#and I wanna write two Halloween fics and they haven’t even been STARTED

[crybaby-bkg]

the fuck are they putting in these flu shots????? I’ve been feeling like doodoo for the past 24 hours and like I can’t function and I HATE IT!!!!!!!

#I’ve done nothing but lay around #and every time I try to do SOMETHING #I immediately get sick and lightheaded and hot and have to lay down #I’m also pmsing which doesn’t help #BUT IM SICKA THIS SHIT!!!!!! #I haven’t even finished chap 7 and it’s supposed to be posted Monday 😭 #and I wanna write two Halloween fics and they haven’t even been STARTED #stressed. good bye. #and my fucking tags worked for an HOUR before disappearing again #I’m at my wits end #—in store chit chat! 🍫

[nickfowlerrr]

working on it

main masterlist

this is a list of all my wips (including requests) so we can all be on the same page in regards to what i have coming up 🖤

*these aren’t in any particular order - as you guys know, i write what i have inspiration to write and not in order of when requests were received or series were updated.* if you don't see your request on here, and did not get a response from me letting you know i'd be unable to write it, then i didn't receive it. feel free to send it in again if you'd like.

i saw @sweetpeapod’s “to do list” and it’s such a great idea i literally never would’ve thought to make one myself so all credit to her for this! 🥰

updated: 06/06/23

legend: actively writing • on hold/writer’s block • haven’t started

series

bucky barnes:

if i could - chapter five

keeping secrets - chapter seven

stucky:

trust me - chapter two

drabbles, one shots or continuations (not series)

andy barber:

waiting - pt 2

dark!professor andy

bucky barnes:

soft!dark bucky - basement wife

dark!brat tamer bucky

you can’t - pt 2

dark!ex bucky - pregnant reader (might not end up dark lolll)

when a stranger calls bucky

yandere mechanic bucky

“enemies” to lovers bucky

iou - pt 2…possible miniseries

enemies to lovers - one bed trope

die happy - chubby!reader

first time for everything - drabble

call it what you want to - pt 2

mean!bucky one shot

duke!bucky x duchess!reader (soft!dark?)

pro wrestler!bucky

charles blackwood:

dark!charles halloween fic

lee bodecker:

dark!lee - traveling!reader

dark!lee - salem witch trial

lloyd hansen:

-

ransom drysdale:

delivery - one shot

mean!ransom one shot

nick fowler:

dark!nick - daddy’s dead - one shot

steve kemp:

-

steve rogers:

mean!steve one shot

stucky:

dark! road trip fic (two stories in one/choose your own adventure)

royalty au

fumbling - drabble

fawn - pt 2

requests

humble request to the queen of my lil dark heart for your sluttiest a/b/o with your man of choice inspired by ‘hurt you’ by the weeknd 🖤

bucky barnes:

request/imagine: mafia bucky x reader where bucky is very obviously obsessed/infatuated with the reader and just wants her to be his but she plays hard to get (for some time) and starts hanging out with other men so he gets jealous and punishes her (smut if you want with degradation/humiliation kink idk💀) very new to tumblr so idk if im doing this right or not. thank you! 💘

Dearie write some angry seggs with Bucky barnes

Scenario 5 10 17 22 please & Dialogue prompts 32 and 38 please with bucky 😭 he’s a total grinch throughout but seeing the reader happy makes him happy and I love the grumpy x sunshine trope🤤😮‍💨

Hey yo! I'm not sure if you're still accepting Christmas prompts or anything (I've absolutely loved reading them) But I've been listening to this song on repeat and idk, I can just imagine the reader singing it to Buck on their first christmas together, and him falling even more in love with them. Anywho, happy holidays, can't wait to read anything and everything you bless us all with 🥰❤️🎄

What would have happened in a AU version of your dark biker Bucky finding his soulmate finally…and also meeting her husband?

What if the reader had a really toxic husband who wouldn’t let her go or let their divorce proceed unless she cheated on him? Only the man she picks for her affair, Bucky Barnes, is WAY worse than her husband and she doesn’t realize until it’s too late? (No idea though if this is like a mobster Bucky or Winter Solider or some other profession)

a bucky fic of any length based on this text exchange with my husband (who’s deployed) ((i’m the red bubble lol)) 🥹 you work is magic so i trust however you wanna take this

Bellllaaaaa hiiii:) I’m hooked on biker/bartender bucky(even tattoo artist bucky) with fucking Tats right now and I’d totally love if you could maybe write him and chubby/plus sized reader having a flirty relationship, maybe they’re like a fling or something. She works at his bar/tattoo shop, whichever au you pick, and they’re just fucking flirty and so naughty together lol. Smut is always welcomed!! Thank u bby in advance<3 mwahhh🥺💋

Was curious if you could do a TFAWS Bucky request? Reader is a curvy plus size gal, and Sam has been trying and trying to get Bucky to ask her out. Then one day, he finds her really upset and self conscious… He finally lets his true feelings show, trying to make her feel better… maybe it turns into more? 👀🥰 Like…. ‘Let me just show you how beautiful you are..’ kinda thing lol. I really hope that made sense ☠️☠️

charles blackwood:

Hello there I want to ask... Do you still write Charles blackwood x reader fanfic? It has to be very romantic but very naughty. Charles being very sexy and dominating. It is also the reader's very first time with him too. Can it include a photo of Charles as well? Thanks x

max burnett:

Hi can I request a max Burnett x plus!size reader.

nick fowler:

Okay, speaking of thots, having the Nick Fowler says something sexy in Romanian and leaves gifs back-to-back with the 'no, I'm not okay; I should be sucking his dick rn" thot was— 🥵 Think you could combine those two into a little (or big, would not complain 😉) something something? 😘🤍 👉🏻👈🏻

I’m reading a book about the history evolution of dating, and it has this section on sugar daddies and babies. Apparently a lot of sugar babies are warned not to fall for their daddies, but the women report that usually it’s the other way around and the men fall for them. So what about a soft dark mafia Nick who quickly gets obsessed with his sugar baby reader? He just get more intense the more she denies an emotion connection because it’s just bad business on her end.

pwyc! bucky:

Hi I loved your Pretty when you cry series read it twice already and you did a amazing job 🥰 I was wondering if you could write the reader from that series being catcalled by some creep and dark biker Bucky witnesses it and completely losing it and defending her and maybe it ends with some fluff I hope you have a lovely day or night ❤️

OK maybe After Reading your Dark Soulmate Story I want/need more 😁 So I was thinking about Bucky and the Curvy Reader. Was there ever a time when Bucky Breaks down and cry? Like, He is so Hurt that he is Not Angry but gets really sad? How would the Reader react? How would Bucky himself react? Thanks again For creating These two and thank you For your time🖤 i Love them.

Hi Bella! So you’re my fav tumblr writer and I’m never gonna get over pwyc cause it’s pretty fucking amazing, and I don’t know if you’re taking requests for drabbles or anything like that, but I thought I might as well ask! So imagine that Bucky and Y/N have been living together for a while and things have been great, but Bucky is thinking of proposing, but Y/N is so not ready to get married or have kids, and her and Bucky get into a huge fight over it, and maybe she briefly moves out, and Bucky is basically lost but like also super angry cause we all know he doesn’t take rejection too well, but in the end they make up and by that I mean smut, and you can decide if they get engaged or not, but yeah that’s basically it

Hi! I love pwyc so much then when i saw the new trust series was from you I did a little happy dance! I was wondering if i could request a little drabble of what would happen if reader found out she was pregant and how biker Bucky would react? If not no pressure honestly love all your fics thanks for sharing them with us!

Belllllllaaaaa I have a request to make for pwyc series💕❤️ Imagine bucky getting possessive and jealous of readers coworkers, the reader trying to escape when he thought they were finally getting somewhere in their relationship…..😬😬 would he be angry or upset just love feral bucky 🫣😭🥵

Pwyc reader having nightmare about that night Bucky raped her. While dark!pwyc Bucky is sleeping right next to her. So reader started crying in her sleep,tears and all (cause that's what she does best) from the nightmare with him in it and woke Bucky up. Bucky can tell what it was about and started to soothe her nightmares the only way his perverted ass knows how. He started nuzzling and kissing her neck all over and kiss all her all over her face including her lips,eyes and her tears away while his hands roam all over her body to wake her up. Reader woke up still crying and Bucky ended up giving her the most gentlest (?),angsty or passionate sex? Idk,it doesn't have to be gentle. Just like really angsty and passionate in a really pwyc dark!Bucky way to show reader he's her only choice no matter what so she just gonna learn how to love him and get over her fear and nigthmare with the fear and nightmare himself. And maybe some angsty stomach flipping aftercare afterwards. Dark! request ofc. This can be during pwyc or after pywc,it's up to you. Reader being a crybaby makes this fic special to me :,D Been looking for a pic like this. Thank you so much and sorry if my English sucks a lil. I try. Tysm again 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Hiii Bella!! I love your writing so much, you're very talented 😍 I found the pwyc series about three days ago and I've read it twice 😅 I wasn't that productive at work ig 🤣 as a curvy girl myself who falls very close into the description of the reader/soulmate who loves Bucky, I felt very satisfied. So... I'm rubbish at requests but I thought I would like to ask for something and it's nice that you're kind and understanding so I don't feel too anxious about doing so 👀 so... what about reader going out shopping a dress for an occasion (idk what exactly, something formal-ish ig... a birthday party/dinner maybe?) and the shop assistants make her feel bad by saying things like "we don't have clothes in that big of a size, miss" or "this doesn't suit your fat thighs/stomach" (this has happened a lot to me, unfortunately)? And she gets home sad and spends all week self-loathing and insecure, wearing very baggy clothes and starving herself and pwyc bucky doesn't exactly get what's going on because she doesn't want to discuss it but he feels how down she feels and worries. Then he hears her explaining the experience to eva and he becomes a man on a mission. He has one thing in mind; to shower her with compliments, sweet nothings and have beautiful, passionate and rough sex with her 😏 (and also decides to punch whoever said sh*t about his girl). Thank youuu 💜💜 P.S. Sorry if this was too long☺️

hiii so i just thought of pwyc fluff (bc i love two hopeless romantics) so uhhh what if reader gives bucky a pet name? calls him "love" in front of his friends and bucky just melts and swoons

I just want pwyc reader and bucky to have kids 🫣😬😂 it would be so unexpected and I’m sure bucky would be super excited even if the news comes out of the blue 🥺🥺💕💕 it would be so funny though 😂😂

Just finished your dark soulmate Bucky fic-absolutely loved it, stayed up WAY too late reading it because I couldn’t stop. I was wondering if kids are ever discussed between them? I feel like no for both of them because Bucky seems too greedy to share the reader/lose time with her and I don’t know if the reader would really want babies with him after their start, even if she’s forgiven him. But I do wonder what would happen to Bucky’s mindset-does having a daughter make him realize any new aspects of what he did? Does a son make him worry about raising a man who could do what Bucky did to his own soulmate?

I have a pwyc prompt! Reader borrows Bucky’s beloved car as hers is in his shop. He tells her to be careful as it’s his baby. She misjudges a turn and wrecks it, only gets minor cuts/bruises but goes hospital to get checked out in case concussion. She doesn’t want to see bucky - freaking out about seeing him and admitting she crashed his baby but of course his main worries lie with someone else’s welfare!

what if reader wasn't bucky's soulmate but he wants her anyway. (long request)

Sorry in advance if this is too indulgent even for fanfic, but would you be interested in a prompt where pwyc Bucky is thrilled that the reader is gaining weight? Either because he takes it as a sign that she’s happy so she eating more, they’re going out on fun dates and have delicious things to eat or they’re spending too much time together for her to work out, etc etc. but he’s super into it. And loves to show it, especially during moments when she’s upset about it? So it’s something positive instead of negative.

Hi Bella. Love your work and love that you write curvy/plus size reader as I’m a curvier girl myself. I was wondering if you could write a Drabble/fic with pwyc bucky worshipping/praising reader’s bigger body - maybe she’s having a bad self image day or similar and he kisses all of her curves and lumps/bumps because he genuinely adores her figure and also is very much turned on by her even if she sometimes worries his muscular frame would be better suited to smaller partners as he’s so in shape.

This but she hurts herself bad?🤔🥺

“You come across any other kinks you wanna try, you just let me know. You know I’ll do anything for you, pretty girl.” Hmm how about breeding kink combined with marking kink. I believe the possessive side of Bucky here would absolutely eat this up and be feral. Would love to see your take on this, but if you don’t want, that’s okay! Thank youuu! 🫶🏻

Hi Bella! I have an idea for a PWYC Drabble please don’t feel obligated to respond or make it. So today I was walking and some total jerks yelled out the window calling me fat. I wonder how Bucky would either comfort reader or handle it. I know you have something similar with your knight drabble. Thank you for all of the incredible work you’ve given us, this is my favorite series of all time— you’re a great writer. ♥️🥹

Hi! I’m a huge fan of PWYC and I was wondering if you thought about doing a pregnancy one shot, or multiple shots related to Bucky and reader starting a family? I’m curious how the dynamic would be considering how Bucky already acts towards reader and how he tends to be very loving but also on consistent watch over reader. If you don’t like the idea or aren’t interested that’s totally okay too!

steve rogers:

I would love to see a stalker Steve Rogers who thinks he’s “courting” you when he buys you presents off your (private) wishlists, takes care of chores around the house when you’re sleeping or away, has lunch delivered to your workplace for you, etc. (sure it’s scary and weird all these things are happening to you, but I would also like to come home to packages on my porch and my lawn mowed, you know?)

#bellasburdens #masterlist #my wips #nickfowlerrr

[jimilter]

the prince’s cinderella syndrome (m) | p.jm. | teaser

↳ COMING THIS MONTH ↲

🎧 moon - jin of bts willow - taylor swift

pairing: jimin x reader (ft. a dash of jungkook x reader)

rating: m (18+)

genre: angst | smut | fluff | cursed!jimin | supernatural!au | strangers to lovers!au

summary:  He shows up at Halloween, every year, dressed the same, and leaves at midnight like some Cinderella. You would think he was a prankster if his eyes didn't look like they contained all the sadness in the world. You don't know him - no one on campus does. You don't know why he appears only once a year. You don't know why he never smiles. But you can't help falling in love with him. Even if he breaks your heart when he abandons you at midnight, again.

warnings: swearing + alcohol consumption + allusions to substance abuse + black magic and curses + heartbreak + mention of minor character deaths + inaccuracies abt the american education system + inaccuracies abt nasa & astronomy majors + a mish-mash of american and british english + explicit sexual situations (fingering, oral (m+f), unprotected penetrative sex, semi-public sex, some marking, some dirty talk, some roughness, slight cock warming? maybe? mostly pretty missionary stuff tbh) + oc is a v. v. lonely girl :( + jimin is a v. v. sad boy :( 

word count: ~30 k (1.2 k for the teaser)

note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAREST HUBBA MINE! 🥺💗 and happy jimtober to the rest of the world! 🎃

written for jimin’s sunset spooktober, a supernatural, halloween themed jimin collab hosted by three very talented godesses: @jamaisjoons​​, @opaljm​ and @chateautae​. 💗 make sure to check out the rest of the fics’ summaries in the masterlist!

i have been slaving off on this one so harD for a month, i broke some of my own records by getting to 40 wpm and writing 7k words in a day, smh. and even though i have somehoW finished it up, it’s still not ready to be posted, currently undergoing some major editing. prepare yourselves for some pain, y’all~ 😩💜

— masterlist

— feedback is always appreciated!

“If we end up getting kidnapped by ghosts or some shit, I will kill you.”

You rolled your eyes at your roommate’s antics, ignoring her and walking ahead with intent. Street lights took turns to bathe the three of you in the color yellow, becoming your only source of light on the otherwise dark street. 

“I really do not understand how this is gonna help," Taehyung mumbled from next to her.

"I never understand anything she does, Tae, I'm—"

“You don’t have to understand your best friends to support them, Hyejie,” you teased, shoving your hands into your denim dress’ pockets. 

“I’m regretting giving you that title, just so you know. They're not even throwing a party tonight, why the heck would your guy be there?" Hyejin lamented to you. 

"I never said he would be. I just wanna check, in case he is. Just keep walking and we'll know."

It was Halloween and you were on your way to the place where you had met Jimin for two consecutive years.

"If we miss JK's thing because of this, I’m not gonna suck his cock to cheer him up."

You and Hyejin snorted at Taehyung’s words, with you looking at the guy over your shoulder with a deadpan. “I’m pretty sure he’s already getting it sucked as we speak, Tae.”

“I second that.”

“Hey!” Taehyung pouted at his girlfriend. “You’re not supposed to support her!”

“Didn’t you hear what she said? You don’t have to understand your best friends to support them,” Hyejin reiterated your words from earlier, and you laughed at the long face Taehyung pulled in response.

“Don’t make that face, you used to be like that, too, before I tamed you.”

You groaned at Hyejin’s words, already anticipating a fight. 

Taehyung proved you right by immediately scoffing with a, “you haven’t tamed me, I’ve just decided to calm down with my casanova days for a while.”

Your eyes widened. Did he just say ‘for a while’? Oh, no—

“Taehyung Kim, are you fucking kidding me?”

And there they went. 

You grudgingly slowed down to match the quarrelling couple’s pace, now really starting to regret bringing them along with you. You’d just felt wary because of the abandoned state of this place. But now that you thought about it, a pepper spray would’ve been a better companion.

You eyed the way you still had to go, noticing the familiar frat house a short distance ahead.

Hyejin and Taehyung had stopped walking, choosing to shout in each other’s faces as they stood nose to nose. With a sigh, you turned on your heels and decided to make your way down to the building.

It was becoming more apparent how this whole excursion had been a dumb idea as more time passed. But now, standing so close to the building that very obviously looked empty with no soul in sight anywhere in or outside of it, your lips turned down in acknowledgment of how ridiculous you had been.

You walked right up to the looming, triple storied house painted a beautiful olive green with white accents. Your eyes traced the balcony, similar to the one the building had in its back – the one you’d been on, last year, with Jimin.

“Oh, Jimin,” you morosely breathed, missing him so much that your chest felt tight.

A whisper of your name sounded from not far away, making you look around in alarm.

And then you saw him – sitting on the sidewalk, under the streetlight opposite the frat house, with his head lowered and eyes full of gloom. He hadn’t seen you yet, and your heart thundered in your ears at the realisation and he’d been saying your name to himself just as you had been his.

You kept staring at him, feet slowly coming to a stop. You'd looked for almost an entire year, came here to see if you could find him. But now that he was here, you had no idea what to do. You wanted to make your presence known and approach him, but you felt weirdly shy and awkward, thinking of the crush you had on him and the way it had made you act these past few months.

Then suddenly, as if having sensed your presence, his head suddenly shot up, alert eyes looking in your exact direction. You stood frozen to your spot like a deer caught in headlights.

Until, that was, he yelled your name across the empty road, his face split into a huge grin. You immediately jogged your way across the road to his side, meeting his grin with a shy smile of your own as he stood up to welcome you.

"Hey," he whispered, eyes running over your face like he had missed it.

Just like you had missed his. You did your own scanning of his features that seemed to elude joy and excitement instead of the heavy misery you’d noticed just moments before. 

You ducked your head with a timid wave. "Hey, yourself."

"What are you doing here?" He gestured around the empty street, tossing a glance past you at your friends. "It's past eight in the evening and this doesn’t look like a very proper or safe place."

“I came with friends, but… they got occupied with some stuff, half a mile back,” you explained, clearing your throat. "And I, uh, was actually hoping to find you here? Which I did. What are you doing here? The frat house is being renovated, so they moved the party this year.”

Jimin reached out with a hand to take yours, nibbling on his lower lip. “Would you believe me if I said I was hoping to see you?”

Well. Given how he had seemed to light up on discovering your presence, you kinda would believe him. 

Just as you had opened your mouth to respond, your eyes caught his dress-up. The same damn Prince outfit you’d been seeing for the past two years. You frowned in confusion. Even if you ignored the repetition, you were left wondering why he’d be dressed up in a costume when a party wasn’t even happening. Until you recalled Namjoon’s theories.

And then it felt like you were beginning to understand what was up; Jimin didn’t even just live off campus, he didn’t even study at your university. He just came here for this one party. He probably didn’t belong to a very well off family, which was why he wore the same outfit every year. 

You stepped closer to him, squeezing his hand. “I do.”

Jimin’s smile grew, pushing his eyes into the adorable, tiny slits you’d seen them be only once before. Your heart warmed at the sight.

“Good. But don’t be roaming such dark streets with friends that are irresponsible enough to leave you alone so carelessly.”

His concern made you bite your lip to hide your giddy smile. “Yeah, well. They’re kind of idiots, but they’re all I got, so…”

You looked over your shoulder, squinting in the dark in hopes of spotting their silhouettes.

“Uh, I think they actually left. Or they made up and are fucking in some alley,” you mumbled, bitter and irritated at the duo’s neverending drama.

Jimin laughed, pulling your grumpy self into his form, his arm curling around your back to hold you to him, and started to walk you both down the street. You smiled at the feeling of it.

note: look at me fool y’all with the fluffiest bit from the whole fic hahA!

send me an ask if you wanna be tagged when i post this!

#bts #jimin #park jimin #jimin smut #park jimin smut #bts smut #bts imagine #jimin angst #park jimin angst #park jimin imagine #jimin imagine #jimin x reader #park jimin x reader #*mine: wip #not q

[fangirlovestuff]

Seasons of Love - Chris Evans x reader

a/n - hey lovely people!! this idea would not leave my head and i really like it so here i am writing it:) the years in the fic are according to chris’ birth year (1981). also, this is more chris centeric, which i haven’t really done yet and i liked how it came out, i’d love to hear your thoguhts on that if you have any! enjoy<3

Summary: the story of chris and you, told through specific seasons of your life. a fluffy (and a bit angsty) coming of age story.  

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings: like one bad word i think, a teeny bit of angst

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Summer, 1998. 

It was a special summer. Chris always knew he'd remember this summer forever. It was the first summer he fell in love.

"Summer is full of possibilities."

You and Chris just finished hiking a trail not too far from home, your water bottles nearly emptied due to the heat, your clothes slightly disheveled. Not too different than any other time you did that together.

The two of you were sitting down under a tree, watching the view, when you spoke that sentence.

"It is," Chris agreed. He turned his head to look at you and continued, "that's kinda awesome."

"Yeah," you said softly, still not looking at him, "but it's also scary as fuck." You chuckled dryly. "It's our last summer. What if we don't make the best of it?"

"It's not 'our last summer'," Chris chuckled, "it's just…"

"Our last summer," you completed with a grin once you saw he was struggling to find the words, finally turning to face him.

"Whatever," he laughed.

"What do you want to do this summer, Chris?"

He frowned slightly. "I'm serious," you continued, "what do you wanna do? Really."

"I don't… know. Same old, I guess?"

"See, that's why summer is so scary!" you turned your whole body to face him now. "It feels like in no time, our entire lives will be just 'same old'. And we'll have endless possibilities, but it will still be just same old! I refuse to admit I'm that boring," you huffed, "at least for now."

"So, what do you want to do this summer?" Chris asked with a smile, amused by your antics.

"Something remarkable. Something I can tell my children about and say, 'when I was your age, I did…' whatever it is we'll do, you know?"

"I guess," he shrugged.

"Okay, so what's something you've always wanted to do but never thought you could?"

He pretended to contemplate it for a second, and before he could open his mouth you cut in, "and don't say something like eat only candy for a week! Something real," you pointed two fingers towards your eyes and then to him, as if to indicate you're watching him.

"Okay, okay," he chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender, "something real."

A comfortable silence stretched over the two of you as you both thought about it. In truth, you both knew the answer. It was as clear as the summer sky stretching out above you. But in your still teenage minds, it seemed to be as heavy as the noon heat.

When your eyes met his, you laughed softly. "I feel like we were thinking about the same thing, which is kinda stupid honestly. I mean, why wouldn't we ju-"

He swiftly leaned in and planted his lips on yours, the kiss only lasting ever so long before the smiles you both sported got in the way. Your eyes were still closed when you spoke, but you could feel Chris' gaze on you when you started, "yep," you finally opened your eyes and smiled, "definitely thinking about the same thing."

That summer was made of so many forevers Chris truly thought it would never end. Moments that seemed to stretch on in the most beautiful of ways, as if the universe was giving you her blessing, giving you time.

You knew each other so well sometimes Chris thought you were more in his head than he was. And every time he looked into your eyes, every time you laughed, every time he kissed you, every night you spent watching the stars, every day you spent at the beach, or at home, or really wherever, he knew that fear of yours didn't come true.

You two did the most remarkable thing you could've – you've fallen in love.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Autumn, 2000. 

Autumn in LA was different than it was back home.

At home, his mom would probably be stocking up on candy for Halloween, and his siblings would be playing around with their dog in the fallen leaves, and he'd be forced to take a jacket with him even if it wasn't even that cold outside because people cared about him.

Not that in LA they entirely didn't, but it wasn't the same. Mostly because you weren't there.  

You two talked a big game, sure, always making plans to meet soon. But with the both of you being so far apart, and being so busy pursuing your dreams, it never came true.

And when it finally did, after a while, it wasn't like it was that great either.

"I don't… I don't think we… this-" you fumbled over your words and sighed. "I don't want to hold you back."

"I know. I don't want to hold you back either," he sighed, rubbing your arm in a soothing manner.

You were laying on the couch, his arm around you, pulling you close, and really, it was a weird position to be having this conversation in, but at the same time, he kind of couldn't imagine it happening differently.

He understood what you were trying to say. He thought you were right. But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt to hear it.

"I just… I don't think long distance works that well with us," you continued, and then sighed again. "Ugh, this is terrible."

"it kinda is," he chuckled quietly, and you slapped his chest lightly in annoyance. "You know I understand, right?" he said, more serious this time.

"I know. You know I don't really want to do this, right?"

"I know. But I know why you are."

"Good," you said softly. "My flight leaves tomorrow at 8, so we probably won't see each other in the morning."

"Okay," he replied, simply wrapping his arm tighter around you.

He didn't know if he dreamt it, but the next morning, in the early hours before the sun rose, you came into his room and planted a soft kiss on his forehead.

"See you later," you softly whispered, and a few minutes later, the faint sound of the apartment door shutting reached his ears.

Fall at home was a fun time. Chris loved Halloween, loved watching the beautiful leaves fall, the world around him preparing for a winter's slumber. The air was crisp, the heat, on days when it appeared, wasn't as heavy, and the cold not that harsh. It was beautifully balanced.  

Out here though, he started seeing fall not from an outside perspective, but, in a way, from a tree's perspective.

The beautiful leaves fell, and he couldn't reach them again. He was left to stand bare against the oncoming winter cold, a sight that to an outsider would seem impressive, a feat of the majestic strength only nature can possess.

To Chris, it just seemed lonely.

He knew it was a natural process, drifting apart. Just like the leaves falling, it was somewhat inevitable, wasn't it? high school sweethearts were too lucky to be true. But that didn't stop a small but powerful part of him to hope. A hope that didn't come true, and now, where did that leave him?

If autumn at home was balanced, this autumn was anything but. It was almost as if he'd lost an organ, a limb. He couldn't balance the way he did before, he'd have to find a new way, but for now, he just existed in the unbalanced. It consumed his mind, what could he have done differently? Could he have stopped this?

Of course, these questions can't really be answered. Not by him or anyone else. So, he'd grow that limb back. Spring would come, and the leaves and flowers would blossom again.

But that fall, you two fell apart. And in those moments, the bareness of winter seemed insufferable.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Winter, 2006. 

Winters always seemed long to Chris.

As a kid, it was because he couldn't really play outside as much, his mother fearing he'd catch a cold. So, he was sentenced to long days inside, which were often very nice honestly, hot cocoa and warm blankets never in short supply. But kids sometimes can't help but want what they can't have, can’t they?

Well, that notion clearly never left Chris, even if he's not a kid anymore.

Winters were always long, but without you, they seemed longer than ever.

You talked on occasion. You come from the same relatively small town, so losing contact wasn't truly an option, especially because you used to be so close. People would always joke about you being a package deal, hanging out together so much it became second nature.

If Chris became too bored in his own house, or just plain tired of his siblings, it was the obvious thing to go to your house, and vice versa. Now, that refuge wasn't an option anymore.

At first, it was noticeable, like a gaping wound that wouldn't close that he couldn't help running his finger over, checking if maybe it healed already. Now, it was only a dull reminder of what used to be.

It's not like Chris didn't date. He did. And from what he heard (again, small town, friends from childhood. People always filled him up on what you were doing, even when he didn't ask.) you were dating too.

He really had no right to say that it bothered him.

You came up in his mind less and less, as time went on. But winters, being gray, and void of sun, full of storms, were always more introspective. That one especially, no one special really being in his life. Not that it wasn't fun, but he missed home, being grounded, happy. He was happy, in a way, just not the way he was used to.

It was full of contradictions, his mind struggling to make sense of his entangled feelings. You weren't there, and it hurt, but really it was so long since you've been there, and there's no one else at the moment, so was he just missing you or did he just miss loving someone the way he loves y- loved you?

The clean snow a perfect juxtaposition to his clouded mind, he decided to take a walk.

The streets were bustling as always, everyone walking around with a purpose, a destination in mind, which allowed Chris to slip between the crowds, unnoticed. He went to a coffee shop, got something hot to busy his hands with, and continued his aimless journey.

He ended up at a park, sitting down on a cold bench. He took a sip from his cup, wincing slightly at his still hot beverage, before sighing, closing his eyes for a split second before opening them again at the vibration of his phone.

Pulling his phone out of the pocket of his jacket, he held the cup carefully in his other hand as he opened the message.

Think of the devil. Although, you were anything but.

How are you?

Before he could type up an answer, his phone buzzed with another message.

I'll be in town in a week, thought we could maybe get a coffee, catch up. If you want.

He chuckled at the wording. Not a question, but a statement. Well, maybe there was some type of question there, between the lines, but to him, the answer was just as clear as the one to your question many summers ago.

Sure. When are you coming in?

Maybe, spring will be here closer than he thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Spring, 2015. 

Spring was the season of rebirth, the blossoms thriving once more, the weather warmer by the day.

You once told Chris spring was your favorite season.

"Really?" he asked, turning towards you, "why?"

"It's a rewarding season. It's like… for the entirety of winter, the trees were standing bare, the animals were confined to their lairs, more or less. And now, they've made it to see the beauty, the profusion. The next year, they do it all again, of course, but spring will always be there to show them it was worth it. Plus, the weather warms up, but not too much, which is a blessing. Especially to your sweaters," you joked, referring to the countless ones you'd pretty much stolen.

But Chris knew what you meant. The blossoms of happiness were spreading out across his life these days. Not everything was perfect, of course, but it was as near perfect as it could be.

"So, what do you wanna do for your birthday?" you asked next, surprising him with the sudden change of topic.

"Uh, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it," he shrugged. "but there's a while yet. Why, you had anything in mind?"

"Not really," you said, "that's why I asked. Anyways, think about it, will you?" you smiled and patted his shoulder affectionately before getting up, probably to put your empty cup in the sink.

He didn't know the answer to that. He had everything he could want and more.

There was something inexplicably comforting about spring. As a kid, springs always seemed like endings to Chris. The end of the school year, the end of a long winter. Only as he grew older he realized that springs are also wonderful beginnings. It was a fresh start, but also respected the past. It seemed to value the experiences of the past, yet prompting you to open a new page, giving the opportunity to start again.

Chris took that opportunity with both of his hands, especially when it came to you. Sure, every spring there would come the time of his birthday, but that was minor. Really, he celebrated you, all year but in spring especially.

Spring was the season of going to concerts together, you laughing at Chris as he's doing his best not to get recognized in his cheesy disguise of sunglasses and a hat. It's the season of going on spontaneous picnics because, "look how beautiful it is outside, Chris!", and he can't tell you no about anything. It's the season of taking Dodger out for long, long hikes, so when he comes home he falls right asleep, usually in your lap. It's the season of going out in the afternoon and it's warm, but by the time you come back it's night and it gets chilly, so Chris gives you his jacket, teasing you about how you always forget your own.

It's the season of preparing for summer as well, going through the cabinets and moving the winter clothes to the back and the summer clothes to the front. It's the season of finally using the pool again, and inviting his nephews and nieces over as well, and watching you splash around with them, carefully of course. It's the season of remembering that first summer together, and how far you've come since, together and individually.

Growing up was never easy. Growing up together was insufferable sometimes. But you fought, and you grew, and you talked things out. Spring, in a way, resembled the fact that you could overcome anything. Even after the harshest winter comes spring in all of its glory, blossom and vibrant colors.

And so, you two set out for one more great spring, and everything that will come after it. Summer was full of possibilities, but together, these possibilities didn't seem all that scary anymore.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

please tell me your thoughts<3 and stay hydrated besties!! btw, i opened a taglist for only chris & his characters fics so tell me if you’d like to join it / move taglists or really whatever you want to tell me i love talking to people:))

Taglist:  @horny-nd-bored​ @shannon124 @perfectlyharolds​ @wintersoldierslut​ @iceebabies​  @sleepingpapermouse @steverogerswasalwaysworthy @holtzkinnon @angelicl-y @stydia-4-ever @thatoneperson5000 @fangirlfree​ @kaitcordx25 @bequeening​ @steve-barry-damon-logan​ @itscrazycherryblossomcollection​ @hollandxmarvel​ @stargazingfangirl18 @readsreblogsfics @onetwo3000 @beritmetal @harrystylesholland @jazbot2000 @anobscurename @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @peggycarter-steverogers @evansphnx12 @starlightcrystalline @procrastinatingsapphictrash

Chris & co. taglist: @patzammit 

if you wanna join / be removed from a taglist, comment/message me! much love <3

#chris evans x reader #chris evans x y/n #chris evans x female reader #chris evans x you #chris evans fluff

[ladykissingfish]

Got tagged by someone to do this and a bunch of other games, this was the one I’m most interested in. Not gonna mention you on here because I don’t want your notifications to blow up in a chain (like you said) but you know who you are, thanks, this was fun 😊 Not gonna tag anyone else.

Fic Writer Review

1. How many fics on AO3?

All together, 184 across five accounts.

2. Total AO3 wordcount?

Geez, I guess a lot.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Kylux (134)

Reylo (23)

One Punch Man (21)

Gakuen Babysitters (3)

Sasodei/Naruto (1)

ObiDei/Naruto (1)

Halloween (1)

4. Top Five by Kudos?

Don’t wanna go through and rank them but my Halloween fic has the most kudos out of all of them.

5. Do you respond to comments, why/why not?

Always. I figured if someone takes the time out of their day to comment on some schlock I’ve written, the least I can do is respond. Even if it’s just a smiley face.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Don’t want to start posting titles because I don’t want anyone who follows me on Tumblr going to look for my works. But it’s a Kylux /BenArmie fic and at the end Ben couldn’t save Armitage and he’s left trying to pick up the pieces and raise their child alone.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

The only one I attempted a cross-over in was my Halloween fic, where I brought in a certain character from the Friday the 13th series. Bloody, gory chaos ensued 😊

8. Have you received hate on a fic?

No. Not once. Which is weird considering I don’t think I’m a good writer at all. All of my comments have been so positive and praising that I’m flabbergasted by them.

9. Do you write smut?

I have.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yeah actually someone took one of my absolute favorite fics, a SaiGenos one, changed some minor details and called it their own. I was so upset by this like, I haven’t posted a fic in almost a year.

11. Ever had a fic translated?

Yeah twice. Once someone asked permission to translate my fic into German and another time, into Russian. The Russian translated one she put on her blog and my kudos shot up into the thousands so that was pretty cool.

12. Ever co-written a fic before?

Nope. Don’t wanna taint someone else’s talent.

13. All time favourite ship?

Kylo Ren and General Armitage Hux (Star Wars)

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?

Yeah, there’s one I’ve been working on for nearly two, yes TWO, years. It’s a SasoDei one and the theme is a little darker and a little more angsty than I normally write. Basically I know how it begins and I know how it needs to end, it’s the details in the middle I’m having a hard time fleshing out.

15. What are your writing strengths?

If I’m going based off of what my comments say, I have a “natural” writing style, my dialogue is very realistic, and I’m able to convey emotions between characters very well.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I’m not the best at writing very detailed scenery into my works. Also I’m an incredibly slow writer and a perfectionist and if I’ll go back to a paragraph a hundred thousand times and change things about it until I’m satisfied and yeah.

17. What are your thoughts of writing dialogue in other languages?

Well I don’t know any other languages so 🤷🏽‍♀️

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Kylux in 2018.

19. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Again don’t want to post titles but it’s one of my first Kylux ones and it’s incredibly slow-burn and it’s one of the few I’m actually incredibly proud of.

#ao3 #naruto #sasodei #obidei #Halloween 1978 #kylux #one punch man #saigenos #gakuen babysitters #hyaryu #reylo

[writtenwhalien]

thank you ♡

hey everyone! so having finished aoy, first I wanna say a big thank you to everyone who has/is reading it — like any other author on this website, I put a lot of effort into it and although it stresses me out sometimes, it’s become very dear to me! I’ll always be happy to answer any questions on it in case anything confused you (bc sometimes it was confusing 😂). I read and see every single comment and rb (even on other stories) and I’m a bit behind on replying but I thank you all so much for it bc it makes my day 💘 (and some of you tumblr doesn’t let me tag you in replies )):

now that I’ve finished it, I’m going to be taking a little break from writing to focus on a deadline I have coming up in two weeks, and after that, I’ll be working on a jimin bday/halloween fic, alongside run to you ☺️ initially I wanted to write for hobi and yoongi next bc I haven’t written for them yet, but I still need to fully develop my plans for their fics :))

I feel like in the 11 months I’ve had this blog, I’ve been writing a lot of content (three series and multiple fics/drabbles in between), and I really need to slow it down so from now on hopefully my updates will be more consistent instead of me working my ass off for one fic, only to go brain dead and take three weeks for another one. (also I hope it’ll help me keep my writing style consistent bc when I write too much I really feel like my quality of writing goes down). I’m still going to be writing a little every day though 😋

but I might not release a lot for the next two/three months bc I’m starting my final year of college and I have more days in labs etc. I’m also trying to focus more on myself and doing things that make me happy (lmao mental health takes priority 🙂), and as well as that, in november i’ll be an aunty for the first time! 🥰 so yeah, just a bit more busy these days. I’ll always still be here, just wanted to update anyone who cares 😅 anyway, love you all!!!! ❤️

here’s a few of my recent updates from the last two months:

all of you pjm (now completed)

believe it pjm

run to you jjk (teaser)

studio sessions jjk

the king’s daughter ksj

#pls someone show me how to add a read more when I’m using my phone #bc when I googled it #it was so confusing and didn’t work 😩 #amelia talks

[twinkiefairy]

Who wants to read a snipped of my Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Lost fic? The actual thing isn’t ready to share yet but this part was really fun for me to write so! Enjoy. 

CW: food mention

Spoilers: Not really, but this is set around Season 1, Episode 18-19ish if you want to be extra careful. 

In the fic, you play as 16-year-old Carolina “Lynn” Bonnet, a Lost fan who found herself on the island along with the rest of the survivors. This is just one scene from it!

Find it below: 

“Do you know what day it is?” The voice sounds angry, urgent. 

“Huh?” you look up from the book you’re reading to find Cooper, a middle aged man who lives a few tents down from you with his wife, Amy. 

“I said, do you know what day it is?” he repeats. 

Why does that matter? “Uhm. No, sorry. I haven’t really been keeping track.” 

“Exactly!” he yells out, victorious. “You don’t! No one does! So explain to me why my wife is so upset that I didn’t realize it was our anniversary?” 

Yikes. 

“Fuck October 30th. I’m never doing a fall wedding again,” Cooper mumbles under his breath and stomps off, apparently deciding to rant to someone else. 

You snort. Again? 

Then his words hit you. Did he say October 30th? 

You have to double check this. But how can you? You don’t have a calendar with you, and even if you did, it would be useless if you hadn’t been crossing off the days since the crash. Someone must be keeping track, though. But who? 

Looking around, you find your answer. 

“Rose!” You call, bounding up to her. She’s kneeling in front of a makeshift water container, scrubbing laundry. “Rose, what day is it?” 

“You too?” She asks, sounding peeved. “What’s going on with everybody today? I just had Cooper here asking me the same thing. Don’t tell me you forgot your anniversary, too.” 

You laugh. “No, no. But I heard Cooper say it was October 30th. Is that right?” 

“By my count it is,” she answers, still doing laundry. “Why?” 

“Don’t you know what this means?” You say, getting excited. 

Rose looks at you expectantly, eyebrows arched. 

“It’s Halloween tomorrow!” You exclaim. Isn’t it obvious? “We have to do something!” 

Rose is amused. “You wanna go trick-or-treating?” 

“I don’t know,” you say, already coming up with ideas. Obviously there isn't much candy to go around, but… “We could have a costume party!” 

“Honey, I’ve washed every single piece of usable clothing in this place,” Rose says, not unkindly. “Twice. I’d know if there were any costumes around.” 

“If I find you a costume to wear,” you offer. “Would you come to the party?” 

Rose stares you down. “Just don’t dress me up as one of those Sexy Rabbits, you hear me?” 

You laugh, and the deal is made. 

***************

“And we’ll need food,” Hurley is saying, excited. “And music. I can get Sayid to fix the batteries on my CD player. Maybe even get some speakers. That’d be mad cool.” 

It didn’t take much to convince Hurley to help you plan the Halloween party. He took to the idea with enthusiasm as soon as mentioned the words “Halloween party”, almost as if he was waiting for you to ask. 

“What should we do for costumes?” You ask. “Rose said there weren’t any on the plane. We’re gonna have to provide them for people if we really want this to be a costume party.” 

Hurley thinks about it for a second. “We could do hats,” he suggests, at last. “It’s much easier than trying to figure out shirt sizes for everyone.” 

That gives you an idea. “Crowns! We’ll make it like one of those fancy balls, for royalty and stuff,” you suggest, excited. “Crowns are easy to make out of paper. And we can even make some flower crowns, too, if I can find someone to teach me how. We can make a bunch, then people would pick one for themselves as they come in.” 

“I have an old comic book we can use for paper,” Hurley offers, warming up to the idea. “I can get Charlie to help me cut out the shapes and stuff.” 

“Perfect,” you say. “You take the paper crowns. Let me take care of the flower crowns. I know exactly who to go to.” 

*****************

 “Hey, Claire!” You greet her cheerfully. “Whatcha doooooing?” 

She chuckles, doing that little side-glance that she does when she’s amused but doesn’t really know what’s going on. “I’m just… Watching the waves, I guess.” 

“Great,” you say. “Now listen. I have a very important question for you.” 

She frowns quickly, but she’s smiling. “Okay?” 

“Have you ever made a flower crown?” 

Claire grins. “A flower crown? Sure. My friends and I made them all the time in school.” 

You clap excitedly. “That’s perfect! Come with me. I need your help.” 

“What’s going on?” She asks, carefully getting up. 

“It’s Halloween tomorrow!” You explain. “Hurley and I are planning a costume party for everyone. We’re making crowns for people, so we can pretend it’s a royal ball. It’ll be fun!” 

Claire bites her lip, smiling. “I know exactly where we should go.” 

*************************

Claire leads you through the forest into a wide clearing. Every inch of the ground is covered in flowers of every color, shape, and size. 

“Woah,” you say, breathless. “How did you find this place?” 

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Claire smiles. “I found it on one of my longer walks.” 

“It’s amazing,” you agree. 

She smiles at you. “Come on,” she says, grabbing you by the hand. “I’ll show you how to pick the best flowers for crowns.” 

The two of you spend hours among the flowers, calling to each other whenever you pick an especially beautiful one, and weaving their stalks to make wreaths fit for any head. It’s relaxing and peaceful, and the two of you giggle about nothing at all until the sun is about to set. 

You make so many crowns between the two of you that you struggle to carry them back to camp without flattening the petals, but you manage— not without a healthy dose of laughter. 

*********************

Hurley is excited to see you, and gushes over the flower crowns. 

“Dude,” he says. “They look amazing.” Then he starts, as if remembering. “I have something to show you, too.” 

He takes you to an area of the beach that has been sectioned off for the day for Hurley’s crafts. On an elevated piece of metal from the plane are rows and rows of colorful paper crowns. Some of them sit a little crooked, but you have to admit that using the comic book was a fantastic idea— the colors are bright and strong, and so varied from page to page that each of the crowns has its own unique personality. 

“Hurley,” you say, genuinely. “These are amazing.” 

“Pretty cool, huh?” He beams with pride. 

*********************

The party is absolutely wonderful. More people show up than you really expected— word must have spread quickly around camp. There’s a great assortment of fruit, courtesy of Kate and Sun. People seem to take to the crown idea eagerly— almost everyone around you is wearing one, including yourself. Claire’s is specially beautiful, one she made herself to make her light eyes pop. Hurley is smiling more than ever, offering people food, helping them pick a crown that fits their personalities, and making conversation with everyone— a perfect host. The music makes the atmosphere feel extra special— thanks to Sayid, who fixed up Hurley’s CD player— and the light from the nearby fire adds a warm glow to the air. 

Sawyer refused to join, retreating into his tent and claiming he had a massive headache. But you left a paper crown near the entrance of his tent earlier, and when you walk by sometime later, it’s gone. 

People dance. Walt, in particular, has a way of energizing the dance floor in a way that surprises you, for such a relatively quiet kid. Sayid and Shannon are inseparable, especially during the slower songs. Rose, true to her word, waltzes around, a crown atop her head. Charlie knows all the lyrics to all the songs, and mimics playing the guitar or drums as he mouths the words. 

Sun and Kate sit to the side, content to just watch, until Claire drags Kate into the makeshift dance floor despite her protests that she does not dance. From a distance, you can see Kate refusing the flower crown Claire offers her, and Claire, unbothered, reaches for a black-and-blue paper crown instead. This time, Kate surrenders, and Claire carefully places the crown on her head. 

It’s beautiful, all of it. 

#i just cannot stop thinking about a halloween party on the island #such a huge missed opportunity #i just want these people to have one (1) moment of happiness is that too much to ask #i might delete this later tbh #if you have ~thoughts~ youre welcome to share but this is ultimately for me #im just being generous and sharing it lol #being lost #lost choices #idk what im gonna name it actually #abc lost #lost abc #lost fic #lost #lost tv show #lost show

[kafka-ish]

coward | s.u.

y/n, bold and beautiful, is now second guessing herself when she finds herself skinny dipping with stan uris 

word count: 2.5k

warnings/included: fluff, steamy-ish, exhibitionism, fem!reader

request: (from anon) “could i have a request where the reader is v v v flirty with stan and one day he says something really dirty even richie's shocked. it’s fine if not.” 

a/n: i accidentally changed it bc i misread ur request im so so sorry !!! also if u noticed i haven’t written in awhile it’s bc my classes started up again so fics may take more time to write/post -- hope u understand <3

-

What came out of y/n’s mouth next truly shocked Stanley.

“Wanna go skinny dipping?” It wasn’t far off from whatever usually spewed from her mouth that she and the rest of the Losers had a hard time controlling.

His mind flashed to all the times y/n’s hand grazed his: the light touches, the silent stares, the whispers that tickled his ears and kissed his brain.

“Next year for Halloween, you should be Stan without a shirt.”  

The hearts she drew on his notebook when he wasn’t looking, the hand she held in hers, the what-are-we’s before giggling in his wonderstruck face that she was joking; it was all a sign of want that he’d been too dense to see before.

“You’re great, you know. Great at being an asshole.”

Sweet, mischievous y/n; always blunt, always careless of what others thought of her. It never occurred to Stan of what she thought of him.

Richie was the first to speak up, Stan still having to catch his breath from the promiscuous words that left her mouth seconds ago. “Sure, toots, I’d love to see what’s under that suit of yours. God, you don’t know how much I hate that thing.” He laughed and Stan wanted to beat the shit-eating grin off his shit-eating friend. His jaw, pronounced and square, tightened and Richie saw. “On second thought, I think someone else would enjoy the view way more.”

Another laugh came from the group, but it wasn’t from Richie. It was y/n’s. The soft giggle leaving her luscious lips did nothing to calm Stan.

“Are you jealous, Stanley?” She asked. A smirk sat on her lips. She only called him by his full name when she teased him.

He definitely felt like he was being thrown a bone only to find out the pitcher never threw one right now.

“Of course not.” Stan gave her the side-eye, readjusting his position from the rock he sat on while doing so. “I can’t think of any situation where I’d be jealous of Richie.”

“Oh yeah?” Richie challenged and Stan squinted at him.

“Yeah.”

“I can think of one—multiple, actually.” Richie wore the same smirk as y/n—only his was less digestible. Maybe it was because y/n was less insufferable to be around, or because she didn’t take a crack at his religion every chance she had, or because her hair was soft and shiny on her head and something Stan wished he could run his hands through. Maybe it was because y/n was a girl, or because she was pretty and the way she batted her eyelashes made him see stars even in the sunlight.

“When?”

Richie leaned in and whispered something that was totally vulgar and jarring to Stan’s ears.

Stan flinched—unsurprised that his friend was ballsy enough to say such a thing, but because what if he had actually thought about doing such a thing?

“Gross, Ruh-Ruh-Richie!” Bill yelled from across the quarry, already knowing what his friend would say.

“Yeah. You’re disgusting,” Eddie said from next to him while he looked up at Bill.

“Ruh-lax. It’s not like it’s something I’m gonna do.” Richie opened a new can of Keystone Light next to his already half-drunken one. “I got freedom of thoughts though, right?” He winked and Ben rolled his eyes.

“If you already have a drink open you should finish it,” Stan instructed, ignoring the subject at hand.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist.” y/n sounded closer than she was before. Her arm brushed up against his and he thought she was about to hold his hand until her fingers grazed just past his to grab his can of beer. She took a sip. “Besides, it all ends up somewhere.”

She could be so careless with her actions. But this was the same girl who made sure paper and plastic went to recycling, the total opposite of Stan, a total enigma.

“I just think, if you want another one, you should finish the one you already have.” Stan explained himself clearly and concisely. It was something y/n always admired. She never got tired of hearing him talk—she could listen to him talk for hours on end.

“Whatever.” Her eyes rolled so far he’d thought they’d get stuck. “I’m going home. “Later, Losers.”

“Wuh-what about the sk-skinny dipping?” Bill asked and Ben elbowed him. He wasn’t yet comfortable in his body, though he had been on Derry High’s track team for a year and a half and lost a fair amount of weight (twenty-two pounds), he still wasn’t comfortable in his own skin (he didn’t think he’d ever be)—even around his best friends—friends he considered family.

“We can do it tomorrow.” y/n shrugged. “Sound good to you, Stanley?” Her eyes were only focused on him and Stan knew that. They glowered under the sun’s harsh rays and fixated on his figure.

“I don’t know.” Stan tried to sound as monotone as possible. “Maybe you should be asking Richie instead.”

At that, y/n smiled, leaving the rest of the group confused as she walked away.

“Duh-dude!” What wuh-was that?” Bill wondered aloud, astounded how y/n had him wrapped around her finger—or maybe it was the other way around.

“If I knew, I would tell you,” Stan said, holding the same shock in his voice.

“Are you and y/n like—”

“No!” The sharpness of Stan’s tongue cut Ben off quickly with a harsh glare he’d later apologize for. But it would be a lie to say that he didn’t want something with y/n. Another lie, that Stan would keep to himself, would be that he didn’t anticipate the events that were to come for tomorrow…

“Hey, stranger!” It was y/n from down below. She was already wading in the water—waiting for him, presumably.

“Hey, y/n/n.” He started for the long way down, not caring to cannon-ball ten feet down from the cliff of the quarry today. “Where’s Bill and Bev and Mike and Ben and—”

“—and Richie?” A beam shot across y/n’s face as soon as Stan met her eye line.

“And Richie,” Stan mumbled. That was the only thing he’d been worried about. Although he knew there was nothing about his trashmouth friend to worry about. But it was always best to stay skeptical.

“I told them not to come.” y/n said this with such nonchalance—such grace as she tilted her head into the water and drifted back, letting the water carry her away as if she were weightless.

“Why,” Stan asked, though it came out as more of a demand.

“Because.” y/n shrugged, but you couldn’t really shrug while you were trying to stay afloat. He noticed that her eyes were closed, and her bathing suit was still on. Maybe she was lying about skinny dipping and he had worked himself up last night over nothing. y/n was like that—making promises she never intended to fulfill. If it weren’t for y/n being, well, y/n, Stan might’ve been annoyed at her antics. But he wasn’t—far from it, even. He was infatuated with her being—clothed or not, enraptured with how sunshine she could be one hour and rain she could be the next.

Math and English were an easy feat—but trying to understand y/n was like trying to learn Mandarin blind and deaf.

Her curves spilled from the bikini bottoms that hugged her butt and the matching top she wore hugged her bust exceptionally. The bikini’s scandalous red color harmonized with y/n’s skin tone well and Stan couldn’t imagine her in anything else at the moment. He didn’t want to imagine her in anything else.

“Are you gonna get in?” Her presence startled him as she was quick to swim up to the rocks. “Or are you scared?” A sly smile splayed across her pink lips and Stan mirrored her.

“I’m scared?” He scoffed. “You were the one who said we were going skinny dipping.” He stripped himself of his shirt, revealing his pale, yet toned, chest. “Guess who’s not undressed.”

“You?” y/n guessed; the innocent tone surprising on her tongue. She had inadvertently licked her lips at the answer and Stan couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her mouth due to the action.

“No. You.”

“My bad.” A giggle escaped her bitten lips and y/n began to unclip the back of her bikini. “Is that better now?” The straps fell loose against her arms, but the top stayed covering her breasts.

Stan didn’t say anything.

“What if I…” y/n didn’t finish her sentence. Silently, she fully removed the straps from her arms and the contraption left her bodice.

“Christ,” Stan seethed out, but he wasn’t gentlemen enough to look away from the sight on display before him: y/n treading the shallow water that was crystal clear thanks to Mr. Sun that shone down on this part of town, giving Stan an eyeful.

“Don’t say his name in vain.” She had now slipped the bottoms off and Stan didn’t know what to do with himself. Get undressed, I guess.

His pants were the next to go as Stanley undid his brown leather belt that held his too-big khaki shorts together. His waistline had shrunk due to baseball season’s quick start. And although it was only early March, the heat had picked up fast in this small town they called home and Stan could feel himself already itching to feel the water on his sweat-stricken skin.

“What are you waiting for?” y/n called from below. She was growing impatient, but who could blame her?

Stan stood above her in only his underwear. If the rest of the student body was here, he would’ve been living out his nightmare—stripped to the bone with an audience to gawk at him. But only y/n was here to witness the grey Calvin Kleins that hugged his thighs and rather than a nightmare, this felt more like a daydream.

“Are you shy?” She teased. “C’mon, Stanny, there’s no need to be—”

“Shy my ass,” Stan interjected as he relieved himself of the last piece of clothing and jumped into the water all in a quick movement.

“Glad you could finally make it, slowpoke.” y/n splashed his face, disregarding his lack of clothes—both of their lack of clothes—but Stan couldn’t help but admire y/n’s skin that the water had already kissed and glowed under the flash of the sun.

He’d never seen her in such a state before. In fact, he’d never intended to. But this was worth it—even if it were the only time, he knew he’d have this memory burned into his skull forever the same way the sun would burn his skin the next day because he forgot to apply sunscreen. Since when does Stanley Uris forget to apply sunscreen?

“It’s rude to stare,” y/n deadpanned, but Stan couldn’t help it. How could he not take his eyes off her tan lines from up close and the divot of her collarbone? The way her hair slicked back from the water and the pout of her lips was all too tempting to not want to consume. Stan Uris would be an idiot to not stare. A polite idiot.

“You make it hard.”

y/n felt her cheeks heat up and she knew she wasn’t sporting a sunburn. y/n never burned. “Oh. Well, in that case, stare as much as you want.”

“Gladly.”

y/n was quiet now—a rare event, but it gave Stan an opportunity he’d never thought he’d get or go for.

He swam closer, the stroke of his arms creating rifts in the water and y/n shivered at the feeling of the coldness that hit her chest each time he got closer.

It was strange seeing him up close—in such an intimate setting. As big of a crush y/n harbored on the boy, it’s not like she did anything about it. A few remarks there, a few remarks there. This was the furthest they’ve ever gotten. Maybe a little too far now that she was considering it more closely. Since when did first base turn into skinny dipping in the quarry?

Before her thoughts could leave her second-guessing anymore, y/n felt her lips on someone else’s. They were pressed together firmly and tightly. She held her breath as if she were underwater, but her heart prevailed, only picking up at a speed she’d only feel when she caught him looking at her or when he laughed at her jokes.

The kiss was powerful and all she needed. If this were the last time they’d ever see each other again, she wouldn’t care, because she’d have that kiss to cherish. Maybe she’d long for one in the future. Just one more. But this kiss left her knowing that this skinny-dipping idea wasn’t so bad after all.

His lips were soft and tickled as he pulled apart to catch a breath. y/n’s eyes opened to find Stan’s pupils were wide and lustblown. She stood still in the water, amazed that anyone could feel that way about her.

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, Stan—”

“What?” Stan asked, eager and anxious for the words meant for him.

“This is embarrassing but.. I like you.” The words were bold and packed with courage—not far from the regular way y/n spoke, but this was different. It had a certain bite to it that Stan couldn’t quite taste.

“Are you embarrassed because you like me or are you embarrassed because you’re confessing to me without any clothes on?” Before Stan’s eyes could rake down to y/n’s body once more, a splash of water hit his face—cold and abrupt. His eyelids slammed at the impact and he flinched.

“You’re such a perv.” y/n scoffed as if she had forgotten her deepest secret had just spilled from her lips in front of the boy the secret was about. Secret. Don’t act like it wasn’t as obvious as a fat kid scarfing down their third brownie in the first place—

“You know if it’s any more embarrassing… I like you, too,” Stan said. He felt winded after saying it. His chest felt heavy and his toes dug into the sand in order to keep him from falling headfirst into the water. It was so easy for y/n. Brave, crass y/n who swore like a sailor yet had the face of a doll.

Stan’s train of thought was lost at the feeling of y/n’s body pressed against his. He’d forgotten they were both bare-assed and exposed for all of Derry to see because the warmth of y/n was all too much. His heart jumped out of his chest sixty miles a minute and the muscles under his arms were now stones. Stan didn’t recognize that her lips were on his until her tongue swiped his bottom one for access in which he granted.

Teeth clashed and tongues danced. It was a hot minute until y/n pulled away with a cheeky smile and lingering fingers on his collarbone that made Stan hold his breath.

“That was hot,” he heaved, finally cutting the silence between them. Of course, the birds still chirped and the water around them never stopped flowing. But the world just seemed to stop whenever Stan stepped foot into y/n’s intoxicating proximity.

“Hell yeah, it was.” One arm was still strewn around his neck while her free hand traced code on his shoulder.

Nothing else was said. Nothing had to be said. But Stan was sure of one thing; that y/n was no coward.

#stan uris #stanley uris #stan uris x reader #stan uris x reader fluff #stan uris x reader smut #stan uris imagine #stan uris fanfiction #stan uris fanfic #stan uris fic #stan uris fluff #stan uris smut #it 2017 #it 2019 #it chapter 1 #it chapter 2 #it x reader #it imagine #it fanfic #it fic #losers x reader #losers club x reader

[silverlightqueen]

Monsters

silverlightqueen’s SKZ Scarefest

ot8magicalcreature!skz x readers from all 8 fics - comedy, fluff, angst, basically just tying up the loose ends from all the fics with the setting of Jackson’s famed party lol

Word Count: 16.2k+ (she’s a monster lmao)

Summary - Jackson’s (in)famous Halloween party is finally here, after months of being hyped up, anticipated, and labelled ‘the Party of the Year’. He’s invited everyone who’s anyone - the guestlist is exclusive to say the least. Werewolves and vampires, wizards and witches, angels and demons (and demon hunters), living creatures and dead; magical folk of all kind are on their way to Jackson’s party on All Hallows Eve. Oh, and a few humans too.

Warnings: explicit discussion of sex, alcohol and mention of drugs, I think that’s it but please let me know if you noticed that I missed something!

a/n: and here is the ninth and final instalment of my SKZ Scarefest! I know it’s not actually Halloween anymore lmao but uh better late than never ig? I’ve had so much fun writing this series, and this part was actually my favourite to write, even though it’s taken me soooo long. I really hope you guys enjoy reading this (make sure you’ve read the previous parts first, or reach out to me to ask for a summary for any parts you haven’t read - this part won’t make sense if you haven’t read all of the others too!). a big thank you to @silverlightprincess for being the best, and to everyone that’s interacted with all of the previous parts, I really appreciate it. and now, this is silverlightqueen signing off on my SKZ Scarefest! x

taglist: @kodzu-ken @cloudsgathering @silverlightprincess 

@peculiarskidz @cararoserae @t-tbinnie​ @liatlyn​ you guys didn’t ask to be tagged but you’ve shown interest in this part I think so I thought I’d tag you guys anyway lmao sorry if you didn’t want to be tagged lol

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‘Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, angels and demons, and everything in between! Before we get into this, I wanna lay out a couple ground rules. Wolves and vamps, if you can’t get along, stay away from each other. Wizards, witches and fairies, keep your magic away from the drinks. My bedroom is off limits, unless I take you up there myself. Everyone’s an equal here, so I don’t care if you’re a king of hell or some shit – in Jackson’s house, you’re the same as everyone else, so you better treat each other like it. And have fun, motherfuckers! Let’s get this party started!’

Jackson finishes his very eloquent speech with a loud ‘whoop’ into the DJ’s microphone, voice echoing out into the massive living room of the manor house, and everyone cheers in response. I can’t help but laugh, rolling my eyes amusedly as my friends, dressed in our matching Pink Ladies’ outfits, scream and shout, bumping their cups together enthusiastically. ‘Come on, y/n! Cheer up!’ Yeji practically bellows into my ear, and I wince at the volume of her voice over the music blasting out from the speakers. ‘I’m fine!’ I reply, the girls all raising their eyebrows at me. ‘You’re not even drinking. If you’re gonna be heartbroken, at least be drunk heartbroken!’ Chaeryeong says, the girls cheering at her words, and I laugh at them, trying not to think about the reason that I’m heartbroken. ‘Listen, y/n, Hyunjin ain’t shit! You’re better off without him! He’s fucking ancient, anyway! You need a young sexy thing instead! Fuck him!’ Ryujin exclaims, and I grin at her words. She’s right; he’s probably off feeding on some girl dressed as a sexy nurse or devil in a club, and I’m here moping at the party of the year. Fuck that.

‘Someone get me a drink!’ I say, the girls cheering loudly. ‘Yuna, get her a drink! Wait, no, you stay away from the drinks. I’ll get her a drink,’ Lia says, all of us laughing as she stumbles towards the kitchen, already a little tipsy. ‘I hate seeing you like this! You’re supposed to be my dancing partner,’ Yuna says, sitting down next to me, and I give her a sad smile. ‘I know. I’m sorry. I just can’t get him off my mind. I feel like such an idiot,’ I say, and she shakes her head, scrunching up her nose. ‘Don’t be silly, you’re not an idiot. He’s the idiot for leaving – you’re the best thing that would’ve ever happened to him,’ she says kindly, my heart swelling. ‘You’re so sweet, Yuna,’ I say, throwing my arms around her, but I don’t hear her reply, my focus shifting to the front door where I see Chan walk in, immediately catching Yeji’s eyes, and the two of them wave at each other across the room. Seungmin and Jisung follow Chan in, and I guess Hyunjin’s gonna be there too, with the rest of them. ‘Fuck. I need to go,’ I say, not wanting to see him just yet (I’m far too sober), so I detach myself from Yuna and jump up from the sofa, quickly dodging my way around people to get into the kitchen. ‘y/n!’ Lia exclaims when I pass her, ‘I’ve got your drink here!’

‘I’ll have it if she won’t!’ Jisung calls out to the girl in the Grease Pink Ladies jacket stood beside us, watching her friend rush into the kitchen. ‘Oh, uh… yeah. Here,’ the girl says, handing the cup to Jisung who thanks her with a wink, and she rolls her eyes amusedly, heading back to her friends. ‘You flirt,’ Ryujin laughs, Jisung smirking at her as he takes a sip from the drink. ‘More like slut. Whoring himself out for a drink,’ Hyunjin teases the boy, who shoves him, the two of them getting into a little fight, and Chan just sighs, looking away from the two of them with a hand raised beside his face, as though to block them from his sight.

It’s been just over a week since the boys first stumbled into the diner, and this is already the fifth time I’ve seen them. They came into the diner again a couple days later, and then again, and then another time, when Chan asked if we’d go to Jackson’s party with them. It’s a full moon tonight, so they’re gonna be disappearing in a couple hours, and then making a reappearance a bit later than that. That was their excuse for not wearing costumes, but I’m not sure I’m buying it. We decided to dress up as Harry Potter characters, us girls in the Hogwarts robes, and we already got some cute pictures at Ryujin and Yeji’s apartment before the boys came to pick us up. The girls have already started developing relationships with the boys too, and I can see us becoming one big friendship group.

With regards to Chan and I, though… things haven’t progressed in the slightest. I texted him, and we’ve been messaging, but he hasn’t made a move or anything! He’s the perfect gentleman, which is great, but also sucks, because I just want him to be forward and tell me if he’s into me. But I’ve decided not to say anything, just in case he isn’t actually into me, and I’ve misconstrued everything.

‘Oh, God, the vamps are here,’ Minho murmurs, all of the boys grumbling as they watch the vampires walk in and join the Pink Ladies girl and her Pink Ladies friends. ‘Ugh, look at them, all of them in all black. They look like they’re going to a funeral or something,’ Changbin spits out, and I exchange a glance with Chan, the boy rolling his eyes. ‘Don’t even look in their direction, guys. I don’t want anything to start, especially on a full moon. So stop looking,’ Chan says calmly, and the boys all look away, muttering under their breaths. ‘If I catch any of them giving me a funny look, I’m not holding back,’ Jisung threatens, Chan sighing wearily as I hold back a laugh. ‘Honestly. Not one peaceful party with you idiots,’ Seungmin complains, and Jisung lets out a scandalised noise. ‘Idiots? Who are you calli-’ ‘You. He’s calling you an idiot, Jisung,’ Jeongin clarifies, Jisung turning his scowl to the youngest now. ‘Are you siding with the vamps?’ he demands, everyone sighing. ‘No one’s siding with anyone. Nothing’s even happened. Can you relax?’ I say amusedly, and Jisung looks at me with a frown.

‘I hope you’re not trying to boss me around, y/n. You’re forgetting that you’re human,’ Jisung says warningly, and I roll my eyes at his empty threat. ‘And you’re forgetting something too,’ Felix says in a sing-song voice, looking amused, and Jisung’s eyes suddenly widen, flitting to Chan. He doesn’t say anything, and neither does Chan, the latter looking at the former serenely, and Jisung seems to relax under Chan’s chilled gaze. ‘What?’ Chaeryeong says suddenly, everyone’s eyes turning to her. ‘What?’ Hyunjin asks, and she rolls her eyes. ‘What did Jisung forget?’ she asks, and I won’t lie – I’d quite like to know the answer to that too. They keep doing this – one of them will say something cryptic and they’ll all look at each other and then go silent. ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter,’ Hyunjin says, us girls exchanging an exasperated glance. ‘Fine. Whatever,’ Chaeryeong sighs, the group falling silent at that. ‘Anyway… I’m gonna get a drink. Does anyone want anything?’ Minho asks, getting up from where he’s perched on the sideboard, and I raise a hand. ‘Can you get me a cup of Echo Falls please?’

‘God, these humans drink some weak shit. Echo Falls is practically flavoured water,’ I say to Felix, the boy rolling his eyes. ‘Stop eavesdropping on their conversations.’ ‘I can’t help it. You know I’ve got good hearing,’ I say, and Felix just gives me an amused smile. ‘You should be focusing on me.’ ‘You’re being boring, though. You won’t dance with me,’ I complain, pouting as I flick his plastic red devil horns, and he raises an eyebrow at me. ‘I’ve already told you why. If we dance together, you won’t keep your hands to yourself, and one of the other angels will see us and go snitching to God. I want you to speak to her before anyone else does,’ Felix explains for, like, the tenth time, and I roll my eyes at him. ‘I will speak to her. But is it that big of a deal if she hears about it from someone else beforehand? No. I just wanna dance with my boyfriend without worrying about anything,’ I whine, and his lips curl into a smile, eyes sparkling.

‘Did you just call me your boyfriend?’ he asks, and I realise that, yes, I did, and my face heats up a little. ‘No.’ ‘Are you sure?’ ‘I didn’t.’ ‘I think you did.’ ‘I think you’re hearing things.’ ‘Hmm, I’m not so sure about that,’ he teases me, and I roll my eyes, trying not to show him how embarrassed I am. ‘Whatever. Maybe I did. Am I wrong?’ I ask, and he grins at me, pulling me down from the arm of his armchair into his lap, and I’m surprised at the sudden display of affection. ‘Of course you aren’t. My girlfriend is never wrong,’ he murmurs with a grin, tilting his head up to press a gentle kiss to my lips, and I practically melt into him.

I break away a moment later, grabbing his hand and climbing up from the seat, pulling him up with me. ‘If you can kiss me, you can dance with me,’ I grin, dragging him towards where people are in a big throng, dancing along to the loud music pulsing out into the room. I wrap my arms around his neck, his arms coming around my waist, and we instantly begin dancing, bodies pressed close as we roll and wind against each other, the smiles never leaving our faces. Dancing with him like this is so… mundane, so human. To anyone else watching, we’re a boy and a girl dancing together, and that’s all. It feels like the most simple happiness, one I haven’t experienced for a long time. And one that gets cut short very quickly.

I blink, and suddenly Felix is no longer in my arms, and I’m no longer at Jackson’s party either, the air around me a startling silence. Instead, I’m stood in an office, God sat at the desk opposite me. She’s leaning back in her seat, her eyes on me, inspecting me, almost picking me apart, and I feel a little bit of panic flare inside me. I’m not prepared for this now – I’m halfway to being drunk on tequila shots.

‘Are you dressed as an angel?’ she asks amusedly, and I nod, feeling sheepish now in my little white dress, wings pinned onto the back of it, and my wire halo headband. ‘Quite ironic. Such a crude depiction, these humans have of my angels. Though… I do like your dress,’ she says softly, and I’m flattered. If God likes my dress, it must be good, right? Or maybe it’s not. I mean… I thought this was sexy and revealing, but if God likes it, it’s probably not as sexy or revealing as I thought. Shame.

‘Did someone snitch?’ I ask bluntly, and she lets out a gentle laugh, the sound melodious and light. ‘Yes. Somebody… snitched.’ ‘Who?’ ‘I’m snitching if I tell you,’ she says with a small smile, and I roll my eyes. ‘Can’t you just tell me?’ ‘It was Seungmin.’ ‘That little shit,’ I mutter, sighing in annoyance. ‘Felix didn’t make me aware of your relationship.’ ‘I know. I told him I’d speak to you about it.’ ‘You speak to me? Why not him? He’s here every day. You… are not,’ she says pointedly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. ‘I know, but he was nervous, so I said I’d handle it.’ ‘And how will you handle it?’ she asks amusedly, leaning forward with her elbows on the desk. ‘By asking for your permission.’

She looks quite taken aback at my answer, raising an eyebrow in surprise. ‘Asking my permission?’ ‘Yeah. We assumed you wouldn’t be too impressed if one of your angels pursues a relationship with a demon.’ ‘I wouldn’t be impressed if the circumstances were any different. But, as I’ve observed recently, you seem to be particularly harmless with Felix around. He keeps you under control. I suppose it’d be in my best interests to encourage him to be around you, to keep you on a better track than Lucifer would have you on,’ she shudders, saying his name with disdain, and I bite my tongue rather than defend my father. I doubt she’d take well to it.

‘So you don’t mind?’ ‘No. I don’t. He’s good for you. And I’m quite impressed that you unconsciously won his affections. I never expected such a lovely angel to fall for a demon,’ she says, and I feel my lips quirk up into a small grin. ‘He’s a dark horse.’ ‘Apparently so.’ ‘Does this mean you’re not gonna kill me?’ ‘Yes, y/n, I’m not going to kill you. I’m nothing if not benevolent. So you may return to your party. Just bear in mind,’ she adds, as though it’s an afterthought, ‘I have a particular fondness for Felix, so see to it that you don’t break his heart.’ ‘I can’t make any promises,’ I say honestly, and she just looks at me for a moment, deep in thought, before a small smile breaks across her face. ‘I can’t fault you for such a truthful answer. Now go,’ she says with a kind smile, her warmth seeping into even my cold heart, ‘make him happy.’

The next time I blink, I open my eyes to Jackson’s party once more, the earsplittingly loud music making me wince as I scan the room for my boyfriend. ‘y/n!’ I hear him call from behind me, and I turn to briefly see his panicked face before he pulls me into his arms. ‘You disappeared! I was worried sick,’ he says into my ear, holding me in a vice-like grip, and I let out a laugh, pushing him away gently. ‘I’m fine,’ I murmur, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. ‘Where were you?’ he asks with his big eyes, and I grin, before replying, ‘With God.’

‘Goodness. Whatever were you doing with that bore?’ I ask Lucifer’s daughter, my equivalent of the ninth circle, and a smile of joy spreads across her face at the sight of me. We hold each other in a brief embrace, her boyfriend stood to the side, watching with curiosity. ‘What are you doing here? It’s been forever since I saw you at a party,’ she says, her language so much more modern than mine. I suppose I hung onto my outdated vocabulary, just as I hung onto my love. ‘I have much to celebrate. My love is returned. Changbin is himself once more,’ I inform her, her face lighting up at the news. ‘No way! That’s amazing, I’m so happy for you! Is he here?’ she asks excitedly, and I nod. ‘He is getting a drink for me – I am quite parched. Be sure to greet him at some point before you depart. He has missed you all – he was more excitable than I have ever seen him as we were readying ourselves for this party. He could not wait to come and see you all once more,’ I explain, hearing the fondness in my own voice. ‘I will, of course. It’ll be nice to see him.’

‘Yes. It shall. And who, may I ask, is your companion?’ ‘This is Felix. He’s an angel, which is why I was with God,’ she explains, my mouth falling open. ‘You, Lucifer’s daughter, with an angel? Goodness me, this is surprising news. I expected you to choose Minho as your companion. Certainly not a being so… soft. But if you are happy, I am happy for you. I just hope Felix does not do anything to hurt you, for he shall have many dark ones to answer to,’ I say threateningly to the sweet boy, his face falling as he gulps. ‘Of course not. I’d never hurt her,’ he says quietly, and I smile at him, taking to him almost instantly. He reminds me of a little lamb, or a gentle fairy. He is quite lovely. ‘I am glad to hear so. I am going to go and find Changbin, for he has been gone a while, but I hope to catch up with you at some point tonight,’ I say to the both of them, embracing them both and taking Felix quite by surprise when I do so (it is unusual for demons to be so kind to those they have just met, but I quite enjoy teasing other beings, and making them all flustered), a small smile on my face at his girlfriend’s soft giggles, before I turn away, making my way towards the kitchen and stifling a laugh when I hear Felix ask, ‘Who’s Minho?’

I enter the kitchen, Changbin stood on the opposite side of the room, pouring himself a scotch, a glass of red wine for me beside his tumbler glass. I glide over to him, sliding my arms around his waist when I reach him, and a smile stretches across his face when I press a kiss to his cheek. ‘I have missed you,’ he murmurs, turning to pull me into his arms, and I let out a soft laugh. ‘I left for a few minutes – you cannot have missed me that much,’ I reply, and he grins at me. ‘I don’t mean the last few minutes – I mean the last few centuries,’ he chuckles, and I feel my heart swell. He has told me he missed me so many times over the past few days and it has not yet become old to hear him say so. ‘I like hearing you say that.’ ‘I shall say it to you every day for the rest of our lives if you so wish,’ he proclaims, making me giggle (only he can make me behave as though I am a young teenage human girl with her first love).

I can feel eyes on us, and I manage to pick up whispers here and there, about how the famed original demon hunter is no longer a demon hunter, and is in the kitchen of a Halloween party thrown by a drunken fool. How Jackson has all these connections, I am not quite sure, though I suppose he is a sweet boy on occasion, when he is not intoxicated out of his sanity. ‘People are talking.’ ‘That is what they do.’ ‘I mean, they are talking about us.’ ‘They will always talk about us,’ he grins, cockiness seeping into his tone, and I roll my eyes. ‘More specifically, they are talking about you.’ ‘Well, they will always talk about me.’ ‘And why is that, my love?’ I ask with a grin, leaning against him with my arms around his neck, and he leans back against the counter, hands resting low on my back. ‘Would you like to guess, my love?’ ‘Your dashing good looks?’ ‘No.’ ‘Your unfairly perfect body?’ ‘Not quite.’ ‘Your… lovely personality?’ ‘Not even close,’ he says with a grin, childish giggles falling from my lips every few seconds. ‘Then what, my love?’ I ask, feeling drunk on love when he replies, ‘they wonder how somebody like me is with such a perfect lady like you.’

‘Wow. Did you hear that? That was the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,’ I murmur to Jisung, the boy rolling his eyes as he takes a sip from his beer. ‘He’s had a long time to practice his lines,’ Jisung says dryly, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘So have you, being a thousands-of-years-old demon and all.’ ‘Nope. I was too busy fucking people. Anyway, stop listening to other people’s romantic conversations, and focus on your own romance,’ he says sternly, and I hold back a laugh. ‘Romance? He didn’t even pick me up. He said he’d ‘see me there’ which is, like, totally not a date,’ I say mildly, and Jisung shakes his head. ‘He’s trying not to be too eager.’ ‘He’s going a little too much the other way.’ ‘Well… he’ll regret it when he sees you. You look hot,’ he says offhandedly, though the way his eyes roam over me hungrily betray his cool demeanour. ‘I do, don’t I? It was a good costume suggestion you made,’ I say, looking down at my angel costume. It’s a little basic – quite a few other girls here are dressed as angels (I’m pretty sure I saw a princess of Hell dressed as one, which is quite funny actually) – but the white dress, feather wings and tinsel halo are quite cute, if I say so myself.

‘Yep, it was. Sex God Seonghwa’s gonna love it,’ he grins, and I shush him, looking around embarrassedly in case someone heard. ‘Relax, relax. Oh, look. Talk of the devil…’ he trails off, and I follow his eye line to the door of the kitchen, Seonghwa and his friends just walking in. They’re dressed in standard house party outfits with a little bit of makeup on their faces – a half-skeleton face here and a half-zombie face there. I’m not quite sure what Seonghwa’s supposed to be, with his bright white contacts and cuts across his eyes, but he looks hot. I catch his eye, and he smiles widely at me, the butterflies I usually feel when he looks at me absent today, but I shrug it off. ‘I’m gonna go say hi,’ I say, rising from my seat, and Jisung nods. ‘I’ll be with Hyunjin, if you need me. Not that you will, but… just in case,’ he says gently, and I nod with a smile before heading towards Seonghwa.

‘Hey, y/n. You look… nice,’ he says with a devilish grin, eyes flitting over me before he pulls me into a loose hug. ‘Thanks, Seonghwa. You look good, too. I like your… contacts,’ I say awkwardly, but he continues grinning at me as though he can’t feel the uncomfortable tension in the air. ‘Thanks. Not more than my real eyes, I hope,’ he jokes, and I let out a forced laugh. ‘No, of course not. You’re real eyes are, uh, much nicer.’ ‘Thanks. Can I get you a drink?’ he offers, and I hold up the cup in my hand awkwardly. ‘Oh, never mind. I’ll just grab myself a beer,’ he laughs, turning to get one out of the fridge, and I want to scream at myself. Why am I being so awkward with him? Come on, y/n, step up your game.

‘So what exactly are you supposed to be?’ I ask, trying to sound more comfortable than I feel, and he grins as he flips the top off the bottle with a bottle opener. ‘Can’t you tell? I’m a… possessed… devil… thing?’ he says, and I laugh, the boy laughing with me. ‘You don’t sound so sure.’ ‘Yeah, it’s a little ambiguous. Wooyoung did it and I’m not sure what he was going for, but I’ll roll with it,’ he chuckles before motioning to me. ‘Your outfit’s pretty obvious, though. A perfect little angel, right?’ he smirks, and I let out a fake laugh. ‘How did you guess?’ ‘I think the halo and the wings give it away a little. The dress isn’t too angelic, though. A little… tight. Not that I’m complaining,’ he grins, and I feel my heart sinking. He’s attracted to me, he’s flirting with me, and yet… I don’t feel a single thing. What is wrong with me?

‘Well… I’m glad you like it. It’s a little… out there for me,’ I admit, hoping that derailing the conversation to something a little more tame will make things less awkward. ‘It really suits you. I think you should wear things like this all the time, if you want to. Be more confident in your body,’ he says encouragingly, and I feel so sad. Look how nice he’s being, and I still somehow feel like I’d much rather be talking to anyone else at this party. ‘I’ll try. I’m not sure my tutors would be too impressed if I showed up to my lectures and seminars in teeny little bodycon dresses,’ I joke, and he chuckles, grinning. ‘Maybe not,’ he murmurs with a smirk, ‘but I’m sure… other people would appreciate it.’

‘God, that’s the most awkward conversation I’ve ever listened to in my life,’ I say dryly to Ryujin as we leave the kitchen. ‘I know! The girl was obviously not interested, but he was not getting the message,’ she says, both of us wincing at the thought of how uncomfortable that was. ‘Boys are so dense,’ I complain as I throw myself down onto the sofa beside Lia, Ryujin perching on the arm of the sofa beside where Yuna sits. ‘Listen to you. She’s got a demon boyfriend now and, suddenly, she’s above human boys,’ Chaeryeong teases, and I raise my eyebrow, the other girls laughing. ‘He’s not my boyfriend. I’ve met him once.’ ‘And that was enough for him to fall in love with you,’ Lia says simply, and I roll my eyes. ‘He’s not in love!’ ‘He’s willing to come to a human party for you – it’s close enough to love,’ Yeji says dryly, and I shake my head with an amused smile. ‘This is not a human party at all. We’re like the only humans here, pretty much.’ ‘Us and that girl being practically tortured by that boy in the kitchen,’ Ryujin says with a wince, and I laugh. ‘Poor thing. We should’ve saved her. Pretended we know her or something.’ ‘Na, he was pretty hot. Maybe she’s just looking to get laid,’ Ryujin says with a shrug, and I consider it, nodding after a moment.

‘Who’s looking to get laid?’ a familiar voice says, and I look up to see Minho stood there, my heart stopping momentarily. He looks so handsome, in a pair of tight black trousers and a black shirt with white stripes on it, an expensive-looking black jacket thrown over the top of it, a smart casual outfit perfect for a date. I tried my best to wear something that doubles as a date outfit and a Halloween costume, but all I could come up with is a little black dress and a cat ear headband with a matching tail on my ass which I’ll take off when we leave here. At least I look sexy in it.

He holds out a hand to me and I take it, letting him pull me up from my seat, and he keeps my hand in his, holding it up and pressing his soft lips against my skin. ‘You sound different,’ Ryujin observes dryly, eyebrow raised, and he grins at her. ‘I decided to drop the formalities. No one wants to date a guy who sounds like he’s just stepped out of the Victorian era. Unless you’re into that?’ he asks with a grin, coaxing a laugh from me, and I’m relieved to hear him speaking like this instead of that stiff formal language. It makes him much less… intimidating.

‘I brought my friends,’ he says, and my eyes focus on the group stood a few feet behind him, all of them dressed similarly to Minho. They’re all taking turns to hug one blond boy who I saw earlier with his gorgeous girlfriend, the girl now stood beside the group, watching them with a loving smile on her face. ‘I’ll introduce them in a minute. Our friend was turned into a demon hunter centuries ago, and we’ve just now found out he’s back to being a demon again. It’s a long story – I’ll explain over dinner,’ he says, and I’m a little confused but I brush it off, just nodding.

‘Dinner?’ a voice says from behind Minho, the boy turning to reveal the blond boy’s girlfriend. She’s dressed in an elegant white evening dress, decked out in jewels and finery, a white veil in her hair and horribly gory cuts and wounds all over her face and chest. ‘Yes, dinner.’ ‘Ah, so this is the date you mentioned?’ she says, her eyes flitting to me, and I feel a little intimidated under her powerful gaze. ‘Hi. I’m y/n,’ I say shyly, and she looks impressed, holding out a hand to me, and I shake it firmly. ‘Nice to meet you, y/n. I am the Princess of the 5th Circle of Hell,’ she says with a smile, and I blink in surprise. ‘Charmed,’ I reply faintly, and she lets out a gentle laugh. ‘Does she not know of our nature, Minho?’ ‘She does. I suppose it takes a little getting used to,’ he says ruefully, and I nod embarrassedly.

‘You are dressed as a cat,’ she observes, and I nod, even more embarrassed. She looks all graceful as a zombie bride (I think?), and I’m in a cheap ass black dress and a flimsy plastic headband. ‘Minho has a liking for cats,’ she says amusedly, Minho choking on thin air, and I try to ignore the girls’ stifled laughter behind me as I say, ‘I… didn’t know that.’ ‘I guessed as much. What exactly are you supposed to be, Minho?’ ‘A normal boy taking a girl to dinner?’ he says with a small grin, and the girl rolls her eyes. ‘How boring.’

‘We don’t all have your creativity, Miss Zombie Bride,’ he teases sarcastically, and she lets out a little outraged gasp. ‘How dare you? Are you accusing me of being unoriginal? You should see Lucifer’s Princess – she’s dressed as an angel, and she’s here with her angel boyfriend,’ the girl says, sounding a little gossipy, and Minho’s mouth falls open. ‘Angel boyfriend?’ he asks, the girl nodding with a grin, satisfied at Minho’s reaction. ‘Do not ask her for details – she will gossip with you all night, and you shall be late to dinner with your human love,’ the blond-haired boy says amusedly, Minho nodding before his eyes flit back to me, a grin spreading on his handsome face.

He holds an arm out to me, and I link mine with his shyly, feeling more than intimidated with all these demons around. ‘We should get going. I’m parked outside,’ he says, and I feel excited – I’m really looking forward to this, regardless of the fact that my date is a demon prince. ‘Why did you bring a car?’ the demon princess says amusedly, and I look between her and Minho with confusion. ‘How else would we get there?’ ‘We can travel without… vehicles. What is it you humans call it… ah, teleporting, I believe,’ she says, and my eyes widen. ‘Can we do that?’ I ask Minho excitedly, and he shakes his head, an amused smile on his face. ‘You’ve never done it before, and it takes a lot of getting used to. I don’t want you to get hurt,’ he says, the last bit a little quieter, and his demon friends behind him fail at holding back their laughter, making him look more than a bit sheepish. ‘Do not tease him. He is obviously taken with her, and it is high time he settled down,’ the demon princess says, though she looks like she’s holding back laughter too, and Minho just shakes his head.

‘We’re going. See you in a few hours,’ he says embarrassedly, leading me towards the door, and I wave goodbye to the girls and Minho’s friends over my shoulder, all of them watching us leave with big smiles on their faces. We dodge around the groups of partygoers, dressed up all sorts of supernatural creatures and famous characters, and it feels like we’ve entered another world when we step out through the front door, the air clear, crisp and quiet. ‘Are you cold?’ he asks, and I shake my head, his eyebrow raising. ‘Okay, maybe I am.’ ‘I’d be shocked if you weren’t in that dress,’ he says amusedly, taking his jacket off and helping me to put it on, giving me butterflies. It smells like expensive aftershave and something… dark and smoky, like night itself. ‘Come on, angel, let’s get going,’ he grins, throwing an arm around my shoulders and leading me towards where several cars are parked on the driveway of the manor. ‘Where are we going?’ I ask, and his grins grows even wider. ‘Wherever you want to go, angel,’ he says softly, holding me close to him, ‘I’ll go anywhere with you.’

‘Oh, my God. That was so romantic,’ I squeal under my breath as we pass the couple who are leaving, the boy holding the passenger door of his car open for the girl, and I.N. – no, Jeongin – rolls his eyes. ‘It was cheesy,’ he says, ever the cynic, and I shoot him a look. ‘Whatever, grumpy,’ I mutter, and he lets out a little laugh. ‘I’m not grumpy.’ ‘You are! You complained the entire way here!’ ‘Yeah, because I don’t want to be here. I don’t like leaving the house.’ ‘But I’ve got a s-’ ‘Surprise, yes, I know. It’d be nice if you told me what it was,’ he says pointedly, and I roll my eyes. ‘It’s not a surprise if I tell you,’ I say simply, the boy muttering something under his breath as we reach the front door. I push it open, stepping through the doorway with Jeongin behind me, and I can feel the nervous energy practically radiating from him as we head further into the party. This is the first time he’s left the house to go further than the local shops and I can understand his anxiety, which is why I reach out and take his hand into mine, leading him through the big groups of people, to where they said they’d be in the kitchen.

‘Okay, I have some good news,’ I say when we reach the door of the kitchen, his hand still in mine, and he looks relieved that he’s finding out the surprise. ‘What’s the good news?’ ‘You can carry on living in 325 Sunshine Street,’ I say excitedly, looking forward to his reaction, and his face lights up. ‘You’re not selling it?’ he asks breathlessly, eyes sparkling with excitement, and I hesitate. ‘It’s still being sold… to me. I’m moving in,’ I say tentatively, and he doesn’t react for a moment. I worry that I’ve got this all wrong, that this is the last thing he would want, and that this is going to ruin the friendship that’s developed between us, the friendship that I treasure more than I realised. ‘You’re moving in?’ he asks, and I nod slowly. ‘I mean, only if you want me to! I don’t have t-’ ‘I want you to. I really want you to. Are you serious?’ he asks, eyes lighting up as he speaks, and relief floods through me. ‘Yes, I’m serious. I’m buying the house!’ I exclaim, and he lets out a loud whoop of excitement, pulling me into his arms. He’s so real, so warm and soft, and he doesn’t feel like a ghost at all.

‘That’s the best surprise you could’ve given me!’ he says contentedly, pulling away from me, and I can’t help but grin at him, so happy that he’s happy. ‘Actually… I don’t think it is. I have an even better one for you,’ I say excitedly, and he eyes me suspiciously. ‘Another surprise? Better than you moving in?’ ‘Mmhmm. It’s in the kitchen,’ I say, and he looks at the door before looking back at me. ‘Can I…?’ he asks, and I nod, laughing. He holds a hand up to the door, looking nervous as he pushes it open, and when he opens it, I wish I could imprint the look on his face to my brain forever, the look of pure wonder and happiness making me feel warm inside.

I can hear loud yelling from the kitchen before Jeongin rushes in, and I follow behind him, watching with a fond smile as his friends greet him and hug him for the first time since their exams all those years ago. For the first time since he died. I reached out to Chan last night, who was the one trying to sell the house, and told him everything. He told the other boys, and they told me they’d be at the party tonight, asking if I could bring him so they could see him again. When I first spoke to Chan, I suggested they all move into the house with Jeongin, but he told me that some of them were married with children. They had their own families now, and it was too late for them to move in with their old family. Which is when I came up with the idea to live there myself. I still have to work out the logistics, and how I’m going to tell my parents that I’m moving out of their house to live with my friend that they’ve never heard of in the house I’ve been trying to sell for months and haven’t been able to do so. But that’ll come later.

Jeongin’s eyes are full of tears and so are his brothers’, all of them radiating happiness as they embrace, and try to catch him up on what’s been going on in the past few years. He looks so young next to them, but I can see the echo of what they were at school, his presence making them seem younger too. I stand in the doorway and watch, wanting him to have his time with them, but he turns to look at me after a few minutes, telling them he’ll be right back. ‘You’re the best. Thank you,’ he says sincerely, pulling me into another hug, and I feel my heart melt. ‘You’re welcome. Now go back to your family, stupid. You’ll have all the time in the world to speak to me, when we live together,’ I say with a grin, and he rolls his eyes. ‘You’re the stupid one, y/n,’ he grins, and I raise an eyebrow, and my heart swells when he says, ‘don’t you know you’re my family now too?’

‘Did you hear that? How cute,’ I say to Chaeryeong as we enter the living room, wanting a reprieve from the racket those boys were making in the kitchen. ‘Yeah, but what’s the context? Because it’s not cute if she’s into him. That wasn’t even friendzone – it was familyzone,’ Chaeryeong says, making me laugh. ‘I didn’t think about that. Poor thing,’ I say as we head to the bathroom. There’s a little room before the actual bathroom itself, with mirrors lining the walls, and we head to the one in the corner to check our appearances. I nearly have a heart attack when I spot a wrinkle creasing my forehead, and I feel faint when I see grey locks streaked through my hair, making me look more like the Bride of Frankenstein than the sexy vampire I’m dressed up as. ‘I’m gonna cry. Look at the state of me. I look like an old lady,’ I wail miserably, Chaeryeong giving me a pitying look. ‘You don’t, y/n! This hairstyle is in!’ ‘Okay, but wrinkles all over my face isn’t!’ I shriek, the girl wincing when she spots them. ‘Well… you’ve gotta break the curse then.’ ‘I’ve been trying. It’s harder than you think. I’ve been doing so many selfless and generous things, but apparently not without judgement, even though I wasn’t even being judgemental,’ I complain, and Chaeryeong raises an eyebrow.

‘What have you been doing?’ ‘I paid for the coffee of the guy behind me in Starbucks, even though he totally wasn’t my type. I gave this half-troll girl a pad when I went for dinner with Yuna last night. I stopped to let an old man cross the road, and he was super slow. I did loads of other stuff too!’ I list off, and Chaeryeong shakes her head despairingly. ‘y/n, you moron! You judged every one of those people!’ ‘No, I didn’t!’ ‘Listen to how you just described them. A guy who wasn’t your type. A half-troll girl. An old man. You’re supposed to look past people’s appearance, but that’s the way you just described them all, stupid!’ she exclaims, and my mouth falls open. She’s right. I am stupid. ‘Oh, my God. I’m never gonna break this curse. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I look at people without seeing what they look like?’ I wail helplessly, Chaeryeong rolling her eyes at me.

Before she can speak, a girl dressed as a devil walks in, ranting and raving angrily, and Chaeryeong exchange a glance. She looks like she’s crying, her friend trying her best to comfort her. ‘Are you okay?’ I ask, and she looks at me in surprise before letting out a loud sob. ‘No,’ she wails, and I step towards her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. ‘What’s the matter?’ I ask, and her friend sighs. ‘Her ex is here, with his new girlfriend, and they’re dressed as an angel and devil. She thinks her ex’s new girl is a better devil than she is, and now she feels like an idiot that she’s wearing a couple costume with her ex, but he’s here with his new girl,’ her friend explains, and I wince. It’s an awkward situation to say the least, and I feel really sorry for her. If that was me, I’d probably leave out of embarrassment, especially if I thought her costume was better than mine.

The girl in front of me is in all black with a red belt (a devil tail hanging from it) and red devil horns, with red contacts like mine, and she looks around the same size as me. ‘Oh, my God, I just had the best idea! Why don’t we swap outfits? You can have my fake fangs and I brought fake blood, too, and I’ll have your horns and belt! Then you can be a sexy vampire instead of a sexy devil!’ I suggest excitedly, the girl’s eyes lighting up. ‘You’d do that?’ ‘Of course. Exes are, like, the worst. Here,’ I say, pulling my fangs out and rushing into the bathroom to give them a quick wash. When I came back, she’s taken off the belt and horns, holding them out to me. ‘You’re really nice, you know? Thank you so much,’ she says sincerely, looking a lot happier now than she did a minute ago, and I grin at her. ‘No problem,’ I reply, passing her the fangs, and I help her to put some fake blood around her mouth and in two dots on her neck. She keeps thanking me and we even exchange socials before she leaves, because she says she wants to keep in touch with the girl that saved her Halloween. I can’t stop smiling as I put on the belt and horns, carefully wiping away the fake blood on my mouth and neck, touching it up with my foundation. It feels nice to do something nice for someone.

‘Oh, my God!’ Chaeryeong exclaims, and I look at her worriedly. ‘What?’ ‘Look at your hair!’ she practically screams, and I look at myself in the mirror. The grey has disappeared from my hair, and so have the wrinkles on my face. My body feels a little stronger than it did a few minutes ago, and I poke my tongue around at the back of my mouth, finding that there are no longer gaps where three of my teeth fell out yesterday. ‘I broke the curse!’ I say excitedly, Chaeryeong pulling me into an excited hug. ‘Look how easy it was!’ ‘I know! God, this’ll teach me to stop being such a bitch. Ugh, I’m so glad to have my teeth back! I’m gonna go find Seungmin,’ I say, wanting to tell him, and she nods. ‘I’ll be with the girls. Just phone me if you can’t find us,’ she says, and we leave the bathroom, going our separate ways.

It doesn’t take me long to find Seungmin – I can hear his friendship group from a mile away – and he grins at me as I approach. ‘You just broke it, didn’t you?’ he asks, and my eyes widen. ‘How did you know?’ ‘It’s obvious. Look how excited you are. How did you do it?’ he asks, and I explain to him, the boy rolling his eyes. ‘See how simple it is? I’m glad you’ve learnt not to be a judgmental bitch now,’ he teases, and I shove him half-heartedly. ‘Whatever. But, honestly… I really have learnt my lesson. I feel terrible about that witch now. I’ll never be nasty again,’ I proclaim, and Seungmin raises an eyebrow. ‘We’ll see about that.’ ‘Well… I’ll try to never be nasty again,’ I amend, and he laughs. ‘That sounds more like you.’

‘y/n! Long time, no see! Are you two back together?’ Changbin slurs drunkenly, throwing his arms around us, and I wince as Seungmin closes his eyes momentarily. ‘No. We’re not,’ he replies, Changbin cringing. ‘Oh. Sorry for making it awkward. I’m gonna just…’ he trails off, turning back to the boys and whispering loud enough for us to hear, ‘they’re not back together, Jisung. You owe me a twenty.’ Seungmin sighs, putting a hand over his face as though he’s trying to keep himself together, and I let out a little laugh. ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘It’s okay. It’s not that big of a deal,’ I say, and Seungmin hesitates before saying, ‘I actually wanted to speak to you about that.’ I freeze for a moment, blinking as I try to process his words.

‘About… us?’ I ask, and he nods. ‘I know you ended things because I’m immortal, but I… found something. I’ve been looking for a… solution to that problem, and I found one. There’s this… potion, I guess, a really complicated one that takes a long time to brew, but I collected all the ingredients and I’ve started brewing it already,’ he begins, and I’m itching to hear the rest of what he’s got to say. ‘It’s an immortality potion, but it works in different ways, depending on who takes it. If someone mortal takes it, they become immortal. If someone immortal takes it…’ he trails off, and I finish for him; ‘they become mortal.’ He nods gravely, and I don’t reply for a few seconds, mind working at a million miles an hour.

‘So you want me to take the potion to be immortal?’ ‘No! No, y/n, God, no! I’d never ask that of you!’ he says quickly, looking shocked that I even asked, and then I realise what he means. ‘You’re suggesting that you take it? To be mortal?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘But… is that what you want?’ I ask, and he sighs, taking a few moments to reply; ‘I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and… yeah, I think so. I mean…. I don’t want to outlive everyone around me, everyone I care about, and love. And it’s not even outliving them, it’s seeing them turn 30, 40, 50, 60, whilst I still look like a teenager. I don’t want that to happen. I want to grow old with the people I love. I… I want to grow old with you,’ he says quietly, and I feel my heart stop momentarily. ‘Me?’ ‘Yes. You, y/n. I still love you. A lot, actually. I’d do anything for a life with you. And I understand if you don’t feel the same way anymore, but I thought I’d tell you, because I know that’s the reason you ended things. I guess… I’m hoping that that was the only reason, and that now I can fix it, you’ll have me back. But I get it if you don’t want to-’ ‘I do, though. I really, really do,’ I say without even thinking, and his eyes widen, face lighting up.

‘Wait, really?’ ‘Yes, Seungmin. I do want to have you back. But… I want you to properly think about this. It’s a big sacrifice that you’re thinking of making, and I want you to think it through.’ ‘y/n, I’ve been thinking it through the entire time we were broken up, the entire time I was looking for the potion. It’s all I ever thought about. I want this,’ he says earnestly, and I know that he’s being truthful, that he really has thought this through properly. He’s mature and responsible, and I know he wouldn’t rush into a decision like this without thinking it through properly. ‘Okay,’ I say simply, and he blinks in surprise. ‘Okay?’ ‘Okay. I’ll be with you.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yes, Seungmin, really,’ I laugh, and he lets out a loud shout of celebration, throwing his arms around me in a hug and I giggle at his reaction, touched at his excitement. ‘Are you back together?’ Jisung demands when we break apart, and I roll my eyes as Seungmin sighs at him. ‘Yes. We are now.’ ‘Ha! Changbin, you better give me that twenty back!’

‘Oh, that reminds me of our bet!’ Jisung says suddenly, all of us looking at him in surprise. ‘What? What bet?’ Yuna asks, and the boys exchange yet another cryptic glance, none of them speaking. ‘Oh, my God!’ Lia exclaims, finally losing her patience, ‘what is wrong with you guys? Why can’t you just tell us what the hell is going on? Or, at least, stop talking about it in front of us! Because I’m fed up of it n-’ ‘y/n,’ Chan says suddenly, cutting Lia’s tirade off, and we all turn our gazes to him. ‘I wasn’t talking, it was Lia-‘ ‘I know. I just… can I have a word with you? Outside, please,’ he says quietly, and I blink in confusion. What’s with the weird timing, and what exactly does he want to say? ‘Um, yeah, okay,’ I say softly, completely confused, and Chan rises from his seat, holding out a hand to help me up too. He leads me through to the back of the house, taking me out into the grounds, and he sits us down on a bench, a group of boys sat smoking weed on the bench on our left, and two other boys having a heart-to-heart on the bench to our right.

‘What’s the matter, Chan? Are you okay?’ I say concernedly, and he gives me a faint smile. ‘I’m fine. I just… I’ve got something important that I’ve been meaning to talk to you about, but it’s kinda… serious. Just, um… prepare yourself,’ he says seriously, and I side-eye him. ‘You’re scaring me, Chan.’ ‘It’s not bad! Well, maybe it is. I don’t know,’ he rambles, and I let out a little laugh. ‘Chan, just tell me.’ ‘Sorry, sorry. Um, so, basically… you are my… um… my mate,’ he says slowly, wincing as he speaks, and I just blink for a few seconds before asking, ‘Your mate?’ ‘Yep.’ ‘Like… life companion forever?’ ‘That’s right, yeah.’ ‘But… I’m a human,’ I say slowly, unable to believe what he’s saying. ‘Anyone can be our mates. Even… vampires, or demons. So, yeah… you’re my mate. But just because you’re my mate, it doesn’t mean I have to be yours,’ he says, almost sounding sad. ‘What do you mean?’ I ask, puzzled, and he sighs.

‘Humans don’t have mates, so you can be with anyone you want to be, fall in love with anyone you want to fall in love with. You don’t have to be with me if you don’t want to,’ he explains, and I feel even more confused. ‘Wait, so what does it mean then? Like… I’m your mate but I don’t have to be with you? So what’s the point of it then?’ ‘It means that I will never… want anyone else, or love anyone else. Not that I want or love you – I barely know you – but y-’ ‘I know what you mean. So… if you don’t end up with me, you’ll end up alone?’ I ask, and he nods sadly. ‘But don’t… force yourself to be with me because of that. I want you to be happy, whether or not that’s with me,’ he says, and I can feel the burden of it already settling on my shoulders. I’m the love of his life – he’ll never love anyone other than me.

‘Um…’ I begin, but Chan cuts me off, ‘you don’t have to, like, make any decisions, or even say anything. I just… thought it was important that I told you.’ ‘Yeah, I know. I’m glad you told me, because now I can tell you that I’ve been crushing on you since the second I saw you, and I’d really like it if we went on a date together,’ I force myself to say, feeling so nervous even though he’s just told me I’m his mate. He just stares at me for a second before he says, ‘really?’ ‘Yeah. Really.’ ‘Well… I’d really like it if we went on a date, too,’ he says with a grin, and I can’t help but smile back shyly. ‘God, y/n, I was supposed to ask you out! Not the other way around!’ he complains, and I let out a fond laugh, amused at his childish behaviour that he’d never show around the other boys. ‘Well, you did make the first move by telling me I’m your mate,’ I point out and he thinks for a moment before a satisfied smile spreads across his face. ‘Yeah, I guess I did,’ he grins, and I roll my eyes.

‘Come on, let’s go back in. You must be cold out here, and we better get going. We’ll be turning soon,’ he says, standing up and taking my hand to pull me up from the bench. ‘So what’s the bet Jisung mentioned?’ I ask, curious, and Chan lets out an embarrassed laugh. ‘Whether or not I’d tell you tonight. They all betted I wouldn’t, and I said I would. They owe me ten each now,’ he says with a victorious grin. ‘I’m gonna deny all knowledge,’ I laugh, and his mouth falls open. ‘You wouldn’t betray me like that!’ he exclaims dramatically, making me giggle. ‘I won’t if you share the money with me.’ ‘y/n,’ he begins, eyes sparkling with amusement, ‘you’re my mate. I’d share my life with you if you asked.’

‘Ugh, did you hear that sappy shit that wolf was saying? Oh, y/n!’ Jisung says when he sees me, eyes lighting up which makes my heart stop for a moment. ‘Hey,’ I say, sounding breathless to my own ears, and Jisung grins at my tone, looking up at me stood before the bench with dark eyes. ‘y/n. It’s nice to meet you,’ the boy sat next to him says, and my eyes flit to Hyunjin, the boy Daehwi originally tried to set me up with. He’s even hotter in person. ‘Hey, Hyunjin. It’s nice to meet you too,’ I say shyly, and he grins. ‘Sorry I couldn’t make it. But I’ve heard Jisung more than made up for my absence. You two have struck up quite the friendship, right?’ he asks, and my gaze turns to Jisung, the boy smirking, and I look back to Hyunjin before nodding. ‘Yeah, we have, actually. He’s a great friend.’ ‘And a great wingman too, by the sound of it,’ Hyunjin grins, and I feel my face heat up at the thought that these two very attractive boys both know that less than two weeks ago, I was an untouched virgin who wanted to have sex before my first ever date. I’m embarrassed beyond belief, and it’s like they can both sense it, amusement settling on both of their faces.

‘Yeah, y/n, speaking of which, where is your date?’ he asks, and I remember why I came out here, a pout making its way onto my face. Jisung and Hyunjin move apart, making space for me on the bench, and I throw myself down with a long, dramatic sigh. ‘He is literally… so boring,’ I admit, both of them bursting into laughter. ‘Don’t laugh! It’s not funny! I’m, like, heartbroken!’ I complain, annoyed that they think this is funny, but I can also feel myself holding back laughter. ‘Sorry, sorry. But… y/n, I thought you wanted to have sex with him. You don’t have to find him fascinating,’ Jisung says, and I let out another long sigh. ‘I’m not like you stupid boys. I don’t wanna just have sex with someone because they’re good looking. I was attracted to him until I found out he’s literally the most boring guy I’ve ever spoken to in my life. Okay, maybe not boring. Just… we’re not compatible, so it was really, really awkward. And the worst thing was that it seemed like he didn’t even realise that is was awkward. He just kept talking,’ I explain, the boys nonstop laughing as I talk, and I’m laughing along with them by the time I finish speaking.

‘That’s such a shame, y/n,’ Hyunjin says, still laughing, and Jisung says, ‘maybe not. I don’t want you in a relationship.’ I look at him in surprise, and he looks surprised too, as though he didn’t mean to say the words out loud. ‘You were good, angel. I’d like it if we c-’ ‘Okay! Okay, you don’t need to finish that sentence,’ I say embarrassedly, not wanting him to say it in front of Hyunjin who fails at stifling his laughter. ‘So why are you here, y/n? You’re best friends with Daehwi’s girlfriend, right? And she’s here. Why are you out here with us?’ Hyunjin asks, and I hesitate, not exactly sure myself. ‘I guess… I wanted to come and complain to Jisung about the fact that he took my virginity for no reason, because I’m not even gonna have sex tonight,’ I say miserably, kicking at the gravel like a sulky little kid. ‘I mean, you could,’ Jisung says with a grin, Hyunjin bursting into laughter as I choke on thin air. ‘I’m kidding.’ ‘No, you’re not,’ Hyunjin chuckles, and Jisung says, ‘you’re right, I’m not.’ ‘Well… thanks for the offer, but I’m not in the mood. I’m too upset,’ I say dramatically.

‘Let me cheer you up then,’ Jisung says, and I side-eye him. ‘I just told you I’m not in the m-’ ‘No, I don’t mean that! Let’s go dance together, or we’ll go somewhere for food if you’re hungry. Let’s get your mind off… Soggy Seonghwa,’ Jisung says with a grin, both Hyunjin and I dissolving into uncontrollable laughter. ‘Soggy Seonghwa?’ I giggle, Jisung nodding. ‘I don’t think he deserves the Sex God title,’ Jisung says, tone all shady and gossipy, Hyunjin and I laughing even more now. ‘Well, whatever. You don’t have to cheer me up, it’s okay. I’ll go find one of the girls and get blackout drunk,’ I say, Jisung frowning. ‘No, no. I don’t have to cheer you up, but I want to cheer you up. I mean…’ he trails off, and Hyunjin raises his eyebrows at Jisung, as though there’s something going on here that I don’t know about. ‘We’re friends, right?’ he asks, and I nod instantly. ‘Of course.’ ‘Well, you must know I see you as more than just a friend, and I think you see me as more than just a friend too. So, yeah. I’m kinda relieved things didn’t work out with Soggy,’ he says, and I’m too shocked to laugh, butterflies exploding in my stomach.

He sees me as more than a friend? ‘Wait, what do you mean?’ I ask, and he laughs. ‘I like you, y/n, and you like me too. You might not know it, but you do. I can tell from the way you feel when I’m around. So let me… woo you,’ he says, making me laugh, and his lips curl up into a small grin. ‘Woo me?’ ‘Mmhmm. Let me dance with you, or take you for food, or take you back to your apartment,’ he smirks, and I roll my eyes. ‘Having sex is not wooing me.’ ‘I never said anything about sex,’ he grins with a mischievous glint in his eyes, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘So what would we do?’ ‘I don’t know. Watch a film? Cuddle? Bake? What is it you human girls like to do when you’re dating someone?’ he asks, and I let out a gentle laugh. ‘That stuff sounds about right. But I don’t want to leave yet.’ ‘Okay. Let’s go dance then,’ he says with a grin, jumping up from the bench and pulling me up with him. ‘Hyunjin, you coming?’ Jisung asks, and I’m reminded that the other boy is sat there too. He smiles up at us, eyes shining with happiness, and he shakes his head. ‘You guys go. Have fun. I’m gonna find a cute little human girl. Got any friends, y/n?’ he asks with a mischievous grin, and I laugh. ‘Quite a few. And you’re hot, so you can take your pick,’ I say, Hyunjin jumping up from the bench at that, all of us laughing as we head up to the house. ‘Wait,’ Jisung says when we reach the back door, looking at me with a scowl, ‘did you just call my best friend hot?’

‘He is pretty hot, though. I won’t lie,’ I say to the boy as I step out through the back door, the pretty girl dressed very similarly to me and the two pretty boys on either side of her looking at me. ‘Yeah, I am, right? Can I get you a drink?’ the taller boy asks with a cocky grin, and I roll my eyes. ‘My boyfriend’s getting me one,’ I say, and his grin falls. ‘You just said I’m hot,’ he complains, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘I’m Lucifer’s daughter – I can say what I want,’ I tell him, and his mouth shuts straight away, the girl looking a little scared and the other boy looking amused. ‘Shame you’re in a relationship. You’re pretty hot,’ the taller boy says, and I grin at him. ‘Thanks. She’s hotter, though,’ I say, pointing at the girl who looks like she wants to curl in on herself and disappear. ‘Me?’ ‘Mmhmm. You got that cute little innocent vibe going on. Makes you even hotter.’ ‘Oh. Thanks,’ she says, a little more at ease now after the compliment.

‘She likes him,’ the taller boy says, pointing at the short boy who’s grinning proudly. ‘Share her,’ I say, only half-joking, and the girl coughs out of shock. ‘Share me? I’m not a chocolate bar,’ she says indignantly, and I feel my eyebrows go up in admiration – she’s a feisty one. ‘I like you, angel. You into girls?’ I ask, and the shorter boy’s smile drops. ‘You’ve got a boyfriend.’ ‘What about it? You think Princesses of Hell conform to different sexualities? Or to monogamy?’ I ask, purposely trying to piss him off, and he opens his mouth before closing it. I look at the girl again, waiting for her answer. I’m not actually interested (I mean, I wouldn’t say no) but it’s fun to tease her little boyfriends like this. ‘I’m… open to anything. But I do kinda like him,’ she says, pointing to the shorter boy, and I shrug. ‘Shame. I’m way hotter than him,’ I grin, the boy letting out an indignant noise.

‘I’m getting you a drink, and you’re flirting with someone else?’ I hear Felix’s voice behind me, and I turn my grin to him, my heart jumping at the amused smile on his face, the boy handing me a cup of some fruity flavoured vodka. ‘Ah, you’re the boyfriend? I’d sort her out if I were you – she’s flirting with my girl,’ the shorter boy says, and I roll my eyes. ‘He’s just jealous because he knows I could steal her if I wanted,’ I tease, baiting him, and he scowls at me. ‘Stop trying to steal the demon boy’s girlfriend, please. I’m not in the mood to hold you back from a fight today,’ Felix says, and I look at the shorter boy interestedly. ‘You’re a demon?’ I ask, surprised Felix realised and I didn’t, and he nods. ‘An incubus. So is he,’ he says, pointing at the other boy who gives me a lazy grin, and I look between the three in them with amused interest.

‘This just got way more interesting. A human girl has two incubuses wrapped around her little finger,’ I observe, the taller boy blinking in surprise. ‘I just met her,’ he says, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘You think she’s hot, though?’ ‘I’m not blind, of course I think she’s hot.’ ‘You got competition, kid,’ I say to the shorter boy, the frown on his face making me hold back a laugh. ‘Anyway, I don’t care about you two. Well done, girl. Bagged yourself… at least one incubus – I don’t know about this guy, but the other one definitely likes you. He’s, like, radiating jealousy right now,’ I tease, enjoying this, and Felix puts an arm around my waist. ‘Okay, that’s enough picking on the human girl and her incubus boyfriends,’ he says softly, the three of them letting out annoyed noises. ‘He’s not her boyfriend!’ ‘He’s not my boyfriend!’ ‘I’m not her boyfriend!’

‘Relax, he’s just kidding,’ I say as Felix begins to pull me towards the living room. ‘You’re a handful,’ he mutters amusedly, and I roll my eyes. ‘It’s fine, Lix, you don’t have to worry about me.’ ‘I don’t. I worry about the poor thing that you piss off to the point where they try to fight you and then you kill them,’ he says tiredly, and I let out a laugh. ‘I wouldn’t kill them. Probably just injure them a little.’ ‘Wow, I’ve really changed you, huh?’ he jokes, and I shove him gently as we reach the farthest corner from the DJ booth, both of us perching on the bay window.

We’re silent for a few moments, just looking at all the partygoers. It’s been quite a few hours now, so people are very drunk. The wolves left a little while ago, ready for their turn, and the vampires are making the most of their absence; they’re all scattered out into the party, biting people (consensually – I think) left, right and centre. The humans here seem at home around us otherworldly beings – in the space of a minute, I notice a human boy making out with a wizard in the corner, a group of human girls and succubuses dancing together in the middle of the room, and a pixie boy on the lap of a human girl, the two of them playing cards with their pixie and human friends. It’s quite nice to see the way everyone mixes together so freely, without worry or judgement, but we all know that nothing like this would happen in any other district. That’s why District 9 is so special.

I look at Felix, the boy deep in thought, and I lean against him, pressing a kiss to his neck. ‘What are you thinking about?’ I ask him against his skin, and I can feel him grin. ‘Whatever you’re thinking about,’ he says, and I groan, making him laugh. ‘That was so cheesy.’ ‘You’re dating an angel, babe. Get used to the cheesy lines.’ ‘I might have to dump you if you use another one.’ ‘If I can deal with you flirting with random human girls and demon boys, and nearly starting a fight with one of them, you can put up with a bad line every now and then,’ he grins, putting a hand on my chin and tilting my head back to press his lips to mine. ‘You’re lucky you’re so cute, because I wouldn’t put up with it from anyone else,’ I grumble when we break apart, and he smiles at me softly.

‘I’m so glad God was fine with it.’ ‘Of course she was! I told you she would be. You just worry too much.’ ‘I know, I know. I can’t believe you spoke to God dressed an angel when you’re literally her biggest betrayer’s daughter.’ ‘Did you just refer to my dad as God’s biggest betrayer?’ I ask with a raised eyebrow, and he winces, making me laugh. ‘Sorry.’ ‘It’s fine. He’s not that good a dad, anyway.’ ‘Oh, God, have you got daddy issues? Would be nice if you’d told me before I started dating you,’ he says, mirth in his eyes, and I shove him gently. ‘You’re so annoying.’ ‘You wouldn’t have me any other way,’ he grins, and I roll my eyes. ‘You’d be boring if you weren’t so annoying.’ ‘Oh, thanks.’ ‘I’m kidding. Kind of. No, I’m joking, I’m joking. I wouldn’t have you any other way,’ I admit when he starts pouting, laughing at the proud grin that stretches across his face.

‘You’re so whipped for me.’ ‘I am not whipped.’ ‘You are.’ ‘Am not.’ ‘It’s okay. I like you whipped. Whipped you is super cute.’ ‘Cute?’ ‘I was gonna say sexy, but I thought that’d make you act up,’ he laughs, and I raise an eyebrow, feeling my eyes glow red and watching the grin from his face slowly slip away. ‘You thought right,’ I reply quietly, hand snaking up his chest to the back of his neck, and he gulps imperceptibly. ‘You think there’s any empty rooms upstairs?’ he asks, hands sliding around my waist, a small smirk on his face. ‘Trust me, I’ll make one empty if I have to,’ I grin and his smile grows as he takes my hands into his, our drinks discarded when he pulls me up from the windowsill. ‘You know,’ he begins, pulling me towards the stairs, ‘I never thought it’d be so sexy to hear you threaten to murder people so we can have sex in an empty bedroom.’

‘I’m so tired of all this romance,’ I wail, throwing myself back against the sofa, and Yuna raises an eyebrow at me, holding back a laugh. ‘Romance?’ ‘She threatened to kill people for him. That’s so romantic.’ ‘She’s a demon, so it’s not a big deal for her.’ ‘Did you just say murder isn’t a big deal?’ I ask, and Yuna is silent for a moment. ‘This party’s changed me,’ she says with horror, making me burst into laughter and momentarily forget about my drunken wallowing. ‘It’s crazy being around all these different… magical people,’ she says quietly, obviously not wanting one of the said magical people around us to hear and take it the wrong way. ‘We’re always around vampires. This isn’t any different, if you think about it,’ I say, reminding myself of vampires and then letting out a dramatic cry, Yuna shaking her head amusedly at me.

‘y/n, just go speak to him if you’re that upset. There’s no point ruining your own Halloween by being all drunk and sad. Just speak to him, get it out of the way, and then you can enjoy yourself!’ she says, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘I’m not sure I’ll be able to enjoy myself if he breaks my heart,’ I say dryly, and she thinks for a second before saying, ‘he already did, didn’t he?’ ‘Well… yeah, but-’ ‘So what have you got to lose? Go, speak to him.’ ‘I thought you were calling him an idiot earlier,’ I say pointedly, and she raises an eyebrow. ‘I was before I realised you’d be moping all night and drowning your sorrows in the worst alcohol I’ve ever smelt in my life,’ she spits, making me laugh when she scrunches up her nose, pushing my cup further away from her. ‘It doesn’t smell that bad.’ ‘Tell that to your breath.’ Yuna!’ ‘I’m kidding! But here,’ she says, reaching into her bag and pulling out bubblegum, handing me two pieces. ‘If you’re gonna go speak to Hyunjin, you don’t want to smell like cheap gin,’ she says as I down the rest of my gin and put the bubblegum in my mouth, quickly chewing it down from solid little shells into stretchy elastic gum.

‘Okay, now go. Seriously,’ she prompts, pushing me up from the sofa, and I nod, looking down at myself. ‘How do I look?’ I ask, and she inspects me. ‘Touch up your lipgloss. And take the jacket off – it covers how cute your top is,’ she says, and I do as she says, applying some more lipgloss from the tube that’s in my back pocket before pulling off my jacket, Yuna taking it from me. Now, I’m just in black leather trousers, a black crop top and black heels, looking more like sexy Sandy than pretty pink lady Sandra Dee. ‘Go. And don’t tell the girls you’re going – they’ll stop you and give you all sorts of stupid advice,’ she instructs, and I nod, heading towards the kitchen before I lose my nerve, avoiding the girls dancing in the middle of the room. I take a deep breath when I reach the door before putting my best uninterested face on, pushing the door open and revelling in the way all eyes turn to me. It’s much quieter in here, due to the door separating us from the loud music, and the fact that it’s very late and a lot of people have already left, so I can hear people whispering about how I look.

I ignore the whispering, not bothering to look around yet because I don’t want Hyunjin to catch me looking at him, and just head towards the fridge, pretending to decide what to have before I reach for a small glass bottle of alcoholic pink lemonade. I close the fridge, looking around the room for straws and I spot them, right beside where the vampire boys stand. I head towards them and they all go quiet, obviously expecting me to speak to them, but I don’t bother, just reaching for the packet of black straws and pulling out a clean one. I begin to walk away, hoping my plan will work, and I have to stop myself from punching the air when I hear Jeongin call out, ‘y/n!’ I turn back around slowly, pretending to be surprised when I see them. ‘Oh, hey! I didn’t see you guys there. Where have you been all night?’ I ask, taking a couple steps towards them but still keeping my distance, my eyes staying on Jeongin and not straying to the annoyingly handsome boy beside him. ‘We’ve been around. The question is, where have you been all night? There’s eight of us, and one of you, and none of us have seen you,’ Changbin says with a grin, and I raise an eyebrow, taking a sip from the lemonade. ‘I’ve been around,’ I reply, and his eyebrows go up, an impressed look on his face. ‘Touché,’ he murmurs, a grin spreading across my face at that.

‘I’m gonna head back to the girls in the living r-’ ‘Why in such a rush, y/n? Stay and chat for a bit,’ Felix says with a small smile, eyes cryptic, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘About what?’ ‘You.’ ‘What about me?’ ‘What you’re dressed up as,’ Felix says, and I laugh softly. ‘I was a pink lady, but I got too hot, so I took my jacket off. Is that all?’ I ask, the boys exchanging a glance. ‘No, no, not quite,’ Jisung says, and I roll my eyes. ‘What else then?’ I ask, sounding exasperated to my own ears. ‘I wanna know why you’re so drunk,’ Seungmin says dryly, and I let out a laugh. ‘I’m not that drunk.’ ‘Your eyes aren’t fully focused, the smell of peach gin is literally dripping off you, and you’re chewing on bubblegum to try and cover it up,’ he says pointedly, and I let out a little sigh. ‘Okay, so maybe I’m a bit drunk. What about it?’ ‘You’re usually so responsible, y/n. It’s not like you to get drunk. What’s going on?’ Minho asks, smirk on his face, and then I realise what’s going on. They know what happened, and they know that I’m hurt and that’s why I’m drunk, and they’re basically dangling it in my face.

‘If you must know,’ I begin, all of them practically hanging off my words, ‘I was drowning my sorrows, but now that I’m so drunk I can barely see straight, I feel a lot better. So good, in fact, that I might take the incubus I spoke to a little while ago up on his offer. So, if you’ll excuse me.’ I turn on my heel, heading back towards the living room, and then I hear his voice. ‘y/n, wait,’ he says softly, and I freeze, taking a deep breath before I turn back to face them, the boy shrinking in on himself when he sees my face. This is the first time I’ve looked at him properly, and it breaks my heart how beautiful he looks, his soft dark locks falling over his eyes, tall and lean build dressed in all black, top few buttons of his shirt unbuttoned and trousers skin tight. ‘Yes?’

‘Drowning your sorrows?’ he asks softly, and I want to scream at him, my eyes filling with tears. ‘The embarrassment of leaving me without a word wasn’t enough, and neither was the ghosting me or the telling your friends about what happened so they could interrogate me whilst I’m smashed, so now you have to humiliate me by making me spell out how hurt I am? Is that what’s going on here?’ I demand, voice wavering, and about a million emotions pass across his face, the most prevalent being guilt. ‘No, y/n, that’s not what I-’ ‘I don’t care. Please… just leave me alone like you have been the past few days,’ I spit out, turning back towards the living room, and then I hear sudden movement, feeling a hand grab my arm a few moments later.

I turn around to see him, desperation on his face, and wrench my arm away angrily. ‘y/n, please, let me… explain,’ he pleads, and I hesitate. This is all I wanted, an explanation, and that’s what I came in here for, but now… I don’t know if I can handle the hurt. We stare at each other for a few seconds until I open my mouth, not quite sure what I’m about to say. ‘Fine. Explain,’ I say quietly, relief appearing on his face. ‘Can we go outside?’ he asks, and I nod as I put my drink down on the counter top, letting him lead the way out of the kitchen and out through the back door, everyone whispering behind us.

‘I’m really sorry,’ he says when we’re sat down on a bench, and I let out a humourless laugh, not even looking at him. ‘You can’t be that sorry; you’ve been ignoring me and avoiding me since that night. No reply to my text, no call back, and you didn’t come to the apartment once. So forgive me for not believing you,’ I spit out, and he lets out a little sigh. ‘y/n, I am sorry. And I know I shouldn’t have ghosted you, but I wasn’t sure what I else to do. I should’ve just spoken to you and explained from the start.’ ‘You don’t need to explain. It’s pretty obvious,’ I say bitterly, and I can see him smiling sadly out of the corner of my eye. ‘No, y/n, you don’t understand,’ he says gently, and I meet his eyes as he tells me, ‘I love you.’

I feel my heart stop, my entire body freezing, and it takes a little while to process what he’s telling me. He loves me. ‘So… I heard right. That night, when I was falling asleep, you said it then, didn’t you?’ I ask, and he nods with sad eyes. ‘And it scared me so much that I left.’ ‘But… I love you too,’ I tell him, and he doesn’t react as I expect, just smiling wistfully and nodding. ‘I know you do. You have for a while, and I’ve been lying to both of us by pretending I didn’t know, and pretending I didn’t love you back. But I did, the whole time. I do.’ His words are all I’ve wanted to hear from him, for so long, and yet, he looks so sad, sounds so sad, and it’s breaking me. Why is he acting like there’s something between us that’s stopping this? ‘You love me, and I love you. What else is there to say?’ I ask, and he lets out a mirthless laugh.

‘You’re a human, and I’m a vampire,’ he says simply, as though that explains everything, and I blink at him before saying, ‘what about it?’ His lips curl up into an amused smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘I’m over 300 years old. You’re, like, a fifteenth of that-’ ‘So what? We look the same age anyway.’ ‘We won’t forever. You’ll only get older, and I’ll stay the same. You’ll be 90 dating a 20-year-old.’ ‘That doesn’t matter. We’re in love, Jin. I don’t care what you look like, or what I look like.’ ‘And neither do I. But I won’t even be able to love you in public in a few years’ time, y/n. People will think you’re, like, my sugar mommy or something.’ ‘But I don’t c-’ ‘And, not just that, you’re alive. I’m dead. We can’t have a family, or have children-’ ‘Ugh, I don’t want kids. I never have,’ I say, nose scrunched up in disgust at the thought – all they do is eat, cry and shit. I’d rather not, to be honest – and he lets out a laugh. ‘You might change your mind as you get older.’ ‘Then we’ll adopt.’ ‘y/n…’ ‘I’m being serious! Wouldn’t you prefer to give a kid a better life than they’d have in the care system? Better than me having to carry a baby and my body getting all fucked up because of it.’ ‘And then the kids we adopt will grow to look older than their dad,’ he says pointedly, and my mouth is open, but no words come out. I’ve run out of solutions.

‘It doesn’t matter, Jin,’ I whisper, and he shakes his head sadly. ‘y/n, you’re being silly. You know that it’d never work out. I love you and you love me, but I can’t ask you to give your life to me, when I can’t give mine to you. We can’t grow old together, can’t start a family, can’t love each other in public – these are basic things in a human relationship.’ ‘But we wouldn’t be a human relationship.’ ‘Which is exactly the problem,’ he says softly, and I don’t even know what to say, my eyes full of tears. ‘I’m sorry, y/n. This wasn’t supposed to happen, but you make it too easy for me to love you,’ he whispers, taking my hands into his and my tears spill over onto my face, making him let out a gentle laugh. ‘Don’t cry,’ he murmurs, leaning forward to kiss my tears away, and my eyes flutter shut. I wish I could live in this moment with him forever.

‘Okay, I’ve got a solution,’ I say, mustering up the courage to tell him something that’s been on mind for months now, and he breaks away from me with a raised eyebrow. ‘Living in seclusion so we don’t have to deal with people judging us for the difference in the ages that we look?’ he asks suspiciously, and I laugh. ‘That’s not what I was gonna say, but it’s a good idea,’ I joke, and he rolls his eyes. ‘It is not. What’s your solution?’ he asks, and I take a deep breath before saying, ‘you turn me.’

He doesn’t react, just staring at me for a few seconds before he says, ‘I must be losing my mind because I could swear you just suggested me turning you into a vampire.’ ‘I did.’ ‘y/n, are you fucking crazy?’ he demands, and I sigh. ‘Jin, hear me out-’ ‘No! Are you actually insane? There is no way in fucking hell!’ ‘Why not, Jin? What would I lose? The pale thing is a myth, the burning in the sun thing is a myth, the-’ ‘y/n, are you listening to yourself? That stuff might be myths, but you will have to drink blood to survive! You will watch generations of humans that you love die! You will lose your humanity!’ ‘Jin… I don’t care. The blood thing doesn’t bother me at all. You haven’t lost your humanity, so I don’t think I will either. And… maybe it’ll suck seeing my family die, but my friends… they want the same too, Jin. We’ve all been thinking about it and discussing it, and we all want to turn,’ I admit, his eyes nearly falling out of his head.

‘This isn’t, like, a matching tattoos thing! This is serious!’ ‘We know, Hyunjin, we’re not stupid! We’ve been discussing it for months! But I don’t care if they do or not – I want to anyway. I want to be with you… forever,’ I say, and he shakes his head. ‘No. I won’t turn you, and I won’t let anyone else do it either. It’s not happening.’ ‘Hyunjin, please. This isn’t a spur of the moment thing. I promise I’ve thought it through. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of time with you. I was just waiting to see if you felt the same way before I mentioned it to you. It doesn’t have to happen straight away, obviously, but I just want you to consider it,’ I say, and he shakes his head. ‘You don’t understand. My selfish side wants it more than anything – you think I don’t want to spend the rest of time with you? But my responsible side can’t let you give up human life for me.’ ‘Why? It’s what we both want. We’ll be happy, Jin, so happy, forever. I don’t expect you to agree to it, but promise me you’ll at least think about it, and we’ll discuss it regularly,’ I say, and he doesn’t say anything, looking down at his hands. ‘Please, Jin,’ I plead, and he sighs deeply before his eyes meet mine, my heart stopping like it does every time he looks at me.

‘I’ll think about it. That’s all,’ he says over my loud shout of celebration, an amused smile curling up his lips as I throw my arms around his shoulders, his hands coming around my waist to hold me against him. I tilt my head back to press my lips to his, eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of his kiss – it’s only been a few days, and it feels like a lifetime. He grins against my mouth and we break away after a few seconds, his lips coming to my forehead. ‘I love you,’ he murmurs against my skin, and I feel like I’ve never been happier when I reply, ‘I love you too.’

We stand up from the bench after a little while, holding hands as we head back up to the house. ‘You wanna dance?’ he asks, and I can’t say yes quickly enough, my eagerness making him chuckle. ‘Oh, the girls are gonna kill me.’ ‘Why?’ he asks, and I hesitate before replying, ‘maybe because they all hate you for ghosting me, and we’ve been cussing you nonstop since you left.’ His mouth drops, fear in his eyes, and I wave it off. ‘Don’t worry, it’ll be fine when I explain. But they didn’t even know I was coming to speak to you.’ ‘Well, neither did you. You came to get a drink,’ he says, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘You’re 300 years old and you still don’t know about girls, do you? I came to get a drink because I knew you’d speak to me, stupid,’ I say as though it’s obvious, and his eyes widen. ‘You’re so sly.’ ‘Oh, whatever. You should be glad. If I hadn’t set it up, we wouldn’t be…’ I trail off, not actually sure what we are, and a small smirk spreads across his lips.

‘Wouldn’t be what?’ ‘I don’t know. What… are we?’ I ask, and he laughs. ‘Will you be my girlfriend?’ he asks amusedly, as though he thinks it’s silly, and I know he’s only asking for my benefit. ‘Yes,’ I grin, preening at the question, and he rolls his eyes. ‘So we’re boyfriend and girlfriend, I suppose,’ he laughs, and I laugh along with him, half finding it ridiculous that after confessing that I want to be a vampire so I can spend the rest of my life with him, our relationship is reduced down to boyfriend and girlfriend, and half ecstatic that I can officially call Hwang Hyunjin my boyfriend.

‘Do you know how exciting this is?’ I ask, and he chuckles, raising an eyebrow. ‘We’ve practically been dating for months already anyway.’ ‘I know, but it’s official. Now I can tell people you’re my boyfriend instead of saying you’re my hot friend,’ I explain, and he looks at me in confusion. ‘Who have you been saying that to?’ ‘On nights out, when girls would ask if you’re my boyfriend. I’d say no, you’re my hot friend, and they’d ask if you were single.’

‘And what would you tell them?’ he asks suspiciously, and I bite my lip. ‘No. Obviously. Why would I want all these pretty girls trying to get with you?’ ‘You’re the only pretty girl I’d ever want, y/n,’ he murmurs, making my heart skip a beat, and I raise an eyebrow. ‘I’m being serious! Look how hot you are in your… costume,’ he says amusedly, eyes travelling up and down my body, and I roll my eyes. ‘I promise you, I was wearing my Pink Ladies jacket a little while ago,’ I say, and he raises an eyebrow, taking his own jacket off and putting it over my shoulders. ‘That’s better. I don’t like people looking at what’s mine,’ he says lightly, only half-joking, and I feel my stomach fill with butterflies. ‘Now,’ he says sternly, face serious but eyes shining with amusement, ‘what did you say about an offer from an incubus?’

5 YEARS LATER

Chan and y/n are married and living together in the house next door to the pack house, raising three little werewolf pups. y/n still works night shifts at the diner because she’ll miss it too much if she leaves, and she’s the only one who knows the wolves’ after-turning orders off by heart. She has it ready for them when they arrive, and she feels herself falling in love with him all over again each time he walks in, the same way she did the first time he walked in with his sandy hair and his bright sparkling eyes.

Minho and y/n are in a long-distance relationship – she’s in District 9 and he’s in the 2nd Circle of Hell. He stays at her apartment a couple nights a week, and he takes her for date night every Saturday. Ryujin and Chaeryeong are also seeing a couple of Minho’s friends – y/n’s friends and his friends make quite the dysfunctional group. y/n found a ring in his jacket a little while ago and has been waiting for him to propose, waiting eagerly until she can say yes. She hasn’t come up with a solution to the problem of him not aging when she does, but that can come later, because their love is all that matters to her right now.

Changbin and y/n are happily ruling together in the 5th Circle, doing whatever they can to turn demon hunters back to their original state. They have had a child together and y/n is pregnant again – Minho and his girlfriend pay regular visits because of how much the human girl adores their child. They are old, so old, but y/n feels like a little girl when she’s with Changbin – their love keeps them young and happy, and will do so for the rest of time.

Hyunjin and y/n still live in their apartment, now as an engaged vampire couple. They’ve been engaged for a couple years now and still haven’t started wedding planning yet – they have all of eternity to do that. Lia and Yeji have both turned, and Yuna, Ryujin and Chaeryeong plan to do so too, in the next year or so. y/n’s family knows what she and Hyunjin are, and they have since gotten over their initial despair about the fact that their baby girl will stay this way for the rest of time, and the couple are always welcome at family events. The two have discovered that vampire blood tastes so much better than human blood, and has better effects than human blood too. y/n is still Hyunjin’s little blood bag, but she has a particular fondness for the name now.

Jisung and y/n have their own apartment together in District 9, and they are very much in love. At the beginning, y/n found it difficult that Jisung has sex with people for a living, and so they began… training y/n, building up her stamina and tolerance in a sexual sense, and now she can satiate Jisung alone. Even if she couldn’t, Jisung still wouldn’t have sex with anybody else – she’s the only one he ever wants. y/n and Seonghwa are good friends now, and Jisung and y/n regularly meet up with Seonghwa and his husband (Jisung found it hilarious when they got news of Seonghwa being closeted all that time – he claimed that it made perfect sense because no straight human boys are good enough at sex to get the title of Sex God). y/n still gets a little upset that Jisung can’t get her pregnant, but she’s come to terms with it and the couple have now started to look into adoption.

Felix and y/n have bought a house together on Earth, their common ground, and are engaged – y/n found it slightly ridiculous when Felix proposed to her, considering they’re otherworldly beings that don’t really conform to humans’ customs like marriage, but she still said yes in a heartbeat. Lucifer and God both regularly reach out to the couple, asking them to visit, and have even showed up at their house a few times (it was more than awkward when they both visited at the same time). Felix and y/n stayed a few weeks in the 5th circle with Satan’s daughter and her love, and their child took a particular liking to Felix. After seeing him with the child, y/n suggested they have children of their own, and they have begun trying to get pregnant.

Seungmin and y/n are living together in District 9, the two of them slowly aging together as a happy married couple. y/n redecorated Room 13 at the surgery for Seungmin, and she much prefers it now, spending a lot of her time there with him, training to become a magical nurse. Seungmin’s mum was over the moon when y/n started making appearances at family events again, and she played the part of the enthusiastic mother-in-law perfectly at their wedding a year ago. y/n is still trying her best to be a nicer person, and she is mainly succeeding. She slips up every now and then, but Seungmin is always at her side to pull her up on it.

Jeongin and y/n lived together at 325 Sunshine Street for a little over three years before Jeongin sat y/n down to tell her that he wouldn’t be a ghost for much longer, and would be passing over to the afterlife soon, as he had discovered that his unfinished business was the house. He’d found someone worthy of living in the house, and they’d truly made it a home – where he and his friends had made it fit to live in, a house in only a home once it’s full of light, love and life. And once y/n had brought that, his business on earth was finished. She held back her sadness over the last few weeks of his time with her, and threw a farewell party with all of his friends. She felt her heart break when she awoke one morning to find that the other side of the bed was empty, and he was gone forever. Jeongin’s friends drop in nearly every day to check on y/n, and she’s doing much better than she was when he first left. She still misses him, more and more every day, but she’ll be okay, because she knows that even if she can’t see him, he’s always with her, no matter what.

#bystay #starryktown #kwritersworldnet #skz #stray kids #stray kids fluff #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fanfiction #skz fluff #skz fanfiction #skz fanfic #stray kids au #stray kids angst #stray kids imagine #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #skz imagine #skz angst #skz au #stray kids smut #skz smut #bang chan #chan #lee minho #minho #lee know #seo changbin #changbin #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin

[smediumsmeatbae]

Family Portrait (1)

PAIRINGS: Chris Evans x Reader SUMMARY: You want to get some portraits of Chris and you. Then, a ridiculous and hilarious theme is born.  WORDS: 1240-ish WARNINGS: Maybe a swear word? Drinking, the 80’s, but pure fluff! A/N: So this is my first sort of “crack” fic that I’ve ever done and I’m not even sure if it constitutes as that but it’s definitely vv silly. :D This is part one of a two part fic. Please do not publish this fic without my permission.  Not beta tested, mistakes and bad writing are my own.  Tags will be in the reblog because tumblr suuuucks.  Likes are awesome. Reblogs and comments are better. (And keeps content fresh!)

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The idea was a crazy one. When you had come up with it, you both had been taking shots of tequila with Scott and Zach. The laughter didn’t die down for several minutes and the ideas just kept flowing,  each one more awful and hilarious than the next. Mullets. Flock of Seagulls. Thick, wire-rimmed glasses. Cindy Lauper makeup. GIANT. PUFF. SLEEVES.

What was the idea that had the four of you laughing so hard? Family portraits. 

PRE-TEQUILA NIGHT: 

“You know, we’ve never gotten any professional pictures done before, babe.” You mused. 

As you were looking at the wall in front of you, you noticed that there were all kinds of candid pictures of Chris and you out with friends, silly pictures of you and he goofing around, there were photos of family game nights and a particular shot of a flipped over game of Chutes and Ladders where Chris swore Scott was cheating. There were past Halloween photos where you all dressed up in increasingly ridiculous costumes. Last year, Chris had been Sweeney Todd and you had been Mrs. Lovett. There were also photos of you two all dressed up, pre premiere or award show nights.  

One particular favorite shot of yours was the first award show Chris ever took you to. It was the People’s Choice Awards in 2015. Chris looked very handsome in a plaid shirt with a navy sweater over it. You had gone for a simple emerald green cocktail dress; something classy, but wouldn't outshine your love. That night had been amazing. First, Chris had won the award for best action movie actor. You had never been so proud, until later that evening when Chris broke the internet by escorting Betty White up to the stage, showing the world how much of a gentleman he was. That was the night you fell even more in love with him.

“What are you talking about? We have all kinds of professional photos.” Chris called back to you, snapping you out of your memories.  “No, you have professional photos for work. That doesn’t count.” You corrected him.  “Huh… Now that I think about it, yeah. I have so many of those things, I forget sometimes.”  “We haven't even gotten engagement photos yet.” You mock pouted.

Chris chuckled as he came over to you and kissed the top of your head. 

“Well, how about we get some? I have a friend who is a professional photographer. We can get some really nice shots of you and I. It would be super intimate, casual, no pressure.”  “Okay, Chris, but we still have to wear somewhat decent clothes. I want this to be nice. You can’t go in your sweats.”   “Oh please, what d'ya take me for?” Chris scoffed. “I can dress up when I wanna.” 

TEQUILA NIGHT: 

After that day, the photos conversation had gotten put on kind of a back burner of sorts. Chris still had all of his work at Marvel to do working on Civil War and you were just as busy at the publishing company you worked at. Neither one of you brought it up until Scott had asked how the wedding planning was going. 

“Oh Chris that reminds me, did you call your photographer friend for engagement photos?” You asked.  “Crap, no sweetheart, I forgot."  “No worries babe. Can you do it this weekend?”  “Promise.” 

As Chris gave you a peck on the lips, you could hear Scott making fake gagging noises. You stuck your tongue out at him. Zach ribbed him to quit being a child. 

“Have you guys thought of a theme for the pictures yet?” Zach asked, excitement in his eyes.  “A theme? Don't we just go take some nice pictures in a park somewhere?” You asked.  “Well, the thing this year is themed engagement photos. They’ve been blowing up all over the internet of people having spooky themed ones, zombie ones, serial killer ones…”  “Okay that’s enough.” Chris looked on in mild discomfort. “That sounds kind of awful.”  “Well, you don't have to have murder themed ones.” Scott rolled his eyes. “There are people that do cute stuff too, like recreate the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti scene.” 

You let out a laugh at that. Chris would look so cute as the Tramp scooting a meatball towards you. But the thought of a bow in your hair like Lady didn't suit you. No, it had to be something different, something more you two. 

“Well I do like the idea of a theme, just as long as it suits both of us. You know how much I love a theme.” You grinned.  “Let’s take some shots and then decide.” Scott declared as he held up the bottle. 

As the night went on, more and more ridiculous themes kept being called out. There was a Jurassic Park themed one where Chris would dress up in one of those t-rex outfits and chase you around. There was a 1950’s themed one where you would be on a picnic but you instantly vetoed that. You would not be in a poodle skirt and sweater set in June.  Scott suggested a Patriots themed one, which perked Chris up. 

“We can definitely have a couple of Pats ones for sure, but I’m not seeing an entire theme out of it.” You decided. 

It was then that the stereo system started playing one of Chris and your favorite 80’s songs: Take On Me. To Scott and Zach’s utter dismay, you two would not be silenced until the song was over. It was then that you had a brilliant idea. You had a brilliant, awful idea. How could you have not seen it before?

“BABE!” You partially screamed, thanks to the three shots of tequila you had previously taken. “80’s theme! We could recreate those awful mall gallery photo shoot ones with the terrible backgrounds and the big bouffant hair!” 

Chris burst out laughing, clutching his chest at the idea. Scott and Zach were soon to follow, deeming it a perfect idea for the two of you. It was fun, silly, and cute. You would still do a few shots that were “normal” and a couple of ones in your matching Pats jerseys, but these photos would be the center focal point of the whole session. 

After that, the four of you were wild with ideas on what to do for the shoot. The dorkier looking, the better. Maybe you would be able to do a photo where the two of you were looking at the photographer and then a cutout in the same photo of the two of you looking wistful and stoic into the horizon. Of course you needed to do a background laser theme, a callback to one of Chris’s school photos from his childhood.

“Do you still have those wire rimmed glasses from the Dennis sketch you did for Kimmel?” “Oh man, those would be perfect!” Chris laughed.

By the end of the night, you and Chris had a plan to take the perfect engagement photos. You were going to curl your hair in really tight curls for a mock perm look, making sure to put a ton of hairspray in it. You also were starting to get ideas for makeup, channeling 80’s Whitney and Madonna. Chris had the glasses but you were sure you could find some outfits that would be cringy awesome for him. You couldn’t wait to take these photos!

#chris evans #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans fandom #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fan fic #chris evans fem!reader #chris evans x reader #chris evans x female!reader #chris evans x female reader #chris evans crack fic #crack fiction #crack fanfiction #rpf #chris evans rpf #american actor rpf #80s!Chris

[suitofvibraniumarmor]

If You Just Realize

Part Thirteen: Keep It Together

Summary: More changes come for Sebastian and his girls.  Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader Word Count: 2405 Series Warnings: Death, angst, sadness. Lots of creative licensing, I’m sure. Chapter Warnings: Implied smut, child custody issues.   Square Filled: This entire series will fill my realized feelings square for @marvelfluffbingo. A/N: I’ve much enjoyed writing this series, and I hope all of you enjoy reading it! The tag list is open; requests to be added can be done so here. There are bits and pieces of Romanian throughout the series, mostly from Google Translate and the few things I’ve picked up as I learn the language.

Also, I don’t know why I’ve never mentioned it before, but a huge song inspiration for the title of this fic (and some chapter titles) is Realize by Colbie Caillat.

Series Masterlist

The car ride to the Hills’ house was tense; with an important, unfinished conversation behind them and another unknown in front of them, both Sebastian and Y/N were on the defensive. So much had happened in such a short time, they both felt as though it was only a matter of who would break first. 

“That car wasn’t here when we dropped her off,” Y/N noted, getting out of the car. She met Sebastian at the front and held tight to his hand — more for her own comfort, she had to admit, than for his. 

He said nothing, only walked with her up to the front door and rang the bell. Alice was there before the chimes finished, concern etched into her features. 

“I didn’t know,” was the first thing she said, welcoming them in, but no further than the foyer. “I’m so sorry — Conor stopped by unexpectedly. Tim tried to just visit with him here on the porch, but his thinking still isn’t so quick and when Conor asked what I was doing …”

“And Conor wanted to see her,” Sebastian surmised. “Is he with her now?”

Alice nodded. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know how to tell him no without upsetting the whole situation and Tim and Milena.”

“It’s not your fault — what else were you supposed to do?” Sebastian squeezed her shoulder. “Where are they now?”

“In the den, watching cartoons.”

Sebastian dropped Y/N’s hand and stalked towards the den. She and Alice were hot on his heels though, concern and fear racing through them at the stern set of Sebastian’s jaw and the dark shade of blue his eyes had taken on. 

In the den, Milena was curled up in Tim’s lap, watching cartoons. She was stealing glances at Conor, as though waiting for him to make any kind of sudden movement. Sebastian stopped at the entryway and took a deep breath to calm his demeanor before Milena saw him. 

“Hey, munchkin,” he greeted with a smile. “Ready to go home?”

Y/N breathed a momentary sigh of relief when she reached Sebastian’s side and saw the smile on his face; even if it was only for Milena’s benefit, it eased her nerves, too. 

“Uncle Seb!” Milena exclaimed, scrambling down from Tim’s lap and racing toward her uncle. She wrapped her arms around his legs and looked up at Y/N. “We going home now?”

Y/N picked her up and nodded. “Yes, princess, we’re going home. Where are your shoes?”

“I have them in my room,” Alice answered. “Come on, Milena, let’s show Y/N where they are.”

The women left the room, and only then did Conor rise from the couch to shake hands with Sebastian. The latter man returned to his closed off, cold expression. 

“I’ll leave you gentlemen to talk,” Tim excused himself. Conor helped his dad up from the chair, and then Tim was out of the room, leaning on the walker for support. 

Sebastian kept his eyes on Conor the whole time. “You cannot be around her. If I have to have that put in the court papers too, I will. I know you’ve hit some low points, but putting your parents in this situation? Especially after everything they’ve been dealing with since your dad’s stroke?”

“She’s my daughter,” Conor returned. 

“Not according to the papers you signed saying you didn’t want her,” Sebastian reminded. “She’s ours. Y/N and I will raise her, my parents and your parents will help and will see her as often as they’d like. You will never be a part of that.”

Sebastian turned to go, but Conor grabbed for his arm. Sebastian turned back, looked down at the grip on his arm, then back at Conor. That man put his hands up in surrender and took a step back. 

“I’m sorry, but this conversation isn’t over,” Conor explained. “I was wrong to sign my rights away. I’ve seen her grow up through pictures up until now, but Irina would never hear of anything different.”

“And why should she have?” Sebastian countered. “You didn’t want Milena! You made that clear months before she was even born.  I was there. My parents, your parents were there. My wife has been there more for Milena since Irina died than you have in her entire life. Where have you been when she cries for Irina? Where have you been when her tummy aches for no reason at all? Where have you been when she’s crying and screaming for hours at night? Nowhere. You haven’t been around at all. Now you see her for the first time in her life and you think you want things to change? You have no idea who Milena is, what her needs are.” He shook his head. “You can say whatever you want, man, but I’m not going to up-end her world any more than what’s already been done out of my control.”

Conor set his jaw. “We’ll see what the courts have to say about that.”

Sebastian snorted. “Yeah, go ahead and get the courts involved. You’re not going to win. Milena is ours, Conor. She will never be yours.”

With that, Sebastian picked up Milena’s jacket from the back of the couch and went in search of his wife and niece. 

“How many days till my bir’day?” 

Sebastian smiled and mentally counted the days. “Let’s see, we just finished Halloween, you birthday is the first day of December … about twenty-seven.”

“That’s so many,” Milena whined. 

Y/N smiled from the counter where she was kneading bread dough. Sebastian and Milena were ‘helping’ from the other side of the island — which really meant Milena was playing with Play-Doh and Sebastian was supervising to see that none of the play stuff got in with the actual dough. 

“It’ll be here before you know it,” Y/N assured, measuring out some cinnamon and sugar to fold into the dough. “What kind of party should we have? Oh, let me guess — princesses!”

But Milena wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “No! I want puppies!”

The adults laughed at the squeal of excitement that followed the mention of puppies. A shared glance when Milena went back to her Play-Doh told Y/N that Sebastian was thinking exactly the same as she was: it was time to talk about getting a pet in the house. 

“I mean, we have all this land,” Sebastian began after putting Milena down for an afternoon nap, “seems silly not to have some little creature running around to keep Milena busy.”

“Little creature,” Y/N chuckled, setting the timer for the bread to bake. “Well, we can start looking, but if we want it for her birthday, we shouldn’t look for too long. I’ll get with your mom and Alice and see what we can all put together. Not that you and Tim wouldn’t wanna help but …”

“But it’s probably better we don’t,” he laughed. “I get it.”

She flashed him a winning smile before going to the sink to work on the dishes and Sebastian’s heart beat faster. Since the day Conor had shown up, they hadn’t resumed their conversation, having agreed there was too much going on at the moment to deal with anything else. Milena needed stability and calm, and they couldn’t offer that to her with Conor’s legal threats, the night terrors, and grieving her mother already on their plates. 

Today, however, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. The house was warm and smelled of autumn, thanks to the candles Y/N had lit throughout the place. With his two girls there in good spirits, he finally felt like the place was home. She was singing along softly to the music playing from her phone as she rinsed out the dishes and loaded the washer. Her oversized sweatshirt — one he was sure had actually come from his collection — with the sleeves rolled up and her form-fitting cotton leggings had his eye all day as possibly the most adorable outfit he had ever seen her wear. It seemed a shame that he hadn’t kissed her in so many days. 

She drew in a sharp breath when his hands landed on her shoulders, then giggled when she realized he was behind her. His lips pressed to the top of her head; she leaned back into him. 

“You smell extra good today,” she told him softly. 

Sebastian smiled. “I’m glad you think so. I know we have a lot of things unfinished and undecided between us, Y/N/N, but today feels so much like home. You are home to me. You’ll have to forgive me if I needed to be a little closer to you for it.”

Turning in his arms, Y/N shook her head. “Nothing to forgive.”

He smiled and dipped his head down to kiss her. Shivers raced over his spine when her hands, chilly from rinsing dishes, brushed over the back of his neck. She responded to his kiss eagerly, making Sebastian wish he had pushed closer to her sooner. As the kiss continued, he lifted her onto the counter and pushed between her legs so that he could be as close to her as possible. 

“I suppose,” Y/N told him between kisses, “there is one piece of unfinished business we could get on with — at least one.”

Sebastian raised a brow. “At least one?”

She nodded then returned to their kiss. Sebastian picked her up and carried her bridal style to their bedroom. He was sure of one thing they could finish, but what else was there? It had him slightly distracted as he moved over her on the bed. His kisses softened as he settled on top of her, balancing his weight on his elbows. 

“You’re sure about this? There’s more discussion for us to have, you know,” Sebastian reminded her in almost a whisper. 

Y/N drew in a deep breath and caressed his face. “I love you, Sebastian. I want this life with you. Do you think you want this life with me?”

“No,” he answered, pushing her hair away from her face, “I know that I want this life with you. I love you, Bright Eyes.”

Her grin was as big as he had ever seen it. He leaned to kiss her again, his hand going under that oversized sweatshirt, his heart reveling in the certainty of their love for one another. 

The blow came a few days later. Philip called so early in the morning, Milena was still asleep, and Y/N and Sebastian were only awake because she had a flight to Los Angeles for a talk show interview the next day. 

“I almost forgot in all of this that I am actually an actress,” she chuckled over her coffee. 

Sebastian smiled back at her, his heart not yet ready to let her be across the country, even it was only for a quick trip. “Too bad we can’t stay inside our cozy little bubble here.”

“Mmm, agreed.”

The phone rang then; Sebastian frowned at Philip’s name on the caller ID at that hour. He slid his thumb across the screen and answered with measured concern in his voice. 

“You’re on speaker, Y/N is here with me,” he added, pressing the appropriate option on the screen. 

“Good morning,” Philip sighed, “and also my apologies for starting your day this way. I don’t know how he managed it, but Conor has gotten a judge to rule for him to a mandated week with Milena in his care, to see how things go.”

“He can’t do that! He signed his rights away!” Y/N exclaimed. Tears immediately filled her eyes. 

Philip sighed. “I know that, but this is complex situation. He’s her biological parent, her mother has passed away. I’ve never dealt with this judge before, but apparently she’s got a soft spot for fathers who are doing their best to be fathers.”

Y/N opened her mouth again, but Sebastian stopped her. “What does this mean?”

“Child and Family Services will be coming to get her later this morning. Pack her enough for a couple of days, but Conor has been told he needs to provide for her during this week, as well. Apparently he’s got a live-in girlfriend who he’s been with for a while, and she’ll be there to help him.” 

Sebastian was near speechless. “We can’t fight this?”

“It all happened really quickly — I wasn’t even notified until it was on paper and signed off, or bet your ass I would have fought it. I know before I said we wouldn’t need it, but it would have been much better at this point to have Irina’s wishes on paper.” He paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, I know that’s not helpful. The best I can tell you right now is prepare Milena for what’s going to happen. Tell her it isn’t permanent as far as you know, tell her that you’re going to bring her back home just as soon as you can, but also don’t speak poorly of Conor. After a week, CFS will bring her back to you.”

“I’ve got to cancel my flight,” Y/N said, already on her own phone to call her assistant. Sebastian gently took the device from her, motioning for her to wait. 

“All right, Phil, thanks for letting us know. If anything else comes up — just let us know what we can do to keep her.”

Philip promised that he would, then the men disconnected the call. Sebastian turned to Y/N. 

“I don’t want you canceling that interview,” he told her. “As much as I know you want to be here, I’m not ready for the media to get a hold of this. As soon as you cancel something, they’re going to start speculating and digging. I can’t have that, not yet. You can’t help here, anyway.”

She sniffled. “But I want to be here for you.”

“I know, and I do want you here with me, but to protect ourselves and our privacy for right now, we’re going to have to support each other from a distance for a couple of days.” He kissed her head. “Besides, if they go to Conor, I get the feeling the pseudo-fame will only fuel his purpose.”

Y/N stood to wrap her arms around his neck. Sebastian held her just as tight, praying as they held each other that the little family they were working so hard to stabilized wouldn’t be permanently torn apart by this development. 

AllOfTheThings: @captain-s-rogers @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @hurricanerin @horsesandbandsforlife @im-not-an-armrest-im-short @shynara51 @sea040561 @pinknerdpanda @xtina2191 @jackryanplz @beakami @heartsaved @fullprunerebelstatesman @blackwidowismyhomegirl @averyrogers83 @jennmurawski13 @connie326

IYJR: @elsatxx @tanelle83 @amanda-teaches @etherealwaifgoddess @kmuir1 @ntlmundy @jayankles @rebekahdawkins @denise1605 @rhadigen @peace-love-hobbitness @itsallyscorner @mizzzpink @auspiciousharriet @the-murder-strut-murdered-me @learisa @tellmewhatyouwill @katherinereid @lokilokilokilokilokiloki @auriandthepussicats @tellmewhatyouwill @itsmycorneroftheinternet @andreagf956​ @voltage-my2dlove​

#marvelfluffbingo2020 #sebastian stan #reader insert #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian x reader #queue and i remember budapest very differently

[chocolatemin]

word count: 8.51k

contains: fantasy, fluff, angst, crack, psychological issues, violent themes and mentions of explosives, implied fem!reader, mention and description of food, cursing

note: yaaaay! I'm back with another fic for Halloween Special, the story was mainly inspired by none other than my favorite Disney movie, Alice in Wonderland and the word ‘horologe’! I had so much fun writing and this is my longest one yet, about the pairing-- it’s a secret! You’ll find out along the way ;) I hope you enjoy reading! <33

「1st Strike.」

You sat on the bottom of the tree, feeling the texture of the paper on your fingertips as you flipped through the pages of the book you are reading. Horologium, it has been stuck in your bookshelf for years. You always tell yourself to read it after finishing a book but somehow, you always end up forgetting it. The book’s cover has always been intriguing to you, it was simple and pleasing, yet it has a vibe that you cannot determine. You read one of the passage aloud: 

“By the time the clock strikes twelve,

Thou shall hear the sound of bells,

Make sure to bid thy farewell,

Or the day shall repeat its spell.”

“What?” Your brows furrowed in confusion, under the passage was a picture of a pocket watch that is oddly familiar to you. You shrugged off the thought and closed the book, ready to head home. It was still early, around 10 o’clock, and the tree created a perfect shade for you to read your book peacefully at, however you have still errands to do. 

“I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” Your ears perked upon hearing a tiny voice not too far from your spot. Huh? You got up from your seat and dusted off your clothes. You carefully made your way towards the source of the voice and tried your best not to create loud sounds as you stepped on the fallen dried leaves on the ground. Quietly peeking from the leaves, you saw a talking squirrel in a suit, running for its dear life. Wait, a squirrel? You must be mistaken. You blinked your eyes a few times but nothing has changed, there really is a talking squirrel in a suit running. Letting the curiosity get the best of you, you quickly followed the squirrel. It seems to be too caught up in being ‘late’ that it didn’t notice you following it. 

“Goodness, I’m late!” The squirrel groaned once more before ducking safely under a log. You were almost there when you felt something slipped out from your pocket halting you to a stop. You looked behind you and saw your pocket watch lying on the ground. You immediately picked it up, examining if there are scratches or broken parts and thankfully, there is no damage or else your mother is going to get mad. And when she gets mad, all hell breaks loose. 

“Oi, Felix! Whatcha doin’ mate?” You saw a blonde guy approaching another blondie while grinning widely. He has such a nice jaw and cute dimples. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, showing off his well-toned muscles.

“Look at this egg!” The taller blondie, which you assumed as ‘Felix’, flashed a cute smile, extending his arm towards the shorter one, holding out an egg, “isn’t it cool!”

“What’s so cool about it?” The blonde guy which you didn’t know the name looks at Felix quizzically. Felix’ reaction was a mix of shock and disgust causing a giggle to escape your lips. You instantly covered your mouth but they already turned their heads to you, “A friend!” Felix yelled before they practically ran over to you.

“Hi! My name’s Felix!” Felix asked, holding his hand out to you, “What’s yours?” You were skeptical about shaking his hand but you didn’t want to come off as rude and impolite so you hesitantly took his hand, “I’m Y/N.”

“That’s such a pretty name!” The shorter blonde spoke, “I’m Chan, and we’re brothers. Nice to meet you,” he extended his hand to you for a handshake which you still took skeptically, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was just passing by.” You hid your hands behind your back.

“Do you wanna hear a great story?” Felix chirped with excitement.

“Maybe next time? I still have to go somewhere.” You glanced at your right, where the squirrel headed off, taking a few steps away from them and you could see the dejection in their eyes.

“Wait! Aren’t you curious about the sunset and sunrise?” Chan asked and in which you firmly answered, “No, not at all.” 

“Are you sure about that, mate?” Felix followed, wiggling his brows simultaneously.

“Yes.”

“Are you really not going to listen to it?” Chan pouted, giving you his ‘puppy’ eyes. Well, you think it is cute but your curiosity about the squirrel is killing you. You shook your head, “Not a chance.”

“You’re not really going to give it a chance?” Felix clasped his hands in front of his chest and pouted, causing your heart to flutter and become annoyed at the same time. When are they going to stop?

“You’re annoying! Fine. Let me hear about it.” You grunted and you saw them jump in excitement, “Ha! Told ya, you are curious!” Felix cooed.

“I am not. Now, kindly get to the story so you can stop bugging me about it.”

Chan began the story, “The sun is afraid of the dark so it hides during night time.” He created gestures as he continued, “The sun is known to be the warrior of the day, so the Sun cannot afford to lose its reputation by simply being scared of the dark.” Felix continued, “This is where the Moon enters, the Moon cannot stand the day because it was too blinding for him. So, they made an agreement. The Moon shall hide during the day and reign on its glory at night.” 

Chan followed, “The sun shall rise and dawn upon the day, but they shouldn’t tell anyone their little secret. They made an alliance, tricking everyone that they both ‘rule’. And so the night came, the Sun immediately hid under the mountain while the Moon glimmered at night. And then, the morning came…” Chan nudged Felix’ side, signaling him to resume the story in which Felix nodded, “And the sun yeeted the moon.” 

“No, Felix! The story is not supposed to end that way!” Chan ruffled his hair a little aggressive, placing his hands on the sides of his waist. You watched the two bicker over the ending of the story until you heard the ringing of bells. Your eyes widened as the color of the surroundings started turning into different arrays of color. You felt dizzy and your vision started to swirl. The squirrel! I totally forgot about it, thanks to these two. You feel yourself falling but all you can see is darkness and you’re definitely terrified. You feel your chest tightening along with a lump in your throat while you become lightheaded. Panic washed your body as you experience two of your worst fears– not being able to see and falling from heights. But before you completely pass out you grabbed your watch from your pocket and saw its hands glow as it pointed on 12. 

「2nd Strike.」

“Wait! Aren’t you curious about the sunset and sunrise?” Chan asked. You were confused, mouth hanging open upon the happening. What did just happen?

“Didn’t you ask me that earlier?” You tilted your head, looking at him with confusion.

“No, I didn’t.” Chan gave you a puzzled look.

“Really?” They both nod at the same time, you were disoriented by the happenings. First, you met these two earlier and you agreed to listen to their story, second, your sight turned into an unfamiliar vision before free-falling at a void of darkness, and third, you were suddenly back with Chan and Felix. The squirrel! You glanced to your right and saw the footprints left by the animal in a hurry, “but I have to go somewhere.”

“Are you sure about that, mate?” Felix wiggled his brows, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Yes, and if you would excuse me, I’ve got something to do. Goodbye.” You waved your hands before running off to the direction where the squirrel headed at. You hear their shouts of disapproval but you disregarded it. You already knew the ending anyway, right? 

You hurriedly tried to follow the footsteps but it only led you to a wooden gate. You peeked on the hole to see two tall men wearing extravagant clothes arguing over something you couldn’t quite figure out. What you didn’t expect is for the gate to swing open by itself, revealing your dumbfounded self.

“A guest!” The brown-haired lad clapped his hands, gesturing you to step inside in which you were compelled to, "Welcome to the party. Please enjoy yourself.” He flashed you a captivating smile. 

“Hyunjin, what a shame to our guest, tell the chipmunk to hurry up!” The brown-haired lad smacked Hyunjin’s arm to get his attention from dancing on his own. Hyunjin nodded upon the order, taking the bell on the long table, shaking it violently and you covered your ears using your hands. What’s wrong with this guy?! However, your annoyance was cut short by the clanking of porcelain and plates coming from the back door. 

“Squirrel!” You almost yelled and the two turned their heads to you. You notice how perfect their faces were, the taller– Hyunjin has a mole under his eye that highlights his pretty eyes and thick brows, he has a pointed nose and full lips. You haven’t seen anyone as pretty as him, heck, he’s even prettier than your sister. While the other lad, which you still didn’t know the name of, looks a lot mature and more masculine than Hyunjin, he was charismatic, his eyes are something, so are his lips. 

“Do you have any problem, Miss...” Hyunjin eyed you a bit harshly, causing goosebumps to form on your arms and you decided not to give your true name.

“Alex. No, I just didn’t expect a squirrel out of all to bring the tray.” You feigned innocence, smiling to him and he returned the smile with a hint of mischief. 

“Oh, how rude of me not to introduce myself, you can call me Minho.” The brown-haired lad removed his hat and bowed, offering you a blue rose. As you picked up the rose from his hand, you felt your heart skip a beat. You faintly smiled at his courteousness but you were interrupted by no other than, Hyunjin.

“Miss Alice, I think you should join us dance. A party is not complete without dancing!” Hyunjin dragged you towards a spot near the end of the long table, he then walked over to the table, taking a teaspoon and tapped the teacup three times, “Music, please!” 

A loud booming sound of a trumpet was followed by the strumming of harp, accompanied by percussion and stringed instruments, and it rather sounded obnoxious to your ears. Looking around, you couldn’t find the source of the music, you were flustered. How the heck is that even possible? There wasn’t even a record player to begin with. You stood awkwardly watching Minho and Hyunjin dance rather crazily than dancing according to the music. Minho noticed you and spoke, “You should dance with us!” 

You shook your head, “No, I cannot dance, besides, I have somewhere else to go.” You stepped back.

“Then have a bite first, a party isn’t a party without sweets!” Hyunjin shoved a saucer to you with a slice of red velvet cake with mint chocolate frosting topped with blueberries. You almost puked just by looking at the bizarre combination of flavors, it didn’t even look pleasing to your eyes.

“Thanks, but I’m good.” You forced a smile and returned the saucer on the table. When you looked back at Hyunjin, his brows were knitted and he was glaring at you, shivers ran down your spine and you were frozen at your spot. His pretty face is now contorted with anger and disappointment.

“Your behavior is so ugh!” Hyunjin raged, making Minho stop from dancing. Hyunjin grabbed something from his pocket that looked like a bath bomb, you don’t know whether to feel frightened or laughing because it didn’t seem harmful. But you felt your insides turn upside down as soon as you heard Minho’s celebration, “Bomb fight!” 

In a blink of an eye, Minho was already holding many bombs. Fuck, they are out of their minds! Your adrenaline came rushing and before you can even think, your body was already making its way out of the place. You heard Hyunjin and Minho’s steps and explosions from behind, you glanced to your back and saw the squirrel come out running from the mixture of colored smokes. You realized that it that the bombs weren’t catastrophic but it still scared you. As much as you wanted to get away from the two, you can’t help but feel bad for the squirrel so you turned your heels and rushed to it. You frantically grabbed the squirrel and carried it. Albeit getting farther from the two, you didn’t notice the bomb coming at your direction. You were shaking as soon as you saw the bomb drop in front of you, and as an instinct, you ran back to the opposite side inspite of the colored smoke blocking your sight. You felt the ground shake from the explosion near you, making you lose your balance and your body collided with a softer surface. 

Upon hearing that the explosions stopped, you pushed yourself up and saw an unconscious man lying under you.

“What the hell!” You stumbled backwards, garnering the attention of the man, he looked young though. His black hair is parted in the middle that flaunts his attractive face and his cheeks sort of resembled a squirrel’s. He appeared like a prince because of the tuxedo he was wearing.

“Wow… you were gorgeous.” Your eyes widened and you shut your mouth from embarrassment. You heard him scoff as he helped himself to a sitting position.

“What do you mean ‘were’? I am always gorgeous!” He rolled his eyes at you and you can’t help but to feel irritated from his cockiness. You stood up huffing as you removed the dust and dirt from your clothes.

“By the way, have you seen a squirrel?” You fanned your hands, trying to push away the smoke that causes you suffocation. The man behind you erupted in laughter and he looked at you in a judging manner. You could feel your irritation growing, you wanted no other than to slap that arrogant smirk off his face. “Did I say anything funny?”

“I didn’t expect you to be this dumb.” He made a straight face.

“Pardon?” You glared at him, clearly offended.

“I am the squirrel, dumbass!” 

“But you look.. human...” It sounded more of a question than a statement.

“You know what, nevermind.” He shook his head, “Where are you going anyway? Maybe I can help you.” 

You fought the urge to leave a sarcastic comment to avoid an argument. But where were you heading off to? You were just following him. “I was lost, I wanted to find my way out of here.”

“Are you not from here?”

“No… I am from Alium Orbis.” You fidgeted as you gazed down at your worn out pair of shoes. It really wasn’t your intention to travel to a different place, you only wanted to know what the squirrel was late for.

“I’ve never heard of it, but we can inquire at the palace.” He flashed you an apologetic smile and you nod. 

The skies were already painted with hues of orange and pink yet you were still out in the woods, the route you were taking is the safest yet longest, according to the man beside you. You have learned that his name is Jisung and he was working at Minho and Hyunjin’s sometimes and he was quite used to the two’s antics. He also works for the king, he said that the king had a terrible anger so he works there as one of the palace’s repairmen. You also learned that he wasn’t cocky, he’s just very good at ‘teasing’ people. He joked a lot from time to time and you realized that hanging around with him was fun and never boring.

“Hey, Jisung.” You broke the silence that engulfed the atmosphere as you walked through the dark forest.

“Yeah?” 

“I haven’t eaten since noon, and I’m…” You shyly admitted since you cannot hold in the hunger, your stomach is churning and aching at the same time. You fished out your pocket watch and the timepiece says 8:27. Thankfully, there were lamp posts along the way so you could still see clearly despite the darkness. 

“Right, my house is just a few minute walk from this place, can you still wait a bit longer?” Jisung scratched his nape.

“Yes, but my legs are getting weak so you’ve got to carry me when I cannot walk anymore.” You joked, trying to lift up the mood but Jisung stopped in front of you.

“Hop on.” Jisung crouched, his back facing you.

“Wait– no, I was just joking.” You laughed but your feet and legs are already sore.

“I said hop on.” Jisung impatiently argued, turning his head to you. You gulped nervously and obeyed. You can feel the erratic beating of your heart as Jisung carried you on his back on the way to his house. Your cheeks are flushed from another embarrassment with him. 

“Jisung, I think I can walk now,” you stuttered, “my legs are now okay.” 

“Nah, we’re already here.” You tore your gaze from his back and saw a small but cozy house, “Wait a moment, hold tighter.” You were about to argue but Jisung cut you off. He removed his right hand from supporting your other thigh as he slipped his hand inside his pocket to get the key and opened the door for the both of you. Your heart skipped a beat from his act. 

“Jisung put me down.” You declared earning a chuckle from him before muttering ‘alright’, “Thanks, by the way,” you shy away from his gaze.

“You’re probably exhausted from all the running and walking, you can grab a pair from the clothesline and change in the bathroom,” Jisung pointed towards the door at the kitchen back door, “The bathroom is upstairs, the last door at the left.”

You whispered ‘thank you’ before heading to grab a pair of his clothes and go to the bathroom. As you cleaned up and changed into comfortable clothes, you pondered on how you got in this mysterious place. You heard the clanking of plates and pots from the kitchen as you washed your clothes and you couldn’t help the weird feeling in your chest.

Damn, Jisung has it all.

Not only was he funny, kind-hearted and gentleman, he also knew how to do all the domestic chores and it was a bonus that he’s awfully attractive. You felt the blush creeping up to your cheeks so you immediately shook off the idea. This isn’t right. You thought to yourself. It didn’t take you long enough to finish rinsing you clothes and you soon left the bathroom. You went to the kitchen and you were welcomed by the smell of food and of course, Jisung in an apron.

“Hey, Jisung.” Jisung jumped from your voice.

“You startled me!” He placed a hand over his chest dramatically, “You’re done?”

You nodded, “Can I hang my clothes outside?” 

“Of course, but better hurry up. I’m almost done.” 

The dinner was scrumptious and you savored the food with delight. You didn’t imagine that Jisung was a great chef. You’ve exchanged stories and personal experiences, just like friends in the get-to-know stage. He talked a lot and made you laugh countless times. You offered to wash the dishes as an act of returning the favor, he didn’t even oppose, you saw how his eyes lit up and you couldn’t help but laugh at how happy he looked. 

Gazing through the telescope, “Look at the constellation! It looks like a pendulum!” You stood up and ushered Jisung to switch seats so that he could see it too. You sat beside each other at his mini observatory next to his room. It’s been an hour since you two started stargazing and you were having the time of your lives. It’s been a while since Jisung had a companion and it surely made him all giddy inside, but it wasn’t just the thought of having a companion that makes his heart flutter. It was you and he didn’t know why.

“Y/N, I think I might be falling in love with you.” You were taken aback by Jisung’s confession out of the blue. Long silence filled the atmosphere.

“But it hasn’t even been a day since we met.” You whipped your head to face him and you swore, there’s something in his eyes.

“I know, sounds absurd, right?” Jisung shook his head, you’re right, but who are you to tell him his own feelings, “Y/N…”

Jisung stared at your eyes, so do you, you could see that he was trying to see the deep side of you, trying to figure out the puzzle in you. It was funny how you only met him today yet you felt nostalgic. You stiffened the moment Jisung started closing the gap between the two of you, his eyes trailed from your eyes to your lips and a turmoil started boiling inside your chest. Jisung’s lips were only an inch far from yours when you felt dizzy again along with the ringing of bells in your ears. Your vision swirled and you were transported again in the void of darkness, falling. However, this time, there were faces of the clock in different sizes, all glowing as the hands pointed at twelve. You sighed in relief. Thank goodness, that was close. 

「3rd Strike.」

You adjusted the telescope to find another constellation and you did. This time it looked like a pendulum, you wanted to show it to Jisung but knew fully well what could happen next, “Jisung, I’m getting sleepy. I think I should go to bed now.” You tried your best not to sound too awkward but failed.

“Yeah, sure.” Jisung got up from his seat, offered his hand to help you stand up and he led you to the room you’ll be staying in for the night. 

“Thanks, Jisung,” You stepped inside then turned to face him, “good night.” You smiled at him and he returned the gesture.

“Good night, Y/N.” You waited for him to leave before closing the door behind his back. 

You turned off the light and walked over to the bed, it wasn’t very dark since the moonlight illuminated the room just right. You thought that maybe this “12 o’clock” thingy doesn’t seem bad at all. In fact, it saved you two times, but if you were to be given a chance to go back in time, that would be before he was gone. You also felt guilty for Jisung for an unknown reason. You have to put up an act tomorrow and pretend that nothing happened, well nothing did happen, but what almost did.

You woke up the next day feeling energized and ready to head home. Just like last night, Jisung cooked the meal while you washed the dishes since that was the only thing you could do for him in return, for now. You washed the clothes you wore last night and hung it outside, fortunately, your clothes dried up overnight. It was around 9 o'clock when the two of you left his house. On your journey, you noticed how Jisung seemed a bit off and you had a clue why. He still joked a lot and told you some of his embarrassing moments while working at the palace. You shared how your mother always scolded you whenever you did your antics. How you miss your home.

“Jisung, did you hear that?” You moved closer to Jisung as you whispered.

“You heard it too?” You nod at him and the growling sound became louder. You tugged the hem of his shirt as a signal to stop walking. Your eyes darted to your left, observing your surroundings while Jisung kept his eyes on the right side of the route, “Hey, Y/N. Continue walking but stay as close to me as possible.” He whispered in your ear as he pulled you to his side. You continued on your tracks and pretended as if you didn't hear the loud growling behind you.

“Y/N, on the count of three, you hide there.” Jisung eyed the bush near the oak, “walk faster this time.”

“Got it.”

Jisung mumbled, “One, two,” taking a deep breath, “three!” He pushed you away from him before transforming into a squirrel. You followed his instructions and hid behind the bush, as you peeked, you saw a chimera facing Jisung in his squirrel form. 

“What the fuck, Jisung?” You cursed under your breath, you could see that if he tries to fight, he would be no match for Chimera’s size and abilities, but Jisung is smart and full of tactics– something that Chimera lacks. You trusted Jisung whatever his plan may be.

“If I don’t come back within an hour, you go first, the town is straight ahead. Look for the blacksmith and wait for me there. When he asks you why, just say “Jisung’s”.” Jisung was rapping and you almost didn’t pick up the last part. 

“You wanna eat?” Jisung yelled, “You gotta run first, weakling!” 

You wanted to punch Jisung hard, he really was very good at provoking but this wasn’t the best time to do so. You watched Jisung dashed off to the left side of the forest, which was opposite to where you were hiding. You grow more worried as minutes pass by. After what felt like an eternity, you decided to head first according to Jisung’s plan. Along the walk, you became more anxious about Jisung, you hoped that whatever his plan was, worked for him, because unfortunately, there you are, face to face with another creature– Greater Basilisk, oh, how lucky you were. Knowing that you were nothing compared to the beast, all you can do is run. Turning to your heels, you ran with all your might albeit trembling. You ran here and there, making you more lost than you actually were. You were worried as hell for Jisung and now you were running everywhere just to get away from the beast chasing after you. You were on the verge of breaking down when you heard the ringing in your ears. Thank goodness! You felt dizzy, causing you to trip on a twig you didn’t notice. The last thing you saw before your vision swirled was the Greater Basilisk’s mouth. You were transported into the void just in time, that’s when you let your tears out as you fall into nothingness, and you felt grateful for whatever this thing is.

「4th Strike.」

You opened your eyes and you were back in your hiding spot. You left out a heavy sigh and grabbed the clock from the pocket of your kirtle. The hands were pointing exactly at 11:45. So I get transported to the time, fifteen minutes before twelve. This time though, you decided not to leave your spot.

“So, what are we hiding from?” You flinched at the deep voice. 

“Jisung?” You turned your head and met a man standing behind you wearing a white dress shirt, black trousers and suspenders worn over his shoulders. The first button of his shirt were unbuttoned, making him appear mature. He has his hair styled up that brags his pretty forehead. Were they all required to look this good?

“You’re staring,” He snorted, “and I am not Jisung.” He made himself comfortable beside you. 

“Oh, you have the Horologium.” The man pointed to your pocket watch, “Where’d you get that?” 

“What are you talking about? This was given by my mother.” You clutched the pocket watch close to your chest protectively.

“Is that so? I used to have one but I accidentally stepped on it.” He chuckled and that was the most pleasant thing you’ve ever heard since you came here.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” you shoved back the watch inside your pocket, you felt like he has all the answers to your questions and you figured it wouldn’t hurt trying, “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Where are we?” He threw you a ridiculous look. 

“At the forest, obviously.” You didn’t expect his answer but he’s right. 

“What is this place?”

“Why are you here when you don’t even know this place!” He hit the bullseye, that’s very stupid of you to follow a squirrel without even having an idea where would it take you, and he notices your lack of response, “You’re in District 9.”

You heard a loud growling not too far from your hiding spot, “I hate reptiles.” You bit your lip and peeked from the bush that hid you and your guess was correct, it was the Greater Basilisk. 

“How did you know?” The man beside you asked in a quiet voice. 

“I already encountered that monster earlier!” You spoke in an angry tone, “I can’t believe it’ll come here.”

“So that’s what you were hiding from?” 

“Not really. It just so happened that I followed Jisung’s plan but ended up face to face with that,” you sighed, should I tell him? “Do you know that 12 o’clock thing? I was transported back here before that monster ate my head off.” 

Something in the deepest part of Seungmin’s memory struck upon the mention of 12 o’clock. You were really just like him when he first stumbled at District 9.

“Do you know that your watch can work like magic?” Seungmin asked.

“What are you saying this time?” You eyed him suspiciously.

Seungmin smirked, “The basilisk can smell us, if you wanted to know.” The tiny hairs on your nape stood up and you never wanted to have an encounter with that beast anymore. You took out the pocket watch faster than a lightning.

“What now?” You impatiently asked. Seungmin changed from sitting position into a crouching position before pulling you towards him. He grabbed your hand holding the timepiece and pressed the crown firmly. Your cheeks flushed upon the realization that Seungmin was holding your hand tight but it was cut short by the glowing of light from your pocket watch. The light formed a circle that served as a shell for the both of you.

“What is this?” You asked, bewildered by the hidden power your pocket watch holds.

“The power of Horologium,” Seungmin explained, “It can give you protection and invisibility but it only lasts for half an hour. Pretty cool, right?” 

You faced Seungmin and noticed how dangerously close he was. His eyes met with yours and you felt the loud thumping inside your chest, you’re sure that he could see how red your cheeks were. You realized that he kind of looked familiar to you.

“You’re staring again,” Seungmin lightly chuckled, “I can’t believe you are already falling for me, princess.” 

“If I push you out of this shield, what would happen to you?” You smiled in a sarcastic manner and he just rolled his eyes at you. He was about to say something whilst you glanced over the bush and the basilisk was standing in front of your hiding place. 

“It’s right in front of us! Shh!” You placed your forefinger above his lips to shut him up. Little did you know, Seungmin was already dying inside yet feeling alive from the close proximity, his heart did a series of backflips when your finger came in contact with his lips. He didn’t understand why you have this effect on him and it’s not like he hated it, he was just baffled.

“It’s gone!” Seungmin snapped out of his trance, “But how do I deactivate this?”

“Yeah, right, all you have to do is chant ‘in tempore’.” The shield slowly faded after Seungmin muttered the chant, “See?”

“How awesome!” A wide smile spread across your face from astonishment. 

Seungmin couldn’t suppress the smile forming on his lips from how adorable you looked. 

“Woah there buddy, get your hands off.” Your eyes darted towards the owner of the stern voice and found Jisung with an extremely disheveled hair.

“Who are you to tell me?” Seungmin helped you get up and smiled at you gently making Jisung grow more irritated.

“Why would I trust someone like you?” Oh, Jisung, stop digging your own grave.

“Why are you so worked up? I just helped her hide from a beast, right?” You nodded enthusiastically. Seungmin enjoyed the sight, he can read him and he wanted to try pushing Jisung’s buttons further, “Why are you acting so protective of her when you literally left her alone?”

Jisung clenched his jaw, he couldn’t admit that he was feeling jealous of seeing Seungmin holding you too close to him for his liking.

“I know you find her cute and all but can we like, leave now? We have something else to do, Min.” A charming young man with cold, fox-like eyes and blue hair came out from the opposite side of the forest. He was wearing a vest instead of suspenders, unlike Seungmin.

“How did you find me?” Seungmin’s ears turned cherry red. How could Jeongin expose him like that?

“You just talked to this girl and you already forgot that I can literally smell you from miles? Oh, greater basilisk, this isn’t you, Min!” Jeongin cackled.

“Hey, I have a name!” You glared at him

“Alright, Miss. But I wasn’t talking to you.” Jeongin snapped back.

“Watch your mouth, Jeongin.” Seungmin threatened, he was not just having it. 

“Yeah, sure, Loverboy. Come on, we’ve got to go somewhere!” Jeongin waved his hand in annoyance. 

Seungmin rolled his eyes before whispering to you, “I apologize in his stead, he’s not usually like this.” He walked over to Jeongin while Jisung was shooting daggers with his eyes as Seungmin walked past him. 

“Let’s go, Y/N.” Jisung gave Seungmin one last glare before pulling you to his side.

“See you later, Y/N, bye chipmunk!” Seungmin waved at you before dragging Jeongin away, seeing Jisung frown made Seungmin erupt in laughter. 

Oh god, why does his laugh sound familiar?

“Why were you still there? I told you to go first.” Jisung blurted out unconscious of the anger in his tone.

“Hey, calm down. Why are you so angry? I was almost- if I didn’t wait for you, I would have already been eaten by the basilisk.” Jisung’s anger slowly died down because of your next words, “Also, I was worried as hell for you!” 

“You were?” Jisung didn’t notice the smile creeping up his cheeks.

“Why are you smiling like that? It’s freaking me out.” You pushed Jisung away from you jokingly and he just left a hearty laugh, “You’re weird.”

“Call me that one more time and I won’t treat you to lunch.” Jisung deadpanned.

“Alright, mighty squirrel.”

「Last Strike.」

Upon reaching the castle, you were welcomed by the king having tantrums so you were escorted to the garden instead. His loud yelling echoed within the palace halls and you were never terrified of someone in your life until today, not even your mother. You heard a loud shattering of glass causing you to flinch on your seat, across the you was Jisung sighing heavily. 

“When you said he’s got a bad temper I didn’t know that it was that bad.” You admitted.

“Not to scare you, but actually... that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Jisung gave you an uneasy smile as he picked up a cookie on the table.

After what seemed like an hour, the king’s shouting could no longer be heard and the tension inside the palace walls died down, you were asked to come to a room for interrogation. The servant bowed before leaving the two of you in front of a wooden door. You knocked and heard a muffled voice behind the door saying come in.

“Greetings, my King.” You copied Jisung’s actions and bowed.

“You may have a seat,” The king spoke without sparing you a glance, he was busy signing documents, “What brings you here?”

“My King, I found another lost traveler in our land.” You were confused with Jisung’s statement and he has this mysterious aura around him that left an unsettling feeling inside you.

So this isn’t the first time they’ve encountered people like me.

“Oh, really? Please tell me more about it.” The king finally decided to turn to you.

“Here’s Y/N. She said she was from Alium Orbis.” Jisung took a pause, “does our District 9 perhaps have connection to other lands?”

“Alium Orbis… that sounds familiar.” The king rang the bell and a servant entered the room.

“You called, Your Majesty?” The servant bowed to the king, “Do you need anything, Your Highness?”

“Have you ever heard of Alium Orbis? I think we had someone come here before from that land.” You were staring at the king for a very long time now and you notice how intimidating he looked. His eyes had this sense of authority in them, his broad shoulders also added to his intimidating look, as if he can break anyone into pieces.

“Yes, Your Majesty. His name was Kim Seungmin.” You felt your heart jump upon hearing the name.

“Miss Y/N, do you know him by any chance?” The king’s piercing gaze almost made your soul leave your body.

“I do, Your Highness.” Tons of questions about Seungmin flooded your mind. One day you all woke up and Seungmin disappeared just like that. His parents almost turned mad when they heard the news that their only son was missing.

“That’s good news then.” The king turned to his servant, “Where is he now?”

“I believe he’s with the Teller. He still wasn’t able to leave our land.” 

“I remember now, it’s been exactly twelve years, right?” The king placed his hand under his chin as he tried to figure out the reason, “Suspicious.”

“Nevermind,” The king opened the drawer and took out a piece of paper before handing it to you, “this is the map to the Teller’s place.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” You gave him a small smile.

“I advise you to start your journey sooner before the day gets succumbed by darkness.” You were freaked out by the king’s choice of words but you stood up from your seat anyway.

“Thank you, Lord Changbin.” Jisung bowed before the king and the servant escorted you out of the palace. 

It took you three hours to get to the Teller’s place, you were feeling nervous and uneasy for an unknown reason. You should be excited, right?

You lightly knocked on the door and you were welcomed by none other than him. You did not expect that he would be the one you’re looking for, “Oh, it’s you. Uhm, you are the Teller?” 

“No, it’s Jeongin.” If the man standing in front of you isn’t Jeongin- oh. 

“Seungmin?” A large part of you hope that you’re right, despite the information from earlier, you’ve been looking for him all this time, and maybe that was the reason he looked familiar.

“Yes, that’s my name.” Seungmin smiled pleasantly, you mentioning his name sounded mellifluous to him, “You’re looking for Jeongin?” You nodded calmly inspite the storm in your insides.

“We are not here to flirt.” Jisung scoffed behind you and Seungmin rolled his eyes before stepping aside to get in. Seungmin motioned you to follow him and led you to what seemed like a place for rituals. 

“Jeongin, someone’s looking for you.”

“Oh, so, it’s your girl.” Jeongin scoffed but Seungmin did not answer, instead rolling his eyes.

“So you’re not denying it, I see.” Jeongin’s smirk grew wider but decided to stop picking on the older’s nerves, but that smirk soon vanished from his face when he turned to you, “I know why you’re here. Do you want me to get straight to the point?”

“Sure.” Jeongin pointed to the seat near the cauldron, gesturing you to have a seat.

“First answer to your question, just like a pendulum, it never stops once you move it, so does the Horologium. You will continue to go back in time when the clock strikes to twelve until you leave this place.” You were amazed and creeped out at the same time, “I know the route to Alium Orbis, Seungmin’s from there too, unfortunately, he broke his clock so he couldn’t return, not only that, he also forgot his memories outside District 9. Seungmin’s clever and all but sometimes he’s just dumb.” Seungmin let out a sound of disapproval and Jeongin laughed, his pleasure truly comes from annoying the older. However, the thought of Seungmin forgetting you does hurt like hell.

“So, Y/N, if you were to leave make sure that you will step out of the boundary before twelve. I suppose there are other ways but I still haven’t found out.” Jeongin didn’t even trip on his words, he wasn’t the Teller for nothing, “But you know, at District 9, once you enter there’s no way of getting out.” Jeongin laughed rather maniacally, his wicked voice filling the house.

“What do you mean by that?” You abruptly stood up from your seat.

“Don’t play dumb, Y/N. You know fully well what that means.” Jeongin walked closer to you, raising his hand that was emitting blue flame. Seungmin stepped in before Jeongin could hurt you, “What now, Seungmin? You’re going to protect her when you couldn’t even protect yourself?”

Jisung who has been silent since you entered the house finally spoke, “Y/N, the truth is... You will never be able to leave this place,” he stood beside Jeongin before he continued, malice notable in his voice, “No one can leave this house.”

As if on cue, Jeongin started shooting flames around the house while Jisung took out bombs similar to Minho’s and Hyunjin’s and threw it everywhere. The colored smoke blocked your vision while the smell of burning wood entered your lungs. Their wicked laughter reverberated within the house, there’s no way you’d let them burn you alive. The suffocating atmosphere inside the house made you hold your breath as you tried to step forward despite the heavy feeling on your legs due to the lack of oxygen to grab Seungmin’s arm, luckily he was just a few steps away from you. You managed to get out of the house unharmed even though you bumped on several furniture and broke objects on the way to find the exit. 

However, Jisung and Jeongin were quick to follow you. Seungmin’s movements were really languid as if he didn’t care about anything. Your kicking adrenaline was the only reason you were able to run speedily despite Seungmin’s lazy and heavy footsteps that keeps slowing you down.

“Seungmin, we have to leave now!” You dragged him away from Jisung and Jeongin.

“But Y/N, I don’t want to leave.” Seungmin’s words made you stop on your tracks, “that’s why I intentionally broke my clock.”

“Seungmin, we don’t belong here. They’re all insane!” You cried, at this point, the only thing you wanted to do was to leave this hell of a place. You’ve had enough of all the madness this place bears.

“Didn’t everyone in the town call me that?” Seungmin tightened his fist, his memories came flooding, he could now remember everything– from his childhood to people calling him insults, he was just a kid enjoying his imagination and fantasies, “Y/N, please let me go.”

“No, Seungmin, I cannot afford to lose you again.” You were sobbing, letting your feelings out. 

Ever since Seungmin disappeared, not once you did not think of him. He was your best friend who caused the blossoming feelings inside you, the only one you could trust, the only one who could understand your complexity. The only one you wanted to sacrifice your life for and give all the happiness in the world. Your feelings for him never changed throughout the years.

“Please, Seungmin.” That was the most selfish thing you’ve ever done in your life. You only wanted to spend the rest of your life with no one but Seungmin. 

“Why, Y/N? Tell me why should it matter to you!” Seungmin yelled, pain and trauma evident from his tone, you never knew that he was suffering inside all those times. You choked on your sobs, the lump in your throat was getting bigger, it’s now or never.

“Because I care for you! Can’t you see that? You’re my best friend!” Oh god, how hard could admitting one’s feelings get?

“You can find another best friend there,” Seungmin started tearing up too, “Just leave me alone.”

“I don’t want anyone else!” Your mouth already has a mind of its own, and you couldn’t believe the next words that slipped out of your mouth,  “I only want you!” 

It made you even more frustrated with everything. You glanced at the clock dangling around your neck, you only had ten minutes 'till 12 and you wanted to leave, but not without Seungmin. 

“If you really care for me, then stay with me here.” Seungmin stepped closer to you, offering his hand.

“Why are you acting so childish, Min!” Your emotions were getting mixed up and from afar, you could hear Jeongin and Jisung’s shouts and twisted words.

“Y/N! I thought you liked me? Why are you running away from me?” The tone of Jisung’s voice made shivers crawl on your body. 

“Seungmin, they’re near, let’s leave!” You pulled Seungmin but he doesn’t budge. 

“You like Jisung?” Seungmin’s eyes looked hurt and empty as it gazed at your frustrated ones. You wanted to hug him but there’s not enough time.

“Please Seungmin, not this.” Why can’t you just admit it?

“Don’t avoid the question, Y/N.” 

“Let’s leave now, please. They would be here anytime soon.” 

“Why can’t you just leave me here and go on your own?” Seungmin was really trying to get those words out of your throat.

“For heaven’s sake, Min. Don’t make me say it!” You smacked your forehead in annoyance.

“Say what?”

Screw it.

“Of course, I love you! Why would there be any other reason?” You never thought you would have the courage to admit your feelings, especially not this way.

“I’ll never let Jisung take you.” With those words, Seungmin picked you up swiftly in his arms and ran from the scene as fast as he could.

“Why couldn’t you just say it?” Seungmin asked, his eyes still focused on the way.

“For fuck’s sake, I don’t even know how you feel!” Your voice raised in defense.

“That’s so stupid, Y/N! I already told you many times that I liked you!” Seungmin groaned in frustration, he thought he already made it clear. 

“I thought you meant that as a friend.” Seungmin couldn’t be mad at you, though he declared his feelings for you, he never acted on it, maybe that was the reason you didn’t feel it. 

“I’m sorry. I did not make it clear either.” Seungmin looks at you with so much regret in his eyes, he swore that this time, he’d treat you right.

“It’s okay, Min,” you wiped the tears that stained his cheeks. 

“Hold tight, Y/N. We’re gonna use your watch to leave this hell.” You nodded and wrapped your arms around his neck while holding the timepiece in your left hand tightly to avoid it slipping out of your neck. He sped up, and from his back, you could see Jeongin and Jisung chasing after the two of you.

He stopped in front of a large wall and put you down, “Now, give me the Horologium.” You quickly handed him the watch and he wrapped his arm around your waist, making heart flutter from his action, “Hug me.” 

“Excuse me?”

“I said hug me.” You wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your head on his chest.

“Why do you have to say it like that!” You heard Seungmin let out a mischievous chuckle. 

“Brace yourself, we’re gonna end this cycle once and for all.”

You saw Seungmin throw your pocket watch on the ground causing it to break. You wanted to cry but you’re fully aware that Seungmin knows better. You peeked from his shoulder, Jisung and Jeongin were nearing you two, “Seungmin, they’re here!”

“I forgot the chant!” You looked at Seungmin wide-eyed, “No, I’m just kidding.”

Before you can punch his arm, you heard him mumble before stepping on the watch. 

“In nullo tempore.” 

Just in time, you saw Jisung and Jeongin freeze on their spot, as if the time stopped, the surroundings became silent and the only thing you could hear was the obnoxious ringing in your ear. You felt the familiar dizziness along with the pulsating of your head, Seungmin pressed his body closer to yours, if that was possible, tightening his grip around your waist. You saw a blinding light before you were transported harshly to the familiar void of darkness.

You heard Seungmin utter your name.

“I can’t see you but I can feel you,” you cringed at your words, “What I meant is, I cannot see you but I can still feel you hugging me. Yeah, uh, why do I feel like we’re floating?”

“Y/N…” Seungmin spoke slowly this time.

“What?” Your voice echoed in the void.

“Do you really mean it?” 

“Mean what?”

“You care for me.” You felt your cheeks heating up. 

“I do.” You sighed, “Never once you left my mind. I miss you so much, the thought of never seeing you again kills me more than anything.” A tear escaped your eye and you were surprised to see your tear glowed as it floated above you but you couldn’t care less.

“I felt lonely without you, I thought I was going nuts from the emptiness.” More tears escaped your eyes as you sobbed on his chest. 

“I love you too.” Seungmin caressed your locks and it made your heart feel warm; if it weren’t for you, he would have been stuck with his fears and would never have the courage to leave. “Y/N, your tears… Look at them.” You looked up to see the droplets of your tears glowed in different colors, becoming the source of light to the dark void, it formed a constellation that looked like the one you saw through the telescope– a pendulum. Seungmin was beyond ethereal, with the glowing bits of light that casted the surroundings and you’ve never felt so in love.

“Wait, how long are we gonna stay like this?” You faced Seungmin, and you have never seen him look so happy yet sad at the same time. 

“Oh, right. I forgot to say the last chant.” You lightly smack his chest and he placed a quick peck on your lips that is enough for the fireworks to burst inside your chest before giving you his heart eyes. 

“The pendulum stops here and now.”

#baerry.txt #baerry.writes #kpop imagines #stray kids imagine #stray kids scenarios #stray kids oneshot #stray kids fic #bang chan scenarios #felix scenarios #lee know scenarios #hyunjin scenarios #jisung scenarios #seungmin scenarions #jeongin scenarios #seungmin imagines #han imagines #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #bang chan #felix #han #minho #hyunjin #seungmin #jeongin #changbin #changbin imagines #ana.txt

[nientedal]

Dal you have not talked about your WIPs enough and I for one would love to know more

<3 thank you and dog bless, i am having an EXCEPTIONALLY SHITE brain-day and this really helped, i appreciates you.

items in bold are almost done. please note - if anyone reading this post has interest in any of these in particular, please say so. I am entering the time of year in which I retreat into my hole and post very little but pick hopelessly away at various WIPs, but I have a lot of them, so if there’s one you really wanna see, best way to get me to work on it is to let me know what to work on when I’m not slogging on Cold Fusion or With Every Heartbeat ^^;

ANYWAY HERE’S LITERALLY ALL OF ‘EM WHOOPSIE

eta: jeezy kreezy that was even longer than i thought, lemme stick a keep reading a bit higher up in the post :P

A barely-started one that’s sort of a 5-kidnappings-and-one-time-blah-blah type fic, which I desperately want to finish if only because it features Flash, one of my favorite brainbots you haven’t met yet, who makes a noise less like BOWG and more like HAAA-AAA, and whose name is a joke Megamind is waiting for Minion to get. Roxanne gets it first and just dies. (It’s not a very funny joke, but it’s a stressful time.) 

Soulmate AU, which is HOPEFULLY near completion, in which everyone gets a waterfowl when they turn sixteen and it is supposed to eventually lead you to your soulmate, but in the meantime it is very much a bird (smarter than average but not, like, parrot-smart) and you are very much stuck with it. I was NOT expecting this to be a thing I would write, but I saw a prompt about everyone getting geese and it wouldn’t leave me alone. What if, instead of just geese, we expanded it a bit to all waterfowl, and said your species has traits of you and your soulmate? I started writing it last week and it’s seventy-two pages long. If I don’t post it by the end of December, send somebody in after me and tell them to bring a mattock because I am ENTRENCHED

Followup to Long As The Day In The Summertime, which WAS almost done and then my crummy brain went “BUT WHAT IF WE DID THIS” so that’s gonna be a bit longer.

Halloween Costume Party Fic. The universe that fic wants to be in, though, is going to need an interim installment in order for the series not to be complete emotional whiplash.

Megamind forces Metro Man to take a damned day off, for health reasons. 

I have pieces of a camping fic written, in which Megamind goes camping with Roxanne and her family after the events of Cold Fusion. They are in California. There is an earthquake. Please imagine for me, if you will, the reaction of a man who felt the planet jerk sideways under him once before. (He is also badly startled by a hermit thrush one evening, which isn’t fun either, but the earthquake will probably wind up being the emotional Heavy of that particular fic.)

Soulmate AU in which you meet your soulmate in the afterlife.

I have a fic titled Megamind Has A Nice Day And Is Very Happy. That’s what it says on the box.

Midlife crisis! This one got upsetting (suicidal ideation territory) and I don’t know if I want to continue it :(  but it does feature Roxanne telling Metro Man to fuck off in no uncertain terms, which is always fun

Pon farr WIP, barely started. Not sure if I want to keep going with this one or relegate it to Brainfic Only. It’s just...complicated.

Roxanne with superpowers! She inherited them from her grandfather, one P. Delic. I don’t actually have a plot for this one beyond “she has to save megamind??? and minion is out of commission Somehow” (i am open to suggestions!!!)

Megamind has a Bad Day and Roxanne comes and finds him in the reef pool. she surprises him by speaking a little bit of his language at him, using a machine Minion helped her make. Minion has been teaching her to sing/speak in Punktsyk. I don’t have a plot for this one either (i am open to suggestions!!!)

ANOTHER clone AU in which Megamind wakes up alone in a drained-out tank and discovers that Evil Lair has been...uh...exploded. He goes to Roxanne for help because where is minion where are the brainbots where are ANY of his resources? he does not know. and Roxanne is like, the one person who probably won’t shoot him on-sight. She flings herself at him and cries on him a lot and he is Very Weirded Out But Not Opposed.

Followup fic to Headfirst.

FIVE UNTITLED DOCUMENTS: (1) a single sentence, incomplete (2) an exchange I removed from It Never Rains (3) a...oh. this is. this is a series of nice messages and offerings of fic ideas kbjones sent me years ago when I was having a bad time, and now I’m crying again WHOOPS (”why are my friends so NICE to me” is not something mentally-healthy people wail at their significant other, is it, but here I am) (4) a version of the birds soulmate AU (5)...huh. another version of the birds soulmate AU. why did I copy and paste it into two extra documents? why does this brain do anything? 

Megamind mates for life, but actual copulation is not required to complete the binding. His metabolism begins to recognize Roxanne and eventually Megamind literally cannot sleep without her nearby. This is. A problem.

an EXTREMELY ns//fw fic in which [REDACTED] with her [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] right in the [REDACTED]. i do not know where this fic came from and i can only really work on it the only 3 days a month that i actually have something that mildly resembles a libido, so that’s fun :P 

editing the other ns//fw fic which currently only exists on LJ to have 100% more sexytimes in it

Minion gets severely hurt and questionable field medicine happens. Roxanne screams (literally) at Metro Man. Minion is, alas, only a plot device in this one; he spends most of his time unconscious and the story focuses almost exclusively on Roxanne & Megamind.

I intend to make that up to him in the later installments of Cold Fusion, in which I really get to focus on Minion & Roxanne’s relationship for reasons I desperately wish I could explain without spoiling everything but cannot.

LOTR fic. This was nearly done, and then Legolas poked his head up and said “I’m trans, by the way,” and I was like WELP BETTER ADD THAT :P  I think it is nearly done again, I just need to figure out some good closing lines. 

LOTR fic. sort of a companion piece to the first one. Gimli has trouble sleeping, Legolas assists in Elvish fashion (not what it sounds like, I promise), they start actually learning about each other’s cultures and customs. Elves seem cold to Dwarves because nearly half of Elvish communication is unspoken body language, facial expressions, the tilt of your head and the angle of your hands and shoulders. Dwarves seem cold to Elves because Dwarves do not display affection or camaraderie AT ALL in ways Elves can easily recognize; half the time they seem two steps from attacking each other when really someone is just asking “hey pass the mustard.” Also Legolas kicks the shit out of a bunch of Noldor in Lorien and it’s fuckin great. 

Newspaper OT3. This is for Discworld, it is William/Sacharissa/Otto, mostly (maybe entirely? i don’t recall) from Otto’s POV. I do want to post it at some point, because I am pleased with it, but it feels disjointed. It started as a tumblr post and turned into fanfiction, so I’m not really sure how the fuck to begin it, but I’m rapidly approaching the fuckit-I’m-posting-it-anyway threshold. 

one of these days i will make a post containing the plot of the cold fusion followups under a Keep Reading, but it is not this day, alas. 

but I WILL post Legolas fighting, because it probably will not be posted anytime soon and I’m actually sort of proud of it even with my depression!brain raging full tilt, which says something. it’s the most complicated action scene I’ve attempted, and I went a slightly different way with it than I was expecting to. (who can guess what martial art i had in mind for legolas with this???)

.

.

Gimli hears his name, and something about a tree, and a river, and a stone, and then his name again, and then--

And then Legolas goes cold. And he was right, before: Gimli does know it when he sees it. The changes are subtle but clear, written in the set of his shoulders and the tilt of his head, the way his hands turn at his sides, the way his weight shifts. And it's in his voice. Gimli doesn't need to be able to understand Noldorin Elvish to pick up the shift in Legolas's tone. Holy shit.

The newcomers speak again and Legolas nods, and then he says, in the same freezing voice, "A moment, Gimli. We of the woodland realm practice a certain style of unarmed combat; my kinsmen wish to try themselves against me."

Gimli indicates silent acknowledgement, then turns and walks to the edge of the clearing as Legolas faces off against the newcomers.

And...ah, now this is interesting. This sparring is not to be one-on-one, it seems. The strangers range out, lift their hands, rush in.

They fight. The strangers land a few hits but their styles seem to require some degree of setup in the forms, whereas Legolas seems to simply be responding to them, directing their blows away from his body and following through and around to turn his assailants’ force on themselves. It's an interesting dichotomy. The strangers move like bellows and forgefire, like water and mill, but Legolas moves like chain lightning, his hands and elbows blurring as he snaps them out against his assailants with swan-strike precision. He has no high kicks or fancy spins. He seems to scorn them, almost; he dodges or swats away several of these and then finally just catches another Elf's ankle and steps back so they fall into a painful split, and then he spins them hard onto the ground; Gimli reads pain and embarrassment on their face.

(Legolas could have broken that Elf’s leg beyond repair, Gimli thinks. He could have. Another step back, a strike down in the upper thigh, and his opponent would never have walked again.)

He moves and dodges with efficiency, his shadowy hair dancing around him as he turns - strikes one in the throat with the side of his open hand, again-again-again and down - hits the second once in the elbow, twice in the ribs, above the ear four times in quick succession with his knuckles and down - steps, turns - sweeps the third’s arm around and back and up, dislocates their shoulder, slams their face into his knee on their way to the ground and down.

And then he - it happens so fast Gimli almost misses it - Legolas ducks, and then he sweeps his foot out and sinks his weight into Standing Stone. He catches the red-haired Elf across the ribs with the blade of his elbow before striking them in the kidney with the knuckles of his other hand, snapping down with Falling Spear and catching them in the side of the head as they collapse. They stay down, unmoving. Another lets out a cry and darts forward with a knife in their hand; Legolas steps, turns, throws them sprawling over his hip onto the ground and then step-step hurls the knife across the glade to sink into one of the mellyrn.

His second step landed his heel just in front of the downed Elf’s mouth: a warning. He could have broken their jaw. Gimli sees this, but it seems the other Elf does not; they try to rise, only to be met with a flurry of blows to the side of their neck.

Gimli stares. Most of this is nothing he's seen before, the turning and striking with open palms, the way most of Legolas's moves open as reactions to his opponents rather than independently offensive strikes - but here and there he recognizes Dwarvish techniques, Dwarvish moves. They're distinctively different from the rest of what Legolas is doing, but--

Two left standing. One lands a grappling hit; the brunette gets in close and snaps Legolas over backwards so sharply that Gimli starts, thinking his back must surely be broken. But Legolas bends like a sapling or snare and pulls them down with him, his teeth gritted, his eyes still cold with fury as he rolls down onto the ground and into Tangling Vine, smoothly through Briar Gall, to finally settle in Grey Panther's Cache with his elbow around his opponent's throat--another warning--

Then he's away again, whirling on his hands and sweeping a leg around. It's a feint; he flicks his hips and changes his momentum when his target jumps to avoid him; he slams his knee into their groin and then grabs their shoulder when they double over. Uses them as a ladder to reclaim his footing while simultaneously shoving them face-first into the ground.

The last Elf, the brunette who Legolas got in the chokehold, raises their hands in a clear yield when Legolas turns and faces them. Their companions lie on the dirt around them in varying states of consciousness.  

Legolas comes up out of his fighter's stance and straightens his tunic, cracks his neck. His lip and his knuckles are bleeding and he has a bruise rising at his temple, but otherwise he looks completely uninjured. "I did tell you," he says, in the same gentle, freezing voice as before. "We of the woodland realm are as ruthless in battle as we are discerning in the company we prefer. I trust I have made my point sufficiently clear."

(oh, then - then Gimli was right and this was not a friendly spar, this was - ah, this was about him, somehow; mahal’s fucking balls)

The other Elf bows, and Legolas does the same face Lindir used in Rivendell. He turns away, and the tilt of his head and the visible tightness around the corners of his mouth tell Gimli he's not just expressing mocking amusement; Legolas is as good as openly sneering. His shoulders are proud and angry as he turns, but he looks at Gimli and his expression smooths, his tone warms.

"Thank you for your patience, friend Gimli," he says. "Let us continue on our walk. The view from the top of the hill is sure to be excellent."

Holy shit, Gimli thinks again.

#long post #text heavy #dal is a fanfic #askbasket #buginateacup #friend bug #megamind #lotr #newspaper ot3

[pastrnaks-sainz]

Prompt List!!!!

So to make my life a bit easier, I decided to throw together a quick prompt list. You guys can use this when you’re requesting fics, and I’ll pull from it occasionally if I need some inspiration. I’ll sort into fluffy and smutty prompts so you can have your pick of which one you’re in the mood for!

(also the ones in bold are ones that I’ve added)

Fluffy

“Your hair is softer than mine”

“Stop moving!”

“Go to sleep or I swear to God I’ll make you chamomile tea and cuddle you”

“Is that my sweatshirt?”

“I’m so not jealous”

“Use my conditioner”

“Is that a new perfume?”

“You changed shampoos”

“Поцелуй меня” (kiss me)

“Let me rub your back”

“Take my jacket”

“It’s okay, I was awake anyway”

“Wanna go down to the arcade and play Pac-Man until we get in trouble?”

“How is it the moonlight makes you look that much prettier?”

“You were talking in your sleep”

“I learned a new language for you”

“You think I’m pretty?”

“He told me if I didn’t come talk to you he would take away my PlayStation”

“Read to me”

“I didn’t want to wake you up. You’re adorable when you’re asleep”

“Let's adopt a puppy”

“Have you been hanging out with my mom?”

“Sorry, your bed was just really warm”

“Use my phone”

“When I look at you I get this fuzzy feeling in my chest and I don’t know why”

“You got popcorn just so you could feel like a teenager again, didn’t you?”

“Say that again, but in English this time”

“Please don’t leave me”

“Who gave you permission to go out in public looking like that?”

“Kiss me again”

“You looked miserable, I thought I’d come save you”

“I’m not one for all this fancy ballroom stuff, let’s go hang out in our pajamas and get wine drunk”

“Thunder is just the angels getting excited whenever they score a goal”

“I saw you in the stands last night”

“You got a new haircut”

“That’s my seat” 

“Quit being such a baby and let me put a new Band-Aid on your face” 

“Because I love you and I don’t when it happened” 

“You gotta tell her, man. She’ll driver herself crazy if she doesn’t know there’s a puppy in your locker” 

“So... are we supposed to like, kiss now?” 

“I’ve seen the way you look at him” 

“You fell. Hard” 

“Will you two just kiss already?” 

“You’re my everything” 

“Shut the fuck up and hold my hand, loser” 

“I need a hug. Just a hug from a big, tall, strong hockey player who smells really good after he gets out of the shower”

“You keep a photo of me in your wallet?”

“I can’t think of a life  where you’re not by my side” 

“You look good in white”

“I’ve never, and will never, be happier than I am with you”

“Your laugh is my ringtone” 

“Isn't this how most romcoms start? Two hot people stuck in an elevator?”

“What would you do if I kissed you right now?”

“Big bad *team name* player and you’re afraid of spiders” 

“Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Come on, we’re going ring shopping” 

“I do” 

“I was going to try to be smooth and all but you’re super pretty and now I’m nervous”

“You look at her like she hung the moon” “To me she hung the galaxy” 

“Are you gonna kiss me or not?”

“We are so not getting matching Halloween costumes” 

“My mother always said athletes make the worst boyfriends. I can’t wait to tell her how wrong she is” 

“Can you- do you want to- please stay with me, I don’t want to be alone” 

“That was dramatic” “You loved it” 

“Will you to fake-prom with me?” 

“Sure puppies are cute and all but have you looked in a mirror?” 

“I can’t believe you're the guy I decided to spend the rest of my life with” 

“I have got to be the luckiest guy in the world” 

“They told me you’d kick my ass, I wanted to see if they were right” 

“If you laugh at something I said then write a fake number on my arm I win twenty bucks from each of them. Help a guy out?” 

“How many episodes of The Office have you watched today?” 

“Be the Pam to my Jim?” 

“You’re lucky you’re cute” 

“Sorry, I’m replacing you with this kitten” 

“You have a poster of me on your wall? Do you kiss it before you go to bed every night?” 

“Stop talking and kiss me” 

Smutty

“You are so hot when you’re mad”

“Damn, I didn’t realize you were so flexible”

“Yoga does wonders for the body, you know” 

“I can’t wait to mark you up” 

“As good as you look in that dress you’d look better without it” 

“Don’t stop” 

“Wait for me” 

“A beautiful sight, you wearing nothing but my jersey waiting for me” 

“Take it off” 

“Right there” 

“I wish I could see you right now but phone sex is gonna have to do it” 

“And you didn’t touch yourself?” 

“Can I tie you up?” 

“No touching” 

“Pull my hair” 

“After that picture you sent me I could barely focus on the game” 

“You look so hot with that scratch on your cheek” 

“So sexy with all your tattoos” 

“This apartment doesn’t have thin walls” 

“Come on, I want the team to know whose you are” 

“I barely even touched you and look at the mess you made” 

“Be gentle” 

“Look at me” 

“You dressed up for me” 

“You tease me during my game, I tease you now. It’s only fair” 

“You might wanna use my foundation and cover that bruise up” 

“I don’t wanna hurt you” 

“Bed. Now” 

“Honey I got all the time in the world” 

“It’s not like your parents are home” 

“I can do it in under five minutes” 

“Shut the door behind you” 

“If you don’t stop staring at my ass I will take you right here on this workbench” 

“Tell me what you want”

“Shower sex is complicated, but lucky for you I’m an excellent teacher” 

“That accent is the sexiest thing about you” 

“Don’t act all innocent, you had me pinned against that wall ten minutes ago” 

“Where’d you learn to do that?” 

“What were you dreaming about?” 

“Tonight is all about you, now put your hands above your head for me, baby” 

“The last time you did that I couldn’t walk for three days” 

“Your hands all over my body was the only thing I could think about at work today” 

“Take your shirt off” 

“You’ve always been my favorite meal”

“I was in the middle of an interview when you sent me that picture”

“Get a room, you two!”

“Don’t cover your mouth, you sound too good to do that”

“You’re the only thing that’s gone right today”

“You’ll be my first”

“I want to watch you touch yourself”   

“I promise you I’m not going to break” 

“Did I stutter?” 

“You have a tattoo?” 

“You and I are the only ones in here, baby” 

“I’ve never known you to be the shy type” 

“I didn’t mean to see you in nothing but panties and a bra, but you left your door open” 

“I never knew you could do that” 

“And in what frat house did you pick up that little trick?” 

“Somehow you’re sexier tonight than you were last night” 

“Has anybody ever touched you before me?” 

“I’ll take good care of you, baby” 

“You are officially on the naughty list” 

“I haven’t been home for more than five minutes and you’re already on your knees for me” 

“I knew you'd want dessert” 

“There are only two reasons you’d call me at one in the morning and judging from the way you’re dressed nobody’s dead” 

“Am I your first?”

Seasonal Prompts

Halloween

“It’s officially spooky season *insert character*, you know what that means” “Pumpkin everything?” “Pumpkin everything”

“Who ate all the candy?!”

“You're not going trick or treating, you’re too old for that”

***“I plan on getting more than one kind of freaky tonight”

“What the hell are you supposed to be?”

“Nope, I’m not scared. Why would think I’m scared? I’m totally not scared”

“I’m pretty sure I have claw marks from your nails”

“Please tell me that’s syrup”

“This haunted house was fifty bucks, I better die for that kind of money”

“Supernatural marathon at my place later, you’re bringing the candy”

“Are we about to make out in a graveyard?”

“Did you seriously injure yourself carving a pumpkin?” “Hey, the knives are sharp”

“Pumpkin spice is the love of my life” “I thought I was the love of your life”

“Don’t you watch horror movies? Splitting up always ends up with someone dead”

“We should do a couples costume” “Yeah, no”

“Nothing in this world is more satisfying than that crunch when you step on a leaf”

“It’s staring at me, *character* why is the scarecrow staring at me?”

“If someone asks, that skeleton of the Werewolf in my front yard is decorative”

“You can jump in the leaf pile if you help me rake”

“How can you love Halloween but hate horror movies?”

“Yeah, bring out the Ouija Board, what could possibly go wrong”

“We are not dogging up Harry Houdini’s grave”

“I think that zombie just grabbed my ass”

“First question; is that fake blood? Second question; if it isn’t is it your blood?”

***“The movie isn’t the only reason you’ll be screaming tonight”

“What are you gonna do? Burn me at the stake?”

“If you find an eyeball, don’t worry it’s not human”

“Ten pumpkins seems a little excessive” “It’s not excessive, it’s festive”

“Did that scarecrow just move or have I had too much punch?”

“My fangs just fell out”

“Yeah, let's go for a walk in the woods. I’m sorry, did you see Blair Witch Project?”

“It’s official, the house is haunted”

Christmas/New Years

“That has got to be the ugliest sweater I’ve ever seen”

“I told you I couldn’t bake, you didn’t listen”

“Look up, there’s mistletoe”

“This was my dream as a little kid, decorating a Christmas tree with a hot guy who just so happened to be my boyfriend”

“You should wear red more often”

“This is exactly how I envisioned you meeting my parents” “You envisioned me meeting your parents while running away from a flaming Christmas tree?”

“Tell me again, slowly this time, how the table cloth caught fire”

“You had the window seat on the way to Thanksgiving dinner, it’s my turn”

“This feels like the start of a rom com, two people stuck on a chair lift with a blizzard coming in”

“So you’re the one with the obnoxious light display”

“If I have to fake a smile for any longer I might actually commit murder so get me out of here as fast as you possibly can”

“My grandmother will not hesitate to force feed you Christmas cookies”

“I’ve always dreamed of having my first kiss on New Years Eve at midnight”

“Looks like we’re gonna have a white Christmas”

“Did you even use any wrapping paper, because this looks like it’s ninety percent tape”

“All I want for Christmas is you” “Cheesy”

“I never said I could skate”

“I thought a sleigh ride would be romantic”

“How the hell did you manage to hurt yourself putting up Christmas lights?”

#nhl fluff #nhl smut #mat barzal x reader #matt grzelyck x reader #william nylander x reader #david pastrnak x reader #anders bjork x reader #jake debrusk x reader #jakob chychrun x reader #tyler seguin x reader #charlie coyle x reader #charlie mcavoy x reader #sean kuraly x reader #brandon carlo x reader #mitch marner x reader #vince dunn x reader #jonathan toews x reader #anthony beauvillier x reader #nolan patrick x reader #travis konecny x reader #jamie benn x reader #william karlsson x reader #tom wilson x reader #roman josi x reader #josh anderson x reader #ryan murray x reader #pierre-luc dubois x reader #brock boeser x reader #mainlypastrnaksbae

[thekatherinewinchester]

Ariel For A Day

Summary: Y/N went to on a haunted trail with her friends the night before. What happens when she encounters her celebrity crush at work all the while having no voice?

Characters: Matthew Gubler, Hunter Dahl, Fem!Reader 

Pairings: MGG x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Fluff, cussing, Matthew being a cute little shit (Yes that should aways be a warning)

A/N: This fic is for the Secret Swap on Discord that @imagining-in-the-margins​ curated for us! This was written for the ever so sweet @gretaamyk​! Per her request, there will be a part two to this -a smutty part 2!

I’m gonna kill them. I told my friends I couldn’t go to Boogerwoods with them, but did they listen? NO! Now, I have to go to work today with no voice. Thanks bitches. Today is gonna be so much fun!

Getting to work I waved to my coworkers on my way to the break room to put my purse and jacket into my locker. I had just closed my locker when I heard 

“Hey Y/N!” It’s my work best friend, Jas. We may not hang out outside of work but that doesn’t diminish the fact that she is my work best friend.

“Morning Jas!” I replied raspily.

“Did you finally get some last night and that’s why you have no voice today?” She jokingly said. She knew that I wasn’t that type of girl. I wanted to at least know the guy a couple of weeks.

I rolled my eyes. “Went to Boogerwoods with the Goofy Gublers last night. Pom wouldn’t take no for answer and Natt promised me Starbucks,” I shrugged even though I still a little tired from getting in late last night. “One asshole came at us with a knife dressed as Michael Myers and we seriously thought he was going to kill one of us. One guy had the audacity to touch Lila before she laid him on his ass. I won’t be going back to that haunted trail, not if their people touch you and get waaayyy too into character. Needless to say, I don’t think any of us have a voice today,” I shivered thinking back to when they Michael Myers impersonator coming at us with a knife. I have honestly never been more terrified in my entire life. Sometimes I curse myself for loving Halloween so much.

“You gonna be able to work okay today without a voice? Do we need to get you a little writing notepad or something?” Jas asked partly concerned and partly trying to be a brat.

“Don’t be dramatic Jas, I will work just fine. If I really need any help, I will radio someone.” I reassured her.

My voice might be scratchy as hell sure, but I am still understandable. That’s all that matters. I walked over to the board to see what my station was today. I really hoped I was on registers today; I don’t wanna talk to people and prolong getting my voice back. I am restocking today, yes! Less human interaction for me unless a customer requires my assistance. Hopefully, no one will need my help today but that’s just wishful thinking.

A couple of hours into my shift my throat really started to hurt. I told myself that once I had finished restocking these iPhone cases I would would take my break and make me some hot tea in the break room, By now, my voice is gone and it hurts to try and talk. Low and behold, a little boy -well an eight year old- comes towards me. “Excuse me, ma’am? Can you please help me find my uncle?” He asks a little shyly. My heart broke for the kid, he just seems so sweet; oddly, he looked familiar too.

I pointed to my throat and said I can’t talk.

His eyes widened, “Are you Ariel?” Awww, this kid is so sweet. Before I could shake my head no he had grabbed my hand and started leading me to who knows where. “We’re gonna look for my uncle together! When we find him, he can kiss you and bring your voice back!” He looked at me proudly and excited. Damn this kid for being so cute. Although, someone has seen the Disney cartoon one too many times. It’s sweet that he thinks a kiss will bring my voice back though. I will definitely take the complement that he thinks I’m a Disney Princess. The girls are gonna get a kick out this later when I tell them -after I message them in all caps about my voice.

By now we have reached our Halloween section. The little boy had been looking left and right for his uncle. Apparently, he had found his uncle because his strides were getting wider and he was practically running. “Uncle Matthew, quick! She needs help! She has no voice, so you have to kiss her!” He yelled out exasperatedly. I could feel my cheeks warming up at the sight of a couple of people who heard him yell to his uncle.  

“What are you talking about Buddy?” My heart stopped. I knew that voice. I would know that voice anywhere. The eight year old who is still currently holding my hand is Hunter Dahl. Laura Dahl is his mother and his mother is the older sister of the man who plays Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds. HOLY FUCK. Matthew Gray Gubler is in my store and his nephew wants him to kiss me so I can get my voice back. I don’t whether to be praising the heavens or to run away in mortification.

Matthew looked away from Hunter to look at me. His eyes are even more beautiful in person. He smiled his sweet smile at me and I swear he blushed. “Sorry about my nephew. We watched The Little Mermaid last night.” He looked back at Hunter and ruffled his hair. “Sorry buddy, that’s not how it works. Although, maybe if I ask her to go to dinner with me, it might help her get her voice back.” Both the handsome man and his adorable nephew looked to me.

My eyes must have widened in panic. I mean, how could I say yes to him without a voice. Nodding didn’t even cross my mind, I was too focused on the fact that the most important moment for me to have my voice and it’s gone. The Goofy Gublers we will definitely be getting an earful from me later. He have read the panic on my face.

His smile widened, “ If we can find a pen and some paper, I am more than happy to give you my number so that when you get your voice back, you can call me.”

HOLY. SHIT. I tried to come off as not too excited, I hope it worked. I tried mouthing the words electronics and pointed in the direction of the cash register in the electronics.

“Lead the way Ariel, we will follow you.” He gestured to me. His smile will be the death of me, I swear.  I hope my face isn’t a horridly read color, that would be a little embarrassing.

I lead us to the electronics cash register and grab a sticky note and pen. I handed both to the tall, handsome pool noodle. I hope my smile didn’t look too creepy. He took the pen and pad from me and began jotting down his number in his familiar messy scrawl. This moment feels so surreal. Once he had put his John Hancock and his infamous heart, he handed the sticky note to me. “I hope to get a call from you soon Ariel,” he smiled and winked. He patted Hunter on his back. Hunter waved at me as they made their way back to the Halloween section. I smiled at the sweet boy and waved back. I looked down at the sticky note in my hand. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

It was two days before I could talk again. I just hoped that Matthew hadn’t changed his mind. I took a deep breath before clicking his number that I had already saved in my phone. I had saved it as soon as I had a hold of my phone on break. I haven’t even told the girls on discord about this yet. This still feels like a dream. I hit his number and waited with a bated breath while it rang. It rang twice before he picked up.

“Please tell me this is Ariel from Target,” Came his sweet voice.I blushed and let out a giggle I was hoping to keep in.

“My name is Y/N and it’s nice to meet you.” I managed to get out without stuttering.

“Hi Y/N, it nice to finally hear your voice.” I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “I like the sound of your laugh, it’s a sweet sound.” I blushed even harder. 

“Thank you, it’s really sweet of you to say” I smiled into the phone.

“So about that dinner I want to take you on, are you free this weekend? Like say Saturday?” I could hear the nerves in his voice.

“I’m sure I could pencil you in,” I teased. Then it hit me, Saturday was Halloween. “You don’t have plans with your friends for Halloween?” I asked. I was confused. Didn’t he have a Halloween party to go to with his friends?

“I want to spend Halloween with you, actually,” his voice giving away just how shy he actually is. It’s endearing actually.

“I know a great place where we can eat and still rock costumes, if you want…?” I was unsure if he would like the idea. Granted, anyone who knows Matthew for more than five minutes knows that his greatest love is Halloween.

“Really? That would actually be really cool!” Was his reply.

“Awesome! I must warn you though, the place is owned by a friend of mine. She is really chill though. And I hope you like Mexican!”

“I can’t wait. Send me your address and I will come pick you up. You can be my eyes and my guide.”

Another giggle escaped my lips. “It’s a date!”

I figured as a good joke I would dress as Ariel in her blue human dress when Prince Eric takes her out on the lake. I even got a red wig. I already had a blue bow so I was good on that. I can’t wait to see what Matthew will be wearing. I walked towards the mirror in the entry hallway to get one last look at myself. I like how it all turned out!

There was a knock at the door. He’s here! I took one last look in the mirror before I grabbed my Sebastian clutch that held the essentials (my phone, keys, lipstick for an emergency touch up). I opened the door and I let out a big laugh.

“What do you think?” He looked so proud of himself. This man is just too cute for words.

“You make a dashing Prince Eric! I honestly wasn’t expecting Prince Eric, I thought you would go with Poe or something spooky,” I admitted.

“I did think about it, I admit, but I thought Prince Eric would be the better choice since you are Ariel,” He winked at me. I almost let out a moan. The man need to quit being so attractive, it’s quite unfair honestly. “You ready to get this date started?” He asked me while hold his arm out for me to take like a gentleman.

I looped my arm through his, “I am ready sir, please lead the way” we walked out this hi car, where he opened my door for me.

The short car ride was quite but not awkwardly so, it was a comfortable quite that only my giving directions disturbed. We pulled up to the little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant where Kat awaited us. I told her I had a special date, but I didn’t say who.

I walked in first and Kat was the first person to greet us. Here got really wide but she quickly schooled her features.

“Ey apa, voy a garar esta mesa!” She called out in Spanish. “I told my dad that I was gonna wait on you. He won’t care. Everyone is out partying anyway.” She grabbed a couple of menus and sat us in one of the very back corners. “What can I get y’all to drink?” She looked from me to Matthew waiting patiently.

“I will take a water please,” I looked to Matthew to see what he would order.

“same for me please.” He responded. Kat turned and went to get our drinks situated. I opened my menu to see what the Saturday special was and figure out if I’d had yet or not.

“What do you normally get here?” Inquired Matthew.

I looked up from my menu, “Honestly, everything is good here. You really can’t go wrong. I haven’t had their dinner special yet, the enchiladas supreme but I don’t doubt they’re just as good as everything else. I will probably stick with my usual though.,” I flipped the page over and pointed to an item that was under “from the grill”. “I get this second one right here, it’s called the Pollo Con Crema. It’s grilled chicken with their white cheese sauce and rice and beans. It’s so good!”

“Here y’all go!” Kat put down our drinks along with some chips, salsa, and bean dip. “Y’all ready to order?” She looked to me first. It will never cease to amaze me to hear her speak Spanish and then turn around and speak English with a southern accent that has a hint of a Spanish accent. I wish I could speak another language. Maybe I will ask her to teach me one day. I looked to Matthew. “Are you ready to order?”

“Yeah, if you are.”

I looked back at Kat. “I want my usual, please.”

“You got it Y/N, you doin’ rice and beans tonight or double rice?” She asked me.

“Rice and beans is fine.” I told her.

We both looked to Matthew. “How about you Sweetheart? What would you like?” I could see a little blush begin to color his cheeks.

“I will have what she’s having, please. It sounds really good.”

“You got it! Would like it with rice and beans or double rice?” She questioned him. “It’s good either way, we just have a lot of customers who have preference.”

“Rice and beans is fine.”

I handed her our menus. “Alrighty then, I will get this put in for y’all! By the way, y’all look fantastic!” As she was walking away, she gave me a look that read we would be talking later. She was gonna rat out me on discord. Not in a mean way, she was just gonna elude and have me tell everyone the news. Oh well. I honestly can’t say I’m mad about it. I’m on a date with Matthew Gray Gubler, nothing can make this happy feeling go away.

“So, she’s a friend of yours?” He asked me as he was grabbing a chip to dip in the salsa.  

“She’s a friend I met on a messaging app. She’s a sweet person. A little crazy and sometimes annoying but she’s a sweetheart. She’s not gonna say anything. She has thing with privacy so, we’re safe. She might hint that I was on a date with someone to the rest of our group but she won’t flat out say who it is. She’s have me do the honors. That is, if it’s okay with you. I don’t want you think that I’m only here because of who you are.” I bit my lip nervously. I really hope he doesn’t think that. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

“No, I don’t think that at all. I knew from the moment you walked over with Hunter that you were a good person.” He smiled.

I smiled back. “I’m really glad to hear you say that.”

He reached for my hand, “I know this is only the first date, but I can already see that there could possibly be something between us.”

I held in the fangirl scream that wanted to let loose, so I just let my smile grow wider. “You can?”

He rubbed his thumb over the back of my palm. “I really do think that.” He spoke softly looking into my eyes.

Even if he is wrong and there isn’t something between us, at least I had this one night with him. A night that I know I will never forget and cherish for the rest of my life.

Wheels Up Fam:

@imagining-in-the-margins​ @httpnxtt​ @spencer-reid-in-a-pool​ @hyper-fxation​ @andiebeaword​ @writing-in-april​ @aperrywilliams​ @sunlight-moonrise​

#thekatherinewinchester #Ariel For A Day #MGG #Matthew Gubler #Matthew Gray Gubler #MGG x Fem!Reader #Mayyu #fan fiction #mgg fan fiction

[imaginethathaikyuu]

kinktober 2020 faq // prologue

alright mothers and fuckers, kinktober is right around the corner and just like last year, we got an faq! 

i’m making this post to answer some faq’s and to preface the event, that way there’s one place you can all find all of my kinktober info. (yes a lot of this is copy and pasted from kinktober 2019′s faq, cuz i am Lazy)

PSA: if you’re not into this event and don’t wanna see the posts, please blacklist the “kinktober 2020″ tag, as that’s the tag i’ll be using throughout the month for my kinktober fics! 

ok now take this faq:

what is kinktober? - definition taken from fanlore: “Kinktober is a multifandom prompt based challenge that encourages the creation of erotic fanworks, mostly fanfiction and fan art, that focus on specific kinks. Taking place during the month of October.” so basically its just 31 days of smut

what prompts are you using? - these, a prompt list created by myself 

can i use your prompt list for my own kinktober event? - sure thing, go for it! you can credit, or not, i don’t mind either way 

what does X prompt even mean? - a lot of the prompts this year aren’t technically kinks, they’re just... prompts. it was more fun for me that way. i recommend using google for ones that seem foreign, but there will be definitions or explanations in the note on the fic for those that need them

what characters are you including? - the character list isn’t being posted, characters will be revealed as the scenarios are posted. you know, to add some suspense

is X character included? - if the character you’re wondering about is quite popular, then yea, probably. if not, then, who knows. many people have asked about specific characters, and sometimes i answer, sometimes i don’t. i like keeping things a surprise, so i tend not to answer, but sometimes i like to throw yall a treat and let you know who’s in once the event starts, i won’t be answering any of those questions. just wait and see! 

why didn’t you include X character? - there are only 31 days of october, but there are more than 31 characters in haikyuu. because of that, some characters had to be left out. there was nothing i could do to change that. because of that issue, i held a kinktober roster poll a few months back, and the characters who received the most votes were picked first. after that, i chose those who i wanted to include. if you want to see a kinky scenario for someone who isn’t included, i do take requests after kinktober ends, so visit my ask box!

what time are scenarios going to be posted? - i’ll have posts scheduled (hopefully) most days, probably around 3 pm EST. for those that aren’t scheduled, honestly who knows the time i’ll post them (if they aren’t scheduled that means they aren’t finished yet.) i work a couple days a week, so that throws a wrench into times i can post - i really just recommend turning on my post notifications and being patient. please don’t ask when or if i’m posting it - even if they’re not on time, they’ll be up, don’t worry 

isn’t this a bit too much smut? yep

i thought i’d include some questions i received on the kinktober poll i put out a few months back, just to spice things up and answer some concerns more directly: 

- perhaps go a little further or explore each concept more? your writing is beautiful but for a lot of the fics i felt a tad underwhelmed. Or maybe i'm just really thirsty and wanted more smut lmao

- Maybe make them a little longer (?). I know it’s a lot of work. I could never do what you do so I’m not trying to demand more of you. So please don’t take it that way. I just enjoy longer reads in general. Idk please don’t be offended. I love your work so much.

- I would like it if scenarios were a lil longer but if that’s not possible that’s completely okay! That’s just me being picky bc I rlly don’t have any criticisms

- this was by far the most common comment i received (i only showed three here but there were More.) to be honest, i think i could have done a better job at wrapping up the fics last year. i think the issue was that a lot of them just ended, because i didn’t have the time or energy or ideas to end them well, and that tends to leave the reader thirsty for more unfortunately, the idea of making each fic longer in a way that adds more smut rather than just wrapping it up nicely at a good enough spot is nearly impossible because of just how much work that adds. it’s a lot less efficient to add 1k words to a fic that needs to be posted the next day, when i haven’t even started the fic that’s going up the next week yall are thirsty. there are 31 days of smut and yall still want them to be longer. THIRSTY!!!!! however there are much longer fics this year, so hopefully i can feed you all well :p

Umm there were a couple that had a one-sided kink and the other partner never got pleasured. Whether it was the reader or the character. Like the Tendō one or the Futakuchi one. Favs of mine, but they ended with the implication that more would happen but we didn’t get to see it. And I know it’s not part of the kink, but it’s be cool to include how it plays out from there if you could cos I always love seeing both sides pleased! Sorry if that’s weird

- yeah, that was kind of the point of a few of the kinks i featured last year, and again i think it’s just a matter of ending those stories better. i really hate when fics end in implications for more, it honestly is the lazy way out of a fic, but sometimes as a writer who’s posting a lot at once, i have to take the lazy way and accept that the fic could’ve been better if i had the time or energy or skill for it. i don’t like the idea of kinktober being quantity over quality, but there are rare times where i just have to make that exception in order to succeed with the event. what can ya do! 

tbh i wasn't really a fan on semi's! it was great to read when it came out but it was kinda weird to reread when it wasn't halloween

- all i’ll say is i probably should’ve taken this feedback into consideration before writing semi’s fic this year ... anyway 

Probably just more research on the said kink(s) you’ll write.

- not sure which fics or kinks this was in reference to, but yeah you’re right i could’ve done more research for a few of them. but sometimes mistakes happen, like with oikawa’s when i got two kinks confused and had to change his prompt last minute, and things slip through the cracks of my small brain. and as much as i can research, i’ll still never know everything about every kink i write about. i think most of last year’s fics captured their kinks well enough, though! 

Make some more of the stories, one-shots, type things gender neutral if possible

- i always try my best! it can be tricky with smut but it can be done, and i do always try. i’m wondering if it would be okay or helpful for some to label some fics that don’t include pronouns/gendered language but have a “fem presenting” reader as “afab reader,” mainly because it’s tricky to write smut without mentioning body parts, however avoiding gendered language when writing is much easier. if it would be better than labeling those it applies to as “fem reader” then i would much rather go with that to make more of my fics accessible to more people! i’m not sure if that’d be helpful or correct, so please feel free to give me feedback on this if you have any insight and correct me if this wouldn’t be cool!

- 

please be patient with me when it comes to answering asks and posting these scenarios. i’m kinda pretty stressed about failing, and i’m trying my hardest - even though i started writing these in july, it still feels like there’s not enough time to prepare.

thank you for giving me a reason to even have events like these. i love you all, dear friends, and i appreciate every bit of support you offer me. thank you so much for your excitement, the kind words you’ve left in my ask box and on the kinktober poll, and for supporting my writing at all. i hope you’ll all enjoy this next month of smut! 

#kinktober 2020 #not family friendly #posting this now so i can go ahead and add the link to scheduled posts #why am i nervous to post this lmao