#andteam fanfic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

Hackers stole 65M passwords from Tumblr in 2013.

bambisnc · 1 month

Text

sunny [ft. w.yx]

pairing : bsf classmate!nicholas x reader genre : fluff :( cw/tw : kissing + a littol suggestive wc : 0.7kish !

drowning under the weight of unsaid words and hidden feelings was something you'd made your peace with.

falling for your best friend, nicholas, who just so happened to be a classmate was not the best decision ever; but you have been dealing with it rather decently all these years.

so maybe it'll all work out just fine.

is what you thought, mere minutes ago.

everything was normal then, both of you were trying not to fall asleep in a particularly boring class. the harsh yet very welcome RING! of the school bell jolted you awake; and of course you wasted zero time in grabbing your bag and making your way out of the classroom.

but when has nicho ever let you leave just like that?

a "where'd you think you're goin'" and a sharp tug to the strap of your bag as you're pulled back by none either than your best friend.

he reminds you that you have cleaning duty that day with a much too gleeful expression..

..and that's how you find yourself leaning against a desk, zoning out to thoughts of him and how the afternoon sunlight streams in through the windows perfectly lighting his features aglow..

the loosened tie, the rolled up sleeves, the small smile playing on his lips as he says something.. wait he's talking to you.

"you're not exactly subtle you know?"

you find yourself unable to think of an appropriate reply, instead choosing to hide behind a simple roll of your eyes.

he lets out a laugh at that, making his way towards you, "i didn't expect you to be so careless.."

at that, you can't help but gulp because yeah it's not like you're not physically affectionate towards each other but something about this moment is.. decidedly not platonic.

nicho's hands rest on the edges of the desk, his face just a little too close for comfort. he's effectively trapping you against it; seemingly completely unaware of the effect this is having on you.

when he speaks up next, voice barely more than a whisper, you feel his lips hover just above yours, "or is it that.. you're just too distracted by someone..?"

something shifts right then. a certain obvious tension shrouds you and it's as if the two of you are the only people in the entire universe.

your hand reaches to tug on his collar, tentatively, with a considerable amount of hesitance; but the way his eyes meet yours - you swear you can see the sun, the moon, all the galaxies in those eyes - leaves you reeling.

you're not sure which of you closes the distance between your lips but you can't really bring yourself to care at all.

not when nicho's lips press against yours impatiently, eagerly. like he's been waiting for this. yearning for this, just as much as you.

especially not when your stomach is busily turning upside down like its life depends on it; all the while your best friend allows one of his hands to tangle into your hair, effectively deepening the kiss.

you'd do this forever if you could, but the unfortunate need for air causes you to push him away.

and oh the way his face looks the absolute picture of debauchery, of indulgence; what with his heavily lidded eyes, flushed face, and delicately swollen lips.

he looks like the prettiest mess ever.

you find yourself unable to deal with all the thoughts that suddenly flood your brain. this is what you've been dreaming of for ages. but nicho is your best friend. best friends do not do this.

his hand moves to gently cup the back of your neck, then; bringing you forward to capture your lips in another kiss, this one vastly differing from the previous.

tender, languid movements as if you have all the time in the world. his soft skin is hot to the touch but if it's him you wouldn't even mind burning.

you feel all your doubts slowly die down, a lingering warmth spreading in their place as you find his other hand on the desk and intertwine both your fingers.

notes : @chiiyuuvv love youuu + ACCIDENTALLY ALMOST DELETED THIS ADN FR CRIED FOR LIKE 30 SECONDS + i lowk thought of sunwoo while writing but shhh + water related metaphors for reader n sun/fire related metaphors for nicho = symbolism loml ! + shoutout to this post and this post couldnt have done this without em + [m.list] song rec : sunny by rocco <3

169 notes · View notes

chiiyuuvv · 1 month

Text

fuma as a crush and bf ₊˚ෆ

crush/bf!fuma x fem!reader 0.7k words requested!

▸ 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺?

When fuma has a crush on you, he’d..

(♡•♡) give you small smiles whenever you enter the room, whenever you open your mouth to speak, whenever you make eye contact.. It’s just his way of saying hello without sounding like an idiot.

(♡•♡) stutter whenever you talk to him. It’s part of the reason why he likes to stick to small smiles. Not because he hates your presence, he just hates the fact that he stutters so much around you, his cheeks burning red as he bats his eyes to the floor, finding his shoes extra shiny

(♡•♡) be protective over you. He likes to call himself subtle, but anyone walking by can see the glares he gives to men when they try to even take a glance at you. You don’t know it yet, but you’re his girl, so no one is going to be looking at you in any type of way >:(

(♡•♡) follow you like a lost puppy. Or should I say, “she said she likes this, so I’m going to do the same thing” knowing good and well he despises whatever action you’re doing. If you decide to put bows in his hair, he’d be cringing on the inside, but hey, at least you’re happy 🤷‍♀️

(♡•♡) confess when you’re trapped inside a run down elevator. Usually fuma would like to keep his feelings to himself, but he hates when he begins to second guess the situation, thinking about all the possible ways something could go wrong. It limits him from being happy, and he hates feeling trapped inside a box. So as you’re sitting there in silence, he’d randomly blurt out the feelings he’s been holding back, finally able to get them off his chest. He doesn’t expect you to like him back, so to say he was a little shocked when you got up and kissed him was an understatement.

When you’re dating fuma, he’d..

♥‿♥ want to go grocery shopping together! He’d insist on carrying all the baskets and paying for all your purchases, your only job is to point at the things you want so he can get them for you. Likes to socialize when waiting in the checkout line, his arm wrapped around your waist while he pushes your head to his shoulder; he’s not exactly a pda type of guy, but he does crave your warmth from time to time :3

♥‿♥ put his hand on your thigh whenever you’re in a dinner setting. This isn’t to rile you up in any type of way, just like a comforting reminder, chanting the words, “I’m here,” if you somehow manage to forget. He’d also feed you snacks if you’re out on a picnic or something. It honestly reminds me of High School Musical, the scene where Troy and Gabriella are trying to throw grapes into each other's mouths. It’s romantic yet silly, something fuma cherishes.

♥‿♥ want you to go to the gym with him. You don’t even have to work out, he just likes it when you’re watching him do his form. He feels powerful almost, knowing he’s the reason why you drool, which keeps him motivated to do better 😋

♥‿♥ be your #1 supporter. Like I said before, fuma doesn’t like being trapped inside a box, so he’d encourage himself to step out of his shell and face his fears, the same goes for you. He understands why you’re scared, but he wants you to understand that he will be with you every step of the way. When you finally face your fear, fuma would be so proud of you, spending the rest of the day (or week (or month)) spoiling you, celebrating your victory. And if you didn’t, fuma would console you, because at least you tried your hardest, you know?

♥‿♥ nag at you. Fuma is not only your boyfriend.. He’s your mother atp. Nags at you for going outside without a jacket. Nags at you for staying inside and playing pokemon all day. Nags at you for refusing to eat your vegetables – he’d give you one stern look, and right then and there did you know that you messed up. He doesn’t want to seem mean, but he wants you to take care of your health is all :((

︴bonus! @kehnarii, i told you were thoughts were in good hands!!

▸ taglist 🎧 @starryriize , @cherrycolaberry , @kehnarii , @wtfisgoingright

🎬 navi

@chiiyuuvv on tumblr . do not steal works/headers/line dividers

121 notes · View notes

pieroulette · 8 months

Text

恋に悩む : CLASSIC L♡VESICK

2023 | 18+ | SERIES | KOGA YUDAI × READER

❝an emotion that not only consumes but devours the host's soul; altering the walls of their once pure mindscape into a never-ending crimson etched of one name. all five senses malfunctioning, the heart a total rotten of chaos, and the tongue that laps it's lower lip—only desiring yours. ah, what was it called again?❞

genre/warning: yandere content (you know what you're signing up for), eventual smut (noncon), graphic violence, 90s japan setting, high school au. slow burn romance.

author's note: episode titles are subjected to change/or added if i have a change of mind. i update whatever and whenever i please :)

teaser 1.

episode 1. just a side character in someone's story.

episode 2. -

episode 3. -

episode 4. -

episode 5. -

episode 6. -

#&team #andteam #koga yudai #andteam k #&team k #yandere &team #&team smut #andteam smut #k smut #andteam fanfic #&team ff #&team fluff #&team oneshots #&team x reader #&team imagines #andteam x reader

165 notes · View notes

slytherinshua · 6 months

Text

YOUNG LOVE

genre. fluff. warnings. kissing. a little flirting. food mention (ice cream). pairing. harua x reader. wc. 882. a/n. from this request for lovely @haecien to feed the ever-growing &teamie delusions.

“Really? You got vanilla?” You asked, raising an eyebrow as your boyfriend walked back with two cones in his hand. Chocolate for you and vanilla for him.

“Come on, it’s not that different than chocolate! You got a basic flavour too!” Harua complained, handing you your cone.

You licked it, smiling at the rich flavour of the dutch chocolate, “At least chocolate is more interesting than vanilla.”

Harua frowned, “Stop the vanilla hate.”

You laughed, “Okay, okay. I’ll forgive my basic boyfriend ‘cause I love him.”

Harua’s cheeks flushed at the comment even though he wanted to argue that he is far from basic. It’s the exact reaction you expected from him and it makes you smile. His cheeks always flush when you tell him you love him. You almost wonder if there’ll be a day when he can still act cool and collected when you say those 3 simple words, but you know it’ll never be any time soon. It’s been months since you first said it to him and he still gets flustered every time.

You’re sure it must be some magic charm that Harua has, because even after years of having a crush on him, and over a year of dating, it feels like you’ve only just fallen for him. You still feel butterflies in your stomach and your heart racing like crazy when he does something. And you still have the same effect on him that you always have. Loving Harua feels like it’ll never get old, like the feeling of young love will last forever.

“What are you thinking about?” Harua asks, breaking you from your trance of licking your ice cream and admiring him as if he was hypnotising you (which he kinda was).

You blinked a couple times to reset before your lips curved up into a big smile, “Well… Now I’m thinking about the ice cream on your lips.” You said smoothly. Harua barely had time to furrow his brows in confusion before he felt your lips on his, softly kissing him, using the little bit of melted vanilla ice cream as an excuse.

“W-what was that for?” He inquired, his own lips tingling from your kiss and lifting a little into a soft smile. He liked your kisses.

“I told you. There was ice cream there.” You repeated.

“If you wanted some of mine, you could’ve just asked.” He informed you sweetly. “I thought you didn’t like vanilla, though…” He added in a mumble as an afterthought.

“It tasted better cause it was on your lips.” You said boldly.

Harua took a breath, “Okay, now you’re trying to flirt with me.”

You giggled, “Is it working?”

“I don’t know. I think I’m in love with you regardless.”

“Cheesy…” You mumbled, cheeks flaring. You hated how he could make you blush so easily from just a single sentence.

“You did it first!” He defended with a laugh, sending both of you into a fit of giggles.

To onlookers, you and Harua were the type of couple that people awed at. You often got compliments that you were lucky to have each other, and you agreed wholeheartedly. You were lucky to have each other. Spending moments with someone you felt so right with was probably the best feeling in the entire world. And the moment Harua came into your life was the start of your happiest memories.

“Ready to go?” You asked happily after finishing the ice cream. You held out your hand for Harua, and he nods before lacing his fingers with yours and giving you a gentle squeeze.

“Where to next?” You questioned, swinging your arm back and forth with Harua’s as you walked down the street away from the ice cream shop.

Harua hummed and then shrugged. You took it that he didn’t really care where you ended up going next, as long as he was with you then he’d be up for anything. So, you just kept walking down the street until Harua stopped abruptly.

“Huh?”

“Kitten.” Harua whispered, eyes wide and staring at the sidewalk in front of him. You halted as well and looked down, eventually spotting the little black and white kitten who was sitting a couple feet away from you.

“He’s got little mittens.” You cooed at the black spots of fur around the paws. Harua walked a bit closer and crouched down a little closer to the kitten. They both peered curiously at the other and you practically felt your heart burst at the sight.

Harua held out his hand patiently and within a few seconds, the kitten was rubbing up against it and purring softly. Harua pouted and looked back at you with shiny eyes.

You laughed, “Are you gonna cry?” He shook his head and sniffed away the tears that were starting to build up. “He’s cuter than you and that’s saying a lot.” You commented, watching your boyfriend pet the cat contentedly.

The moment only lasted another minute before the kitten ran off and Harua stood back up.

“We should do this more often.” Harua said, grabbing your hand again.

“Do what?”

“Be spontaneous. It’s nice to not have a plan… or a destination. I like just being with you, you know?” Harua remarked with a smile.

You hummed in agreement, “It’s nice.”

↳ &team taglist: @yeonjuns-redhair,, @kpoprhia,, @weird-bookworm,, @edensgardenn,, @cyberpunksunwoo

64 notes · View notes

seungkwanslowqualityenglish · 4 months

Text

Fox's Fate

✿ Synopsis: Befriending a small fox leads to a life changing turn of events, not only for you, but also for him. The fox being a kitsune, and he becomes just as attached to you, as you are to him. Not everything is what it seems, but does it really matter, after all you are happier now than you were before.

�� Who: Takayama Riki / Taki (&Team) & Gender Neutral Reader ✿ Word Count: 8408 Words ✿ Genre: Angst/Fluff ✿ Warnings: Explicit language, arson, amnesia, murder, car accident, and identity theft. ✿ Request: No ✿ Enjoy.

Feet hit the harsh rocks, he ran through the darkened alleyway, the yelling fading behind him, the footsteps that followed him eventually stopping. The shop owner had not taken well to the orange and white creature rifling through his trash cans, he was only on the search for food. Usually the large fluffy tail of his was enough to distract people, they would become enamored by the fluffy thing, letting the fox get away with whatever it was he wanted to do. This person however was not having that, yelling and screaming at the small fox, running him off with anger, repeatedly crying out that he will not have vermin in his dumpster. Deciding it was enough of the city for today, he found himself nearing the outskirts of town. No longer were there businesses lining the streets, instead it was houses, family houses at that. Finding himself in the garden of a house, he had no idea eyes were on him, they were observing the small hungry fox. Within the house was a person quickly searching what do foxes eat on their phone, before starting to pile up some food on the plate, for the poor animal. Moments later the person comes out of their house, offering a small white porcelain plate abound with leftover freshly cooked meats and a variety of fresh sweet berries. Unaccustomed to the kindness of others, the fox kept his distance, only going over to the plate once the human was back within their house. The person watching through the window as the small orange and white creature devoured the food, it was much hungrier than one would have thought. The food was gone in a matter of minutes, the fox finding its way back into the garden, falling asleep amongst the flowers.

As the morning came, the fox was surprised to see another plate sat out, more meat and berries. This became a common routine for the homeowner and the fox. It took a month before he felt comfortable entering the person’s home. They had shown him nothing but kindness, and he felt grateful for that. Eating freshly cooked meats they gave him, while they were eating their own dinner, and feasting upon bowls of freshly picked berries, became a daily routine. It was odd to the homeowner, the fox was basically like a pet to them at this point. It would join them for breakfast and dinner, curling up in their lap as they watched the television after dinner, and would allow them to pet it like a dog or cat would. The fox had grown close to the homeowner, enjoying his position as a pet for them, since it kept him warm, full, and loved. No longer was he roughing it on the streets begging for a meal, he had someone that was keeping him fed and clean.

Riki had gotten accustomed to this, he had been a fox for so many years he had lost count. He once was counting down the days until he would reach 100, being able to shift into a human form, being able to fully enjoy the human parts of life. But, years ago that countdown stopped, he shifted from loving life and wanting to be a human, to just struggling to get by. At one point he was no longer seen as a joy and blessing in his community, instead being seen as a problem, a vermin, something to get rid of. That was until he found them, they cared for him in a way he had missed for years. Seeing him as another being, not just a problem rifling through their trash cans. He enjoyed laying in their arms, the food they would give him, and despite how embarrassing it was, he did not mind them when they would groom him, commenting how much better he smelled after using the various products on him. He had not only grown to like this treatment, but found himself liking them as well.

Despite how hard he tried to behave, he had a habit of stealing little things from the neighbors and bringing them to your house, like a thank you. He knew enough about humans to know you would not like for him to bring you a dead bird or rat, like a cat would; but he saw no problem in stealing flowers from the neighbors garden, or maybe a discarded necklace he found in the park. These little things became a normal thing, the small gifts from the little fox were the highlights of your day most of the time. Little things like shiny rocks and flowers became normal things for you to see in the small fox’s mouth. You were thankful that he felt thankful for how you treated him, but even without these small gifts, you would have still fed and cared for the sweet little fox. He was so domesticated, you felt that he was a pet someone had abandoned.

This continued for some time, until one day Riki felt some odd feeling, while on his usual walk through the forest to your home, he felt this unimaginable pain. Only then did it hit him what it was, he had aged for a hundred years, he was able to shift into a human form finally, something he once counted down the days for felt like an inconvenience how, since how were you to love him outside of his fox form. Many kitsune would love to have this chance, however, Riki just ignored it, instead deciding to stay in his fox form for now, since the only person he knew enough about to shift into would be you. Continuing his regular routine, being nothing more than a little pet to you.

This was until one day when he came back home from a walk, seeing an unfamiliar car parked in the driveway, an unfamiliar scent was picked up easily. That was the first day in months that you did not come when he scratched at the door, there was no food outside for him, nor had you left the window open for him. Jumping up onto the windowsill, he gazed into the living room, seeing another figure other than just yourself. He growled slightly as he realized the other scent was another man, he could not hear what was being said, but he hated the look of joy upon your face as the other man held you in his arms. The anger was interrupted as the window caught the man’s attention, unable to hear what was being said, he knew it was not good, especially as he watched you grasp the man’s arm, simply making him sit back down. The door opened quickly after that, a bowl of berries was in your hand, and he heard you start to comment to the other man.

“Calm the fuck down Taki, it’s just a little fox, I feed it every night, it was just staring in wondering where it’s dinner was,” you yelled out to your boyfriend who was sitting on your sofa. Taki had been gone for almost five months at that point, his job sending him out of the country for a multiple month contract, luckily however he was back. He did not seem to like your little fox visitor, and you just hoped he would not do anything to the sweet little fox that you loved so dearly. “I’m sorry sweetie, you’ll have to sleep outside tonight, he doesn’t really like the idea of a wild animal in the house,” you told the gentle fox, petting it as it bumped your hand with its head.

It took not even a minute of you being away for Taki to reach his limit, getting up and coming to the door to force you back inside the house. “Let the damn animal starve, if it can’t find food out in nature, just let it go hungry, it’s not your fault it can’t hunt like a normal animal can.” Taki yelled out, glaring at the small fox in distaste. “It’s going to bring fleas and ticks around, probably has disease too, we should scare it off, that would be best.” He said, wanting the dumb animal to be away from him.

With a gasp, you turned to look at your boyfriend, shocked at the words from his mouth. “It’s just a sweet little fox, I think it used to be someone’s pet. There is no need to talk about it so rudely and harshly, it’s just a sweet little fox.” You attempted to defend the little animal, as you remained petting its soft fur. Taki was always a bit abrasive, it always had to be his way or no way, things were how he wanted them to be or things just did not get done, you had shocked yourself by standing up for the small fox, but it was just an innocent animal, and Taki’s anger was unfounded.

“Whatever, quit petting it, go wash your hands, and join me on the sofa again. The movie is playing, and I don’t like missing too much of it since you had to come out here to deal with that stupid little animal.” Taki said, before returning back into the house, closing the front door with a slam, scaring both yourself and the small little fox with his anger. Taki had decided that if the fox was there in the morning, he would scare it off, the last thing you needed was to get some disease from a wild fox. Laying back on the sofa, he started to complain again, this time at how long it was taking you to rejoin him on the sofa.

Petting the little fox one last time, you softly sighed at Taki’s anger. You were accustomed to this, he always had to have everything his way, and you knew he would not be happy until the fox was no longer a problem. “I’m sorry little one, enjoy your berries,” you told the small animal, before starting your way back in, “You may want to make sure you aren’t here in the morning, I don’t think Taki will like it if he sees you again.” Slipped past your lips, wishing the small fox would understand you, since the last thing you wanted is for Taki to scare off your little friend. He had scared off most of your real friends, and now was trying to scare off your animal friend. Rejoining him on the sofa, you ignored all the complaints and grumbles coming from him, just hoping his anger would subside for the rest of the night.

The little fox, Riki, hated the way the man, Taki he believes you said, spoke to you. Someone as wonderful as you deserved someone just as wonderful, not an asshole like him. It was not his fault the insecure man felt threatened by an animal, and it angered him how he so easily yelled at you. Complaining about how long it took to resume the movie, and about how the fox should just be left to die. As he enjoyed the berries, he just wished he could do something to help you, to get you away from this man. Hearing your warning, he made sure he was gone from your property after eating the berries, knowing that you would not have said it unless it was a serious thing. Which, seeing how Taki reacted upon seeing him at the window, you knew it was absolutely a serious thing.

The routine changed after that day. No longer were days spent in their house, enjoying breakfast and dinner with them. Instead, Riki would get a handful of berries, and luckily the occasional piece of meat, hidden within the trees just behind the backdoor of the house. Despite Taki’s hatred of the small animal, you continued to feed the poor fox, but tried your best to make sure Taki never saw it. Riki however would often hear Taki’s complaining, the man looking around for the fox, wanting to fully scare it off, knowing you still fed it regularly, and he did not like that.

Riki grew to hate Taki, how he treated you, how he treated him, and just everything. Yelling became a regular occurance from your house at night, usually Taki yelling at you for little things. It started with him yelling at you since he claimed you did not cook enough food for dinner, blaming it on your daily time spent feeding that fox. Then it escalated, him yelling at you for not doing all of his laundry by the time he returned home, despite the fact you worked as well, he expected you to do everything at home as well. It was then over you not cleaning the whole house, Riki could hear his yelling, screaming about the filth in the house, and how he could not be with someone who does not know how to keep things clean. Despite his desire to protect you, Riki stayed back, not wanting to make anything worse.

The day that made him decide to do something was when he saw Taki raise a hand to you, he had been yelling at you, reminding you how he could easily replace you, how he many others on his roster, that he could have another by the time he gets home, while you were just sitting here crying. Taki had anger issues, he would scream and he would yell, but he never once hit you until that day. Easily backhanding you with such force, you landed on the floor, hand holding your face in shock, unable to even scream or cry in this situation. Taki ended up storming out the house, yelling that it was over, but not before he openly disclosed that he had no qualms about hooking up with others while he was on the work trip abroad, reminding you that he never felt you were exclusive, you were nothing but a toy for him.

Riki wanted to rush into your house as Taki opened the door, but instead the imposing male stood in front of the closed door, a short laugh being heard, as he stared at the fox. A foot met the side of Riki’s fox figure, Taki muttering about the stupid animal before he started to leave. Taki however did not get far, seeing the little pet house that you had bought for the fox, he quickly grabbed the fox. Riki was too weak from the kick to fight back as Taki picked him up, but he tried his hardest, wiggling in his grasp, wanting to escape and run into the house to where you were. However, he was unable to, his small body being forced into a small box that had been bed for many nights while sleeping outside. As Taki went to lock the door, to completely trap the small fox inside the pet carrier, something stopped him. It was a shiny object, Riki felt his heart drop as Taki’s hand clutched the item, shoving it into his pocket, before proceeding to lock the carrier. Taki then left, taking the kitsune ball with him.

A seething hatred filled his body, watching Taki walking off to his vehicle with his kitsune ball, the idiot having no idea of what he just did, what he just took, what he just caused. Immediately Riki cried out, the pain from the kick finally fully hitting him, as he cried out in pain. By then you were already outside, about to start chasing after Taki, he was all you knew, having been with him for so long, you did not know what else to do. But, hearing the cries of an animal, you found yourself looking around, terrified that Taki had finally made true on his promise and threats, all the times he said he would kill that stupid fox. Luckily you found him, locked in the pet carrier, quickly opening it, you had no time to look at the fox, as he took off running. As the only other thing in your life ran away from you, you felt your heart start to crumble, Taki had scared off all your friends, all your family, and now your little animal friend as well.

As badly as Riki wanted to stay and be with you, he had to get his kitsune ball back one way or another. Hatred and the desire for revenge filled his being, wanting nothing more than to get his kitsune ball back whether it left Taki dead or alive. He was quick to trace the scent of the cheating abusive bastard you once called your boyfriend, Riki wanted nothing more than to kill the man, but he could tell you genuinely loved him. His anger drove him all the way to outside Taki’s house, it was the middle of the night, and he was unsure of what to do as he found himself on the doorstep of the man’s house.

Taki was quick to get to the door, thinking it was the girl he had texted on his drive over, but instead his video alert was alarming him of the stupid little fox on his doorstep. Opening the door, a laugh left his lips, seeing the fox he had once locked up in the pet carrier now on his doorstep. Taki had forgotten all about what he had stolen, until he reached to put his hands in his pockets, planning to kick the door closed on the small little fox’s head. A laugh slipped past his lips, removing the ball from his pocket with a smirk, “Oh, is this what you came for,” he sneered, starting to squeeze the small glowing golden white ball in his hand, attempting to break it.

Riki felt this rush through his body, a feeling he had never felt before, he found himself gaining height. Going from being eye level with Taki’s calves, to staring the man in the eye. Riki had shifted himself into Taki without meaning to, but it seemed to have taken Taki back enough that he dropped the kitsune ball, as he stepped back with haste. Taki’s back hit the floor as he started trying to get away, screams attempting to slip out of his mouth, but nothing came. This time it was laughing leaving Riki’s mouth, quickly picking up the glowing ball, before he started to walk closer to the man on the floor. “Oh, this is, but I also came for this,” he said, reaching down, watching as felt the power coursing through his body, he grabbed Taki’s leg, watching as it spontaneously erupted into flames. Riki had never used his magic, never seeing a reason in it, but for you, he would use it however often as he needed to.

Taki froze, falling to the ground as he watched the fox turning into a man, not just any man, but himself. Screams begged to escape his body, but no noise came out of his mouth, instead he hit the ground, trying to crawl away. Unable to get away, he stared in terror as he set himself on fire. This had to be some sort of fever dream, there were not two of him in the world, and the fire came out of nowhere. It was like all the air had been sucked out of his lungs, his whole body erupting in burning violent flames, but his screams met deaf ears, no noise coming from his vocal cords, despite how loudly he screamed and cried.

Riki felt such joy watching as the flames easily took over Taki’s frame. He would not bother you again, no longer would Taki get to enjoy inflicting such pain on you, if it does not bring joy let it go, and here Riki was letting Taki go. A laugh fell from his lips, watching as Taki tried to roll around, trying to get the flames to stop, the shock on his face was evident, as Riki had stolen his voice along with his looks. His joy overwhelmed him as he watched the last of the flames finally die down, leaving nothing remaining of Taki other than some charred clothing remains. His joy however did not last, as a random dinging caught his attention, a phone you had called many times, he read the screen quickly, seeing a message saying ‘on my way’ from someone Taki had named side chick number six, whatever a side chick was. But, as he stood there, something hit him, someone was on their way to see Taki, real Taki, not Riki Taki, maybe it was because he was new to using his magic and all, but he was unable to stop it when everything around him just erupted into flames. He found himself shifting back into fox form, quickly running from the house. Riki did not make it far however, he was hit by a car just outside the house, immediately shifting back into his Taki form from the impact. He watched as the entire house caught on fire, it was up in flames, he only got to enjoy the sight of the second story of the house collapsing into the flames, before all he saw was black.

You were sitting in your room when you got the call, it had been almost an hour since Taki had left and your little fox friend had run away from you. The call was from an unknown number, but answered it regardless, quickly being greeted with an unknown male voice, asking if they were calling the right number, before revealing it was the hospital. “What do you mean he was hit by a car?” You all but screamed into the phone, Taki and you might have been arguing that night, but you did not want him to get hit by a car. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” You told the receptionist, quickly throwing on your shoes and a jacket, before finding your way to the hospital.

He may have been a horrible boyfriend, but you loved him despite everything he did, and you were distraught when you heard the news. You wanted to get back at him, but him being hit by a car was never what you wanted. You wanted him to maybe feel bad about cheating on you, not to be almost killed by a car. Arriving at the hospital, you were quickly ushered into his room, seeing not only a police officer but a fire inspector in the room as well. They were quick to catch you up on what happened, his house caught on fire, he ran from the fire, he got hit by a car, he passed out, and the driver of the car was apparently someone he had invited over to his house that night.

Despite the anger that came from knowing he was actively trying to hookup with someone that was not you, you could not stop feeling the pain and sorrow you felt for the man laying out on the bed. You loved him, you would never not love him, even if he did not always love you. Quickly you found yourself taking his hand, clutching it as tightly as you could, tears falling from your eyes as you wanted nothing more than for him to awake. You would apologize for being a bad significant other, you would apologize for making him mad, you would do anything to make him happy, you would do anything he asked you to as you had so many times before. Taki relied on that, leaving you and then waiting until you came crawling back begging for him.

Riki had no idea what happened, but he felt a sharp feeling in his arms, something holding down his wrist as well. Immediately, he recognized he was not in his fox form, instead in human form, Taki’s form. A small soft hand held his hand in theirs, teardrops making his arm wet, he knew the hands were yours based on your scent. He fought the mind fog for almost an hour, just hearing your sobs, your pleas for him to be okay, to wake up, to forgive you. Riki knew these cries were for Taki, not him, but he wished it was for him. Riki knew nothing of being human, Riki knew nothing of being in love, Riki knew nothing of being loved, Riki knew nothing of any of it, but he knew he would never had treated you how Taki did, he knew that the way he felt for you was as close to love as he would ever feel, until he truly learned what love was.

As Taki opened his eyes, you found yourself gasping, clinging yourself onto his body, lips immediately making contact with his lips. It was odd as Taki did not kiss you back, instead just sitting there frozen, unsure of what to do. Moving back, you looked in his eyes, seeing nothing but confusion on his face. Quickly the doctor was called, not even an hour later, the doctor told you the diagnosis. “You believe he has amnesia?” The diagnosis was like a slap to the face, it explained why he was so frozen earlier, probably not remembering you at all. “So he remembers how to talk and read, but nothing else. Retrograde amnesia?” You easily repeated the doctor, listening to everything he tells you, how to care for him, how to attempt to get his memory to return and everything.

Riki felt odd, everyone referring to him as Taki felt out of place, but for all intents and purposes, he was now Taki, god knows what would happen to him if he revealed what had really happened to Taki. Despite how much he loved the feeling of your hands holding his, it hurt him that you were only doing so thinking he was Taki, but at this point, he had no choice but to be Taki. After everyone left, he felt lost, he did not know what to do, it was hard being in a new body, let alone also having a whole new identity. He could only guess the doctor was telling you everything as some random girl entered the room, quick to rush over and hug him, not even noticing as he froze.

As she started to cry, Riki realized this must have been the person the message earlier was from, what was it, side chick number six. He moved away from her grasp as she cried out, “Oh Taki, I’m so glad you’re alive. I was so afraid I had killed you, I was coming over like you asked me to, I didn’t think I’d hit you.” She cried out, trying to come to terms with what happened. She tried to hug him again, but Riki raised his hands, pushing her away, not wanting whoever this was to be on him, let alone touch him.

“I don’t know who you are, but please leave me alone,” He said, watching as the girl’s face immediately dropped. She was devastated by his words, but he felt no pain for her. She was only number six of who knows how many people Taki had been cheating on his amazing girlfriend with. He had such an amazing person who loved him with all their heart, but instead he was out there sleeping with anyone who would allow him to do so. Riki however, knew that Taki from now on would not be doing that, he would blame it on the traumatic head injury or something, but Taki would no longer be doing that, he would be honest and cherish what he had, like Riki knows he would.

The girl started to cry even harder, Riki did not even know her name, and he honestly did not care. “What do you mean? Taki it’s me? We’ve been dating for a while, you don’t remember me?” She cried out, becoming more and more outraged as she cried, becoming louder and louder. Riki luckily did not have to do anything as a nurse burst into the room, removing the girl from his room, before adding her to a list of people not allowed to visit, after Riki expressed how distressed her presence made him.

You had watched the whole scene, it was odd, Taki would oftentimes brag about how easily he could replace you, but here he was rejecting the girl he had invited over to do just that. It felt odd, but you reminded yourself that it was just the amnesia talking, he would probably go right back to it once he healed and had his memory back. Entering his room again, you found yourself sitting beside his bed, taking his hands in yours once more. “Do you remember who I am?” Being all you asked, watching as he shook his head, it hurt, but you knew you had bigger issues than him not remembering who you are. Telling him your name, you were quick to let him know, “I’m your partner, we’ve been together for years.”

Riki could do nothing but play stupid, knowing that while he might have Taki’s looks and voice, he did not have his memories, and would instead be unable to know anything you might ask him. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, watching how the hurt masked your eyes, knowing that the thought of your boyfriend not recognizing you must have hurt. “But I want to remember,” he added, hoping that it might make everything a bit better for you.

Despite the fact you would not admit it, hearing his words made your heart swell a bit. Taki was never one to really care about much, but you could only guess the brain injury had changed him, hopefully it made him a better man, but you knew that was a bad thing to think, especially given the situation. “I’ll try to help you remember,” you told him, yet, it hurt so badly when you thought about it. You would help him regain his memory, just for him to probably revert to how he was just before the accident. You would help him regain his memory, just for him to go back to reminding you how easily he could replace, bragging about his roster, and reminding you that he did not do exclusivity. He would more than likely go back to cheating on you when mad, claiming it was your fault for running him into the arms of another, and making you genuinely believe it was your fault, since he was being so generous with you, and you treated him like that.

Riki felt feelings he had never felt before as you clutched at his hands, his arms, holding them to your chest, gentle kisses on his hand, soothing him almost. The pain in your eyes told him how much you regret the words you just said, seeing how Taki treated you, he understood why. The relationship was so bad, but you were in love with Taki, and he knew that, which is why he would always get away with whatever it was he wanted to do, you would always forgive him and believe him when he twisted it to make it your fault. Riki knew that you deserve someone better, someone that would love you back with their whole heart, not just someone who only loves you when it is convenient for them. The pain in your eyes made him decide to be just that, you would never have to worry about him getting mad and storming out claiming he is going to go sleep with another, you would never have to worry about him hitting you in anger, and you would never have to worry about the pain Taki brought every time he came around.

Riki wanted nothing more than to let you know who he really was, but he knew you would not believe him. What was he to say, I am the fox you used to feed and cuddle with every night and I sorta killed your abusive asshole of a boyfriend, that would get him put in jail or worse. Despite how much he knew Taki had hurt you, he also had to admit to himself that pretending to be Taki was for the best at this moment in time, since that was who you thought he was. You thought he was Taki, just Taki with some minor brain damage, after all he had been hit by a car. Being Taki may not be what he wanted, but he was sure he would never treat you the way the real Taki would have, since you deserve better.

As the doctor’s cleared Taki to leave, you were quick to get him to your house, seeing how his own had burned down, an electrical fire is what the fire and police said. It was odd seeing him so demure, so confused, almost innocent, he was unsure of what he was doing, unsure of what to do, and unsure of everything, just waiting for you to tell him what he needed to do. Once he was seated on the sofa, you decided to do your best to help him start remembering little things, getting out a scrapbook full of photos from when you first started dating.

There was once a happy phase with Taki, romantic candlelit dinners, moonlight picnics, walks under the stars, and matching couple outfits. But, that phase faded into controlling behavior, if you made him mad he would start to yell, he would start to blame you for everything, which it was your fault, you were the one who made him mad. Those romantic dates started to end, instead he simply had home dates with you instead, claiming you did not deserve anything too extravagant or opulent, since you would just end up pissing him off anyways and would embarrass him if he did take you. The lack of romance then translated to him picking up others, claiming you were not making him fully happy, he deserved this, if you could not satisfy him fully, he deserved the ability to be with others who would, and that is exactly what he would do. Honestly, at some point Taki had fallen out of love with you, but he would not have admitted it, nor would he break up with you. Taki would never let you be the victim, he had to be the victim, if you were to break up, you had to end it with him, never the other way around. He needed to be able to turn it into a sad story for himself, claim the love of his life and significant other for the past five years broke his heart with such ease, he would have slandered your public image, making sure that you were never happy again. He deserved happiness, he would be damned if you kept him from that, but you only deserve happiness if it was with him.

Opening the book, you found yourself seated next to Taki, staring at the first page, you questioned how to go about this. Despite your brain telling you to tell him everything, you decided to only mention the happy moments, the good parts, thinking maybe he will not ever remember that he was once an abusive horrible asshole of a boyfriend. He would be mad at you once he did remember, but he would also be mad at you regardless of whether you told him about those moments or not, so instead you decided to focus on the lovely moments. “This was from our first date,” was how it started, “you took me out to a picnic, it was so sweet. You made all my favorite foods and snacks, and we ended up talking for hours upon hours. You were such a gentleman, listening to me go on and on about everything, even once the night came, we continued talking.”

Riki stared at the photos on the page, seeing sweet photos of yourself and Taki, you were enamored with Taki, and once Taki was in love with you as well. He felt his heart ache slightly, staring at the picture in which Taki’s lips were on your own. Staring at the photos, he felt a sense of pride, a sense of joy. He knew how Taki ended up, how he treated you all these years later, how horrible he was. He felt joy that you would never have to go through that treatment again, he would never treat you like Taki would, he would never lay a finger on you like Taki would, you were precious and he would treat you as such. He felt pride that he would make you feel this way again, he would never see the fear or pain in your eyes again, he would make you remember the days when you were lovesick and thought you had found your forever, he would be your forever.

Seeing his gaze catching a photo on the page, you ran your fingers along the photo, remembering that day. “That was the day we had our first kiss. You had bought me a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers, but told me I was the most beautiful flower of all. I remember you taking me out to a restaurant and us having a candlelit dinner, it was so romantic, we then took a midnight walk. By the end of the walk, neither of us wanted to go home, but you knew we needed to. You brought me to my door, we talked for almost twenty minutes just standing there, until you finally acted and kissed me. I’m lucky my doorbell camera caught it, otherwise I wouldn’t have this photo for that memory.”

Riki nodded, but he knew none of these moments, and he never would remember them. In that moment he cursed how shifting into a human did not give you their memories, but he also did not want those memories, he would never want first hand account memories of hitting you or anything. He gazed at the photos with confusion, not a singular memory coming up with any of the photos, obviously since he was not the real Taki. He was nothing more than an imposter, and he only hoped you would not catch onto that.

Gazing at his face, the look in his eyes told you everything you needed to know. “You don’t remember, do you?” You questioned him, your heart dropping as he shook his head. It was a long shot, but you had hope, hope he would remember, hope that things would go back to how they once were. But, instead fate had another plan in mind it seems. But, you would not give up on him, you would continue trying, you would make him remember it one way or another.

That is how days started, you showing him videos and photos, seeing if anything sparked a memory, but nothing ever did. He could not even remember how to do little things like using the toaster and making a sandwich, it was like his mind was just blank, an empty canvas ready to be used. The doctors offered nothing except comments about how the damage might be much worse than they thought, offering the advice that maybe making new memories would be better than reviving old ones, since it seems he has no problem remembering things that happen now.

This was how the two of you ended up where you are now, sitting together on a picnic blanket, surrounded by little snacks and drinks. If he could not remember your first date, you would recreate your first date for him. Words were not being passed between the two of you, Taki himself did not know what he liked, so there was nothing much for him to talk about, yet, it did not bother you. Oddly, it felt comfortable, he sat listening to you intently, as the two of you shared this space. Somehow the two of you ended up laying down, gazing up at the stars, your head on his chest, as you pointed out different constellations to him.

Riki was absolutely enamored with you, how gentle you were with him, how kind you were. He knew nothing much other than speech, and you were so calm explaining things to him, even things he felt you thought he should know. He just enjoyed being around you, he might never be able to do everything Taki could do, but he did not mind that when it was you teaching him how to do it. He felt joy when he overheard the doctor’s call, make new memories rather than focus on reviving old ones, just what he was hoping would happen, he wanted to make you feel joy and love you never felt with the real Taki, and this is how he would do so.

He knew nothing much to share with you, but he loved just listening to you talk, he would do that for hours, just hearing you ramble about things that interested you was his favorite thing. The date you planned for the two of you, he enjoyed, knowing it was a recreation of your first date, but he also knew it would have a drastically different ending. Somehow he ended up laying down on the thick blanket, staring up at the sky. He often observed the stars, but being with you made them all shine brighter, you made them even more stunning, but their beauty could not compete with your beauty. His arm found its way around your waist as you pointed out star formations to him, explaining them and telling him the names of them. He nodded, listening passionately to each word you said, his hand easily finding its way to your hair, simply petting it as you laid there.

Explaining the constellations to Taki, it was silent, except for the sounds of your voice, and his occasional voice of agreement and acknowledgement. It was odd feeling his arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him, Taki would have never done that, he was not one to be touchy with you, it was only ever on his terms. It was odd, you enjoyed it, the feeling of his arm holding you close to his chest, almost like he was afraid you would blow away with the gentle breeze that was blowing through. It was only when you felt the hand petting your hair gently, that you felt a feeling you had not felt in long, love. At that moment, all words fell silent, you started up at Taki, feeling the love that you thought had faded for him so long again. “Taki,” you softly muttered upon seeing him staring at you as well.

Riki had been observing your face the entire time you spoke, each word from your mouth captivated him, you could have been just saying random words, and he still would have been captivated. You were the moon and he was tide, you were pulling and pushing him with movement and words from your lips. He could not stop himself from staring at those lips, wondering what they would feel like against his own. You had mentioned before that the first kiss did not happen until almost a month into dating, but that was old Taki, this was new and improved Taki, and new and improved Taki honestly felt no need to wait. Leaning down, he quickly captured your lips. It was an odd feeling, but he liked it, and he wanted to do it more.

Kissing Taki was not on your list of things to happen today, but you welcomed it. His lips felt different than before, they were not rough or harsh, he was not dominating the kiss, nor was he trying to force his tongue into your mouth as he usually would. The kiss was gentle, it honestly made you fall in love with him all over again. A gentleness you had not felt in so long, it was welcoming to your heart, making you feel like you did once with him, filling your stomach with butterflies and your mind with thoughts of what might happen this time, how different it will be, how happy you may be.

Riki was unsure what he was doing, but it just felt right. His lips locked with yours, he mimicked your movement, giving you back what you gave him. His hand dropped from your head, going to your waist, pulling you on his chest completely. To any onlooker, it was a sweet couple sharing a soft moment, to him it was a sign of what he would be getting for the rest of his life, since after tasting how sweet your lips tasted, feeling how soft your lips are, and realizing how easily you fit in next to him, he never planned on letting you go. He would never let you go and he was sure you would never let him go. This time Taki would be a perfect gentleman, he would be just what you needed in your life, and Riki would make sure of it. Finally parting his lips from yours, he could do nothing more than just staring at you, “Beautiful, so beautiful,” he muttered, his lips pressing gentle kisses to your forehead, as the date came to an end.

Taki was different, so different, each date was so much better than the first ones. You were not sure what it was, but it had to be the car accident, changing him into a whole new person practically. Loyalty was the first word in this Taki’s vocabulary. Love was the second word. And perfection was the third, since that is what you were to him. No longer did fear stay in your eyes when you gazed at him. No longer did you fear he would storm out bragging he had a date with another girl. No longer did you fear he would hit you in anger. No longer did those feelings of inadequacy mar your mind. To this Taki you were perfect, you were amazing, and he would never find anyone that he would ever love more than you.

A part of your mind wanted you to admit that maybe Taki was not Taki after all, but it could not be that. It was just that the car accident brought something out in him that you never saw, something that made him a man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. Creating new memories was the best decision, replacing all those cold and harsh memories you had with Taki previously, with sweet and warm ones with Taki now.

Taki was a fast learner, you quickly had him learn how to be self sufficient around the house, to the point that he refused to let you help around the house. He was unable to work or anything outside of the house, due to the memory loss, so he felt it was only right to help around the house. It was odd, seeing him so easily take the role of what one would call a house husband, but it was appreciated. Previously Taki would have expected you to do everything on your own, he would not lift a single finger to help you, but Taki now would not let you lift a single finger to do it.

For the first time in years, you felt loved, each day falling in love more and more with Taki. He was finally being the man of your dreams, the man you always fantasized about, the man that would love you for who you were for the rest of your life. No longer did his kisses feel forced, no longer did the love feel absent, no longer did you feel as though your life was on eggshells around him. He always made sure you felt loved, reminded you that you were loved, and loved you like he felt you deserved to be loved.

Riki had taken to everything you taught him quickly, doing all the little tasks around the house for you while you were at work. Nothing ever needed to be mentioned twice, since he felt it was the least he could do for you taking such good care of him. Need the lawn mowed, he did it immediately after figuring out how to work the lawn mower once you went to work. The laundry needs to be done, no need to ask, he has already started it, even going as far as to sort the darks and colors. Riki was unsure who he was at this point, but all he did know is that whoever he was, he was loved by you. He loved you, you returned his love, and that was all he cared about.

It was a day he had finished all the chores early, he even had dinner in the oven waiting for you to return from work, when you caught him by the mirror in the bedroom. He did not hear you enter, nor did he notice you come into the house. You watched as he just stared at himself in the mirror, confusion did not mar his face, nor did anger, or any other identifiable emotion.

Staring at his appearance in the mirror, Riki was unsure where he began and Taki ended, he was unsure if Riki even existed any longer except for in his mind. Yet, feeling your arms wrap around his waist, he finally noticed you were home, and your lips softly littering his neck with gentle kisses, muttering sweet words of praise and love. He honestly found himself not caring, as far as anyone knew now he was Taki. As long as you loved Taki, he would be Taki, he was Taki, he is Taki; Riki no longer exists, since as long as he has you within his arms, he has no desire to be back in his fox form again. Moving his arm, he quickly switched your positions, moving you from where you stood behind him. Rubbing his nose against yours, he gently kissed your lips, before he picked you up with ease, feeling your arms wrapping around his neck. “I love you Taki,” your voice attempted to say, before it was enveloped by his lips against yours. He found himself smiling into the kiss as your words were cut out by the moans coming from his actions.

32 notes · View notes

nichoskittycorner · 9 months

Text

MasterList🐾

S= Smut F= Fluff A=Angst

Euijoo˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶

Fuma(૭ ｡•̀ ᵕ •́｡ )૭

K٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡

Nicholas/ᐠ - ˕ -マ

Yuma⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

Jo(‘. • ᵕ •. `)

Multiple members ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *🌙

#&team #&team fanfic #&team ff #&team x reader #andteam #andteam ff #andteam fanfic #&team angst #&team fluff #&team smut #&team scenarios #&team hard hours #&team hard thoughts #&team drabbles

58 notes · View notes

aguamarinee · 3 months

Text

➪ 𝐀/𝐍.: Finally I got around posting this... I got this request ages ago tbh and as I wanted to edit the final post I messed it up and now I lost the original request which I feel really bad about... It was such a cute message from this anon, and every time I reread it, it made me feel so happy! I don't know if they remember sending this ask, but now I've gotten to complete it after so much time, and I hope I did it justice in the end!! (Pls forgive me anon) Angst can really challenge my brain sometimes but I hope it turned out acceptable! > <

➪ 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Jo × reader

➪ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: angst, no comfort, lot of reminiscing, post-breakup frustration, conflicted feelings

➪ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭: there are multiple parts in the song I got inspired from, so I'll just highlight the chosen lyrics!

➪ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 1,6k

From outside it all seemed perfect; the venue, the lighting, the scenery from the top, and the two of you sitting opposite each other.

Both of you were dressed nicely, holding light alcoholic drinks as if you truly belonged together, when in reality you knew that this wasn't the case for quite some time now.

You actually hated how picture-perfect it all seemed — you might have loved it once, or you might have wished for something similar in the past thinking about the far future, but certainly not anymore.

...Really, it was pure coincidence and the universe's own momentarily punishment towards you that right now you're bound to be here and witness, even indulge in such a scenario.

"Should I pour some more?" Jo's distant voice hit your ears making you tear your eyes away from your drink, but you didn't let your irises wander onto his comfortable sitting frame.

"No need." Your response was curt and frustration was building inside you like a fresh fire setting ablaze, flame particles rubbing off on your exposed skin burning the surface for a second — or it seemed, as your body was undefyingly growing warmer and warmer.

Why are you even here, having this 'talk' with Jo?

Why are you even breathing the same close air as him? Even if you're under the seemingly endless night sky stretching far beyond your eyes' reach, providing enough room for a thousand new breath strokes... Why with him?

You were surprised by your fast rush of frustration turning into anger, but at the same time, it clouded your mind so thinking clearly was a challenge currently.

The Rosé in your tall glass seemed to swim and flow so efficiently, just like it could rush down your throat, but even consuming alcohol to ease your mind seemed to be just a distant wish for the rational side of your brain.

Damn it.

For digging up the grave another time, weren't you two?

The grave, in which your past relationship lay undisturbed until now.

Even though both of you had the chance to ignore each other when you made eye contact at the far ends of the jazz bar, for some reason you chose to start a conversation anyway.

It seemed especially nostalgic and romantic since you two decided to go out onto the rooftop, for privacy...

Privacy?

What kind of privacy do the two of you need, who now act like total strangers who forgot what their past relationship looked like?

Who erased all past connections, mentions of love, and adoration towards the other, putting all of those now cursed memories in a small box, locking it, then throwing its key away, and then throwing the whole box away. Far away.

...The past few minutes seemed to pass by in a blur, you almost had no recollection of how you got here.

The sweet wine was just a distraction, just like the way Jo made conversation about pouring more of the reddish liquid into your glass, to which you sternly said no.

It was all a getaway from the harsh reality; Rosé flowing with your chosen family which you both knew well... that you weren't each other's home or trusted family-like, significant other anymore.

When the wounds of the breakup were still fresh in your heart you always thought of countless ways to rewrite your broken fate.

'And it would've been sweet... If it could've been me.'

These were the thoughts that still clouded your sunny mind from time to time, bringing a sudden wave of dark winds and rain into your feelings and mental state.

Thinking of all the possible scenarios that could have occurred in the future was always a dangerous mind game for anyone who's trying to forget rather than build new, unlikely, and even delusional memories.

"Some snacks, you'd like?" Jo continued in a quiet, very respectful but still neutral tone — he must have felt your nerves getting the better of you — as he seemed to be averting his eyes for split seconds.

It looked like he finally realized how this situation is wrong on so many levels and he seemed to be getting nervous too.

There were too many feelings swirling inside you; Feeling bad because you snapped at him a minute ago, but frustration also kept building on the side which tore you apart. It made you see two sides of the same coin in a bad way.

The whole situation felt like it was forbidden, for the two of you to even breathe the same air with such conflicting feelings developing inside... you could almost physically see the dark gloomy clouds on top of your heads, as if indicating your personal moods minute by minute.

It was not okay how you were going round and round inside a spinning reel of strong impulses.

You needed to put an end to it somehow, anyhow...

"No, I'm good." You finally answered his previous hesitant question.

Well... you feeling good was the biggest lie currently, but what else could you say?

This was not the place nor the right person to share your emotions with. And clearly, he'll never be one of them again.

A heavy silence fell for the first time and it stayed for several minutes.

As you had time to ponder the spinning reel came back, inviting you in once again; you could cut this meeting short and leave, or in fact, you should leave for both of your emotional safety, or you could change the topic to a light-hearted one, or keep the silence, and so on...

The burning frustration turned into hot nervousness within you as you grew more self-conscious around Jo.

It was even weirder, considering how you felt as if it was the first time you saw him, like your first ever date when it all started.

Or your first kiss.

Right time, and right place, but the wrong person.

...How much time has it been since you parted ways?

6 months.

Over half a year, but not a full-length year yet, so there's still a chance for forgiveness.

Or at least this is what you read in many novels, or saw in consolatory movies, series, dramas.

Is it weird to have a little faith in that?

Is it foolish or even selfish to think about your happiness like that?

—You have to say something or your thoughts will start to spiral again.

"...We went from strangers to friends, then to lovers, then to strangers again but with a shared past. We were something, don't you think so? " You spoke out of turn, surprising your rational self and poor Jo, who currently looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Quite the change of topic, but there was no turning back now.

"I, well... That's in the past now. We're not in a relationship anymore." He said, still unsure but his voice had a cold tone to it. "We were something, we had something, but that something — seeing that we can barely name it, passed a while ago." He kept his voice quiet as if he, too, was afraid of saying such harsh things, or worried about hurting you.

But he said what he said anyway, no eye contact whatsoever, nevertheless, just as brutally honest.

Silence fell again, your surroundings seemed to falter and blur around you, and you barely registered the fine wine in your hands.

Tears weren't coming to your eyes, it wasn't that, your focus just simply shifted, altered itself.

Right, it passed.

You hummed, almost inaudible even to yourself as you ran his words over your head once more, to confirm them.

You unintentionally ignored Jo for a couple of moments too, while being lost in your thoughts, but then he spoke again, louder, to direct your attention back to him.

"In my defense—"

"I have none." You cut him off sharply, trying to imply the end of the conversation somehow, anyhow.

You were desperate to stop, but he was desperate to continue... When there was nothing to continue, but a lot to stop.

He said enough already and you too, way more than you should have and wanted to have.

It has all been said and done between you two, six months before and now, this turn of events confirmed everything for you.

There was nothing to talk about anymore, it was starting to get awkward how Jo seemed to try communicating with you again.

As if he foolishly wanted to make everything right after such a long amount of time, just because he might have realized his mistakes...?

...No, that time has passed.

Memories were bulging up inside you once again, those sweet, promising times, as if after a long drought on dry land suddenly salty ocean water washed over the desert-like place, just like that your recollection started flashing vividly.

As if everything suddenly got reborn, every single little thing, feeling, thought, and future plan.

Rainwater was something most lands and owners were happy to receive but you weren't this time.

It was like a blessing for them... but the worst curse for you currently.

But if it gets out of hand... Flood is not an option, it would destroy every house and shelter that you've built up until now.

It would be a shame to see your hard work go, so you had to do something to prevent such bad things.

"I should go." You said, interrupting whatever Jo was explaining before in an uncertain tone. "No, we should go. On separate ways." You added, a rush of confidence taking you over and you stood up abruptly putting down the fancy wine at the same time, indicating your words further.

"...We need to say goodbye at some point, for both of our sakes. It didn't work out, and by now I'm certain that it never will. This has to be it." You sighed audibly, peeking into the nicely decorated inside of the jazz bar for the first time since you've got here, and you hastily stepped closer to the balcony glass door. "Goodbye Jo, take care." You looked back for a split second and then left, finally, forever.

➪ 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 【𝐌 𝐀 𝐒 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐋 𝐈 𝐒 𝐓】 !

Tagging: @nichoswag

#Spotify #&team #andteam #&team scenarios #&team fanfic #&team fluff #andteam fluff #&team x reader #&team imagines #&team jo #jo asakura #asakura jo #andteam fics #andteam fanfic

15 notes · View notes

kthecutest · 6 months

Text

＊•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚　TEASER - 小さな光 : Tiny Light　˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚＊

18+ || (werewolf)Koga Yudai x (witch)Reader || ୧ ‧₊˚ 🎐 ⋅ʚɞ

ʚɞ genre -> Fantasy / Mythical au / Romance / Forbidden Love

ʚɞ A/N -> K is denoted as Kei in this fic. All the arts are taken out from a webtoon of a love-story between a witch and a wolf so no I didn't draw them and they ain't mine. The title of this fic is based off of a Japanese anime ost so the song lyrics can be seen in gradient colored fonts between paragraphs and I'll link down the Spotify link of the song in the post as well. Tried to proofread but not sure if it might come out perfect.

Pleaseee boost this but don't claim this fic as yours or do any similar acts of stealing, I spent really really long planning and writing all this and this is all just to act as a celebration for K's birthday <33

༶•┈┈┈┈┈┈୨.𖥔 ݁ ˖₊˚⊹. ༻༺ .⊹˚₊⋆⭒˚｡⋆₊ ⊹୧┈┈┈┈┈•༶

Being able to love only a single person in life truly is an eternal misery. A werewolf's heart was merely so fragile - unwavering yet filled with uncertainty. As for Kei, luck didn't answer to his prayers - his heart has chosen the one who'd never spare a heartful glance at him.

"You who my heart wouldn't rebel, rather ignore this miserable control contained in your palms. Such a cruel fate.. I must face." - Kei

Yet a coincidence between two threads of fate had come to make itself known; an unusual, unpredictable, indescribable presence that has just entered the werewolf's life. Would his unwavering heart answer to the calling of the unknown presence that it had yet to capture.

Waves of rebel, chaos and agony that crashed between the two could still not shake the everlasting knot between each thread.

"You who was a mere spark among the foggy sea in my head - could you one day grow into a sky of everlasting fireworks in my heart?" - ......... (reader)

୨.𖥔 ݁ ˖₊˚⊹. .⊹˚₊⋆⭒˚｡⋆₊ ⊹୧┈┈┈┈┈•༶

Tiny Light (Full Fic)... coming soon

20 notes · View notes

imsolnoo · 8 months

Text

｡ ꞝ atos singelos derretem corações apaixonados - nichojoo᠉

Onde Euijoo, como o bobo apaixonado que era, relembra seu primeiro encontro com Nicholas.

⎙ leia aqui!

✎ 06.07.23 | @chanyouchan

12 notes · View notes

nishirikixo · 1 month

Text

The Thrill of the Chase

pairings: yandere!K x afab!Reader

warnings: violence (choking, slapping, biting, hair pulling), restraints, threatening, groping, mentions of kidnapping, drugging, kissing, mentions of sex (no actual smut), please let me know if I've missed anything

Even though no actual smut is included in this story I'm still going to say it's 18+ only due to it being suggestive about things

Sorry about how badly written this is, I wrote it at literally 5am so it was very rushed.

♡ Don't make the mistake of trying to escape. It's useless. He'll always find you.

Your feet ached terribly from all the wounds you recieved in your current escape attempt. Sticks and stones digging into your soft flesh while you tried to run as fast and as far away from that nightmare of a house you were trapped in. You honestly can't even remember how long it's been since he brought you there. All you know is you never wanted to go back.

That's why this pain was bareable.

You ran aimlessly through the forest. Not a town or a single trace of other humans in sight. It was freezing out, and you were exhausted. You stopped to rest and it became eerily silent.

But that was a good thing, right?

If he was around you'd hear something. But you don't so it's safe to rest for a bit. You sat under a tree, resting your back against it and panting heavily.

Once you'd caught your breath, and the fear of beeing caught began to cloud your thoughts again, you got up and started moving again. You only walked for a bit when you finally saw a small cabin not too far ahead.

You ran to it, seeing light and what looked like 2 people inside. The cabin didn't look the most inviting but in your desperate need to feel warm, anything was acceptable. You knocked softly on the door. After a short moment, a tall boy with black hair opened the door.

"Hello Miss, may I help you?" You noticed behind him was an even taller boy with lighter brown hair. "Um, I was wondering.. if it would be okay for me to stay here tonight..?"

Neither of them answered, they only looked at you with matching looks of curiousity. "I'll leave in the morning, I just have no where to go right now.." You bit your lip looking down in embarrasment at how insane you must sound to them.

"Hmm.." You looked up through your lashes to see the taller one seemingly studying you. "Yeah you can stay, come on in!" You couldn't help the surprised gasp that escaped you, "really?!" They both nodded and ushered you inside.

They sat you down on the couch and offered you some warm tea. You thanked them and sipped on it, already feeling yourself warm up. "What's your name by the way?" The shorter one asked.

"I'm Y/n"

Once you shared your name, they exchanged a glance with each other. "Wonderful, nice to meet you. I'm Euijoo and that's Nicholas." the taller one flashed a close eyed smile to you as he introduced the two of them.

"Would you like a change of clothes, you look awfully cold in that" Nicholas offered. "Actually that would be really nice, thank you." He left to go grab those for you when Eujioo looked down at your feet. "What happened..?" he asked pointing to them.

"Ah.. I forgot shoes and theres a lot of sharp sticks on the floors around here" you laughed nervously and finished the last sip of your tea. "I'll get you something for that!" He left before you could respond, and Nicholas was back with some clothes.

He directed you to a room you could change in, so you changed and went back to the couch where Euijoo was waiting for you. "This might sting a little but it'll help to clean your feet so those cuts don't get infected." He handed you some disinfectant, "Thank you so much, you both are so kind." You cleaned all the wounds on your feet, they did sting but not terribly.

You yawned suddenly feeling your exhaustion catch up to you. "You can rest over in that room you changed in." Nicholas smiled warmly at you. You thanked them both again and he helped walk you to the room. Once you layed on the bed you drifted off to sleep immediately.

The next morning when you woke up, you were met with Euijoo placing a fresh set of clothes on the nightstand by the bed you were in. "Ah, you're awake! These are new clothes for you. I made breakfast for the two of us." You thanked him, changed into the clothes, and joined him for breakfast.

"Nicholas isn't here?" He shook his head, pouring a glass of juice for you. "He left early in the morning to do something." You nodded your head and thanked him for the breakfast, eating all the delicious food he made.

After a little while of staying with Euijoo you decided it would probably be best to leave before it got dark. "Euijoo I'm sorry I think I should be on my way now, thank you so much for everthing! Please thank Nicholas for me as well." He shook his head, directing you to the window. "You can't go, there's going to be a storm." However, the sky had not a single cloud in sight. "Are you sure? The skies look clean to me." He nodded and insisted it was very unsafe and ultimately convinced you to stay another night.

You and Euijoo had spent the day together watching TV and talking. Once it became later you noticed there hadn't been any storm, the weather was clear as you suspected. It felt too late to roam around now though, so you'd stay just one more night.

"Nicholas is back." Euijoo smiled brightly and went to open the door for him. "Oh, You brought company?" You couldn't help your curiousity, peeking over to see who entered with Nicholas. The man was tall like them and he walked in with a hoodie on and his face covered. Weird.

Nicholas greeted you and whispered something to Euijoo who's eyes widened and he nodded. They both walked outside together saying they'd be right back. You were left alone with the strange man who had been staring at you since the moment he arrived.

You awkwardly shifted on the couch when you saw him walking towards you. For some reason your anxiety began to rise the closer he got to you. He simply sat next to you on the couch, a little too close in your opinion, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

You could still feel his eyes burning into the side of your face, but you refused to look up at him. Instead you looked down at your hands in your lap, fiddling with your fingers awkwardly. It was dead silent when he let out a soft chuckle, causing you to jump slightly.

You finally looked up at him, into his eyes, noticing the familiarity of them. You gasped and shifted away slightly. He pulled down the coverings from his face and you trembled in fear. "N-no... No! W-why are you here?!" You felt tears well up in your eyes and your breathing became heavy.

He flashed a smile so innocent at you that anyone who saw it would never expect him to be such a violent and cruel man. However, you knew him differently. "My precious darling, Y/n... I hope you had fun on your little adventure here. It's time to come home."

You shook your head rapidly and stood up, backing away and putting distance between you two. "I- I'm not going anywhere with you, Kei." You backed away to the front door, not taking your eyes off him so you could watch his movements. "You don't have a choice, baby." The sinister smirk he wore sent chills down your spine, but you weren't letting him win without a fight. You fiddled with the doorknob behind your back and once it opened you ran back into the woods, with no sense of where to go.

Anywhere away from him was okay.

You could hear him chasing not far behind you. "Fuck- ouch!" You stepped on a particularly sharp rock, but you couldn't stop, he's faster and has more stamina than you.

The further you ran, the more you felt it getting harder to breathe. You'd been running for a while, and when you turned back you didn't see Kei there. You looked around while trying to catch your breath. You walked and walked and he was no where.

You spotted Nicholas and Euijoo ahead, so you ran to them. "Guys! Please help me!" They looked at you this time with expressionless eyes, "Where'd you run off to, Y/n" Nicholas asked as Euijoo and him moved to both sides of you, each grabbing an arm. "I was.. what are you guys doing..?" You tried to shake them off but they only held onto you tighter. "We're helping you, of course." They walked you back in the direction you came from.

That's when you saw him. You finally realized this whole setup was a trap. "No- Stop, I don't want to go back!" Tears spilled from your eyes again and you used all your strength trying to get Nicholas and Euijoo off of you but they looked unphased and if anything, slightly annoyed.

Kei walked up to you, caressing your cheek softly, before landing a harsh slap across it. More tears fell from your eyes at the stinging pain in your now red cheek. "You should've never run away from me. I trust you know what's going to happen when we get home."

You couldn't even form a reply, the situation causing you to feel drowned in sorrow. He tangled his fingers in your hair, tugging roughly, forcing you to look up at him. You winced at that and his other hand came up to wipe your tears away. "When will you learn..." he sighed and you closed your eyes sniffling softly. You then felt a sharp poke in your neck, your eyes shot open. He injected you with it and within seconds you were out. Nicholas and Euijoo handed you over to him and he carried you back to your "home".

When you woke up, your hands were tied above your head and your mouth was gagged. He had you lying in bed, wearing his favorite little dress. You struggled uncomfortably, huffing at how tight the restraints were.

He walked in to see you squirming in the bed. "Aw, you're awake my love. That's good, I think we need to talk." He climbed on top of you, his hands on either side of your head. He slotted one knee between your legs and kept the other one to your side. Your breathing became rapid in fear and frustration.

He leaned down burrying his nose in your hair, inhaling your scent and sighing in satisfaction. It disgusted you how infatuated he was with you. "You know.." he trailed one of his hands softly along your neck, "you made me really angry with that stunt you pulled." He wrapped his hand around your neck, squeezing and constricting your airflow. Your protests and whines were muffled by the gag and he watched in amusement at the way your hands tried so desperately to get free and stop him.

He tightened his grip causing tears to spill from your eyes yet again, "What's wrong baby? You can't breathe?" He chuckled, removing the gag from your mouth to hear your cries clearly. He let go after another moment, you coughed and gasped catching your breath.

He gripped your jaw harshly, fingers digging into your cheeks. "You're such a pretty little thing tied up like that, baby." He pressed his lips against yours, sucking on your lower lip. You didn't reciprocate the kiss, feeling nauseous from the thought. He bit down on your lip, causing you to flinch and squirm. He pulled a knife from the drawer by the bed, "If you don't kiss me, I'll slit your fucking throat, darling." You gulped and nodded, so when his lips were on yours again, you leaned into it and moved yours against his.

He set the knife down, sliding his hands across your body. He squeezed your boobs through the fabric of your dress, you whined and shut your eyes tight. You writhed beneath him wanting his hands off you. He pressed his knee that was between your legs up against your cunt, "The more you fight, the more I just want to fuck you." You shook your head, pleading with him not to, of course he only laughed in response. "Your body belongs to me, I'll do what I want with it. Besides, I'm in the mood now to have a little fun with you."

"Don't think I've forgotten about your punishment though, it'll just stay postponed until later."

#andteam x reader #yandere andteam #koga yudai #koga yudai x reader #andteam smut #andteam #yandere #yandere scenarios #andteam fanfic #&team k #andteam k #k smut #&team oneshots #andteam imagines #&team imagines #yandere enhypen #enhypen x reader

80 notes · View notes

crimsonsposts · 10 months

Text

PATTING THEIR HEADS | &TEAM

he gets a little stunned. usually he’s the one that does the patting. it feels a little weird to be receiving it from you. he lets you do it though. but he’d stood still, so you’re on tippy toes or standing on things.

fuma

he saw it coming. “y’know I won’t bite right? why are you looking at me like that. go ahead, pat me if you want.” so you did when he lowered his head. he’d close his eyes and enjoy it, he looks peaceful :)

nicholas

is surprised by how much he likes it. when you’re done patting his head, he’s internally screaming, “do it more!!!” he never lets it out unfortunately ㅠ.ㅠ

has become a regular occurrence. you absolutely love the fluffy hair. you want to ruffle it, detangle it, squish it. so you do it all. ej just patiently lets you do whatever you want tbh.

yuma

he was talking a lot. and he has a self-proclaimed healthiest hair ever. of course, you wanted to feel it. and you did. it silenced him immediately. his hair was so thick, you were almost jealous. while yuma just hopes you can’t hear his rapid heartbeat because he feels all fuzzy inside.

he’s so confused when you asked him to lower himself close to you. “lower.” “here?” “little lower.” “like this?” “just a bit more.” and when he finally did, you didn’t hesitate to do it. he can’t help but gape at you the entire time haha.

harua

it was an impulsive moment. he was being cute as usual, so your hand just shoots up and gently pat his head. what you didn’t anticipate was, him immediately mirroring what you’re doing and started patting your head too. so it’s just the two of you giving pats to each other ❤︎

taki

he was especially energetic more than usual and won’t calm down. you’d lazily give him a pat but then he stayed still. so you give him longer pats every now and then when he couldn’t stay still. taki’s used to being baby-ed, so this was nothing new, but he loves receiving it from you the most.

maki

ohh this boy is obsessed! he’d directly request it to you. it’s almost like grooming a massive dog. sometimes you’d comb through his hair with your fingers, other times you’d do it with a hairbrush. he loves it, and you love the smile he flashes whenever you do it, so it’s safe to say the obsession is mutual.

this is my first time writing for &team. hopefully it’s not too bad <3

#&team x reader #&team fanfic #&team scenarios #&team #&team headcanon #&team k #&team fuma #&team nicholas #&team ej #&team yuma #&team jo #&team harua #&team taki #&team maki #andteam

540 notes · View notes

chiiyuuvv · 1 month

Text

amusement park 🎢 h. maki

going out for an amusement date with maki!

bf!maki x fem!reader 0.2k requested

▸ 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺?

Going on an amusement park date with boyfriend!maki includes..

🎡 walking hand in hand down the cool sand paths, your fingers intertwined together as maki’s thumb gently brush the back of your skin

🎡 showing you around the park if it’s your first time in this area, or if you haven’t been to an amusement park before

🎡 playing random games of tag when you’re supposed to be looking at new rides/games

🎡 going to the gift shop to buy loads of matching plushies

🎡 finding a plushie that resembles the other!! Butttt it’s some ugly turtle :/

🎡 playing games to get more plushies

🎡 convincing you to go on a scary ride with him, but by the end of it, he’s hollering like a child on sugar

🎡 waiting in the long line for a seat in the ferris wheel, your hands still intertwined as you rest your head on his shoulder

🎡 getting to the top of the ferris wheel as you stare at the city in awe, but maki only looks at you

🎡 feeling a hand softly brush the hair from your face, placing it behind your ear as time begins to stop

🎡 slowly leaning into the boy of your dreams, ending the night with a feverishly sweet kiss <3

︴bonus! sorry for getting so delulu at the end. some romantic music started playing :/ credit to the discord server for some ideas of what maki and reader should do at the park. posting this since I have a long fic coming up !!

▸ taglist 🎧 @starryriize , @rizzkisworld , @cherrycolaberry

🎬 navi

@chiiyuuvv on tumblr . do not steal works/headers/line dividers

#andteam reactions #andteam imagines #andteam fics #andteam fanfic #andteam fanfiction #andteam fluff #andteam scenarios #andteam x reader #&team #&team x reader #&team fluff #&team fics #&team imagines #&team scenarios #&team maki #andteam maki #maki &team #maki andteam #maki x reader

71 notes · View notes

pieroulette · 10 months

Note

Hello! Can I please request a Nicho one where he comes home after a long day and he is comforted by you? Like he falls down into your arms and you play with his hair until he relaxes against you. Just some comfort fluff

COMFORT IN YOUR ARMS | NICHOLAS. &TEAM

warning : nothing but fluff !! ♡

word count : 1.1k

The door flew open with a dark silhouette casting against the floor.

Nicholas threw his shoes in restless manner and drags himself across the hallway—searching for someone.

“I’m home.” his voice echoed throughout the house, yet no answer was given in return signifying that your presence was nowhere. His exhausted mind deduced that you might be having matters outside and so he decided to wait for you, sprawling himself on the couch. His fluttering eyelashes looks up to the circular motion of the ceiling fan, remnants of how his day went about had him sighing, one that was audible enough to hear in the living room along any other signs of life.

Nicholas tried his best to sleep yet the stress engulfed his head to the point his shutted eyes blew open yet again, darting lazily around the space; observing every object on top of cupboards, shelf, and the table before him. The greeny hues of the plant glint against the marmalade rays peering out from the window, adding more to his perspective of gloomy atmosphere.

The door creaks opened and Nicholas was quick to notice, turning his head over to the entrance—he wanted to stand up and greet you yet his feet remained glued on the carpet, betraying his initial wishes. His body remain limp and firm on the comfort of the couch. Normally he’ll be the first one to open the door for you whenever he heard the audible dangling of your car keys, and yet he didn’t even hear it this time.

“I’m home!” You exclaimed after taking a deep inhale through your nose, excitement fueled your body as Nicholas should’ve been home by now. And he did. There he was with his familiar soft ruffled hair peeking out on top of the couch, that sight itself had you suppressing your giggle as he could be sleeping right now.

“Hey, love.”

Or maybe not, you eliminated the initial idea of pranking him. “How was your day, Nicho?”

“Good, how's yours?” You held the need to frown at the way his voice sounded gloomy, low in volume almost like a breathless sigh.

“Tiring! But it's okay, anyways how was it, your work?” You asked him as you place your coat on the rack, pulling your heels away and placing it neatly in the shoe rack along with Nicholas’.

“Awful.” From the couch, he replied yet in the same low tone but this time with traces of hoarseness in it that had you asking him to repeat it one more time yet he brushes it off and opted to ask instead about something else. Yet you were not letting this go based on how his usual beaming face are now contorted into dull and gloomy expression, one that had your heart drooping in realisation.

“Did something happen?” The couch flattened a few inches down as you seated yourself beside Nicholas’ sprawled form, your lips pursed in concern as you notice the lack of rays within his fixated orbs on the ceiling.

A few beats of silence passed.

You waited in patience, for him to pull himself out from his dull shell, and he notice this as he finally break his prolonged gaze from the ceiling to you, and you didn’t miss how his gaze softened in a miniscule detail that may seem insignificant yet one that your heart wholly catches up in a millisecond, those traces of love never falters despite the lack of speech.

“Just,” He spoke, yet once again in a breathless speech paired with a following sigh. “Quite exhausting.”

That’s all, that’s all he said.

And that was all you needed for you to lean in and wrap your arms around his sprawled form, your other hand pulling his neck for his head to rest on the side of your shoulder. You placed your chin on top of his head, giving him as much physical contact as possible.

This moment was where asking more questions are not needed, probably as you wouldn’t even be able to understand where exactly did it hit him that he became this way today as you two were in a completely different field of work yet it was enough for you to understand why he was this way—that's why a hug was all you can give for him to understand that you are here for him—despite not being able to understand much.

“It’s okay.” Your voice serves as a melodic hymn, soothing to Nicholas’s ear chords—his silent heart skipping a few beats in a rapid speed, swelling it almost immediately. You rubbed his hair in a tender circular motion that had his lips pouting almost immediately. “You did well, no, you did more than great today. So, let’s get our well deserved rest for today, hm?”

Nicholas nodded slightly, indulging himself in his own home—you.

He pushes himself a few more inches closer to you, resting his head deeper on your shoulder despite the already close proximity. You giggled at his neediness for you and at the way his feathery ruffled hair brushes against the side of your neck, the way his long fingers find it’s way around yours, rubbing your palms together that generates an electrifying sensation of romances and comfort. His body heat mingled with yours, producing a safe amount of serotonin boost that manifests its way to the corner of your lips. A physical manifestation that this boy actually existed, right before you, and beside you.

A few beats of silence passed into minutes, no words were exchanged, only manifesting each other’s love through the interlaced hands. His thumb rubbed against finger,

His voice vibrated against your neck causing you to slightly pull away, giggling at the tickleness of it. You caressed his soft hair, hushing him to sleep yet the boy in your arms doesn’t seem to be falling into slumber anytime soon. Yet you didn’t question nor say anything as this silent yet comforting moment weighs in extreme importance for you and him—just you and him, in this home built upon the foundation of bond, love, and mutual understanding.

A serene atmosphere that eventually had you drifting to sleep with your head on top of Nicholas, indulging yourself in this one in a lifetime opportunity of true love.

He notices this as his eyes fluttered open, now a lingering spark floating in his orbs as he slightly lifted his head to take a glimpse at your sleeping face, one that he grew to adore. The corner of his lips arched up in a tiny yet satisfied smile, squirming a little as to let his fingers grabbed the folded blanket on the side of the couch, pulling it to cover on the two of you as silent as he could—in hopes that it would provide you a little warmth as the grey clouds begins to cover the marmalade shade of the skies, and the weather cooling down along with it.

With that, he settles down and interlaces his fingers back into yours, burying his head back on your neck as he drifted back to sleep with the widest smile adorning his lips.

"Thank you, (Name)."

#&team #andteam #andteam nicholas #&team nicholas #&team hard thoughts #&team hard hours #andteam fluff #andteam fanfic #andteam reactions #&team scenarios #&team fluff

201 notes · View notes

yawnzzznnn · 6 months

Text

☆Nicholas Boyfriend Head Cannons☆

☆Special thanks too: Anon, Nicholas, &team

☆Note: still a bit sick but little better I'm pushing this out so I can work on my Christmas requests have them ready for next month

☆TW: mentions of kissing : mentions of jealousy : mentions of possessiveness : mentions of food

☆Taglist: @niohoon @leoonoa @mxlly143

Maki ver

10-29-23

☆Nicholas he's protective but in a cute way not toxic never toxic

☆If you ever bring up how cute he is, he will legit stop all movement and stare at you glaring until you take back what you said...

☆He loves when he lays between your legs and you play with his hair during a movie

☆Nicholas is one of those boyfriends where no matter how uncomfortable he is he refuses to move if your asleep.

☆Like the house could be on fire but he's too busy admiring your peaceful face to notice/too care

☆He would let you around the members as long as they didn't hug you for too long or look at you for too long, if they did in his eyes you'd be dealing with an extremely clingy Nicholas (but when is he not clingy?)

☆On the topic of clingy Nicho is very clingy whenever your around he's immediately attached at your side or your back

☆When it comes to hugs Nicho's favorite are back hugs he likes putting his head on the crown of yours and loves to leave little kisses here and there

☆Just like K, Nicholas also gives his s/o massive princess treatment, he doesn't think you need to do anything if he's there, and he's always there

☆Now unlike K, Nicho won't leave hickies to show your taken but instead for his own pleasure he thinks of it like art

☆He cried the first time you kissed his scar

☆No matter how tough Nicholas seems on the outside he is just a giant baby that needs to be taken care of

☆Nicho would at first refuse to let you meet his parents till things got more serious, since he has strict parents he didn't want to disappoint them by somehow not marrying you

☆Nicholas can't sleep unless he's holding on to some part of you rather it be a little of your hair, your hand, your arm, or your whole body

☆The amount of couple outfits the two of you have.....

☆Your closets are mainly just couple outfits Nicho bought because he wanted too

☆Even if Nicholas is super pissed at you he will treat you like a baby although a bit rougher than normal and with an attitude-

☆To calm a pissed Nicholas you're best bet is to go up and pet his hair and leave kisses all over his face but only the day after the argument

☆If you don't speak any Japanese or Korean he'd be the main translator for you, if he's in the bathroom or something Maki will sit and help

#andteam nicholas #nicholas x reader #nicho #nicholas &team x reader #&team nicholas #nicholas imagines #nicholas &team #&team ff #&team scenarios #&team #&team fanfic #&team fluff #&team imagines #&team x reader #&team soft hours #&team Nicholas x reader #x reader #&team headcanons

354 notes · View notes

seungkwanslowqualityenglish · 4 months

Text

Tides of the Soul

✿ Synopsis: All places have their secrets and mythos. Some places the mythos come with a grain of salt, the idea of reality blurring with imagination, sparking the joy within the lives of the residents. But, sometimes those myths are not as imaginary as one would assume, they being the cornerstone of society within your small island home. As you find yourself the owner of the coat of a selkie, thoughts are torn between two extremes of what to do, as you find yourself falling in love with the one who is unwillingly bound to your soul.

✿ Who: Asakura Jo (&Team) x Reader ✿ Word Count: 11,462 ✿ Genre: Fantasy(selkie)/Angst/Fluff/Sad ✿ Warnings: Forced marriage. ✿ Request: No ✿ Enjoy.

At the age of nine your father disappeared into the night. Without a word, he was gone. Living in a small coastal sea town, you had grown used to the amount of people that would go out to sea and never return. The sheer number of young widows turned the town into a hotspot for men wanting to settle down with people that already had an established life. And even more grim, a hotspot for funeral homes, after all the easiest funeral to hold is one where there is not a body for the directors to worry about or get ready. Whole streets consisted of numerous stores dedicated to selling items related to mourning, entire stores full of nothing but sorry for your loss cards, and shop fronts advertising their lines of all black children’s and adult’s clothing.

Children grow up associating every ship sailing as a forever goodbye. Their fathers and brothers going out to sea, and oftentimes never being seen alive again. Returning is rarer than those who get lost at sea. The rarity of returns often lead to large celebrations, ending in the whole town wasted and destroyed, a cost that the town can afford seeing how sparingly the sailors return. Losing a father or brother is something that all children are raised to expect, along with losing a step-father or step-brother, and in some cases multiple step-fathers. The reality of seeing a struggling single mother is more common than seeing a happily married couple, and the rarest of all being a father. The torental sea claims the lives of most that attempt to conquer it, ships and people embracing the waves, just to never be seen again. The waves claimed each ship, like an offering to some sea gods, or sinking each ship like an angered sea god, punishing those who were foolish enough to trek out onto their territory. A way of living associated with death and loss, something that even the youngest of children are accustomed to.

At the age of nine your mother had no attempts to provide you any sort or form of closure regarding your father. A midnight voyage, she called it, claiming he just decided to up and leave, working is better in the dark, she claimed he said. But, she changed the story every time you asked, a fishing trip, a work trip, a midnight voyage, a sailing trip, and running away from their family, being too ashamed to ask for a divorce, and many other stories she would tell. It all made no sense when you were nine, and now as a young adult, it made even less sense. His ship was not outfitted to be a fishing vessel, he would not have been foolish enough to make a voyage without notifying his family of where he was going, and he also was not stupid enough to go on a fishing trip without at least including his friends or his working buddies.

There were many things your father was, sometimes not the best dad, sometimes forgetful of important things and events, and sometimes it felt like he was not completely there, but there was one thing that he was not, and that was stupid. You never believed the claims of a midnight voyage, the late night fishing trip, a late night work trip, and especially never believed your mothers claims that he was cheating and left to be with the other woman. He would not have left you. He never would or could have, if he really did leave for you, you know that he would have had you right alongside. He wouldn’t have left you like your mother claimed, he wasn’t that type of father. He loved you more than he loved his own wife, and he made sure that you knew that small fact.

The town newspaper had become an obituary and in memoriam paper, with the sheer amount of death by sea in the area vastly outnumbering the number of current and positive events happening in the town. As you tossed the paper on the table, all you could think was about how at this point they might as well make it a solely death related paper, after all out of the 30 pages, only 3 were about things that are not death. 27 pages of obituaries and in memoriams, compared to a single page on current events, and then two pages of ads. Looking down at the paper, starting to wonder why your mother had gotten it today, she never bought the paper, saying it was too grim, too dark for her. Reading through the pages with nothing more than a quick glance on each, you finally saw the reason why on one of the backpages. Within the block text was a name that looked familiar, it finally hit you after a few moments, it was your father’s name. It brought back the memories of when you were nine, your mom keeping you home from school to break the news, despite it being almost eleven years ago, the member was fresh in your mind, like it only happened yesterday. The pain you felt as your mother said he was lost at sea flooded your mind, how only the figurehead from the bow of his ship was found, how it washed ashore in the wee hours of daylight, and how it meant more than likely your father was gone now. The anniversary of his death always affected you much worse than your mother, she showed no emotion, but also at this point she not only had your father to mourn, but also two other husbands she had lost to the sea since then, luckily step-dad three had yet to suffer the same fate, but you also knew it was only a matter of time.

It was none other than her voice that knocked you from your reverie, as she called you from elsewhere in your house. Going upstairs, you failed to find her, before you finally realized she was calling you from the rarely used attic, a room you were forbidden from entering as a child, and hadn’t sought entry to even as an adult. Climbing up the rickety old steps, you found yourself face to face with a slew of dusty boxes thrown about, materials collected from your mother’s various marriages, old antiques passed down through the line, and old toys of your own that you could have sworn she said they donated. It did not take long for you to find the reason you came up here, your mother standing on the far edge, surrounded by boxes, elbow deep digging through one.

Without even announcing your entry, she seemed to know that you had entered, starting to talk without even acknowledging your entry with a look. “Do you recall all those old myths and folklore that I taught you as a child?” she started, with an innocent enough question, “I want you to tell me what you remember.’

It was an odd request, the folklore, of course you remember it, well some of it, but not all of it. You can recall the tales of the fairies and the fae, the mermaids and mermen, the sirens and the dwarfs, and many others. “What tale is it you want specifically,” you start to ask your mother, “there are so many, you need to be specific.” The tall tales were something you remember vividly, the glorious image your mother and father had painted in your mind as a young child, something that you failed to forget. Memories of how passionate your father was as he spoke of these creatures, a fresh memory in your mind, it was hard to forget, how he was so descriptive with his words, helping you easily paint a vivid scene, from just the stories.

“Start telling them,” her voice called out from across the attic, “I’ll let you know when you get to the right one.” Of course there was a specific tale she wished for you to tell, but making it hard as she always did, she refused to tell you just which one. It was almost as though she liked playing the guessing game, or maybe she just liked telling you that you were wrong, both were valid answers to the question when your mother was the subject.

With the plethora of tales, you had no idea where you intended to start, maybe the sea tales, or maybe the mountain tales, or the plain tales, or maybe the air tales, or maybe just cycling through them all until she finally says yes. “The fairies lay claim to the wooded forest on the forbidden side of the island,” you started, only to hear her grunt in disapproval. One tale down, but still you had many many many others to go through. “The dwarfs and gnomes are rumored to have lived in the foothills, building homes within the small rocky hills, where no one dares to roam,” once again it was met with disapproval. “The goblins that live on the forest edge, taking a liking to being around the farms, occasionally stealing livestock and being mischievous, but they are also known for helping out those same farmers in their time of need.” Once again, wrong. “The giants, it is said, made homes in the mountains, atop the tallest ones, where the village people knew better than to go.” As your mother started to grunt, you carried on, “the kelpies lived upon the lake side. The fae lay claim to where no fairy would cross.” She continually cut you off, but you continued. “The mermaids swim upon the rivers and the beach’s cove, guardians to those on land, savior of young children that fall into the water, and aiding those lost at sea back.” Finally, your mother made a noise of approval, but still did not confirm it was the right tale, meaning you had reached the right location of the tale, but not the right tale. “Sirens would lay posed against the jagged rocks surrounding the dangerous whirlpools and treacherous rock spines, singing of the sailors most sought after desires, whether it be material items or others, their beautiful singing alluring the sailors to their death.” Seeing your mother shake her head, you were almost at a snapping point, what other tale was there, what could it be your mother wanted to hear, the Loch Ness perhaps, or maybe the tales of the mermen. “What story is it you want then? I’ve gone through everyone that I know, that I can remember at least. Just tell me which tale it was you were looking for, since I have the faintest clue which tale it is that you want.” You finally admit to your mother, somewhat defeated, after all which tale was it she wanted, seeing how all of them failed to satisfy her need for a tale.

A deep groan came from the attic corner, as you maneuvered your way through the stuffy and dusty room over to your mom. “There is one more tale that you forgot, or maybe I never taught it to you. That couldn’t be it, I know I taught you about it, you were just a foolish child who probably forgot it.” She started, being quick to insult you, it was not anything new, anyone that stayed around your mother for a prolonged period of time was bound to realize how narcissistic she was. “Was it not as memorable as the others, what I taught you about it had no tales of death or epic stories building up to an amazing climax. It was just a simple creature that consumed the whole tale, nothing extravagant, and nothing more than that.” She started, for a moment you thought that she just was not going to tell you what it was she wanted, yet at least for once she told you what it was that she wanted. “You recall the tales of the selkie, now don’t look at me like that you child. They were brief tales, as a child there wasn’t much to teach you about the creature.” Pausing, she looked up finally, almost like she was expecting a reply, but you knew better, as she continued. “The selkies are a simple creature, they are seals, but upon shedding their skin turn human. That much I remember telling you, the basics, since as a child you need not know more of the lore than that. But you’re an adult now, and I think it’s time you learn the rest of the tale.” Your mother finished. As she finished, you could say with complete certainty that the woman never told you tales about selkies, but you also knew telling her that would not bode well in your favor. She continued searching before finally finding what it was in the box that she was looking for. Standing up she shows you a worn fur coat, before making her way across the room to where you stood.

“The rest of the tale?” you questioned, your voice trailing off. It was odd, just this whole situation. Being in the attic was odd occurrence number one. Demanding you to recall folklore was odd occurrence number two. Your mother needing to so desperately tell you about the tales of the selkie was odd occurrence number three. Now your mother is fishing out an old fur coat that looked like it hadn’t been worn in years, just to show it to you as she told you tales of the island’s mythology, odd occurrence number four. This was just a bit too much, after all your mother is one of those strong but silent types, you can recall her losing no tears over your father’s fate, nor any of the step-father’s fates that came afterwards. She was one of those ‘I’ll keep my feelings all bottled up in here, and then one day I’ll die types’, this was so unlike her, but it somehow intrigued you. The idea that your mother had some deep dark secret hidden up here in the boxes was interesting, and the idea that your mother seemed to have something major to tell you, led you to sit down next to her. The floor was cold and the room was damp, but the fact that she seemed to clear an area for you to sit, tells you that she had known what she was doing this dark morning.

Wordlessly your mother handed you the jacket, allowing you to see the fine brown fur. It was an aging article, the fur started to fall as it touched your hand, almost like it was disintegrating under your touch. She allowed you to study it, only speaking as she noticed you hold it up, almost as though you were to try it on. She could understand why you would think she wanted you to do that, usually when a family heirloom article of clothing is passed down, that is expected, but not with this jacket, not ever. “No, don’t, my child. You don’t want to try this on.” She reached out, pushing the jacket down, causing it to fall in both your lap and her own. “Now, you recall what I was telling you about, the tales of the selkies, how they shed their pelt and turn human, well it’s a bit more complicated than that. The selkies, their pelt is what lays claim to their soul, a soul that will be bound to whoever places the pelt upon their body. Folktales tell of ladies in the old days, often these would be ladies of the night or unmarried wenches, they would find these fine fur coats upon the ground at the beach, desiring the small bit of luxury that they often would not have been able to afford out of their meager wages, they would put the coat on, even if just to experience their desires of having the money to afford such a luxury. Oftentimes, they however would not place the fur back where it once was, instead their minds luring them to take it, to make it their own, since after all if the owner truly loved the fur, why would they leave it at the beach. Yet, these stories never ended there, instead they would be lured to the sea in the middle of the night, awaiting being the owner of the pelt, male or female awaiting the one they are now bound to. Placing the pelt on your body is like the mark of a soulmate, however there is often no love actually involved, often only desires to return to the sea and loveless marriages.” She said, pausing, like she was wondering how to finish the tale.

Looking at your mother’s face, you realize she is far from done, “From the look on your face, I assume there is more?” You ask, only to sigh as she nods.

Continuing her stories, she softly takes the fur from your hands, at that point it was completely in her lap, as she clinched it between both hands. “While tales tell of women happening upon these pelts by accident, there are also tales of how men happen upon these pelts. Sailors would wait upon the decks, watching the water, looking for things in specific, young women, especially attractive young women, then they would search for furs. To many of these men, pelts were a way to basically get a servant, a woman who would wait on your every beck and call, someone to manipulate that wouldn’t fight back, someone that they knew the law wouldn’t side with. These selkies would become their wives, but wives is a word that is too generous, oftentimes they were nothing more than servants, they would appease their husbands each and every whim, meals, housework, cleaning, and whatever they may want in the bedroom. Some of these men would even have multiple selkie wives, stealing each and every pelt they came upon. As the selkies aged, they would often be replaced by younger ones, over and over again until the sailors felt the need to get rid of them. Stories tell of men that had whole basements constructed for the housing of their unwanted wives, leaving the aged selkies to rot, refusing to let go of them, but also refusing to let them leave, a truly greedy thing some of these men would do. However, some were much more lucky, gaining their freedom, they were able to escape, however unable to return to the sea without their pelt. Some selkies were able to gain access to their pelts, finding them in hidden places and old boxes, returning to the sea before their husband had even realized they found it. But for many, the fate was much more grim, selkies rotting away in houses, longing to escape servitude, escape their loveless marriages, and dreaming to escape to the sea they so longed for. For a selkie, both male and female, once bonded, there is only one way to break the bond and allow them to return to the sea, and that is with their pelt. From the moment another puts it on, they are bonded to them until they get it back, once it returns to them, and they are able to wear it once more, they can return to the sea, back to their original form, and the partner they were once bonded with, the bond is broken, only able to be repaired if they once again gain access to the pelt and put it on, something that usually would never happen, they gained their freedom and wouldn’t return, instead warning the other selkies to stay away, in hopes of the same thing won’t be happening to them.” She finished, finally making eye contact with you, waiting to see your reaction as she slowly ran her hands over the slowly decaying fur.

Nodding your head, you wracked your brain, trying to think of when she had told you about this. But you can up with a blank, she had not ever mentioned selkies, nor did your father. Until today they were a creature you had yet to hear of, which was odd, especially seeing how your mother claims they related so deeply with the island’s culture and all. “That’s a bit grim,” you finally started, “they would take random furs in the hopes it was a selkie’s fur?” Looking up, you saw your mother nod her head. It was just a strange thing to say, they would steal and wear fur, in hopes they would get a husband or wife, an odd lore it was, possibly the oddest that you had learned regarding the island. “You said they aren’t bonded until they wear the fur, so does that mean that they are just like selkies out there without any fur, just like swimming around like mermaids or something?” You question, seeing how if your mother wanted to take the tale this far, you would just encourage her some more.

A short laugh came from your mother’s mouth. “Of course you would think of a question that isn’t covered in the story,” she started, “yet, I would assume that they do. If they lived on land, I’m sure we would realize this person with no family, home, or anything on land. Selkies are seals that can turn humans, so one would assume that they do, since seals like, have tails right?” she asked, before carrying on, taking it upon herself to preemptively answer any other questions you might have. “You might also wonder about destroying their fur, after all that was a question I had when your grandmother told me about this, but the many tales say different things. Some claim it destroys the bond, leaving the selkie feeling as though they will die if they don’t reach water within the hour, many dying from not making it. While others say it retains the bonds, but leaves the selkie unable to ever leave, they will stay bonded to that person forevermore. Yet, some tales say destroying the fur is equivalent to destroying the person, they will cease to exist, some say their memories are erased from your mind, while others claim memories of them remain but they just disappear.” she said, looking up once more. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but you know that I wouldn’t be telling you this if it wasn’t important. If it wasn’t something you need to know, especially before mother gets here.”

This was when confusion started to set in, something you needed to know before grandma got here. Why was she coming over today, why did you need to know another one of the island's tall tales before her visit, what was even going on. “Why, how is this important, is grandma gonna test me on my knowledge of our folklore or something?” you started to question, “Is she gonna ask me the selkies lore and then if I mess up be like, well you are out of my will now, or something?” it was confusing, why was it so important. These were just stories you were told as a kid, they held no importance in the adult world, except for things to tell your future children if you had any.

“It is a bit confusing my dear, but you just need to trust me, it will all make sense before long.” Was all your mother said, before she stood picking up the fur and folding it once more, well folding what was left of it. She placed it back into the dusty decaying box, closing it with a look as though that will be the last time it sees daylight. Looking over to her child, she gestures to the door. “Let’s go back downstairs, we can make some tea and snacks and wait for mother to arrive, before we continue this.”

You followed almost on autopilot, the only thing you felt at the moment was confusion, why was it so important for you to know all of this, what did grandma have to do with this, and why was all that junk shoved into the attic. These were all thoughts that ran through your mind as you went downstairs, starting to help your mother prepare for grandma’s visit. Tea in the kettle, some sandwiches and cookies placed on the platter, next to a platter of fruits and vegetables you knew would remain untouched, since your grandmother was not the time to indulge in fruits or vegetables, she would rather eat things she likes. There was one thing she always said ‘I won’t waste my caloric intake on foods I don’t like’, for being almost eighty she sure was a rowdy and rough one, bold enough to never back down from a fight, and a mouth that would make even a seasoned sailor blush.

It wasn’t long before you heard the door open, followed by a loud yell, “NOW WHERE ARE MY SWEETIES,” she yelled out. It was not something that phased you, she had a habit of calling everyone sweetie, it was often in a sweet way, but it always made you laugh when she would use it condescendingly, making people think she was some innocent little old lady, when those who knew her, know she is anything but. It wasn’t long before the kitchen door flew open, in walked a kaleidoscope of colors, she might be known for her boldness, and that even bled into her fashion taste, nothing matched, but she’d be damned if you could not recognize her from miles away. “Oh, you made some tea, did you make it how I like?” she questioned, seeing your mother nod, she accepted the answer, turning her attention to you. “Oh, look at you dearie, what are you now, thirty or so,” she started, acting like she couldn’t remember your age for a moment there, but you knew how smart she was, she wasn’t the type to forget birthdays or ages. “My, you’ve shot up like a beanstalk, well at least compared to me. My my my, my dearie, you’re all grown up now, twenty, it only seems like yesterday that you were a sweet babe crying in my arms. You were just a wee little one, now you’ve gone and all grown up on me, but you’re still my sweet little babe, no matter how old you get.” She said, taking your hand, leading you over to the table, wanting you to sit next to her. Leading you to a seat, she took her own, simply stirring her tea as your mother brought it over.

You were at a loss of words, it was not like your grandmother to get overly affectionate, she was not the doting grandmother many others had. Your earliest memory of her, was being three and she teaching you the f-word, you will never forget how red your mother became when you told her the word granny taught you, she always said if you were to inherit anything of hers, it should be her ability to make even the toughest of sailors blush within a few moments, but your mother nipped that in the bud rather quickly. As you looked over at your grandmother from your seat, you stirred your tea, unable to think of how to address this. The odd stories, the whole it’s important thing, it was just not making any sense to you. Luckily, it seemed as though your mother started to realize you were not going to say anything, so she piped up first.

“Now mother, we all know you love us, but would you maybe want to get along with it.” She said, taking a sip of her tea, “I know how much you like to spin your tales, a simple story turns into an hour long tangent, but I think the child here might be a bit too nervous for you to drag them along much longer.” Your mother said, placing a cube of sugar delicately into the tea cup, before stirring it, leaving it up for your grandmother to tell what was so important.

Grandmother was not used to taking orders, especially orders from one of her own offspring, but finally upon seeing the shade of white washing down your face, as you seemingly got cold chills, she decided to get straight to the point. “Now dearie, as you know all families have secrets, some are innocent while some are not so innocent. I mean, Mrs. Shepard down the street, her family to this day makes and sells backwoods moonshine, not that you heard it from me but it’s not strong enough. Then you remember your old school teacher, Mr. Barnes, his great grandfather was accused of kidnapping and murdering dozens of young women, he never got tried or caught, but most of us know it was true, after all he was the police chief and it was odd that each officer that accused him would end up dead by day's end. But besides that, some families have tales of murder and betrayals, while some have tales of bootleg liquor and drunks. Yet, there is another subsection of this, those who have something a bit more magical and mythical in their bloodline.” She started, drinking a bit of her tea before continuing. “You know, the imagination is a wondrous thing, it can help you create crazy stories and extravagant myths, but not every tale is as imaginary as you may think. Some things are just a bit too wild, a bit too crazy, a bit too detailed, a bit too described for them to be fake, for them to just be something created in someone’s head. They often call them myths, tales passed down from generation to generation, yet only those which are short and memorable really ever survive without being written down. Tales of giants that live in the mountains, are not true in the slightest. Tales of fae that trap humans down in the forest, not true as well. Stories of gnomes in the valley, once more, nothing more than a myth. But some tales are true, yet many may not know it.” She said, stopping once more, starting to drink her tea and eat some snacks. With the amount of talking she was going to have to do, explaining everything, she started to drink and eat, making sure to keep her energy up.

Looking at your grandmother, you had no idea how to process what you had just been told. Myths, real, unlikely. There were just so many things that don’t make sense, how would this not have been such a big thing, media coverage from all over the world now, if it was true at least. “But, what do you mean, there isn’t any way any of it can be true. I mean if it was why wouldn’t everyone know about it, someone would leak it, or tell the press. The worldwide media would be all over it, if it was true.”

Grandmother instead ignored your questions, carrying on as though you had said nothing. “To cut the bullshit short, there are two main myths that most don’t realize are real on our little island. The tales of the sirens and selkies, I know, how cute, water creatures for our little water surrounded home, but have you ever wondered how some show up with spouses that just manage to appear out of thin air, or how there are still some parts of the sea we have yet to map. How so many sailors disappear out at sea, but their spouses soon rebound with another like nothing ever happened. Oftentimes those sirens sink our ships, killing our men with their songs about their greatest desires, whether that be other women or something as stupid as a chocolate chip cookie. Selkies however are a bit more interesting, people find their furs, keeping them for when husband one or two or three or however many disappear at sea, then they have a quick and easy way to rebound, of course for the sake of the children.” she said, saying it like it was nothing, like she was not just dropping a ton of family lore information on you all at once. “Yet, dearie, our family is a bit different. We don’t use those furs as rebounds or even sometimes purposely send our husbands out on ships we know are going into the siren infested areas, yet we are involved in these myths in a secret way. I can’t tell you how far it goes back, but I remember stories from my mother about how her grandmother did this for her, how her grandmother did it for her, and how her grandmother did it for her, and here I am doing it for you.” She said, leaving off on another cliffhanger as she started to shovel food in her mouth once more.

“You probably haven’t noticed, but few in our family still remain married to their first spouse, and there is a reason for that. For as far back as I can remember, and as far back as our family has been told, our children’s first spouse is always one of mythical origins, that’s why oftentimes our families are small, it gives those my age a bit less work to do. Your father was one, your mother’s father was one, my own mother was one, and so forth. Each of us have more in common than just being related, all of us are related to selkies in some way. I know, it’s a lot to take in, but I’d rather give it to you in one big dose than in many smaller doses..” Grandma says, stopping for a second as she sees the confused look in your eyes, taking your hand, she runs her calloused thumb against the back of your hand, trying to calm you a bit before continuing. “Every time a child turns the age of twenty, their grandmother or grandfather will present them a fur that they’ve saved for them, the fur is of a selkie, the selkie which will be your first spouse. It’s a family tradition of sorts, it first started back when few lived on the islands, a way to escape the idea of marrying into your own blood, but before long it became the standard for our family, and will be the standard for you my child.”

As grandmother stopped, you looked between your mother and her horrified. “So let me get this straight, you just like steal some poor selkie’s fur and give it to your child, and we just like to get stuck with them, no way out, no exit, I just have to pass go and collect 200, I don’t get a choice in this.” You said, pulling your hand from your grandmother’s grasp, as they both nodded. “No. No, this is complete bullshit, I’m not just gonna marry someone I’ve never met, someone that I don’t love, just for some stupid tradition. Do I not matter? Do my feelings not matter? Does finding someone I actually love and care for do not matter to you?” You yelled, standing up, anger and disgust starting to build from what you had just heard. “Do I not matter? Did you only have a child to carry on this stupid archaic tradition, this barbaric thing? Did you ever think maybe they don’t want this either, you are stealing them from their life for something they didn’t want. Maybe they don’t want it either, and neither do I.” You yelled, finally having enough you ran out of the house, leaving your grandmother and mother yelling after you.

Leaving, you knew it was the better option than blowing up even worse. It was hard to think about, they planned on marrying you off to whoever’s pelt your grandmother had stolen. They planned on stealing them away from the life they lead, from the life they held, just to throw them in yours. You just found yourself running out of the house, running along the seaside until you found a small cliff on the beach, taking refuge in the rocks under the overhang. Finally you could start to try to make sense of everything they were telling you, but no matter how much you thought of it, none of it made sense. Selkies and sirens being real, what is next mermaids and the loch ness monster being real, maybe they’ll just tell you all those little myths you heard as a kid were real, since why the hell not, if a few are, all must be.

Part of your brain was hoping this was all just some elaborate prank, some idea your grandmother and mother came up with to prank you before your birthday celebration or something. But, deep down you knew it was anything but, neither of them were the pranking type, and neither would put this much effort into some old prank. They were both too serious for anything like that, and honestly even in the deepest pits of your soul, you knew they would not drop this. The small cliff was your refuge for who knows how many hours, you sat there while the sun was high in the sky, it was lower on the horizon when you finally made your way home. Rather than possibly chance talking to your mother and grandmother, you decided to run into the house and right up to your bedroom, avoiding them both for the best. However, as you made your run, you were too slow, they already knew you were there.

“Oh, so you finally came to your senses,” grandmother said snarkily as she watched you try to run in the house. Both her and mother knew you would make a break for it if you could, so they knew it would be best to intercept you before you finally could make it to the bedroom. A room where you probably would not come out of, they both knew how easily you would lock yourself up until this blew over. But sadly, this was not going to blow over, there was no punchline to this horrible joke, and they were not going to drop this topic.

Seeing your mother blocking the staircase as you heard a lock click, a sound that seemed to be coming from the front door. You could hear your mother’s sigh, it seemed as though she had taken over the whole discussion from your grandmother. “Dear, I know you don’t like this, but you have no decision on the topic. The only choice you get to make is are you going to do it willingly, or will we have to force it upon you while you are sleeping,” she said, “and don’t think we are joking, you won’t be the first person to have the fur shoved upon them while they slumber.”

A short laugh left your lips, looking between your mother and grandmother, thinking they can not be serious. But, they did not laugh, they just glowered at you, making it finally hit you, this is not a joke, they are not joking, and they are being completely serious. “Well then, I guess you’ll have to find a way to make me do it, since I can not and will not willingly put it on, no matter what you say and what you do,” you said, quickly pushing past your mother, starting upstairs.

Your mother attempted to stop you, gripping your wrist, but let it drop as you started to tug your arm. “That didn’t go how I wanted it to,” she muttered to your grandmother, “I guess we’ll have to plan something,” your mother started to say, her voice trailing off as you made it to your bedroom door.

As you enter your room, locking the door, you could not help but think of what they had said, do it or we will make you. The words resounded in your head, you really had no choice, it was take a spouse or we will force you to take a spouse. Checking the door one last time, fatigue finally hit you, and you wanted to make sure that neither woman would be coming into your room to force a coat you do not desire upon you. Satisfied that the door is locked, you fell asleep, unbeknownst to you, that they were planning something downstairs.

The planning of your mother and grandmother was quick, wait until you sleep, unlock your door, since they knew it would be locked, and force the coat on you. The plan was easier said than done, but honestly they both expected some resistance from you, you were never the ideal child, always wanting to go your own way, blaze your own path, they hated it. Why would you not just follow along like a good child and do as they told you to, it would make both your life and their lives easier, but you were too headstrong for your own good.

It was nearing midnight when they put their plan into action. You were out, and they were fast. The jacket had been forced onto your body and removed so quickly, you would have had no idea it happened had it not been for you waking to your bedroom light on and door open. It broke your heart to see that your mother and grandmother had done this, unable to accept your desires to be freed from the stupid and archaic family tradition they hold so dear. As morning came, you slipped out of the house without a word to either of them, wanting to just run as far as you could.

Coming upon the cliff that overlooks the ocean by your house, you just sat, watching the waves as they rolled, the seagulls flying about, and the boats going over the horizon, to probably never return home again. Had you been staring downwards, you would have seen him exiting the water. The distance between him and the owner of his coat had been too far for him to leave the water to find them, however as you sat on the cliff, the distance was closer, allowing him to sense your nearness. The male exited the water, pulling on a discarded shirt and pair of shorts that some man had left laying on the rock faces to dry. He then started the trek towards where his soul told him that yours sat, venturing up the rocks and the grassy cliff. For it being his first time officially on the island, he was mostly just confused, he had never gone this far from the beach. He should have honestly never left the water, but curiosity got the best of him, and that’s how your grandmother was able to steal his coat with such ease.

His footsteps were what you heard first, they let you know someone was nearing you, and you knew it had to be whoever the poor soul that was bound to you was. Standing, you took his figure in first, he was tall and honestly quite handsome in the face. If you had met in other circumstances, you would have probably attempted to make a move, but given the circumstances you were under, that idea quickly left your mind.

Looking him in the eye, you felt confused, angered, and just lost. You did not plan on putting on his fur, you did not plan on ever having to see a fur again, you just did not want this one bit. But, of course your grandmother was not joking as she wrestled the fur onto your body as you were half asleep, she especially was not joking after your initial refusal, no one ever said no, and she was not going to let you start. This was not what you wanted, and you knew this was not what he wanted, being bound to some complete stranger for the rest of his life. Part of you just wanted to return the fur, but you had no idea where they had hidden it, your mother probably knew you would just give it back if they left it with you, you can not exactly blame them for thinking ahead well enough to know what you would do. Yet, here you stood now, no fur in hand, just him standing across from you, while you rack your brain of what to do.

First they throw this whole selkie thing on you, then they throw out that your father was a selkie, then they add a little spice and say you have to marry a selkie as well. Generation after generation, your family married selkies, it was a family tradition at this point, but some traditions are meant to be broken, and this is one you wish was. Your family had expected you to accept it without any second thoughts, to just fall in love with this selkie man or woman and get married and have children and just the whole nine yards like they did. You wanted to be the last subjected to this bizarre tradition, but part of you at the same time, did not want it to end. That forbidden part of you had started to feel for him, feelings that you swore you would never feel, feelings that you swore to yourself would never happen. You could not fall for him, you would not fall for him, and you will not under any circumstance love him.

While you were having your moral dilemma, Jo was mostly confused, he had not been in this human world long enough to adjust to anything. He mostly knew of tales from the others, and stories for those few that returned. He did not completely understand why you seemed to hold such a disdain for him, why you did not seem to like him so much. He had not done anything for you to hate him so much, and if he had, he did not know what it could have been.

The start of the relationship was rocky, as any relationship with someone you just met and was told is your spouse would be. Weeks were spent under the watchful eye of your mother and grandmother, the two of them wanting to make sure you could be trusted before giving you any semblance of freedom. Being monitored day in and day out was something you hated, and while you knew little about the man you were spending that time with, you felt he probably hated it as well. Once you had gained their trust, after the first month, your grandmother gifted you her oceanside cottage, claiming it was the perfect place for a young couple to grow closer, but you knew their real motives, the perfect place for a young couple to start a family. That was all they really wanted, another child or two of you could continue this tradition.

Living with Jo was awkward at first, he was unsure how to act around humans, and how to live as one. Meanwhile you were trying to keep assure him you did not want this either, but you always felt like those words meant nothing to him. The way he’s glance at you was almost like he was thinking otherwise, but you ignored it, marking it off as he just not knowing how to show his true feelings around a human.

Throughout time, the two of you grew closer, and Jo became comfortable with the idea of living with you forever. On weekend mornings you would teach Jo how to make various breakfast foods and how to use the appliances around the house, introducing him to a variety of foods he had never seen, pancakes, waffles, and all other sorts of things. Weekday nights, the two of you would make dinner tonight, Jo usually trying the best he can to help. From cooking to cleaning, you had to show him everything, which was expected, it was not like he exactly cleans the kitchen in the sea.

The days passed and the two of you started to feel closer than just two people living together. Moments became more domestic, Jo replicating what he had seen couples do on the television shows and movies you would have him watch with you. He would wrap his arms around your waist as you cooked dinner, chin resting on your shoulder. If anyone was gazing in through the open curtains they would have assumed the two of you were a cute loving couple, and honestly, part of your heart was wishing you were as well. Throughout the days, you started to fall, he was kind with you, gentle with his motions, and it was everything you wanted, but not with him, not like this. The thoughts of finding someone you would love with your whole heart who would love you back was something you always fantasized about as a child, as most people would. The idea of true love being the desire of many, but you did not desire to feel these feelings with someone that you knew would never love you. As long as you were the soul he was bound to, he would never love you, you knew he would only see you as the owner of his coat, and that if given the chance he would have taken it without a second thought and escaped back into the sea. But, as you started to fall, you only wished there was a way to stop, since by the time your heart hit the floor it would be too late.

Time passed, the two of you becoming even more domestic, the ideal of a perfect couple still in the honeymoon phase. But, with each movement and motion, your heart fluttered, the butterflies in your stomach would erupt, letting you know that when you finally allowed him to be free as he should be, it would hurt you more than you would want to admit.

Mornings were spent cuddled up in bed, his arm holding you to his chest, the position felt so familiar, so comfortable. His presence brought you comfort, but that might have just been because of the whole bound souls thing, so ignoring those feelings were what you did most of the time. Midday would be spent enjoying lunch on the beach with him. The two of you would prepare lunch, then enjoy a picnic on the beachside, unless it was raining. His hand fit into yours just like a puzzle piece finding its match, the way he could easily envelope both of your hands within a single one of his made your heart skip a beat each time, as he would easily wrap his fingers around your own, your heart would skip a beat. Evenings were spent laying in his arms, back resting against his chest as his arms pulled you closer, with his chin resting on your shoulder. The feeling of being in his arms was euphoric, the feeling was one that one would assume to only feel while in the grasp of their one true love, but you knew better than to become accustomed to the joy you felt within his grasp.

Watching movies until late at night became a normal routine for the two of you. Jo would lay with you in his arms, the television playing some random movie that would captivate his attention, until either the two of you would fall asleep or you would. When you would fall asleep, usually you would wake up in your bed, Jo having carried you there, knowing it is a more comfortable place to sleep. Other times the two of you would awake on the couch in the morning, complaining about back pain and saying you need to make it to the bed next time, knowing you would just repeat the same actions all over again. Tonight the movie on the television was a generic romance movie, the couple falling in love, facing trials and tribulations, before finally kissing and living happily ever after.

Watching the movie, it was nothing that left a mark on your mind, the stereotypical romance movie being something you have seen many times before, however for Jo, each movie was like a new look into how humans lived, how they acted, how they loved. Watching as the two main characters laid arm in arm, reminded him of the two of you, how you sat against his chest in that moment. Their actions were things he often replicated, hugging you, cuddling you, resting his chin against your shoulder, holding your hands, and so forth. As the two main characters kissed, the thought came to his mind, maybe you would like that.

When his coat was first stolen, he heard stories from the other selkies that he would be miserable, that he would be bound to someone that probably just wanted a servant. He had feared that, the stories from the others being all he had known about humans. The tales of them stealing coats, binding you to them, before turning them into nothing more than unpaid help, unable to leave, unable to have what they want, just stuck doing whatever their owner wants them to for eternity, until they either find their coat and escape or die.

But, Jo was shocked when he saw the person his heart was bound to, expecting an aging person, he was surprised to find that they were his own age. He was shocked even more when he found out they did not want this either, the story you told him about how your mother and grandmother forced his coat onto you in your sleep. Throughout the time with you, he started to feel these odd feelings, feelings like he did not want to leave you, like he enjoyed being here, enjoyed being with you. Replicating what he saw on television, what the couples would do, it all felt so natural to him. The feeling of you in his arms was a wonderful thing, something he did not think he should enjoy, but he oddly did. As the movie you were watching caught his attention, he found himself wondering once more, as he replicated all these things he viewed on television with you, he had never done that. Watching the two main characters kiss, he gazed down at your face, as your head rested on his shoulder. He started to wonder if he should do it, before finally deciding to just do it, assuming you would like it, seeing how you seemed to react positively to all the other actions he has done after seeing the loving couples on television do them.

Reaching down, you felt a soft grasp on your chin, his hand easily tilting your head up to face his own. His lips first met your forehead, a gentle kiss on your forehead, it was comforting. The motion filled your stomach with butterflies, as you could feel yourself falling more and more into his embrace, falling deeper and deeper in love with the man who you knew could never love you back. His lips did not stop there, the next time you felt them on your skin was as his lips brushed against your own. Despite the rational part of your brain telling you to not react, you found your lips moving against his.

It was an odd feeling as his lips touched yours for the first time, you did not plan on forcing him to stay with you longer than necessary, yet here you were kissing him. Despite how Jo was making you feel, you just had to push that thought to the back of your mind. He was not doing this out of love, how could he love you, you were just some random person that put on his fur. He was just bonded to you, doing this out of some deep seeded need to satisfy who he was bonded to, it was nothing more than that, and would never be. Or, at least that is what you told yourself, just before you pushed yourself away from him, leaving him alone in the living room, before sulking up to your own room, to think about what you were going to do some more.

Despite how he made you feel, you pushed all those feelings aside, he did not deserve to have to live his life out here where he did not belong just because someone decided to steal him away from where he once belonged. It took months, the two of you acting like a sweet domestic couple. Cuddling throughout your time together, sharing kisses at random points throughout the day. To any onlooker, they would think you were a sweet little couple, but instead you knew this was all just to gain the trust of your mother and grandmother, gain access to his coat, and allow him to return to the sea where he belongs. But his arms start to feel like they belong around your waist, like his lips are made to be pressed against your own.

You can not say that it was an easy decision, it was not something you just decided overnight, or even over a few hours. It has been a good month or longer of you weighing the pros and cons. Pro, you felt like he really did love you, con, he might have only ‘loved’ you since you were the owner of his fur. Pro, he was nice and you loved being around him, con, he might have only been nice to you since he knew you had what was keeping him from returning to the sea. Pro, you genuinely enjoyed being around him, con, he was probably only doing what he had to do to trick you into giving his fur back. Pro, you were in love with him, con, you were in love with him.

Maybe you were too selfless for your own good, maybe you should have been selfish for once, maybe you should have taken what you wanted, rather than letting it go. You however, could not find yourself doing that, he did not belong to you, he belonged to the sea, and that is where he should be, and where he will be returning. The night before, you found yourself in his arms, it was a thing you had fought so hard against, showing him any love or any emotion. But, you found yourself feeling safe, feeling at home, as his large frame enveloped yours as you lay on the sofa in your living room with him. His lips met yours for seemingly the last time, you actually allowed yourself to get lost in the kiss, before you know it you have turned around, your arms wrapping around his neck, while his hands were against your back, pulling you closer to him. Despite your mind telling you to stop, you did not, you knew that it would make what you would be doing in the morning hurt even more, yet you could not stop. His lips slotted against yours with such perfection, like the two of you were soulmates, meant to be together. But, as badly as you wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms for the rest of your life, you knew he should not be here.

Against all your efforts, you had fallen for him, but you knew he did not belong here, he did not belong to you. It was not long before your lips finally separated from his, resting your head against his chest, he ran his hand over your back, the two of you were serene, it was peaceful in these moments. Part of you wanted this to last longer, to enjoy moments like this forever, but your mind was made up, and you were not going to change it. Before long, he was asleep, it was then you decided to get what you would need the next morning. Untwining yourself from his arms, you made your way upstairs, to the attic. You had finally gained your mother’s trust just a few weeks ago, her and your grandmother were proud of your progress, and she thought you had just accepted your fate.

The box had not been up there long enough for any dust to settle on it, compared to the rest of the items in the attic. Despite it having been up here for a month, you had not even seen the fur, seeing how your mother and grandmother forced it on you while you were asleep, you never saw it even then. As you started to pull it from the box, you noticed it was not hidden, it was not placed in secret, nor was it hidden in some back corner. Jo could have easily found it had he wanted to, that made you think that maybe he did not want to leave, maybe he wanted to stay with you, be with you, be yours. But, no, he would have taken it and ran had he found it, your mind started making up reasons for you to follow through with your plan. Pulling it from the box, you found yourself running your fingers over it, the silky shiny black fur soft to the touch. Holding it close to your chest, you realized it smelled just like him, which should not be surprising, but you still were. The fur felt like home to you, like it was supposed to be yours, like he was supposed to be with you. The thoughts and feelings of love started to fill your mind, ideas of how maybe you two were meant to be, but you killed these thoughts just as they started to fill your mind. Letting your hands drop it back into the box, you looked down at the fur, picking up the box, deciding that this was it, tomorrow you would give it back, and you would allow him to go and be free. You made your way back downstairs, placing the box under the stairs by the table, you made your way back to him. Sitting down by him, you immediately found yourself in his arms once more, as he wrapped his arms around you, clinging to you, you found yourself falling asleep.

It was not long before you awoke to a light shining in through a window, straight into your eyes. Starting to awake, you realized you were not where you fell asleep last night, seeing your bedroom rather than your living room. Jo must have woken up in the night, and carried you up to bed. Realizing this, you immediately sat up with a jerk, he had to have seen the box, he probably took the fur and ran while you slept. Despite giving it back to him being your plan, part of you hurt from the idea that he took it without even a goodbye. Those thoughts all died down, as you felt two hands grab you by your waist, before they wrapped around your stomach, pulling you back down. He had not left in the dark of the night, and he did not seem to want you to leave in the light of the day, as he held you close, going back to sleep once you were against him again.

You let him have a moment, before you sat up, turning to shake his shoulder. “Wake up,” you said, deciding to get this over with now, rather than later. Knowing yourself you would probably manage to talk yourself out of your current plan if you waited any longer. Untangling yourself from his arms, you pulled on a jacket, not even bothering to get dressed this early in the morning. “Wake up,” you said again, shaking him once more, attempting to jostle him from his slumber. “I have a surprise for you,” you added, finally getting him to wake up, sitting up, he started to wake, following you.

Starting downstairs, you could hear him talking, probably asking you something but you were so far away, you heard nothing but incoherent noises. Picking up the box, you started to walk out the door, over to the water, as Jo followed you, confused. You could once again hear him talking, but you could not make out anything he said, or maybe you just did not want to hear it, maybe you were just ignoring what he said, so he could not stop you, so he could not change your plan. Finally stopping next to the water, you turned to him, waiting for him to be closer to you before you spoke. Part of you knew you would break if you had to repeat it, you would fail and forget your plan, settling for the safety and feeling of home you found within his arms, rather than letting him return to the water. “I have something for you,” you told him, opening the box and pulling the fur out.

Confusion was on Jo’s face, this was not part of what the other selkies had told him. They claimed once taken, they would more than likely never get it back, they would have to steal it back, but here they were, just giving him his back. “What,” he started to ask, before being cut off as it was shoved into his arms. Huffing he took the item, looking into your eyes, he started to question it, “Are you sure?” The confusion evident in his voice, this wasn’t part of what he had been prepared for, part of what all the elders had told him, what he had learned about when he started to come to the land.

Nodding your head, “Just take it,” you said, forcefully shoving the fur into his chest, giving him little time to react other than to just take it. “It’s yours,” you started, your voice starting to crack, as the weight of what you were doing finally hit you, “You don’t belong here, you belong out there, and I’ll be damned if I’m the old holding you back from where you are supposed to be.” You found yourself holding back tears, you did not want to see him go, but you could not stop him, “I love you, but you’re not mine to choose to keep,” you whispered, hoping he didn’t hear you. Whether or not he heard, you did not know, as you soon felt a hand under your chin, raising your face to reach his. You found his lips against yours, returning the kiss you started to regret everything you were doing, but you knew it was right, at least that’s what you told yourself. Pulling yourself away from him, “Just go,” slipped from your lips before the more sensible part of your mind could take over. He seemed unwilling, almost like he did not want to leave, “Just go,” you repeated, as you saw the hesitation in his eyes. You both stood there for a few minutes, whispers telling him to just go fell from your lips every now and then, it was not long before he finally got the hint, and into the water he went. Fur on, he turned back into his original form, a selkie. It was only then you let the tears from your eyes fall, hoping he couldn’t see them, but unknown to you, he saw them all, the tears, the sobs that came after, but the ocean called to him as it was his home. But, within his heart, you were also his home. The weeks, he had fallen just as you had, learning that not all stories the elders tell about the humans are true.

Part of your heart aches as you watch him swim away. You start to wish you had kept the fur, you had kept him with you, you had retained the bond. Against your wishes and desires, you had started to fall for him, butterflies in your belly, blush upon your cheeks, and a blurry mind whenever you thought of him. But, as they say, if you love something you need to let it go. You could already hear your mother’s words in your head when you got back, idiot, stupid, and do not know how to appreciate what they have. In this moment, you were all the above, but most of all you were missing Jo. Which as they say, if it was meant to be, he would return to you one day, and until that one day, you would wait for him. No matter how long it took, even if he never found his way back to you again, you would never love another, and your heart would always ache for him, the one you believe is genuinely your one true love.