it.

“It’s good isn’t it?” I asked, as she nodded without an ounce of hesitation much like I did at Yunho when he inquired about my love for bubble tea.

We made our way to the elevator arm in arm, with Chloe asking me why I had been gone for so long.

“Were you with a guy?” Chloe asked teasingly, expecting my usual mundane response of “no”. After all, dates were never my thing and she knew that quite well. I glanced at the bright red numbers flashing in the elevator’s screen, noticing that it had reached my floor.

“Actually, yes I was,” I stated mischievously, stepping out of the elevator when the door opened. I spun around, watching as Chloe’s eyes widened.

“What?!” she exclaimed, watching in horror as the door started closing before she could ask anymore questions. I knew that she wouldn’t risk angering her manager by going back late as she certainly would if she ran out of the elevator after me.

I waved at her as the door shut, laughing a little. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get away from her later when we got home, however, I was too giddy to really think about how I’d suffer her wrath for dropping a bomb like that and just leaving.

Making my way back to my own desk, I plopped down in the spinning chair with a soft smile at everything that had occurred today. Sure, the traffic I’d have to deal with later might put a damper on my mood, and sure, I’d have to deal with Chloe’s inevitable interrogation but the carefree giddiness I felt at that moment felt like it would last forever.

When tomorrow comes, the internships will officially start and with them will come the one blue haired male that captured my attention today and heck, maybe he’ll be my fifth and final reason to stay.

#ateez #yunho #fanfiction #imagine #oneshot #romance #fluff #ateez yunho imagine #ateez yunho oneshot #ateez yunho fanfic

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mangorochi · 5 years

Text

bad guy (1/1)

luhan's the bad guy. or, in this case, the bad angel. and sehun's the good one. so he doesn't understand why the demon's affecting him so much, in all the wrong ways, when they've just met for the first time.

Bruises, on both my knees for you

Don't say thank you or please

I do what I want when I'm wanting to

My soul? So cynical

Sehun likes to think he’s a good angel. He always completes his tasks to a T, whether that be watching over his assigned humans or collecting prayers or even vanquishing the occasional demon that manages to creep out from the underworld.

In fact, most days, Sehun could be found just lounging on the edge of a rooftop, having already completed everything on his daily to- do list. Beautiful, crisp, white wings spread out from either side of him, he was perfectly content with just observing the bustling streets down below.

It was in this exact position that Sehun was currently in when his handsome features morphed into one of caution and suspicion. The faint spring breeze that blew over his face had trace amounts of something impure, something dark, embedded in it. Sehun was much too seasoned a veteran to not be on his very highest alert as soon as he had detected the scent.

Was it a demon? The scent had the cold, darkness of one, but somehow smelled almost… sweet? Sehun’s tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip and one hand carefully traced the gilded hilt of the sword strapped to his left hip. Sehun may be an angel who had served God and the heavens for many millennia, but he was also a celebrated warrior who wasn’t afraid to spill a few drops of blood if necessary.

Sehun rose to his feet, wings slightly contracting behind him as he turned away from the rooftop edge and made his way toward the center. He would take flight and circle from above to see if he could manage to track down this oh- so- bizarre scent of whatever it was that had found its way here on earth. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be another angel or celestial being, as Sehun would’ve easily been able to pick out the refreshing, warm traces left behind by his fellow kind.

With a single powerful beat of his wings, Sehun propelled himself into the air, easily twenty feet above the rooftop. He brushed the stray strands of blond hair out of his eyes, calculating, gray eyes seeing more than met the mortal eye as he scanned over the city.

Sehun tsked, lips slightly parted as he stretched his wings out to their fullest span, sunlight pouring over his shoulders like a pooling robe.

“If you won’t come out of your little hiding spot, then I’ll just make you come to me,” Sehun muttered, unsheathing his sword from his hip and slicing it through the air a couple times before pointing it slightly downward. The slightly gold, metallic color of the sword was almost blinding in the bright sunlight, creating a faint glow in the area surrounding the tip. Sehun held out his other hand, palm facing the sword as if he were shielding his eyes from the intensity of the light.

Concentrating on the warm pull toward it, Sehun surged more of his energy into the sword, turning it into almost a beacon of sorts. Vibrations coursed through it, and the sheer, raw power simply emitting from it would have been able to instantly turn a mortal blind if one were to simply look at it, which is why Sehun took great care in shielding himself from the human eye, creating a thin veil around him that prevented his celestial powers from shining through.

Sehun closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, waiting to detect any sort of presence near him. He remained perfectly still, body completely in combat mode, ready to launch itself into fight at any given moment.

And there was… nothing?

Sehun opened his eyes, thoroughly confused. By infusing his holy sword with his celestial energy, there was no way any demon or hellish being would be able to refuse a source of such concentrated, raw, divinity. It was like honey to ants.

Which is why Sehun was absolutely bewildered by the fact that he didn’t have a demon dead by his sword by now, black blood running down the edge-

“That’s a nice little trick you got there,” a playful voice from behind Sehun piped up.

However, when the blond- headed angel whirled around and was met with nothing but blue skies, he looked farther down below him, and it was a good distance away, nearly twenty blocks separating them, perched atop a rooftop garden, that he spotted the thing.

A demonic little thing, black wings folded neatly behind its back as it casually laid across the swinging bench in the garden. How ironic that such a thing of evil and chaos was surrounded by beautiful flowers, peaceful as could be. It was also remarkably beautiful, its fluffy black hair sitting atop its small head like a cloud, face small and almost feminine, and petite body draped with some kind of dark material. Just enough to cover the most convenient places, of course. Wouldn't want a demon to be seen as too modest.

Sehun sneered down below and positioned his sword so that it directly faced the demon.

“And how, might I ask, are you able to resist the call of my little trick?” Sehun quipped, interested in hearing the answer before he wiped the demon into a little smear across the heavenly skies.

“Hm,” the demon mused, running its strangely delicate fingers through its tousled black hair. “Perhaps,” he lowered his voice, although Sehun could still hear him despite the distance, “because I have one too. And mine’s bigger,” the demon smirked, reaching from somewhere underneath him, and it was mere nanoseconds that Sehun had to react and raise his sword just in time for it to clash loudly against the grind of the demon’s pitch- black sword.

How had the demon moved so quickly? It seemed all Sehun could see was black. Black wings covering the sky above him, black sword created sparks of energy that flew all around him. Black hair in front of him, black, black, black.

Sehun grunted with the effort it took to keep the combating two blades away from his face, momentarily taken aback by the demon’s strength. Not only was it powerful enough to avoid falling prey to Sehun’s divine sword, it was actually strong enough to hold its own against Sehun, one of Heaven’s most gifted warriors.

Just who exactly was this demon?

As if reading his mind, the demon grinned, and Sehun’s careful eyes noted the pointy ends of its canines.

“My name’s Luhan. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. What’s your name, oh holy one?” The demon, or, Luhan, mused playfully. His tone was mocking, almost in an inviting way, although Sehun wasn’t fooled in the slightest. Ignoring the question, he parried the demon’s sword away and immediately inserted himself within an inch of Luhan’s face. Had he stayed longer in that position, Sehun probably could’ve counted the lashes lining Luhan’s deceivingly sweet eyes, could’ve felt the cold exhale of breath out of surprise.

Instead, the angel latched onto one of the smaller being’s arms within his ironclad grip, squeezing tight enough to nearly crack the small limb, and more than hard enough to leave a mark. Sehun swung with all his might, using his celestial powers to amplify his strength. It gave him great pleasure in seeing the demon propelled through the sky like a ragdoll from the force of the throw (although he was still aggravated to see the demon managed to slightly open his wings to push against the force of the attack and prevent him from being blown any farther).

Sehun gave the demon no time to react, following through his previous attack by tackling the demon head- on, both hands on his sword and flying closer by the millisecond.

“You’re not very talkative, are you?” Luhan laughed, using his thumb to wipe away a small droplet of blood that escaped the cut below his eye that had formed as a result of being cut by Sehun’s powerful celestial energy. Just as Sehun’s sword was swung in an arc, aiming for Luhan’s legs, the demon’s wings gave one powerful beat before immediately contracting neatly against his shoulder blades, the action giving him the height he needed to avoid Sehun’s sweeping sword. Almost like a majestic swallow dipping down, Luhan let himself fall back like an arrow headed to the ground, Sehun catching a sly smile on his face just before he leaned back.

Not to let the demon out of his sight, Sehun immediately gave chase to the nuisance, his wings allowing him to slice through the air like butter. He could acknowledge that the demon seemed to be slightly faster than him, more nimble, but Sehun was still bigger, and confident that he was stronger.

It was frustrating to the angel, because just when he thought he could manage to catch the demon falling to earth, he managed to just barely escape Sehun’s grasp. The two played the game of tag for a little bit, like two koi fish circling each other.

Finally, Luhan let his wings open, gliding toward the top of a tall skyscraper before sharply turning.

Sehun followed suit, sword already raised and no more than a foot away from Luhan’s narrow chin. He wouldn’t let his guard down, even if the demon was literally standing in front of Sehun, completely defenseless and of his own volition.

Luhan let out a chuckle, one hand adjusting the loose black fabric draped across his body. Sehun ignored the movement. He forced himself to keep his eyes trained on the demon’s face, even if he could practically feel the other’s eyes on him, analyzing every inch of his body from head to toe.

“You know, if you’re going to smite me now, don’t you think I deserve to at least get a name?” Luhan asked in a mock- voice, one finger resting on his chin as he tilted his head to feign innocence.

Sehun sneered. “Why would I waste my breath blessing you with my name when I could just end your miserable existence now and get on with my life?” He ignored the voice in his head that was questioning why the demon wasn’t putting up a fight, or why he was even humoring the demon’s small talk to begin with.

Luhan’s dark eyes widened. “Oh! Wow! You have a real command of language, don’t you?” The demon suddenly extended a hand, and for some reason, Sehun didn’t want to immediately cut it off with his sword.

“I like you,” Luhan smiled, and Sehun watched with confused eyes as something began materializing in the palm of the demon’s hand. “That’s why I’m not going to kill you. And you’re very lucky you ran into me today, and not one of my nastier brethrens, because I’m even going to leave a little gift for you to remember me by, my dear angel,” the dark being mused, in a sugary- sweet voice that made Sehun feel strange and in a way he had never previously felt before. He should feel insulted, disgusted even, by how familiarly the demon was talking to him. Instead, he felt a sense of..... comfort? He couldn't quite pinpoint the emotion, but it made Sehun feel as though he had too much energy running through ought his body.

In the blink of an eye, Luhan was gone from Sehun’s vision. The angel blinked again and jumped in surprise when he felt a cold arm wrapped around his waist from behind. Why was he so jumpy? Sehun couldn't remember the last time he had been caught off guard. This all felt so wrong.

“You sure you don’t want to give me a little gift in return, too, hm?” A seductive voice murmured from right behind his ear, and suddenly Sehun felt something touch his lips. One hand released its grip on his sword to touch the object in front of his face.

An apple.

“I’m…. Sehun,” the angel said in confusion, whirling around to see the demon all the way on the other side of the rooftop, standing right on the edge, hands behind his back.

Luhan made a kissy face at the angel before waving goodbye and falling backwards. Sehun didn’t have to race to the edge to know that the demon had likely disappeared, either gone to torment some poor soul on the other side of the globe or back to the hellish place he came from.

It seemed Sehun was left with more questions than answers though, because what the hell was he doing with an apple in his hand, no slain demon carcass in front of him, and the urge to learn more about the psychotic fiend he had just let go free?

#hi im crossposting my fics here hehe pls enjoy <3 #oneshot #hunhan #mine #fics #exo

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samglyph · 5 years

Text

Original Content Ahead

Prologue | Chapter 1

Note: I will repost chapter one and the prologue with edits on a separate blog because there have been a few changes (the biggest one is that james is ten instead of eight). This is the last chapter that will be posted on this blog,

please validate me

tw: kidnapping, tiny mention of murder, children being ignored and rude adults in general

Chapter 2: Stranger Danger

“Pay up.”

“Absolutely not.”

“I won! I got the human! I won our game, so pay up!”

“You got the wrong one, idiot.”

James flicked his eyes back in forth between the two people involved in this exchange. He had been awake for awhile now, though he was starting to suspect the two in front of him either hadn’t noticed or simply didn’t care. He had woken up slowly, his head filled with fog, before everything rushed back to him all at once and he sat straight up.

The first thing he noticed was the lighting. It was weird… it wasn’t candlelight, it was blue, and it definitely wasn’t fluorescent, a word he had been very excited about when dad taught him how to say it.

Oh right. Dad. Tears had started to gather at the corners of his eyes again, but they stopped when the argument began. He hadn’t noticed the pair at first.

It was difficult to make out to many details in the low light, but he recognized his attacker immediately. Their long blond hair, and black eyes, and skin pulled tight over their abnormally long limbs, were all giveaways. The other one was different. They were shorter, and their skin didn’t look… correct. It was almost reflective in how smooth it was, and the color of it shifted when they moved.

“The Queen wanted the other one, Cicrow.”

“Well the other one never comes in the damn woods long enough for me to find him!”

“That’s a bad word.” James interjected before he could stop himself. Two pairs of inhuman eyes turned toward him.

“What?” His kidnapper, Cicrow, asked.

“My dad says that’s a bad word. He says it sometimes when bad things happen but he said it’s bad.” James couldn’t really tell, but he thought he saw their large eyes roll. The pair went back to their conversation, almost as if the boy wasn’t there at all.

“Look, no one caught the other one, he went back to the house before we even got the chance. Besides, I don’t think the queen cares anymore. But I still won.”

“Well, he’s awake now, so what should we do with him?”

“We can still give him to the queen. That’s what we always do, what are you even asking for?” Cicrow sneered.

“Is asking a question a sin now?

“Probably.” Cicrow paused and turned fully towards James, who leaned back. Their black eyes widened, and suddenly James’s alertness seeped away, until he felt very, very tired.

James woke up again in a different room, if you could call it that, one that was much less devoid of life than the last one. In fact, as he nervously turned his head to take in his newest surroundings, he could see many creatures, both human-looking and not. There were more people than he’d ever been around. It made him nervous. He sat up on plush grass, and noticed that the walls were made of trees grown so tightly together that there weren’t any gaps. People murmured quietly and glanced down at him, making him shrink a bit under the gazes. Before him on a raised platform sat a woman, and while ten year olds raised in the middle of nowhere don’t have a strong grasp on the standard of beauty, that was the only way to describe her. Beautiful. She sat relaxed on a throne made out of gnarled root, having an air of indifference that made everyone else in the room care more about her. Her long white dress flowed to the ground, and seemed to almost dissolve as it hit the ground. But once again, James realized, while her eyes were a more normal shape and size than Cicrow’s, they were filled with inky blackness. She peered down at him, then looked behind him. He glanced back too, only to jerk a bit when he realized Cicrow was standing right behind him, though he relaxed when he noticed the look on their face. It seemed that they were as terrified as he was.

“Changeling,” The queen spoke, and her voice flowed like honey that had lost its sweetness, “What have you brought me?” Cicrow coughed.

“Your majesty, I have brought you the boy who lives in the Woodward house,” Cicrow replied, polite yet clipped. The queen’s dark eyes widened in surprise, but not for long. She looked down at the boy.

“And what is your name?”

“J,” He replied, remembering the rule. Her eyes narrowed as Cicrow’s had, before returning to her casual demeanor.

“How old are you?”

“I’m ten.”

She hummed in response. “And do you know where your father is?”

“I don’t know where I am, ma’am.” He spoke, clearly, as his dad would never want him to be impolite. She clicked her tongue, then turned to face someone standing next to her, who hadn’t been there before.

“Take him to Pieridae. My child could use an attendant.” The woman she was speaking to glanced at James’s frightened face and looked back at the queen, but said nothing. Cicrow felt differently.

“My deepest respect, your majesty, but this is simply a human boy,” They said, “I doubt he could even keep up with your child, much less properly attend to the prince.”

“I am well aware. Would you rather we killed him?” Cicrow and James eyes widened simultaneously. James opened his mouth to speak, no longer feeling very polite, but Cicrow beat him to it.

“Of course not your majesty. That would be a waste of a hunt.”

She sighed, a breathless, trivial thing, “Yes, I guess it would, wouldn’t it? Just,” In all her regality and aloofness, James thought the Queen seemed tired, “Take him to Pieridae,” she ordered to the attendant before whispering, “keep them both out of my sight.”

“Yes, my Queen,” The woman bowed, and began walking towards James, who in panic stood up and backed away, bumping into Cicrow. The woman paused and looked at the queen, as if awaiting a more specific order. The Queen closed her black eyes in what James assumed was exasperation.

“I guess I shouldn’t waste my own,” She said, “Cicrow, you will be in charge of delivering ‘J’,” She said the name with the tiniest hint of malice, “to Pieridae’s court, and in making sure he stays there.” James could feel Cicrow tense of up behind him.

“Of course, my Queen,” They said, obviously disagreeing. They reached up and placed their hands on James’s shoulders, “Right away.”

“You’re dismissed.” She said, and that was the end of the conversation. James could tell that if he attempted to speak now, the response would be negative, if there was even a response at all. So he allowed Cicrow to turn him around and push him out of the room. A doorway had opened between two of the trees when he wasn’t looking, but as they walked out it shifted closed again. James was busy taking in the details of the hallway, the stone arches that looked far to old and the tiny aliens mushrooms that littered the floor, when he heard the scream. He jumped when an animalistic screech left Cicrow, and he turned around to see them absolutely fuming.

“This is ludicrous,” They hissed, “I’m the best gods damned hunter she has and she’s wasting me on, on, what, babysitting?!” James could tell they weren’t talking to him, but he felt the need to add his thoughts anyway. Children raised with very little human contact don’t always understand when opinions are and are not wanted. Children raised with a lot of human contact still don’t.

“It’s sort of your fault, though,” He said, matter of factly. “When my dad isn’t home, he always calls Ms.Lisa over to take care of me. And when we go to the hospital, a nurse has to watch me when my dad isn’t there. And my dad isn’t here now, so now you have to watch me.” They looked down at him with hatred and muttered something angrily. Likely more bad words.

“Let’s go, you little leech.” They finally said, ushering James farther down the hall. It was a long trek, or at least it seemed to be. It was dim in the tunnel, the only light seemingly coming from the mushrooms, and lightning bugs that clung to the ceiling. James thought it was pretty, though there wasn’t much time to enjoy it. Cicrow moved quickly thanks to their height and James had to jog to keep up. Before long the hallway came to a stop before a large set of dark wooden double doors.

“Now, J,” Cicrow said, much more calm than they had been moments ago, “When you meet the Prince, be… better than you were with the Queen.

“What does that-”

“Just don’t be so… human. Be quiet.” James would have responded, said something about how he hadn’t said that much at all, and that he couldn’t very well stop being human, but at that moment the doors swung open, seemingly of their own volition. Cicrow and James entered the room, and James took in the scenery.

While the throne room and the hallway had certainly been fascinating, and far more interesting and intricate than the rooms in the Woodward family house, this one took the cake. James stepped through the doors, and his sneakers sunk into soft sand. The entrance was a small beach, that only went a few feet forward before dipping into calm water. Lily pads and other water flora floated undisturbed, and koi fish and frogs could be seen swimming or hopping near the shore. Stepping stones rose neatly from the water, and they led to a large stone island in the center of the room, if you could call it that. The lake seemed to be the size of the entire hospital parking lot, James rationalized, if it was round. There may have been more accurate descriptions, but that was the largest area that came to James’s mind in that moment. The island in the center was flat, dark gray slate, but appeared to be covered in plush pillows and blankets, and other unnatural trinkets James couldn’t make out. On the far edge, he could make out the form of a small figure curled into pillows with their back turned.

“Come on,” Cicrow called out to James, and began to step gracefully across the stones. James, on the other hand, had more trouble. He was much shorter, and ten year olds aren’t well-known for being graceful. He almost tumbled into the water on multiple occasions, but somehow Cicrow always managed to turn around and grab him before he slipped. Their irritation over having to do this was overwhelmingly obvious.

When the pair finally made it across the stretch of water, James watched as Cicrow knelt and lowered their head, making them roughly the same height as he was.

“Prince Pieridae,” They announced, in a similar tone to the one they had used when addressing the queen, “I have come on request of your Mother, Her majesty High Queen of the Fair Folk, Slayer of the Great Shade, Mistress of the Hunt, Lady of the-”

“Oh gods, would you shut up already!” A high pitched voice rang from where the figure was curled, and James watched as they stretched out and turned to face them, eyes half lidded and features filled with sloth.

Prince Pieridae was interesting to look at. He looked nothing like his mother, to start with, but gave off the same air of indifference and privilege that she did. His black hair was swept back and held in place with a silver tiara that spiked upwards. He was dressed in light green reminiscent of lichen, and black lines spread across the outfit like branches coming out of his middle. He sighed and pushed himself up from the ground and started walking over to the two at the edge of the island, opening his eyes as if to judge them. And that was when James noticed them. His eyes.

James had half been expecting the same black irises that Cicrow and the Queen possessed to adorn the Prince’s face as well, but to his surprise that was not the case. Pieridae’s eyes gleamed yellow in the low light, slitted like the feral cat’s that occasionally visited the Woodward’s porch.

Or perhaps they were snakes eyes, and perhaps the prince had a tongue to match, just like his mother had warned.

🧚🏼‍♀️🧚🏼‍♀️🧚🏼‍♀️🧚🏼‍♀️🧚🏼‍♀️

WHelp thanks for reading. Reblogs > likes but i guess since im gonna repost it doesnt really matter. Pls give me feedback.

#creative writing #my writing #fair folk #faeirie #my ocs #original character #original writing

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samgwrites · 5 years

Text

Prince

Prologue | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 2: Stranger Danger

“Pay up.”

“Absolutely not.”

“I won! I got the human! I won our game, so pay up!”

“You got the wrong one, idiot.”

Oh right. Dad. Tears had started to gather at the corners of his eyes again, but they stopped when the argument began. He hadn’t noticed the pair at first.

“The Queen wanted the other one, Cicrow.”

“Well the other one never comes in the damn woods long enough for me to find him!”

“That’s a bad word.” James interjected before he could stop himself. Two pairs of inhuman eyes turned toward him.

“What?” His kidnapper, Cicrow, asked.

“Look, no one caught the other one, he went back to the house before we even got the chance. Besides, I don’t think the queen cares anymore. But I still won.”

“Well, he’s awake now, so what should we do with him?”

“We can still give him to the queen. That’s what we always do, what are you even asking for?” Cicrow sneered.

“Is asking a question a sin now?

“Probably.” Cicrow paused and turned fully towards James, who leaned back. Their black eyes widened, and suddenly James’s alertness seeped away, until he felt very, very tired.

“Changeling,” The queen spoke, and her voice flowed like honey that had lost its sweetness, “What have you brought me?” Cicrow coughed.

“And what is your name?”

“J,” He replied, remembering the rule. Her eyes narrowed as Cicrow’s had, before returning to her casual demeanor.

“How old are you?”

“I’m ten.”

She hummed in response. “And do you know where your father is?”

“My deepest respect, your majesty, but this is simply a human boy,” They said, “I doubt he could even keep up with your child, much less properly attend to the prince.”

“I am well aware. Would you rather we killed him?” Cicrow and James eyes widened simultaneously. James opened his mouth to speak, no longer feeling very polite, but Cicrow beat him too it.

“Of course not, your majesty. That would be a waste of a hunt.”

“Of course, my Queen,” They said, obviously disagreeing. They reached up and placed their hands on James’s shoulders, “Right away.”

“Now, J,” Cicrow said, much more calm then they had been moments ago, “When you meet the Prince, be… better than you were with the Queen.

“What does that-”

“Come on,” Cicrow called to James, and began to step gracefully across the stones. James, on the other hand, had more trouble. He was much shorter, and ten year olds aren’t well-known for being graceful. He almost tumbled into the water on multiple occasions, but somehow Cicrow always managed to turn around and grab him before he slipped. Their irritation over having to do this was overwhelmingly obvious.

When the pair finally made it across the stretch of water, James watched as Cicrow knelt and lowered their head, making them roughly the same height as he was.

Or perhaps they were snakes eyes, and perhaps the prince had a tongue to match, just like his mother had warned.

#fair folk #original character #original writing #creative writing #james woodward #i finally get to introduce my favorite kid #cicrow #the fairie queen #fairies #my writing #pieridae

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storyteller15 · 5 years

Text

Chapter Seven: Spilled Tea and Cracked Macarons

As I entered the room, the warm sunshine flows over my skin. An enormous garden spread out elegantly before me like a painting on display, as it reflected the early morning sun.

I audibly gasped, but found no words to describe the beauty. To be honest, I expected to walk into an ordinary greenhouse with concrete floors and flowers aligned in different sized pots. How wrong I was. Instead, I walk into an enchanted botanical garden. It's as if I just stepped into another world; a world where no creature has ever set foot in.

There are so many different varieties of flowers and herbs growing among the beds; bluebells, orchids, chamomile, and even daisies. I even spotted plenty of hydrangeas growing along the glass walls and around a small fountain with a Cupid standing on some kind of pedestal, shooting water out of its hand.

As I began to walk, I notice the soft warm feel of the grass beneath my feet. I find it strange that this botanical garden had no stoned paths or anything hard to walk over. Just a whole lot of grass, the paths outlined with shiny rocks that sparkled like jewels. I don't think I want to leave this place. Whatever Asgore did to this garden, seemed to have me bonded here. The more I discover, the harder it was to leave.

Off in the distance a pristine white bridge arched lazily over a big pool. Two leafy arches stood one at each end of the bridge, and glowed in an odd burgundy maroon light. I even saw water shoot out from the pool forming three arch shapes. Feeling drawn to the leafy arches, I walked over to get a closer look. As I approached the arch, I was flabbergasted. The leaves are fake! Despite how realistic they appeared, they carried that rustic scent of a craft store. Hidden among them were strands of lights; the source of their unique glow. Nonetheless, it was still a beautiful sight.

I looked down at the water, watching my reflection dissipate when a bunch of multicolored koi fishes swimming under the lily pads, scavenging for whatever food they could find. I counted them all, finding at least fifteen of them. They're pretty big for a fish their size, but then again, they eat a lot anyway. The question is, how did Asgore manage to have these colorful carps? Maybe I'll ask him in another time when I see him again.

Suddenly, something caught my view. My eyes grew wide with shock and anticipation. "No way . . !"

I quickly crossed the rest of the bridge, running towards the radiant blue roses that grew near the bed of golden flowers. Just to be sure they're not fake, I gently stroked the soft petal with my delicate fingers. I gasped, they're real! They're absolutely real! But how? I asked myself. I thought the blue roses went extinct many years ago. I only saw pink, purple, orange, white, yellow, and black roses. Never blue. How on earth did Asgore manage to grow and save such a very rare colored rose?

Suddenly, I remembered what Nanny used to tell me when I was a child, 'If you love a flower, don't pick it up'. Of course, she probably read that quote from a book or a movie, but it is a reminder that we express our love for the flowers by appreciating it. And since then, I only look at the flowers and not pick them.

"What the heck is taking that smiley trash bag so long?" A voice growled, snapping my gaze away from the blue roses.

Who? What? I looked around to see if anyone one else was here, besides me. But there was no one.

"Why did I have to trust him to fetch me some food? I'm so tired of eating spaghetti! For once, I want something sweet for a change!" The voice complained, sounding as if they're close by.

I backed away slowly, trying as hard as I could to follow their voice. I know they're close by, I thought to myself. But there's nothing else here other than a bed of golden flowers with a circular patch of green grass in their center. My gaze stopped on the single flower that occupied the grass patch. It was yellow like the others, but possibly bigger than them.

"Ugh! All this waiting is starting to irritate me!" The flower shouted, making me gasp loudly enough for them to hear me, whipping their petal bordered face towards my direction. "What? Never seen a cranky, talking flower that's starving before?!"

I blinked, having a blank expression on my face. A flower. It's a talking flower. And it's speaking to me.

"No? But it sounds cool." I responded, walking towards the talking flower.

"What are you? An idiot? You’re definitely an idiot! Don’t you know better not to approach something you’ve never seen before? A little talking flower,” his face twisted into a malicious grin “could kill you right where you're standing.”

I shook my head slowly. The things a cranky flower could do when they're hungry.

"You know what they say," I sat down a few feet away from the flower. "It takes an idiot to know one. And my guess is, you're an idiot too."

The flower gaped at me as if I just insulted him. He opened his mouth, but closed it, unable to come up with a better comeback. I giggled and looked at the flower, but he turned his head away from mine to avoid my gaze. Is he mad?

"I'm Zafrina Alban. But you can call me--"

"Who cares? Idiot suits you better. You don’t listen. And you're wearing some kind of tarnished clothing." He spat out, cutting me off.

Heh. If he's going to try to agitate me, he'll have to do better than that. And I think I have an idea that'll have him soften up to me. Maybe a little.

"So, I heard that you're hungry right?"

"What are you deaf? Of course I am! Didn't you just hear me complain about how empty my stomach is at the moment?!"

"Well, I happen to have something that could be considered a snack before your meal gets here."

The flower's expression changes as if he's suddenly interested. "I'm listening."

Bingo.

"I have these sandwich cookies my mom baked me before I came here. The problem is, they're inside my room." The flower grimaced before I quickly spoke again. "However, there's a faster way to get it down here instead of going back up to go get them."

The flower made a smug expression. "What? Let me guess, you're gonna somehow make them magically appear above your hand? Pfft. You'd have to be an idiot to even try."

"Actually, yes. I am going to use magic."

"No way, you're bluffing!" He shouted, his fangs visibly bared. "No human can preform magic unless they're a--"

"A mage?" I finished his sentence for him. "Why yes, yes I am actually."

Before he could cut me off again, I laid out my palm, closing my eyes and called out to my magic by whispering a chant in an ancient language. In the background I hear the flower gasp as my magic begins to hum until I felt something appear over my hand. Slowly I felt my magic dissipate as I opened my eyes, finding Nanny's different colored macarons safely packed in a clear plastic bag, tied with a blue silky ribbon. They made it through the trip without breaking or melting. Thank goodness. In the corner of my eye, I notice the flower's eyes now twinkling with anticipation.

"Huh. You're not an ordinary idiot after all." He turned his head away to hide his flushed cheeks.

I can only smile at the flower. "Pretty much."

"So what? Are you gonna be a fatty and gobble them all up just to mock me?" His gaze pierces mine, hoping I'd say no.

"No, they're for you," His eyes twinkled. "But only if you introduce yourself."

"What? Pfft that's it? Well that's easy! Howdy! I'm Flowey, Flowey the Flower!" He beams, his voice sounded as if he's trying to force himself to be happy.

"Please to meet you, Flowey."

I pulled the ribbon, opening the bag as the sweet scent of the macarons began to make our mouths salivate. Flowey's eyes didn't leave the macarons as I pulled out a yellow one. I think yellow is supposed to be vanilla.

"Here you go," I said, holding the macaron in my outstretched palm.

Flowey looked at me like I was stupid. "As you can tell, I don't have any hands. You might as well feed it to me."

"Well I had to check in case you decide to get sassy with me for treating you like a baby." I challenged.

"Whatever, now hurry up and feed me, you idiot."

I chuckled softly and reeled my hand away from his face. "I suppose no one taught you manners?"

"I have, but I don't use them because they're a waste of time." He grumbles, slamming his head against the soft grass.

"It doesn't hurt to say it," I slowly laid my stomach over the golden flowers, not caring if my dress gets grass stains. "Even if they are a waste of time, it at least lets people know that you appreciate them."

Flowey opened his mouth again as if he wanted to insult me, but he closed it and finally gave up. "Fine . . . Can I have that thing . . . Please?"

"You're adorable," I gushed at him as he grumbles. "And these things are called macarons. They were invented in France; they're my favorite dessert to eat."

I extended my arm slowly, holding the macaron for him as he leaned forward slowly and snatched it with his mouth and chewed on it. My eyes didn't miss on how his eyes twinkled like stars after he swallows it. I couldn't help but chuckle. Despite the fact that his attitude is similar to a Tsunderplane, I can tell that he and I could manage to be friends.

"That was yummy," he crossed his arms 'leaves' looking to the side. "Can I have another? Or do I have to waste my time and use my manners again?"

"Nah, no need. Once is enough for me. Pick a color."

"Purple."

I chuckled, and dumped out the rest of the macarons over the grass, lifting the purple one up close to his mouth as before. We spent the last five minutes in silence as I continued to feed Flowey. He should smile more often, but I don't think he's the type that does. And I didn't mind that one bit. If you love a flower, don't pick it up. Even if this flower has thorns, I still look at him with appreciation.

"Why are you laying near me?" Flowey began to speak out of nowhere."Even though you have magic, don’t you think you should be afraid of me? What if I kill you when you let your guard down?"

"Now why would you do that? There's no reason for you to." I responded with my eyes closed.

There was a long silence. I opened one eye, finding him at loss for words. I chuckled and sat up, which made him flinch.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Besides, sometimes I don't like using my magic."

"What? Why?" He asks, looking puzzled.

". . . Because my magic is far too strong and dangerous. It nearly killed my next-door-neighbor's cat. And I was only twelve years old."

"Wait a sec, you weenies at that age shouldn't be that strong enough to hurt a fly. How is that possible for you--" He stops talking, his gaze leaving mine as if someone else was here.

"Flowey? What's wrong?"

"Howdy, my child," I gasped and looked over my shoulder, finding King Asgore standing over me. "I see you have met Flowey. Please do forgive him, he seems to have a bad habit of being rather rude."

"Hey, I have no soul remember? What do you expect from a flower like me?" Flowey responds in a rather irritated way.

He slowly lowered down a pot filled with dirt for Flowey to climb into, watching as his roots crawled into it. I noticed that Asgore was no longer wearing his cape and metal armor. Instead, he was wearing some kind of pink shirt in a flowery pattern with purple pants. I chuckled, he looks a bit goofy in it, but it suits him.

"Hello, Your Majesty," I stood up, sweeping the grass off my dress and curtsied. "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to intrude your garden."

He lets out a chuckle, placing his large hand over my head. "You can call me Asgore, little one. Your mother and I are best friends. There's no need for you to be formal with me. And besides, anyone is welcome to the garden."

I suddenly lowered my head, feeling crestfallen. "That's the problem . . . You see, ever since the girls knew that Nanny is my mother, they suddenly see me as a threat. As if you and Toriel will influence Asriel’s choice because of that . . ."

"Ah, I see . . . I so badly want to say, 'would you like a cup of tea?' Why don't you join me and Flowey for some, little one? Perhaps we can continue our conversation from there."

My eyes widened a bit. Tea? I didn't want to tell him that I disliked tea, they don't really have that much taste to it. However, I didn't want to be rude and decline the offer. Asgore loves his tea. So, I responded with a smile and a nod.

"That sounds lovely, Mr. Fluffybu--" I gasped putting my hands over my mouth. Oops. "I-I mean Asgore."

His cheeks flushed red through his white fur and chuckled. "It seems my reputation precedes me. Your mother and my wife still goes on about it. Now, shall we?"

"We shall," I placed my hand over his rather large fluffy arm as we walked towards a large glass circular table with four big chairs that are rather large to fit his size.

Flowey remained quiet, but still looked rather irritated. Asgore pulls a chair out for me; as I sit on it, he pushes it forward a little before he takes his seat across mine. Flowey was set over the table between us. It didn't surprise me when Asgore's tea sets looked simple. Nanny did tell me that they're not much of a royal type to have things such as fancier dishes. They like to have them plain just to stay in their comfort zone.

"Here you are little one," Asgore spoke, pushing my filled teacup towards me. "Would you like one too, Flowey?"

"No, I don't want any. I prefer those macarons instead." Flowey spoke, eyeing the rest of the uneaten macarons I had scattered over the grass.

I chuckled and used my magic to pick up the rest of the macarons and placed them next to Flowey. And just like that, he beamed and used his vine to pick them up and place them inside his mouth. I gaped at him, he lied to me?! He looked at me and made a smug expression, waiting for me to get mad, but I chuckled instead.

I turned my gaze away from Flowey, focusing on my tea. The smell of it is inviting, the liquid is in a golden honey color. The steam began to rise from my cup, now making my mouth salivate with anticipation. I don't think I've ever felt like this before when it comes to tea, I dislike them after all.

"What kind of tea is it?" I asked, looking at Asgore while Flowey continued to eat in peace.

"Golden flower. It's my favorite type of tea to drink. I'm sure you'll like this one, my child."

I responded by smiling. "Thank you."

I held my teacup by the handle, watching the steam rise from the honey colored liquid. Slowly, I tipped the cup and took a sip as I felt the warm liquid run down my throat. Oh! It turned out to be sweeter than I imagined! I take a few more bigger sips until there were no traces of liquid left inside my cup, feeling my stomach and muscles warm up and relaxed. Ah, that felt nice . . .

"This tastes so good! May I have another, please?"

He chuckled at my reaction and took the teapot to pour another serving for me. "I was right to bet with Runa that you would enjoy this one. Now I have a reason to send more of the golden flower tea back to her."

"Why? Does she not like this one?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Oh, no; she does. However, your mother doesn't like to drink tea when it's always summer in Aura Cove. She prefers to drink them in cold weathers."

I chuckled softly. I didn't know Nanny was like that. I guess that explains why she never drinks hot beverages on hot summer days. Maybe when she visits the palace in a winter season, she and I could sit down and have a cup of tea.

I drank my tea silently, looking down at it and found my reflection. Suddenly, I can see Fiona's cold glare, including the other girls that stared down at me. A threat, the king and queen's favorite, a suck up. I gasped, looking away from my tea, feeling sad. I can't stop thinking about the cold stares some of the girls gave me after what happened at the ballroom and the dining room. There's nothing to be jealous about; I can't help it.

"What ever is the matter, little one?" Asgore spoke again, suddenly snapping me back from my dark thoughts. "If you continue to hold your cup like that, it'll break and you'll injure yourself. Why, you'll even scald yourself."

I looked down and gasped. He's right, I was holding my teacup so hard, my knuckles were white. With a few deep breaths, I released it and breathed heavily.

"Is it about the behavior some of the girls were giving you?" He asked gently, picking his words carefully.

I only nodded, unable to speak.

"Wait what? So, this idiot right here is part of Asriel's Selection?" Flowey suddenly spoke, squinting at me.

Asgore shoots Flowey a warning glare before he gazes at me again. "Little one, you are only giving them the satisfaction if you they see you break down and give up. You must stay determined, my child."

I didn't respond again, only looking down at my teacup. In the corner of my eyes, I can see him trying to think. Now I feel terrible for wasting his time. I guess it's time that we end our tea session.

"Why don't you use your magic and blast them all? It's what I would do if they pick on me." Flowey chuckled darkly, making that creepy face again.

"Ah, I suppose there is only one option left to help you understand, young one." He says, ignoring Flowey's suggestion.

Before I could question what he means, Asgore suddenly brings out an empty teacup and places it in the middle of the table. I was puzzled. Is there another guest who will be joining us?

Just then, Asgore begins to pour the tea into the cup, watching as the liquid rises to the top slowly. Panic ran through my body as the tea began to overfill, noticing the rest of it spilled over the table. Flowey quickly used his vines to pick up the rest of the macarons to prevent them from getting soaked by the hot liquid. What the?!

"A-Asgore! The teacup! It's overfilling!" He didn't bother stopping as he continues to tip the teapot while the tea began to spill into the grass.

"Asgore, please! The teacup is already full! You don't need to put anymore!" My hand reached for his wrist and grabbed it, stopping him from wasting anymore tea.

Suddenly, he looks up to find my eyes meeting his soft gaze. "Ah. It seems we've ran out of tea, little one."

"W-wha? I don't understand . . . Why did you do that?"

"You see this teacup Zefie?" I looked down at the overfilled cup and nodded before he continued. "Imagine that this little teacup is your mind, and the tea is the negative opinions the girls think of you. As you can see, there is no room for anything else. Without an empty cup, you can never make more room to think clearly. You must remember to--"

"Keep an open mind . . ." We said in unison.

He chuckled softly. "That's right. Thinking too much will only complicate your life. It only creates a problem that never existed in the first place."

I blinked, leaning against the chair to let his words sink in. Maybe I have been overthinking too much about it. I nearly forgot what I wanted to accomplish in the first place. I was so stupid to even let them get to me, that I nearly forgot that their opinions about me don't matter.

"Ah, I guess I was out of focus today. Thank you, Asgore."

Asgore chuckled and reached for my shaky hand and held it in his, giving it a tight squeeze. "You know, you remind me of myself before."

"W-what? I do?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "How?"

He remained silent for a little while, before his gaze finds mine as he spoke. "When my parents passed away, I was weighed with a heavy burden to take the throne. I was your age when it happened, and your mother's parents were the only two people who I considered as my second family. And one day, I snapped; breaking furnitures, bellowing at my subjects; I couldn't take the madness of the humans waging war against us. It was just too much for me to handle at a young age . . . I wasn't ready to lead all on my own."

My breath stilled, unable to say anything. I didn't know he had to take the throne at a young age. Nanny must have seen how badly Asgore was before. Now I'm starting to wonder if Asriel too feels this way.

"Of course, your mother, Runa, tried so hard to comfort me," Asgore continues, solemnly holding his teacup close. "But I responded by pushing her away, telling her that she was not helping. Guilt ran through me for putting up a wall against my own best friend. And so, to prevent myself from hurting anyone again, I locked myself up in my room for two weeks. I never ate, nor slept. But one day, Runa's mother, Sakura, came to me holding a tray of two cups and a teapot filled with my favorite tea to try and comfort me. Like you, I never spoke the whole time, she knew what was wrong with me and thought talking about it could help. I was far too sad and angry to even speak. Of course, Sakura was a very patient monster. And with enough time to think through, she did something that made me panic. She poured too much tea enough to overfill my teacup." I could hear his voice break as he spoke the last word.

My eyes widened. "W-what? Do you mean to say that she--?"

Asgore smiled warmly at me. "Yes, your grandmother was the one who showed me the spilled tea . . . And it seems that I have forgotten about her wisdom she has passed on to me when I . . . Had a another break down later on in the future."

I leaned against my chair again, taking it all in slowly.

"So you see, little one; this is my wisdom that I will pass on to you, as what Sakura had passed on to me. Do not overthink to create more problems that will stop you from staying determined. Stay as the young lady who smiled beautifully in the ballroom."

Without speaking, I stood up from my chair and quickly ran towards his chest, burying my face against his pink shirt. Perfect, I suddenly thought. Asgore's shirt is going to be smothered in makeup. He didn’t seem to mind though as he kindly responded by wrapping his large arms around me. He held me close like any other father would do to comfort their children. I sniffled and began to sob as he hushes me softly.

"You have been through so much, but I know that you can overcome it." He spoke gently, putting his hand over my head.

"How so?" I looked up, finding his face looking so blurry from my tears clouding my vision.

"Because, Runa raised her children to move on and not let anything hold them back. And that is why my wife and I adore your mother so much."

I smiled and wiped my tears as I heard Flowey munching in the background. "Should we be worried that he'll get a tummy ache?"

"Ah, don't worry about him, little one. His stomach doesn't work that way compared to ours."

I shook my head slowly, what an odd flower monster Flowey is.

"So, what happened after my grandmother shared her wisdom with you?" I asked, even though it was very obvious that I knew what happened.

"I was able to clear my head again. Of course I had to mend the cracks that I have done through my irrational behavior, Runa included. With your grandparents as my only guide to help me rule and understand my kingdom, I was able to lead my people with hopes and dreams to overcome the worst. Runa even introduced me to Toriel, bless her heart for having me meet the love of my life. And of course, you knew what happened after that. But still, Sakura's wisdom will always be here to guide me through my toughest and saddest moments in my immortal life. And I hope it will also help you along your journey, little one."

"It already has." I breathed, wiping away my tears.

And just like that, I was finally able to empty my teacup from anymore negative opinions they have on me. Even though Nanny was not here to give me the words I needed to dissipate my problems away, Asgore has done his job by sharing his wisdom my grandmother had. I could never ask for more. Nanny chose the best people to talk to.

With some magic to clean up the mess, and a maid to bring us a new hot fresh pot of golden flower tea, Asgore and I were able to continue to chat for awhile. In the background of our conversation, Flowey shouted in distress as his last macaron disappeared into his belly 'stem'. Luckily for him, I knew how to bake these delicious French sandwich cookies.

♕ ❀ ✩°｡⋆*:･ﾟ✧ ❀ ✩°｡⋆*:･ﾟ✧ ❀ ✩°｡⋆*:･ﾟ✧ ❀ ♕

"Oh my gosh, Zefie! Today was the best time of my life!" Colleen beamed as we were eating dinner.

"I can see that," I chuckled with my mouth full of roast beef and mashed potatoes. "How did it go?"

All day, I spent my morning and afternoon with Asgore and Flowey. I was able to help him water the flowers and plants that needed our attention. And yes, I was able to feed the koi fishes as well and watched them gather in groups to eat what was left. Boring as everyone will think, but this was the best time I've spent today.

There were times when Flowey would talk to me and ask me questions about myself, with that ass of a personality of his. In the end, he was able to call me Zefie. Well, Zefie the idiot to be exact.

"It was so magical, I can never sleep at all! We went for a quiet stroll around the palace to admire the nature and places I never thought that existed. And best of all, he told me how cute I am when I smile!" She places her hands over her mouth to muffle her squeals.

I chuckled softly and turned my gaze towards Asriel. He looks a bit exhausted, but still smiled as if nothing happened. I'll have to find someway to thank him when we're alone.

"I'm glad you're happy, Colleen. I'm happy for ya." Delilah gushes, holding her hand to give it a squeeze.

"Me too, I'm glad that you're the first person Asriel went on a date with." I said earnestly.

"You guys are the best!" Colleen beams again.

"Your Majesty," a ram butler walks in bowing before he approaches to Asgore, holding a small white box wrapped in a blue ribbon. "You have a parcel from Lady Cordelia. It is said that we must give this to you once it is delivered to the palace."

Everyone perked their heads up once they heard it was from Nanny. However, I was the only one that didn't look up. I was too hungry to even fuss about the parcel Nanny sent, perhaps it's a small thank you gift for having Asgore and Toriel look after me in her place.

"Ooh! I wonder what's inside," Colleen cranes her neck. "Your mom must have sent something to them that's considered special."

"Do you know what it is?" Delilah asks, looking at me.

"I'm not sure, I didn't talk to her ye--"

"Zefie, my child. Come forth, please." Toriel calls out to me, her voice filled with excitement.

Huh? Me? What for? I stood up slowly, feeling all the girls staring at me as I approached the end of the table where Asgore and Toriel sat. I forced myself to not give into my temptation to look at Asriel as I stopped and curtsied. Frisk waved at me, as I returned it with a smile before I spoke.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

Asgore and Toriel looked at each other, smiling before she spoke. "You have a present from your mother, my child. And she wants you to wear this everyday when you compete. She says it's a good luck charm that will remind you of home."

"Take care of it, young one. This present is considered irreplaceable." Asgore smiled, placing the small box over my hands.

I looked down at it, finding a small note with Nanny's handwriting on it that was meant for Asgore and Toriel. I shook it slowly, hearing something clatter against the box. What could it be?

"Thank you, Your Majesties. I will take great care of it." I curtsied to them and turned away to head back to my seat.

I felt my whole body chilled to the bone, feeling once again the gazes of the other girls following me as I took my seat. It took them awhile before they went back to finish their dinner. I can tell both Delilah and Colleen are trying so hard to hide their anticipation; their faces are overflowing with the hope that I would open the box now. I took a deep breath and slowly untied the blue silk ribbon, lifting the small box’s lid and gasped.

Inside was a beautiful crystal pendant that glimmered in a beautiful bluish-lavender-gold color, carved into the shape of a seashell with a small pearl hanging on top of it. Some of the girls awed in wonder as the gold chain began to glitter from the lights when I held it up to watch the crystal shine twice as bright as a diamond could have.

"That looks beautiful!" Colleen gasps, staring at my pendant.

"Is it some kind of diamond?" Delilah tilts her head, admiring the color it's beaming.

"No, it's an Aurora crystal. They only grow in a special cave back in Aura Cove, they're known to give good luck to their wearer. The pearl is the jewel from the sea, it's supposed to represent integrity, generosity, and loyalty, but they share some kind of power to keep a child safe. The white one that I have is supposed to symbolize new beginnings."

"You're so lucky to have a mom like Runa to worry about you!" Colleen says with adoration.

"Yeah, I really am." I go ahead and wrapped the gold chain around my neck, hooking the small circle onto the clip and let the pendant hang above my chest.

"It suits you well," Delilah comments, nudging my shoulder.

In the corner of my eye, I found Asriel staring at me. Has he been staring at me this whole time? Nah, I doubt it. Maybe he wanted to see what Nanny gave me. it's understandable to why he was looking.

The girls that sat across me commented that my necklace looked beautiful and gorgeous. I only responded by thanking them with a smile. In the end, it was still nice to have some of the girls show their kindness towards me. However, I'm still unsure about the others that didn’t.

I clenched onto my skirt. No. No, I won't let their opinions cloud my judgement. I will not let my teacup be overfilled with negative thoughts. I am Zafrina Alban. I am my own person, and they are their own selves. I’d rather be the odd one than to look the same as everyone else.

Suddenly, I notice a small note hiding under the cotton that held my necklace. I pulled it out, unfolding the paper. Oh. It's from Bryn! Smiling like an idiot, I go ahead and read the note mentally in Bryn's voice.

Nanny and I thought it was a good idea to send you something that will remind you of home. Knowing you, I assume you're stuck in a situation where the girls are putting you in a tight spot. Who the hell cares? They better back off and stop before Asriel eliminates them. Remember Zefie, he dislikes those type of girls. And you are not like that! Which is why we sent you this necklace. Don't worry about not wearing it in the ocean or water. Nanny used her magic to keep the gold from losing its color. And yes, it's real gold. Don't ask how she had enough money to have the jeweler crafter make your necklace, I love you.

I felt my eyes well up in tears, quickly wiping them away before anyone sees it.

In the end, some of the girls began to disappear back to their rooms after finishing their meals. I left as well, wanting to do nothing but shower and lay on my bed so I can use my iPhone that's piled with texts and missed calls. I also have to call Nanny and Bryn to thank them for giving me a lovely present.

"Heh. Come on, kid, you're making me blush."

I stopped dead on my tracks with my eyes widened. Is that Sans' voice?

"Pfft! I'm trying not to. Keep quiet before someone hears us."

Oh. Could it be? I bent down to take off my heels just so they can't hear me come by. I walk down the corridor slowly, following the hushed voices until I stopped behind a pillar. Just as I suspected, Sans talking to Frisk.

She was against the wall, with Sans leaning a bit too close to her enough for her chest to be pressed against his. They looked so peaceful and happy, it's honestly adorable.

Wait, why am I overhearing this? I thought to myself. And what am I doing spying on them? That's just plain stupid of me. Ugh, I just want to go shower! I shook my head, I can feel my sins crawling on my back. And that feels creepy.

"I'll be honest, Frisk, you looked gorgeous today. And I couldn't take my eyes off of ya." Sans chuckled darkly.

"You don't have any eyes, Sans!" Frisk giggles, lightly punches his arm before they leaned towards each other and shared a sweet passionate kiss.

I can only respond by smiling, feeling my cheeks flush pink for seeing something so adorable. I quickly ran across the hallway while I had the chance to be unseen. I ran all the way towards an unfamiliar corridor, hiding behind a pillar to catch my breath.

"Sans . . . A-and Frisk? They're together?" I said, breathing heavily.

I was feeling puzzled. Why would they be in the hallway to secretly see each other? I don't think Asgore and Toriel are the type to forbid a royal to be with a guard, they're far too kind to even try. Unless they're--

"Well hello there, Zefie." I stopped breathing, feeling my heart get smothered by my lungs.

I turned my head towards Fiona, finding her a couple feet away from me. Well, so much for avoiding trouble . . .

I straightened my posture, remaining stoic and began to walk past her. I don't have time to listen to her insult me, I'm in no mood for it at all. I hear her laugh dryly before she walked faster than me to block me from leaving the corridor.

"Hey, where are you going? Don't you know that it's not polite to leave your friend behind when they're trying to have a conversation?"

"There's nothing for us to talk about, Fiona. What you said to me yesterday, was crystal clear." I said, enduring my heart pounding painfully.

"Oh, there is something alright," A malicious smile spread across her face. "It's something about you. Ever since you announced your mother, half of us can see that you're nothing but a threat; no, the biggest threat in this competition."

This is bad. She's letting her emotions get out of control. Beads of sweat started to appear over my forehead, feeling them fall across my cheek. I opened my mouth to say something, but Fiona continued to speak again.

"So, what did you do huh? Did your mom ask the king and queen to have Mettaton pick your name in the lottery when the announcement of The Selection happened? Because if she did, then that's considered unfair of her to do such a thing."

I clenched my fist tightly. "She has done nothing! Nanny would never do such a thing! They're her best friends, she knows better than to ask them something this low and dirty. My name was picked out randomly just like everybody else."

"Oh? What's this? You don't call her 'mother?' You just call her 'Nanny?'" She lets out a haughty laugh before a wicked smile appeared across her face. "So what? Does that mean she's nothing but a maid to you? Is that it? Wow, you really are pathetic. I don't know what Asriel could possibly see in you. All I know is that you're nothing but a weak . . . Weak orphan!"

"Fiona, calm down. This won't make things better--" I gasped as my words trailed off. In the corner of my eye, I thought I just saw Papyrus standing at the end of the passageway, but at a second glance nobody was there.

"Don't you tell me to calm down, you conniving bitch!" She glares at me, taking a few steps towards me until she was a few inches away from me before she spoke again.

"You have no right to tell me what to do, and if you think your 'friends' are there to help you, well you are dead wrong. I'm pretty sure that they're talking behind your back, thinking what an arrogant spoiled brat you are, just because you're foster mom is the last creature of her kind to live. And you know what? I don’t think she deserves to be best friends with the king and queen. I mean really, what kind of a friend is she for letting her friends stay locked up under a mountain? She could have just taken seven souls and released them. Instead, she wasted her time acting as a human.”

“It's called showing ‘mercy.'” I said, my voice sounding stern. “She knows better than to spill blood, and take innocent lives just to release the monsters.”

She sneers at me, placing her hands over her hips. “Did you forget what I just told you, Zefie? In this competition, there is no such thing as friendship! And here you are now, acting so innocent and shy while the others eat off of your hand before they can see what a coward you really are. So what did you and King Asgore do in the garden huh? Did you seduce him and have him favor you so he can have Asriel choose you?"

"You are disgusting!" I snarled, staring down at her with a glare of my own. "Why would you think I’d even do such a despicable thing?! He's a married man, and my mother’s best friend for crying out loud! I look at King Asgore like a father!"

Fear ran through me, the sooner I saw Fiona raised her hand. "Someone needs to teach you a lesson on how to act like a proper lady. And knowing you, Zefie, you're far too smart to be a snitch and tell Asriel on me. So, allow me to do you a favor and help you remember where an orphan Mage like you stands."

I quickly shut my eyes, prepared to feel her hand strike my cheek, but I felt nothing.

What? I opened my eyes slowly and gasped. I watched in horror as Asriel restrained Fiona's hand from hitting me. Her face suddenly went pale, no traces of blood existing. My body felt so weak that I slowly fell to my knees, panting as my heart pounded loudly. A wave of lightheadedness overtook me.

"I was going to go upstairs to call it a day until Papyrus came up to me in panic stating that he saw something happening between the two of you." He spoke, his voice deep with pure anger. "I told him that maybe it's nothing terrible but came anyway to soothe his fears. And this is what I find: Miss Taylor gravely insulting not only my family, but Miss Alban’s, too."

Fiona's lips started to quiver, watching as beads of sweat suddenly forming over her forehead. "Y-Your Majesty, I-I didn't mean any of that! I swear--"

"So, you didn't mean it when you said Miss Alban is a coward for being herself? Or when you said that Lady Cordelia doesn't deserve to be my parents’ best friend for leaving them behind? And when you asked if she seduced my father, just to have him tell me to choose her?" He asks, cutting her off from saying anything.

I swallowed hard, looking away from them to remain calm. My magic was dangerously thrumming under my skin as I try to breathe slowly to make them disappear, listening as Asriel continued to speak.

"You know, I was going to give you a chance to redeem yourself when I saw that you're one of the girls that stared down at Miss Alban, but Miss Darwin suggested that I give you a chance to see what kind of person you are under those insecurities. So, I agreed with her. People do deserve second chances. Yet, after hearing you say awful things to Miss Alban, I now see what kind of a person you truly are. Your jealousy is considered unattractive and unappealing to me. And if you truly knew me so well, Miss Taylor, you would have known to bite your tongue down and keep your jealousy to yourself. What you said about Miss Alban and my father is truly disgusting of you."

"W-wait! Please, Prince Asriel--"

"You've said enough, The damages you have inflicted to Miss Alban are unacceptable. I cannot allow to you to remain within my home if you're going to continue harassing the rest of the girls in secret. You’ve disrespected Lady Cordelia, my family, and Miss Alban. Thus, you have disrespected me the most."

In the corner of my eye, Asriel turns his head to beckon the nearest guard to come, releasing Fiona’s wrist. I squeezed my eyes shut, blocking away what he was ordering the guard to do. Keep it together, I begged myself.

In the background, I hear Fiona calling for Asriel as she began to cry loudly. Dammit, keep it together. Her cries began to echo among the corridors, hearing heavy footsteps from the guard's heavy armor.

"Zefie? Are you okay?" I gasped, opening my eyes instantly, finding Asriel knelt before me. "Did she hurt you?"

I shook my head vigorously. "I'm alright, just shocked."

Asriel lets out a loud heavy breath. "Can you get up?"

"Yes."

I slowly get up, regaining my posture before facing him again. His gentle gaze was on me again, smiling softly at me. Oh no, please don't look at me like that . . . My heart was thumping loudly in such a fast pace that my head, too, began to pound just as hard. I need to go now before things possibly get worse.

“Zefie? Are sure you're okay? I can take--” he reaches for me, but I backed away.

"I'm sorry Asriel, I have to go," I quickly ran past him, pretending that I didn't hear him calling for me to come back.

This is too much. This was far too much drama for me to witness! I ran around the corner, rapidly pressing the elevator button to go up. Hurry up!

"Zefie, wait!" I gasped, hearing his footsteps coming towards the elevator.

This is taking too long! I frantically call out to my magic, chanting a spell as a bright pink light surrounded my entire body. I could feel an odd pressure surround and cave in on me. And in a flash, I found myself in my room again.

My body won't let me cry, I've used up too many tears today. Since Barbara and Lesley are nowhere to be seen, I didn't bother waiting for their return. Once again, I use my magic to remove my dress and undergarments. Quickly, I entered the shower, closing the glass door shut and began to wash away the traces of sweat and the mixed up emotions I have experienced today.

After getting cleaned and dressed into my comfortable pajamas, I immediately collapsed onto my bed, feeling far too lazy and weak to pull the sheets over me.

If I could define my mood right now, it would be an under-mixed macaron. I was too fluffy, that I cracked after coming out of the oven. Stay calm, Zefie, I said to myself. Stay determined.

And just like that, my eyelids felt heavy as sleep began to take me into a warm comfortable dream.

#selectiontale #undertale #undertale au #Zefie Alban #flowey #asgore #asriel dreemurr #fanfic #terato writing

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usaghinanami99 · 6 years

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@pichipichiparadise Didn't I say you should be prepared for this? Well, here it comes! I hope I spelt all the titles right 'xD And sorry in advance for any grammar mistakes, I always do my best when I write in foreign languages but I'm just your average teenage fangirl who loses all of her reason before what she loves the most. Before starting, I should say that I love both slow romantic ballads and fast-paced pop songs on an even level, so I don't think I am too biased towards any of the two genres; truth to be said, MM offers some great pieces for both types of music, and I like all of them. Now, here's what you were all waiting for, i. e. my complete ranking of all the songs from the anime Mermaid Melody!

48) Ai no ondo Sorry, but it's just a big "no" for me. The tune is so irritating that it somehow annoys me to listen to it. 47) Koi wa nandarō? Urgh. Same as before. Irritating tune and even more irritating singer – it's higher on the list just thanks to some passages in the lyrics which make me think of some sort of sexual innuendo, and since I am both a hopeless romantic and a huge pervert, I vastly appreciate it XD 46) Oh, yeah! Alala Does this remind you of exaggeratedly cute idol songs? Because it's the impression it gives me, and it's not a good one. (OK, I'm overdoing, there are definitely some idols I like, but Jpop rarely clicks with me if it's not related to anime in some way) 45) Splash dream! Er... this is getting boring, but I just cannot stand Asumi Nakata's voice 'xD However, this is where the tunes stop being outright irritating for me, and it's just a matter of them failing to catch my heart. 44) Aurora no kaze ni notte I'm on shortage of comments already, I guess I'll just say that Ema Kogure sounds like a 2 year-older and that I keep on forgetting how the tune goes. 43) Star! Meromero heart Irritating singer, forgettable tune, stupid lyrics (I know it's done on purpose, but still). On with the next one. 42) Mother symphony OMG, I feel guilty for puttin your favourite song so low! Actually, I must admit that I've never thought about the lyrics the way you put it, and maybe reading your comment will help me appreciate this song a bit more ^^ However, this spot is where the songs start being just boring and uninteresting to me instead of plain unsufferable, so it's still something... I guess? 41) Nanatsu no umi no monogatari – Pearls of mermaid As I said, boring and forgettable and little else. I think I've already lost half of my readers by now. 40) Birth of love Really? Did they waste Eri Kitamura's talents to make her sing this so-so piece? That's a crime on my book! 39) Piece of love I said I love love songs, but that's simply an understatement: I am a literal sucker for slow, deep, emotional songs about feelings and such. But this... what I can see is that it tried to be a romantic piece but failed miserably and ended up being a mere yawn-inducing song. I'm not exaggerating, I really find it sleep-inducing! In this sense, it low-key reminds me of A dream is a wish your heart makes, lol. But I feel the need to repeat that I absolutely adore romantic ballads if done right, in fact the main theme from Beauty and the Beast is my single best favourite song in the whole freaking world, OK? But there's a clear limit between "romantically slow" and "sleepily slow", and this songs trespass it. 38) Mizuiro no senritsu I have a sensation that composing more upbeat songs is easier, because there can't be the risk to have your listeners fall asleep, or is it just me? In fact, this makes nice for a Jpop song... it's just that I'm not that big a Jpop fan to start, and the idols I do follow, such as Momoiro Clover Z, I do so just because they have sung songs from animes I love. I guess this song is somehow OK, it's just a matter of me not connecting with it. 37) Portami con te OK, finally here's what I think is the worst Italian song – in case you started thinking I was biased and would put all the Italian songs on top... well, you wouldn't exactly be wrong about the bias part, but still. For me, this song is just on the limit between "nice romantic slow songs" and "boring as heck slow songs": one day I find it sweet, the other day I think it is simply too slow. But what really made me decide to put it low in the list is the fact that it's a mere rearrangement of Yume no sono saki e instead of a completely new piece of music, thus making it the sole and only non-original song from the Italian dub... which is not cool. Definitely not cool. 36) Yume no sono saki e I really have the same opinion about this song and the last one, due to them being so terribly similar, but I decided to give this the higher spot because I'll be eternally pissed that they decided to use an already-existing base to arrange Portami con te, and that's not something I could ever forgive 'xD 35) Daijina takarabako (slow version) I think this could make for a nice lullaby. What else could I say? It's cute and it manages to be slow without being boring; now, I don't consider it to be necessarily unforgettable, but here we're starting heading for the better. 34) Hana to chō no serenade This is the perfect LanHua song, full stop: it's just as haunting, hypnotizing and mysterious as it should be, with that exotical feel to the tune that spices it up. And it is even better in French! It may seem to be too low in the list to be a song I like, but these are just the songs that I find to be good but not great. 33) Kibō no Kaneoto – Love goes on Now that's a pretty battle song! True, it may not be at Sera Myu level (but then, very few can compare to the eternal goddess Akiko Kosaka), but I admire the fact that it manages to be both sweet and relatively upbeat at the same time. 32) Concerto d'amore "Good but not great" is again all I can say about this one, so I'll add that I'm very disappointed by the fact that the second half of the song has never made it to the series proper and is therefore only present in the CD version – which is a shame, because I think that is where the song gets better. The tune is nice enough, but maybe it's overused, in the sense that it always plays whenever a radio is on during the show, which sometimes feeds me up; but it isn't a boring song, definitely not. 31) Voce del buio OK, I'll admit that the concept is good: this villain song wanted to be suffocating and practically impossible to forget, and it succeeded perfectly – that's the type of melody that just can't get out of your mind after one single listening. But there's too much rap for my taste and, though the contrast between the tune of the stanzas and that of the refrains is amazing, it somehow comes off as "I recognize is good, but it's not exactly my genre". 30) Ever blue Man, this song used to be so much lower in my list! The thing is, I just couldn't make myself listen to it without suffering terribly xD But then I heard the French version and I finally understood that it was just a case of me hating Hitomi Terakado with a passion that prevented me from appreciating the song! In fact, thanks to other foreign dubs (such as the Portuguese ones, but really, each one of them is better than the Japanese), I discovered thatt with a decent singer, it actually turned out to be a pretty song, and I'm more persuaded than ever now that the Cosplay Singers have just released their cover! I'll never understand why they tend to cast chipmunks instead of voice actors in Japan, but whatever. 29) Super love songs! Nice, clean, pleasing song of the more upbeat scale, with a catchy refrain: that's how I like my Jpop. 28) Daijina takarabako Even I cannot understand how can I like a solo by Asumi Nakata, whom I honestly detest, but I guess that when the melody enchants you, miracles can happen. Good job! 27) Legend of mermaid I think I can't say anything about this song that hasn't already been said xD Well, I like it but don't love it; I can only add that the instrumental intercourses in between the singing parts come off as really annoying to me, I think I don't enjoy the way they are arranged that much. 26) Ashita ga mienakute OMG this song. This song. This song. OK, sorry, let me rephrase that: as a 9 year-older watching Pure on TV, I was at best indifferent about Mikaru's feelings, and even partially blaimed her for the pain Lucia was suffering. Growing up, I melted out towards the character and, while I'll always be on Lucia's side when it comes to the love triangle stuff, as a middle-schooler I undertood that nothing of the love drama was Mikaru's fault. Some years ago, when I started using the Internet, I discovered that the Japanese dub of the anime had different songs from the Italian one, and was literally blown away upon first listening this one. A song sung by a handicapped girl my age who mourned about her solituted and sufference was, like, so much akeen to me as a person that it seems a strange coincidence. Add to that that I loved seeing depressed characters, because it helped me find my own depression a little less terrible. I've grown out of that phase now, mostly thanks to me having changed school, but this song holds a special place in my heart, and if I were to make a ranking of the most relatable songs I've ever listened to, this would come third after Belle and Let it go. 25) Tsubasa wo daite As lost in my thoughts as I were, I haven't mentioned the fact that both songs have got enchanting melodies (and I thought this even before knowing of the songs, because I absolutely loved the instrumentals that played when Mikaru and Mikeru spelt out their poems in the Italian dub). This version gains a higher place because, while Mikeru is less relatable than Mikaru, Junko Minagawa is a much better singer. Ah, and it's a song sung by a character who laments his condition and talks long about his feelings, which is exactly my cup of tea. 24) Kodō – Perfect harmony We're getting better and better with the battle songs! Here's another catchy one, but I'm afraid I haven't got much else to say about this. 23) Ankoku no tsubasa This is another case of the French version making me appreciate the song more than before – seriously, though, just listen to it! I really dig the style taken here, it screams "sexy villain" from every note and it's done so damn right. 22) Kizuna And here comes my favourite Japanese battle song! The thing is, I really dig the refrain but cannot say the same about the stanzas, so I decided to even it out putting it around the middle. What is more interesting to me, though, is that this song was clearly the basis used to compose Eternal eternity for the 3rd season of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal, which makes it again more important. I know what I said before about me disapproving of rearrangements, but what can I do when one is just so unbelievably good? (Because yes, I indeed prefer Eternal eternity. Kill me now.) 21) Sekai de ichiban hayaku Asa ga kuru bashō Have I said how much I like sweet lullabies yet? Because I love them. I've got no more to say. 20) La nostra forza (rearrange) My first reaction upon hearing this on the CD was like "OMG how dare they ruin one of my favourite songs", but with time I learnt to understand that this style actually fits LanHua more than the regular version would have. Though I don't think I have to point out that the one sung by the BBS and Alala is far better. 19) Mermaid Melody – Principesse Sirene There's a complex love-hate relationship between me and this song, and it depends on how much weigth I put on each aspect of it: if I concentrate on the tune, I find it to be a great song worth of the glorious tradition of Italian OPs; if I concentrate on the rest, though... I really can't understand how they could come up with the idea of casting a 14 year-older to sing it, and this is without mentioning the absurdly stupid lyrics it features. Maybe this is what leads me to enjoy the karaoke version so much. 18) Legend of mermaid (slow version) What can I say, if not that it's cute and pretty and sad and everything else? I don't like Asumi Nakata and Hitomi Terakado's versions one bit, but Kana Ueda saves the song for me. And the instrumentals are far better than those of the original version. 17) Ai no kiseki Another awesomely sad and emotional song sung by Kana Ueda – see the pattern here? It's the type of song that really makes you cry, and I live for that. 16) Return to the sea Closing Kana Ueda's section, and at the same time opening the sequence of the songs that I outright love, comes Sara's awesome image song, which is tremendously catchy and terribly depressing at the same time. That's the magic of music (and cartoons) for you. 15) Taiyō no rakuen – Promised land That's exactly the type of Japanese OP that clicks with me for its catchyness, and well... What can one say about Miyuki Kanbe, apart from being sorry over her tragedy? She's incredible. She's an excellent musical actress and a perfect Usaghi (though to be fair, my best favourite is and will always be Anza Ōyama, no matter what, with Miyuki being a close second). Her singing is gorgeous and, as a sidenote, she's the person that made me realize that not all nasal voices are terrible – quite the contrary, on her case. 14) Beautiful wish This. Song. Is. Just. Perfect. Especially in French (but I guess you're tired of me saying that, uh?), but Eri Kitamura rules, too. This melody is just too perfect and it would deserve to be no. 1, if only there weren't some songs which are even more perfect imo. 13) Rainbow notes It's like the first OP, but even better: the catchyness has been brought up to eleven and Miyuki is as freaking skilled as always, and she'll be dearly missed forever. 12) Before the moment Sorry everyone, but the prize is going to the Pure OP for me (please don't kill me!). Not that I prefer Eri over Miyuki (though I love them both so much), but it just... well, listen to it. That music. 11) Star jewel Rina rocks and this song shows it excellently! And Mayumi Asano is the only one from the main trio who sounds like a real human being, so that's a plus. There's some pure awesomeness here. 10) Dolce melodia To think that, when I was a kid, I reckoned this song was just too much. I mean, not even for an instant did I dislike it (the contrary, in fact), but I found it to be so overused that it started tiring me, to the point of getting on my nerves. Now that I'm older, I've understood that beautiful things are always beautiful and can just get better every time you enjoy it again. Now I can listen to this song on repeat more than a dozen times in a round and always recognize it for the true masterpiece it is. (Except for Caren's version, that is – Rossella Liberti's voice is just something I can't stand.) 9) Kuro no Kyōsōkyoku – Concerto That is, the perfect villain song. Villain songs are really the best songs in the Japanese dub. I don't know what to add. Oh, wait... 8) Yami no baroque ...What do you mean, there's an even more perfect villain song? This show is just too much and it's so beautiful it's killing me, but I'll gladly die with Mermaid Melody if I must. 7) La nostra forza OK, the Japanese version definitely wins in the lyrics department, but the music here is just too prefect for it to be any lower. 6) Ritorno all'oceano Pure awesomeness and nothing more. Denise Misseri's version is gold and Francesca Daprati's is diamond, but there's really nothing else to say. 5) Battito d'amore Please don't judge this basing on the CD version, because the duet between Valentina Ponzone and Claudia D'Ulisse can't even remotely compare to the many stunning versions heard in the TV series. Battle song at its finest. 4) Fantastica poesia Battle song at its ultimate finest, i. e. The very best battle song ever! With the addition of some sexual innuendos to spice up the lyrics, how much better can it get? 3) Stella preziosa This. This better. It's a telltale sign the fact that I just can't bring myself to choose which I prefer between Francesca Daprati's version and Elisabetta Cavalli. 2) Assoluto amore I can't say anything else, I'm afraid. Perfect music, great lyrics and Valeria Caponnetto to do the goddesses' job. I'm in heaven. 1) Dolce melodia (orgel version) A sadly emotional arrangement of a great song? Yes, please. This song is too perfect and it's too much for my heart to bear, to the point that I'm not even listening to it as of now and I'm already crying just at the thought. Sung by Denise Misseri it's a masterpiece, but sung by Valeria Caponnetto it's the greatest tragic song ever.

#mermaid melody #mermaid melody pichi pichi pitch #mermaid melody pichi pichi pure #mermaid melody principesse sirene

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