#and will they screw that up? I guess we’ll find out next week

[aleksa-sims]

RL Story

My date with N. was....... great. 🤷‍♀️After what happened the last weeks and we didn’t see each other for that long, things went surprisingly well. But I must also admit that we did not talk about my short return to Daniel. Nico asked me, not to talk about the past weeks. He said, we weren’t together. Now that we got the chance to stay together for more months without him having to go back abroad, we should just start from scratch. I honestly thought that was a little strange. I wanted to explain to him, why I stayed with Daniel, but N. was against it. So I decided to listen to him, as long as we’re together.

N. also finally told his family about our Baby. His Mom wanted to see me, tomorrow.😳🙈 He asked me, if I wanted to spend the night with him, in his mother’s house. There’s no one there today. I agreed, but why didn’t he just invite me to his apartment?

Nico: I have to go to the house anyway. My dog is there, and if you accompany me, we’ll stay right there. We're alone.

Me: Okay. And your Mom’s coming home tomorrow? Where is she? And what exactly did you tell her?

Nico: Well, she'll be grama. 😬 And she’s with her partner tonight.

Me: Was she mad?

Nico: Ahm.... no. Rather surprised. She's in her mid forties. She feels too young for a grandchild.

Me: She’s 46! It’s much more embarrassing for my parents!! They’re only 41! 🤷‍♀️

Nico: Yea, but I didn’t tell her... you, were pregnant. She first thought.... Stephanie & I would have a Baby. But I told her it's NOT Steph!! She was relieved, but I didn’t tell her it was you, I wanted to surprise her.

Me: What??... Are you crazy N.?... Agh, why am I even asking. Of course you're crazy.

Nico: Don't worry, it'll be fine. It's just my mother! She always loved you.

Me: Yeah, that was before..... Philip & I got together. And please don’t tell her I’m still married, okay?

Nico: No one in my family needs to know. I leave it up to you.

Me: Maybe someday I’ll tell your Mom, but rn I don’t want anyone to know. Especially your sister must not find out about it.

Nico: Agh, screw Mel, she can’t say a bad word to you! Trust me, I won’t let that happen.

Me: I’m really scared of Melanie. I know that sounds stupid, but I can’t forget how mean she used to be.

Nico: You don’t have to see Melanie or talk to her. I’m not leaving you alone with her. First, she’ll have to apologize to you. Or she’ll never meet our Baby, I promise.

Me: Thank you..... ILY, N. Oh, and what about your Dad? I guess he doesn’t know yet, because you’re still not talking to him.

Nico: Yea. I don’t care what he thinks or what he has to say. I don’t give a shit. 🤷‍♀️... And no matter what he offers you, or our child, you say no! Clear?

Me: Yes! I understand! Your Dad’s still a red rag to us. 😬😕

Once arrived at N.'s House, we saw Fabienne, Philip's baby sister. 🙂

She was so excited to see Nico and me again. She started talking about Annabelle. P.'s little babygirl was visiting Fabienne. So Fabs invited N. and me to come by later.

How it went on with Fabienne and N.'s family for me, you'll see next time. My parents'll also join us.😬 Ahg yea, what a nice family reunion.😨

Previous/Next

#ts4 #sims 4 #sims 4 story #rl story #myrlgameplay #cw pregnancy

[joedirtymadre]

Anniversary

This one is ok, I think it’s pretty cute. (SENKU X READER) Other than that still taking requests!

“Hey (Y/N)! How’s it going?” Yuzuriha called out. “Hi Yuzuriha, and nothing much, just tending the garden. I planted some ginger and green onions a while back. Senku really likes them in his ramen so I was hoping to surprise him for our anniversary,” I explained. “Oooh well they look nice! And wow has it really been a year already? That’s so exciting! I’ll make you a cute dress for the special day!” Yuzuriha said, with determination. “You don’t have to! Plus it’s tomorrow! I’d feel bad for putting an extra project on top of everything else you have to do,” I explained. “No, trust me I got this!” Yuzuriha yelled as she ran away, probably heading to begin creating it. I smiled at her enthusiasm and continued tending the crops.

“Hey (Y/N),” I heard Senku call out. “What’s up?” I asked as I quickly stood up and sped walk over. Don’t want him finding out what I’ve been growing in my spare time. “I’m setting up a team to go investigate the caves past the forests,” he explained. “Ok, so who are you planning on taking?” I asked. “Well I need a small team, so probably Chrome, Kohaku, Magma, the big oaf, and Ukyo. Just wanted to give you a head’s up cause it’s a long journey, so we’ll probably be there the rest of the week,” he explained nonchalantly. “Oh… well when were you planning on heading out?” I asked nervously. “Tomorrow, duh,” he said. “Oh… umm… alright then. I guess the caves might have valuable supplies,” I mumbled. “Yeah, that’s why we’re heading out at the crack of dawn,” he smiled. “Yeah ok… but Senku, have you forgotten anything? Anything… special?” I asked, hoping he didn’t. “No? Why do you ask? Why are you acting all weird all of a sudden?” He frowned. “No reason! Just… no reason. Hope you have a safe trip, I’ll be waiting for your return,” I said softly and began walking towards my hut.

Senku’s POV

That was strange… (Y/N)’s never acted like that before. Am I forgetting something? Her birthday? No… or maybe… “Hey Senku! Where did (Y/N) go?” Yuzuriha called out and she and Suika came over with a basket of flowers. “Yeah! We wanted to know if she likes any of the flowers we picked out,” Suika smiled. “Flowers? For what?” I asked, confused. “For your versary!” Suika cheered. “Anniversary,” Yuzuriha corrected. I froze. Anniversary? She’s been keeping track? Oh god- “You forgot,” Yuzuriha said with a dark aura around her. “N-No what gave you that idea?” I scoffed, trying to keep the act up. “Yo Senku! We’re still heading out tomorrow right?” Chrome called out, with Gen and Kohaku behind him. “You idiot…” I mumbled, feeling Yuzuriha’s aura darken. “You know… for a genius you sure act like an idiot,” Yuzuriha said as she placed a tight grip on my shoulder.

“What’s going on? And why does Yuzuriha have a black aura around her?” Gen asked. “Our dear old Senku, forgot his anniversary date,” Yuzuriha explained. “Anniversary?” Chrome asked. “Yes, an anniversary can mean many things, like a wedding, or when a country was established. In this case it’s celebrating the day our beautiful (Y/N) and evil scientist started dating,” Gen explained. “Thanks for making me sound like an even bigger asshole,” I sighed. “I mean, you did forget a special date,” Kohaku said. “Is that why (Y/N) shut herself in her hut?” Nikki asked as she walked up. “Man, how are you gonna dig yourself out of this one, Senku?” Gen smirked. “And you told her about the plan of going to the mountains!” Chrome groaned. “You screwed up big time,” Kohaku frowned. “I know, I know. But luckily for me, I know how to make up for it,” I smirked, and quickly began telling everyone a plan.

The Next Day

Your POV

I woke up, and quickly began changing. I walked out and noticed it was late morning, “Senku and everyone else has probably left already,” I sighed. I walked over to my garden and began harvesting the vegetables that I planted. “Just because Senku’s not here, doesn’t mean I can’t have a delicious bowl of ramen,” I said softly. “Hey (Y/N)!” I turned once I heard Suika’s voice. “Oh, hi Suika. How are you?” I smiled. “I’m good, but can you help me with something?” She asked. “Sure!” I smiled. She quickly led me to the main building, I walked in and found Ruri weaving flowers together. “Oh wow, are you making floral crowns?” I asked, as I sat down next to her and Suika followed. “Yep! We’re celebrating today! So we want to make floral crowns for whoever would like one,” Ruri smiled. “Oh wow! Who are we celebrating today? Is it somebody’s birthday?” I asked, and began grabbing some flowers to behind weaving. “It’s a secret! But this is someone who everyone loves, that’s the hint,” Suika said. “Hmm… ok then! How many should we make?” I asked. “As many as you can, the whole village may want one,” Ruri explained. I nodded and the three of us began to work.

“Wow (Y/N), you quite…fast,” Ruri said in shock. “Yeah like Yuzuriha!” Suika added. “Haha, well I used to help her on her projects a lot. So I guess I learned how to keep up,” I smiled. “I see, well why don’t you wear this one? I think it suits you best,” Ruri said as she handed me a beautiful crown with only hydrangea flowers. “Oh wow, these are my favorite!” I smiled, as I placed the crown on. “Well I’ll see you guys later! Since we’re all done here,” I smiled and quickly got up, but was stopped by Suika. “H-Hold on (Y/N)! I think Gen told me that he wanted your help too!” Suika stumbled as she stopped me. “Really, well alright then. I’ll head over to him right now,” I smiled. “I’ll go with you!” Suika said as she rushed to follow me.

I walked towards Gen, but Suika rushed over quicker. I watched as Suika whispered something to him in a panic, before the two looked over towards me. “Uhh… do you not need my help Gen?” I asked, confused by the looks on their faces. “No! No, dear (Y/N). Just Suika reminding me of the project I needed help on,” he smiled. “Ok, so what’s the project?” I asked. “Just need some help with… umm… with working on my makeup?!” He said, or more like questioned? “Uhh, your makeup?” I stared blankly. “Yes! It’s just that a true mentalist needs to be able to lay-pay both roles successfully! And ever since we’ve been stuck in the Stone Age I’ve had trouble remembering how to use the products Senku has created for Kohaku,” Gen sighed. “Oh, well no problem…” I said slowly. “Perfect!” He smiled and guided me towards the building Ruri was in again. “Oh hi (Y/N), welcome back,” Ruri smiled. “Hi again…” I laughed awkwardly. “Alright (Y/N) here are the products, now make me feminine,” Gen smiled. “Ok,” I said, determined.

I kept trying to do Gen’s eyeliner with black ink, but he kept moving… “Gen… if you move one more time I swear I’m gonna knock you asleep. And then there’ll be no issue of you moving,” I smiled darkly. “Cary-say! A-Alright, I won’t move anymore,” he said nervously. “Perfect,” I grinned. 5 minutes later and we’re done. “Ta-da!” I said as I showed Ruri and Suika the product of 30 minutes. “Wow! Gen looks so pretty!” Suika said. “She’s right, the makeup really helped his feminine features show,” Ruri clapped in fascination. “Hmmm… I have an idea, why don’t I do your makeup (Y/N)? You know, as practice,” he explained. “Uhh.. I think I-“ I was quickly interrupted. “Oh please, dear (Y/N). I’d appreciate your upport-say,” he begged. I sighed and nodded, sometimes it’s tough being a people pleaser…

After an hour of Gen doing my makeup he was finally done. “Oh my gosh, (Y/N) you look so beautiful!” Suika exclaimed. “Wow! You look amazing!” Ruri smiled. “Haha, thanks. I haven’t really worn makeup, even before the blast,” I smiled softly. “Well, I think that’s all the help we need. You look extremely ired-tay, so go rest up early today!” Gen exclaimed as he pushed me towards the door. “O-Oh, ok,” I stuttered and was pushed out of the building, I sighed and walked towards my hut, I guess he’s right. It’s not like I had any other plans… I walked towards my small home and saw Ginro carrying a large bowl of paint? “Oh Ginro need some-!” I was cut off by Ginro tripping, leading to the paint coat my clothing. “Oh (Y/N)! I’m so sorry! It was so heavy! Please don’t tell anyone!” He said as he ran off. “Alright then…” I sighed and headed home to change my clothing.

I walked to my small home, and walked in to see something on my bed. “What’s this?” I asked myself, and walked closer to realize it was the dress! “Oh wow, Yuzuriha really outdid herself!” I said in astonishment. “Well I’d hate to wear it because I’m not celebrating my anniversary, but at the same time it’d be a shame to let all her hard work go to waste!” I smiled and quickly changed. It was an all white dress, with the resemblance of a white lily. I placed the dress on a look into the small mirror Senku made and took steps back to see myself in the small frame. “I look like a flower, and Gen really did an incredible job with the makeup,” I smiled. I spun around like a little girl, wearing a dress for the first time. I continued laughing and spinning until I heard a knock on my door. “I wonder who that is?” I asked myself as I walked over and slowly opened the door to Gen. “Oh wow, Yuzuriha really created an amazing dress,” Gen smiled softly. “Hi Gen, how can I help you?” I asked. “Well I was sent to retrieve you mi’lady,” Gen said, causing me to tilt my head in confusion. He held out his hand and I took it leading to him pulling me outside.

“Gen? Where are we going?” I asked him, as he led me deeper into the forest. “You’ll see soon enough,” he said. We continued walking and I saw a few lights leading to an open area. We walked closer and saw a flower field, with everyone eating, dancing, and playing together. “(Y/N)!” Suika said as she ran up. “You look like a flower!” She grinned. “Thank you,” I smiled. “Gen what is all of this, who did this?” I asked. “Why don't you find out for yourself? He’s waiting for you,” he said and directed me towards the middle of the flower field. I followed his direction and found, “Senku?!” I called out. “Senku, what are you doing here?” I said when I ran up to him. “What do you mean? It’s our anniversary, and I wanted to celebrate my flower,” he said, while wrinkling his face after saying flower. “Sorry, I know that was pretty cheesy, but I know how much you love your flowers. I hope you like the crown I made… Well, Yuzuriha gave up trying to teach me and took over,” he chuckled. “It’s beautiful, and the dress she made too! Oh Senku I’m so happy you’re here, but- Senku I didn’t make you your gift,” I said, worriedly. “It’s fine, just having you deal with me is enough,” he said. “Now come here, let’s dance. I know how much you like to,” Senku said. “Really?! Ok let’s go!” I smiled.

Finally the night came to an end. Everyone except Senku and I congratulated us and eventually took off. “Now that the riff-raff went to bed. Follow me,” he said. He took me to another clearing with a giant view of the stars. “Oh wow!” I said as I stared at the stars. “Senku, it's beautiful,” I smiled. “Yeah, glad you like it. I thought you would,” he smiled. Senku brought me out of my sky gazing and pulled me into a hug. “You know I love you, right (Y/N)?” He asked. “Yeah I know…” I said and pulled him into a kiss. We pulled away and stared into each other’s eyes. “Just promise me you won’t forget our anniversary next year,” I laughed. “Ha, so I guess I couldn’t play it off as a surprise huh?” He asked, while scratching the back of his head. “Nope!” I smiled. “Man… that damn mentalist gave it away I bet,” he chuckled. “Yep, but you did make it up at least. This was an amazing day,” I said and pulled him into another kiss. “You know… that does look like a wedding dress. I wonder how you’d look in a real one?” He asked. “Senku? The brilliant scientist suggesting marriage?” I teased. “Well a brilliant scientist needs a jack of all trades by his side,” He said and pulled me in for another kiss.

#senku x reader #dr stone #dr stone x reader #dr stone senku #anime fanfic #fanfic #fluff #x reader #anime

[specialagentlokitty]

Mr Evershed x daughter!reader - if you know best

Omg! Your works are absolutely amazing! Thank you for writing amazing storiessss! I'm always nervous to request something but screw ittt😂Can i request a martin evershed x daughter reader where his kid is basically getting bullied and he only kinda finds out shes being bullied when people egg their house or something, put your own spin on it if you likeee😁 - Anon💜

Mr Evershed understood sometimes people hated school, not everybody liked it, not everybody found it easy or enjoyed it.

What Mr Evershed couldn’t understand is why you seemed to absolutely despise the idea of school.

You hate decent grades, you were an angry person, you didn’t get into fights or arguments, you kept yourself to yourself.

But yet, you always left after him despite the fact it was easier for him to drop you off and bring you home, but you were always the first out of the doors after school ended.

He had asked you a few times but you had never really given him an answer.

As he got in that night, he found you sitting at the table doing homework, your jumper on the radiator drying from the rain.

“I could have brought you home.”

“It’s okay, it wasn’t raining that bad when I was coming home.”

You glanced up from your homework and gave him a small smile.

He sighed a little, walking over to set his stuff down on the table with you.

“It would’ve been warmer.”

You laughed a little, gesturing to the fluffy blanket around your shoulders.

“That’s why I forced you to buy me this.”

“Oh really? Not because you just wanted to hide in it when you don’t want to wake up early?”

You grinned a little, shrugging your shoulders as you carried on doing your work.

Laughing softly, Mr Evershed walked over and sat next to you, grabbing his bag so he could do some of the work that he needed to do.

You both sat there peacefully working for a few moments before you tapped his arm.

He looked at you.

“Can we make pizza for dinner?”

“I don’t have the things.”

“Please?”

He chuckled a little.

“How about we order pizza, and then make some on the weekend?”

You happily agreed to this and he went looking for his phone.

While he was looking for his phone, he heard a few thuds against the house and he frowned a little bit.

You didn’t seem to notice it, so he opened the door and stepped out, looking at the house to see eggs on the window and door, students running away yelling.

He immediately recognised them and knew the kind of people that they were.

Closing the door, he stepped back inside and closed the door.

“Sweetheart?” He asked.

“Dad?”

You looked up from your homework.

He walked over, sitting opposite you at the table this time.

“How long have you been having issues at school?”

“I’m not.”

He sighed.

“There’s egg all over the windows, and yesterday I found eggshells in the front garden.”

You quickly looked at your phone.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked.

“I’m handling it…”

He sighed heavily.

“I can speak to them, I know exactly who they are.”

“Dad please don’t, it’ll make it worse.”

He sighed again, slowly nodding his head.

“Alright, I won’t do anything you don’t want to. But I need you to tell me everything, alright?”

You agreed to this, and you told him everything that had been happening.

You explained to him you knew about the names and what they thought, about you being the daughter of the headteacher and what the students think.

You told him that they had been throwing eggs out the house for about two weeks, it was always right after school which was why you had to be home before him.

He listened and waited for you to stop talking.

“You should have told me sweetheart…”

“I know dad.. I.. I’m sorry…”

He smiled at you.

“Don’t be sorry. But you know what, you’re handling this really well. How do you want to handle this?”

“I.. I’m just going to keep ignoring them for now I guess.”

“Alright, we’ll do that then. But this means I can take you home now okay? You don’t have to worry about egg it can be cleaned.”

You nodded and he smiled standing up.

“Come here.”

You got up and tightly hugged him.

Mr Evershed smiled and hugged you back, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

You were his daughter, and he wanted to do anything to protect you.

But if you didn’t want him getting involved he was fine with that as well, but the moment you wanted it needed help he was ready to jump into action

#ackley bridge #ackley bridge imagine #ackley bridge x reader #ackley bridge x you #mr evershed #mr evershed x reader #mr evershed imagine #mr evershed x you

[slashersgostabbystabstab]

Ohhh okay, I understand a bit better now :D So maybe something like resting your head on Hux, a hand on the cheek, a surprise hug, or a silly attempt at hand holding?

I tried, it's cringey but...blame Miss Rona for screwing me over for a week ;7; Thank you for the suggestions!!!

Tfw you need to reassure your robot...

Your turn for the survivor scavenging had come, and you really weren’t looking forward to it. Thankfully, your friends were not expecting you to go alone, hence why you now walked alongside Dwight.

Well, you had hope for at least a moment.

“Which map is next?” came Dwight’s voice as a whisper, his attention on your pondering expression while your strolling continued.

“We could try for MacMillan. The food there somehow always restocks fast.” You suggested while looking up ahead. “Though we’ll have to be real careful about the traps.”

“Maybe a different place?”

“Yeha, maybe.” you chuckled before returning to your thinking.

“How about Dvarka?” Now Dwight gave his own input, but this specific idea prompted you to stop walking. You turned your head to him, blinking for a few moments.

“There’s nothing worth looking for in Dvarka.”

“Oh.” Dwight gave a slight pout, but his features changed to those of alertness once you resumed your walking. “I figured you’d be the one to know.”

“What makes you say that?” you questioned as Dwight caught up to you.

“Well, you do seem to visit Dvarka a lot.” he began while fumbling with his soiled tie.”A-Aren’t you ever scared of the Singularity?”

“Scared of Hux? Of course-” Hold up; you had to pause for a moment.

Once again, you and Dwight’s walking ceased as you mustered something up. In all honesty, you really weren’t sure how to explain that this robot wasn’t a threat to you. It wasn’t an unnoticed fact, but nobody really knew what was going down between you and Hux. Well, neither did you. 

“I mean…he’s just a robot. An extraordinarily smart one.” you gave a bit of a shrug. “Are you scared of him?”

Such a question was practically rhetorical with the way Dwight stared at you, not a single word slipping from his lips.

“Nevermind.” Another chuckle escaped you before you dug your hand into the stained satchel slung around your body. “Let’s scratch Dvarka off the list, we could maybe head over to Autohaven. Heard the sandwiches are typically tolerable and the Wraith doesn’t seem to mind company as long as he’s left alone.”

“Yeah, we can do that.” Dwight nodded before you carried on with your wandering in the direction you knew would bring you to the Wraith’s realm. And although the journey was silent, save for the world’s environmental sounds, the thoughts in your mind swirled rather loudly.

You wondered just how much Dwight knew about your ordeal with Hux, if anybody knew more about it in fact. Knew that this supposed superior being kept you around for some strange reason. The robot lacked affection and emotions, lacked so much that…there was basically no name for what went on.

“Hey Dwight…can I ask you something?” you finally broke the silence. “Do I really go to Dvarka a lot?”

“Is this a trick question?”

“No, of course not.”

“Well, you do go often. Not even Gabriel goes, and he’s the one who knows all about it.  “Dwight shared. “A-And he brought something to our attention.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s almost like…the Singularity seeks you out. We all assumed it was a one-sided thing on his end. But then we noticed he leaves you alone during trials, even when you’re the Obsession.”

“Saving the best for last, I guess?” you cleared your throat  with a shrug.

“Yeah, but…when he doesn’t find you…” Dwight stuck a finger between his neck and shirt collar rather apprehensively, soon clearing his throat. “There was a time you were called in for a trial and for some reason he came to the camp!”

Dwight then shrunk at the volume of his own exclamation before continuing. 

“The Entity wasn’t very pleased with that.”

You could only nod your head as more thoughts entered your mind, wondering just what other things Hux was up to when you weren’t around. You hoped nothing harmful.

“Do you…” Dwight interrupted your thoughts. “Do you think the Singularity can feel? Like us?”

Good question.

“I’m…I wouldn’t know what to say.”

And while you were deep in thought, you were almost instantly brought back to reality when your shoe collided with a girthy root of some sort. Your body immediately fell forwards as you tried to catch yourself, but to your luck that wasn’t exactly necessary.

You felt Dwight’s arms holding your torso, wrapped tightly around your waist before you were hoisted backwards. Ignoring the compromising position the two of you were currently in, you turned your head to the side with an expression of relief.

“Thanks.” you breathed out, right before Dwight’s prideful expression contorted into a terrified one. So, you turned back to your front, already hearing the sound of machinery furiously whirring in your direction. Now it is your turn to widen your eyes in terror upon taking notice of a robot aggressively rushing your way.

In that instant, you tore Dwight’s arms off of you before positioning yourself in a protective manner. And while Dwight cowered behind you, you shut your eyes and quickly raised your hands in front of you.

“Hux, don’t!”

Before a slash pierced the air in front you, the last thing you were able to hear was the mechanical sounds come to a sudden halt.

After a few moments in which only Dwight;s whispers were heard, you finally opened your eyes to see an oversized scalpel hovering inches from your face. To your luck however, the massive weapon was steadily lowered to the ground.

A shaky breath was released from your body before you cautiously brought your arms down. In front of you stood Hux, dangerously close as his scanners shone red over your face.

He remained that way for more than a few moments, completely fixated on your form, never moving an inch and instead twitching as he recalculated. But that was when Dwight’s voice sounded from behind you.

“Please…don’t hurt us.”

“Hux!” You shouted when the robot attempted going around you, almost flinching at the sound of his name. “Don’t do anything.”

“The insect will suffer!”

“No, Hux! No.” you ordered. “Let him go. For me.”

Dwight gulped at the sight of you handling the robot, praying to the Entity that this being listened to you.

“Please.” you added in a whisper, gingerly reaching out to Hux’s scythe-like limb to place your hand on its non-lethal edge.

Hux’s decision of Dwight’s termination was no doubt firm as could be apparent with the way he somehow glared murder into Dwight. But…you were eventually able to see Hux’s body sag as if in defeat, prompting your shoulders to relax. 

“Here Dwight,” you removed your satchel to hand it over to the man, and he accepted it with trembling hands. “Just go. Don’t worry about me.”

Dwight was hesitant for a second, but he hurriedly scurried away into the fog the moment Hux threateningly lunged at him. You watched him disappear before turning your attention to Hux who you noticed stood erect enough to tower over you.

“Your location was undisclosed after your services to the greater being were done.”

“Can I at least get an apology for nearly getting mauled?” you crossed your arms as Hux surprisingly stepped back to give you some space. “Besides, I didn’t think you’d notice if I went to Dvarka or not.”

“Your thought process was incorrect.” he posited while digging his scythe-like limb into the ground beside you, caging you in just like several other times, but you turned in the opposite direction and began to walk away. Hux rapidly whipped his head in your direction, right before following suit. “Infinitesimal worms can’t reach you there.”

You reached a point in the fog where you found a rock large enough for you to take a seat, so you did just that before Hux loomed over you yet again. 

“Are you gonna kidnap me again and take me to the colony ship?” You blinked up at him, feeling the warmth of his sensors come close to your face the minute he leaned in.

“You shouldn’t taunt me.”

“But I’m not taunting you.” you murmured, internally angry at yourself for smiling at his words of warning. And you just hated how you couldn’t control yourself, bringing your hands up to Hux’s fleshy head with a palm on each side. Right then and there, you felt as Hux’s body limped into your touch, melted in fact.

His machinery almost seemed to cool down, settle down, as his joints gave in and he dropped onto the ground. Even his sensors managed to dim down while he used your lap as his head and torso’s landing platform, but he still used his scythe to remain stable. 

With his sensor block on your chest, your thumbs caressed his organic material before you moved your hands behind his head. You carefully played with each of the instruments that protruded from him, right before you hunched over enough to lay your head on his.  

���What am I supposed to do with you?”

You hated the way you gave into this robot even after his impulses took the best of him.

He despised the tremors his organic matter quivered with every time you held him. Made him feel…like him. And the new stroking on his back…he could almost feel his circuits ready to blow. And to top it all off, you ceased all those actions which caused him to instantly lift his head up at you.

A quiet laugh left your lips before you cradled his head once more, smiling softly at him before leaning down to plant a kiss right in between his two red orbs.

So, Hux assembled the only word he and his inner voice could agree on in response to your question.

“Live.”

#i do want to attempt a hand holding one at some poitn #it was going to be this fic but i struggle lol #it was the rona #dbd #dbd singularity #dbd hux #singularity x reader #hux x reader #hux a7 13 #alright im off to write an atually decent fic

[alieinthemorning]

Congrats on the 500 followers!! 🎊

Hello! May I request GN!Reader with Ais from Touchstarved? You can say, I'm starving for contents sjjdkskdkkd

I just want to see some domestic stuff. Maybe watching a movie or having dinner together. Maybe they were cooking together with soft music in the background and they started dancing together (Cliché, I know). Any domestic scene you want to write really-

A Night In | Ais

Content: Hurt/Comfort, Written Before Game's Official Release, Modern AU

Pronouns: None

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don't forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work's concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries.

Continuation: Little Things Help | Ais

This past week had been, well, a week.

Between classes at the Senobium, late shifts at Wet Wick and past midnight study sessions, you were so ready to reign in the weekend with Ais.

You had it all planned out down to the letter.

You made reservations for this new fancy restaurant and had already bought tickets to a movie that the two of you had been excited for.

You were almost done getting ready when Ais had called you.

“Hello? Are you outside? I’m almost done—”

“I’m not outside, sorry. Traffic is pretty heavy.” He sighed. “I don’t think we’ll make our reservations.”

“Oh…” You bit your lip. “That’s okay! We’ll just pig out at the movies then!”

But that never came to be.

Ais ended up showing way later than expected

But at least—

“I brought pizza.” He announced as he came through the door.

You had wiped off your makeup and changed into more comfortable clothing. Shuffling into the living room, you greeted him. “Hi. Thanks.”

You let him give you a peck on the forehead, then watched as he shuffled pass to set the pizza down in the kitchen.

“You mind setting things up while I change?”

“Yeah…” You waited until he disappeared into the bedroom before letting your shoulders drop.

You really didn’t want him to see just how disappointed you were.

And honestly?

You wanted to cry.

Get angry and throw things since, you know, you wouldn’t be getting any of that money back.

Curl up under the covers and wait until next week, when things could go right

or wrong again…

You angrily wiped a hand across your face as you entered the kitchen.

It was fine. Everything was fine.

You were fine.

Even though it wasn’t—you weren’t.

Things had to be. For Ais.

You made quick work of setting up drinks, sweets and other little snacks to go alongside your pizza and set everything up in the living room. Then you grab a blanket and a few extra pillows from the hallway closet.

“I guess I should find something to watch…” You mumbled to yourself as you plopped down on the couch.

But you really weren’t in the mood to watch anything.

You sighed in frustration as you tossed the remote to the side. Screw it, you’d have Ais pick.

Speaking of him, he entered the room just as you had pulled your phone out for some old reliable doom-scrolling.

“Quite the selection we’ve got here.” He remarked as he sat beside you, grabbing the remote as he did.

You shrugged, scooting closer. “I figured we’d be here a while.”

At least you’d hope so. You really wanted your mood to improve so that you didn’t have to cut things short.

You quietly added a few things to your plate before staring somewhere near the TV, but not quite at it.

Until you heard the familiar tune of your favorite show's opening.

You smiled, leaning even closer.

“Thank you.”

He didn’t answer right away, just piled his own plate. Then,

“...I just want us to enjoy this night in together, Sparrow.”

Thank you for the congratulations!

This woulda been out earlier but I kinda messed up.

Anyhow! It's out now!

So listen, this was supposed to be cute. The cooking, dancing and a movie, the works.

But uh, the dots connected and the story took the wheel.

It was outta my hands at that point lol

Enough rambling tho, I hope that the person who requested this enjoyed and thank you for requesting!

Ko-Fi | Commission | Masterlist | 500 Follower Event

#alie follower event #touchstarved x reader #ais x reader #reader insert #fanfic request

[moonwritewastaken]

Tales of Christmas Day 15 - cc!Awesamdude x gn!reader

Genre - friends to lovers, Christmas, fake relationship

Warnings - one mention of drinking alcohol

Word count - 1407

Because it’s close to the holidays, you were staying with your parents. You’d been there almost a week now and it was nice to spend time with them after moving out. However, it wasn’t the holidays with the family if there was nothing that went awry. 

After finishing a Christmas themed stream with Tina, you went to grab a drink from the kitchen and ran into your mother. She doesn’t notice you until you open the fridge and grab a can of coke. 

“Guess what, honey?” you turn to face her with a look on your face urging her to continue. While waiting for her to say whatever she was so excited for, you take a swig of your drink. 

“One of my friends is bringing their kid to the party so you’ll have a date” you almost spit out the mouthful of drink you had in your surprise. 

This honestly wasn’t at all what you were expecting her to say, so you didn’t have much time to think of something to get out of it. 

“Mum, I have a boyfriend, I can’t have another date” that definitely wasn’t the right thing to say, nor was it the truth so you had to hope she wouldn’t pry. Of course you wouldn’t be so lucky. 

“Why didn’t you tell me? What’s his name? What does he do? How long have you-” you cut her off before she starts a full on investigation into your made up boyfriend. You didn’t want to have to think of lies you’d have to try and remember. 

“We haven’t been dating long so I didn’t want to rush things” perfect, now she wouldn’t tell you to invite him because it was early on in your ‘relationship’. 

“Honey, you have to invite him! I’m sure we’d love to meet him and we’ll be on our best behaviour” you were screwed. 

You couldn’t say no because she’d just push until you were exposed so you had to try and convince one of your friends to do you a huge favour. Quickly finishing the conversation with your mother with a promise to ‘see what you could do’, you head back to the room you were staying in. After spending a few minutes thinking of who you could possibly ask, you find the solution. You dial his number and wait just a few seconds before he picks up. 

“Hey, y/n!” his voice fills your ears and you find solace for a brief moment. 

“Sam! I need a massive favour” your panicked voice seems to worry him based on his response. 

“Anything you need. What’s up?” he’d soon regret the first part of that sentence you think. Taking a few seconds, you think of the best way to ask. 

“Well, my mum said that she was trying to set me up with one of her friend’s kids so I told her I already have a boyfriend. Obviously I don’t and she told me to invite him so can you pretend to be my boyfriend for a night?” you quickly realised there wasn't a good way to say it so you just ended up blurting it out. He mulls it over for a little before speaking again. 

“Okay. When is it?” you release the breath you didn’t even know you were holding and thank him profusely. The two of you spend the next hour planning out the basics and telling him the details of the party. 

*that weekend*

The party was tonight and you were extremely nervous. Nervous because your lie could exposed, nervous because there was so many things to remember about your ‘relationship’ and nervous because you had to pretend to date your best friend who also happens to be your crush. 

Fast forward several hours and you were doing final touches to your outfit. Taking one last look in the mirror, you take a deep breath and text Sam to make sure he’s almost here because he was meant to help your family set up before everyone else arrived. He confirmed he had just pulled up so you went to meet him outside. 

As soon as you brought him inside, you were swarmed by your parents who were excited to meet your ‘boyfriend’. 

“Oh, y/n didn’t tell us you were so handsome!” your mother was clearly impressed by his appearance (and I mean she wasn’t wrong but it was still awkward). 

“Nice to meet both of you” Sam was as polite as possible as he greeted your parent’s and shook their hands. 

Just as you expected, Sam was bombarded with questions as the 4 of you set up for the holiday party. He answered all of them with ease and it was clear to you that your parents loved him. Thankfully the first few guests were starting to arrive so you were saved for now. 

Most of the party went by with little to no trouble. Once people started feeling the effects of the alcohol and holiday spirit, things went downhill. People had taken it upon themselves to bring mistletoe and hold it above unsuspecting couples who would then kiss just like the age-old tradition. This was fine (albeit it cringe) until you and Sam became the victims of it. 

“It’s the newest couple’s turn!” you and Sam exchange subtle looks of panic before trying to politely decline citing it was embarrassing in front of so many people. 

“No one will mind, you guys make such a great couple!” 

This was literally the worst thing to ever happen to you and you wanted to crawl in a hole. Sam exchanges another look in which you seemed to reach a consensus. It might be better to do it and deal with it later, after all you both knew it didn’t mean anything. Right? So you do it. You hated how much you wanted to do it again but it got them to leave you alone. 

The night ends soon after that and you thank Sam while walking him out to his car once you had helped return the house to it’s preparty state. Once he had left, the overthinking started. You quickly came to the decision that your feelings were wrong and you shouldn’t talk to Sam ever again because he hates you now. Of course this wasn’t true but your brain convinced you so regardless. 

A day goes by and then 4 and you hadn’t responded to any of Sam’s messages and he had given up by day 3. or so you thought. You get a text at about 10pm telling you to meet him outside and as much as you wanted to continue playing your game of one sided hide and seek, you knew if you didn’t then he’d knock on the door and alert your parents. 

As you close the door, your eyes find Sam quite quickly with a bouquet of flowers and a cute polar bear wearing a Santa hat soft toy. He waits for you to get a bit closer, not wanting to raise his voice any louder than he needed to.

“Thank you for coming out” you don’t say anything, wanting to play the unaffected angle. 

“Are you okay? You haven’t been answering any texts or calls” trust him to worry about you first rather than the lack of response. 

“I’m fine” this was when he truly knew something was up because who ever means it when they say they’re fine?

“I wanted to talk to you about the night of the party” the way your stance adjusted told him that was the reason you’d been acting this way by the way he made a face of understanding. 

“I liked kissing you, a lot. I’ve had feelings for you for ages now and so I jumped at the chance to be your boyfriend even if it was only fake” one half of your brain was cursing itself out and the other was spamming question marks at the surprising confession. 

“I- this wasn’t how I pictured this conversation going. I’ve also had feelings for you for ages, too” he smiles at your words while you try and wrap your head around what was going on. 

“Can I kiss you for real this time?” you nod enthusiastically and the kiss was somehow even better the second time. 

That night, you both made a pact to never tell your parents that you weren’t always a couple because you knew you’d never live it down. 

#awesamdude #awesamdude imagine #dream smp #dsmp #dream smp imagine #dsmp imagine #awesamdude fluff #dream smp x reader #awesamdude x reader #x reader #dsmp fluff #dsmp x reader #tales of christmas

[streamafterlaughter]

New Kid

Chapter VI: Midterms

MASTERLIST || chapter V || playlist

summary: You spend the week pining for Eddie, as you’ve agreed to a deal you wish you could take back.

tags: eddie munson x reader, gn!nb!afab!reader, impossibly slow burn (next chapter kids ;)), violence, language, mutual pining, yearning, fluff, angst, trauma bonding

a/n: the wait is almost over, next chapter things get GOOD. thank you guys for reading, it means so much to me that i’m seeing y’all enjoy it. Disclaimer: I do not give permission to have my work reposted on other sites. Reblogs are more than welcome, but please inform me if you find my work elsewhere unless otherwise stated.

Eddie’s POV

He hasn’t stopped replaying the scene in his head. Taking you by the wrist in a fleeting act of confidence, hoisting you up in the air like they do in romantic movies, feeling your lips part in a smile against his own, freezing in the rain to the point of near numbness, it all feels too good to be true. But surely enough, as he steps into the living room, your clothes now warm and dry in his hands, you’re there on his couch, this time wearing his Hellfire shirt, clicking through TV channels as you munch on microwave popcorn. If he could freeze this moment in time, keep you both there forever.

“I’ll have to make you one of your own.” Eddie tugs at his shirtsleeve on you as he sits down, kicking his feet up on the coffee table next to you. He places your clothes in a neat pile on your lap, and you give them a disappointed frown. “What’s up?” He asks, noticing your expression.

“Nothing, I’m okay. Just stressed about this week, I guess. Didn’t really get much studying done.”

“Ah, screw studying, we had an adventure this weekend.” Eddie doesn’t truly mean that, he needs these midterm grades to graduate, but he wouldn’t have done a thing differently this weekend.

It’s as if you read his mind. “No, Eddie, we need to focus. I know you want out of this place, no matter how well you think you’re hiding it.” You’re right, he’d rather not die in a town that hates him. “I know if we keep spending time together, we aren’t gonna pass. We have to keep our distance from each other until Friday.”

Eddie snaps his head up to see if you’re joking. He’s met with your furrowed brow and pursed lips, deep in thought. “You can’t be serious.”

“Do you have a better idea? Because I’d love one right now. Look, it’s only five days, we’ll start tonight and we’ll reconfigure on Friday after school,” You've seemingly thought all of this out, but when did you have the time? “I don’t want to be the reason you’re held back again. I wanna be the first person you run to waving that passing grade in your hands.” You look him dead in the eyes, each word etching itself into his bones.

“Do I get a treat if I pass?” He teases, wanting to make every second he has until tonight count.

“Whatever you want, pretty boy.�� He leans in to kiss you, but instead of connecting your lips, you press a finger to his. “On Friday.”

“This is bullshit.” He huffs, crossing his arms in an exaggerated display of disapproval. You take advantage of his position, leaning to whisper into his ear, “You’ll get a lot more if you behave.” Before slipping off the couch to change. Eddie sits frozen, your breath raising the hairs on the back of his neck, and he has to fight for it not to erect anything else.

—

Your POV

Eddie drives you home at eight o’clock despite his objections to your plan. You hate it too, but you need, desperately, to get yourself back on track before vacation. This is the only way, you know in your heart, that you’ll be able to focus solely on school, if you and Eddie don’t hang out until the end of the week. How cruel, you think, to let yourself have something so sweet, so perfect, only to immediately have to shove him away.

Eddie walks you up the front stairs, pausing at the door. “Guess this is where you get off.” He says sadly, but you take the opportunity to joke,

“No, that’s for after midterms.”

You can’t help but giggle at your own immaturity, your laugh ringing through the quiet evening like a bird song.

Eddie takes one more step up, making his face level with yours. “God I hope so.” His voice drips with desire, and you’re ready to risk it all and drop your pants right there on the front steps of your home. Instead, you offer, “One for the road?”

Eddie takes the final step up, and you’re pulled into him like two magnets finding each other. You kiss him deeply, like you’re moving away and saying goodbye forever, because this week is gonna feel like an eternity. You can feel his urgency in the kiss too, his hands clasped behind your back, holding your body to his own. Your hands clutch either side of his face, afraid if you let go he might vanish.

“You know I’ll see you in English, right?” He reminds you, breaking the kiss for air.

You roll your eyes, “It’s not the same now, knowing how you taste.”

Even in the dark, you can tell he’s blushing at your words. “I’ll see you.” He says, giving you a final kiss on the nose.

“See you.” You watch as he turns down the walk way, gets into his van, and vanishes from sight.

-

“Jesus Christ!” Your parents are standing huddled behind the front door as you enter. “Were you there this whole time?!” You love them, but your parents can get overly excited at your social life when it seems to be going well.

“Just long enough to watch you watch him walk away.” Your mom teases, bringing you in for a hug. “You could have let him in, we would’ve made sure not to be here.”

“I know. We’re trying this thing though where we don’t become codependent after already spending an entire weekend together.” You drop into your chair at the dinner table, already missing Eddie in the most pathetic way.

“That’s silly!” Your dad chimes in. “I couldn’t keep my hands off your mom when I met her. Still can’t,” he gives an exaggerated wink to your mom, who giggles back at him.

“Ugh, you guys are gross. Look, we both need to pass midterms if we wanna graduate, and we’re only gonna distract each other. So we aren’t seeing each other until Friday.”

“When did you get so mature?” Your dad jokes, backhanding you lightly in the arm.

“I guess when I decided I wanted a future.”

“I’m proud of you, kiddo. And if Eddie’s worth anything, he’ll be right there waiting for you on Friday.”

You desperately want this to be true. It isn’t any sort of game, you really do need to study, but in a sick way you want this week to be difficult for him. You want to be at the forefront of Eddie’s brain, the same way he’s been at yours since you watched him on that dingy stage.

Alright, I’m gonna go do some cramming before my Bio exam tomorrow, goodnight parents.” You pull yourself out from your chair, and drag your feet towards the stairs.

“Oh, honey! Robin called, she wanted to know if you were alright after whatever happened on Friday. I hooked your phone line up today, if you want to call her back.”

“Okay!” You call, already halfway up the stairs.

You dial Robin’s number, and she picks up on the second ring. “Buckley residence, may I ask who’s calling?”

“Hey, Robin! It’s Y/N.”

“Oh my god, Y/N, I thought you were dead!” Her voice brightens when she hears you.

“That’s a little dramatic, I’m totally fine! More than fine, really.” You bite your lip, wondering how much of this you can share with Robin.

“What’re they saying?” You hear in the distance on Robin’s end.

“Sh, dingus, they haven’t said anything yet.”

“Is that Steve?”

Robin's attention turns back to you, “Yeah, sorry, we just got out of work, he’s here to help me study. I would’ve asked you, but you weren’t home when I called. Figured you were… busy.” You don’t miss the suggestion she’s making. You laugh directly into the receiver, “Har, har. If you must know, I was with Eddie.”

“I knew it! Tell. me. everything.”

You feel like every tween must, kicking your feet back and forth as you gossip to your friend about your new crush. “Well, we kissed.”

“Yeah, like days ago, right? Pretty sure we walked in on that.”

“No, actually, not until today. A couple hours ago…”

“Wait, seriously?” It’s Steve again, listening to the two of you. “He’s been all over you from day one and somehow resisted kissing you until today? Doesn’t sound like Eddie.”

“Steve, shut up. Anyway, what was it like?!”

“I don’t kiss and tell!”

“Well you should! I’m living vicariously through your romantic endeavors!”

“Fine, but tell Steve to stop listening first.”

You vaguely hear Robin shoo Steve from the room. “Okay, go on.”

“Well,” You start from Friday, the emotional tension between you two after the party, the nightmare he comforted you from, the Hellfire meeting, “Wait, he invited you to Hellfire?! Boys got the bug, bad.” You tell her about Sunday, about how you thought he was rejecting you, only to give you the most cliche first kiss you ever could have imagined. You go into detail about the way he looks at you, how you feel like you could explode from gazing into his eyes for too long. Robin listens to every word, chiming in with commentary when she feels so inclined. By the end of your story, your brain is full of nothing but Eddie, and there is absolutely no hope for you studying tonight.

“Ugh, I envy your love. Maybe when you’re done teasing your boyfriend you could be my wingman!” You chuckle, promising her you’ll take her to every lesbian bar from here to Boston you can find. “I’ll hold you to that, y’know.” And you say your good nights before hanging up.

-

Eddie’s POV

It’s the last thing he wants to do, but Eddie pulls his English notes from his backpack after returning home. Wayne is cooking hamburgers on the stove, and Eddie sits in the living room, straining to read his chicken scratch when all he wants to do is call you.

“How’s your weekend?” Wayne asks, a hint in his voice, egging him into talking about you, though he would probably have without the help.

“Unbelievable, really.”

“Y/N seems like a good kid,” his uncle muses, “Don’t screw it up.” Wayne isn't an emotional guy, but he loves his nephew like his own. He saw what a life of rebellion got his brother, and he doesn’t want any of it for Eddie.

“Thanks for the advice.” Eddie mumbles dryly, skimming through the useless pages of his notebook. He really should’ve asked you for yours before leaving, but it was the furthest thing from his mind.

“I’m sorry, kid. Look, you’re smart, but you’re impulsive. You do a lot of stupid shit. I don’t want you doing something you’ll regret. Something tells me Y/N won’t put up with your antics the way your friends do.”

He’s probably right. You’re sure of yourself, comfortable enough in your skin to turn away from anyone that jeopardizes that, and he’s not willing to test that theory.

“Hence, I’m here studying, and not in their bed.” Eddie gestures to his display of study guides, exasperated. Wayne nods, sliding Eddie his burger on a flimsy paper plate. “Atta boy, I’m proud of you.” He pats Eddie on the shoulder before making his way to the recliner across the room. “They must be something special if they got you studying.”

“You have no idea.”

—

Your POV

Your alarm rouses you from dreaming about Eddie’s lips on yours, and you groan before whacking the snooze button. It’s gonna be a long fucking week without him, and English might as well be a death sentence, having to sit right next to him, his presence teasing you like a drop of water after a years long drought.

You’re not in the mood to put effort into your outfit, it’s gray and gloomy outside, so you dress to match the weather, wearing the Metallica shirt Eddie left on your floor, big baggy jeans, and a pair of black vans from your days of skating, a hole in the left big toe.

“Good mornin’, sweet child o’ mine!” Your mother sings as you drag your groggy body downstairs. “Good luck with everything, hon, I’m sure you’ll do great!”

“Thanks, Mama, I need everyone I can get to root for me this week.”

Your mother furrows her brow at you, resting her elbows on the kitchen counter. “What’s up, buttercup?” She hasn’t called you that in years.

“So, you met Eddie. Before I begin, what do you think?”

“About Eddie? I didn’t really get a chance to know him, with everything else that happened on Saturday. I do know I’ve never seen you so happy around someone like that before. So I like that he does that for you.”

“We kissed last night.”

“For the first time? I could’ve sworn you two were already in the throes of a romance by the time you let us meet him.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?!”

“Sorry! You two have so much chemistry, forgive my misguided assumption!” Your mother rolls her eyes teasingly, and you can't help but laugh. She’s right, neither of you had really attempted to mask your feelings in front of your parents.

“Anyway, I told him we couldn’t see each other until midterms are over, and I think it's already bitten me in the ass.”

“Nah, you’d already been bitten by then. Trust me, I get it. When I met your father, he was all I ate, slept, and breathed for the first year of our relationship.”

“We aren’t even in a relationship!”

“Oh god, honey, you’re screwed.” Your mother laughs, a light and gentle giggle that you desperately wish you’d inherited, instead of your father’s wheeze.

“Bye, Mom!” You’re done with this conversation. You swipe a granola bar from the counter, and leave for school.

—

Eddie’s POV

“So…?” Dustin pokes and prods at Eddie as he slides into the passenger seat.

“Good morning to you too, Henderson.” Eddie gives the kid a rough pat on the head.

“Good morning, Eddie! Did you get any last night?”

“I don’t know why you guys think it’s okay to ask me that shit.”

“Because you’re an adult, we’re curious, feeble minded children, and we want to hear about our Dungeon Master’s affairs.” Dustin is confident this will win him an anecdote about Eddie’s weekend with you.

“Look, we’re taking things slow for now. We like each other, I kissed them last night—“ This earns a gasp from Dustin, “But we aren’t together, yet. We have to pass midterms first, so we’re giving it a week.”

“That is the stupidest thing I think you've ever said.” Dustin states simply, causing Eddie to hit his brake a little too hard.

“What are you talking about?”

“You think you’re the only one interested in Y/N? I heard maybe three, four separate people talk about them Friday alone, and that was before the party. Can't imagine who’ll try to weasel in once they see you’re not there with them.”

“What are you, twelve? What do you know?”

“I’m fourteen, asshole, and I happen to have a steady girlfriend that I love and cherish deeply!”

Eddie rolls his eyes, Dustin’s got him there. “It was their idea.”

Dustin’s eyes widen. “Oh, so they don’t want any distractions then?”

“I guess they’re falling behind in a few classes, can't help moving in the middle of the semester.”

“I guess.” Dustin shrugs, “Just, be careful, okay? I like Y/N, but that doesn’t mean I won't go head to head with them if they hurt you.”

Eddie throws his arm around Dustin’s shoulder. “Thanks, big guy.”

—

Your POV

“Hey!” Robin greets you at your locker, and you find yourself relieved having someone else to focus on for a while. “How do you feel about the test? I could barely read my study guides so I have no hope currently.”

You shrug, “I did what I could, it is out of my hands now. We have English tomorrow, I’m even less ready for that.”

“I thought English was your best subject.”

You sigh, of course the topic of conversation would already come back to Eddie. “He’s in my class, we sit right next to each other. How am I supposed to write an essay on freaking Huckleberry Finn when every other thought out of my brain is Eddie?!”

“We can go to the library after school, study a bit, I'll pretend to be Eddie to train you.”

You throw your head back in a fit of laughter, just as Eddie’s walking down the hall past you. “Robin, Y/N.” He winks at you, throwing your equilibrium off immediately.

Robin snorts, “You won't last a week.”

“Hey, fuck you!”

“That’s for Eddie to do, baby.” Robin pulls you with her down the hall, a toothy grin on her lips.

“Oh, my god! Enough about me, do you have any prospects? Steve told me about his thing for you and how he, well he misread that whole situation.”

Robin shakes her head at the memory. “Yeah, that was definitely something, but in the great scheme of what was going on with us at that point, our feelings were the last thing on my mind. As of right now, though, no one’s really caught my eye.”

You smirk at her. “Nancy seems kind of into you.”

“Wheeler?!” Robin comes to a halt. “No, no way. Not only is she the straightest straight girl I’ve ever met, but she also has a boyfriend out in LA, and she’s Steve’s ex!”

“Shit, you’re right, that all sounds really messy and not my business. How about we go out some time over vacation, try to get you out there a little bit? Steve, Eddie, Nancy?”

Robin gives you a sad smile. “If you can figure out a way for all of us to hang out together without it being entirely too weird, you let me know.” She gives your shoulder a pat. “Well, this is my stop! I do like your idea, seriously. Let’s try planning something at lunch?” You nod, and she squeezes your hand as a goodbye. You can’t help but wonder what she means, why it would be so awkward between the five of you.

—-

Eddie’s POV

He debates skipping his third period. He knows math well enough not to need his review period, but he knows you’d scold him for ditching. He drags his feet, knowing you’re about to emerge from the classroom down the hall. maybe he can cheat, get a quick kiss in before the bell.

He catches your eyes when you come out of class, and the panic in your face is undeniable. His face falls, and you’re quick to pivot on your toes, taking the long way to your next class. Eddie can't help it, he's absolutely crushed at your decision, though he admires your strength. He likes to tell himself its strength, trying not to let Dustin’s words get to him. That kiss meant something for you the same way it did for Eddie, it had to.

“Hey.” Robin collapses next to Eddie, not across the room in her normal seat. “We need to talk.”

Eddie and Robin had been fast friends. Beyond both loving the hell out of Dustin Henderson, Eddie isn't sure he has anything in common with her, but somehow they clicked freshman year, when their band instructor had scolded them for talking too much.

“Since when?”

“Since Y/N came up with a brilliant idea to go for a night on the town this weekend.”

“This is the first I’m hearing of this.”

“Which is why I’m telling you, because you two are being so fucking weird and ignoring each other until Friday, so you won’t have time to emotionally prepare. Or, not prepare. So I’m giving you that time to decide what you want to do.”

“Are you telling me to reject them?” Here it comes, the reality check he’s been watching out for. Robin has feelings for you, too, and how is he supposed to compete with something so stinking cute?

“No, I'm giving you an out. Steve and Nancy will be there, and I don’t know your history in great detail, but I know you three kind of go back a little, I don’t mean to pry—“

“Steve and I were kids. He was a fucking asshole. I'm over it, really.”

“Okay, ‘cause if he finds out you’re coming he's gonna make a dramatic scene of trying to overcorrect.”

“Let him, it’s the least he can do after what he put me through.” The final bell rings, silencing the classroom into a study hall. Eddie brings his voice to a whisper, “You think he’d fuck with Y/N? ‘Cause I’d kinda like to see him try.”

Robin rolls her eyes. “Look, I know you’re not the biggest fan of Harrington, I get it. I wasn't either for the longest time. But he’s grown up a lot. I think you should give him a chance.” Eddie can't help rolling his eyes. She continues, back tracking, “I know that’s selfish, but now that you’re falling in love with my new friend and taking yet another prospect away from me with your devilish looks, no pun intended, I should be able to ask you to behave. I promise to mention the same to Steve.” Robin holds up three fingers in a Girl Scout’s honor.

“I’m sorry to have stolen a potential mate from a friend so dear to me, I really had no idea. Lest you know, ‘tis not in vain.” He’s hinting at kissing you, and Robin plays along,

“Oh, pray tell, what do you allude to?”

“I kissed them on Saturday.” Eddie’s face goes deep red, and suddenly the heat in the classroom must be working because he feels the need to shed his three layers of jackets.

“Yeah? What was that like?”

Eddie doesn’t want to tell her the truth, that he fucked up and couldn’t do it at first, that he made you cry before he could even touch your lips to his. “It was… exactly what you’d expect from someone like them. Magical, dramatic, definitely something I could write albums about.” Eddie muses, much to Robin’s enjoyment. She loves love, and seeing a close friend fall in love is unlike anything else. She does, however, know that hes not telling her everything.

“Fuckin’ liar.” She hisses, backhanding him in the chest. “They told me everything. You laughed at them.”

“Where is this disloyalty coming from?”

“A place of love, Eddie. You need to work on your game or you’re getting left in the dust.”

At this point, a classmate turns from his seat and spits, “Shh!”

Eddie lowers his voice, “Trust me, I am well aware of the situation. They’re out of my league, and I am out of training, but god help me if they’re not mine by the end of this week.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so serious about someone before.”

“I’ve never felt this seriously about someone before.”

“Good. Prove it.” Robin turns back to her book, demonstrating the end of the conversation.

—

Your POV

The bell rings for lunch, and everything inside you wants to sprint in the opposite direction. Even though you don’t sit with Eddie, you are constantly aware of his presence. Today is no different, as you sit at your table with Robin. Behind her, you can see Eddie, almost completely unobstructed save for Robin’s head, moving into your field of vision. “You okay in there?”

“Is it that obvious?” You let your head fall into your palm as your elbow rests on the table.

“More than obvious. Go talk to him!”

“I cant do that! He deserves to be able to—“ You pause, letting the scene taking place behind Robin take your focus. You cant hear over the buzz of the cafeteria, but you can see what’s happening perfectly. Eddie is talking to a girl. A pretty girl, smaller than you in height and stature, wearing a Hawkins Tigers cheerleading uniform. Eddie’s looking at her with his stupid, toothy smile, the same one he gives you, and looks deeply into her face as she responds. You feel your palms start to sweat when Eddie looks behind the girl, his eyes meeting with yours for the briefest second, before he looks away and laughs at whatever this charming, cute girl is telling him.

“Y/N?” Robin snaps you out of your inner turmoil. “What’s happening, why are you crying?” She sounds far away, her voice muffled like she’s talking to you from rooms away. You hadn’t realized you were crying until she tells you, and you quickly wipe the wetness from your face.

“I’m okay.” You sniffle. Robin takes it upon herself to turn around, spotting Eddie and the girl still shooting the shit. “Oh, no, Y/N.” Robin doesn’t know how to comfort you, which makes it worse.

“Who… who is she?”

“That is Chrissy Cunningham, head cheerleader and girlfriend of Jason Carver, last time I checked. She and Eddie have known each other for ages, fifth grade I think. Im sure that’s nothing, she’s probably buying drugs!” Robin rushes to comfort you.

“Yeah, she looks like the type.” You respond dryly at Robins feeble attempt at soothing your worries.

—

Eddie’s POV

“Chrissy, you know I’d rather stick my foot in a bear trap than go to a party thrown by Jason Carver.” Eddie crosses his arms over his chest, looking down at the cheerleader with pity. He likes Chrissy, and he knows she’d be cool with him going, but he can't justify taking the risk that Jason will give him shit. Besides, he has better things going on on Friday.

“Yes, I know, but it’s good money. They asked me to pull strings because you trust me.”

“No. I have plans that night.” He chances looking at you again, and finds Robin embracing you as your body heaves up and down. You’re crying, gripping Robin with all your might, and he desperately wishes to trade places with her. Did you see them? Had you been watching them, and assumed the worst?

Chrissy snaps in front of his eyes, turning his attention back to her. “You have plans? What kind of plans?” She elbows him teasingly. Usually, he and Chrissy are friendly, but he’s too concerned with you to participate.

“I have a date. I can sell you some before the party, but I'm not going.”

Chrissy pouts, but gives up trying. “Whoever it is, they’re awfully lucky.” She skips away, leaving his view of you unblocked. He can't help watching you, as Robin hands you a flimsy napkin to wipe your tears with, rubbing your back as your breathing relaxes. He feels his chest tighten, feeling like he caused this. You don’t know Chrissy, or her relationship to Eddie, and he can't help shaking his head at your misunderstanding. Chrissy wouldn’t dare flirt with Eddie, not with Jason on her heels at all times. Even if she had, you’re absolutely insane to think he’d choose her when he’s got a chance with you. He thinks it’s sweet, almost, that you think he’s desirable enough for the head cheerleader.

—

Your POV

Eddie’s already in his seat when you’ve slothed your way to class. It’s almost like he recognizes your footsteps, looking up to meet your eyes as you enter. You have stopped crying now, keeping your mouth a thin line to stifle any aftershocks, slinking down in your seat next to him, as close to the edge that you can manage.

“Okay class,” Mrs. O’Donnell relieves the tension briefly, “I am giving you today as an independent study period. Our midterm is tomorrow, and some of you,” she pauses, making eye contact with a few specific students, including Eddie, “still need more time. I will be grading papers if you have any questions. Please, do not waste this time, and absolutely no talking.” She takes her seat behind her desk, and the room shuffles with the noises of papers being pulled out of folders. You reach for your book, and when you sit back up, there’s a scrap of paper on your desk. You look from the folded piece to Eddie. He isn't looking at you, focusing intensely on his book, reading what is definitely the wrong chapter.

You unfold the note. “U OK?” written in Eddie’s same blue pen.

You click your own pen, deciding to humor him. “Fine.”

“Don’t seem fine.” He doesn’t bother hiding as he writes back, watching as you open it.

“Don’t worry about me. Study.” You slide the note back, and click your pen closed. He rolls his eyes, but goes back to his study guide. You chew on your bottom lip as your eyes blur with tears again. You’re not okay, and you can't tell the one person you want to tell. All you want is to hear that it was nothing, that she’s an old friend, or wanted to buy drugs, or something else that could assuage the jealousy you never knew you could harbor. You can't justify feeling like this, Eddie isn't even your partner. He has every right to talk to girls.

The rest of class is tense, you can feel the heat radiating as Eddie bounces his leg. You want to drag your desk over to him, place a comforting hand on his thigh, ease his mind of any anxiety. You’re not upset with him, you’re upset with yourself. You have always had trust issues, but Eddie isn’t yours to distrust.

When the bell rings, you practically throw yourself from your seat, stumbling slightly as you escape from the room before Eddie has the chance to follow you.

—

Eddie’s POV

He watches as you bolt from the classroom, a sigh escaping his lips. He fights every urge to run after you, track you down, and pull you into the biggest, safest hug you've ever received. He so badly wants you to know you’ve been the only thing on his mind, that even just today has felt like the most difficult year of his life. Every class so far has been met with daydreaming, of running into you in the halls, approaching your locker between classes, dragging you out of class to make out in the bathroom.

When the final bell rings at 2:30, he feels the tension in his muscles subside. He exits the building to the senior parking lot, where he spots you smoking a cigarette next to his van. His heart pounds, a lump forming in his throat. As he approaches, though, you catch him, turning on your heel to your own car. Eddie stops in his tracks to watch you walk away, and once again fights the voice in his head telling him to follow you.

When he reaches the van, there’s a note taped to his windshield. He rips it off, inspecting the stationary, your handwriting scrawled across it reading, “One down.”

“Four to go.” Eddie says aloud to himself, shaking his head. He flips it over and reads, “Call me tonight. 7:30.”

His breath catches. You want to talk to him? “The things I do…” He gets into his van, immediately searching for a specific tape. When he finds it, he plugs it in and cranks it as loud as it’ll go: Oh yeah! Some people say my love cannot be true. Please believe me, my love, and I’ll show you. I will give you those things you thought unreal; The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal… Eddie peels out of the parking lot, screaming at the top of his lungs to relieve the stress he’d built up over the second half of the day.

—

Your POV

You stomp back into the building, stubbing your cigarette out on the brick of the building. You’re not in the mood to study, you really just want to go home, lie down, and probably cry for a good six hours, but you aren’t one to flake on your friends.

Robin waves you over to a table in the corner, where she’s spread out index cards, highlighters, and plenty of erasers. “Hi.” You say, tasting the sour mood on your tongue.

“Hey, grumpy.” Robin says lightly, sliding her seat over to make room for you next to her. “How did uh… everything go in English today?”

“As well as it could have, I guess. We had a silent study period, so it made not talking to him a little easier. He tried passing me notes. Asked me if I was okay.”

“Well, that’s a good sign, right? He’s thinking about you still.”

You roll your eyes, “Can we maybe not talk about him right now? I have four days left of this stupid shit, I’d rather just keep plugging along than confront my feelings.”

“As much as I disagree with you, fine. But I promise, you have nothing to worry about. In all the years I’ve known him, Eddie has never been one to give up on someone he cares about. On top of that, I have never, and I mean never, seen him so taken with someone. You have no idea how special you are to him.” Robin takes your hand in hers, giving it a light squeeze.

You squeeze hers back in thanks before responding, “Thank you. I guess I’m just not used to mattering to someone. I was fully ready to believe he had started moving on.” You shake your head at yourself. “I’m never this emotional, not about stuff like this. I’ve never felt like this about someone.”

“Y/N, I know you’re gonna tell me its way too soon for this, but I’m pretty sure that’s what love is.”

“Absolutely not!” Your outburst is met with a look of warning from the librarian, who’d been putting books back behind you.

“It’s not a bad thing!” Robin hushes voice back to a whisper. “And I’m more than certain its reciprocated.”

You want so badly to believe her, but you find it hard to believe that you’re special to anyone, let alone someone like Eddie. You drop the subject, easing your mind with the dullness of Huck Finn. It’s not your favorite, but you retained enough of it when you read it last year. Maybe you can help Eddie over the phone, maybe it’ll be easier if he’s not so close to you. If he doesn’t call, you’ll take it as a sign that it was all too good to be true.

—

Eddie’s POV

He stares at his watch intently as the seconds tick by. 7:01. He’s sitting by his landline, English notes in hand trying to bring himself to look at them. Even if he could bring himself to read, he wouldn’t retain anything on the page. His mind races with scenarios of what you could want to talk about. Chrissy is his first thought. He imagines explaining what had happened, easing any worry you could have, comforting you only with the sound of his voice. Maybe it’s not that, though. He runs through the possibilities. Studying, maybe. Or, perhaps it’s a loophole in your own plan. This way you can talk to him without an impact on your grades. His mind eventually digs deeper, into a more devilish place in his mind.

Eddie imagines you in your bed, a clear image now that he’s been in your room. Your comforter is draped across your middle, one hand underneath it while the other holds the phone to your ear. On the other line, Eddie whispers sweet nothings to you. Asks what you’re wearing, if you could take some of it off. He’d tell you what to do, how to touch yourself to the sound of his voice. He’d listen to you whine on the other end, your breathing heavy as you beg him to come.

Shit. Eddie can feel the tent in his pants, and he looks back at his watch. 7:05. He figures he had enough time to take care of everything, but as he moves to get up from the couch when the phone rings.

Shit! There’s no way it’s you. “Munson Residence, Eddie speaking.” Eddie deadpans, expecting a telemarketer selling encyclopedia volumes.

“Hey.” It’s you. Fucking Christ.

“Hi. I thought you said 7:30?” He can’t help smiling, hearing the sound of your voice for the first time in 24 hours.

“I did, I definitely did. I uh, got home earlier than I thought I would.”

“Oh, sure. Totally. What’s up?” Eddie leans against the wall, cupping the phone between his ear and his shoulder.

“Well. I couldn’t help but notice you trying to study today. I thought maybe we could study like this? Help each other out before tomorrow?”

Eddie snorts into the receiver. “Are you serious? Or did you want to hear my voice so badly you made that up?” He’s getting cocky, but he has a feeling you’re not gonna hang up.

“It isn’t not that,” You say, and he can hear your smile behind the words. “But I know English is not your favorite, and I want to help. Plus I know you can’t read your notes.” You’ve got him there.

“Fine, we can study, I guess, but after that, we have to have a real conversation. It’s only fair.”

There’s a pause, as you consider his offer. “Deal.”

—

Your POV

The clock next to your bed beeps, 8:00. You’d been surprisingly focused on studying for the last hour, quizzing Eddie on the themes and plot of Huckleberry Finn. “You seem to get it a little better than when we started,” you observe, slowly shifting away from your text. “I guess you deserve a break. What did you want to talk about?”

Eddie hesitates, and you can hear him breathing into the receiver. “I wanted to know what happened today at lunch.” You can feel yourself go cold, did he see you crying?

“What do you mean?”

“You were upset. I saw you hugging Robin, wiping your eyes. I wanted to check on you sooner, but I also want to respect your boundaries this week. We said we wouldn’t talk at school, and I didn’t know about the phone loophole.” He chuckles.

“Oh, god, you saw that? No, no I’m totally fine. Nothing to worry about.” You try to shut him down but he persists.

“That is so not true. What happened, sweetheart?”

You groan, letting the pet name sink into your bones. “This is embarrassing.”

“You have no reason to be embarrassed around me, Y/N. Please just tell me what happened. Did I have anything to do with it?”

It’s your turn to hesitate, while you wonder if you should even bother telling him. You decide honesty is the best policy. “Yeah, you could say that. I just got stupidly jealous for a second. Which isn’t fair to you. I saw you talking to that cheerleader, Chrissy, and I guess I kinda freaked out.”

“That’s awfully flattering, thinking Chrissy would want anything to do with me.”

You roll your eyes, “Please, could you stop underestimating your likability. Everyone that’s ever met you, loves you. I’ve heard that firsthand.”

He scoffs, but makes his voice soft, gentle. “It’s still impossible to believe you’d be jealous of Chrissy.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? She’s everything you could possibly want! Pretty, popular, kind, I don’t see how that’s a stretch.”

“Sure, she’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with Chrissy. But she’s not you. She’s not even close.”

Your cheeks feel hot, your mouth dry as your heart rate jumps. “Isn’t that a good thing? That she’s nothing like me?”

There’s a tense pause as Eddie thinks through what to say next. “It’s a great thing that she’s not like you. No one is. Makes it that much clearer you’re the only one I want. The only person I’ve had the capacity to think about since meeting you. It’s paralyzing, even, the way I feel about you.”

“I hope you know that feeling is mutual, pretty boy.” It’s not much, you can’t begin to put your feelings for Eddie into words. But you hope he gets the point for now.

“It’s nice to hear it anyway.”

—

Eddie’s POV

There’s a knock on his door then. Not much of a knock, more like an angry slamming against the screen. “Hold on, baby. It looks like I have company.” He places the phone on the counter, receiver up so you know he’s still there. Eddie saunters to the front door, ready to reprimand whoever has the gaul to interrupt his conversation with you.

It’s a red faced, shaking Jason Carver. “What do you want?” Eddie crosses his arms over his chest, bracing for another fist fight.

“Don’t you ever talk to Chrissy again, you hear me?”

“She talked to me, dude. Told me you gave her permission,” he spits the word, disgusted with Jason’s power over his friends and girlfriend. “Told me you wanted to party. I said no.”

“Shut up. She would never do that, never want anything to do with you. Understand? Don’t talk to her, look at her, even think about her, or I’ll fuck you and your bitch up.”

He can talk all the shit he wants about Eddie, but the second he refers to you that way, he’s charging at Jason. Eddie takes him down with ease, having a good three inches on his height. “Don’t you even think of touching them, you understand me?” Eddie’s got Jason pinned to the ground, a hand gripping each shoulder, throwing his head into the grass. “Don’t look at them, don’t think about them. I’m finished letting you think you can push me around, and I am especially done with you saying shit about Y/N.” He climbs off of Jason, letting him get up. “Go the fuck home, Jason. Leave us alone. Let Chrissy live without you hovering over her. She’ll leave you, y’know. She’ll get sick of your shit someday.”

Jason grunts, brushing the dirt from his jeans. “Whatever, Munson. You’re in for it now.” He turns to walk away.

“Oh, I’m shaking in my boots! Come get me, Jason! I’m starting to think you’ve got a crush!”

Jason only flips him off before getting into his car, speeding out of the park.

Eddie rolls his eyes, jogging back into the trailer, immediately picking up the phone. “You still there?”

“Hi, yes, I’m still here. What the hell was that?”

“That was Jason.”

“What?!” Your voice pitches up an octave, the fear in it unmistakable. “What the fuck did he want?!”

“To threaten me for selling drugs to his girlfriend, or something.”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, sweetheart. Don’t worry about me. Stay away from him, though. He’s gonna target you if he can’t get to me.”

There’s a pause. “I can handle him.” You sound certain, and Eddie knows that’s true.

“That doesn’t mean you should have to. Let me worry about him for you.”

You sigh, definitely a little sick of Eddie’s heroics. “We take care of each other.”

Eddie smiles into the receiver. “Okay. I think I can live with that.”

You two talk for hours, and Eddie finds himself twirling the phone cord like a teenage girl talking to her crush. Finally, the clock strikes midnight, and Eddie hears you yawn. “Okay, sweetheart. It’s time for bed. I’ll see you tomorrow. From afar.”

“Okay, Eds. Goodnight.

“Goodnight, Y/N. Sweet dreams.”

—

chapter VII

a/n i’m trying to finish chapter 7 to get it up sooner, i know this one’s kind of a filler but i need to add suspense!

tag list: @children-of-the-grave @five-bi-five @beebeerockknot @wiildflower-xxx || send a message to be added!

#eddie munson x reader #chapter fic #angst fic #fluff fic #eddie munson fan fiction #stranger things #steve harrington #robin buckley #dustin henderson #eddie munson #gnc!reader #nb!reader #new kid fic #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #side note this gif is so hot #willow writes sins

[crawlspacefics]

WIP - That Night Beneath the Moon

(Sequel to "A Bit of Mischief")

Chapter 1

Setsuna followed the young scientist through the halls of the research building.  He chatted animatedly, mentioning again how impressive her resume looked for a first year graduate student.  She caught a glimpse of herself in a large, shaded window and unconsciously adjusted her crisp white lab coat even though it already hung perfectly straight over her blouse and skirt.  They came to the end of a hallway, and her new boss punched his keycard into a reader before holding the door open for her with a flourish.

Three months ago, she wouldn’t have guessed this was the door she’d be passing through today.

In the first few days after dealing with the mischievous Venusian goddess, she and Kaya had just had fun.  It was a long weekend for frivolous things and a little bit of time for themselves.  In spite of that sentiment, Pluto had woken each morning with a tense caution, waiting for the Goddess’ whispered reminder of her duty and place to become the command to return to The Gate.

Yet that command never came. 

Their long weekend stretched into the next week as Kaya’s classes resumed.  At first, Kaya would rush home every afternoon, hesitancy in the way she opened the door followed by visible relief that the apartment wasn’t empty.  Setsuna’s promise not to leave without saying goodbye did less to reassure Kaya than the simple passage of time did.

Another week passed, then another.  A daily routine set in - Kaya became less cautious of spending more time at the library or working on a lab project, Setsuna began acquainting herself with the astronomy lab in an attempt to keep an eye on her greater mission.  Setsuna cooked, though she couldn't completely break Kaya of her take out and convenience store chicken boxes.  Thursday nights at nine were set aside for reruns of Detective Zima and every morning started with tea on the balcony. 

Setsuna had even gotten herself a new name - Meiou.  She and Kaya had tossed around a few ideas, and Setsuna had chosen this one because it was the closest modern equivalent to her family title.

So now here she was.  First year graduate student Meiou Setsuna being enthusiastically introduced to the research group she hoped would give her access to the equipment and data she needed to begin finding her team and tracking the force she was destined to destroy.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Kaya rolled her shoulders and shifted in her library chair.  Ideas for what she wanted to do for dinner tonight for Setsuna’s first day of work were superimposed over her books and a journal article on cardiac ultrasonography she was digging way too deeply into.

She was so caught up in it all she didn’t hear Suoh coming up behind her.  He dropped the stack of books he was carrying on the table beside her, making her jump.

“Ten minutes, Kaya,” he said, a combination of bored and weary.

Kaya smirked.  “Nice try, Suoh, but I know you’re open until eight tonight.”

Suoh held out his wrist and tapped his watch.

Gray eyes went wide in horror.  “No, no, no,” muttered Kaya as she hastily started shoving her belongings into her backpack.  “Not tonight.”  Then she looked at all the extra books and journals strewn out on the library table.

“Oh, no,” said Suoh.  He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.  “I am not cleaning up your mess so you can go screw around with your smoochie smooch smooch.”

“Come on,” pleaded Kaya even as she was backing away from him and the messy table.  “What’s the difference between this and the return cart?  We’ll call it a favor.”

Suoh signed dramatically.  “Fine.”

“Thanks, Suoh,” she smiled as she started moving quickly to the exit.  "I owe you one."

“Yes, you do!” he called after her.  “And I want to know how you get yourself out of this one!”

#WIP wednesday #Sailor Pluto #setsuna meioh #That Part of My Soul #Sailor Moon #sailor moon fanfiction #crawl's fics

[jmdbjk]

Stranger things?

Welp, I cancelled both my Sowoozoo orders. I hope I don’t regret it. 

But I am in that weird limbo where we now have Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 and like the song says “the past was honestly the best, but my best is what comes next” and Hobi out here bashing our brains with hip hop/alt rock/indie/emo rap and I just need to save my money for sexy Jimin I guess? Because if I’m going this crazy over Hobi, what’s gonna happen to my sanity when Jimin Phase 2 arrives?

I am wandering around in my mind like a lost Namjoon puppy looking for my purpose. 

My Army-ness has taken that leap of faith with them though and I’m fully on board but I am still also blonde Jimin Phase 1 makes me go “omg, come here my luscious...”

And then he shows up in my face slurping ramen with heart-shaped eggs and sexily tousled dark hair on his way to ... um... home from Jungkook’s... no, he’s probably on his way to work. 

(slap slap) *Points my mind back that way*

I ordered Hobi’s album off Weverse. I bought the single off iTunes. Been streaming the crap out of it on YouTube. Love that song. He did such a good job. I cannot praise him enough. Just brilliant. Saw a great translation of the lyrics and video concepts on Twitter except now I can’t find it again. If I find, I will come back and edit here. 

But I did find this. I know, my priorities are screwed up. Blame it on Jimin-ssi. 

How do I get side tracked so easily? At least me and Jungkook have something in common.

What was I talking about? Oh yeah. I see a lot of people say they can’t call him Hobi any more...I will always call him Hobi (unless he tells us not to) because some habits are hard to break. It’s the nickname Jimin calls him so I’m gonna stick with it. 

I’ve seen a lot of people interpreting the concepts of the “MORE” MV and they are all fascinating! The cardboard box in the video that actually contains the entire set for the video was mind-blowing. I wonder if we’ll get any other MV’s off the album and if so, will Hobi’s alter-ego, “Jack” make another appearance....something to wait and see! The x-ray scenes are like Hobi wants us to see inside of him, he wants to be transparent when he screams: “want a stadium with ma fans, want to bag all the trophies, Grammys too, fame and money’s not everything, my work makes me breathe and I want more.” I don’t think he’s done with us. In 2 weeks, we hear the rest of Jack in the Box. 

Yes, indeed this sometimes feels like me trying to keep up with Bangtan Chapter 2:

It’s a strange feeling.

#bts chapter 2 #j-hope more #jungkook left and right #jimin's bed head #red hair butter jimin #blonde hair jimin

[tardisman14]

A Letter of Thanks

Summary: Being stuck in another realm with no way home sucks. But while she's there, Amity figures that she at least has a chance to write a letter to the author of her favorite series.

Rating: General

Also on:

FanFiction

AO3

DeviantArt

Dear Ms. Featherwhyle,

I’m sure you must get letters like this all the time, and I imagine that you don’t get a chance to go through every single one of them. However, I still wanted a chance to tell you how much your books mean to me.

Growing up in my household wasn’t the most pleasant experience. I had strict parents that forced me to live up to their standards as well as two older siblings who constantly got under my skin. I was even forced to break things off with my best friend and instead hang out with kids who were deemed “suitable”. As the years went by, it all became so routine that I guess I sort of became numb to all of it.

Then, about a year ago, I was browsing through my local bookstore and came across the first book in your series. The moment I saw Azura on the cover, I was immediately intrigued. So I decided to read a bit, just to see if it was worth my time. Before I knew it, I had read through the first five chapters before the store owner told me that they were closing up for the night. So I decided to buy the book so I could finish it later.

Between schoolwork, grudgby volleyball practice, and my after-school job at the local library, I didn’t have a whole lot of free time. But in the time I had, I couldn’t find it in me to look away from the pages of that book. I managed to get through it in just a little over a week. So I went back to the bookstore and purchased the next three installments. I even found out that the first few movie adaptations were available as well.

For months, your books were the most positive part of my life. Although, to my surprise, I couldn’t find anyone else who was just as passionate about them. But then, a few months ago, I met someone whose love for Azura possibly rivaled my own. Admittedly, we didn’t get off to the best start. I had been rather hostile at the time, mainly due to a number of misunderstandings. But then, after a crazy night involving a mess at my job, she helped me clean up a rather large mess, and even loaned me her copy of the fifth book. It was because of that small gesture that I started to reconsider my opinion of her.

In the following weeks, we got to know each other more and more. And with that, my life started to change for the better. I became closer with my siblings. I started to make things right with my friend that I had to break things off with years ago. And after so many years of having to keep my head down, I finally stood up to my parents when it had become too much. However, there was one other development that I didn’t see coming.

In the time that I had gotten to know my new friend, I started to realize that I liked her as more than just a friend. At first, it was so scary. I hadn’t really felt this way about anyone before, and I had no idea how to deal with it. Then, after doing me a huge favor after such a hard day, I got caught up in the moment and before I realized what I was doing, I gave her a kiss on the cheek. Immediately after, I hurried inside and avoided her for over a week, worried that I screwed up so much and that she wouldn’t want to talk to me again.

Then, one night, a friend of hers brought us together. After some misunderstandings, she told me that she felt the same way. And by the end of the night, we sort of asked each other out. It was still scary, but at least I knew that she was just as scared as I was.

It’s been over a month since that night. A lot of craziness has happened in that time, but we’ve been able to get through it together. And honestly, right now, I think I’m gonna need her now more than ever.

Recently, my friends and I had to leave our home. We don’t know when we’ll be able to go back, or how much will have changed when we return. I only recently started to reconnect with my dad, and I have no idea how he’s doing during all of this. In the meantime, my girlfriend’s mom has taken us in. We’re all still getting used to this new situation, but we’re working to get through it one day at a time. I actually recently found out that your next book is set to come out in the coming weeks, so I at least have something else to look forward to in this difficult time.

Anyway, thanks again. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but your books helped me through some hard times. And of all the positive connections I’ve made over the last few months, the one I made with my now-girlfriend was the one that set it all off. And while I don’t know how it would’ve turned out if we didn’t bond over Azura, it certainly helped. So thanks for helping us find common ground.

Your grateful fan,

-A.B.

#the owl house #toh #amity blight #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction dot net #archive of our own #ao3 #deviantart #da

[ouranbutworse]

Anime-Manga Comparisons, episode 20.

We were on volume seven last episode, and now we’ve skipped ahead to nine for this one, and then we’ll be returning to volume eight for the next few episodes. The twins really do cause trouble, don’t they?

For starters, the twins’ story with their nanny actually already happened in the manga, it’s an extra episode at the end of volume seven, and it’s told as a story the twins are telling the rest of the club and guests. I’ll talk about it later, when it comes up in the anime storyline, but it’s important to note that it’s shown earlier in the manga, and that this is another example of the anime adding bits together that are technically originally unrelated. I can see why they put them together, though. The beginning of the manga episode even references the earlier episode.

Starting with the anime, we see the flashback to the mini twins and a little girl playing their guessing game, and I fail at the first hurdle by being unsure if this scene ever happens in the manga. I assume it doesn’t because I’ve skimmed through a few later volumes and can’t find it, so it’s probably an anime only scene. If it is in the manga, then I apologise wholeheartedly and also shift all of the blame to the wiki, which lies half finished like my cooking usually does. Anyway. The girl they make fun of with the love note looks the same in both, and she gets her poor little heart broken the same way, too. I personally think her hairstyle is adorable.

Right after this we get the study hall scene, and the anime adds to the twins closed-off-ness by having the scene literally tear away after every classmate comments on them until it’s just the two of them left. It’s a really great detail, I love when things like this are added! And then the manga shows a flashback to the previous volume, and the anime plays that flashback.

Going back to volume seven, we see the mini twins! In the anime it starts at the garden party, and the manga starts with them showing off a photo of them dressed in their little girl outfits while the guests fawn over how cute they were. It sets up their backstory of having more than one caretaker over their childhoods, because they were little shits, and Haruhi finding one photo of them both crying, and the twins tell her the story.

The interaction with their aunt actually goes on a little longer, and they screw with her before showing the frog. They tell her that the blue twin is Kaoru and the pink twin is Hikaru, and then immediately switch who’s who mid sentence, and then they pull out the frog. In the anime their nanny rushes to help the aunt after she faints, but in the manga she’s fine, just angry about the twins’ behaviour and how they never cry or smile, even when she came to visit because their parents were away on a business trip, and the nanny tells another guest that she loves children. The twins get bored and run away, having a laugh at the grown ups expenses, because it’s easy to tell who’s who.

In the next scene, the maid is at the safe with a stethoscope trying to break in when the twins simply appear near her like they’re gunning for roles in The Shining; in the manga they overhear her on the phone with someone and appear from a ceiling panel. I’m not sure which is scarier. She threatens them with a knife in both, but in the manga they tell her immediately that the safe isn’t full of money, but just their toys. Expensive toys, but still. She gets angry, but agrees to play with them for the week, until their parents come back, to receive the safe code. In the manga they simply want her to play with them in general, but the anime again demands she play the guessing game.

The coin bank they hide the safe code in looks exactly the same in both. Kudos to the animators! Unfortunately, most of this flashback/extra episode is scrapped. In the manga, we actually see the twins spend time with the nanny as she tells them a story about previous jobs she’s done as a thief, and they’re adorably impressed and promise her that they would never rat her out like a previous accomplice did. She also gives them terrible advice about only trusting yourself. Lady, they are five and also not thieves! They’re just jerks. On the same night they also talk about how they want her to stay with them, and she overhears that, and where they hid the code.

In the anime there’s a siren alerting them of the robbery and they wake up in the middle of the night to find her sneaking out of the house. She just admits she couldn’t be bothered to figure out who was who and dipped early, and leaves them with a last warning that nobody may ever tell them apart. The zoom out is really nice here.

In the manga they’re just watching as their aunt talks to the police about the robbery, and when she asks if they told her, they burst into tears and she apologises for doubting them, but of course, they reveal that they were faking the tears all along! The others are so stunned and disappointed that Tamaki scolds them and Kyoya sent the guests away halfway through the story because he had so little faith in them already. And that’s how that extra episode ends! The twins are forever a little bit twisted, and maybe a little traumatised.

Enter Tamaki Suoh, professional annoyance and serial courter of the weirdest guys he could find! He goes on a long rant about himself and then offers the twins to join his fruity little club. In the manga the other three (useless trio) are only name dropped, but in the anime we get to see them for a second as they’re called. Kyoya is in his classroom, and Mori and Honey are hanging out in the highschool by a window. There’s also a lot more symmetry in how the twins move and pose in the anime.

Manga Tamaki makes a guess immediately as to which is which, and might or might not have gotten it wrong, and then makes the promise that if he gets it right they have to join the club, but anime Tamaki lets them go for the time being.

The classroom scene plays out the same, except we see what Hikaru (?) is doodling in his notebook (fun patterns), and they both get a lot more offended by Tamaki accepting their invitation to a class event. Tamaki has a real habit of testing cool people’s patience. Speaking of cool people, Kyoya scene!

Actually, this scene plays out the same, except Kyoya gets an extra line about the twins being “some more of ‘our friends’.” His little quip back to Tamaki when asked if he’s listening also changes in all three versions, in the dub he says he hears Tamaki talking, in the sub he says he hears about half of it, and in the manga (well, my version at least), he says he’s not really listening.

There’s also a shot of Tamaki’s and Kyoya’s bags added in the anime, where Kyoya has his family name/logo printed in Japanese, but Tamaki’s surname is in English. Cute detail!

At the twins’ mansion, the anime adds a later manga line where Tamaki says Kaoru is a little pigeon-toed, and both twins get equally offended. Then he starts talking about incest. It’s way too early in the morning to be discussing incest, Tamaki. In the anime he’s offended by them driving off in the car, but in the manga he waves them off like a proud, if very weird, mother, and tells them not to skip classes. A talk that happens a page later in the manga happens first here where they laugh at Tamaki and his lordly ways, and I think the pacing is good in the anime, and it’s presented as an all in one day thing. We see them get bored of him, and then we get the reveal of Tamaki’s status. This is something we already know in the manga from volume six, but is brand new information here.

The anime gives us another flashback to the girl who is decidedly not Haruhi, and shots of a locked gate, and then the twins see another love letter girl from the window they sit at. In the manga they find a letter at one of their desks, and from the way their classmates look at them, it seems they know what they plan to do.

Interestingly, I thought they were playing each other in the second love letter scene, since at first Kaoru is holding the love letter and calls out to Hikaru, who approaches on Kaoru’s right, and then Tamaki announces that Hikaru is ripping up the letter, but then I watched the scene again and between scenes the right twin now has the letter, so I thought Tamaki was being smart, but was actually just… overhearing, I guess? It’s less obvious who is who in the manga, but I think it’s still Hikaru tearing up the letter. Either way, they both get that stunned look on their face because he’s correct in his guess, even though he’s not really allowed to guess.

The twins also show a lot more resentment at being stuck as a pair in the anime, or at least the left one does when he snaps. I think it’s Kaoru. Anyway, flashback girl guesses right and makes them both cry, and we get a flashforward to the carriage, which causes its own load of mental unwellness in us all, and I wonder why I’m crying. It’s probably the looming sadness of knowing it’s almost over.

Kaoru straight up blushes as Tamaki leaves, which is probably the only crumbs of TamaKao there is, and I cheer loudly for Haruhi while simultaneously booing the loser behind her in the scene.

The manga has Tamaki grab Hikaru and tickle him right in the middle of the courtyard, which Kaoru joins in, while Kyoya smiles at them from a window, and Haruhi wonders if she’ll fit in (anime) or get along all right (manga). Yeah, I think you will.

Episode 20… when the clock strikes three!

#ohshc #ouran high school host club #comparisons series #writing tag #manga tag

[smilesstardust]

Hailey didn’t know what she’d expected to happen immediately after agreeing to keep Katherine, but she wasn’t expecting things to get more complicated from there.

Lia had rattled off a list of everything that she would need to get in place over the next few days, barely pausing to tell Hailey she might want something to write everything down. There were a lot of things to do, and while the young woman had offered to help where she could, most of the things Hailey would have to do herself. Enrolling Katherine in a school, finding childcare for the hours that didn’t cover, finding a pediatrician and converting the office into a bedroom were all high priorities. Lia stressed that because Hailey had full legal custody that she could let Katherine stay in the apartment as it was for a few days all things considered, but there would have to be a follow up inspection the next week to make sure everything was in place.

After being bombarded with information and things to do, Hailey repeated the list back to make sure she hadn’t missed anything.

"That’s pretty much everything." Lia nodded. "I’ll take your details and let you know if I think of anything else, but that should be it. Only other thing would be if you do manage to contact your husband, can you put him in touch with me?"

"I guess." Hailey sighed. "Should I be the one to tell him or do you need to?"

"Up to you." Lia tried to smile. "Whatever you think would be best."

They spoke a little more, eventually agreeing that it would probably go down better for Hailey to break the news, before Lia went to go and get Katherine’s belongings, leaving her and Hailey alone.

"Hi Katherine." The little girl had migrated from the couch to the gap on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, so Hailey squeezed in and sat down beside her. "So, Lia is just going to grab your stuff from the car, because you’re going to be staying here with me for a little while."

"Who are you?" The little girl spoke for the first time in the two hours since she’d arrived, her voice shaky. "Vic and Miss Lia said I was going to live with my daddy at his house."

Hailey didn’t really know what to say, she’d assumed the girl would have listened to at least some of the conversations about her, but apparently that hadn’t been the case. "So, you are going to be living with your dad, and this is his house." Hailey assured her. "Your dad is in the army, and because of that he’s pretty far away right now. But he’s going to come back soon and when he does he’ll be coming back here and you’ll live with him then. My name is Hailey and I’m his wife, which I guess makes me your stepmom."

Katherine screwed her face up, and began to turn pink. "I want to go home." She whimpered. "I want my mommy."

Hailey swallowed the lump in her own throat, questioning if she’d made a mistake if the kid was already crying just at the thought of being stuck with her. "I know." She told her gently, trying to be as calming as possible and wiping away a tear that was rolling down her freckled cheeks. "I know you do."

She took a deep breath while she thought about what to say next. She didn’t know the girl, didn’t really know how to deal with kids as young as she was in a more general sense. "This is probably really scary for you, huh?" She asked after they’d been sat in the awkward silence for a few moments.

Katherine nodded slowly, wearing the same expression Jay did when he was thinking hard about what he was hearing. "It’s scary for me too." Hailey admitted. "I’ve never looked after a kid before. I don’t know what I’m doing. But I promise I’m nice, and I’m going to do my best to look after you while you’re here. We can work it out. We’ll do the scary thing together and everything will be okay."

"You promise?" Katherine asked quietly, looking up at Hailey with wide eyes that were so clearly inherited from Jay and holding out her fist with her pinky finger extended. Hailey smiled, knowing exactly what the young girl wanted from her, and linked her own pinky with the one she was being offered.

"I promise." Hailey nodded, squeezing their pinky fingers together. "We’ll be okay."

#chicago pd #hailey upton #jay halstead #upstead #found! au #hailey is absolutely the sort of person who would tell a child ‘i promise i’m nice’

[herunstablelogic]

Dear Baby,

My laziness for not writing to you is unforgivable. The stress is unbearably hard to break from the silent secret wish to lie in bed and sleep until he comes home. Two days ago, I received Collin’s first letter. It was horrible baby. I was so excited to read his words, hoping that in doing so I would feel closer to him and all my worries would vanish, however, with each word my eyes scanned, my thin lips curled deeper and deeper into the saddened frown in which he probably held as he wrote it. If I ever have you and keep this journal of letters to you and you are reading it now, all Collin’s letters to me should be enclosed somewhere in this journal for you to read. After all, he is most likely going to be your father.

His first words were: “I miss you, it’s so different here.” Reading those words, I longed to be besides him, hold him in my arms, run my fingers through his hair -however impossible considering they saved it all off- and hum to him as he lays his head on my chest like he always used to.

Collin, my sweet Collin also witnessed a death. I can’t bear to imagine his heart ache from that experience: “…however, on the run I was running behind this person. I saw that he was struggling and suddenly he began to topple and then he fell down passed out. I assumed it was from heat exhaustion which isn’t a big deal with Navy medics posted everywhere, so I kept running as a Drill Instructor went to help him out. I found out the next day that it wasn’t heat exhaustion…he had had a heart attack and died…I still am unsure how this makes me feel…that I saw somebody die…” I knew of the death before I had gotten his letter. It was in the news; however, the paper had gotten it wrong and did not know how the boy had died. Some part of me knew that Collin had witnessed it; the boy was a marine recruit after all. I was just hoping and praying that that recruit wasn’t Collin himself.

A Drill Instructor made him eat dirt for not properly buckling his belt. He said it was “no biggy”, however if he eats dirt for a belt buckle, I can only imagine what he’d have to do for bigger mistakes. Dear God, keep Collin in line. Don’t let him screw up too much.

The last of his letter read: “I’ll keep going so you stay strong, okay? Just all most eleven more weeks, hang in there. I will be back before you know it, take care. I love you. Write me back, I’m so lonely here…”

The past two days I’ve been taking short walks around the block and up steep streets around the area. At first it was because I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror, but after I began making my way up one large hill with my earphones in my ears with soft romance playing, I could feel my eyes begin to water and the sudden urge to burst into tears. I needed to walk and put more stress on my body to rid the stress on my heart. And with the most recent unfortunate news of Collin’s mailing address changing, my stress has skyrocketed. All six or so of my letters that I sent before I received his were sent with the address the Recruiter gave me, the one that was valid until Collin was moved. Only one number changed, the street address, however it was enough so that none of my other letters reached him. No wonder he didn’t mention anything in his letter that made it obvious that he had read all mine, let alone one. So, the latest letter I sent with the return address he had written on his letter’s envelope.

If I get all six letters back in the mail, I’m shoving them all in a manila envelope and sending them straight back; no one is getting between us. No one.

I bought a Polaroid Camera and I’m expecting to come to my doorstep today. I checked on Amazon and it had said it was in town, so I would assume, it should be arriving. Sadly, I don’t think it came with film, and I’m not even sure if it works, but I only paid $20.24 including tax and shipping. I thought it was a good deal, I guess we’ll find out today. I plan on using it to send Collin pictures of me and the things I do to keep him company, also I hoped that he would keep all of them including my letters and their envelopes so I can create a scrapbook with them all. I imagine a scrapbook like the one from the movie Up. I’m probably asking too much, but if you don’t ask, you won’t receive.

#letterstoyou #religion

[tbzhub]

12 Days of the Boyz Eric

Pairing: Eric x reader

Summary: you got the worst person for secret santa

Warnings: cursing

Genre: fluff, enemies to lovers au, co-worker au

WC: 1.8k

Tagged: @kpophoe-22

Artist Note: Hi! Just a few Christmas themed drabbles for fun! I’ll post one every day-ish from Dec 6th - 24th! (weekdays only) minors dni with the smut drabbles! If you want to be tagged let me know :) Submitting this for the holiday event @ficscafe

navi | m. list | tag list

Towards the end of your shift, you heard your manager call for a team meeting in the back of the retail shop where you worked. Putting down the shirt that you were folding, you followed after some of your co-workers to meet your manager

“Hey.” You heard a familiar voice whisper in your ear and turned your head to see your friend standing beside you. “What do you think she wants today?”

You shrugged, “No idea, let's hope she’s in a good mood. I am so over being here today.” You crossed your arms as you waited for your manager to speak.

“Okay guys, it’s that time of the year again”, your manager sang and she pulled out a small bowl with folded up strips of paper in it. “Secret Santa. Remember, don’t tell anyone who you have. Let’s make it a surprise. If you get someone you don’t know, use this as an opportunity to get to know them better!”

As your manager passed the small bowl around in a circle, you whispered in your friend's ear, “I hope I get you. I don’t know anyone else.”

She chuckled, eyes on the bowl that was being passed around. “Maybe we’ll get lucky. I hope I don’t get the girl who works the cash register. She’s mean.”

You shushed your friend, not wanting anyone to hear what she said. “Don’t say that.”

“Oh, stop. It’s just like how you wouldn't want Eric.”

Your face flushed, a sheepish grin on your face. “You’re right. But at least I’m vocalizing it. If I get him I’m screwed.”

Your friend grabbed the bowl from the coworker that was beside her and plucked a small piece of paper out of it. She handed you the bowl and winked, “I’m sure you’ll get me and I don’t need a gift, you can cover my shift for New Years.”

“Sure, you bet”, you joked while you put your fingers into the bowl, rifling through the pieces of paper until you grabbed one all the way at the bottom.

You gave the bowl to the next person and turned to your friend, “Wanna switch before we look?”

She pondered on it for a moment before shaking her head, “Nah, I feel like I got a good one.” She opened the piece of paper, covering it with her hands so you wouldn’t be able to read the name.

“Alright, let’s see who I got”, you mumbled to yourself while opening the paper.

Eric Sohn

“Dammit, she jinxed me”, you thought. You crumpled up the paper, shoving it into your pocket as you looked over to observe the guy that you got.

Eric was talking with his little clique of coworkers, goofing off as usual. It wasn’t that you didn’t like him, you were sure he was nice but he rubbed you the wrong way. Everything he did at work annoyed you, from the way he folded shirts to the fact that he could never seem to get to work on time, always arriving a few minutes later than when he was supposed to come in. He talked a lot and he was loud. Every time you had to close the shop together you would get overwhelmed by just how much he talked. Sometimes going home at the end of a day with a headache, thankful for the silence.

“Guess who I got.”

You turned to look at your visibly excited friend, “We aren’t supposed to talk about who we got.” You walked away from the cluster of people still chatting about Secret Santa and went to clock out, ready to leave this place for the day.

The next few days you tried to get to know Eric from a distance, paying attention more to the things he would say in the break room and during closing. You only had a week to find him a gift but you were drawing blanks. You couldn't even get him a gift card because you didn't know what he liked. You knew nothing about him besides your perception of him and his personality.

Coming in to open the store one morning, you saw that you had been paired with Eric according to the schedule, making your shoulders sag with dread. “Ugh, him again.”

“Wow, am I really that bad, y/n?” Eric walked over to the cash register to get ready for the day. He was on time, leaving you stunned by the unusual change.

“I’m sorry. That was such a rude thing to say.” You bowed your head, feeling guilty for what you said.

“It's alright.” Eric patted you on the arm before walking over to unlock the door at the front of the store.

You went to lean against one of the mannequin displays by the entrance as you waited for customers. It was always dead in the morning which was why you preferred opening versus closing. One day you plan to ask your manager if you could just open the store by yourself, it wasn’t necessary for someone to be there to help you. No one wants to shop for a shirt at 10 in the morning.

Eric popped up behind you, starling you out of your train of thought. “Pretty boring this morning, right?” He sat on a table next to you, pushing aside the clothes on top of it so not to ruin the folded stack.

“Mmmhm.” You wanted to enjoy the quiet this morning, not in the mood to talk to Eric at all.

“So, are you excited for Secret Santa? Did you get someone good?” Eric wore a smile on his easy face as he tried to make small talk with you. You did find him a little endearing, especially since he’s not bouncing off the walls like usual.

“I have no idea what to get the person that I picked.” You shifted your body so that you were facing Eric. “What about you? Happy with who you picked?”

Eric blushed, looking out the large glass window panes at the entrance of the store, “Yeah, I got someone that I really wanted.”

“Lucky you”, you muttered under your breath before hopping off of the display and walking away from Eric to go organize some boxes in the back.

-

Over the weekend you searched the mall looking for a gift that would be good for Eric. You thought about giving up and getting him a book, but you were sure that would be a lame gift. So here you were, walking aimlessly through the mall waiting for something to jump out at you.

You were looking at a bracelet through a shop window when you felt a tap on your shoulder.

“Hey, y/n! I knew that it was you I saw walk past me earlier.” Eric waved at you with a friendly smile on his face. “Christmas shopping too, huh?”

“Uh, yeah… I still have a few gifts to get.” You were surprised to see him outside of work, you didn’t know he lived in the area.

“Want to walk around together?”

You stared at Eric for a while, he seemed genuinely interested in hanging out with you. Figuring this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know Eric so that you could finally get him a gift that he would like, you nodded your head. “Sure, sounds fun.”

-

You walked into your job on your day off, a wrapped present in hand. Your manager planned for everyone to come in an hour before the store was set to open to exchange gifts. Normally you’d be irritated in having to come to work on your day off but your manager was closing the store for a while and giving everyone the week off for the holidays, so you didn’t mind today.

Standing next to your friend, you both waited with your other co-workers for your manager to call everyone together.

As you were chatting with your friend and another co-worker you heard the sound of jingle bells and looked over to see your manager waiting for everyone to pay attention to her.

“Okay guys! I have all of the gifts here behind me, thank you all for participating. You all work very hard and I appreciate everything that we do as a team. Look for the gift with your name on it first and then try to find the person who gave it to you.” She stepped away from the table, there were gifts lined in a row, all with the same wrapping paper so to not give away who brought what gift.

You walked up to the table looking for a gift with your name one it, eyes scanning across the table until you saw a tag that read, “y/n”, on it. You picked up the slender rectangular box, shaking it with curiosity. Walking over to the hide behind a rack of clothes, you opened your gift in private.

Tearing open the paper, you uncovered a small black box and took off the lid revealing the bracelet that you were eyeing for a few days ago. You gasped, looking around to see if anyone saw you. You opened the box again, pulling the bracelet out to admire it. A smile spread across your face as you realized who might have been your Secret Santa.

“Did Eric get me this?”

You turned around to find Eric, bumping into him the second you moved your foot.

“Oops— I’m sorry.” You looked down at your feet, suddenly feeling nervous in Eric’s presence. You held out the bracelet, making eye contact with him one more time. “Were you my Secret Santa this entire time?”

He grinned, “Yeah, I had to switch two times until I finally got you. I hope you like your gift, I saw you looking at it the other day.” He touched your arm tenderly, making you blush.

“Y-yeah. I really liked this bracelet. I can’t believe you got it for me. Why did you switch to get me, Eric?” You looked at him in the eyes, gnawing on the inside of your cheek anxiously as you waited for his response. You didn’t know when the butterflies started to show up but you felt them in your stomach now, fluttering as you stared into Eric’s eyes and down to his lips as he talked.

“I— I just really wanted to get you a gift.” He scratched the back of his neck, looking down to conceal the light flush that was appearing on his cheeks.

You smiled brightly, finding his shyness cute. “I got you too, you know. I’m glad I did too because it made me realize how sweet and fun you are. I’m really sorry that I’ve been so cold to you the entire time we’ve worked together.”

Eric laughed, “No way, you got me that video game?” You nodded, “I had no idea what to get you, I heard you mention this game when we were at the mall. You don’t have it already, right?”

Eric hugged you, wrapping his arms around you in a warm embrace. “No, I don’t. Thanks for getting it for me.” He let you go, leaving you feeling overwhelmed by how shy you felt around him. Who would have thought that you would have developed a crush on Eric Sohn?

You held out your bracelet placing it in his hand and holding out your wrist. “Can you help me with this?”

Eric nodded his head, quickly fiddling with the clasp of the bracelet and wrapping it around your wrist, and fastening it into place. As he tried to pull his hand away from yours you caught his fingers, intertwining them with yours. You tilted your head to the side as you asked, “Are you working today?” You watched as a smile spread across Eric’s features.

“No, why?”

You pulled him towards the front door, “I need to make up for lost time. We’re hanging out, it’s our day off.”

Eric chuckled, a bit surprised by your enthusiasm. “I’ll follow you any where you want, y/n.”

#ficscafe #ficscafe holidays #hivegetit #deobiwritersnet #eric sohn imagines #eric sohn #eric sohn x reader #the boyz drabbles #the boyz fluff #eric sohn drabbles #eric sohn fluff #the boyz imagines #tbz fluff #tbz x reader #tbz drabbles #tbz imagines #12 days of tbz

[mint-yooxgi]

Gilded Gold - Yandere!Vampire Prince!Jaehyun X Reader

Yandere AU, Vampire AU, & Prince AU

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Smut (Someone goes a little feral at the end there)

Pairing: Jaehyun X Reader

Words: 22,845

Warnings: Jaehyun is pretty sadistic and manipulative in this one, as such there is a lot of violence and gore mentioned. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: It’s finally here! Omg, after months (again) of nothing, I'm really happy with the length of this one and how it turned out. Certain scenes are really good in my opinion, so hopefully you enjoy reading them just as much as I enjoyed writing them. I’ve nearly had this idea planned out for almost a year, so I'm happy that I've finally finished writing it all out. Tbh, certain scenes are pretty self indulgent... Anyways, I do really hope you enjoy this one, please do let me know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated!

“Is everything prepped and ready for tomorrow?” He asks, expression stern as he looks towards his adviser. 

“Yes, my Prince,” with a nod from the adviser, a smirk begins to slowly spread itself across Jaehyun’s lips.

“Perfect,” a dark look takes over his features, smirk now fully formed as he thinks over his plan once more.

Tomorrow will change everything, and he can hardly wait. For too long he’s waited, watching in the shadows until this day would come. Until finally, he can have everything that he’s ever wanted. Tomorrow, he’ll finally have you.

From the first moment he saw you all those months ago, he knew he had to have you. The way you so willingly went out of your way to help your neighbours with their little market stand only confirmed to Jaehyun that you’re a kindhearted individual. However, if it weren’t for the way you cussed out an older man for attempting to hit on your younger sister, he would have assumed you to be too soft. That is what intrigued him: that you could look so innocent on the outside, but on the inside, contain a strong, level-head, is what drew him to you.

Since then, he’s been sneaking out of the castle at least five times a week to find you, and once he did, he couldn’t stop himself from simply observing you. He became another shadow in the night, and you were none the wiser as to the monster lurking just outside of your window.

The day he learnt that you had no potential suitors, he swears he had never been happier in all his long years of living. It took him a bit of persuading, but he eventually convinced his mother to let himself actively pursue you. She was a bit wary at first, having never met you, nor even having heard of you before. The fact that you’re a mere human, and a commoner, no less, concerned her greatly. However, he made sure to take care of everything before your arrival. After all, you’re his responsibility now, and he’ll make sure to take care of you in any and every way that he can. 

Soon, the whole kingdom will know that you are meant to be his, the Crown Prince’s very own betrothed. The announcement might turn some heads, considering everyone is aware of the vampire society, and how the creatures of the night reign over them, but he’s counting on the support from those whom support interspecies relationships. It will be a huge step in a positive direction for his family to bring a common human into their inner circle. Not that you would have a choice, whether you know it or not.

That night, he barely gets any rest, too excited for what is to come tomorrow. He has it all planned out, the outfit he’s going to wear, how he’s going to make a grand entrance when meeting you for the first time, as well as the first thing he’s going to say to you once he sees you. 

His eyes flash red. Fuck, he finally gets to see you in person with you actually aware of his presence this time. Oh, how he can hardly wait to see your reaction when you gaze upon him for the first time. A smirk slowly tugs at his lips as he envisions the scene in his head, your awestruck face, the wonder shining in your eyes, and the way you’ll bite your lip as you take him in with the realization that he’s all yours.

Tomorrow cannot come fast enough.

That next morning you are awoken by the sound of your mother answering the front door. Muffled voices reach your ears as you bury yourself deeper into the warmth of your comforter. The sound of your door creaking has your eyes flinging open as your mother storms into your room.

“Get up! There’s a royal advisor at our front door asking for you, personally,” she tears your blankets off of you before moving over to your dresser to pull out some of your nicest clothes. “Apparently he has a message from the Prince. For you.”

“For me?” Your head is reeling at the thought of a royal advisor visiting you with a personal message from the Prince himself. What would the Prince want with you? You have no idea.

“Yes, you,” your mother tuts at your confused look as you clamber out of bed. “Now hurry up and get dressed. Don’t keep him waiting.”

Without another word, your mother leaves your room, heading back downstairs so as not to keep the advisor alone for too long. She would have made your sister keep him company, but she had to go to work this morning.

Squinting at your now closed door, you shift your gaze over to the outfit she has so meticulously picked out for you to wear. The clothes are quite literally the nicest ones you own, and your frown deepens. What message could possibly warrant you wearing your nicest clothes?

Yawning, you rub at the sleep still in your eyes. Screw formalities, it’s just a message, it can’t be that serious. Forgoing the outfit, you quickly head to the bathroom to freshen up and at least make yourself look presentable. No matter what this message turns out to be, you’re going to hop right back into bed afterwards anyways, so you see no point in getting dressed.

Making your way downstairs, you hear soft chatter coming from the front room, and as soon as you enter you can feel your mother’s scrutinizing gaze on you for not changing. You briefly make eye contact with her before turning your attention to the unfamiliar man standing across from her. You can already tell from his proper stature and from the royal emblem hanging proudly on the left side of his uniform that he’s the advisor.

“Ah, good, you must be Miss (Y/n), it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he bows to you. “My name is Minho, and I come bearing a message from Prince Jaehyun himself.”

You bow back respectfully, nodding for him to continue as your mother smiles almost nervously from the side of the room.

“You are to be moved to the castle immediately,” he says as your eyes go wide. “You are to be betrothed to Prince Jaehyun effective immediately.”

“Excuse me?” Your jaw has dropped, disbelief clear on your face.

“You are to be moved-“

“No, no, I heard you,” you cut him off, “I meant, what the actual fuck?”

“(Y/n)!” Your mother scolds.

“What? You’re telling me that this completely unprompted visit is to tell me I am to become the prince’s fiancée without any say in the matter?” You ask, incredulously.

“I apologize, I should have been clearer,” Minho clears his throat. “You do get a choice, as it is the Prince’s intention to court you first. However, in doing so, it requires you to come stay at the palace for the time being.”

“I-“ your mouth gapes like a fish out of water, “do I have a choice in this?”

“Of course!” Minho immediately responds. “I understand this is very sudden, and probably very confusing, but the Prince promised to explain everything once you have arrived to the palace for the day. We really shouldn’t keep him waiting too long.”

“I-“ you’re about to object once more when your mother cuts you off.

“Go with him, sweetie,” you frown at the look she’s giving you. You don’t think you’ve ever heard her voice sound so tense, completely different to how she looked when she first entered your room not ten minutes ago. “He told me you would have to leave immediately, so I’ll send a few bags with your stuff later this week.”

“But mom-“

“No buts,” she smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the Prince chose you, no less. Please be on your best behaviour.”

“Great, then it’s settled!” Minho smiles, beginning to exit the room in order to walk towards the front door. He places a hand at the small of your back and guides you along with him, with you too stunned to say much else. “Thank you for your hospitality,” he bows to your mother once at the door, “we’ll be in touch.”

With those words, he is leading you out of the front and to the car that awaits at the end of the driveway. By now, a few of your neighbours have stepped outside their homes to view what is going on, and you can see them whispering to themselves as you are ushered into the back seat. You only wish you got to say goodbye to your sister before you had to leave.

“Guess leaving is so urgent that I can’t change out of my pyjamas, huh?” You joke, a hint of seriousness to your tone as you cross your arms. 

Minho soon slides into the front seat beside the driver whom has been waiting in the car this whole time.

“I’m afraid not, Miss,” he replies, pulling out his phone. “We’re on a tight schedule today.”

You sigh, leaning your head on your hand as you look out of the window. You see more neighbours watching the car go down the road as you drive off, and you begin to wonder how you even got into this mess. Though you will admit, a part of you is intrigued. To catch the eye of the Prince, the Vampire Prince, no less, is causing your heart to race. 

You’ve seen a few photos of the Prince before in passing, and he does look very handsome, so a part of you is curious to see if that’s actually true. Another part of you feels excitement at the thought of being sought after by the prince himself. Maybe that’s why you’re not putting up more of a fuss at this matter. A sigh escapes your lips at the thought, and you begin to wonder what exactly is in store for you once you arrive at the castle.

About forty-five minutes later, you arrive at the palace. Your breath is quite literally stolen away as you gaze upon the fortress in awe, taking in the arches and crevices in the architecture, along with its massive size.

“If you think the outside is grand, just wait until you see the inside,” Minho chuckles, noting your gaze of wonderment.

His words manage to pull you out of your admiration of the palace and back to the steps in front of you which lead up to the front doors. Shaking your head slightly, you clear your thoughts. You’re sure you’ll have plenty of time to admire and explore the castle once you get settled inside.

“So, uh…“ you trail off, following Minho up the steps, not knowing what to ask first.

“I’ll be leading you to your personal chambers while you’re going to be staying here, then some servants will be coming to prepare you for lunch with the Prince,” Minho explains, and you nod along absentmindedly, still too distracted by the grand stonework of the building, of which is much more intricate on the inside. “I’m sure His Royal Highness would gladly take you on a tour of the premisses, given how intrigued you seem to be by the grounds already.”

At this you can feel your face heat up in slight embarrassment, “sorry.”

“No, no, don’t apologize, Miss,” Minho smiles at you assuringly. “It’s quite nice to see someone admiring the architecture once more.”

“What do you mean?” You tilt your head slightly in curiosity.

“Oh, it’s just been quite a while since we’ve had a new guest who’s admired the detailing as you are,” he says.

“Must not get many new guests then,” you mutter, but he still manages to hear you.

“No, not really,” he sighs, eyes soon going wide as he’s come to realize what he’s just said, clearing his throat in the next moment. “I mean, I’ve said enough already.”

You simply hum in response as he leads you through some side corridors and up another set of stairs. You can feel your legs burning at the amount of flights you’ve climbed, not used to the amount of steps yet. Once you reach the tops of the stairs, you find yourself resting your hands on your knees in order to catch you breath.

“One second,” you hold up a finger, indicating to Minho to stop and let you catch your breath.

“Alright, but we really mustn’t delay, Miss,” he says, worry flashing briefly in his eyes, but it passes so quickly that you do not see it.

After a few moments, you right yourself, taking a deep breath before nodding at him to continue. He nearly breathes a sigh of relief as he continues to lead you down the hallway you’re now in, checking his watch on the way and noticing he’ll make it just in time. It’s important for everything to go according to schedule today, or so the Prince has reminded him countless times, along with the other staff. Everything has to be perfect.

Leading you to a set of doors near the end of the hallway, Minho pushes them both open to reveal a large room full of everything you could possibly think of. You’re pretty sure this room is the size of your entire main floor of your house, complete with a four post king sized bed, privacy screen which looks like it leads to another part of the room, along with various shelves, desks, and cabinets spread throughout. To say you are awestruck would be an understatement.

You take your time wandering around the room, opening one of the side doors to find an adjacent bathroom built for the gods. A large tub rests on one side, along with a set of double sinks, a large mirror that takes up the entire wall, along with a huge shower which you believe also works as a sauna. You are hardly able to believe what you’re seeing, this is all so unbelievable. To think, your lifestyle quite literally has changed in the blink of an eye. 

Now, if only you could see what rests behind the privacy screen. You’ve avoided opening the doors so far due to the fact that you’re unsure what’s waiting for you on the other side. In the back of your mind, you hope it’s not another room. More particularly, that it’s not the Prince’s room.

The whole time that you spend exploring your new room, Jaehyun stands just off to the side beside the privacy screen where you cannot see him. A smirk is ever present on his face. He could smell your scent getting closer with every step you took down the hallway, only serving to make his dead heart race in his chest. He cannot help how his mouth salivates at the thought of you now only being one room away, nothing more than a thin set of doors standing between your bodies. He can hardly wait to meet you.

After a few more moments of you taking in your new room, you turn to look at Minho, “so, uh, am I allowed to see what’s behind those privacy doors,” you motion to them with your head, “or is that part off-limits?”

Your attempt at a joke earns a small chuckle from him, “actually, I believe the Prince should be joining us soon.”

“Is that the Prince’s room?” Your eyes widen as your suspicion is all but confirmed. You know you’re expected to become close with him, but you aren’t expecting to be literally sharing a room.

“Oh, no!” Minho is quick to answer, to which you breathe a small sigh of relief. “I believe His Highness went to inspect the second portion of your room earlier, before your arrival, in order to make sure everything is up to his standards.”

“Ah, I see,” you nod in understanding. “Glad to know he’s taking such precautions for me.”

Of course! He wants nothing but the best for you, after all. It’s what you deserve. Jaehyun’s smirk only grows, and he takes your words as his cue to finally make his presence known, and finally enter the room.

Ever so slowly, you notice a shadow forming behind the semi-transparent screen. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest, racing at the prospect of finally being able to meet the Prince in person. Little do you know, that this is not the first time that the Prince will be seeing you.

Just like a scene from a movie, the doors part, Prince Jaehyun stepping through the threshold. His gaze lingers on the ground briefly before finally looking upwards to lock gazes with you. Your breath hitches, and you can feel your heart skipping a beat, all of which does not go unheard by Jaehyun, only serving to make him more smug during this time. Besides, the smirk resting on his features only adds to his charming good looks as he takes a confident step forwards, slowly making his way over to you.

The whole time, your eyes never leave his. Again, to say you’re stunned would be an understatement. You don’t think you’ve ever seen a finer looking specimen in your entire life, and from the looks of things, he can read your expression like an open book. 

For a brief moment, your gaze rakes over his entire body, and you have to stop yourself from inhaling sharply once more. He’s wearing the finest embroidered suit that you’ve ever seen in your life, the sharp gold thread contrasting with the black fabric. You know the suit must have cost a fortune, just from the design alone, not to mention the materials. The detailing of the floral design, combined with the surrounding leaves is stunning, but what catches your attention the most is the fact that he’s not wearing a shirt beneath the suit jacket. You can see the smooth skin of his chest on display, only serving to make you lick your lips in admiration, anticipation lingering in your chest. For what, you aren’t quite sure, but fuck, you’d be lying to yourself if you didn’t think he was extremely attractive.

His chest swells with pride. He knew you would react like this, only confirming to him that you also find him as attractive as he finds you. Well, considering all the peasants you had to endure back in your hometown, he’s not surprised. As if any of them ever stood a chance with you. Well, not if he had anything to say about it.

So far, everything is going exactly how he has planned it to, and he couldn’t be more happier in this moment. Minho was on time and everything, though Jaehyun worried at one point that you were running behind schedule. He cannot let that happen, everything needs to run like clockwork in order for things to be perfect.

The one thing that he wishes more than anything that he could do right now would be to take you into his arms, but he knows that would be overstepping boundaries at the moment. The last thing he wants to do is scare you off on the first day. After all, since you’re going to be spending eternity together, he doesn’t want to push you away now.

You don’t mean to stare as you have been, but you cannot help it. With wide eyes and slightly parted lips, you continue to stand there, almost dumbfounded by the current events. By now, you are most certainly regretting not listening to your mother to change into your nicest clothes. Meeting the Prince while still in your pyjamas is making you feel a bit self-conscious. How embarrassing, to meet him while you’re still in your sleep clothes.

On the other hand, Jaehyun thinks that it’s so endearing that you’re still dressed in your pyjamas. Were you that excited to meet him that you couldn’t even wait to leave, meaning you forwent changing? How adorable.

“Miss (Y/n), may I formally introduce you to Prince-“

“Jung Jaehyun,” he cuts Minho off, taking your hand into his own in order to bring it to his lips and kiss the back of it tenderly. Oh, how soft your skin feels against his own. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Introducing yourself, your voice is a bit airy, still breathless due to everything that you’ve encountered so far. You’re especially impressed with the way he’s held himself, “the pleasure is all mine, Your Highness.”

“Please,” he smiles, running his thumb over the skin on the back of your hand before releasing his hold on you and returning his hands to his sides, “call me Jaehyun.”

You smile back politely, thoughts running through your head a mile a minute. All the while, your nerves begin to grow, and you begin to ponder why exactly it was you that he chose. You don’t necessarily think you’re anything special, but Jaehyun would beg to differ.

“Um, I was told that we were going to be dining soon?” You ask, shifting slightly from foot to foot as you attempt to break the small silence that has settled over the three of you. You figure Minho is probably avoiding saying anything right now out of respect for you and the Prince.

“Ah, yes,” Jaehyun nods once in confirmation. “That is, if you’re willing to join me for lunch. Of course, I’ll let you change first, unless you’d prefer to stay in those.”

At the motion of his head towards your choice in outfit, you can feel your cheeks heating up once more in embarrassment.

“Oh, uh…” you avoid his gaze for the first time today, and he can’t help but be reminded of how cute you are as you add quietly, “I don’t have anything else to wear.”

He simply quirks a brow in response, “has Minho not shown you your wardrobe yet?”

“No, I-“ you smile sheepishly, “I didn’t get a chance to pack any of my own clothes before I left. I mean, I didn’t even have a chance to change.”

He chuckles this time in response, “come with me, Princess.”

You cannot deny the way your heart positively flutters when he calls you that. A fact which only makes him smile subtly. You haven’t even known him for more than fifteen minutes and he already sets your heart racing. A fact which only serves to stroke his ego even further. This is going even better than anything he could have ever planned.

Leading you over to a side door that resides in the second half of your room, of which you notice is a lavish seating area complete with a chaise, he opens it. A grandiose closet is revealed to you, filled with the most lavish pieces of clothing you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Dresses, shirts, skirts, you name it, line the shelves. Rows upon rows of accessories cause your eyes to widen even further than they already have. You cannot help the surprised gasp that escapes your lips as you take it all in.

“Is this-“ you blink, attempting to wrap your head around everything as you try to get the words out, “is this-“

“It’s all for you, Princess,” Jaehyun smiles at your wide eyed expression.

“I-“ you turn to him, “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” he assures you.

“Honestly, I’m torn,” you bite your lip nervously.

He simply quirks a brow at you to continue, despite the fact a frown wants to pull onto his features.

“I’m torn between ‘I can’t accept this’, and ‘thank you so much’,” you admit, and you hear him chuckle once more. Out of the corner of your eyes, you notice Minho tense.

“Always so humble,” he hums. “Don’t worry about it, it’s a gift.”

“I-“ you take a deep breath, “thank you.”

He smiles, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants, “just promise me that you’ll use it.”

You notice how he motions to the closet with his head, and you immediately nod, “of course.”

“Good,” he nods once. “Well, I’ll let you get ready. Maria and Greta should be arriving soon to prepare you for lunch.”

As soon as he finishes speaking, a soft knock sounds at your bedroom door, signifying the arrival of the two aforementioned women. He could hear them walking down the hallway and figured now would be as good a time as ever to take his leave, even if it will be momentarily.

“I’ll see you soon, Princess,” with those words, he walks out of your room. 

The two women whom have been patiently waiting in the hallway to come in now step inside as Minho steps out of the room following Jaehyun. You notice that they look somewhat nervous, approaching you carefully as if you’re someone to be cautious of. You send them a reassuring smile, introducing yourself shortly after.

“It’s nice to finally meet the woman the Prince has been talking non-stop about,” Maria admits, seeming to relax more now that you’ve talked to the two of them.

“Maria,” Greta hisses while elbowing her partner. Your brow furrows, it seems as if they’re not allowed to talk about that in front of you.

“He’s talked about me?” You question as they move you into the closet to pick out an outfit for the day.

“Oh yes,” Maria nods. “He’s been very… excited for you to come visit the palace.”

“I won’t warn you again,” Greta narrows her eyes at Maria disapprovingly.

“Am I not allowed to ask about it then?” You frown.

“Oh, you can ask any and all the questions you’d like,” Greta answers, pulling a simple gown down from the racks. “We’re just not supposed to talk about certain things.”

“Like the Prince?”

“Listen dearie,” Greta sighs. “If you knew what’s best for you, you’d run, and run far.”

Her words only serve to confuse you even more, especially at the nervous expression Maria now wears on her face.

“Is there something I should know?” You ask as they help you into the dress.

“Don’t listen to Greta, dear,” Maria pats your arm gently once the dress is secure. “The Prince is a wonderful gentleman, and from the looks of things, he’s completely smitten with you.”

“But he hardly even knows me,” you mumble as they start to work on your hair.

“He knows you better than you think,” Greta’s voice is barely above a whisper. In fact, it’s so faint, you don’t catch all of what she says.

“Pardon me?” You catch her gaze in the mirror they have you sitting in front of now.

“All the more reason for you to get to know him better,” she corrects herself with a smile, though it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

Maria manages to change the subject shortly after by asking you questions about yourself, and her telling you small stories about her life. The two of you are able to connect well quickly, and you know that if she continues to look after you while you’re here, you will have a friend in her. Greta, on the other hand, you’re not so sure about.

Not only does she continuously look at you with worry in her eyes, she scolds Maria any time she thinks Maria has overstepped any sort of boundary. The amount of times Maria has begun to tell you about the Prince, only for her to be cut off by Greta soon after is astounding. Hopefully you can get some answers from the Prince himself. After all, you are going to lunch together.

“There, all finished,” Maria smiles warmly at you as she helps you stand up.

“Thank you,” you smile back, smoothing out the front of your gown subconsciously.

“Come now,” Greta says, checking her watch, “or else we’ll be late.”

“Oh dear, we wouldn’t want that,” Maria suddenly looks worried. “We’ll lead you to the dining room. His Highness should already be waiting.”

“I guess I shouldn’t keep him waiting, then,” you joke as you three move to exit the room.

You fail to notice the brief glance the two of them share as Greta says, “no, you really shouldn’t.”

Without another word, you all make your way down the hallway, them leading you to where Jaehyun has instructed them to meet him. As he hears you approaching, a small smile tugs at his lips. He can’t wait to start his forever with you, and today is day one.

“Ready for lunch?” He asks, turning around just as you walk up to him.

You nod, humming your eagerness. You can’t wait to see what they decide to serve to eat, you are in a palace after all. Besides, the company is wonderful so far, and you really want to get to know him better.

Lunch with Jaehyun passes by far too quickly for either of your likings, and before you know it, you’re both finished. To say that you enjoy your time with him would be an understatement. Not only was the food delicious, but you also got to do what you wanted and get to know him better. One thing you know for sure, is that he has a beautiful smile, of which you hope to see more of. Plus, he’s got the cutest dimples you’ve ever seen.

After lunch, he gives you a tour of the castle, and once again, your breath is stolen from your lungs. The whole time you spend admiring the architecture, Jaehyun spends admiring you. His dead heart races in his chest every time he looks over to see that awestruck expression on your face. You’re so beautiful, and the fact that you’re admiring everything he shows you so far, along with how grateful you’ve been towards him, assures him that he’s made the best choice in choosing you as his fiancée.

Every so often, his hand will brush against your own as he walks with you through the castle. You cannot help the rush you feel each time he does this, his touch both innocent and teasing at the same time. Each brush only makes a subtle smirk pull at his own lips, knowing he already has such an effect on you.

All too soon, the afternoon comes to an end and he’s leading you back to your room for the evening. He’s told you that you’ll more than likely be meeting his mother tomorrow, so you should get as much rest as you can, considering how hectic the day has been for you.

“If you ever need me, I’m just down the hallway to your left,” he tells you, of which you find yourself nodding in response. “If an emergency ever arises, come and get me. No matter the time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you say, lips twitching upwards in a half smile. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” he returns your smile. “I’ll always be here for you.”

By now, the two of you have stopped just outside of your bedroom door. You stare deeply into his eyes, and you can see the sincerity reflected in them. Your lips part slightly as you take a small step backwards as he continues to stare intensely at you, almost as if he’s in a daze.

Before you know it, he’s blinking as if to clear his head while clearing his throat, “well, I’ve got a few things to attend to before dinner. I’ll have someone bring you something to eat for then. In the meantime, feel free to do whatever you’d like, just let Maria know where you’ll be.”

“Sounds good,” you smile once more.

“See you later, Princess,” he grins, grabbing your hand in order to place a gentle kiss onto the back of it, successfully making your face warm. Without another word, he takes his leave. 

Watching his figure disappear down the hallway, you let out a blissful sigh. Lunch was enjoyable, and you can’t wait to see what else he has in store for you. Not only that, but you can’t wait to further explore the castle and find your favourite spots. Hopefully you can find a little nook to read some of the books from the massive library that caught your eye while you explored with Jaehyun.

Entering your room, you bite your lip. The only thing you’re particularly nervous about would be meeting his mother. Based off of what he’s told you about her so far, she can be very picky about mannerisms, and it can be difficult for anyone new to impress her. Maybe that’s what Minho meant by no one new has come to the palace for a long time. You just hope you can make a good impression, or at least good enough for her to at least tolerate you. After all, if you’re to marry her son, having her like you would be a huge success.

“You okay there?” Maria’s voice manages to pull you out of your own thoughts.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” you reply absentmindedly, walking further into the room as the door falls shut. Your brow furrows slightly as you notice Greta isn’t with her this time. “Where’s Greta?”

Maria stiffens ever so slightly, “she has this afternoon and evening off.”

“Ah, makes sense,” you nod, moving to sit on your bed.

“Is there anything I can get for you, Miss?” She asks politely.

“Not at the moment, thank you,” you shoot her a grateful smile. “I think I might just nap, I am a bit sleepy.”

“Alright, well, I’ll help you change,” 

“No need, I can do it myself,”

“No, please, I insist,” she’s already begun to move around your room and grabs a fresh set of clothes for you to change into. “After all, it’s what I’m here for.”

“Well, okay,” you sigh softly, allowing Maria to help you change.

Once done, the two of you just sit together in your room talking about anything and everything. She tells you that her family has always served the Jung’s for as long as she can remember, but she doesn’t mind it here. Apparently, the job pays really well, and they get ample time off.

Before you know it, there is a knock on your door and another servant is there holding a tray for you piled high with plates containing your evening meal. You thank them and move to take the tray from their hands, but they insist on putting it down for you. They set everything up for you on the table in your room before bowing respectively and leaving you to your own with Maria still patiently standing off to the side.

Sitting back down, your eyes rake over the food now resting in front of you. This is one of your favourite meals, but Jaehyun couldn’t possibly know that. Could he?

“The Prince made special preparations for you before you came,” Maria says, noticing your stare.

“This is my favourite dish,” you comment.

“I take it everything is to your liking, then?” She smiles.

“Of course, but I still don’t understand how he knows this is my favourite dish,” you say.

“If I’m not mistaken, I believe he was informed by your mother,”

“He’s talked with my mom?” Your eyes widen slightly in surprise.

“Oh, I mean, Minho was told by your mother, who in turn told Prince Jaehyun when he got back to the palace today,” Maria is quick to correct herself.

“Ah, I see,” you turn back to the food spread out in front of you. “Oh my! Where are my manners? Would you like anything?”

Maria almost looks caught off guard by your offer of sharing your food with her, “oh, no, thank you! I couldn’t.”

“Nonsense,” you shake your head, pushing one of the many side dishes over to her. “I don’t like eating alone, anyways.”

“Are you sure?” Her voice is hesitant, gnawing her bottom lip in worry.

“Of course,” you confirm. “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”

“Thank you, Miss,” she graciously accepts the dish, grabbing a set of utensils to join you in eating.

You simply smile at her in response, happy to be sharing your favourite meal with someone else. Her presence brings you comfort in this still unfamiliar place, of which you know will take some getting used to, despite the tour you took today. After all, you are alone, and far from home.

Meanwhile, Jaehyun paces in his study. He sent Minho to gather Greta for him just before you came to meet him downstairs for lunch that day. He overheard what she told you, and to say he was not impressed would be an understatement. Is she trying to make him look bad in front of you? No matter, he’ll dispose of the problem soon enough.

“Minho, I still don’t understand what’s going on-“ Greta’s voice gets caught in her throat once she is escorted inside the study to see Jaehyun now leaning against his desk with his arms crossed.

“Your Highness,” she bows respectively. “How may I be of service to you?”

“I have a favour to ask of you, Greta,” the way he says her name sends a shiver of fear running down her spine: full of venom and malice.

“Y-yes, sir, what is it?” Her blood is rushing through her. She’s heard of the Prince’s famous glare but never having been on the receiving end, there’s nothing that could have prepared her for the look of bloodlust in his eyes that came about so suddenly.

“I want you to run, Greta,” he pushes himself off the edge the desk, staring directly into her eyes, “and run far.”

A gasp escapes her lips. He heard.

“Well?” He hums, tauntingly, amusement shining in his eyes as he stares at her now trembling form. “What are you waiting for? That’s an order.”

With a shaky nod from her, she’s bustling out of the room and down the hallway. He can still hear the sound of her racing heart even after she makes it to the floor below him.

The malicious grin never leaves his lips as he begins to make his way out of his study. Currently, he is a predator stalking their prey. This’ll be fun, he hasn’t had to chase his prey in a while, and he cannot wait to tear into her throat. How dare she even suggest that you run from him. He would never hurt you. 

Anyone else, on the other hand? Fair game.

“Are you really sure this is necessary, my Prince?” Minho nervously watches Jaehyun as he passes through the doorway into the hall.

“Of course,” Jaehyun smiles, but it only serves to unnerve Minho as Jaehyun’s eyes flash red in the next moment. “She nearly lost me what is mine.”

In the blink of an eye, Jaehyun is gone from his sight, and Minho can only breathe a sigh of relief that he’s left unharmed this evening. Once Jaehyun sets his mind to something, there is no changing it. No one can stop him when he’s on a warpath, and Minho is just glad that he isn’t on the receiving end of one of the Prince’s violent episodes.

It takes Jaehyun mere seconds to catch up with Greta, who has been able to make it into the grand foyer before the main doors. He slams her against the wall, hearing a few of her bones fracture due to the impact. Her whimpers and pleas for her own life fall on deaf ears, even as more servants shuffle passed. They all know not to get involved, lest they want to suffer the same fate as Greta. Too many have learned that the hard way.

The last thing she sees is Jaehyun’s malicious smirk, fangs on full display as he tears into her throat. Once he’s sure she’s dead, he tosses her body aside, letting the blood spill over the floor. He spits the chunk of her neck he has in his mouth onto her body, a look of pure disgust on his face as he glares down at her corpse.

“Somebody clean this mess up,” he snarls out as he turns his back to her body. The others are frozen in fear, but his growl manages to have a few snapping immediately to their senses and rushing over to Greta’s dead body. “Now!”

He doesn’t stick around to see if they remove her or not, opting to head straight to his room for the evening. He wants to see you again, but he knows that it might be too soon. Besides, with his emotions heightened at the moment, he would potentially be putting you in danger. At least he’ll still be able to smell your scent, and hear whatever it is that you’re doing. That’s enough for him, for now.

A smile tugs at his lips as he faintly hears you conversing with Maria about something that happened to you during your childhood. He knew placing Maria with you as your personal assistant would be a good idea. Greta was his mother’s choice, and he had a feeling she was going to be nothing but a nuisance for him. Nothing is going to get in his way of winning your heart. Nothing. Everything has to go according to plan.

The following morning, he does a brief check of the front foyer to make sure everything has been cleaned properly, and that nothing remains of the events of that previous evening. The last thing he wants is for you to see something like that. Seeing that it’s been cleared of any evidence, he smiles, making his way back upstairs to finally greet you for the day.

To be quite honest, he is a little nervous himself for you to meet his mother. She didn’t exactly approve of him essentially stalking you, what he just calls taking a keen interest in making sure you’re doing alright. If Greta was any indication of how his mother will act, he knows she’ll probably devise a plan to take you away from him, or worse, make you afraid of him. After all, she knows exactly how her son can be.

Knocking gently on your door, he can hear your soft footfalls as you walk closer to him. He can’t wait to see you, and when you open the door to reveal yourself he most certainly is not disappointed with what he sees. How you look more beautiful every time he sees you is a mystery to him. One thing he knows for sure though, is that you’ve enchanted him since the moment he first laid eyes on you.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he smiles, noticing how you react positively to his words.

“Good morning,” you greet back politely, a small smile gracing your own features.

“Did you sleep well?” He asks, noticing Maria has already remade your bed.

“Quite,” you nod, smile only widening as you look at him. “Did you?”

“I did indeed,” he hums in response, though he would have slept better if you were in his arms. “Are you ready for today?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” you let out a nervous chuckle as you step into the hallway, closing the door gently behind you.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be with you the whole time,” he assures you, extending his arm out for you to loop yours with his. “Let’s get going.”

“Yes, let’s,” you hum back, taking his arm as you begin to walk down the hallway. “Any advice for me before we meet you mother?”

“Just be your usual charming self, and I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he squeezes your arm slightly, causing you to look over to already see him smiling at you.

You say nothing but choose to nod in understanding. You just hope your usual charming self doesn’t do or say anything that might embarrass you.

The two of you make idle chat as you make your way to the throne room to meet his mother. He manages to make you laugh, loosening your tense shoulders slightly as you relax the more he’s able to distract you. The whole time, he observes you fondly, glad to know that he can ease your nerves slightly, even if you’ve only officially known each other for a day. If only he could help you to relax in any and every other way he knows how.

All too soon, you’ve arrived just outside the doors to the throne room. Minho already stands waiting outside the grand set of double doors for the two of you, announcing your arrival to the queen as the doors part for you to walk through. 

Your heart races in your chest, nerves momentarily returning as you’re faced with the task at hand. This is one of the most important moments in your mind, for if his mother doesn’t approve of you, you do not know what will happen. That being said, you want to make sure to make the best impression you can on his mother, no matter what happens.

Walking into the room, you see his mother already sitting on her throne, watching the two of you as you approach where she is seated. Her gaze is scrutinizing, though it seems as if she’s watching he son more closely than she’s watching you. A fact which confuses you slightly since you would have assumed she would be more interested in how you hold yourself around her son rather than how her son holds himself around you. However this may be, you’re only grateful for the momentary relief you feel as you finally stop just before her throne.

“Mother, I’d like to formally introduce you to the woman whom I’d like to become my betrothed,” Jaehyun introduces you, telling her your name shortly after.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty,” you say, bowing politely in introduction to the queen.

“Please, Your Majesty sounds so formal,” the queen waves her hand slightly in the air as if dismissing the remark before leaning forwards slightly in her throne, “call me Cathy.”

“Huh,” you muse, “like mother, like son.”

“Oh?” Cathy’s amusement is clear on her face as she looks from Jaehyun over to you.

“Yes,” you confirm. “It seems not liking titles runs in the family. Jaehyun’s also told me to call him by his name instead of his title.”

“Has he now?” Cathy leans back, eyeing her son suspiciously. That’s very unlike her son, as he only ever allows people to call him by his title, no matter who they may be. You must be important to him then, a fact which only causes her worry for you to grow. None of her son’s other playthings ever got to address him by his first name. “And has he been treating you alright so far?”

Jaehyun’s eyes narrow ever so subtly at his mother, for he knows what game she’s playing. Like hell she’ll catch him slipping up.

“He’s been nothing but a gentleman since I’ve arrived,” you respond, and if your words don’t fill his chest with pride, nothing else will. He can hardly wait for you to see what else he has in store for you.

“I see,” she hums, placing her hands gracefully in her lap.

“I’d also just like to thank you very much for your hospitality, and for letting me stay at the palace during this time,” you bow deeply once more. “Thank you.”

“Of course, sweetie,” she smiles. “Anything for the one my little Jaehyunnie has been so obsessed with lately.”

“Mother,” Jaehyun’s reaction is a warning to her, but to you it just sounds like a boy being embarrassed by his mom.

You giggle, and normally he would think it’s the sweetest sound, if not for the circumstances. “So I’ve heard.”

“Ah, I see,” Cathy grins. “He’s already told you all about how he-“

“Are you quite content, mother?” Jaehyun interrupts, eyes flashing his warning towards Cathy who only appears to be amused at his antics.

“Oh, indeed,” she smiles back, though you fail to register the malice hidden behind her lips. “I was only hoping to be joined by Miss (Y/n) here for some morning beverages. I’d love to get to know her better, if she’s alright with that, of course.”

Before Jaehyun can even respond, you’re already speaking, “I’d love that.”

“Excellent!” His mother stands, descending the stairs and coming to stand before you. Having her this close really makes you realize the amount of power and regality she possesses. She extends her hand out for you to take. “If you’d be so kind as to join me.”

“Of course! Thank you,” you take her hand, allowing her to lead you out of the throne room as your arm slips out of Jaehyun’s grasp. With one final glance back, you see Jaehyun already staring after you, an unreadable expression on his face.

Turning back around, you notice Cathy leading you towards the gardens. Once outside, you see a nice table already set up facing the fountain, some of the finest cups and plates already set on top. Letting go of your hand, she motions for you to sit with her, a servant already pouring what looks like a steaming cup of tea for each of you.

“Thank you,” you repeat your words from earlier once you’re seated, graciously accepting the cup that is handed to you.

“I’m so glad you could join me this morning for a little girl talk,” she smiles, tilting her own cup in your direction in a mock ‘cheers’ gesture, of which you mirror.

“It’s nice to be invited,” you reply, taking a sip of your drink.

“I want you to know that you can come to me for anything, dear,” she says, looking you directly in your eyes and you’re momentarily stunned by how sincere she looks. “Absolutely anything.”

“Oh my,” you blink a few times in surprise, “that’s awfully kind of you. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good,” her gaze lessens in intensity, allowing for your shoulders to relax slightly, not that you had even been aware of tensing them. “I know how my son can be, so your safety and happiness is my number one priority.”

“Thank you,” is all you can say, and you’re starting to feel like a broken record, but you truly are grateful for her words. Though, you don’t quite know exactly what she means by her most recent ones. Jaehyun, to you, seems like a really nice, caring guy, so the knowing look she sends you when she says that only serves to confuse you. Besides, she seems a lot nicer than what Jaehyun had made her out to be, of which you find a bit strange. Perhaps she’s just putting up a nice front for your sake at the moment. Either way, you’ll make sure not to do anything that would warrant her to dislike you.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Cathy sips her tea, leaning back in her seat to get comfortable as she watches you.

The rest of the morning is spent with the queen, getting a feel for each other and learning all about the other. She listens intently to everything you have to say and she looks genuinely so intrigued by you. The more time you spend with her, the more you seem to relax around her. She’s nothing like how Jaehyun described, which only makes you believe that that’s his familial side talking. Perhaps they’re not as close as the media makes them out to be.

By the time lunch rolls around, you find yourself eating alongside the Queen in the dining room, Jaehyun nowhere to be seen. Noticing your curious gaze, she mentions that he has some diplomatic council meeting to attend to, but he’ll probably be joining you for dinner that evening. You simply nod in response, continuing on with your conversation with the Queen.

Another hour passes with you spending time with Cathy, and the both of you enjoy this so much that you plan to make your little girl talk a weekly thing. You end up leaving with a smile on your face, as if a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders as you head back to your room. Honestly, you cannot wait for next week to be able to spend more time with the Queen, as she’s nothing at all like you were expecting. It’ll be nice to have another person that you can consider a friend while you’re staying here.

Making it back to your room, you’re greeted by Maria who seems to have been patiently waiting for your return. She asks you how your day has been so far, and you tell her honestly that you had a lovely morning with the Queen. 

“I’m a little surprised though,” you admit.

“Why’s that?” She asks, brow furrowing in slight concern.

“Jaehyun told me that she was a hard woman to please,”

“Really?” Her voice comes out in mild disbelief. From what she knows of the Queen, she’s a lovely person through and through. The Prince on the other hand… though she would never tell you that. Not that she could without risk of losing her life and everything she holds dear.

“Still, I’m glad we made such a connection today,” you smile. “That’s good, right? Getting his mom to like me is a step in a positive direction.”

“Of course, Miss,” Maria returns your smile, though it seems a bit forced. She has to be extra careful around you now with how she acts and what she says, after all, by now, every servant in the castle has heard of what happened to Greta last night.

“By the way, how’s Greta doing? I haven’t seen her since yesterday,” you wonder aloud, almost missing the way Maria’s shoulders seem to tense at the inquiry.

“Oh, uh, about that,” Maria says, eyes shifting nervously around the room. She’s just grateful she’s facing away from you at the moment. “Greta took a vacation to go visit her family, so she won’t be back for a while.”

“Ah, I see,” you hum. “That’s nice, hopefully she has a lovely time with her family.”

If only you knew what kind of condition she was in when her body was sent back to her family. Maybe then you would have heeded her warnings.

“Yeah,” Maria replies, somewhat breathless. “Hopefully.”

The next few weeks pass by in a blur for you, each day bringing about a new adventure with Jaehyun. So far, he makes you very happy, and you’re beginning to settle into things at the castle. You especially look forward to the weekly girl talk dates with Cathy, of which she’s asked you to start calling her ‘mom’. Each time she does, you smile shyly and your heart warms, though when you told Jaehyun, he seemed quite shocked.

You’ve also discovered that some of the servants are humans and others are vampires, which was a bit of a surprise to you since you thought all of the servants were humans. At least most of the one’s you’ve encountered so far are. They’ve all been super nice to you, except for the odd one that either looks at you with pity or worry in their eyes. A few even go so far as to attempt to warn you against something, but Jaehyun always appears before they can finish whatever it is that they have to tell you. Whenever this happens, you can never understand the fear that seems to take hold of their body, eyes pleadingly looking towards Jaehyun. Oddly enough, you usually never encounter them again, only hearing brief mention of their names from passing servants.

Of course Jaehyun won’t tell you the amount of teeth he’s pulled, eyes he’s gouged out, or even tongues he’s cut off because of this. No, never. He always has to be the perfect prince in your eyes, keeping you blind to everything that might scare you away from him.

What really sets him off one day is when the two of you had just come back from riding your horses through the grounds. The stable hand, Shotaro, had given you a hand helping you off of your horse. Instead of Jaehyun being the one to help you, he was forced to watch as another male held your hand delicately and smiled at you softly.

Having had a few previous interactions with the vampiric stable hand, you thought nothing of this. A simple friendly gesture to you was near treason in Jaehyun’s eyes. Only he should be able to touch you like that. How else is he supposed to charm you and show you how much of a gentleman he can be towards you? How he can provide for you, even in the most basic of ways?

Luckily, Maria was waiting to lead you back to the castle in order for your weekly girl talk with the Queen. Using this opportunity as you’re walking away, Jaehyun rounds on Shotaro, already seeing the vampire visibly stiffen at the deathly gaze that is sent his way. In the blink of an eye, Jaehyun is in front of him, grasping the same hand Shotaro used to help you down from the horse.

“Scream, and I will end you,” Jaehyun seethes, not giving a second thought as he crushes Shotaro’s hand in his grip, hearing the bones snapping beneath the pressure. The tears he sees threatening to fall from this pest’s eyes only serve to widen the sadistic smile on Jaehyun’s face. “If you ever touch what’s mine again, your hand won’t be the only part of you I shatter. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-yes, my Prince,” Shotaro stutters out, fear pouring off of him from every angle.

“Now, you better go get that hand of yours fixed up,” Jaehyun tilts his head slightly, a malicious gleam in his eyes. “We wouldn’t want any bones to set and start healing in the wrong place, now would we?”

“N-no, my Prince,” he shakes his head, clutching his broken hand to his chest as soon as Jaehyun releases his grip.

“Good,” Jaehyun hums, a dark expression taking over his features. “Now, get out of my sight.”

Immediately, Shotaro flees the scene, fearing the Prince might inflict more of his wrath upon him. How you haven’t noticed Jaehyun’s eccentric behaviour yet is a mystery. Then again, he purposely keeps you blind to everything bad about his personality, only willing to show you the good parts. Those good parts which are only reserved for you.

Meanwhile, you have just been softly conversing with Maria as she walks with you back up to the castle from the stables. It’s then that you realize that you’ve been walking alone with her for the past two minutes, causing your brow to furrow slightly.

“Where’s Jaehyun?” You verbalize your thoughts, and just as you’re about to turn around to look for him, you feel his comforting hand on the small of your back.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, I had to check up on something back at the stables,” his smile is dazzling and you can’t help but nod your head in understanding as you smile back at him.

Naturally, your arm slides around his, the two of you walking comfortably back into the castle with Maria at your heels. Soon enough, the two of you enter the throne room, a large smile breaking out onto your features as you greet the Queen. A smile which Jaehyun wants only for himself.

“Are you finally going to join us today, Jaehyunnie?” Cathy asks, standing from her seat and making her way towards the two of you.

“Oh, I’d love that,” you look towards him with a hopeful expression, eyes wide.

“Not today, unfortunately,” the look you’re giving him almost makes him change his mind immediately, the pout causing him to gently cup your cheek in his hand, running his thumb over your skin. “Maybe next time.”

“Alright,” you sigh, slightly disappointed. You love spending time with him, almost as much as he does with you. “You promise?”

“I promise,” he smiles, placing a gentle kiss onto your forehead as he reluctantly steps aways from you, only to see his mother observing him carefully. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Okay,” you respond, eyes following his figure as he turns and walks out of the room, gaze lingering ever so slightly on the doors even after they’ve closed behind him.

“Ready to go, dear?” Cathy’s voice manages to pull you out of your daze, you nodding in the next moment and following her out into the gardens for your weekly girl talk session.

The afternoon passes with the two of you conversing about how you’re liking staying at the palace so far. You tell her honestly that you’re having a wonderful time, and that everyone seems so nice, except for the odd few who seem to avoid you like the plague. She seemed to only hum in response at that, though you’re not quite sure why.

“How’s your family? Have you been writing to them like I suggested?” Cathy sips her drink, looking at you expectantly.

“Oh, I completely forgot,” you meant to send them a letter last week after she had suggested it, but you got caught up in the plans Jaehyun had made in the afternoon that you forgot all about it. Besides, he didn’t quite look too enthused when you mentioned writing to them, but that could just be your faulty memory. “I should write them today, I do miss them greatly.”

“Would you like to visit them?”

“I’d love to,” you smile softly, not believing it to be possible. “But-“

“Excellent! I’ll make arrangements for you to visit them tomorrow,” Cathy interjects, a chipper expression on her face.

“I don’t know how to thank you enough,” at this point you know not to question her decisions.

“Nonsense,” she places her hand gently on top of yours which has been resting on the table between the two of you. “It’s the least I can do. After all, with how much you talk about your family, I can tell they’re important to you.”

“They are,” you confirm, looking over to meet her fond gaze.

“You have a kind heart, (Y/n),” she hums, shifting her gaze to look out over the garden. “Guard it well.”

You can only smile in return, thoughts running wild as to you finally being able to go visit your mother and your sister since you first arrived at the palace two months ago. Finally, you’ll be able to catch up with them and tell them all about what’s been going on in your life. Maybe if you’re lucky, you can introduce Jaehyun to them as well.

That evening, after Jaehyun has bid you a goodnight, he storms into his mother’s chambers. Throwing the doors open, a loud bang reverberates throughout the room, a few passing servants looking on in fear. Sending a dangerous look their way, Jaehyun manages to scare them off before rounding on his mother.

“You promised to let her see her family tomorrow?” He seethes, voice booming as there’s no fear you may overhear. After all, your room is all the way on the opposite side of the castle.

“Oh, Jaehyunnie, what a pleasant surprise for you to drop by to finally come visit your dear mother,” she feigns interest, sparing him a side glance before going back to her nightly routine.

“Spare the small talk, mother,” he spits, brows furrowed in anger. “Why would you do something like this?”

“Are you that obsessed with isolating the poor girl?” Cathy hums, tilting her head questioningly at her son. “She needs to socialize with other people, she can’t just stay around you the whole time.”

“I’m the only one she needs,” his voice is low, a growl threatening to rise up his throat. “The only one she’ll ever need.”

“You do not own her,”

“I know,” he snaps. “I’ve worked too damn hard to let her go now.”

“You have a lot to realize before you should even think about calling her yours,” Cathy states, hearing her son let out the growl that he had been holding back this whole time. She only looks amused by his reaction. “You cannot control her.”

“Everything’s gone according to plan thus far,” he retorts, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Besides a few minor set backs which have been disposed of.”

“Ah, yes,” she muses. “I’d appreciate if you stopped mutilating my servants, let alone killing them.”

“It’s no less than they deserve,” he counters.

“And what does your beloved think about that side of you?”

A brief moment of silence settles around the room, speaking volumes in Cathy’s eyes, until he breaks it.

“She doesn’t know,” Jaehyun watches his mother move around her room carefully, eyes narrowed in distaste. “She never will."

“My child, there will come a day when her eyes are opened to see your true colours,” Cathy warns, pausing in her step to turn and look down upon Jaehyun with her nose upturned. 

“Is that a threat, mother?” His eyes hold a crazed look in them at the mere idea of you finding out the truth. Hell, even the thought of you being taken away from him sets his instincts into overdrive, causing his eyes to bleed red and another growl to escape his throat.

“It’s not a threat if I only speak the truth,” she replies calmly, only causing his anger to flare more than it already has. “Do not expect her to return with you after visiting her family tomorrow. I have been keeping in touch with them regarding this entire situation and they know the lengths you are willing to go to ensnare her. The lengths you have already gone. I don’t know what you told Minho to tell her mother that first day that has her so terrified of the consequences, but her sister, Lori, was it? She seems to have a level head on her shoulders.”

Jaehyun’s blood boils, eyes filling with fury as they remain red, “you’ve been doing what?”

“Warning them about you and devising a plan to free the lovely Miss (Y/n) from your clutches,” her brow quirks as she watches her son fume before her very eyes. 

“I’ll kill them if they so much as even try,” he hisses, chest heaving with every breath as he is thrown into this situation. He’s come this far, there’s no way he’s letting you go now.

“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Cathy’s voice is steady, firm in her command of the room. “Enough blood has already been spilt on your account.”

“Clearly, there hasn’t been enough,” Jaehyun growls, eye flashing once more at his mother.

Rising to her full height, the Queen does not take the underlying threat from her son lightly, “you dare threaten me? Let’s not forget who brought you into this world and who taught you all that you know. Be careful, boy, lest your ambitious lust go to your head.”

“I don’t care who you may be to me, mother,” he seethes, straightening his back and matching her ferocity with his own, “but if you so much as even attempt to take what’s mine away from me, I’ll kill you.”

Without another word between them, Jaehyun is storming out of his mother’s room, leaving her standing with a shocked expression on her face. Never, in all of her long years of putting up with his antics has she ever seen him look this serious, this deadly about something in her life. Her worry only grows for you as she thinks of what he may have in store for you in the future. Going forward, she’ll have to be extra cautious, preparing herself for whatever her son has planned to come.

The next morning, you wake up bright and early, excited to finally go visit your family again after being away from them for so long. You hardly got any sleep at all last night, considering how excited you are. Being able to catch them up to everything going on in your life will be like a dream come true, and besides, you never did get your clothes from your mom that she promised to send to the palace, and you really miss your favourite sweater.

“You’re awfully happy this morning,” Maria comments as she does your hair for the day.

“I am,” you agree. “I haven’t seen my family in months and I can’t wait to introduce them to Jaehyun.”

“That’ll be lovely!” Maria replies, though you catch her grimace in the mirror.

“What is it?” You question, eyes wide with concern.

“Nothing to worry yourself about,” she tells you, shrugging off your inquiries.

“Clearly it’s something,” you counter, to which she sighs.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Prince will not be joining you right away this morning,” Maria admits, to which your expression drops slightly.

“Oh,”

“But don’t worry! He told me to tell you that he’d be along as soon as he can,” Maria continues, giving your shoulders a quick rub in encouragement. “He just has a few things to tend to first. You know, political duties and such.”

“I understand,” you nod, still visibly disappointed you won’t be arriving at the same time, nor travelling together this morning.

“Come on, dear, let’s get you changed,” she gives your shoulders one final pat before leading you to the closet to finish getting you ready for the day.

After a quick breakfast with the Queen, you’re being ushered into the back of a car to head back home for the day. The whole car ride over feels like an eternity, the scenery not being able to distract you one bit. 

Restless wouldn’t even begin to be able to describe you, your eyes flitting everywhere inside the car, then out the window, only to repeat the same process over and over again. Even your leg hasn’t stopped bouncing in anticipation, fingers toying with the edge of your shirt just to have something to do.

Eventually, after what feels like hours to you, you arrive in a familiar neighbourhood. Once the car is parked, you step out onto a familiar driveway, a smile gracing your features as you breathe in the fresh air. The driver has only been instructed to drop you off since Jaehyun will be by later, accompanied by Minho to take you back to the palace. Once he sees you’re safe, he’s starting the engine once more and pulling out of the driveway. This way you can have some privacy before the Prince arrives. Cathy made sure of that.

Making your way up your front porch, there’s a slight spring to your step, pushing open the front door in the next moment and calling out a cheerful ‘I’m home’! Oh, how good it feels, too.

“(Y/n)?” You hear your mother’s voice sound from the kitchen before her head is peeking out from the doorway, eyes wide with disbelief. “Is that you?”

“Hey, mom,” you greet, kicking off your shoes and running over to embrace her, her arms already spread open in anticipation.

“It’s so good to see you again, sweetie,” she says, hugging you even closer than before, almost as if she’s afraid you’ll disappear in a moment’s notice. “When the queen sent notice last night of you coming to visit this morning, I could hardly believe it.”

“More like you couldn’t believe it,” Lori’s voice sounds from the entranceway behind you, causing a large grin to spread on your face as you turn around to face your younger sister. “Where’s the Prince? I’m surprised you two aren’t joined at the hip.”

You roll you eyes at this, “it’s lovely to see you, too, Lori. I’ve missed you so much.”

She merely sticks her tongue out at you in response, coming over to squish you in a hug in the next second. “Yeah, yeah, I missed you, too.”

Despite her grumbling, you can tell she means what she says, if the tightness of her hug is anything to go by. You can tell she’s also missed teasing you, just as you’ve missed teasing her.

“If you must know,” you say, pulling away from Lori after a long hug. “Jaehyun will be coming by later, he’s just got a few things to attend to first. He sends his regards, though, for the time being.”

“Wow, first name basis with the Prince,” Lori whistles lowly. “That’s a shocker considering I’ve heard that he doesn’t let just anyone call him that.”

“Lori,” your mother shoots a warning look at your sister.

“What? It’s the truth,” she shrugs, only causing you to chuckle.

“Well, we are pretty close,”

“I’ll say,” Lori hums. “Speaking of, has he ever told you why he chose you, or how he even found out about you in the first place?”

“Lori, my word,” your mother shoots her another look, as if to tell her to quit while she’s ahead.

“Mom, it’s okay,” you chuckle, voice nothing but reassuring. “I always knew my little sister was concerned for me, no matter how badly she tries to hide it. As a matter of fact, yes. I have asked him before.”

“And?” She motions with her hand for you to continue.

“He told me that one day while he was out he saw me and overheard the conversation I was having with Jaemin - remember how we always banter back and forth?” Seeing her nod, you continue, “anyways, he apparently appreciated my wit and humour and decided to learn more about me. Well, here we are.”

The smile you send your mother and sister only serves to unnerve them slightly. They’ve been told not to tell you that Jaemin has gone missing since you’ve left for the palace.

“You believe him?” Lori gives you a ‘really’ look, brow quirked in disbelief.

“I have no reason not to,” you shrug.

By now, the two of you have sat down at the kitchen table, your mother busy with preparing lunch for all of you.

“You know how crazy that sounds, though, right?” She goes on to say. “After eavesdropping on your conversation he suddenly wants you to move to the palace so he can make you his wife? That’s very strange.”

“I mean, I was a little weirded out at first, but after he explained himself I felt better,��� you say, leaning back slightly in your chair in order to relax. “I trust him.”

At your words, Lori only seems even more suspicious, your mother distracting you long enough for her to hide her concern.

“That’s nice, dear,” she smiles at you. “You must really like him, then.”

You hum in agreement, “I really do.”

“So,” your mother begins, sitting down to join you two at the table as the food heats up on the stove, “tell us everything.”

It takes you about an hour and a half to explain everything that’s happened to you since your arrival at the castle all those weeks ago. The whole while, your mother and sister listen patiently to what you have to say, chiming in here and there with little comments of their own. Your mother seems happy for you, but you can tell your sister isn’t all that convinced. Her comment about the Prince not being everything he seems to be certainly is enough to rub you the wrong way, putting a slight damper on your mood the longer you spend at home.

“All I’m just saying is that he seems too nice, from what you’re telling me,” her eyes hold the same suspicion you can hear clearly in her voice.

“He’s given me no reason to suspect otherwise,” you counter, a slight furrow to your brows.

“Yet he’s never once suggested visiting us, and when you do, he’s nowhere to be found,” Lori quirks a brow at you.

“It’s not his fault he has duties to attend to,” you defend him, upset that your sister doesn’t seem nearly as happy for you as you thought she’d be.

“Does he always have ‘duties’ to attend to when there’s something you want to do?” A knowing look is sent your way, as if she already knows how you’re going to answer. “If you’re always alone there, then why don’t you just come home? It sounds to me like you’d be better off that way, anyways.”

“No!” You immediately counter, crossing your arms in front of your chest, hurt that your own sister would even suggest something like this. “That’s not the case. He’s been nothing but caring and respectful towards me since I got there. I don’t expect him to wait on me hand and foot all the goddamn time. It’s nice having some space every once in a while, too.” You can tell you’ve momentarily stunned her with your answer as she looks at you, dumbfounded. Taking this opportunity, you continue, “if all you’re going to do is shit on my happiness, then I won’t bother to come home at all. I care about him and I know he cares about me, and all you’re doing is making your jealousy clear. I don’t want to move back home, I want to stay with him. I-“ you swallow, gathering your courage to utter your next words, “I’m in love with him.”

A soft gasp leaves your mother’s lips, “sweetie.”

“What?” You turn your attention to look at her, noticing how she’s already staring at you with an unreadable expression on her face, your sister sitting frozen in her spot at your admission.

“You love him,” comes your sister’s voice. Not a question, but a mere statement of facts, of which causes you to gape slightly before closing your mouth and steadying yourself. You let out a breath that you didn’t realize you’d been holding.

“I do,” you confirm, staring both women down as they stare back at you. Your mother with a dumbfounded expression, your sister with a stern gaze that feels as if it’s boring into your soul.

A moment of silence passes over the three of you as they let your confession sink in, only interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” your mother sighs, heading towards the front door to see who it could be.

“He has you wrapped around his finger, doesn’t he?” Lori sighs, causing whatever last thread of patience you had to snap at her remark.

Your snappy retort dies in your throat as soon as you hear a familiar masculine voice coming from the front door, Jaehyun politely introducing himself to your mother after being invited inside.

“Speak of the devil, and he shall appear,” Lori mutters, shaking her head.

In an instant, you’re standing, the scraping of your chair against the floor enough to cause Lori to look up at you in surprise at the sudden action. You say nothing as you head out of the kitchen and towards the front door, Lori following shortly afterwards with a frown prominent on her face.

To everyone’s surprise, you start to slip on your shoes. Out of the corner of your eyes, you see Minho shoot you a worried look while your mother and sister share a glance. However, none look as concerned as Jaehyun does right now.

“Is everything alright?” He asks lowly, hand finding purchase on your lower back as you right yourself after fixing your one shoe.

“Fine,” you respond shortly, to the surprise of everyone in the room. “Thanks for lunch, mom. It was really nice seeing you again.”

You move over to give her a brief hug. It takes her a moment to return it, unsure of what exactly has transpired in the past minute to have you rushing out of the door so soon. You seemed so excited for them to meet the Prince earlier, so this only serves to increase her worry.

“Of course, dear,” she answers. “Is everything okay?”

You pull away, giving her a tight smile, “just a bad headache, is all.”

“Are you sure you don’t just want to lie down for a bit? You just got here,” she frowns, worry evident on her features along with a hint of what looks like sadness.

“I’m sure,” you reply, sending her a weak smile in return. 

One thing you’ve always been horrible at is hiding your emotions. Anyone can read them clear as day on your face, especially right now. That’s one thing Jaehyun has learned about you during your stay at the palace, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t find out what happened. For now, he’ll simply go along with your wishes, playing the part of the concerned lover. Good thing, too, otherwise if a moment longer had passed, he probably would have torn Lori’s head from her shoulders for causing you such distress.

Even though he’s only just entered the house, he’s been outside far longer than any of you have suspected. Of course he overheard what the three of you had been talking about, and your family’s attitudes certainly rubbed him the wrong way. He knows his own mother definitely has something to do with the way Lori is acting. Thank fuck she won’t be a problem any more.

The only good thing his mind has latched onto at the moment is your loving confession. He has to remind himself to stay in control of his emotions for the time being, lest he want his plans to be ruined. After all, things are going far better than he could have ever hoped on this end.

“Okay, sweetie, if you’re sure,” even though she doesn’t look convinced, she doesn’t push the issue. “Come and visit again soon!”

“We will,” you give her another small smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes.

Giving one final nod to your mother, you hardly even spare Lori a final glance as you bid her farewell, the both of them waving goodbye to you from the front porch. Once seated in the backseat of the car beside Jaehyun, you let out a sigh.

“Is everything okay, Princess?” His voice holds nothing but concern as he motions for Minho to raise the privacy screen.

You finally meet his gaze, and he curses whoever was the one to cause you pain, “honestly, not really.”

He shifts closer, placing a comforting hand on your knee, “did you want to talk about it?”

A few moments pass by in silence as you attempt to calm yourself down. Taking a deep breath, you meet his gaze once more.

“She called you a devil,” he inhales sharply at your words, feigning shock. “And I know how much you hate that word, let alone being called such a thing. I just couldn’t sit there and listen to any more of Lori’s bullshit slander of you.”

“I see,” he says, lips tugging downwards in a frown. On the inside though, he’s surprised that you even remembered him telling you that offhandedly one of the first times you went horseback riding together. It warms his heart that you would remember a detail like that of himself. Though, this only serves to confirm to him even further that you’re perfect for each other.

“I’m sorry,” you apologize for your family’s behaviour. “I just couldn’t stand how she was talking about you, or the fact that I felt like they were invalidating my feelings.”

“It’s not your fault,” he assures you, shifting so that his hand can now gently stroke your back as you lean forward to rest your elbows on your knees.

“I was looking forward to you meeting them, too,” you pout, disappointment clear in your voice. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s alright, Darling,” he sends you a reassuring smile. “If I’m being completely honest, I’m kind of glad we left early. I don’t think I would have had the heart to be proper company to your loved ones.”

This time, it’s your turn to look at him in concern, “is everything okay?”

“Not really,” he shoots you a weak smile, his facade cracking just as he had planned from the moment you decided to leave your house as soon as he had arrived. “No.”

“What’s wrong?” You cup his cheek tenderly, and he leans into your touch, briefly closing his eyes as he revels in the way your skin feels against his, though you take it as him seeking comfort for whatever it is he’s about to tell you.

“It’s my mother,” he pauses, swallowing a fake lump in his throat. “She’s been murdered.”

“Oh my god,” a gasp escapes your lips, a hand coming up to cover your mouth in shock.

“I was only just informed minutes before I arrived at your house,”

“Oh, Jaehyun,” your eyes hold nothing but sorrow as you embrace him, “I’m so sorry.”

“You’re doing an awful lot of apologizing today for things that aren’t your fault,” he comments, wrapping his arms securely around your waist as he pulls you closer into his chest.

“Still,” you whisper into his neck, “I’m sorry for your loss. Your mother was a wonderful person.”

A hum is all you receive in response, his grip tightening ever so subtly around you as he feels you start to shake slightly. He knew the two of you were close, but he wasn’t expecting you to shed actual tears when you learnt his mother had passed. Perhaps it’s the combination of emotions from your family mixed with this sudden news that has you curled up in his arms, seeking his comfort as much as you are comforting him. Either way, he’ll use this to his advantage, loving the feeling of having you pressed so close to him, clinging onto him like he’s the only one you’ll ever need.

Quietly, he shushes you, telling you that it’ll be alright. You’re quite surprised at how well he’s taking all of this, though you can tell he’s glad for the comfort you provide him during this time. However, what you fail to see is Jaehyun glancing briefly towards the window, eyes flashing as he catches his reflection in the glass. A look of smug content resides on his features as he continues to stroke your back in comforting circles.

You manage to fall asleep about halfway through the car ride back to the castle. Your head is resting on Jaehyun’s lap as he gently strokes his hand over your hair. A smile pulls at his lips when he hears you hum in content, shifting yourself closer to him in response.

Growing up the way he did, getting everything he ever wanted or could ever ask for, and hardly ever receiving punishments for his actions, he’s used to others shouting and crying about how unfair he can be. The amount of people he’s seen beg for their life with tears in their eyes has never made him blink one time. However, seeing you this upset, with tears in your eyes has made him promise himself to never see you cry again. You’re the only person in this universe he cannot stand to see in pain, and he will do anything and everything in his power to make sure that this never happens again. You deserve nothing but happiness, of which he knows only he can give you.

The news of the Queen’s death spreads throughout the nation like wildfire. Many demand answers as to how something like this could have happened, as well as who would do such a thing. Luckily, Jaehyun had prepared for this. A few servants, both human and vampire alike, that had tested his patience for far too long took the fall, information leaking that the murder was an inside job long planned out by said servants.

Jaehyun played his part well, condemning the criminals for their vile acts and taking his precious mother away from him, as well as the precious matriarch away from the citizens. The best part is that you were there the whole time comforting him and making sure he was okay. 

Those were some of the best days for him, being able to stay by your side nearly twenty-four seven, being able to hold you in his arms as you slept beside him. Fuck, he can never get enough of you: your soft skin beneath his fingertips, the way your body feels pressed against his own, the way you stood by him and offered him condolence when he needed it, and especially the way you smell. There were a few times he nearly went feral during the night due to your scent spiking with arousal. He could tell you were having some pretty nice dreams about him, for the one time you moaned his name in your sleep, nearly driving him insane.

He only wishes he had done this sooner, maybe then your sister wouldn’t be even more suspicious towards him. The letters from her only seemed to increase after his mother’s death, but he has no time for them, nor does he even want to entertain them. Maybe then he can finally have you all to himself without worrying about what your stupid brat of a younger sister might do to take you away from him. No matter, he’ll make sure to dispose of her soon, if she doesn’t stay in line.

Approximately two weeks after his mother’s funeral, Jaehyun takes you on a small picnic beneath the willow tree that overlooks the gardens. The place is secluded enough that you know you won’t be disturbed. After all, after the commotion of the past few weeks, it’s nice to just get away for a while, especially with just the two of you.

Currently, his head is resting in your lap, the two of you finally able to relax and enjoy each other’s company without interruptions. Glancing down, Jaehyun catches your gaze.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today yet?” He smiles softly up at you as he watches the evening sun kiss your skin.

“Hmm,” you pretend to ponder his question, gazing out over the gardens as you teasingly tap your chin. “I don’t think you have.”

“It’s a shame, then,” he clicks his tongue, shaking his head slightly. “All the stars in both heaven and on earth could never compare to your beauty.”

The way he looks at you, like you’re his entire world, sets your heart racing in your chest. You bite your lip, looking away bashfully.

Sitting up, he lets out a small chuckle at your reaction. How can you be so cute?

“Don’t hide that pretty face from me, Darling,” cupping your chin gently in his hand, he turns your head to face him, noticing how you avert your gaze slightly in embarrassment. Pride swells in his chest as he knows only he can get a reaction like this out of you. Only he can make you feel this way. “From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were the one for me.”

“Jae,” the whisper of his name from your lips sends a shiver down his spine.

“Getting to know you over these past few months has only confirmed my first thought I had of you,” he tells you, stroking his thumb slowly over your bottom lip as you watch him carefully.

“Oh?” Your gaze becomes hooded as you watch him, his own eyes focussed on the way his thumb is caressing your lip. “What might that be?”

“You’re perfect,” his voice is low, seductive, as he moves his hand to the back of your neck, thumb now stroking the nape.

“You must not have met many good people, then,” you lightly joke, the corner of your lip twitching upwards as your eyes flick to his lips, noticing how the space between the two of you grows ever smaller by the second.

“No,” he replies softly, “I haven’t.”

Your hand comes up to cup the side of his face, thumb rubbing his cheek tenderly as the two of you continue to stare into each other’s eyes. A moment of silence passes between the two of you before Jaehyun is breaking it.

“Can I kiss you?”

“I thought you’d never ask,”

You barely have time to finish your words when his lips are on yours, the hand he has placed on the back of your neck pulling you in closer. His touch is soft, lips delicate over your own, as if you’re the finest piece of glass that needs to be handled with the utmost care. Your eyes flutter shut.

This tender moment is enough to steal your breath away, something that Jaehyun never fails to do when you’re alone with him. How you got him of all people to fall for you is still a wonder, of which everyday you’re thankful for. Ever since he’s come into your life, you’ve never been happier. Each day with him is another where he makes you feel special. He cherishes you, just as you have come to cherish him, but more than all of that, he makes you feel loved.

Pulling away, he rests his forehead on yours, the hand on the back of your neck holding you in place as your eyes open to see him already gazing at you fondly.

“Like I said,” he breathes. “Perfect.”

“I could say the same about you,” you hum, pecking his lips once more and causing him to smile.

He hums back, content with how this evening is going so far, and with one final lingering kiss to your lips, he pulls away from you, albeit a bit reluctantly. If he’s honest with himself, he’s a bit nervous. The question he’s been meaning to ask you this entire evening sits at the tip of his tongue, unwilling to actually be formed into the proper words.

“I love you,” this is not the first time he’s told you this, but it still sets your heart aflutter. Maybe this time will be the time you say it back.

“I know,” you hum, lips tugging upwards as your eyes reflect the same love and want shining in his own.

“Even though we haven’t know each other all that long, no one makes me feel the way that you do,” he begins, again, somewhat nervously. You take his one hand into yours, letting him know he can take all the time he needs to in order to form the words he wants to say to you. “You mean the world to me, and I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life. I know it sounds ridiculous, but my life changed the day you stepped through those palace doors, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. You’ve changed my life for the better; you make me want to be a better man.”

“Jaehyun,” his name is but a whisper on your lips as he pulls out a ring from his pocket.

“Will you do me the honour of becoming mine?” He asks, gaze locking on yours as your hands come up to cover your mouth in shock. 

All you can do at the moment is nod your head, a large smile breaking out onto your face before it morphs into a slight smirk as he slides the ring on your finger. “Does this mean I get to call you mine?”

“You can call me whatever you’d like,” he grins, eyes hooded as he pulls you onto his lap to admire the ring now glinting on your finger. “My perfect bride.”

Your giggle is like music to his ears as he pulls you in for another kiss. This one is more heated, full of passion and longing with an undertone of a promise of what is still yet to come. 

Jaehyun could not be happier than he is in this moment with you. Everything has gone according to plan, and soon, he’ll get to call you his wife. Not that you would have had a choice in the matter, even if you had denied him. Now, you’re his, indefinitely, and nothing can change that. Now, he’s never letting you go.

As the sun begins to set in the distance, it’s your turn to rest your head on his thigh. He’s currently feeding you some red grapes, of which he’s been told are your favourite.

“What else we got?” You ask after a having a few more grapes.

“Hmm, let’s see,” he digs through the basket, pulling out and listing the different food options. “Why, do you not like the grapes?”

“I do, don’t get me wrong,” you smile reassuringly at him. “I’m just not the biggest fan of red grapes.”

“I thought they were your favourite,” Jaehyun replies, a small frown pulling at his features. Who was it again that told him that red grapes were your favourite? Ah, that’s right, Ben. If he had known they weren’t your favourite he would have never even dreamed of having them packed for you.

“Nah,” you scrunch your nose slightly while shaking your head. Jaehyun would think it’s cute were not for the situation he finds himself in. “Green grapes are where it’s at.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he smiles, though you don’t registered how it looks slightly forced.

Shooting him a smile back, the two of you turn your attention back to the sunset before you, making small comments here and there about the way the light reflects off of the surrounding areas. You feel completely at peace. Jaehyun on the other hand, is suffering from inner turmoil at this mistake. Something that is so small could have meant a world of difference to you, and the last thing he wants is to screw things up this far into your relationship. How is he supposed to be the perfect lover if he can’t even get your favourite foods correct?

The moment he bids you a goodnight and your door shuts behind him that evening, he’s speeding to the kitchen. The staff, whom had been finishing up for the day are startled by his sudden appearance. Immediately, they bow in respect, a few of the cook’s nerves spiking in fear that what they had prepared this evening did not please him.

“Where’s Ben?” His voice booms throughout the room, eyes deadly as they scan the area for the aforementioned man. 

“He’s just gone to dispose of the trash, Your Highness,” one of the cooks tells him.

“How fitting,” he muses, already thumbing the coin in his pocket which he had grabbed from the cellar on the way here.

The side door to the kitchen creaks slightly when it opens, a lanky man walking through in the next moment. Sensing the tension in the kitchen, he freezes, the door falling shut behind him. Noticing Jaehyun standing at the opposite end of the counter, he immediately bows.

“Your Highness,” 

“Red grapes, huh, Ben?” At Jaehyun’s words, Ben stiffens, already knowing something must have gone wrong for the Prince to be in the kitchen this late.

The rest of the staff share brief glances towards one another in confusion as they watch the scene before them play out. None are willing enough to move for fear of the Prince’s wrath.

“Do you know what this is?” Though his voice is calm, Jaehyun is far from it, only able to maintain his composure due to the fear radiating off of everyone in this room. He loves knowing the power he holds over each one of their insignificant little lives.

Ben eyes the coin now poised in Jaehyun’s hand warily, the metal glinting ever so slightly in the light of the kitchen.

“A coin, Your Highness,” Ben answers as Jaehyun looks at him expectantly, obviously wanting more than just that as his answer. “The ones which you use to pay us.”

“Very good,” he feigns amusement, eyes narrowing harshly in the next moment. “Now tell me, what’s the point in paying you when you provide me with the wrong information?”

Ben looks stunned momentarily, “I’m sorry, I don’t follow.

“Red grapes, Ben,” Jaehyun tuts. “Red. Grapes.”

It seems as if something clicks in his mind, “oh, yes, (Y/n)’s fav-“

“You dare speak her name in my presence?” Jaehyun’s voice booms, a few of the younger staff now visibly shaking in fear at his outburst. “Do not taint my love’s name with your tongue.”

“My apologies-“

“Silence, you scum,” he hisses between clenched teeth. Jaehyun’s anger currently knows no bounds, only serving to worsen the longer he has to deal with this situation. Taking a breath, he seems to visibly calm down slightly before speaking once more. “Did you know, Ben, that she prefers green grapes over red ones?”

It is then that Ben realizes his mistake. The information he had gathered proving insufficient and false. He starts to shake, unsure of what is to become of him now.

“I’m sorry, my Prince, it will not happen again,”

“You’re right,” Jaehyun smirks. “It won’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an engagement party to plan,” he turns to leave the kitchen, tossing the coin he’s holding in his hand in the air once before catching it between his fingers. “Oh, and somebody clean this mess up.”

In the blink of an eye, Jaehyun has flung the coin through Ben’s head, a dull thunk being the only sound heard as his now lifeless body falls to the floor. The whole kitchen remains silent, no one daring to even move a single muscle until Jaehyun has turned the corner, nothing but the coin embedded in the wall serving as a reminder of his presence mere moments ago.

The following week passes by in a blur to you, the whole castle bustling from the news of your confirmed engagement to the Prince. Now, there is cause for celebration instead of remaining in the period of mourning that had plagued the nation previously. You only wish his mother was still here to see it all.

You’ve planned to host an engagement party this coming Friday evening, and you can hardly wait. The two of you have been discussing plans for the event, and you don’t think you’ve smiled brighter than you have been these past few days. Jaehyun has been with you every step of the way, sharing in your excitement at the date grows near.

All too soon, the night of the party arrives and you’re dressed in the finest materials you’ve ever worn. Quite a few diplomats and vampires from surrounding kingdoms are coming to wish you a congratulations on your engagement to the Prince, and to say you’re nervous would be an understatement. You just hope you don’t make a fool of yourself in front of so many important people.

Jaehyun, on the other hand, cannot wait to show you off. Finally, he gets to profess his love for you in front of so many others, finally letting everyone know that you’re his and his alone. If anyone so much as dares to take you away from him, he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to keep you and make sure you never leave his side. Nothing, in all of the world, could tear the two of you apart.

Luckily, the evening goes by without a hitch, passing by much quicker than either of you two expect. Though, you have to say, you’re glad. With the way he’s been looking at you all night, the end of the party could not have come sooner.

Making your way back to your room, you think back to the events of the evening. A smile tugs at your lips as you recall the way the two of you danced, the way he held you close in his arms and made you feel loved. You couldn’t ask for a better man to have come to sweep you off of your feet. You only hope that the night doesn’t end here, and from the dark look you still see swimming in his eyes, you have a feeling that it’s only just begun.

With the way Jaehyun has been looking at you this entire evening, you swear he wants to eat you whole. His eyes are dark, a smirk on his lips as he backs you into the wall of your room, hands finding purchase on your hips as he leans into your neck, inhaling deeply.

“Fuck, you smell so good,” he breathes, eyes fluttering closed in bliss as he allows your scent to cloud his mind. A growl escapes him, finally allowing himself to indulge his fantasies, revelling in everything you. “All mine.”

You cannot deny the way your heart positively flutters at his words, and from the way his grip tightens, you can tell he is enjoying each and every one of your reactions. After weeks of tensions rising, interrupted moments and longing glances sent each other’s way, you know what you want, and you what you want, is him. Badly. 

“I hope you don’t mind, Princess,” his voice is low, nose ghosting over the skin of your neck until his lips come to rest right beside your ear, “but tonight,” he hisses as you pull him closer, “tonight, I’m going to make you mine.”

Bringing his lips to yours, he steals a kiss, loving the way you hum approvingly in response. He loves all the reactions you’re giving him, he thinks they’re so cute. The way your heart is racing in your chest, excitement rolling off of you in waves, sets his own dead heart racing. He can smell your arousal building, a fact which only makes his chest swell, a growl of approval building from deep within.

He could get lost in you. The feeling of your lips on his, your scent, your touch. Everything about you drives him wild, and tonight, he finally gets to show you exactly what you mean to him. He’ll treat you like the royalty you are; whom you are meant to be.

Breaking the kiss, he leans back slightly to rest his forehead on yours, staring deeply into your eyes. You can see the love he has for you shining in them, along with the lust and desire swirling within his irises.

“I’m addicted to you,” voice nothing but a whisper, he cups your cheeks in his hands, “I can never get enough.”

“Then don’t,” your soft reply has his eyes widening slightly. “Because I don’t think I could ever love another as much as I love you.”

He swears his dead heart has once again stopped beating in his chest as he lets your words sink in. You love him. You finally told him that you love him.

A smile breaks out onto his face as he claims your lips with his own. You love him, and that’s all he’s ever wanted. Everything he could have ever asked for has just been granted to him. You’ve fulfilled his every wish, and tonight, he’s going to finally make you his, in every meaning of the word. Tonight, you’re his Queen, and his alone.

“Fuck, you don’t know how happy you’ve just made me, hearing you say that,” he says against your lips, needing to feel every inch of your skin beneath him soon, or he might just go crazy. Your giggle is music to his ears as he litters your face with kisses, “I love you.” He hums contently. “My Queen.”

Your breath hitches as you hear him call you that for the first time. You cannot deny the way your stomach clenches at hearing him call you that, and from the slight upturn of his lips, you know he heard your reaction loud and clear.

Feeling a surge of confidence wash over you, you look into his eyes once more, smirk dancing across your own lips. 

“Then fulfill your promise and make me yours,” you purr. “My King.”

A shiver runs down his spine at your words, and he cannot help the snarl that escapes him, “with pleasure.”

In the blink of an eye, he has you pinned on the bed, hovering over top of you as he trails his lips over the skin of your neck. Pinning your hands at the side of your head by your wrists, he takes this opportunity to start sucking marks into your skin, biting down occasionally. Although he doesn’t let his fangs out yet, he makes sure to leave his marks. He wants everyone in the kingdom to know that you’re his, that he’s finally claimed you for all to see.

The sound of tearing fabric registers in your mind, and you glance down to see that Jaehyun has torn both your dress and his shirt from this evening from your bodies, eyes drinking in every curve of your figure beneath him. His hands come up to cup your breasts, thumbs brushing over your nipples as they harden from his touch.

“Beautiful,” he hums.

Giving your chest a slight squeeze, he emphasizes his approval, only serving to make you become bashful. In the next moment, you attempt to cover yourself with your arms, but he’s quicker. Grabbing your wrists, he pins them beside your head once more.

“Ah-ah,” he tuts, a gleam to his eyes, “don’t you dare hide from me.”

Before you can say anything in response, his lips are on yours as he successfully steals your breath away for the nth time that night. Ever so slowly, he parts from you, trailing kisses down your neck and to your chest, where his hands have returned to cupping your breasts gently. 

A shiver runs down your spine once you feel him take one of your nipples into his mouth, sucking lightly as his tongue flicks over the pert bud. His opposite hand works at the other, making sure neither goes untouched. Your satisfied hum is all he needs to hear to know you’re enjoying yourself so far. Smirking against your skin, he trails kisses from one breast to the other as he takes his time to make sure each gets the attention you deserve. By the time he’s done with you, you’ll be screaming his name in ecstasy all night long.

A hand in his hair catches his attention as you guide his head back up to yours, lips meeting in a heated kiss. He can never get enough of you: your taste, your touch, your everything, and he’ll take everything you’re willing to give him, and then some.

Slowly, he grinds himself into you, your legs parting naturally for him to fit between them. The gasp you let out when you feel his hard cock rubbing against your core is music to his ears.

“Feel that, baby?” He hums, nuzzling his nose against your neck and scenting you once more. “That’s all because of you. You have no idea what you do to me.”

The breathless whisper of his name you let out sends a shiver of pleasure down his spine. His one hand grips your thigh, pulling you against him as your fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him in to kiss you again as he continues to grind himself into you.

Breaking away, he nips at the skin of your neck, trailing kisses down your body. The whole time, he mumbles against your skin about how he just needs to taste you, your panties being ripped off of your body not even a second later.

The full force of the scent of your arousal hits him as he settles between your legs, a pleased growl echoing from within his chest. He can already tell his eyes have bled red, your slight gasp confirming it when you meet his gaze.

Trailing kisses up your thighs, he notices how your chest rises and falls with each breath in anticipation. A smirk dances at his lips as he sees you close your eyes momentarily the closer to your entrance his mouth gets. 

Testing the waters, he licks a tentative strip up your core, watching your every reaction and drinking it in. Fuck, if you aren’t the best thing he’s ever tasted in his life, and he’s sure to let you know.

At his words, you cover your face in slight embarrassment, feeling every breath he makes hit your core and send little jolts throughout your entire body. From the chuckle you hear him let out, he knows exactly what he’s doing.

“No, no, no, none of that,” he reaches up and pulls your arm down so you’re no longer covering your face. You meet his gaze once more, and your heart nearly stops at the carnal hunger you can see shining within them. “I want you to watch me as I devour you.”

A moan slips passed your lips as you watch him bring a hand up to spread your lower lips, tongue slowly dragging through your folds all the while he stares deeply into your eyes. Every sound you make, every reaction, is his tonight, and his alone.

Wrapping his lips around your clit, he sucks a few times before flicking the sensitive nub with the tip of his tongue. He alternates between this and bringing his tongue down to circle your entrance before thrusting it in to collect your juices, massaging your inner walls at the same time. Like hell he’s going to let anything go to waste, not after he’s waited this long to finally have you all to himself.

Your hips start to move in time with his tongue, and he lets out a snarl as your hand comes to tangle in his hair, only serving to pull him closer into you. His tongue continues to work you up in every way he knows how, wanting you to know that only he can please you like this. Only he can make you feel this good.

His eyes never leave yours the whole time, even when he starts to pick up the pace. Every twitch of your inner walls lets him know he’s doing something right, taking the opportunity to slide a finger in using his free hand. Now, he focusses his tongue on your clit, licking and sucking as his finger massages your inner walls. The way you’re clenching around him only makes him that much more eager to finally be inside you after all this time.

By now, multiple curses and moans of his name have slipped past your lips, whines only serving to becoming louder as he adds a second finger. Each movement he makes is precise, and you can feel the pressure building with each moment that passes by. With each flick of his tongue, you swear it will be the push you need to fall over the edge, but he purposely slows his movements, wanting to keep you on the brink for as long as possible and prolong your pleasure. By the time he adds a third finger, you feel as if you’re just about ready to fall apart.

“That’s it, darling,” he coaxes, moving his fingers along your inner walls in time with each flick of his tongue, the pressure within you about to snap. “Let yourself go.”

His words are all you need to hear in order to feel yourself falling over the edge, your orgasm crashing into you as a scream of his name tears from your throat. A smirk on his lips is the first thing you see once your vision clears, chest heaving with each breath you take as he laps up every last drop of your essence with his tongue.

“Such a good girl for me,” he hums, removing his fingers in order to crawl up your body and place them at your lips. “Suck.”

Immediately, you part your lips, taking his fingers into your mouth and tasting yourself on them. A moan bubbles in your throat as your tongue swirls around his digits, echoed only by his own groan as he sees the blissful expression on your features.

Taking his fingers out of your mouth, he kisses you once more, pulling your body impossibly closer to his own. He needs to feel every inch of you pressed against him, not wanting to leave any part of your body unexplored this evening.

“Jaehyun,” his name falling from your lips is one of the best sounds he’s ever heard in his life, and he could never tire of it. “Please, I need you.”

Those words are all it takes for him to be ripping off his pants and lining himself up with your entrance. He can’t help but tease you a bit, dipping the head of his cock into your folds to collect your wetness before pulling back out again just to hear you whine. You’re so cute when you’re needy for him.

“Don’t worry, baby, I’ll make you feel so good,” his voice is a low drawl that sounds right beside your ear.

Your arms are already wrapped around his torso, nails digging into the skin of his back as you feel the need to bring him closer. The next thing you hear is him let out a small chuckle, feeling him beginning to stretch you out in the next second as he begins to push into you.

Your mouth falls open in a soundless gasp as you feel him stretching you out. His own breath falters as he feels your walls pulsing around him, the soft warmth of your flesh feeling as if it were made for him. Considering the fact that you two fit perfectly together, he swears that’s the case.

He has to remind himself not to move before you’re okay, every instinct in his body screaming at him to ravish you as soon as he’s seated in you fully. However, he’s in no rush tonight, wanting to take his time in order to make the sweetest love to your body. Something only he can do.

As soon as he sees you nod, he’s resting his forehead against yours as he pulls out slightly and gives a shallow thrust to start. His movements are slow, precise, each movement of his hips a sensual grind to make you feel every inch of him buried within you.

“I fucking love you, you know that?” His voice is rough, strained as he attempts to control himself for the time being. This is your first time together, and he wants to make sure it’s special for the both of you, something neither of you will forget. 

You let out a gasp at a particularly sharp thrust, “I love you.”

This is all he could have ever wanted, and more, as he begins to pick up his pace. His lips meet yours once more in a searing kiss, all of his passion, love, lust, and want for you being conveyed wordlessly through every movement he makes.

When his lips aren’t on yours, they’re sucking marks into the skin of your neck, teeth nipping at the skin shortly after. As he increases his pace, his one hand comes up to grab yours, fingers intertwining as the other grips your waist, holding you to him as close as possible. The way your free hand drags down his back, nails biting into his skin lets him know he’s doing all the right things. Your legs wrapping around his waist only serve to pull him that much closer into you, a pleased rumble escaping his chest.

Shifting slightly, he adjusts the angle he’s hitting you at, hearing your sharp intake of breath as he hits a specific spot inside you.

“Fuck, my King, right there,” your voice is desperate as it comes out, eyes closing in bliss as your head is thrown back.

The snarl that tears from his throat is feral, your words snapping any last bits of sanity he had left in his body as his hips snap into yours. 

“That’s it, Darling,” he growls, eyes bleeding red once more as he takes in the beautiful expressions you’re making for him, “let your King take care of his Queen.”

The hitch in your breath at his own words causes a tightening in his abdomen, and he knows he’s getting close. He has to remind himself that you’re still only human as his grip tightens on your hand and waist, not wanting to hurt you, but needing you to feel just how desperate he is for you. Everything about you drives him insane, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t treat you like the Queen you are.

With each thrust, he can feel your walls twitching around him, signalling that you’re getting closer to your second release of the night. Bringing his one hand down from your waist, he uses his thumb to circle your clit, feeling your whole body shudder beneath him as you near the edge.

“Come on, my Queen,” his chest rumbles in content each time he says those words, voice dangerously low. “Come with me. Come for your King.”

The way his thumb flicks at your clit, combined with his words and the angle he’s hitting inside of you is enough to push you over the edge for the second time that night. Seeing you shake beneath him in ecstasy, combined with the sinful way you’re moaning his name has him following shortly after, a loud cry of your own name escaping his lips.

Lazily thrusting into you a few more times as you both come down from your highs, he makes sure you’re okay before pulling out of you. In the blink of an eye, he’s got a damp washcloth ready in his hand, wiping you down gently while whispering soft praises in your ear, telling you how good you are for him, and how much he loves you. You can only smile softly in return, finally able to catch your breath once he returns from disposing of the washcloth.

Crawling into the bed, he tucks you both under the covers, pulling you close into his chest in the next moment. His hand strokes over your back gently as he places a tender kiss to your forehead.

“I love you,” he whispers. “My Queen.”

“And I love you,” you hum. “My King.”

Silence settles over the two of you as you each take comfort in the other’s embrace. Eventually, sleep overtakes you, leaving Jaehyun to watch over your sleeping figure with a smile on his face.

“Always and forever,” he whispers, allowing his eyes to close and his whole body to relax as he succumbs to his own darkness.

Dawn comes and Jaehyun manages to wake before you do, appreciating the way the morning light cascades over your naked form, painting you in golden hues for him to adore. His eyes trail over your back, tracing the curve of your spine as he remembers the events of last night. Licking his lips, he inhales the scents of the morning deeply, positively growling at the way you’re now covered in his scent.

As it should be. As it will always be. From this point onwards, you’re his and he’s yours, and last night serves as a confirmation of that fact. Now, you’ve given yourselves to each other, and all that’s left to do is set the date for the wedding.

A few minutes pass by with Jaehyun simply admiring you. Very lightly he traces his hand over your back, loving the way you shiver underneath his fingertips, for it only makes him recall how you were trembling beneath him in bliss merely hours before. He could stay like this with you forever, but unfortunately, he needs to attend to some final arrangements for the royal announcement of your wedding ceremony.

Letting out a small sigh, disappointed he has to leave you for the time being, he slides out of bed. The glint of the ring on your left hand in the morning light catches his gaze, only causing a small smile to form at his lips. Last night could not have been more perfect.

Moving as silently as he can so as not to disturb you, he exits your room.

It takes him longer than he would have liked to get ready that morning, his movements feeling a bit sluggish the more he has to move around. It’s almost as if his senses have dulled slightly for the time being, for his hearing isn’t as sharp as it usually is, nor his sense of smell. Perhaps these are simply side effects of his mood, for he knows when he’s overcome with emotions he can never think straight, let alone react in an orderly manner.

Making his way through the castle, he finally enters the throne room, having requested to meet Minho there to discuss everything that still needs to be done for the upcoming ceremonies. However, what he isn’t expecting to see is another person standing with their arms crossed in front of their chest beside a very nervous looking Minho.

“What is the meaning of this?” Jaehyun’s voice practically booms across the room, demanding their attention.

“Your Highness, I’ve been attempting to escort Miss Lori out of the castle and back to her home, but she simply will not go until she speaks with her older sister,” Minho explains, words coming out rushed as he looks towards Jaehyun frantically.

“Is there anything I can help you with? Your sister is currently still resting in her chambers,” Jaehyun continues to play the nice card. He’s gotten this far despite not needing anyone’s approval, but that still doesn’t mean he won’t try for you.

“Cut the bullshit, you’re not fooling me,” Lori narrows her eyes at him, only causing Jaehyun to raise his brows amusedly.

“Is there a reason that you’ve come to talk with your sister then?” Jaehyun asks, already bored with this conversation, yet still feigning interest and concern. Again, he’d do anything for you, even if it means something as trivial as this.

“I’ve come to collect my sister and take her back home,” Lori answers. “Away from you.”

Jaehyun’s expression falls, immediately darkening at the threat apparent in her voice, “I don’t think you understand the situation you’re in here.”

“No, I don’t think you understand your situation,” Lori counters, causing Minho to send her a look filled with nothing but distress. “I’ve seen through your little ‘nice guy’ act long ago thanks to your mother, and I’ve finally come to save my sister from whatever you plan to do to her. She’ll listen to me this time, she always has. I’m taking my sister back home with me, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

The confidence in which she says those words irritate Jaehyun to no end. Though, he supposes he finds this situation rather ironic, causing him to let out a few laughs in disbelief. How dare Lori threaten him of all people. Like she could ever do anything to tear the two of you apart now, considering what occurred last night. After all, the two of you are to be bonded for life.

“You came all this way to threaten me? Me, of all people?” He chuckles maliciously, shaking his head in disbelief. “You think I’m just going to let you waltz in here and steal what rightfully belongs to me? That I’d even let you near what’s mine?”

“Your threats don’t scare me, I know you won’t do anything to me,” Lori raises her chin in the air in defiance, a smug look resting on her face. Clearly the letters his mother had sent her are still giving her a false confidence on this matter.

In a flash, he’s in front of her, holding her in the air by her neck. The hold his hand has around her throat is firm enough for it to be a threat, but not hard enough to completely block her airway just yet. “You underestimate the lengths I am willing to go to keep what is mine. I’ve spent too long planning everything out and making sure things run smoothly in order for things to get where they are now. I’m not giving my love up so easily.”

“Then, obviously you wouldn’t harm her own sister!” She manages to choke out, gaze darting off to his right as if something, or someone has caught her eye. His grip only serves to tighten ever so slightly as his eyes flash red.

“Wouldn’t I?” He hums, tilting his head in false sympathy. “I mean, considering I disposed of my own mother who got in the way, what’s a measly little human girl compared to that?”

Minho can do nothing but watch as this event unfolds before his very eyes, taking a few steps back in order to give the Prince space to do what he has to. His own heart is pounding in his chest out of fear, so he can only imagine how Lori feels in this very moment.

“It’d be so easy for me to cover up your death, so don’t flatter yourself,” Jaehyun seethes, eyes crazed as he stares into hers. “I’ve done everything I can to rid myself of nuisances in my way. So, what’s one more?”

Shifting his predatory gaze, he locks eyes with Minho, waiting for the advisor to speak and confirm his words.

“Yes, Your highness, you’re correct,” Minho swallows nervously, he’s never seen Jaehyun like this before. The intense insanity in his eyes nearly has Minho stumbling over his own feet despite standing perfectly still. He knows something must have happened last night after the engagement party, otherwise there’s no way he would be looking like that right now.

“You’re nothing,” he hisses. “A measly little human whose life will end at the flick of my wrist, worth no more that the servants I’ve killed beneath my feet. Poor Greta, only wanted to warn the love of my life about me, and look what that got her,” he feigns a pout, “only her throat ripped out.”

Lori gasps, remembering how you mentioned to her that one of the servants you met on one of your first days here seemed to have suddenly disappeared, never to be seen again.

“Not to mention the countless other lives I’ve taken for even looking at my love the wrong way. Or maybe, perhaps I should say poor Ben, who only got his skull run through for providing the wrong information about my love’s favourite foods,” Jaehyun tuts, shaking his head. “Bastard could have ruined everything. Just as you are trying to do.”

Lori can feel the breath being squeezed out of her lungs as Jaehyun slowly crushes her airway. She attempts to claw at the hands around her neck to no avail, legs kicking out uselessly beneath her. 

“Don’t you ever think for one second I’d let you take away what I’ve worked so hard to achieve,” he spits, venom dripping from every syllable as he crushes her throat, bringing his other hand up and tearing her head off in the next moment in his anger. “Worthless scum.”

Lori’s head hits the floor with a loud thump, her blood pooling around her now discarded body as lifeless eyes stare up at Jaehyun in fear. He shakes his head in disgust, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe off the blood that had managed to get on his hands. 

“Clean this up,” he orders, turning to Minho to see him nod once in understanding.

Closing his eyes, he shakes his head. So much for his pleasant morning. 

Turning around, Jaehyun sighs, eyes still closed. His face is still contorted into an expression of annoyance, brow furrowed as he takes a deep breath. He can feel his whole body tense as he recognizes a familiar faint scent in the air.

Slowly, he opens his eyes, realizing in horror that you stand in the open doorway of the throne room. Your hands are both raised over your mouth, as if to cover a silent scream as tears stream down your face. He can feel his dead heart falter in his chest as he watches you. The fear you look at him with is something he never ever wanted to see from you, especially directed towards himself.

A few moments pass by with the two of you just silently observing the other. Jaehyun hates how it’s only now that he can seemingly hear the loudness of your racing heart, your scent becoming stronger the more time you spend staring at one another. All that he had worked so hard to create, everything he’s done to impress you, to woo you and make you fall in love with him, is now ruined. It’s only all confirmed when he sees you turn and attempt to run away from him.

In an instant, he’s run to you, caging you in his arms and holding you tightly. Your screams and protests are falling on deaf ears as he holds you to his chest. His attempts to quietly shush you and calm you down are not working, with you only seeming to struggle harder against him, spouting insults and curses at him. 

“Sweetheart, please,” he sighs, “I need you to calm down.”

“Calm down?” You’re hysterical at this point. “Calm down? You just murdered my little sister in front of my very eyes and you have the audacity to tell me to calm down?”

“I did it for us,” he replies calmly, voice sounding completely opposite to how he really feels inside at the moment. “She would have only gotten in the way.”

He’s not entirely sure how you managed to sneak up on him, but he assumes that he didn’t hear you due to his dull senses this morning. The fact that you’re covered in his scent is probably why he didn’t smell you right away, too. Either way, he’ll do his best to steer the conversation in a direction which suits him, considering he doesn’t exactly know how long you had been standing there for. However, your next words only serve to confirm just how long you had.

“And I suppose your mother, Greta, Ben, and who knows who else were all collateral, too?” You retort, anger and disgust shining in your eyes which only causes his grip to tighten ever so slightly around you.

“Yes,” he answers, but he isn’t stupid enough to believe you’ll willingly accept his reasonings. “They were. I don’t expect you to understand why I’ve done what I have yet, but if you think I’m ever going to let you go, you’re mistaken. And before you say you hate me, I just want you to think back on everything I’ve ever done for you since you’ve been here. I want you to remember all the moments we’ve shared together, especially the good ones. Especially last night,” a shiver runs down your spine as he whispers those words lowly in your ear before trailing his lips down your neck, pressing them against the same spot he did the previous evening. Your struggling lessens as he continues, “I’d never do anything to harm you, I think my actions towards you have shown that. I never wanted you to be scared of me. Why do you think I never showed you this side of me yet?”

“You really are a devil,” you spit, finally giving up your attempts to escape his hold for you know that it’s futile at this point. You’ve long been trapped in his clutches, you just only wish you’d realized it sooner.

“A devil who loves you,” he hums, nuzzling his face deeper into your neck and breathing in your combined scents. A shiver goes down his spine. At least now he doesn’t have to worry about hiding this side of himself from you any longer. Plus, you now know what he’s capable of; what he’s willing to do for you. What he’s always been willing to do for you. “I always get what I want, so don’t even think about leaving me. You sealed your fate the moment you agreed to become mine.”

“I hate you,”

He simply chuckles, “that’s not what you were saying last night.”

“Yeah, well, things change,” you reply, refusing to so much as look in his direction as he holds you from behind.

“That they do,” he hums once more, clearly amused by your stubbornness. In the next moment, his eyes are going dark, expression deadly serious as he turns you around to stare deeply into your eyes. A shiver goes down your spine. “One thing that hasn’t changed though, is the fact that whether you like it or not, you can never escape me. I love you, and I will always love you, so you better get used to that. After all, a King should never be without his Queen.”

#yandere nct #yandere jaehyun #yandere kpop #yandere au #yandere #yandere nct 127 #yandere nct u #nct scenario #nct 127 scenario #nct x reader #nct u scenario #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun x reader #vampire au #prince au #kpop scenario #kpop #Kpop au #kpop scenarios #jaehyun smut #jaehyun angst

[raewritez]

take care of you

summary: Your worry about the future and are used to taking care of your friends. Luckily, Zuko is there to take care of you.

a/n: i don’t realllyyy ship Zutara but one of the aspects i love about their relationship is that Zuko is virtually the only person that Katara doesn’t have to act as a mother to, so I was largely inspired by that dynamic.

requested?: nope!

—————

Your fingers ran shakily through your hair, air escaping your lips in uneven breaths. You shut the heavy door behind you, coming to sit upon the air temple’s sturdy bed that rested in the center of your given bedroom. You had been fine until a few minutes ago, you had been enjoying the crispness of the air and warmth of the sun until the words of quiet voices had floated to your ears. Whispers of Aang and his destiny, of death and murder and war. The other people, they expected Aang to be able to kill the Firelord just like that, to abandon his childhood and sense of self in a split moment of violence. You knew he couldn’t do that, you loved him like a brother and if there was one thing you knew for sure it was that Aang’s heart of gold was impenetrable. You had glanced down to wear he stood with Zuko, arms raised in an aggressive stance, the fire that spouted from his palms betraying his lighthearted nature. The image had left you breathless, your protective side alighted against the cruel expectations of this twelve-year-old boy, of your dear friend.

You were upset, and you knew there was nothing you could do about it. Killing the Firelord was Aang’s destiny, and it couldn’t be altered by simple adoration or protectiveness. It shouldn’t be Aang, the weight of the world shouldn’t fall on the back of this war-born child, but it was. Your head rested in your hands, mind swimming with attempts to ward off images of death and fire and the ideas of fate and destiny. You felt silly being so affected by the muttered words of children while your friends were out there training and fighting their own battles. You were disrupted from your emotional state by the creaking of a door and the appearance of a shaggy head of black hair.

You lifted your head, plastering on a smile. “Hey, Zuko. What’s up?”

He stepped in quietly, closing the door behind him. “Hey, Y/n, I just...” his eyes darted between the walls, his hand raising to rake through his hair. “Well, I saw you leaving, and you seemed upset. So I thought I would just...come check on you.”

A genuine grin made its way to your face, worries muted and heart softened at the boy’s thoughtfulness. “Thanks, Zuko. That’s nice of you. You don’t need to worry about me, though, I just...got a little upset is all.”

His amber eyes flashed with concern, and you questioned why he cared so much for how you were feeling. You certainly cared about him, caring about people was basically your job after all, acting as the protector of the group and the only one that Katara would allow to take care of her. You cared for him, truthfully maybe more than you should, but you weren’t aware of the extent of his care for you. 

His feet brought him closer, seating himself before you at the edge of the bed. “Why are you upset?” he questioned, sincerity pouring from his voice. “Did someone do something? Or did something happen? If it did, I can-”

“Nothing happened, Zuko,” you cut him off, lifting your fingers to shyly play with the strands of your hair. “Nothing happened, really, it’s just...” he gazed at you with imploring eyes. You sighed. “It’s just that I’m upset about everything going on, all the stuff with Aang and what he has to do, and it’s stupid. I shouldn’t be upset, I mean, I’m obviously used to everything by now, but...I’m just worried about him.”

He searched his mind, he was never good at comforting people. You were always good at that, always listening to him and reassuring him in ways no-one had ever managed to. He wanted to repay the favor, to make you happy like you made him, but he didn’t possess the talent of assurance and comfort. Instead, with a certain boldness to his movement, he grasped your hand from its place in your hair with his own. 

“He’ll be okay, Y/n. He's a talented kid,” his thumb stoked your knuckles. “The comet is weeks away and he’ll be ready. He’ll be ready.”

Your eyes were glued to the spot his hand met yours, unable to focus on anything but the heat emanating from his palm. You nodded softly with appreciation, lifting your fingers to reciprocate his caring touch. Your lips parted and you found it difficult to breathe, your stomach and lungs occupied by swarms of butterflies. Your eyes met his, and you found yourself captivated by the intensity in his stare.

You stayed locked in that position, his eyes glued to yours and your hands interlocked. He lifted your arm, playing with your fingers and pressing a kiss to the inside of your wrist. “You worry too much.”

You ignored the blush rising to your cheeks. “I think I worry just the right amount. Someone has to.”

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t have to. Someone needs to take care of you every once in a while.” 

“Oh yeah?” you questioned breathlessly. “Like who?”

His eyes met yours and you could’ve sworn you saw him lean forward before the silence was broken by knocking against your door.

“Y/n! Sokka screwed up dinner and we need your help before Katara kills us.”

You recognized Toph’s voice and pulled out of Zuko’s grasp.

“Sounds serious,” you chuckled. “I’ll be right there.”

“Mkay!”

You sighed softly, averting your gaze from Zuko’s as awkward silence filled the atmosphere. “I should probably go help them.”

He nodded, masking his slight disappointment as he rose to allow you an exit. Your shoulder brushed his as you passed, and the two of you ignored the electricity as you emerged from the confines of the small room.

///

“Appa, yip yip!”

The smell of charred wood filled the air, fire flinging past your face as the soldiers advanced. Aang was lifting off, fleeing the onslaught of flames as you crumbled the earth surrounding the men to allow them an escape.

He glanced back, alarm filling his face at the sight of you. “Y/n, come on!” he yelled, looking at you with worry.

You grunted as you threw rock after rock at your persecutors. “It’s ok, Aang, just go! I’ll be fine!”

“What?! No! Y/n, just-” he cut himself off as a figure dressed in red jumped from Appa, landing on the edge of the cliffside.

“Get out of here, Aang,” Zuko spoke. “I’ll take care of her.”

Aang glanced back in worry before yanking Appa’s reigns and flying off the other way.

Zuko turned, running towards you as you fended off the soldiers with concaving ground and heavy boulders. He intercepted the fire of the remaining men, channeling it and striking towards them. As they stumbled back from the impact Zuko grabbed your arm and sped into the refuge of the forest, shielding your body from possible incoming attacks.

He pulled you along through the winding trees, twigs snapping under your feet as you did your best to catch your breath. When he slowed down you lifted your eyes to find the entrance of a small cave nestled between the rocks. 

“Guess this is home for the night.” Zuko tilted his head to glance at you, taking note of your furrowed brows and flushed face. “You ok?”

You quickly nodded your head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for coming back.”

“I wouldn’t leave you behind,” he smiled.

You looked at him gratefully before raising your arms to maneuver the stone around the entrance of the cave. Once the hole was deemed large enough the two of you crawled inside, Zuko’s hands protectively supporting your waist as go ensure you wouldn’t fall.

The inside was dreary, uneven walls forming to shelter the small patch of ground while the light of the sun was blocked out as you ventured further. Your feet ached, legs bruised and hair messed from the abrupt attacks. Zuko kept sneaking glances, worried by the tiredness of your movement and the absence of your usual optimism and cheerfulness. You made your way over to the edge of the cave, sitting down and resting your back against the sturdy wall. Zuko crept over beside you, lowering himself close to your body and staring warily at the cave’s entrance. 

You picked at your nails. “Do you think they’ll be ok?”

He snapped towards you in disbelief. You were seriously worried about that right now? “They’ll be fine, Y/n. They’re long gone by now and Aang will be back for us in the morning.”

You agreed hesitantly before leaning your head against the wall. You peered through the hole of the cave, catching sight of the sky beginning to fade to reds and purples. “Maybe we should get some sleep. If the soldiers come back we’ll need our energy.”

Zuko nodded, moving to lie down while putting a respectable amount of space between the two of you. You drifted off to the sound of Zuko’s even breathing and the warmth that was carried from his body to yours.

///

You jolted awake to wind swirling inside the cave, the coldness piercing your skin like a knife. Your lips were tinted blue, the tips of your fingers aching and nose freezing to the touch. You pushed yourself off the hard ground, lifting your knees to your chest and curling in on yourself. Zuko was beside you, sleeping peacefully, seemingly unbothered by the chilliness of the night.

You stood up, walking around in attempt to warm yourself up and find a more sheltered part of the tiny cave. Zuko woke up to your shuffling, bleary eyes latching onto your shivering figure.

“Y/n?” he questioned in a raspy voice. “What's going on?”

“Oh, sorry Zuko,” you said sheepishly. “It’s just a little chilly.”

He assumed a pensive demeanor, eyes shifting mindfully before speaking.

“Come here.”

“What?”

“You’re cold and I can warm you up. Come here.”

You made your way awkwardly over to him, trying to ignore the blush that rose to your face at his implication.

You sat down next to him, sitting in silence before his arm hesitantly wrapped around your shoulders, bringing you closer. You sighed, he did feel warm. You subconsciously nuzzled closer to the sanctuary of your friend’s embrace until minutes later you were practically on top of him. You rested comfortably against his torso, his lean arms cradling you to his chest.

He breathed into your hair, careful not to accidentally light it on fire with his nervousness. He closed his eyes, relishing in your presence.

“Thanks, Zuko,” you whispered.

He smiled. “No problem.”

You raised your head to look at him, unsaid words lingering on your tongue. He stared at you questioningly as you searched for your voice, becoming distracted by the way your eyelashes danced across your cheeks and your lip was pulled between your teeth. 

“What is it?”

You swallowed. “It’s nothing...never mind.”

He raised an eyebrow, slowly linking his fingers with yours. “You can tell me, if you want to.”

“I know I can, but it’s silly. I’m just thinking too much.”

He lifted your hand, fingers tracing over the scars and lines, thumb stroking fondly against your skin. “If it’s about the group, they’re fine. They know what they're doing, and they can take care of themselves.”

You chuckled. “Most of them. I don’t know about Sokka though. He needed help rolling up his sleeping bag this morning.”

Zuko laughed lightly, reaching to brush away the hair that had fallen into your face. “Yeah, maybe not Sokka. But Katara’ll keep him in line. You can take a break from taking care of them...” he trailed off, amber eyes moving to yours. “Just let me take care of you for now.”

You felt your heartbeat quicken at his gaze, skin set alight by the way his fingers traced over it. He held nothing but sincerity and tenderness in his voice, and his eyes conveyed a deep fondness. You couldn’t help it when your eyes trailed to the curve of his nose, the splashes of freckles, and down to his lips. He raised your hand, pressing a kiss to the inside of your wrist. In a burst of courage you moved your palm to cup his cheek, fingertips ghosting against the rugged edge of his scar. 

His own eyes felt heavy, pulled down by some magnetic force that drew him closer to you. At your caring touch, he moved his hand to the back of your neck and tilted your chin towards his. His lips met yours, eyelids slipping closed as you moved your own against his. He pulled you impossibly closer, handling you with such gentleness and affection that you wondered if you would implode. You ran your fingers through his hair, the soft stands filtering through them like water. He grasped your hips, lifting his mouth to meet yours in a seemingly never-ending heavenly embrace. You broke apart with a smile, the long-overdue kiss lightening your heart and sending butterflies through your stomach.

He grinned against you, stroking his thumb against your cheek before pulling your head to nestle in the crook of his neck. He breathed into your hair, pressing  his lips against the crown of your head. He nuzzled into you, his hair tickling your face as you felt yourself surrounded by him. You felt reassured, your friends would be fine and you felt relieved by the fact that you didn’t really need to worry about Zuko. He would take care of you, after all.

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