#ik I need to move past this but hey

[myouicieloz]

Love me back

Yoo Jimin x university student!reader

Synopsis: she wants to let go. you need her to let go. none of you can.

Warnings: nsfw. smut. biting. angsty I guess.

Word count: 2.5k

Notes: my darlings <3

Karina didn’t turn to look when you sat beside her in the park. She knew who it was. She called you herself, not many minutes ago.

Hey

Ik we’re fighting, but could you come, please?

An address. Another message, too, after a few minutes. Almost as if she were wary of sending it.

It’s cold.

You stared at your phone as the bubble kept going on and off in your conversation, until it stopped. Finally, she’d decided. About that, at least.

And I miss you

Needless to say, you went to meet her. You’d never deny her anything, no matter how much you wanted to. No matter how much she deserved so.

You found her sitting on a wooden bench, staring at the lake with a red nose and cold hands. You could tell she was freezing, even with the thick jacket she wore, yet you didn’t move to take yours off and offer it to her. No, you two were long past this.

“I’ve had a stressful week.” She sighed, hiding her face in her hands. Like the usual, she didn’t directly acknowledge you, and you knew why. You’ve been doing this long enough to know that this was all you meant to her: an escape.

A distraction, if you were lucky enough.

“You always do.” Your words were as apathetic as your face, serious as you shove your hands into your pockets, trying to suppress a shiver yourself. It was freezing cold indeed, so whatever it was that had Karina pissed must’ve been something serious, to have her out of the dorms so late at night.

You were curious, although not curious enough to give in just yet. After moments of waiting for her to say something, anything, you rolled your eyes, sitting beside her on the wooden bench. She closed hers, depriving herself of the grand view of the river, and rested her head on the crook of your neck. You allowed her to do so, naturally.

There’s very little you’d not let her do to you.

“Aren’t you tired of this?”

“No.” Her answer is immediate, steam coming from the heavy breath she’d let out. “I could never get tired of you.”

Perhaps she was truthful in her words. You loved her, and you knew she loved you too, in her own way. It would never work out: with her being an idol, famous and successful, and you being just a university student. You were aware of that, and it was the reason you promised yourself to not answer her calls, whenever she reached out for you; you’d only get hurt, in the end — the right thing to do would be to end it, to protect yourself and your feelings.

However, as much as she did mean the empty promises she gave you, Karina knew just what to say to lure you in. Not just your body, the idol knew your soul too well. Her words were, most of the time, carefully calculated to break out your boundaries and get you to do whatever it was that she wanted you to. Even though you knew her tricks, you couldn’t help but to fall into her web every time.

She sighed, shrinking as she hummed against your neck, sniffing your perfume. Still the one she’d given you on your birthday, she was pleased to note. “Can I go to your house?”

Her voice was just as small and quiet as she made herself be, hugging her knees under the moonlight. Even in all her confidence, she was still a bit wary; afraid this would be the day you finally realized she was too damaging to you. She’s deeply afraid you’d leave her. She loves you — it’s complicated, but oh, how she does. She can’t fathom losing you.

“Not to talk, I assume.” Your tone, usually playful, was still serious. Karina moved her head from you, urging to be able to look in your face. Your beautiful face, kind and sweet and made to love her, staring at her with a blank expression — much different from the look of love you had before.

But that was ages ago, when you were both naive and pure, not at all ruined by the idol world. After all, generally, love is not enough.

The older girl shook her head, carefully observing your actions. “No, not to talk.”

You sighed. Unfortunately, you couldn’t help it: Karina was a siren, the holy sounds of her moans luring you in until you found yourself so deep in the water there was no other option but to drown.

You were, indeed, so exhausted of this cycle. One of her calling you solemnly when she wanted to rant or fuck until she was spaced out enough to forget her problems away for a few hours. She didn’t show any interest in your likings, your hobbies, or your friends. It was crystal clear that you were nothing but a stress relief to her.

Still, you were weak. Unfortunately, you loved Karina wholeheartedly, and you were eager to get whatever she wanted to give to you, no matter how much your logic was against it. How could you not? The sex was too good.

Aware of that, you got up, still refusing to display any emotions once you started walking, knowing she’d follow.

-

There is no warmth in your kiss. You bumped into the sofa, hurrying to the bedroom without separating your mouth from Karina’s. Her clothes were nearly ripped off her body, her sharp fingers doing the same with yours. It’s been too long since you had touched her pale, soft skin — you feel such lust for her in your heart, you nearly suffocate. Your desire for her body —for the little she gives you, it all drives you insane. It isn’t healthy, being on her will 24/7 and bending to all her wishes, but again, you can’t help it. She’s lured you in.

You positioned yourself between her legs, moving her long, raven hair from her face so you’d be able to stare at her properly. She looked flawless, impeccable, and waiting for you to take whatever you wanted to. It was just how she was: you could take and take, yet she’d never give you what you truly wanted.

Pretty girl with a pretty mind and a rotten soul, every sacred inch of her curves sculptured to leave you damned. To hurt you.

You sighed, biting her lips, then her skin. You loved to see your artwork on her— almost like a small victory. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to hurt.” She breathed deeply, hot moans coming from her mouth as you placed slow, wet kisses on her neck. “I deserve it.”

Kissing the space between her chest, you, murmur. “I’ve dreamed about being able to do so many times. Unfortunately, I can’t. I fucking can’t.”

She ignored your words, pulling you in for another messy kiss.

Karina always promised herself she’d stop reaching out to you. She knew you’d always give her attention, and part of her truly wished she could stop hurting you. She had never intended to. But she was also weak, and she needed you too much. How could she let go of you, when you were the only person who knew the real her? You’re the keeper of her dreams, her insecurities, her deep, darkest fears.

“You should.” Her voice had no trace of humor, as she traced her sharp nails through your jaw, forcing your mouth open. You knew her well enough to recognize the silent mocking, silently glad for your lack of self-respect.

For the sake of peace, you chose to ignore her words. Getting up, you delighted yourself with the way her eyes ravished your body, not at all in a rush while you got the strap she’s used to. She gulped, her mouth watering at the sight presented to her: how beautiful you were, all hers. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t true: you’d always go back to her, in the late hours of the night. She’d just have to call, and you’d drop everything and go.

As it should be.

Back in bed, you spat, spreading your saliva over the plastic toy. Karina had already knelt, salivating in front of you. Your hands grabbed a hold of her hair, shoving her face onto it rather harshly. “Take it.”

And oh, she did. Karina was eager, sucking and mixing your saliva with hers as she took it all in, the silicone gagging her throat and your grip not getting any weaker, forcing her to allow her mouth be fucked even when she started to get dizzy, dark dots appearing in her vision due to the lack of breathing. Only then, you let her go, watching her recompose herself.

“Very good. How much do you want it?” You teased, tone still serious, groping her thin waist until your fingerprints could be seen, reddening her impeccable porcelain skin. Her pretty ass was begging to be bruised, slapped all over, so you did as such.

Karina’s response came from her body, before she could even forge the words to answer you. Her back arched, and lewd, loud moans immediately left her mouth.

“Too m-much.” She gasped, whining once the strap met her entrance, not entering her properly. “Y/n… give me it all, p-please.” Karina pushed her hips back, trying to get you to be quicker.

Ever so impatient, as always. Never in the mod to play your games; they were of no interest to her.

Still, you did not give in, brushing her wet cunt as you pleased, giving her just the tip before pulling it out once again. You felt how hot and desperate she was, which made you hum in pleasure, too. At least she was suffering too, in a way.

“Please, my Y/n. I’ll do everything, I promise.” She begged, little tears prickling from her eyes. “Everything you want, I swear. I’ll give you anything. A new laptop, jewels, a car, just say it but please, p-please…” Her pleads got even louder, self-control wearing thin.

It hurt— no, it maddened you to know she thought she could buy you with superficial things. You’ve never asked for any of those, not even when you were (unofficially) together. You’ve never wanted anything but her love. She’d never understand that.

It made you crazy, upset and so damn pissed off that she couldn’t see so.

Huffing, you pushed her down on the bed, entering her whole with your cock’s full length without giving her any time to adjust. It was rough, without a care— just how Karina liked the most.

Your roommates were away for the weekend, thankfully. Karina has always been a vocal mess, specially in bed, but it was obvious her current routine was taking a toll on her; her moans were sinful, the incoherent mumbles she let out making them close to screams, and she was so responsive. Her entire body twitched whenever you’d place your mouth on her skin.

Sucking her lips, then her neck, and oh, she nearly came in the spot when you started biting. Bruising her arms, her abdomen, her waist— your favorite place to mark her. She’d wear your hickeys proudly, smiling and mumbling about how clumsy she had been during rehearsals whenever somebody asked her about it, brushing off their concern.

It was all too much: your bite marks, mouth so hot on top of her, making her no place was left unattended, paired with your thrusts, hard and fast, her grasps being how much she could breathe in between. Filling her up, adoring her so much.

She loved this.

“Y-you’re the best, my Y/n.” She let out, her body bumping against the mattress. Being loved by you was her favorite thing, she recalled. How could she had ever forgotten about it?

You bit your lip to keep yourself from saying something you’d regret.

“I hate you, for being so pretty.” You told Karina, pinching and twisting her nipples as you thrusted into her, hard and fast. She rolled her eyes, clearly too lost in her pleasure to give your thoughts any attention. You turned her around, eager to be presented with her pretty ass, wiggling with the thrusting motions. You gave it a single slap, a loud whine being followed from the older girl. “I hate you for not loving me back.” You held her by the hips, angling higher so you could reach her g-spot. “And I hate myself for loving you so much.”

Your words, even though they didn’t make much sense in Karina’s current fucked out mind, along with your movements and stimulations, were more than enough to have her reach her high. Letting out a high-pitched cry, Karina came, holding your arms tightly in attempts to not fall apart. You let her do so, assuring she went back to her senses before you could let your body fall beside her, the strap that hung on your hips latched on the ground.

“Will you ever give me anything more than that? More than hiding and being nothing more than a late night fuck?” You asked, straight to the point.

A year ago, you wouldn’t have had the guts to ask such a question. You lacked confidence, and you feared she’d disappear if you such as mentioned whatever it was that you two had.

Not anymore, though. Even more than insecure, you were tired; you couldn’t endure your situation anymore. A few days before her call, you’d made peace with the thought of not having her to yourself anymore. It would be harsh, but it was the best for you. You deserved better.

Even if you would never love anyone more than you loved her.

Karina stayed silent, looking down onto the covers. It’s enough answer for you. Sighing, you got up, handing her clothes and gesturing to the door.

“Then go elsewhere to get whatever you want, next time. Let me be free, Karina, please.” You hated yourself for sounding so miserable, the crack in your tone serving as clear evidence of how hurt you were. You loved her so much, but you couldn’t do this any longer. You needed more.

And Karina, even with all the confidence, money, and influence she had, could never give you such a thing.

She took the cue, doing as told. Her eyes— her big, dark, sad eyes stared at you quietly, and she opened her mouth to say something. After minutes of waiting, though, she doesn’t. Still silent, Karina left, launching you a last sad, pitiful look.

She was a mess; a beautiful, doomed angel, trapped in an industry that saw her as nothing less than a product, made to make money out of, until she was worn out. She struggled, naturally. It was a cruel place, one where people cared very little about her well-being and her actually feelings.

However, Karina was not yours to worry about anymore. Never was, for a fact.

#s.writes #kpop x reader #kpop smut #kpop x y/n #aespa x fem reader #aespa x you #aespa smut #karina aespa smut #karina x reader #karina smut #yoo jimin x reader #yoo jimin smut #karina angst #aespa angst #yoo jimin angst

[itsprashimusic]

Hot Sauce and Rice (ln4 and cl16)

A/n - based off of 5 seconds of two different tiktoks i saw on insta reels. ik there are some reel haters out there but don't judge me, tiktok has been banned in my country since 2020.

Warnings - just some fluff with these two 'kitchen nuisances'. not very long, i just had to get this out of my system. like two bad words, two suggestive comments, not proofread.

Happy reading🩵

Hot Sauce

Before she met Lando, he was the type of guy who lived with one of every utensil in the house. Though now after having been with his girlfriend for a while, things have changed. Laundry is done properly, he learned how to handwash his white clothes and always cleans the lint filter from the dryer.

She had been scrolling through reels for hours, bored out of her mind, but had nothing better to do to pass the time. That's when she came across a new trend, seeing if your partner knew how to clean hot sauce off of the kitchen counter.

Knowing her boyfriend, she pulled herself out of bed and made her way to her boyfriend, the subject of yet another tiktok trend. "Landoo" she yelled while trying to find him, "I need you for something."

Lando, who was sitting in the living room just sighed. He knew what that yell meant. His girlfriend entered the room and stood in front of him. He said her name, "I'm not doing this" "Oh, come on, baby" she whined.

"Nuh-uh. Last time I did a tiktok trend with you my face was stained red for a week. Everyone called me tomato." She let out a small giggle at the reminder of what happened last time.

"This one isn't that bad." He gave her a look. "Please," she said with a face that he couldn't resist. His walls fell and he grumbled under his breath, "fine." She celebrated by grabbing his arm and dragging him into the kitchen. He whined out her name the entire way there.

She opened her camera, pressed the record button, and propped her phone up against a bottle. Lando stood there looking tired, rubbing one eye with his hand, the other in his hoodie pocket. He was really clueless on what she was planning on doing.

She took out the hot sauce, honey and the container with flour. She then proceeded to pour small globs of the hot sauce and honey on the counter and scattered a bit of the flour as well. She then stepped back and looked at him. He looked at her, "What?"

"Can you clean those up for me?"

He kept looking at her. "I guess you don't know how to clean up messes-" This was a trap, she knew he would fall for it. "Hey!" he said in mock offense, "I can clean up messes." She just shrugged and took a step back. The McLaren driver picked up the kitchen cloth and tried cleaning the hot sauce first, which went as smoothly as she knew it would (not smooth at all).

The mess just spread. "What the-" the tired look on Lando's face was swapped with confusion. He finally seemed wide awake. He tried cleaning it again with the same dirty cloth which only made it worse. "Whatever," he said under his breath and moved on to the honey hoping it would be easier. It was not.

His girlfriend stood behind him, covering her mouth with her hands trying to contain her laughter. Both of their faces were visible on the camera, meaning she could see his reaction to when the paper towel he took got stuck to the honey.

He tried picking the tissue up but was surprised when it came up with a hole in it and some of the paper stuck to the counter due to the honey. The woman was finding it harder and harder to keep her laughs quiet.

But it really became a challenge when instead of cleaning up the scattered flour with a dry towel, he added water thinking it would help. It very obviously did not. The flour turned into a sticky paste which was just as bad as the honey.

"Fuck it, I give up. How do people clean up these fucking messes." he threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. His girlfriend was nearly howling with laughter. "Baby how sleep deprived are you?" she asked him while hugging him from behind. "But how did- why did the flour turn into a paste?" he turned in her arms and looked at her.

"Maybe because you added water to a powder." She said with a teasing smile. "but ho- oh that makes sense." His face of realisation sent her into another fit of laughter, though this time the racer joined his girlfriend.

"Huh, this tiktok was not that bad."

Rice

She had a busy day ahead of her. A few online meetings and multiple errands to run. Her partner was home for the week, and she wanted to get as many errands out of the way as she could.

"Ange,"(angel) Charles peeked his head into their shared room where she was finishing up with her hair for the day. "Yea babe?" she replied while unplugging the straighter from the socket. "What are you cooking for dinner?" "Chicken, beans and rice."

He nodded, "What were you thinking for dessert?" She locked eyes with him in the mirror, her eyes sparkling with mischief, she said with a cheeky smile, "You know what I always want for dessert."

His eyes widened for a moment, "Aye, not that. You want cake or ice cream?" he tried to hide his smile, but his red cheeks betrayed how he really felt about what she said. "Ice cream. It's too hot for just cake." He nodded again. She got up to leave, and grabbed her bag, "I should be out for a few hours, but I'll try to get back before it gets too late." The couple shared a short kiss before she left.

A few hours had passed, and she was running late. She picked up her phone and sent Charles a text.

-I'm gonna be late, can you wash and set up the rice on the stove?

She got a reply within seconds.

-👍🏻

40 minutes later she entered the house, thinking that the rice would have been close to being done by then. The scene with which she was about to be greeted with when she entered the kitchen was not what she would have expected.

Charles was still washing the rice, with a toothbrush in one hand and a singular grain in the other. There was a very small pile of wet rice grains in the cooker and a dry pile in a bowl next to the sink. Her fiancé was hunched over the sink very focused on his task of washing the rice.

"Baby," she said with an amused smile. "Ange, you are home already?" his attention remained on the grain of rice as he ran it under the water, put it in the pile in the cooker, and picked up another grain from the bowl.

"Yes I am, baby what are you doing?" this caused him to look at her, still hunched over.

"Washing the rice like you said." He said it so innocently, it made her want to wrap him up in bubble wrap and keep him tucked away safely in her pocket.

"Cha, that's not how you wash rice." "It's not?" he looked at the grain he was cleaning. She could no longer take it and pulled him into a hug, a big smile plastered on his face. One hand was around his back while the other was threaded in his hair.

"Then how do you wash rice?" his voice was slightly muffled.

She kissed him with a smile on her face. After pulling apart she showed him how to wash rice and got it set up on the stove. Dinner was ready within an hour and was delicious, though dessert was even better.

#itsprashimusic #lando norris #charles leclerc #lando norris x reader #lando norris imagine #lando norris fic #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc fic #f1 #f1 x reader #formula 1 #formula 1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fics #formula 1 imgaine #formula 1 fics

[sturniololoco]

My little cousin's (they can't use Tumblr) - can you do a SLS protective but like she got cheated on so they comfort her and talk to the boy (if you can't that's fine ik it's kinda weird they are weird)

Cheated On

Sturniolo Little Sister (SLS) x The Sturniolo Triplets

SLS’s POV

I don’t know why I ever agreed to come to this party with, my boyfriend, Jack, especially if he’s my even going to hang out with me.

My brothers dropped me off at Matts house, after I promised that he would drop me off by 12 o’clock tonight. Little to my knowlage, Jackhad planned to go to a party.

Where there was drinking involved.

I’m only seventeen, and I’m not stupid enough to go and mess around with things that could get me into trouble.

Jack was the complete opposite.

As soon as we got there, he took his hand off my waist and found some of his friends, and a cooler.

I went ahead and stood in the corner, drinking a Pepsi in a solo cup. This went on for another hour and a half, but I didn’t mind. This gave me an excuse to people watch. And Jack was having a good time, so I didn’t want to ruin his fun.

But it was getting late.

I pulled out my phone, texting Jack that it was already 11:45, and I needed to get home.

About 10 minuets later, I got no response.

across the room, I saw Henry, one of Jack’s friends. I walk over to him, and pull him aside from his beer pong game. He looked mad until he realized it was me.

“Where’s Jack?!” I half yelled over the loud music, screaming, and talking.

“He’’s upstairs, dunno why though.” He’s slurred with blood shot eyes. I rolled my eyes and quickly made my way up the stairs.

Trying to find my way around this mansion was harder then I thought, but I checked all the rooms but the one in the back.

Tired of searching for Jack, who should have been with me in the first place, I harshly push the door open.

I found jack to say the least.

Sucking faces with our high school whore.

They both looked up. The girls face lit up in a fake smile as she or off hi lap and brushed past me, going back to the party, leaving Jack and I Alone.

I didn’t move. Just standing there, not. Knowing what to do. Jack stood, and made his way over to me, grabbing my wrist.

“Baby, I-“ I ripped my hand from his grasp, readjusted my purse, turned from him, and walked out the damn door. I could hear him trying to catch up with me as I walked downstairs, out the front door, and halfway down to the next block over.

My eyes were dry.

“Baby girl, would you just stop and listen for a second, It wasn’t what it looks like! I-“ he started to say, grabbing my shoulder and turning me around.

“Really? Because what I saw was you making out with a girl who wasn’t me, and that’s a pretty hard thing to mistake.”

Jack stood there, moving his mouth, but no sound came out.

But I wasn’t staying any longer to hear his excuse.

“Bye Jack.” I turned the corner and walked down the street. Jack must’ve finally got the message, because he didn’t other following me.

Then it hit me.

The pain.

Tears began to fall and my throat began to ache. I sat on the curb with my face in my hands and began to sob.

Once my breathing was somewhat controlled, I pullout my phone. To call Matt.

It wrung once before he picked up.

“You’re Late SLS/N.” He said when he picked up. Glancing at the clock, It read 12:08.

“I-I know, I’m sorry. I really need a ride.” I say, my voice cracking.

“SLS/N, are you okay? Why are you crying.” I could hear him standing up ad grabbin the keys, telling Chris and Nick to get in the car.

“MattI’m fine. I just need a ride. I’ll text you my locations.” I finished, hanging up the phone, before I break down again.

It’s not long before I see head lights and Matts car pull up. I quickly scramble into the backseat next to Nick. Matt begins to drive away.

“Hey what’s wrong, sweetheart?” Nick asks, rubbing my shoulder.

“Nothing.” I say, wanting to forget that this night ever happened. Wanting to forget what I saw when I walked into that bedroom.

“Really, because that mascara shit all over your face says something different.” Chris says, eyeing me through the rear view mirror. Matt is quick to slap him on the arm while still watching the road.

“SLS/N, you can’t just call me, past your cerfew, crying and looking like shit and expect me not to worry.” Matt says, not doing much of a better job than Chris.

At that I crumple into Nicks side. He pulls me o him while I cry, shushing me while I couch and cry onto his shirt.

-

We get home and we walk into the house. I held Nick’s hand, not wanting to be alone. Mat, Nick, and I all go in and sit on the couch. Chris goes to the bathroom, and comes back with a warm, damp rag. He neels in front of me and whiles the mascara streaks off my face.

“Goddamn, what is in this stuff?!” He says, still scrubbing my face, though a little bit harder. I laugh through my tears and sniffle, regaining my thoughts and ready to talk.

Chris sits on my other side, and they all await my answer to why I was so upset.

“Umm. I-I…Jack cheated on me.” I say blankly, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me again.

“Aw SLS/N.”Nick says giving me a hug, which I gladly accept. “Can I be honest?” He asks me.

I nod.

“He was a fucking douchebag and I hated him anyway.” He states, not breaking the hug. I giggle, squeezing him tighter.

While this was going on, Matt and Chris look at each other. Giving each other a knowing stare.

“Guys…?” I say.

“Hey!” Nick says, snapping them out of it. “Why don’t we have a little movie night to get the sprits back up. Hmm? That sound good?” I nod, standing up and going to get a drink and some candy from the fridge.

Nick’s POV

I waited for SLS/N to walk into the kitchen before I spoke.

“I’m fine with whatever you two do, but if you get arrested, I’m using your own money to bail you out.” I say.

Chris and Matt smile at this and get up, Matt grabbing his keys, and Chris starting to head to the car before SLS/N came back.

I hear the car pull out of the drive way, knowing that they’re on their way to Jacks house.

SLS/N’s POV

I walk back into the living room, only to see Nick, and no one else.

“Nicky? Where did the boys go?” I ask.

“I uh… I think they went to get some more candy. They said we could start the movie without them.” He says, patting the seat next to him for me to sit down. I grab a blanket from the basket in the corner and snuggle up with Nick.

Chris’s POV

Matt and I walk back into the house, me with bruised knuckles and Matt with a cracked lip.

In the living room, Nick and SLS/N are asleep, a show playing on the TV. Matt walks over and gives SLS/N a kiss on her head, then says,

“Im going to bed, Man. I’ll see you in the morning.” He gives me a half hug, then heads to his room.

I lay on the couch, scrolling through my phone, when I hear movement from the other side of the couch.

“Chris?” I hear SLS/N say in a sleepy voice, sitting up and rubbing her swollen eyes.

“hey kiddo. C’mere.” I say, opening my arms as she crawls over to me. She lays her head in the crook of my neck, and I rub her back. She sighs softly and falls back asleep. I kiss her in the head and drift to sleep myself.

-

Matt’s POV

I woke up around 630 today and went out in the living room to wake SLS/N up for school. She was laying on Chris, who was scrolling through his phone. She groaned when I told her we needed to go so I could drive her to school. -

Pulling into the school, I could tell she was getting nervous. I grab her hand and give it a little squeeze.

“hey, don’t worry about him. Everything’s gunna be fine.” I say. She nods, giving me a smile.

“Call me if you need anything.” She nodded again and leaned over to give me a quick kiss on the cheek, before getting out of the car and going into the building.

SLS/N’s POV

Walking into school, I immediately felt better, especially when I saw Jack with a black eye and a busted lip.

My brothers are crazy I thought to myself, shaking my head and smiling. I snapped a quick pic behind Jacks back and sent it to our siblings group chat, then went about my day.

Idk y this was so hard for me to write 😂 I fell like it sound corny! Keep at it with the requests tho!!!

#nick sturniolo #sturniolo smut #sturniolo imagine #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo fanfic #matt sturniolo #sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #sturniolo triplets #matthew sturniolo

[lovelytsunoda]

stand by me // mick schumacher

summary: the past few seasons have been rough on mick, and sometimes all y/n could do was reassure him that she was there. because sometimes, standing by someone is the best that you can do.

pairing: mick schumacher x female reader

warnings: haas, guenther steiner. mentions of serious crashes. sad mickey, burning of old haas merch, angie makes an appearance

when the night has come, and the moon is the only light we see. i won't cry, no, no, no, i won't shed a tear. just as long as you tell me, say you're gonna stand by me.

it was one thing to watch your boyfriend hit a barrier at two hundred kilometres an hour.

it was a totally different thing for every mechanic in the garage to simply roll their eyes instead of expressing some iota of concern.

“what the fuck is wrong with these people.” y/n huffed, moving to push past the viewing desk, fully intent on fighting guenther in his own garage before louise pulled her back

“it’s not worth it.” the older woman reminded her as she tried to keep a clear head.

micks headset wasn’t working; it was like gary was talking to a wall. nobody knew if mick was okay, and the only reaction she could see from guenther was annoyance. even kevin had come over the comms to ask if mick was okay.

y/n took her headset off, stumbling over to gary as she tried to keep her emotions in check. getting upset wouldn’t be good for anybody, but that crash was bad. the car had essentially split in half, taking mick with it as the session was red flagged.

“gary, is he okay?” she asked shakily, reaching for something to hold on to. “gary, i need to know.”

“i can’t hear him talking, but I can hear movement. i think he’s trying to climb out, which is a good sign.”

she didn’t start breathing again until she knew he was out of the car, knew that her mickey was safe. when they brought him to the medical bay, louise helped her there on shaky legs, and she sat with mick while he called his mom, and then they both cried together.

but from that moment on, they knew his days with haas were numbered.

“gene called me a dead man walking.” his voice sounded so small. he had been transferred to a hospital and taken in for extra observation. his mother was flying in from switzerland, and the fluorescent lights were giving him a headache.

“gene haas better watch his fucking back.” y/n scowled. “what does he know about this goddamn sport? he’s a tax criminal!”

but that day changed things. even though he knew he had y/n in his corner, you could see the clouds in mick schumachers eyes, the little glimpses of his father coming through. he would t talk to her about it, insistent that he could somehow change gene’s mind.

next race weekend, she walked with sad eyes and a heavy heart towards the mercedes motorhome and the one man that she knew would never steer her wrong.

toto wolff had become something almost like a surrogate father for y/n once she had started hanging around the track more. the older man looked out for her when mick couldn’t. toto knew she had never felt at ease in the haas garage, that there was something about the atmosphere in guenther steiners garage that made her uncomfortable.

“hey, toto.” she sighed, sinking into the austrians arms as he opened the office door.

“hey, kiddo. how’s mick doing?”

she frowned, following toto into his office. “he won’t talk about it. he still thinks there’s something he can do, and he shuts me down every time I suggest he start talking another team. I think guenther is stringing him along.”

it hurt that mick was emotionally firewalling her. yes, they still talked, but never about his career. he always shut her down with that sad look of his, or a suggestively placed kiss, attempting to distract her from the topic with the thought of something else.

she was dead worried about him.

“the air is thinner where gunther is from. it’s impairing his ability to think properly.”

she snorted. “toto, I’m worried sick about mick, he needs to talk to someone. you knew his dad. so did bonno. maybe talking to someone who knew micheal will help. I don’t know, but I can’t let this keep going on.”

“I’ll give him a call. you’re doing the best you can, y/n. please don’t beat yourself up over doing or not doing enough. it’s going to take time for mick to feel like himself again.”

“I know. I just wish that there was more I could do.”

later that week, she and mick flew to texas to visit his sister and her boyfriend ian at the family ranch. the moon was high, refracting off the water and illuminating the evergreens. mick and ian sat outside by the fire pit, angie scampering around their feet. gina and y/n were inside the house, stuffing a cardboard bankers box full of old haas merch. it had become glaringly clear to both women that mick wasn't likely to have a seat the following season.

and mick wasn't taking it well. he was still processing it, but there had been times where she felt like the man she loved would cry himself to sleep. she had the suspicion that once she went to sleep, her lover began to cry, so that she would never see him in such pain.

gina and y/n came outside, two cardboard boxes in hand as they met the men by the fire pit. they had beer bottles in hand and sad smiles on their faces as y/n rejoined her boyfriend, sitting on his lap before gently kissing his cheek.

"don't think about it, mickey. you've talked to toto, right? and jost? you aren't completely out of options for next year." y/n frowned, running her thumb over mick's bare arm. "don't give up hope just yet."

mick kissed her softly, resting his cheek against her skin. "why did you put all of my old haas merch in a cardboard box?"

"because we're burning it." she said matter-of-factly, getting to her feet and grabbing a baseball cap from the top of the box. "it'll be cathartic."

she stood in front of the fire pit, listening to the wooden logs crackle and pop as she frisbee-threw the cap into the fire, watching the fabric catch fire. she flipped the bird at the burning object with both fingers, shouting insults at guenther steiner as she watched it burn.

“take that you old austrian bastard. I bet gunethers cock is like, minuscule and that’s why he has to call his boyfriend gene before he makes any decisions.”

mick laughed a little, pulling a polo shirt out of the box.

“I mean come in now, he calls gene more than he calls his wife.” gina added. “who fucking does that? if I was his wife I’d be asking for a divorce right about now.”

mick balled up the shirt in his hands, punting it into the fire as if it was a baseball. the fabric caught fire instantly, swallowed by the orange flames as they spread across the royal blue fabric, leaving blackened ash in its wake.

“you’re right.” mick exhales, putting an arm around his girlfriend . “that felt really good.”

lifting their beer bottles to the sky and turning up the stereo, all summer long by kid rock blasting loud enough that the speakers shook, the family sang along, throwing various haas-related memorabilia into the fire and watching it go up in a cloud of dark grey smoke.

“they made ugly-ass merch anyways.”

“uh, guys, is it supposed to smell this rancid?” ian asked, scrunching up his face at the smell of burning plastic and fabric.

“oh fuck.”

“we didn’t think this through! ian, come help me get some water to put this out with.”

ian and gina ran off to get water, angie barking after them as mick and y/n fanned at the fire, laughing crazily as they used their sweaters as fans, hoping to tamp down some of the blaze.

“hey, babe, I want to tell you something.” mick smiled. “I want you to be the first to know.”

giving up on fanning the fire, as the oxygen was making the situation worse, y/n paused, her wool sweater falling limp in her hands as she looked at her lover.

“toto wants me to sign as a reserve driver next year. he’s already lost nyck to alphatauri and I think stoffel is going to aston martin. if haas drop me, I still have options. I can still come back to the field somehow.”

“oh, mickey, that’s wonderful.” y/n gushed, throwing her sweater down on a deck chair before moving over to mick and wrapping her arms around him. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” mick reminded her, kissing her softly, cradling her body in his arms as they swayed back and forth to ‘hero’ by enrique iglesias, the song playing softly in the background as they kissed in the stinky firelight.

angie padded towards the couple, nuzzling into y/n’s leg as they stared lovingly into each others eyes.

“I love you, y/n.”

“I love you too, mickey.”

TAGS

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @oconso @lorarri @scuderiamh @sidcrosbyspuck @thatsdemko @scuderiasundays @silverstonesainz

#mick schumacher #mick schumacher imagine #formula one x reader #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #tina: the series by lovelytsunoda

[inkelea]

𓏲 ༘⋆ ࣪𓇼 SECRETS OF THE OCEAN!

pairing: landboy!bang chan x mermaid!fem!reader

synopsis: after chan navigates through the ocean he finds himself in an unknown island, so empty it gives anyone on there a sense of loneliness and sorrow. however, this feeling doesn’t last long, since he’s quickly immersed in the life’s of a mermaid and a siren.

genre: fluff, comedy, strangers to lovers (not really), mermaid au, angst, hurt/comfort, pining, impossible love, different worlds.

warnings: bad parents, talk of loneliness, friendship plays a big role in the story, seungmin is a menace, there’s a big amount of backstory, mermaids and sirens are not the same thing, y/n is described with hair (no specific length), curly hair chan appreciation!!

word count: 8.5k

a/n: this took almost two months to be done, but it’s finally here! honestly I thought I was gonna leave it halfway, everyone thank cinny for giving me the strength to finish this tbh. I even made a playlist for the story in which the songs match with the events that occur in the fic. you obviously don’t need to listen to it while reading it but I think it could be fun. if you’re a fast/slow reader… oops, but still. enjoy the reading! ik i had fun writing it:)

The ocean moves alongside the flow of the wind, making all the ocean life direct themselves to the north. It's a cloudy night with the full moon shining its brightest at the very top of the sky. Due to the almost impossible task to make anything out of the mist to the human eye, Seungmin surprises himself at the sight of a boy riding in a rather small boat.

He seems happy. Excited, would be a better word. It was like he didn’t even realize the gravity of the situation he somehow was in. The siren didn’t have to check twice to realize the boy, who seemed to be in his first adult years, wouldn’t survive the whole night out in the hell of earth.

Still, it was good entertainment for him and his only company in the vast world that was called ocean.

He focuses his eyes in the water, praying to every deity he was ever taught about in school that he could find his best friend in the whole place that they called home. Soon enough, the silhouette of a mermaid hunting after a crab that was way too big for her to eat alone, came into view. Such a greedy bastard, in his opinion.

After some minutes you’ve finally come up from your diving, showing excitedly to your friend the 1:00 am snack you just found.

“Look at this Min! It’s a dungeness crab!” you yell. Grabbing the crab with both hands and putting it in front of Seungmin’s face, you continue, “Bigger than their usually size for some unknown reason… isn’t it amazing?”

The contagious smile in your face fades away quite quickly when he takes the crustacean out of your hands and pulls you with him behind the stack he was hiding himself with. When he’s got your attention, he goes as far as putting his arms all the way at the top of the rock and putting all his weight in the cold and rough landform.

“If you’re that hungry maybe he should be your next victim.”

You follow his eyes until you spot a boat in the middle of the ocean. You rub your eyes just in case you’ve seen that wrong. No, totally right, there’s a deranged boy in a tiny boat in the middle of the ocean, way past midnight.

“Do you think he has a suicide wish?” you ask, resting your head in the stack.

“Nah, it looks like he’s just dumb.”

You cackle at your friends’ words, but your laughs quickly end when you see him eating your well earned snack. “Hey! You gluttonous blobfish look-alike!” You puff out your cheeks and pounce on top of him, creating a big splash sound. “Give me back my food!”

With a staffed mouth and tired eyes, Seungmin uses his free hand to cover your mouth. “Stop. I think he heard us.”

“Don’t change the topic! He hasn’t! And if so, why does it matter? It’s not like his weak human eyes can see anything with all this fog.”

Contrary to your beliefs, the boy, just as Seungmin said, did hear you. He gets up inside the boat and looks around until he reaches your position. Yes, it might be true he couldn’t see much with the fog, but when the full moonlight is reflecting on you so beautifully, he finds it easy to distinguish the two people looking at him.

His reckless attitude might not have been scary enough to startle you, however, the second his small rectangular object is focusing on the stack you are hiding behind, the fear starts to kick in.

It hasn’t even passed five seconds when you both have submerged in the water. Seungmin still has the half-eaten crab on his hand and you force yourself to not scream at him then and there. He has a quite pained expression on, like he regrets ever saying anything about the human boy being there.

Time passes slowly and quietly. Seungmin, who keeps denying sharing the crab, has gone up leaving you behind. From your position you can see part of the boat and how it’s going in your direction. Almost like a hunter going after their prey.

You lock eyes with Seungmin while remaining in your position. This has never happened before, but you know exactly what to do. He nods his head and starts swimming, quickly having reached the boat. You cover your ears the moment he starts singing, the boy’s eyes adapt a white color and his boat changes directions. It isn’t necessary, but you dive in and hit your tail against the water, the sudden wave making the boat move faster.

Soon enough the boat is on the closest island. Which was casually famous for how many sailors shipwrecked there.

You waste no time to reach the land, making sure the boy is asleep.

“We can't leave him here,” you say without taking your eyes off of him.

“Why not? your pod always did it like this. It’s not our fault he’s out of his mind.” He throws a bunch of seaweed at the boy and sits down. “Always the stupid land people…”

You roll your eyes at your friend’s antics, picking up the plant and throwing it at him. “He looks young. Every young person is stupid. Still, he surely has a family, we just can’t.”

The object in his hands is quickly taken away by you, wanting to see it more closely.

“This is the thing the elders were always so scared of. Seems not that interesting if I’m being honest.”

“You even know how that works?” Seungmin looks strangely interested in the object.

The way you throw it at the sand gives him every answer he needs. Stretching his arm to reach the object without getting out of the water he picks it up, still curious.

“It has to be something really bad. I wasn't even part of the pod and I still frighten every time I see one of these.”

Meanwhile he keeps examining the thing which you quickly learn is called a camera, it said so in the back. You focus on the boy. He has straight black hair and black painted nails. Definitely not the usual look of the typical men you see on ships around your home. He looks at peace, like the induced sleep was everything he needed to be happy. Your hand pushes away the hair out of his eyes, but you regret it when he stirs in his sleep. Thankfully, he doesn’t wake up.

A sudden flash takes you out of your trance and you quickly turn to the other side. Seungmin is holding the camera in your direction, with an open mouth and even bigger eyes.

You frown your eyebrows and wait for an explanation, but when he shows your reflection in the tiny little object, you almost choke in your saliva.

“Why am I in there?!” you shriek a bit too distressed.

He, however, just starts laughing. His sight stays on the camera and the rest of the people that are in it. With one last look at the sleeping boy he goes underwater still laughing. Still too anguished to even remember the existence of the boy, you go after Seungmin, wanting to know more about the new object in your possession.

Waking up alone on an island at what seemed very early hours of the morning wasn’t common for Chan. In fact, he didn’t think it was common for anyone.

Rubbing his eyes as he gets up, he starts to panic. The reality of the situation he’s in starting to sink in. He's on an island, alone. At least he still has his phone.

The small screen marks 6:37 am and Chan is about to rip all of his hair off.

Was it a bad idea to travel the ocean alone at night? Yes, but he didn’t think he would blackout only one hour after parting and wake up on what seemed like an undiscovered island. It looked completely deserted. The lack of trees made it seem like a hurricane had come over and destroyed everything.

It doesn't pass long when Chan starts to feel the loneliness that characterizes the place. This only worsens when he realizes his camera is gone, all his memories with it.

He tries to look at the problem from an optimistic view, like he always does, but it’s quite difficult at the moment. He throws himself backwards falling on the sand, trying to remember what had happened last night for him to feel like he was hungover.

When he’s about to fall asleep again he hears giggles. Loud ones. Sitting up he’s able to distinguish two heads coming out from the water. A girl and a boy. She's laughing so hard Chan thinks she might be left without oxygen. He's frowning so hard that Chan thinks he might lose his eyebrows. And everything is wholesome until he sees his camera in the girl’s hands.

“Hey, you! Is that my camera?” Chan asks, perplexed and annoyed.

if you had turned your head any faster your neck would have probably broken. A hundred and more curse words start to pop up in your head, you had completely forgotten about the boy’s existence. However, you don’t have too much more time to look at him because Seungmin pulls your hand underwater with him.

It might have been the dazed state he was in, but he jumps into the water the moment you disappear. He wants to be angry, but right after seeing two tails swimming, his mind breaks into tiny pieces. He stays there, floating, seeing you swim until you suddenly stop.

Your eyes are shining, and not in a figurative way. A very sparkly neon blue has taken over your iris, making him feel immediately curious about you.

Seungmin pulls and pulls, but you stay still. The boy’s unfocused eyes roam your face and yours roam his clothes, knowing he will regret wearing them the moment he starts swimming. Your hand tightens around his camera, it isn’t fair. Nothing of what you did to him is.

Finally you break free from Seungmin’s grip and swim to the boy. He starts to look fidgety, almost shy, but you don’t pay attention to it. When you have finally reached him, he has gone to the surface, unable to hold his breath any longer.

The moment you follow him to the surface Seungmin rolls his eyes. “Stupid love-struck mermaids and they’re dumb land boys.”

Your eyes go back to normal and an awkward smile covers your face. He, however, seems to have fallen out of his trance, adopting now a terrified expression.

“I’m sorry.”

They are simple, yet powerful words. You hand him the camera, but he seems reluctant to even the mere thought of touching you.

“Are you gonna kill me?” he says with puppy eyes and water from his hair dripping all over his face.

You bite your lip in order to stop the laughs that are threatening to get out. Taking his wrist you put his palm faced upwards, and then leave the camera on it. Lastly, you close his hand over the object, his eyes not leaving yours.

“You'd be dead already if I wanted to kill you.”

He gulps and looks down at his camera. He should get out of here right at this exact moment, but he can’t.

With shaky hands he opens up the camera gallery, only to be met with multiple photos of you and the boy who you were previously with. There’s zoomed photos of the scales in your tail, photos of you eating what seemed to be a lobster, and more of the same. The last one was a photo of your friend asleep in a destroyed ship. It made a smile creep up on his face.

Your webbed hand circling firmly around his wrist takes him back to earth. Your unusually long nails brush against the start of his palm and he feels the need to examine the scales scattered around your hand. It's then when he, once again, remembers a girl with a tail is in front of him. A mermaid stole from him and all he is doing is adoring her features. But mermaids don’t exist, right?

Your name comes out as a whisper and it makes his wandering eyes stay still. His breath gets caught up in his throat and he is suddenly super aware of his surroundings. Hearing you talk feels like honey dripping.

“I'm Chan,” he whispers back, too afraid to break the soothing atmosphere that formed around you.

Much to Chan's dismay, every bubble has to explode at some point. In this case, it breaks the moment neon green eyes appear in between you and him.

Chan jumps scared and flinches. He is quick to pick out your rolling eyes and the small smack you give the boy. The situation is quite comedic, but the green eyes torturing him make him stay as motionless as a doll.

You, not as entertained and not even a bit horrified by Seugmin’s actions, take him by the hair and pull. He shrieks immediately of course, his whole ‘evil siren act’ going away with the wind.

“Are you trying to kill me or what?!” He is holding his head and trying to look at you as scary as he can.

Now you’re entertained.

“Don’t mind Seungmin, he wasn’t fed enough sardines when he was born.”

Chan is… speechless. He doesn't know if it’s his survival instincts, or just the fact that he is completely terrified, but he starts swimming your opposite way. However, just as you predicted, he starts regretting wearing clothes when they slow him down more and more every second.

His sort of escape plan is doomed when Seungmin appears in front of him, his hands squeezing Chan's shoulders. Slowly, he starts making Chan retrocede, until your hands replace Seungmin’s.

Chan doesn’t dare to turn, he is sure he would break right after seeing your face. And yet, what you do is a hundred times worse.

“Are you dumb or just intimidated?”

Your breath hits his nape and your hands pass to be intertwined over his chest. Trying to distract himself with fear is no longer possible as Seungmin has gone underwater. All that is left for Chan are your whispers and hair tickling him.

You sigh, satisfied with having Chan's attention back to you, even if he wasn’t directly looking at you. Turning him around, you smile. His eyes are as big as the ones of a celestial eye goldfish and his Adam's apple goes up and down every second. It's cute. He is cute.

Intertwining his hand with yours, you pull. The sudden movement makes him dizzy, not expecting that much strength.

Soon enough you’re back at the island he shipwrecked on. He immediately sits down and takes a big breath. You once again, smile. Meeting a land boy for the first time was in no way as horrible as your elders used to tell you. It was in some way… comforting.

While he takes an apple from the fruits he had saved in his boat, you slowly dive into the water. This only lasts so little as you hear his screams.

“Are you gonna leave just like that?”

You bite your lip and resurface just as much so your eyes are visible. Looking one last time at him you wink, leaving him as perplexed as before, and even more curious.

“I can’t believe you left him just like that,'' Seungmin says as he helps you clean the multiple lobsters from his lying position. “I’m proud of you.”

You smile, something inevitable every time you are with Seungmin. Which is mostly every day, every month, every year.

Most would think that spending so much time with one person and only that one person could get tiring, infuriating even. Nevertheless, that isn’t the case.

At the end of the day, he is the only person who hasn’t left you. Seungmin is a brother, an annoying one, but still one. A mermaid and a siren, who not only endure each other’s company, but enjoy it. This is why his opinions are very important to you, but you really are disliking his latest one.

“Honestly we should just leave him there to riot. He’s a human boy who looks rather young and the only thing worse than an old mad sailor is a young stupid adventurer.” He is slowly getting up from the old couch of the abandoned ship you have your home on, like he wasn’t just talking of leaving an innocent boy alone to die. “We can’t trust that idiot, we’ll be being tested on in seconds.”

You shut your eyes for a second. He is so… intense. It would be ironic to say he is just like the conservative elders, but to you, right now it feels like he is. He can’t accept things changing, you get it, but that doesn’t stop you from getting angry because of it.

And the worst thing is that you can’t even give him the benefit of the doubt, think that he might be right, because he won’t. All it took was a look at Chan to see how harmless he was.

Hitting the table with the lobster shell makes him take his eyes away from the one he was cleaning himself. He has his confused face on and his hands have stopped working.

“Why are you so mean?”

“What? you were the one who left him stranded there. Which was, by the way, the best thing you could’ve done.”

You puff out your cheeks and press your nails to the table, multiple cracks start to be audible. “I wasn't planning on leaving him there forever.”

“So what, you wanna invite him over? See how he slowly dies after the oxygen leaves his system?” Seungmin hissed, visibly annoyed with the conversation.

Getting up from your seat, you throw the rest of the lobster and let it fall wherever. You can hear Seungmin’s screams as you leave the ship, but you ignore them.

Saying you’re angry wouldn’t be enough, you are furious. Hopefully Chan’s shy smile would be able to lift your mood.

You swim slowly at the very bottom of the ocean, pressure so high it would kill any human who dared to visit it. Yet, you thrive in it. A family of pseudoliparis appears in your path, bringing a smile to your face.

The feeling of being able to meet these deep-ocean species, knowing they live isolated

from the rest of the creatures the humans associate with the ocean, makes you feel lucky. You know they would be hated if land people knew of them, just because they aren’t as pretty as a seahorse, or as friendly as a tetras. They’re survivors, and that’s all that’s important when you live in the ocean.

After bidding your goodbyes you keep going. Some minutes in you find yourself surrounded by fish, since you have run into what could easily be hundreds of carcasses. Letting them pass, you change directions, however, you’re not ready for what you find.

Multiple aquamarine gems are in front of you. Each bigger than the one you saw before it. A vast variety of greens and blues that take the spotlight. When you go to take one of the bigger ones your eyes start to prick, salty tears rolling down your face.

“I just don’t understand you! I thought I raised you correctly, making clear what is okay and what isn’t!”

Your hands tremble and your head is downcasted, facing the aquamarine all around your bedroom floor.

“Do you even know what this means?” She sighs and passes her hand through her hair. Her eye bags are more prevalent than ever and it seems like even talking about this makes her suffer. “They’re going to kick you out.”

You start sobbing uncontrollably, the seriousness of the situation setting in. Being kicked out of the pod, a mermaid’s worst nightmare.

You beg, plead for forgiveness, but she only says that she can’t do anything. You cry and cry and cry and your tears start becoming recognisable puddles in the water. You feel like dying.

“Help! Please help!”

Cries for help get you back from your memories and makes you turn your head faster than a sailfish. It all happens too fast, the only thing that is keeping you alert is the fact that the screams sound a bit too much like Chan’s voice.

That's the moment you start thinking Seungmin might be right. Chan is at the end of the day, a human. He's a prey in the water, just like a newborn.

When you find him he is already unconscious. He looks at peace, but you know he probably has just lived one of the worst experiences of his life.

He still has a pulse, which calms you slightly but doesn’t make you swim slower when you are bringing him to the island.

Your hand makes it to his forehead, confirming he has a fever. His hand tightly holds his camera, and you can only question what he was even thinking of doing.

It feels like the sun starts shining brighter when Chan starts coughing water and blinking rapidly. His arms start to move around until he finds your hands, intertwining them with his almost immediately.

“Are you okay?” Your words come out before you can stop them, making you want to give yourself as food to the sharks.

He opens one eye and looks at you while lying. He laughs, and it’s a weird moment since he was just floating unconscious underwater. However, you enjoy it. It makes you remember why you even went out looking for him in the first place.

He is easy to be around, comforting.

“I mean, I almost died in the most painful way possible so…” His smile stays on, but his laughs have stopped.

Looking at him, you realize he seems different, like seeing you preoccupied for him gave him a confident boost. Made him look like he was teasing you.

“The most painful way to die? what about burning alive?”

“Nah, drowning would not only kill me but also my ego, totally worse.”

For the first time of the day you laugh. Your laugh resonates around the whole island, so intense that you need to cover your mouth to stop it.

Meanwhile all this happens, he sits up. His eyes can’t not travel to yours with your laugh filling his ears. Being able to focus in your hands like this, while intertwined with his, makes him smile a bit harder. Your hands are cold and not wrinkled as expected from someone who lives in the water, but soft and full of scales. He had already had an opportunity to observe them, but seeing them like this, it was another level.

He’s amazed by them, that is, of course, until he realizes your red eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

His hands pull on yours to get your attention, extremely aware of your distressed appearance now. “Hey, did something happen?”

His eyebrows are furrowed and his mouth is slightly open. He still is breathing loudly, his chest going up and down with each breath.

He is cross-legged and you are resting your forearms on the shore. His index finger taps rhythmically in the dorsum of your hand, like he is distracting himself from something. In some way he is, he’s trying to distract himself from the fact that you have been quiet for minutes now.

When you realize this, you finally speak. “Oh no, I just remembered some things.”

Chan tilts his head and his index finger stops. His hand leaves yours and starts touching the multiple shells decorating your hair. It almost feels like he knows exactly what to do to leave you speechless.

“You’re a bad liar.” His hand stops touching your hair and it goes to support his head.

“I'm not about to tell a stranded human boy my problems.”

“Why not? Just because I am a human doesn’t mean I don't know how to give advice. Quite the opposite actually.”

You sigh and look at the sand. You can feel Chan's eyes still on you, examining every scale that is scattered around your neck and down your body. You shouldn’t, he is a stranger and from a different world, but when you look at him again and his eyes hold the most comforting look in them, you can’t resist telling him everything.

The waters around your house are quiet when you bring Seungmin into your bedroom. It’s the first time he has been here, mainly because he shouldn’t be. In fact, even him just being around you is a crime you should have never committed, but there was nothing to do about it now.

If it wasn’t completely necessary you wouldn’t have brought him here, however, you couldn’t just leave him in the middle of nowhere to wait for you to come back when he had fishing gear all around his tail.

Sitting him down in your bed you go to take your crusher claw from your night table. His whimpers make you bite your tongue and try to get the gear out of him as fast as possible. When you finally do, multiple wounds can be seen all around his tail. He has tears in his eyes and his hands tightly grasp onto your bed.

Taking small pieces of seaweed you put them on top of his wounds to stop the bleeding. He has another cut under his right eye, so you put a piece there too. You pull him in for a hug, he hasn’t talked at all since you found him, but you can tell he enjoys the warmth when he tightens the embrace.

It's safe to say you have never seen Seungmin like this before. He has puffy eyes and he is trembling. Head down, avoiding making eye contact with you. You don’t force him, knowing how difficult bumping into sailors can be.

You have forgotten about the pass of time, having been rubbing circles on Seungmin’s back for the last hour, completely ignoring the place you found yourself in. The waters had a darker tone now, going from crystal water to a grayish color. Today was destined to be the day your life’s get destroyed.

Your door opens and when you have realized it’s too late. Your mom is at the door, frozen in her place. Her eyes don’t leave Seungmin’s body and suddenly your breathing starts to get heavier.

The green that decorates every single one of his scales leaves his true nature revealed to everyone to see. Your mom’s eyes are filled with fear, an emotion you aren’t used to seeing in them.

Tension clings onto the room, the three of you looking at each other with agitation in your faces. Much to your dismay, your father is the next person who enters your bedroom.

Unlike in your mother, all you can see in his eyes is anger.

“Out,” he says as his gaze doesn’t leave Seungmin’s for a second.

You see your friend get up off your bed and get out by the window he entered from in the first place. His swimming is slow and floppy like the one of a hatchling, but you’re glad he is able to move again already.

You lock eyes with your mother. Your father has left the room after slapping the door closed, and you know there is no way you are getting out of this one.

She comes close to you, pushing your head to her chest. Tears have started flowing through her face, going down her cheeks and ending on her neck.

It’s quiet for a second, her hands resting on your shoulders. She stays like that for some time, you lose track of time, not knowing if minutes or hours have passed. No one prepares you for what your mother tells you next.

A week later.

The whole pod stands around you in the center of the city. A statue of Amphitrite stands behind you, her eyes made of stone burning holes in your head.

Over your shoulders hangs a big shell necklace, the one the crime committee always puts in the kids that break the rules. The one the kids that are kicked out always wear.

The elders whisper while tears spill out of your eyes. You’re the reason for the trial, and still, you’re invisible to them. They judge, point, some even laugh.

When your father takes a step forward everyone shuts up, everyone waiting for the king’s second in charge to talk.

“The king will be here in short, until then I ask everyone to keep it calm.”

Your heart sinks when he doesn’t look at you, realizing you have disappointed your family.

You don’t have to wait too long for the king to arrive, but time’s relative, so you’re sure you have been standing in front of Amphitrite for years.

When he stands in front of you, all the oxygen in your system leaves your lungs. His lips curl into a grimace, his left eyebrow going up. He looks you up and down, making you feel smaller than any of the elders’ whispers ever did.

“This is her? the one who brought a siren into my realm?”

Your gaze meets your father’s for a second, but he quickly moves to look at the king’s back. “Yes majesty.”

Before even a second passes the king’s nails are dunked in your cheeks. His hand pushes your head upwards making you look him straight in the eyes.

“How dare you dirty this heaven with the presence of that monstrous creature.” His fingers harden around your chin, breathing becoming harder by the second. “It’s always the kids who don’t know how to follow the rules.”

Harshly dropping your face, he steps back. His hands go through his hair pushing it back. He is one of the most merciless men you have ever seen, and he is about to decide the future of your life.

Your father hands him the ceremonial stone. The official document where every single citizen of the realm is noted when they are born. The king touches your engraved name, almost like he is thinking about his next move. You know better, you know your fate has been decided for days now.

With a snap of his fingers the water makes pressure until your name is crossed. A single tear comes out from your eye.

“This girl has let us all down, bringing the enemy to our homes. She must leave the pod.” He elevates his arm when people start talking again. “However, she will not be the one going away.”

Your head is blank and your attention in the trial disappeared when you started to sob again, but you still manage to listen to their gasps.

“We are not safe here anymore. It's only about time that the sirens come here. We will head off to the north, where an old realm is. You, little girl, will stay with your best friends, the sirens.”

You can’t believe what reaches your ears. They are leaving, leaving the whole realm behind like it was nothing. Leaving you.

You fall to the floor, the rusty shackles around your hands colliding against it. “Please! I’ll do whatever!”

“It’s decided, kid.”

Sobs were the only thing heard that night by anyone close to the plaza. As the condemned mermaid refused to get back to her house and fell asleep crying.

The day after.

Motion covers the plaza as people go back and forth with all of their belongings. Hushed whispers are heard, mainly discussing the situation of the girl sleeping against Amphitrite’s statue.

Neon green eyes observe everything from afar. His best friend, lying on the ground like a rag doll. Not caring about the shocked looks he receives, he picks you up just like you did when he was hurt. At the end of the day, this was siren territory now, right? He could do anything he wanted.

After some time you start to move against the old blanket he had put over you. One of the various things the old ship where he stayed at had. You weren’t too far away from the realm, close enough to see everyone starting to meet in a circle.

You rub your eyes with your knuckles and start getting up. All of the crying made your eyes puffy, making it difficult to see now. And even so, you are able to catch a glimpse of your family. Your mother doesn’t look better than you. Your father stays with the king, like his job is the only thing that matters. Not his abandoned daughter, not his anxious wife.

When everyone is together and about to leave, you choke out a sob. Left hand in your mouth and the other one holding the shackles Seungmin took off of you.

His hand goes up and down over your back, in such a similar way you did days ago that it gives you déjà vu. You cry until everyone leaves, holding onto the only person who didn’t disappear from your life in just seconds.

Seungmin removes the single tear falling from his left eye and turns to give you privacy. You don’t know he is there, but he feels like he shouldn’t pry. Not when you have just told a land boy the most painful time of your life, not when he is hugging you so tight you might break.

He sits on a stack and waits. He didn’t like to remember, especially not those days. The day not only his but also your life was ruined was something he tended to put in the back of his mind and pray so nothing reminded him of it. Each day was harder, contrary to what most people said. He guesses that’s the reason why he started tearing up when you started telling the story.

You are laughing, and he doesn’t know why, but he is happy the stupid human made you laugh. The moment he has been waiting for finally comes when you say goodbye and go underwater, almost like a luring siren after hunting a prey. However, you are just a loving mermaid.

Going after you, he catches you almost immediately. He has always been the fastest one.

You are wary, the memories putting you on alert. Seeing the boy’s face is definitely a surprise, or at least that’s what he takes from your slightly ajar mouth and fast blinking.

He offers you the lobster in his hand. A good memory. An old tradition, if you will.

You smile, without showing your teeth, but smile. When you accept the gift Seungmin lets out a relieved sigh. You take a bite and so does he. A weird conciliation for others, but normal for you.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said all those horrible things about the human. I don’t know him, so I shouldn’t assume.”

You redirect your gaze, looking at the fish around you. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn't have exploded like that, I know how much you’ve suffered because of humans.” You look up and let out a laugh, not believing what you’re about to say. “I also don’t really know him, he could be a super good liar who happens to be a mad scientist who’s going to sacrifice me.”

“That boy? He passes as a scientist as much as I pass as a dolphin.”

You laugh, lobster being eaten quickly while you de-stress.

“I wouldn’t call him a boy, he’s a grown up.”

“Oh so you’ve already asked for his personal data huh. What’s next, asking him to co-parent a seahorse with you?” Seungmin takes the last part of the lobster while you put on an offended expression while he laughs.

“I don’t do those kinds of things!”

“What about seventh grade? Didn’t you—”

You jump out of your place in the stack you settled on and cover his mouth with your hand. He licks your palm and you retract disgusted. You shake your hand up and down while sending daggers at him.

“I didn’t tell you that just so you would make fun of me for it!”

“Rookie mistake,” he says with a smirk on his face.

Swiftly enough you’re back at your ship, both of you lying in the old couch where hundreds of humans (and mermaids) had lied in the past. It’s too tiny for the both of you, your tails are colliding and Seungmin is about to fall any second now, but neither of you seems to mind.

“So… that human?”

His words roll out of his tongue like nothing else had before. He has got that knowing look on his face, making it impossible for you to even try to lie to him.

“He’s cute,” you say trying to sound nonchalant, feeling the complete opposite.

Embarrassed was all you felt at the moment. A rather disoriented land boy was making you feel something you hadn’t felt in a long time. Ease.

Seungmin smiles. No, he smirks, tongue going over his lips and arms under his head. These gestures indicate he is about to make fun of something. In this case, of you.

“At least it isn’t one of those old sweaty sailors, not even my ancestors would’ve eaten them.”

You groan, hands covering your face due to the growing embarrassment. He lets out a laugh, clearly enjoying your suffering. Your hands move quickly and a sudden wave has pushed him out of the couch, making him hit the deck rather strongly. You’re the one laughing now.

“Rude!”

He throws a pillow that had fallen before, hitting you in the face. You gasp, ready to make him regret ever starting this war. When you are about to strangle him he holds your wrists in the air.

“Easy there! Do you think the land boy is gonna want to kiss a murderer?” Seungmin teases with his neon green eyes shining.

“You’re so dead, Kim Seungmin!”

If your father could see you right now, you would probably be punished for life. Hands intertwined with the ones of a land boy, pushing and guiding him through the ocean.

If your father was here, you would be hiding and stressed, but he isn’t, so you grab Chan’s face and scream at him how fun this is. His laugh reaches your ears, eyes closing as the breeze hits your face.

Your hands over your hair, feeling the water drenching it. Chan has been on the island for five days now, surviving with fruits and fish you and Seungmin (him being forced by you), have hunted and heated for him.

It’s about to be midnight, and Chan has convinced you to take him with you in your nightly swim.

Your back is facing him and he can’t stop himself from worshiping your silhouette. He had tried to go back to his senses, trying to convince himself that his fixation on you was just your mermaid charms. He quickly rejected that idea when you explained the ones with the alluring charms were the sirens, not your kind. He still thinks you casted a love spell on him anyways, because the thoughts he has about you aren’t normal for someone he had only met five days ago.

Neon blue eyes meet his, any coherent thought leaving his mind. Your arms circle around his neck, hands combining behind it.

“So, you’re aware you really can’t come with me, right?”

Your words shake some sense into him. Of course, you can breathe underwater, he cannot. He would die in minutes if he was to go with you.

He pouts, hands finding your shoulders and gripping tightly. “Don’t you have some old diving equipment in that ship of yours?”

You laugh and push him off you. Humans and their crazy beliefs. You still laugh every time you remember the time he asked you if you lived in Atlantis. The single thought of him being able to dive with you was insane. Right?

Underwater school was very different from what you knew about the schools land people attended. Yes, in both institutions history was taught, but aside from that, they weren’t much alike. Apart from History, your classes consisted of: Swimming; Spell Casting; Powers; Herbology and Marine Zoology. Spell Casting was never one of your best subjects, however, you did remember an old tale your teacher told the class once.

Your hands hold onto the boy’s forearms wanting his whole attention. It doesn’t take long until you have it. It’s starting to be cold, shivers run through his body but his eyes don’t leave yours.

Silence surrounds you, the moonlight shining over you like the night you first met. The moment is confidential, intimate if you will. Chan can only feel his whole body burning up when you close off the distance, your lips at the shell of his ear.

“I’m going to do something, and I need you to be calm.” Your nose rests over his cheekbone, nails almost craving your mark on him. When he is about to talk, you get ahead. “Do you trust me?”

Saliva gets stuck in his throat, any attempt at talking gone in vain. His brain says no, pleading for Chan to realize he is in front of a mythical creature that could kill him in seconds, but his heart says otherwise. He nods, hoping, praying, it’s enough of an answer for you.

Neon blue eyes shine before they’re closing and your lips are stealing a kiss from him. It’s short and fast, lips colliding and separating under three seconds. Pulling backwards you leave him wanting for more, needing to feel your lips on his again. A rapid action that he couldn’t quite wait to repeat.

Yet, before he can execute any of his desires, your hands around his forearms are pulling and water hits your vision like Chan had never experienced before. Fish swim around you, not in any way trying to harm you but rather welcoming you to their homes, leaving the human in awe. He finds himself mesmerized by the marine wildlife, not even realizing his newfound ability of breathing underwater.

Your hands have left his arms, leaving him swimming behind you. Slowing down, you stop, waiting for him to reach you. When he does, you don’t think he is going to be able to say anything about any of the million thoughts that surely are going through his mind at the moment.

When everything is new, and terrifying, Chan hugs you. It’s tight, like he had been waiting for this moment for his whole life. Various families of sea stars stop their journey to wait and see the moment.

He gets out of the embrace and smiles. He is fast, not as fast as you, but faster than most humans. It feels like he is in his element when he speeds through the water getting ahead of you. It’s mesmerizing, how his wet hair sticks to his eyes but he still swims like it’s breathing for him. It’s captivating, but again, everything about him seems to be.

Hundreds of cobalt awaits you when you reach the bottom of the ocean. Chan is pretty sure he just won the lottery, he can’t even start to think how he should feel right now. He looks to his left and knows it right away. He feels enchanted. Enchanted by your neon blue eyes, and your scales and tail, but overall, by you. By the way you laugh at his questions and smile as his hands hold yours.

Your mind goes faster than The Francisco, thoughts racing to be the one that catches your attention. And still, Chan appears to be the one that always has it. Locking eyes with him, you grasp his hand and tug. Before he can even blink, you’re already at the surface.

A dumbfounded smile finds its way to Chan’s face. He’s gleaming, the moonlight shining on him like she just found a new son.

“I didn’t die!” he says, eyes sparkling and the hand in yours trembly.

“No you didn’t.”

The ocean is filled with laughs and giggles, easiness coming off you. Your hand leaves his hold and goes to his hair, it’s dripping wet and curly. You are sure it had been like that before, you simply hadn’t realized it until now.

His curls wrap around your fingers the second you touch them. They are soft and shiny and you can’t comprehend why the first time you saw Chan his hair was straight.

“Your hair is curly,” you state the obvious.

“Yeah, I usually straighten it though.” His hand goes up his forehead and removes the strands of hair that keep falling over his eyes.

Your eyes narrow, curious and confused. Hearing your unsaid question, he answers. “Most people I know like it more when it’s straight.”

You scoff, hands going up his chest to his shoulders. Pushing him closer, you entangle your hands on his hair again, focusing on his wild locks.

“Well, mermen who have curly hair are praised on since it’s told that they are descendants of Poseidon.” You look down, giggles erupting from you before you can stop them. Arms tangling around his neck. “And as you probably know, he’s kind of a notorious figure for us. You’d be pretty famous around here Chan, all of the mermaids behind you waiting for your praise…”

Scents combine and heat rises to Chan’s cheekbones. The tips of his ears are reddening, heartbeat going up alongside, noses brush and then you are gone.

His eyes open up, mad at your playfulness but you are smiling with your lower lip caught under your teeth, so he lets it pass. Aware of his brand new ability not lasting forever, he leaves you in order to explore more of the vast world that consists of your home.

Reaching the island shortly after being left alone, you sit on the shore close to Chan’s boat. All of the fruits he had brought with him had already ended yesterday, his rod left useless beside the empty basket.

Buzz against your arm startles you until you see what Chan had explained before was his phone.

(1:47) Felix

dude where are you

everyone is crazy worried for you

your parents almost called the police but minho convinced them not to

you were supposed to go max one day to catch us some cool fish not be gone for 5 days

text back as fast as possible!!

Your hand goes up to your mouth and you turn to look at the boy playing in the water. You had almost forgotten. He is a human, with a life on land and loved ones waiting for him to come back to them.

A presence appears behind you, a comforting hand resting on your shoulder. You sigh, after all, Seungmin was right, Chan didn’t belong with you.

“I can make him go peacefully right now, you just need to bring him here and give me the green light.”

Seungmin’s words make your eyes shine with tears. It would be stupid to say it was love, nevertheless, you didn’t think just because it wasn’t love your feelings for him didn't matter or weren’t supposed to be taken seriously.

People leaving is a natural occurrence that happens to everyone. You, in particular, are very much aware that change happens and sometimes there is no control about it. However, are you ready to let the curly haired boy leave your life forever?

It’s times like these when you understand why your elders always warned the youngest about approaching the land people. It wasn’t about the possible danger, but about the almost sure attachment.

You want to say goodbye, but you know if you even try, you won’t be able to let him go.

Seungmin hugs you from behind, chin resting over your head due to your seating position, “sorry’s” being whispered between the two of you. Before you know it he is gone, screaming to get the human’s attention.

You don’t turn, but you hear Seungmin’s voice doing magic on Chan. Your hands cover your ears before it’s too late. You regret it when you hear Chan falling on Seungmin’s arms, wishing you were asleep too.

Blur is all around you, the figure of the human being left in his boat by Seungmin becoming a vague shadow between the gloom and the moonlight.

Cleaning the tear falling from your left eye, you close your eyes and put your hands together. Next, a wave is carrying Chan to where he came from. Home.

Uselessness wasn’t an uncommon feeling for Chan, it was rather regular to be honest, but that didn’t mean he expected to feel it about his summer love ending abruptly.

Summer love, quite the funny wording for five days of discovery and enjoyment. He knows it wasn’t love, but that doesn’t stop him from calling it that.

He would say what he is more angry about is the abruptness of it all. You were gone as fast as you appeared. No, he was the one gone. No goodbyes, no explanations, only a fast travel back to his family.

He remembers perfectly the sensation of waking up at shore in Sydney with aquamarines filling his before empty fruit basket. Wanting to scream into the water, pleading for you to come back, trying to go back to you swimming and realizing he couldn’t breath underwater anymore.

His parents had been furious, asking for explanations and giving him mad reactions when he said he wanted to feel the marine nature from closer. He had always been a bad liar.

His friends had asked for explanations as well, but ended up joking about his little adventure, pretending that he had been enchanted by a siren. Little did they know.

Sitting in his house, eating sardines with his visiting friend from Korea wasn’t exactly as fun as it should be. He didn’t want to be there, as much as he loved Minho, he earned for your touch, to kiss you one last time like kisses were supposed to be given, not like your first one was.

Sighing, he got up, going outside and letting the night breeze play with his curls. Almost feeling your hands threading through his hair.

The nights pass, the moon shining as bright as ever for her new son. As time passes, your memory begins to fade from Chan’s brain. The forever beautiful mermaid leaving him quietly like a daughter coming home late from a party.

He believes to have seen inhuman blue eyes peeking from the water to his house sometimes, but he lets it wash away from his mind.

Old ancestors' stories tell that a true love kiss from a mermaid can give humans the power to breathe underwater for the rest of their life’s. But don’t get too ahead of yourselves hatchlings, there’s no actual record of that being true. Different worlds are not meant to collide.

@mochamvgz @leonsmain

© inkelea on tumblr | don't copy, repost or plagiarize my work.

#skz x reader #stray kids x reader #skz fluff #stray kids fluff #bang chan fluff #skz angst #stray kids angst #bang chan angst #skz fanfic #stray kids fanfic #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #bang chan x reader #bang chan x female reader #skz aus #skz au #stray kids au #skz x female reader #stray kids x female reader #inkelea

[nikolais-eyepatch]

Hey bestie ❤️❤️ can I request a yandere!kazutora smut. I just know this man didn't spend 10 years in prison to come back completely Buddhist. There's gotta be some cray cray left in him.

wtf I love u guys, big brain like me- cuz ik my bby is still traumatized...fr I love cray cray kazu >:)

Honestly after kazutora did all the things he did feels guilty

Guilty as in he doesn't feel like he deserves you

He feels so guilty

Why him? You do know how past right? What he did? He killed two people, you know that right?

Yet why do you even stay?

But at the same time even if you tried to leave me wouldn't let you.

No matter how many times you cry, beg, plead, he won't cooperate

I could see him actually kidnapping you

Knocking you out or smth (ahem sano siblings!) And then bringing you to his house and him comforting you and cooing at how much he loves you and everbody wants to take you away

I mean who wouldn't?

In his eyes you 're perfect, he can't get enough of you he craves- no needs you. So bad.

He loves you too much

He lowkey gets scary when sometimes you do something as if getting a bit too 'friendly' with someone asking for directions that one time he let you out for your birthday

Giving you that stare that makes you shiver, the glint in his eyes scares you

But let's say you develop Stockholm syndrome!

He's so happy you reciprocate his feelings!

He becomes so much closer...litterly

You can still feel his touch after he leaves to go to work with chifuyu

"You know how much I love you right? So much." He says with a certain glint in his eyes that goes as it comes as he kissed your forehead

" gotta go to work, don't try anything, love you. " he mumbles as he pecks your lip then waves before leaving and locking the door

Luckily you've upgraded from being tied up completely, to now being chained to the bed by your ankle and wrist...but hey you can move around now! He really cares about your well being!

Kazutora who cries anytime to manipulate you

You want to open the window because it's too hot when you guys hang out?

He'll start sobbing and begging you not to leave him

You're confused but awkwardly try comforting him slightly feeling guilty....but it was too hot in the room!

Kazutora who worships your existence to the point of where it gets suffocating

He'll press little kisses to every inch- no! centimeter of you're body while mumbling the most disturbing things you have ever heard against you're skin...

Kazutora who makes it very clear you mean so much to him

Your his God

he needs you sososso bad. You can't leave him. He won't let you

Kazutora who will even kill again for your same

Kazutora who would even kill you then decide to kill himself because he needs you...he needs you in every dimension, lifetime, whatever! If he can't have you..? No one can.

#tokyo revengers #tokyo rev smut #tokyo revengers x reader #kazutora hanemiya #kazutora x reader #tokyo revengers kazutora #kazutora smut #tokyo rev x reader #tokyo manji gang #tokrev kazutora

[heartz-for-hh]

So I had seen a cowboy alastor edit and I decided I was gonna write about it so yeah..?

ALSO IK ALASTOR IS ACE, NO NEED TO REMIND ME THIS IS JUST A BUNCH OF LETTERS

Tw: smut, oral (m receiving), p in v, hair pulling, making out

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your in your room, bored out of your mind as you take off your makeup and let down your h/l hair. Your h/c hair flows across your back in relief.

Charlie had made you dress up as a cowgirl for their new commercial for the hotel, including a part where you act with someone (hence the scene with sir pentious and angel dust trying to sell him stuff)

You were dressed in loose jeans, a white dress shirt, and a black vest. You slowly unravel yourself from the restraining vest.

"Shit, this lipstick stained" you say as you rub your lips vigorously, trying to remove the stain. Meanwhile you were struggling to remove the annoying dark red lipstick, you didn't notice that your roommate, alastor, used his spare room key to come in.

You snapped back into reality when you heard the door snap shut

"Oh hey alasto-" you say before your jaw gapes open, seeing an alastor also in a cowboy outfit for another part.

"Seems like your having quite the trouble dear huh?" He says curiously seeing your pile of makeup wipes.

"Ah, why yes, quite the strugle," you said as you got up to throw away the makeup wipes that were now covered in red dark lipstick.

"I swear I just can't get rid of this tacky lipstick!"

"Well why let it go to waste!, why don't we make the most of it?" He says a smirk starting to grow across his gray skin.

He grabs you by the chin as he pulls you in kissing you passionately. After about a minute of kissing you, you feel his tongue nudging against you bottom lip, begging for entrance. You let him in and he starts exploring your mouth and your taste. He suddenly pulls back for air.

"Wow darling I never knew you tasted so good, now on your knees please." Once he says that you obviously oblige, seeming as if you were annoyed to be bossed around but honestly curious for what he was gonna do next.

Once you get on your knees, you can hear his shiny belt buckle start to unbuckle, them he pulls down his boxer and zipper just enough so that it could spring out.

"Why darling, why don't you show me how you can use that beautiful mouth of yours?"

The moment he says that you start to kiss the tip, giving kitten licks from the bottom of his shaft to the tip, earning some low groans from him.

You continue to tease him before he grabs your head and forces his member into your mouth.

You start bobbing your head up and down, finding a good pace, as you look up at him. You slowly start moving your pace, going faster by the minute until alastors head goes back. All the teasing and eye contact is too much for him and he finally expulses inside of your mouth, icing your lips.

"Why that was slightly satisfying, but not enough, won't you be a dear and strip for me?"

You start slowly taking off your pants, a bit awkward by the situation, as you start unzipping your pants, showing your dark red laced panties.You pull your shirt over your head, showing your matching bra.

"Wow my dear, did you wear those just for me?" His grin widens as he makes your flesh flush by his comments.

"Now, why not save a horse and ride a cowboy?"

You start to position yourself onto his lap as he grabs his now hard member to line up against you.

Once you find a good position, you start to sink into him earning a low groans from him and a soft moan from your lips.

"Darling, you feel so good," He says as his clawed hands find your waist and guide you against his crotch.

As minutes past, the sound of skin slapping and your sweaty moans full the room, his actions get more rougher as his high starts to follow up.

Your hips are basicly bucking against his looking for any more friction you can get, your soft moans switching into louder ones, as your high hits you.

Your vision goes white as you orgasm all over his dick, your walls sqeazing him, as you moan his name loudly.

His orgasm doesn't follow that late as he cums inside of you.

"Why I guess you just saved a ride,"

#hazbin hotel #alastor smut #alastor x reader #bro idk #fanfic #pure smut #cowboy

[moremaybank]

Hey love i have a request for JJ Maybank or Klaus. him chearing his girl up (with sex) after her football team lost their game. My country lost the first game on the world cup today and I would just need any of them with me rn. thank u<3

SCORED — j.m

pairing jj maybank x fem!reader

summary jj cheers you up after your favourite football team loses their first game in the world cup.

warnings 18+, unprotected sex, oral sex (f. receiving), fingering, breeding kink, praise kink, language

author's note ik argentina won the world cup (period), but this was requested before they did so yeah. not proofread because i've been drinking 💀

jj masterlist

you sighed, plopping down onto your bed face first. you were enthusiastic mere hours ago, hoping and praying that your team would go far during the world cup. however, much to your dismay, things hadn't exactly gone to plan. all your excitement had vanished, leaving you in a puddle of misery and disappointment.

jj had heard you screaming at the tv from downstairs, so when he looked over at you ad your mopey expression from his side of the bed, he wasn't surprised. "baby, i know you're upset that argentina lost, but it was just one game. they can still take the whole thing," he said as he rubbed your back, striving to ease your heartache.

"i know, but that doesn't mean i don't get to feel their loss with them. it hurts," you replied, voice muffled thanks to the comforter you've smushed your face against.

"would one of my famous back massages make you feel better?"

you lifted your face up from the bed, and your eyes landed on jj's hopeful smile. damn him and his goddamn dimple.

"yeah."

his grin widened, and he straddled your back to work on your tense muscles.

shoving the hem of your shirt up to your shoulder blades, his hands instantly got to work, kneading and massaging your back. if witchcraft existed, it would be in the form of jj's magical hands. they knew your body as well as his own; what made you tick, what relieved your tension, and what actions could leave you at his mercy. he took pride in how he knew you inside out.

as he continued to work through the knots in your back, soft little moans would tumble past your lips, and it was becoming difficult to concentrate. every noise you made echoed in his mind and brought up memories of past moments of passion shared between you two. jj tried to push his thoughts to the back of his mind, but to no avail. all he could think about was having you in whatever position he wanted while he performed unspeakable acts on you.

so caught up in his own head, jj failed to notice that his cock was getting harder and harder as the seconds passed. it was hard — no pun intended — not to detect. it was unavoidable; he needed you. needed to hear you calling out his name as his cock slammed into you over and over, legs trembling as you clung onto him like your life depended on it.

jj dropped his head, starting to leave wet kisses up the outline of your spine. once he was close enough, he kissed the shell of your ear.

"i don't think i'm the only one who needs help feeling better, j. i can feel how hard you are for me," you whispered, your fingers threading through his hair behind you. "maybe we can help each other?"

"fuck yeah," he breathed in response, moving closer to your face so he could kiss you. your lips touched, electricity coursing between your mouths as you expressed your need for each other with your lips. jj bit down on your bottom lip, tugging at it and drawing another one of those heaven-sent moans from you.

you pulled away, nudging him off you so you could turn over. "why are you still wearing these?" you questioned, fingers toying with his clothes. "take 'em off, handsome."

"you first," he smirked teasingly before obliging and stripping his shirt and shorts off. you also removed your clothes and laid back on the bed as you waited for jj to climb over you.

once he did, his lips found yours again, as one of his hands trailed down your body. he rubbed circles over your panty-clad clit, eliciting a whine from you.

"i love how fucking responsive you are. all it takes is the smallest touch to make you a mess for me," he taunts, rubbing harshly as your hips met his movements. the material separating you from his touch was becoming a nuisance, and you moved his hand to discard them from your body. jj beat you to it, taking the hem between his teeth and dragging the panties down your legs slowly.

the slick seeping from your pussy glistened thanks to the sunlight flowing into the room from the window, and jj visibly salivated as he licked his lips. "my favourite fucking meal," he rasped, before delving in.

his lips instantly wrapped around your clit, knowing that clitoral stimulation was what pushed you over the edge. he didn't feel like teasing you today; he just wanted you to forget about your sorrows and make you feel the best you ever had at his hands. you mewled when his tongue slathered around your sensitive bundle of nerves, pushing it back and forth. he then dragged his tongue down to your entrance, craving the taste of you. "so sweet. always so fucking sweet."

pulling back, he looked up at you. "you wanna taste yourself, pretty girl?"

you nodded furiously in response, loving the way he was speaking to you. his words were just as magical as his hands; they could push you to the brink alone if they wanted to.

jj pushed his index and middle finger into you, thrusting and curling upward as he leaned up to kiss you. your tongues collided as you kissed, and you could taste a bit of yourself in his mouth. the filthy action drove you crazy, and your walls clamped down around his digits.

"shit, j. so close already, gonna come," you whined, head thrown back as jj's lips found your neck. his teeth scraped at your collarbone, and his hand picked up the pace, pushing you over the edge as you reached your first orgasm. you came loudly, trembling as your high coursed through your body.

once you came down, your finger hooked itself in his shark tooth necklace, and you pulled his lips to yours. your free hand slid down his torso, feeling every ridge and dip of his abs before you reached his clothed cock. you snuck your hand in, fingers circling around his length as you stroked him gently. he groaned into your mouth, hips subconsciously moving closer to your touch.

"you're gonna take every inch of me, yeah? your pretty little pussy gonna swallow me whole and keep me inside?"

"yes, baby. need you buried all the way inside me," you begged, giving him the pout he always fails to hold out against.

he grinned, moving your hand from his briefs so he could strip them off. he threw them on the floor carelessly before looking back to you. "do me a favour?"

"anything, j," you whispered, the words true to your heart.

"roll over and put this pillow under your hips for me," he responded, handing you one of your pillows. you nodded, doing as he said. he then climbed back on top of you, straddling the back of your thighs with the tip of his cock brushing against your wet core. he sucked in a breath at the light contact, cock twitching with want. he pushed inside slowly, one hand guiding himself inside and the other resting on your hip. you both simultaneously let out a satisfied moan, feeling the relief quell the ache that burned inside you both.

jj leaned his upper body against your back, his forearms resting on the mattress on either side of you, caging you in. he began to thrust his hips slowly, his cock pushing into you deep with each movement. the position he ordered you into, accompanied by the pillow placed under your hips, had you seeing stars with every plunge of his length. he rocked into you so deeply that it knocked every unrelated thought out of your brain. all you could focus on was how he was making you feel.

"love how good for me you are, pretty girl. my good girl always behaves for me. you love pleasing me, don't you?"

"yes, baby. i'd do anything to make you happy," you replied, clutching onto the sheets beneath you. "love being your little toy and getting to please you."

"love you so fucking much, princess. love how you let me fuck you whenever i want. you're so fucking good for me; make me so fucking proud, baby. you and your tight little pussy," he rasped, hips beginning to rock into you a bit faster.

your walls clenched around him as his filthy words stroked your ego and his equally filthy movements stroked your g-spot just right. you were putty in his hands, biting down on the pillow in front of your face as you whimpered. you never wanted jj to be anywhere else. you wanted him inside you, every minute of every day for the rest of your life.

"c'mon, baby. come for me. i'm right here, i'm not going anywhere," jj encouraged as he left open-mouthed kisses on your shoulder blades, sucking soft red hues into your skin.

"wanna come with you, j. need to feel you twitch inside me and fill me up," you whined, your hand wrapping around one of his biceps as you let him fuck into you faster.

"i'm close, baby. go ahead, make daddy proud and come with me," he said, chasing both of your highs with each thrust of his hips.

"fuck, right there, j. shit."

you squealed as jj let out a loud groan, the two of you reaching your highs together. his hips stuttered while he kept thrusting inside of you, spurring you on as you came. your cunt squeezed him with a vice grip as if it wanted to cage him in.

"goddamn," jj rasped, collapsing onto your back as you both panted, coming down from your climaxes, "that was perfect. you're perfect." he mustered up his energy, rolling off of you. his fingers swiped some hair out of your face as he smirked at you.

your brows furrowed. "what?" you questioned, knowing he was up to something.

"i know your team lost, pretty girl, but you still scored," he replied with a wink, and all you could do was let out a laugh.

"you're an idiot."

jj tag list (join here!): @maybankslover @skydisneylover @kittyqrt @v-velvetykisscs

#jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank smut #jj maybank imagine #jj obx #outer banks #outer banks x reader #outer banks smut #outer banks imagine #obx #obx x reader #obx smut #obx imagine

[anakinmybeloved]

Anakin taking care of your sore breasts

Warnings: 18+ established relationship, nipple play, anakin loves to take care of you, sickly sweet, pet names, mentions of PMSing, not proofread.

A/n: i kinda just wrote this bc i was bored, also my first time writing anything like this ik its not my best work so be gentle lol.

Your at home laying in bed snuggled up in the sheets. Your menstrual cycle has you completely defeated. Normally the cramps aren’t so bad, but the mood swings are at its peak. Along with your sore, tender breasts. You can’t fall asleep and at this point your just waiting for Anakin to get home. 

About fifteen minutes later you hear the door open and close alerting you he’s finally back. He comes in your room and takes himself out of his boots, noticing you on the bed at first glance he assumes you have fallen asleep. He tries to be quiet not to wake you, changing out of his Jedi robes into more comfortable attire. You feel him slowly crawl into bed next to you, facing your back. You push back trying to mold yourself into his body. 

“hey baby I thought you were asleep” he says, while wrapping his arms around your middle. “I was trying but its no use.” You respond back while snuggling into his warmth.

“Im sorry my love, I know you haven’t been feeling well lately.”  You turn to him so you can get in a more comfortable position. Now you two are facing each other while your leg is resting on his hip. “really I’m feeling better now that I have you back. I think the worst of it is over. Im just tired and sore I guess” 

He brings his hand around and slowly starts rubbing circles into your back. You scoot closer so your head is nuzzled into his chest. “can I give you a massage, will that help baby?”  All you do is nod your head and he’s turning you from your side to lay on your back. He’s now hovering over you and places a gentle kiss starting on your forehead, then to the tip of your nose, both cheeks, and a slow kiss on your lips. “Thank you Ani, I missed you today" and you truly did, Anakin never fails to make you feel comfortable, always trying to take care of you and make you feel better when you get your period. 

His hands gliding up and down your waist while kissing down your neck he mumbles into you “ missed you more, just kept thinking of coming home to you to make you feel better.” His hands now inching closer to your swollen breasts, gently squeezing over your shirt, which is actually his shirt. He lifts it up and now both his face and hands hover over the area. Anakin notices how red and irritated your nipples have become since your period has started, how your breasts feel more full and heavy. 

“Let me know if you need me to be more gentle baby ok?” He looks up to you with his beautiful blue eyes making sure you understand. You nod and assure him you will, although you just do it to make him feel better, knowing he wouldn’t be rough with you right now. He takes one breast into his mouth, grazing his tongue along the nipple, and a shock goes through your body. He’s squeezing both breasts into peaks and is now switching from side to side sucking each nipple in his mouth while lightly tugging with his teeth and releasing your swollen nipple from his mouth with a pop. 

He goes at it for a few more minutes, taking his time with you, really concentrating, trying not to hurt you and hopefully releasing some of the tension in your body. Once your chest is fully coated with his saliva he pulls his face back and squeezes your breasts together once more while looking down at you. You know Anakin is containing himself because youre sore but he could play with your tits all night. He moves down the rest of your body kissing all the way to your hips, down your stomach and places a lingering kiss over your mound with heated eyes looking up to you. But he continues massaging with his hands down your thighs placing kisses all the way down, past your legs and even rubs your feet for a while. 

He makes his way back up to your face, now both laying towards eachother on your sides. He cups your cheeks and just holds your face in his hands. “ I love you angel, I know it doesn’t help much but ill do whatever I can to make you feel better.” Just his words alone make you feel okay again, no one makes you feel loved and taken care of like Anakin has. “ I love you more than you can imagine.” You take his face and kiss him deeply, once you pull away from each other Anakin lies on his back while you fall asleep on his chest. 

Finally feeling taken care of. 

#anakin #star wars anakin #anakin x you #anakin x reader #anakin fanfiction #sw anakin #anakin skywalker #anakin x reader smut #anakin smut

[hannahlovesluca]

| the fic no one asked for but i had to write

| warnings: lots of cursing, reader is part of ILUNA

“i’m just going to stand over here alone..” Rosemi states, your character following behind hers “What did you say? your mic is dank as hell.”

Before Rosemi even has a chance to respond, a snowball is thrown directly at your characters face.

You didn’t even have to think to immediately know who it was.

“LUCA!” You scream whilst pressing shift and running over to him and punching his character repeatedly in the face.

With each punch, you say one word.

“eat. my. balls.”

As you were doing this, Aia jumped atop of Luca’s head and her characters body went lip.

“AHAHHAA SHE DIED!!” Luca howls, punching your character.

And behind you both, Vox and Alban are slapping each others butts. Typical NIJI collab, right?

“I need to watch a YouTube tutorial for how to live life.” Kyo’s disembodied, dank mic says whilst running past you.

The only thing you can hear (that actually makes sense) is Luca’s maniacal laughing and telling Fulgur about how Aia died.

“What’s the matter with you, Baby?” Fulgur asks Luca.

“Nothing much, hegh..”

Your character runs up to Luca’s and punches him once.

“Hey girl, sorry we couldn’t skype tonight. but, thats alright,” Luca pauses, punching your character, “see you tomorrow, girl. good night.”

Thats the last thing you hear before your screen fades to black and the first game starts.

The first game is the snowball fight.

You get placed on Red Team, and immediately start bunny-hopping around and throwing snowballs at the other team.

And, eventually, you hit Ike, and right before his mic cuts out you hear,

“FUCK YOU Y/N L/N OF NIJISANJI EN’S-”

You immediately burst out laughing, your model ceasing to move on the bottom right of the screen due to how hard you were laughing.

And as you were laughing, you get hit in the head with a snowball.

You’re not even mad though, it was too funny.

And as this game comes to an end, you’re brought back to life due to your team having won that game.

You’re still laughing as the next game starts, but it starts dying off as you analyze what game it is.

Crusty Rocks.

Within seconds, your character hops from one sinking rock to the same one as Fulgur.

“Hey, Y/N, friends right? You wouldn’t hurt the birthday boy?”

“No, never. Why would you think that?” You say before pushing him off the rocks a few seconds later.

Fulgur, not phased, just tells his chat: “Eh, I didn’t trust her anyways.”

“Anyone who betrays me I will never- AHHHHH-” Rosemi screams as her rock starts sinking down, you immediately start laughing before jumping over to her.

“Hi Rosemi-sama..” You say, punching her character once to greet her, but not push her off.

“Hi Y/N-san… you’re not gonna kill me, right?” She says, sounding slightly worried.

“Of course not, you’re my wifey, Wosemi-sama….”

You say before hitting her character once again, luckily, just before she lands in the ocean, she somehow manages to jump onto a nearby rock.

“EVBEBEHEU PLUCK YOU Y/N!!”

You start laughing maniacally once again, hearing Rosemi keep on saying the word ‘pluck’.

You watch as Nina dies at the last second, having been deserted far away from the others on a single rock that started to sink.

“Oh God, chat. I don’t think I’m going to survive TanTan.” you say, chuckling whilst the next game boots up.

Ike Eveland [NIJISANJI EN] 🔧: i hate you.

Fulgur Ovid [NIJISANJI EN] 🔧: So do I, Ike. So do I.

“Hi Fulgur, Hi Ike.” You say whilst readjusting your headphones. “Sorry for killing you both.” You say before winking and the round starts.

The first thing you hear is Luca’s chuckle as the round starts.

“Alright mate,” He keeps saying in an overdone Aussie accent.

“I actually had a nightmare about TanTan last night,” Vox says to no one directly. However you heard it.

“Please elaborate, Vox.” You say, confused whilst chucking a snowball at TanTan.

You hear Millie screaming in the background as she had not realized you needed to jump over the shock waves TanTan sends in order to survive.

“Well-” Vox starts before he gets hit in the head with a snowball. “You guys are so funny, YOU’RE SO FUCKING FUNNY-” you don’t hear the rest of Vox’s sentence as you had bunny-hopped too far away, hoping he wouldn’t figure out that you were the culprit.

However, you are able to hear when he screeches (screams?? idek know what noise he made) so loud that you’re genuinely surprised his microphone didn’t implode.

It’s only you and Luca left before Luca hits you in the head with a snowball, your body going limp afterward.

“OH YOU MOTHERFUCKER YOU THINK YOU’RE SO FU-”

You mald, aware he can’t hear you anymore.

Ike Eveland [NIJISANJI EN] 🔧: what you get LOL

“Shut up, Ike. Aren’t you streaming anyway? Why do you have mine opened?”

In a matter of seconds, Ike sends another message.

Ike Eveland [NIJISANJI EN] 🔧: not streaming. am i not allowed to support my kouhai?

You’re caught off guard by Luca screaming about how much he loves crab before the screen switches over to the theme music and Luca dancing violently.

As it switches back to the lobby, the first thing you hear is your genmate Kyo saying:

“Y/N should have won.. Luca you have some sort of rich super-power.”

You fake tears and say, “My genmate, Kyo Kaneko, loves me??”

“Don’t push it, bitch.”

#luca kaneshiro #ike eveland #luxiem #luxiem x reader #shu yamino #mysta rias #nijisanji en #vox akuma #luca kaneshiro x reader #ike eveland x reader #hannahlovesluca #crab game

[sungbeam]

nonidol!ji changmin x bff!fem!reader

after the death of his best friend, changmin’s been left to grieve and wallow. but when you suddenly come back to him in the form of a ghost, he realizes that this might be his chance to right some wrongs. (aka; changmin has seven days with your ghost to figure out why you’ve been returned to the land of the living.)

▷ genre, warnings. childhood friends au, you are literally dead./major character death, mentions of a car accident, implied past bullying, swearing, fluff, comedy as a coping mechanism, angst, comfort/hurt, grief and survivor’s guilt, so much crying that you might get tired, just telling you now it is not meant to be a romantic plot but there r hints bc i’m a sucker, i’m not religious but ur a ghost(?), getting over one’s best friend’s death is not easy folks so that’s why y/n goes ghost B)

▷ total wc. 16.8k </3

▷ permanent taglist. @tayunji @im-a-big-mess @honeyhuii @y3jiishot @crazywittysassy @seomisaho @stopeatread @enhacolor @rnjfy @jaehunnyy @kpopjackie @spiderrenjunfics @soobin-chois @stayarmytinyzenmoa-l @ethereal-engene

a/n: hey hello! ik this prob won’t get a lot of interaction bc it’s a tbz fic and non-romantic main, but it would mean a lot to me if u reblogged and shared this :’) otherwise, hope u enjoy, and here's some mood songs: yellow (coldplay), last (dvwn), & let's hurt tonight (onerepublic)

DAY ZERO

JUYEON wasn’t really the best at approaching people in this way. There was something about sad people that made him feel helpless, and the fact that this was Ji Changmin, one of his closest friends, the helplessness had collapsed into a sinkhole in the pit of his stomach. Even Chanhee, someone who was arguably closer to Changmin, sat silently after Kevin’s proposed question.

Kevin lifted the straw of his coffee to his lips, eyes glued to a crack in the table they surrounded in the local coffee shop by the school campus. “So… no one has any ideas?”

Sad, drooping heads.

Chanhee blew a puff of air out from his lips as he propped his chin onto his palm. There seemed to be a permanent frown etched into his face nowadays, not far from how Changmin looked. “I wish that we knew how to get through to him, y’know? I think if he would just let us, then we could at least be there with him.”

“He’s grieving, Chanhee,” Kevin replied firmly, but not unkindly. “If he wants alone time, then he deserves that time to himself. But I do think that he needs to come out of his apartment. I mean… his parents will not be happy when they find out he’s skipped almost a month’s worth of classes.”

It had been about a month since that dreadful night you died. Changmin and his friends had all awoken to the news that there had been an Accident. It was on the corner of two streets, on the opposite side of campus, that you had been run down by a drunk driver on your way home from a late shift. Since then, Changmin refused to crawl out of his apartment, insisting on hoarding himself away. He’d only come out of the apartment to let Gana frolic and do his business, but would then proceed to go straight back to his hobbit hole.

This was a far cry from the Changmin they knew—the one who would drag his friends out to the permanent Haunted House attraction in the middle of July, the one who refused to return to his own apartment until he nailed a dance move just right. But the day you died seemed to be the day that Changmin had as well.

Juyeon chewed on his bottom lip, knee bouncing up and down fervently with anxious energy. He hated feeling helpless. As Kevin and Chanhee continued to talk themselves aloud through their own thoughts, Juyeon pulled his phone out from his pocket and sent Changmin a series of texts. When he finished, he shoved the phone under his thigh to keep from constantly checking the screen for disappointment.

“…could always call up Sunwoo and drive him up here. I’m sure he would gladly intrude to cuddle—”

Juyeon was suddenly yanked back out from tuning in when he felt his phone vibrate. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as he watched the little bubbles appear under Changmin’s name.

juyo: hey changminnie~ wanna come get bbq with us tonight? it’s on me !

juyo: ice cream afterward on me too

kyu: okay

kyu: what time?

———

Changmin didn’t know what possessed him to come out of his apartment to hang out with his friends. For far too long, he had refused to hang out with anyone else besides Gana and his lonesome. But something in him ignited at the sight of Juyeon’s texts and offers; perhaps it had been his stomach and dwindling bank account.

Nevertheless, he told Juyeon that he would meet him there, and he wasn’t about to flake on his word.

He exhaled a haggard sigh from his mouth, the breath turning to visible air in front of him. His nose and cheeks were pink from the cold nipping at his skin, but the sensation felt nice, felt normal. He ducked his head, puffy and tired eyes hidden beneath a red baseball cap, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark hoodie as he walked across the street to reach the lively and warm embrace of the bbq restaurant.

He spied his trio of friends lingering just outside the door, small smiles on their faces as they talked about something amongst themselves. Chanhee threw his head back in a laugh at something Juyeon said, and Changmin suddenly felt out of place without even being there. What if he was just going to ruin the mood? He didn’t want them to be sad or walk around eggshells around him. What if he cried, just out of nowhere? That would definitely ruin the mood—

Before he could swivel on his heel and turn back, Kevin caught his eyes from down the road, his face lighting up. He raised a hand to wave him over, catching the attention of the other two who turned to look. “Yo, Changmin! You made it, man.”

Changmin tried for a smile, his shoulders relaxing. This was fine; he was going to be okay. “Hey guys.”

Chanhee immediately rushed over to him and crushed him in an embrace. “I can’t believe I’ve missed you,” he lamented into Changmin’s jacket.

Changmin chuckled, affectionately patting his friend’s head. “Well, I’m not surprised. I missed you, too, though.”

When Chanhee pulled back, there was an expression of stark disbelief on his face. But before he could point out that Changmin actually admitted to missing him, Changmin was greeted by Kevin and Juyeon.

Juyeon pulled him into a small side hug. “How’re you feeling?”

Changmin swallowed. The tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and his inner voice was shouting at him to hold back. He sucked in a breath. “I’m… I’m okay. How’re you guys?”

There was an exchange of looks between the other three as if they didn’t believe him or they were all silently trying to figure out what best to respond with. Kevin was the one who said, “We’re doing okay, too. Come on; our table’s ready.”

And that was perhaps the very response that Changmin was hoping for—and yet, at the same time, he wondered if he would have liked it better if they called him out for lying instead.

———

Changmin stumbled into his apartment, hand flapping against the wall blindly to find the lightswitch. His dark bangs hung in his eyes as the lights flickered on. He winced, digging his thumb and forefinger into the corners of his eyes to stave the brightness. As he kicked the front door shut, he heard the jingling of Gana’s collar as his pup came up to circle around his legs in warm greeting.

He bent down slightly to scratch behind Gana’s ears. “Hi, boy. Yeah, I’m back.”

He let out yet another sigh and dragged himself over to the couch, collapsing onto the cushion dented with the imprint of his butt from heavy use. Gana leapt onto the couch beside him, dutifully taking residence on the cushion and resting his fluffy head in Changmin’s lap.

For the first time in a month, Changmin had smiled, laughed even. He didn’t like admitting that it had made him feel good; he didn’t like that he could be happy when you’d died so soon ago. The devil perched on his shoulder whispered insecurities into his ear and that high he had been on while out with Chanhee, Kevin, and Juyeon disappeared. Replacing it was that gut-wrenching guilt in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t even describe the deep sadness that fell over him like a tsunami wave. Everything had come to deafening silence, like when he would dunk his head beneath water. Everything became muted… he was slipping again.

Changmin leaned his head against the back of the couch and let the tears trail down the sides of his face. He was trying to breathe—inhale, exhale, inhale—but he would only choke on the sounds of his sobs.

Gana crawled into his lap now, warm mass like a hug. It was the only thing grounding Changmin to reality now.

Do you even deserve to be happy? He wondered to himself, shifting to sit up and wipe the tears from his cheeks with the backs of his hands. Did you deserve to go out and be happy when Yn can’t?

Changmin swore under his breath, angrily pawing at his face again, willing the waterworks to stop. “God, stop crying, you fucking wimp,” he growled at himself.

It wouldn’t help; of course, it wouldn’t help.

His frame trembled and quaked and… and…

Changmin gently moved Gana off of his legs so he could make his way over to the little side table beside his TV. It used to be where he stashed yours and his favorite movies, video games, and board games. But now, it had become home to pictures of you and him, tealights, and your favorite plushie that he kept from when your parents asked to meet with him.

All of it. Why was it here if only to remind him of the person he treasured most lost to the cruel hand of fate?

He collapsed before the table, knees pressed between his body and the cold, hard ground. He clasped his hands together, tears pouring down his face. “If I could just see you again, Yn… just one more time,” he managed to choke out. “Just one more time. Please.” Would that even be enough?

DAY ONE

LIGHT filtered in through the shutters of the apartment windows and directly into Changmin’s eyes, but what woke him up was the incessant sound of Gana’s barking. Changmin groaned, body rolling around onto its side as he reached for his phone charging on the nightstand. It was ten in the morning, well past his first lecture of the day’s allotted time.

He sniffled, hand reaching up to gently touch his puffy eyelids. God, eight hours and he still woke up sore as—

“Jesus, it’s still a pigsty in here.”

Changmin froze. Gana kept barking.

He blinked. He must have been hearing things, because he couldn’t have just heard your voice say that from out in the living room.

Changmin shook his head. He really needed some coffee or something. Now he was hallucinating you? How much worse could his mental health get? Maybe he really should have accepted that offer from your parents when they’d asked him if they could pay for any counseling services he needed. He rose from the bed with a yawn, arms stretching up over his head.

Gana had stopped barking at this point, and Changmin mentally thanked whatever it was that was making his dog go mad for…

The thought ran dry in his head like words dying upon his tongue. He stepped over the threshold between his bedroom and the main living space, and his eyes landed on something awfully peculiar… Not something, rather someone. You. He was staring right at you leaning down to scratch Gana behind the ears.

His heart leapt into his throat and his eyes fluttered shut. This could not be happening.

“Holy shit!” Your exclamation made his eyes shoot open. You were gaping at him now as if you were surprised to see him. “You’re supposed to be at class!”

He couldn’t help but retort in his own defense, “And you’re supposed to be dead!” But here you were, in the flesh—in an old T-shirt from your high school Science Olympiad team and comfortable sweats—petting his dog.

Changmin grasped his bedroom door frame, free hand flying to hold his head. “Oh my god, I’m going insane. What was in that ice cream last night?”

There was no plausible reason for you to be standing in his living room right now. Not when you had been dead for an entire month. He had been at the funeral, had sobbed his heart out over the pile of dirt they’d shoveled over your grave. A prickling sensation came to the corners of his eyes and he willed himself to not start crying again. He didn’t even know he had tears left to cry after the session he’d had last night.

“Changmin.”

He shuddered.

Your voice was softer this time as you slowly moved away from Ghana. “Changmin, it’s Yn Ln. You know me.”

He peeked out from behind his hand and sniffled. Nevermind, he was definitely crying. “Stop,” he rasped, shaking his head. “Stop. This is just a figment of my imagination. Yn is not really here; she’s definitely—” His voice broke and he let go of the door jamb so he could bury his face into the palms of both of his hands. He let out a shaky breath. “I need coffee.”

He averted his eyes from looking in your direction as he shook some sense into his head and headed straight for the kitchen to start the coffee pot. He could hear Gana’s collar jingle as he bounded after him.

You could only stand there where you had been before and watch with sad eyes as he kept his back to you the entire time the coffee brewed.

One scaldingly bitter cup of brew later, Changmin leaned his back against the counter to face you. His face was set in a permanent grimace from the gross after taste of that hot bean juice, but the slight buzzing sensation at the back of his head was definitely a sign of alertness. Okay, now to solve all his problems.

“So you’re a ghost?” Were the first words from his mouth.

Your face dropped into a deadpan that was so you, Changmin almost broke out into hysterical giggles. “That’s your first question?”

“It’s a very valid question.”

You sighed. “Yes. Sure, I’m a ghost.”

He narrowed his eyes on you, lifting the mug in his hand to his lips, then frowning when he realized it was empty. “Okay, but how do I know you’re really Yn? How do I know you’re not just a projection of my crippling depression, and that you’re actually my Yn?” He didn’t know where the my had come from, but he was going a little too insane to care.

You made a face at him, nose wrinkling up cutely. He could see you in all the little mannerisms, and to be honest, he wouldn’t be surprised at all if you turned out to be simply a figment of his imagination because he knew you that well. He could probably resurrect you into an animated character if he knew how to animate in the first place. “Changmin, how am I supposed to prove to you I’m actually Yn? You can’t just recognize me?”

Maybe his brain was just tuning into work mode to block out all of the emotions. At the moment, he let his playful, curious side win his body over. “I dunno,” he grinned. “Ooh! What is my middle name?”

“You don’t have a middle name.”

“What is my favorite movie?” He stopped short, his pointer finger tapping his chin. “Wait, that’s too obvious. When’s my birthday?”

You squinted at him in disbelief. “So your favorite movie is too obvious, but your birthday, which is on your birth certificate, isn’t?”

He huffed. “Okay, what did I wear to Juyeon’s fourteenth birthday party then?”

Your hand moved to hold your forehead. “Changmin, how the fuck am I supposed to remember that.”

“THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YN WOULD SAY!”

“THAT’S BECAUSE I AM YN, YOU IDIOT.”

When Changmin doubled over himself in laughter, your lips settled into a thin line. He thunked his mug onto the counter with a concerningly loud crash so he could brace himself against something with one hand. (Maybe he really was going insane.)

You fixed him with a look. “Are you done messing around, Ji Changmin?”

His eyes, squinting from all his laughter and the biggest grin on his face, twinkled from where he peered over the counter at you. The sight almost brought a smile back to your face. “You’re just fun to mess with, Yn-ie.”

———

Reality came crashing down on Changmin in as little as five minutes.

“So… you’re a ghost?”

This time, when he posed the question, it was smaller and mellow, his body settled onto the couch with his legs pulled up to his chest as he peered up at you through watery eyes and a childlike disposition. Gana had retreated into his bedroom to snuggle into his bedsheets, leaving only you and Changmin in the main living space. You were perched on the wooden coffee table across from where he sat on the couch. You didn’t have it in you to be annoyed at him when he looked so… looked so unlike himself. This wasn’t the Changmin you knew before: ballsy, smiley, unafraid. There was something so blanched about him, like he was washed over in some kind of filter. It was unnerving.

You bit your upper lip, hands drumming against your legs. “Yeah.”

He stared at you for a moment, then pointed at the TV remote next to you. “Move that.”

“Pardon?”

“Move it,” he repeated.

You moved it.

“Why aren’t you just phasing through shit if you’re a ghost?” He asked, hands tightening around his knees.

His logic, or well—some semblance of logic—was trying to help him process this, that much you understood. “I don’t know,” you admitted. “I was literally just manifested here.”

“So you know you’re dead?”

You nodded. “I don’t know how long I’ve been dead for—”

“Three weeks and four days,” he blurted. He averted his gaze for a moment and picked at a stray thread on the couch. “Three weeks… and four days.”

And suddenly, you felt as though you reflected how he looked right now: eyes shining, frown engraved into your face. Your body went numb from the shock and the sudden realization that he had been counting. You swallowed. How were you supposed to comfort him through your own death?

“Can I hug you?”

Your head perked up and you met his small gaze again. You nodded. “Yeah,” you cleared your throat and held out your palms like an offering, “yeah, c’mere, Kyu.”

At the sound of his nickname, he practically pounced across the gap between you two, and into your arms. You were able to grab hold of him and keep your own body upright, and you felt him fist the material of your shirt in his hands as he sobbed into your chest. He could feel you, all of you—could smell your shampoo, feel the warmth of your neck. He could squeeze and grapple onto you as if you were truly here. God, what he would have given to hug you one last time. His knees were definitely bruised from how hard he hit the floor, but he had slid down far enough that he was clinging onto and crying into your stomach, all while one of your arms came around his top half and the other settled comfortably in the nest of his hair.

“I—” he blubbered into your dampened shirt, “—I missed you so much, Yn. I missed you so bad. I—I can’t—I don’t even know what to do without you. I missed you so, so badly.”

You squeezed him a little harder and leaned down to lay your body over his. “God, I’m sorry, Kyu. I missed you, too. You’ll be okay, hm? You’re gonna be okay.”

He shook his head against you in insistent refusal. “Mm-mm. No. Can’t do this fucking shit without you—can’t do this ‘live your life’ shit without my—my best friend.” He wasn’t even sure how he could manage to get words out. Even if he had known he would be given the opportunity to speak to you one last time, he wouldn’t ever be able to settle on the right words to tell you. This moment was no different. All that spilled from his mouth was nothing short of the truth, though.

———

Hours later, you and Changmin laid on the length of the couch with his face tucked into your neck and his body lying atop yours. You’d coaxed him to move with you onto the couch, knowing that his legs were probably screaming in agony for being pressed against the hardwood floor. He hadn’t said anything for a long time; only deigning to lay there in silence as he assured himself that you really were a solid mass beneath him. He came to realize one thing in particular, however—you lacked a heartbeat.

Everything about you seemed perfectly and incredibly human, except for that fact. He felt no pulse aching from where he nestled by your jugular. All of those crime dramas he’d spent hours upon hours watching with you had come in handy in learning how to feel for pulses. He tried to get past the fact that you didn’t have one; after all, you were dead.

His fingers wrapped around a strand of your hair, and he voiced a thought aloud, “Did they lock you out of heaven or something?”

Your laugh came out like a snort. “If anything, I was booted from hell.”

“Wow, so you died and gained a sense of humor.”

You flicked his forehead, and Changmin grinned, rubbing the spot. “Ow. Rude.”

“Bet you wish I could phase through things now, huh?”

He turned his face into your neck again and his voice came out nasally, “That would have been cooler.”

You huffed indignantly. “Don’t think I didn’t miss your little shrine of me, Mr. Cool Guy.”

Changmin groaned and hid his burning face from you. It was suddenly far too hot in this room, and your laughter was a little too bright to be a good representation of the dead. He grunted. “You died, Yn. What was I supposed to do?”

“You kept Bruno for me though,” you said with a soft sort of smile as you ran your fingers through his hair, making eye contact with the angry, little red t-rex plush sitting on the table by the TV. “He seems to like it here.”

“Do you like it here?” He asked then. “I mean, why are you here, Yn-ie? If—if you’re real, then why are you in the land of the living and fully corporeal?” He braced himself on the sides of the couch then so he could push up. When his eyes clashed with yours, he realized just how close your faces were, and reddened, immediately spacing himself from you to the other end of the couch.

You frowned slightly at the action, but thought nothing of it as you shifted to match his seated position. “I’m not sure. I just remember the accident, the world fading to black, and now…” You gestured to yourself and all around you. “Now I’m here.”

“How do you know things though? Like, how do you know you’re a ghost? How do you know you’ve been dead?”

You could only shrug. “Injected into my brain? Can’t really answer that, Changmin.”

Changmin raked a hand through his hair, licking his lips. “Okay, well you had to have been brought back here for a reason right? Maybe to right a wrong? Something you have to finish or satisfy before you’re allowed into the afterlife or whatever comes after death,” he reasoned with his hands gesticulating madly like flapping wings.

“I know that I have seven days,” you offered.

The world crumbled and the blood drained from his face. “Seven days?” He whispered.

You nodded solemnly. “Just one of those things,” your tone went quiet like an apology, “I guess.”

Changmin’s eyes shuddered. Seven days. Seven days. Seven… okay, he could do this. Seven days to think of all the things he was supposed to say to you and to finally say them. And also, to figure out why you were sent here in the first place. Who knew what would happen to you if you weren’t able to accomplish whatever goal you were supposed to reach? He couldn’t bear the thought.

“Okay,” he managed to say.

“Well, I know where we should start,” you suggested with the slight lift of your shoulder.

He glanced at you in waiting.

“We need to clean this messy ass apartment up.”

DAY TWO

CHANGMIN couldn’t possibly sleep when he knew you were just waltzing about the apartment throughout the night. You had assured him that, as a ghost, you didn’t need to sleep, nor eat, nor breathe, nor shower, nor do anything else of the normal human sort. Yet he laid awake in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Even Gana was fast asleep, curled up at the foot of his bed.

The two of you had spent the entirety of yesterday cleaning up his dump of an apartment. You’d said something about how “spring cleaning isn’t just a spring thing” and handed him a duster. He’d gone along with it, even moving to eventually start playing some music to fill the noise. It was just nice to be in your presence for once.

Even when you were alive, you’d encourage him to clean; maybe even pick up around the place for him when he was too tired from dance practice and his job and his life. But there was no doubt that cleaning around the apartment space made him feel just a little bit refreshed, a little more alive and awake.

But clearly, all that work hadn’t been enough to tire him out.

And he tried to fall asleep, but sleep would not grace him with its mercy.

It was when the sky outside oxidized into a rusted color that his eyelids finally fell. He blinked once, and the next moment, his alarm blared beside him.

An arm shook him awake. “Kyu, wake up.”

He whined, shaking you away. “Nooo,” he groaned and tugged the covers back over his head. The alarm kept going.

“I made coffee.”

He exhaled through his nose and reluctantly pulled the covers down to see you. You were still here, sitting on the edge of his bed in that same, old ratty T-shirt with your hair falling in your eyes, and a sweet, fond smile on your face… “It wasn’t all a dream?” He pondered aloud, voice gravely from exhaustion.

You shook your head. “Nope. Now, get up. Time to go to school.”

At that note, he let out a loud groan, sweeping the covers over his head in protest. You laughed as you exited the room, and Changmin could only smile to himself as he let that sound echo in his ears.

———

“Do I really have to go to class, Yn-ie? It’s Tuesday.”

You sent him a look as you strolled beside him on the sidewalk. “Yes, because it’s Tuesday.”

Changmin pursed his lips as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. While you were able to get him out of bed, you weren’t able to get him to at least look more Changmin. That was, he still walked out of the house in a hoodie and pajama pants and zero product in his hair. You did manage to convince him to slap on deodorant, so you could call that a win.

The sky was just bruising to a purple color as the sun took its sweet time trekking up into its perch in the sky. Changmin knew he shouldn’t have chosen such an early lecture, but he and Juyeon were supposed to weather it together. Guilt suddenly swirled in his stomach at the thought—he’d abandoned Juyeon.

His eyes flickered back at you and your bare arms, wondering if ghosts got cold. But based on the fact you hadn’t stolen a hoodie from his closet, he figured they didn’t then.

As you and Changmin neared the lecture hall, having well stepped onto the college campus for the first time in a month, you both stalled. There were a handful of people milling about, but most of them were too tired to care about other people just standing around anyway.

“Okay,” you began, “remember that when you get in there, you can’t talk to me or about me.”

His breath hitched. “Why can’t I talk about you?”

“Because they’ll think you’ve gone crazy.”

“But I haven’t.”

You chewed your upper lip. “You can see me, Changmin, but they can’t. People are going to look at you weird if you suddenly turn to your side and start talking to the air next to you.”

So that was how ghosts worked? He had to snap his brain into focus. “People already look at me weird,” he muttered, staring across at the path to the entrance of the lecture hall. He could still recall all of the pitying looks he’d received everywhere he went. He couldn’t stomach it anymore. Everyone knew that you and he had been the best of friends, practically attached at the hip. You would sit with him through hours of dance practice and be the loudest one in the audience; he would remind you to get sleep during your worst exam seasons and shuttle you home after late nights at the lab.

His eyes shuttered, and for a moment, that wave of guilt washed over him. He should have been there that night; he should’ve been there to take you home—

A hand on his arm. He sniffed, swiping at his eye. “I’m okay,” he insisted before you could say anything.

He began making his way towards the entrance with you in tow.

When he found the lecture room number, he stopped just short of it. Those feelings of insecurity and fear bubbled up inside of him like bile in his throat. He wanted to turn back and run to the safety and seclusion of his apartment.

But when he felt your hand take his and give it a gentle squeeze, his heart swelled. He glanced back at you, then his eyes widened when he saw someone coming down the corridor. Changmin ducked into the lecture hall, his hand gripping yours tightly.

There were… way too may seats and people, he realized, as he surveyed the room. A couple people recognized him and shot him surprised glances, but otherwise, no one paid him much attention. The lights were dimmed to half-brightness, and the professor had yet to arrive.

“Go sit next to Juyo,” you whispered to him, nudging him toward the left stairs. Up in one of the middle rows sat Juyeon with a hood pulled up over his head, practically nodding off to sleep. “He looks so sad all alone.”

Changmin sucked in a breath, then made the journey up the stairs.

He cleared his throat when he reached Juyeon’s seat, the one beside him always left empty in case Changmin ever did show up to class. Juyeon’s head shot up, and his eyes widened to the size of saucers, a grin slowly forming on his face. Changmin let a small, dimpled smile come to his face.

“I think I’m dreaming, dude,” Juyeon said. “Good to have you back, Changmin-ah.”

Changmin let out the breath he had been holding. “This seat’s not taken, is it?”

Juyeon gave a hard shake of his head. “I’d make a joke about it being some other guy’s, but I’m way too tired. Sit down, for God’s sake.”

Changmin lowered himself into the seat next to his friend, letting go of your hand so he could get settled. He almost turned his head to ask where you were going to sit, but reigned in the urge. He could talk to you afterward, no matter how much he wanted to talk to you now, maybe even ask Juyeon to move down a seat for you.

But then he felt your presence right next to him as you perched on the side of his chair’s armrest. No, you weren’t going anywhere just yet.

About an hour later though, Changmin and Juyeon trudged out of the lecture hall side by side, hands lifting to shield their eyes from the sunlight peeking through the clouds. They had managed to drag each other through the contents of that lecture—mainly Juyeon giving Changmin miniature summary lectures on the points that he didn’t know (everything). No new information from that lecture had been acquired.

“—you should’ve seen when we got our papers back,” Juyeon shook his head with a breathy laugh tumbling out of his mouth. He brushed a hand through his hair, squinting at the daylight. “Absolute madhouse. Professor had to extend his office hours because the line out of his office was so long.”

Changmin smiled widely. “I really should go to office hours, huh? That would be the smart thing to do.”

“You know, I tell myself that everyday, and yet…” Juyeon shrugged. “I never heed my own advice.”

When the two of them reached the intersection where you and Changmin had stood at just earlier this morning, Changmin’s head perked up, eyes searching for you. At some point, it had slipped his mind that you were in lecture with him, and you hadn’t done or said anything to make him remember. He looked across the street though and relief soared through him when he spotted you seated on a bench waiting for him.

Juyeon followed his gaze curiously, but thought better than to question the soft-cornered smile on his friend’s face. “Hey, uhm, did you feel up to having lunch with me and the others today? I’ve gotta go to my social justice lecture right now, but we’re hitting the new ramen place in the district at like, one, I think.”

Changmin snapped back to reality. “Oh, uh…” His eyes drifted back to you, but you were looking elsewhere at a couple who were passing by walking their pups. His foot tapped against the ground as he seesawed between options. Did he feel up to it?

“You don’t have to if you want to go home,” Juyeon assured him with a sympathetic smile. “You should go home and rest.”

Changmin licked his lips. A part of him realized that he was glad Juyeon had been the one to say it. “Sorry, I just…”

“Hey, today was a lot. Don’t sweat it, okay?” Juyeon then gently patted Changmin’s arm with his hand as he turned to head down the road toward his next class. “See you later?”

“Yeah, see you, Ju.”

Something poked at the back of Changmin’s mind as he ducked his head slightly and bounded across the street to where you were seated. He lifted his hand in a subtle wave to you, then nodded toward the road back to his apartment to make a more natural course of action for any onlookers. You fell into step beside him as easily as breathing air.

“How come you didn’t want to go have lunch with the guys?” You piped up.

“Huh? Oh.” Changmin kicked a pebble on the road with the side of his shoe and watched it bounce into the grass next to the sidewalk. “I wanted to spend time with you—Wait, you heard that conversation?”

You tapped the side of your head as if that was enough of an explanation to his question, then moved on. “But you get to spend time with me whenever you’re at the apartment. How long has it been since you last hung out with them?”

“Two days ago, actually. The night before you showed up, we had dinner.”

“Did you enjoy it?” You asked.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, stopping at the traffic intersection to wait for the walking sign to turn on. “I mean, yeah. Yes, I did. I just—afterwards—it was…” He could hear his own sobbing echo in his head, and as if he had projected those memories into your head or as if you could read his mind, your expression grew somber. Changmin’s voice quieted, for fear that adding volume would push out the emotions all over again. “It was really hard, Yn. All I did was cry when I got back.”

You moved closer to him and offered your hand to him. The crosswalk symbol lit up white, and Changmin took your hand as the two of you made your way across the street. “I’m sorry,” was all you could manage to say.

“‘s not your fault,” he replied. He couldn't possibly blame you for your own accidental death. You hadn’t forced that guy to get drunk and drive down that specific road. You had no choice in your death, and for some reason, that made Changmin’s chest hurt just a little more. “I liked having dinner with them and I think I genuinely laughed and smiled for the first time in a while, too, but I just…”

He grappled for the words, unable to admit the truth aloud.

“Kyu-ah,” you said to him, hand-holding shifting to you holding onto his upper arm so the two of you walked closer in a half-embrace. “You can be happy. You’re allowed to feel these things, and you’re allowed to smile and laugh.”

He shook his head, his head tilting back as his eyes closed. The prickling sensation had come back and goddamn it, he didn’t want to cry again. He had to make it back to the apartment at least. “Not without you.”

You frowned, but kept quiet until the two of you reached Changmin’s apartment. He dumped his shoes at the door, backpack thumping to the floor, body crashing onto the couch. You settled down onto the cushion next to him, and he nestled his head onto your shoulder.

“Kyu, can you do something for me?”

He hummed, arms encircling your arm like you had done to him on the walk back. “Anything.”

“Will you go to lunch with Juyeon, Kevin, and Chanhee? Will you at least try for me?”

Changmin stared at your portrait, the one across from his eyes on that little table by the TV. Yours and his smiles were a reflection of each other, framed in eternity behind that clear plastic. He gulped. “Okay. I will.”

DAY THREE

LUNCH yesterday went perfectly well, mainly because you stood behind Changmin’s chair the entire time with your hand on his shoulder to assure him that you were still present and “hanging out” with all of them, too. You appreciated the thought, but you appreciated seeing and hearing him happy. Even if it was at poor Chanhee’s expense (he really had dug himself into a hole when he confessed his crush on one of his peers at the university’s magazine association). It was nice to see everyone, too, of course, even if they weren’t aware that you were watching over them with a fond gaze. As a ghost, you could still feel emotions—that was why you were so human to Changmin, but there was still a sense of ease about you.

When Changmin had finished with his classes for today, you and he lingered in the kitchen while he heated up a pot of ramen on the stove. You hopped onto the counter, arm resting comfortably around his shoulders.

“I’ve connected the dots,” he said suddenly.

“You’ve connected shit.”

He scoffed with a feigned look of offense directed up at you as he pressed his hand to his chest. “Okay, rude! Death has given you so much audacity.”

Your lips curled up into a little smirk. “It’s just an instinct when it comes to you.”

Changmin rolled his eyes. “Whatever. As I was saying, I think I know why you were kicked from the underworld.”

“You say that like the underworld’s an online forum,” you huffed, chuckling. When the pot reached a low boiling point, you tapped him on the shoulder to spur him into action, and he reacted like second nature, even if he had seen that it was ready anyway.

“Hey, I mean, if I had an online forum, I’d kick you out, too.” He giggled as you gently kicked the side of his butt with your foot. “Remember when we were eleven and we thought Omegle was the greatest thing of our naive lives?”

You hummed in content remembrance. “Mhm. Man, we were stupid. But that was a lot of fun.”

He grinned at you over his shoulder. “Wasn’t it?” When he turned back to the pot, he realized how hard his smile pulled at his cheeks. This wouldn’t be forever. Today was day three, and he was already growing used to your presence again—for a split second, panic seized his heart and the smile slipped into the simmering ring of bubbles in the ramen pot.

Changmin cleared his throat. “So what I was saying earlier.”

You blinked at his sudden change of tone. “What about it?”

“Maybe you were sent back here on a mission or a task. You probably have to right some kind of wrong—or, or—or figure out your death?” He whipped out a bowl from a cabinet. “So what did you do wrong, Yn-ie?”

You smiled, amused. “How long do we have?”

He shook his head with a chuckle. “You’re so silly. You were the goodiest-two-shoes of all goodie-two-shoes.”

You scoffed. “Not true.”

“Oh, yes, true,” he quipped with a smug grin. He leaned back against the counter to face you with a full bowl of noodles in his palm. “The guilt after you snuck out with me ate you up alive—”

“Because I broke my parents’ trust!” You sputtered out in protest. You thrusted an accusing finger in his face that only sent him into further fits of laughter. “You’re so lucky I didn’t spill to your parents, Ji Changmin! You should be on your knees because I begged my mom and dad not to tell your parents!”

Changmin had to hold his chopsticks in front of his mouth to keep the food from flying from his mouth. You were fired up, yet all he could see was how the kitchen lights framed your face like a halo. Once the food had been swallowed, he replied, “I feel like I just have to ask: you weren’t a serial killer, were you? Since we’re on the topic of all your wrongdoings.”

Your eyes widened, and in that moment, he knew he was screwed. “Ji. Changmin.”

He giggled. “Don’t hurt me?”

You huffed, nose twitching and wrinkling. “You are so lucky I’m a good ghost.”

The reminder sobered him up a little. “Yeah…” He said quietly.

Silence descended between the two of you as you refrained from saying anything else, so Changmin could finish eating. You hopped off of the counter and went to go find Gana, who was sleeping in Changmin’s bed again. Changmin was left to his noodles and thoughts, his stare blank and spaced out with his mind far off. If you truly had been sent back in order to right a wrong, or even figure out something about your death, then where would he start? Where would you be expected to start if you didn’t have him to help you?

When you were still alive, he was aware of a few nasty people in your lives who weren’t exactly fond of the relationship you two shared, but as far as Changmin knew, their feelings weren’t malicious to the point of death.

Changmin swallowed a bite he was chewing on, mouth slowing as if his train of thought had just eased into the station. All mysteries began from the end, didn’t they? All detectives had to start their investigation from the scene of the crime, whatever that may be when put into context. His hands began to tremble as a thought occurred to him. Clutching the bottom of the bowl and his chopsticks harder to stop the shaking, Changmin forced himself to admit what he didn’t want to.

You emerged from his bedroom cradling Gana in your arms, and when your eyes fell upon Changmin’s grave expression, you couldn’t help but coax an answer from him.

He couldn’t meet your eyes. “I think… we have to go to the site of the accident.”

———

On the night of the Accident, you had been walking home with crisp night air nipping at your nose, your cheeks, your resolve. It hadn’t necessarily been the worst of nights at your shift, but it hadn’t been on the better side of them either. Earlier that day, Changmin had nearly collapsed from exhaustion on the way home, so you insisted on walking home alone. It wasn’t like he could refuse when he pretty much knocked out as soon as his head hit his pillow; plus, your pepper spray made for decent company. You hadn’t anticipated the driver, the screaming tire wheels, the blinding lights. After all, how could you have?

The corner of two streets on the opposite side of campus from where Changmin lived was pindrop quiet. There was one large, framed portrait of you seated against the fence, surrounded by a litter of flowers, tealights, plush toys, and other offerings to the dead. One of your friends from an art class you’d taken in freshman year had made you a sign and nailed it above your picture: In fond and loving memory of Yn Ln—beautiful, beloved, and a heart of gold. May she rest in peace.

Changmin couldn’t move.

He’d been staring at it all for about ten minutes now, shaky hands hidden in the pockets of his hoodie. The last time he’d been here was four weeks ago, in the ungodly hours of the morning, as he chased after your body in a bag, tears flying from his eyes like gushing streams. The red and blue sirens flashed in his eyes and pulsed like heartbeats; his own heartbeat deafened out everything else and thundered in his ears.

Just like now. He… he couldn’t think—couldn’t process anything. He couldn’t turn himself to the street where your broken, lifeless body had laid.

Your smiling portrait glowed in the dim, flickering lights of the tea candles, similar to the very set up he had at home.

For the longest time, he was never able to bring himself to come here. He couldn’t have, of course, he couldn’t have. He didn’t have the stomach to.

Oh my god, he was going to throw up—

“Changmin, hey—hey, buddy. You’re gonna be okay.”

You appeared at his side, hands grabbing out to hold onto his lurching body. He stumbled into you, grappling at your hands, arms, shoulders—anything to anchor him to something. He couldn’t breathe—

“Changmin, look at me! Look at me.”

Your hands forced his head up and his eyes gleamed silver in the gold tea light glow. You had never seen him so afraid. “Inhale, exhale for me. Inhale… exhale… come on; one more time, hon: inhale… exhale… good. Good. That’s really good, Kyu, that’s it.”

Changmin’s entire body trembled as he gripped your hands until, even as a ghost, you could feel his strength. His chest rose and fell at a slower pace now, and the blanched, blankness had melted away into a contorted expression of rage, sadness, panic, and every other emotion in between. Tears cascaded down the slopes of his cheeks in a free fall. “I should have been there, Yn,” were his first words to you, choked out between gritted teeth.

You realized that his anger was not directed toward anyone else but himself at this moment. You held him, mirrored his strength, so he knew he was holding something solid. You murmured firmly, but not unkindly, “Changmin, you couldn’t have changed what hap—”

“Yes, I could have.” He wailed now, his heart-wrenching loathing toward himself echoing against the surrounding buildings, “If I had just been there to walk you home…” You would still be alive, was what he didn’t have the strength to say aloud. To give the world such power over him… as if it didn’t already have him by his neck.

He crumpled to the concrete, his knees buckling from under him, and you could do nothing but fall to the ground with him. You cradled him to your chest as he bawled his entire body out, his conscience no doubt throwing rocks at himself. Your mouth parted, eyes squinting as if you were about to cry, too. And you felt the sensation at the corners of your eyes, and yet, no tears fell from your tear glands. They would not come, no matter how much you wished them to.

Changmin’s arms wrapped around your waist as he tucked himself into you. If he could just—if he could just hold on—if he could just make this right—

Your hand smoothed over the back of his head. “Changmin, it was not your fault. None of it was your fault, so please—please don’t spend your life blaming yourself for something you could not control.”

He pawed at his face, swiped at his eyes, his nose. He sucked in a desperate breath of air, gasping and choking out the words, “I can’t—can’t believe that—that I—I’ll never see you again. The—the world lost you—I lost you too soon.” He gasped for air again: “It’s not fair.”

None of it was fair. Changmin didn’t deserve to feel any of this and you didn’t deserve to die so young. But here the two of you were, a heap of emotions and injustice. Of longing and grief. What might have blossomed to something else in the future had been cut short by the cruel hand of fate. Why had the world set this in motion? What had either of you done to deserve such hurt?

You cleared your congested throat from unshed tears. “I know it’s not fair, but I’m never truly lost.”

Changmin pulled away from you then, still actively trying to tame the emotion rolling down his face. He glared at you then through blurry eyes. Such pain in his contorted features; you hated seeing him so hurt and being so useless to help him. “Cut the sentimental, cliche crap,” he practically snarled. “Please, you know me better than that. I never get why people say shit like that because that’s not how it goes, that’s not how it feels. It’s not the fucking same.”

Your mouth went dry. He was right, and how could you counter that? You weren’t the one who had to live without him now. “You’re right; I’m sorry.”

He was breathing loudly now, more labored. His rage dulled to something of a soft simmer as it dawned on him what he just said. “Wait—I’m sorry. You… you shouldn’t be the one apologizing, Yn. You didn’t deserve that from me.”

“I think I did deserve it,” you shrugged simply, sadly. Just because you were dead didn’t mean you couldn’t be sorry. “And I think you deserved to air that out.”

He sniffed and pulled his knees to his chest. He huffed out an exhale. “I’m sorry, it’s just been a lot.”

You nodded, expression solemn. “And I’m sorry that you’re hurting so badly. I wish I could make everything better.” What was the point of you being here if you were just hurting Changmin more?

Changmin let out another sharp exhale. Slowly, he extended his hand across the gap between you. His fingers still trembled, but he no longer tried to subdue it. “Can I just hold your hand again?” His volume was set almost inaudibly, “Just to assure myself I haven’t been dreaming?”

Everything, you wished you could give him everything. Without hesitation, you bridged the gap and grappled onto his fingers, felt the heat of his palm, and reminded him that you were here.

DAY FOUR

YOU almost couldn’t convince Changmin to go to classes the next day. Almost.

You’d sent him off even as he drooped with his two shots of espresso and puffy eyelids, but he seemed content enough to let you hold his hand all throughout the day. Maybe even tap his shoulder a couple of times to remind him that you were there and that he needed to pay attention. Well, you’d only accomplished such feats because you agreed to his compromise.

“Changmin, you can’t get in without a lab pass.”

Said compromise was chasing after something you were certain didn’t truly exist, but Changmin was set on the idea that you were sent back to the land of the living to “right a wrong”, and he was on a mission to help you accomplish just that.

Changmin stood outside the laboratory building you used to work at with a cinematically narrow-eyed, hands-on-hips pose. He stared up at the looming building, nestled between the massive, glass-faced population health building and the vine-riddled biology buildings as if he could climb up all their stairways without breaking a sweat. “I know, but I’m sure we’ll bump into someone who we can just leech off of to get inside.”

In other words, he would make you both wait until someone came by to open the door and you would then follow them inside. At first listen, it wasn’t an impossible task, especially since this area was relatively populated during business hours. Only, it seemed that the street seemed comically barren. Wherever all your former peers were, you had zero clue.

You pursed your lips and took a seat down on the curb. “Do you even have a plan?”

Changmin poked his tongue in the side of his cheek. “Ha, do I have a plan?”

“Sooo you don’t have a plan; got it—”

“Sh,” he said, turning around to peer inside the glass door of the laboratory building, “someone’s coming!”

You twisted around, silently questioning who?, but as soon as you saw who was making their way toward the entrance of the building, you immediately bobbed your head. This made sense.

Because making his way toward the door from the inside was Lee Sangyeon, your workaholic, grad student supervisor. As usual, he wore a dress shirt appropriate for an office space, hair swept back neatly. In his hands was his phone, while a dark leather satchel bag hung from his shoulder. He glanced up from his phone as he pushed the door open, then started when he realized Changmin was just… there.

“Oh. Sorry, didn’t see you there,” Sangyeon said with a polite smile.

“Uh—wait,” Changmin stammered, effectively halting Sangyeon’s movements. “You’re Lee Sangyeon, right?”

Your eyes widened. “You know Sangyeon?”

Changmin flicked his hand by his leg subtly to gesture at you to wait.

Sangyeon angled his body toward Changmin now, the tilt of his eyebrows curious. “Yeah, that’s me. Can I help you with something?”

Changmin fidgeted with his fingers and rocked on his heels. “Uhm, you were a friend of Yn Ln’s, right? I’m Ji Changmin, she was my best friend.”

At the sound of your name, recognition and something melancholy smoothed over Sangyeon’s features. “Ah, nice to finally meet you, Changmin. Yn-ie used to talk about you all the time.”

“She did?”

“No, I didn’t!” You buried your face into your hands as embarrassment curled in your stomach. “Sangyeon has become a chronic liar, I see!”

Another flicking of Changmin’s fingers. Hush, you! “I actually wanted to talk to you,” Changmin said slowly, “about her. I… I’m trying to uh, piece together some parts of her life, y’know. And I know I wasn’t really able to get to know this aspect of her life much when she was alive, and I thought, better late than never.”

You settled your chin onto your knees. Even if you knew Changmin had an ulterior motive in mind, you couldn’t help but hear the truth laced in his words. Even if he was chasing after this “wrong that needed righting”, there was that twinge of desperation locked in his voice that you couldn’t shake.

“Ah.” Sangyeon nodded. “Well, I’d be happy to talk to you about her. Do you wanna come with me down the road? There’s a pretty neat little coffee place we could sit in.”

You knew this coffee place, you thought to yourself as you followed Sangyeon and Changmin down the road to said coffee shop. It was the place you ran to during dinner breaks and last minute caffeine pick-me-ups. Their banana bread was fantastic, and your mouth watered as you could practically taste it while walking in.

Once the boys were settled at a table, a cup of coffee each, you leaned against the window behind Changmin’s chair, arms crossed and eyes pinned to the steam rising from Sangyeon’s cup.

“I’m sorry for your loss, by the way,” Sangyeon said quietly, sincerely. “I mean, she was important to me, but she must have been so much more to you.”

Changmin gestured vaguely, half-heartedly. His chuckle was the same way. “You don’t have to do that; she’s—was—she was important to both of us.” He nursed his coffee cup between his palms. “Sorry, it’s taken me a while to get the courage to talk about her to anyone but my dog.”

Sangyeon’s eyes shone with that characteristic warmth and patience that made you long for the life you didn’t have anymore. “I… I get that. It’s really tough dealing with the death of a loved one, especially when people expect you to move on with your life.”

Changmin’s head bobbed up and down earnestly. “It really is. It’s so, god, it’s so hard to move on.” He drummed his fingers along the sides of his coffee cup. “Uhm, but I guess I wanted to start with how you knew her—as in, like who did you know her as?”

“Who did I know her as?” Sangyeon sighed, eyebrows furrowing in thought as he grappled for the adequate way to string those thoughts into words. “Well, she was brilliant. She was more than brilliant; she was passionate about what she did. You could see the bags under her eyes and sometimes I knew she took naps in the break room, but…” He blew out a puff of air, his cheek pressed against his fist and coffee forgotten. He lifted his right shoulder in some semblance of a shrug. “I admired her a lot. I didn’t get to work a lot of shifts with her that… that week, but she left these little post-it notes on the break room door with smiley-faces and encouraging messages for everyone to find the next day.”

This time, when you settled your hand on Changmin’s shoulder, it wasn’t for Changmin. Changmin reached up to put his hand over yours, but to anyone else it would look like he was simply holding his shoulder and tucking his chin into his elbow. “Sounds like Yn-ie,” he chimed in softly.

Sangyeon smiled, a breathy laugh following suit. “She was—she shined so bright, Changmin-ah. But I’m guessing you already knew that, huh? She talked about you a lot. She would hear something or do something that reminded her of you, and then she would mention you with that little twinkle in her eyes. The one where she gets all—y’know.”

Changmin inclined his head and felt himself smile. “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.”

A nod. “Yeah. I was kind of surprised that you didn’t introduce yourself as her former partner. I mean, the way she looked when she talked about you…” He shook his head and reached for his coffee cup. “God, sorry. This is probably making you really uncomfortable.”

You lost your breath. Or whatever you had left of it.

Changmin’s thumb brushed over the back of your knuckles. You didn’t know what it meant, didn’t know what he was thinking. You knew you talked about Changmin a lot, but you figured that everyone would assume it was normal because he was your closest friend. Perhaps you had been a little more obvious than you had intended.

“It’s all right,” Changmin replied. You wished you could see his face. “I think a lot of people saw us that way.”

———

Sangyeon’s cup clattered hollowly as it tumbled into the recycling bin on his and Changmin’s way out of the coffee shop. The sky had broiled to a molten gold while the sun began its descent into the folds of the horizon.

Changmin stepped out into the cool afternoon feeling like a weight had been lifted from his chest. There was something refreshing about hearing about you from someone else, as fondly as he saw you. He and Sangyeon had even shared a couple favorite moments of yours; Changmin kept his favorite of all favorites to himself though, of course. Some memories, he wanted to be selfish with. Tears had been shed, too, but a minimal amount. Changmin wasn’t one to cry to strangers, but Sangyeon wasn’t exactly a stranger anymore, was he?

Sangyeon lingered on the sidewalk. “It was really nice talking to you, Changmin-ah. I really needed that, I think.”

Changmin nodded his head. “Me too. Thanks for not being weird about it.”

“Bare minimum, man,” Sangyeon chuckled. He took his phone out of his pocket and offered the new contact space to Changmin. “Hey, maybe we can trade numbers? Any friend of Yn-ie’s is a friend of mine. If you need anything, Changmin, and I truly mean it, don’t hesitate to call or text.”

Changmin accepted the phone from him with his eyes wide like a doe’s. He hoped Sangyeon could see all the gratitude in his silver-lined eyes. “Thank you,” he said in earnest. “I—same to you.” He swiftly put his contact information into Sangyeon’s phone before returning the device to its owner.

Sangyeon mustered up a kind smile, clasping a warm, reassuring hand on Changmin’s shoulder. “Stay strong. You’ll get through this; I know you can.”

Oh god, there was that prickling sensation again. Changmin could only manage a nod without breaking down right then and there in the middle of the walkway. Sangyeon seemed to understand, and took his leave.

Changmin stood there watching his back go farther and farther away.

For a moment, he let himself stand there in silence, soaking in everything that had just passed between him and Lee Sangyeon. He sniffled, knuckles pressing against his nose. “He’s a really cool guy,” he finally said with his words directed toward you.

You were leaning up against the outer facade of the coffee shop, uncertain as to what your role was supposed to be. You felt like you were intruding, like you really were just a ghost now. That you were just a spectator. There was definitely something beautiful about watching two important people in your past life starting a bond, but then… then there was something bittersweet about it, too. “He is,” you agreed.

Changmin hung his head, then raised it up with a tired, dimpled smile. “Let’s go home.”

DAY FIVE

TODAY, Chanhee was the one who got Changmin out of the apartment.

“—I even got Gana a play date—”

Changmin’s neck stuck out from his bathroom, toothbrush hanging from between his teeth. “Huh?!”

Even you spared a laugh from where you were sitting cross-legged on the kitchen counter. It was a comical sight for Changmin, seeing that you were making weird, funny faces at the back of Chanhee’s head from where he sat on the couch with Ghana curled up in his lap.

Chanhee nodded enthusiastically. “Yup. Him and my friend Younghoon’s dog Bori. He’s taking them to a dog park nearby.”

Changmin’s eyes narrowed. “So you set up Gana on a blind date?”

“You’re so overprotective, Changmin-ah. Yes, it’s a blind date.” Chanhee waved his hand at Changmin. “Now hurry up! Juyeon and Kevin are already at the performing arts building trying to score a studio!”

Changmin huffed, but stalked back into the bathroom. “Fine.”

While Changmin was finishing up getting himself ready, Chanhee gently removed Ghana from his lap so he could trudge over to the little table beside the TV. You watched him quietly as he knelt in front of it, poked your T-rex plushie, then gave your portrait a small wave.

You craned your head, attempting to see what he was doing. He had picked up one of the tea lights that went dim, most likely from overuse and a dead battery. Chanhee set it back down on the table though.

“Hi, Yn-ie,” you heard him greet your photo. “I see Changmin has dedicated a corner to you, as he should.” Chanhee was silent for a moment, and you thought that maybe he was only voicing his thoughts in his head now. Then he continued, “I miss you. We all miss you. Sometimes I dream about memories of you and it feels like déjà vu. We’ve been trying to help Changmin through this, but it’s been a little difficult getting through to him.”

Your chest tugged as Chanhee slumped his chin onto the ledge of the table. “I just wanna help him. I can see he’s hurting, but I’ve never been good at this stuff. Maybe you can send me a sign that I’m doing okay.”

The light to the bathroom clicked, and Chanhee murmured something else to your picture, blew you a kiss, then turned his head to watch Changmin sweep past him and into the bedroom.

“Let me grab my jacket and we can go!”

“Okay, you slowpoke,” Chanhee quipped, collapsing back onto the couch.

You hopped off from the kitchen counter and walked over toward the couch next to Chanhee. You called out to Gana, immediately garnering a response from the pup. Swiftly, you moved out of the way, hand gesturing to Chanhee on the couch.

As if Gana could read your mind, he leapt into Chanhee’s lap and licked a wet stripe up the man’s cheek.

Chanhee squealed in surprise, a laugh falling from his grinning smile. “Yah! You’re so full of energy this morning, hm? Well, save some for Bori later, okay?”

You smiled, watching the interaction and hoping that that might suffice as a sign.

Changmin hustled out of his room, and you came to the startling realization that he looked so… Changmin today. There was a glow about his cheeks now, the divots of his smile enunciated at the thought of dancing again. He wore something fashionable, as he had always once done, with his black athletic duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He met your gaze as he walked out and you shared a smile for a moment.

“I know I’m pretty, Changmin, but we’re going to be late,” Chanhee teased.

Both you and Changmin laughed, and the two of you followed Chanhee and Gana out to the car.

Gana had propped himself onto the center console of Chanhee’s silver Corolla, while Chanhee and Changmin took up the front two rows, and you sat in the backseat. You leaned your head against the back of Changmin’s seat and gazed out the window at the world passing you by, your hand reaching forward to hold onto Changmin’s.

Chanhee stopped at a nearby park, and after Changmin insisted he was going to stay in the car, Chanhee took Gana out to meet with this Younghoon character and his dog.

The car filled with silence for a beat as the two of you watched Chanhee walk up to a tall, lanky man with a pretty face and pretty pup.

“You haven’t danced since I died, have you?” You released the question into the world and confronted him with it.

Changmin swallowed, his fingers pressing into yours. “No.” In retrospect, maybe if he had continued to dance, he wouldn’t have been holed up at home. A flame in him had died the night you had, but the remaining embers were slowly catching fire again. They hadn’t been wholly swept out or quieted.

Chanhee skipped back over to the car with a boyish smile on his face and he crashed into his front seat with a laugh. “Okay, let’s go!”

The car was turned on, the radio resumed play.

———

Like any other day, especially Fridays, the performing arts building was abuzz with life. People, both solo and squadrons, came to and fro about the large, branching corridors. A smile crawled onto Changmin’s lips as he recalled the familiar route to the practice dance studios in the back half of the building. There was a bounce in his step now, hands gripping the strap of his duffle bag.

Chanhee nudged Changmin with the back of his hand, coughing not-so-quietly under his breath. “Incoming.”

Changmin perked up at the familiar warning. He hadn’t heard it in a little over a month, but the feeling of cold shivers down his arms was no stranger. And the group of girls making their way down the corridor toward them, having just finished with dance practice, were unfortunately no strangers either. Changmin’s mouth pressed into a firm line as he reached out beside him for your hand—fumbled around in the air as if you weren’t there for a second, then latched onto you.

“Changmin-ah!” One of them lit up at the sight of him, and the rest were set off like succeeding lines of firecrackers.

“Well, this should be good,” you mused next to him.

He snuck a glance at you from his periphery, spotted the carefully crafted mask on your face. Even in death, you were trying to put up a brave front.

He turned back to the front, and the group of girls had come closer. “Oh, uh, hi.”

“We haven’t seen you in so long! How have you been?”

“We missed you at the dance rehearsal last week, but we can definitely reschedule.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind doing a private—”

Changmin blinked. Did they not see how absolutely done he looked? Chanhee looked just about the same way, but he knew the drill; there wasn’t really anything either of them could do until they’d said whatever they said.

“—so sorry about her. It must have been so difficult for you to get through, Changmin-ah! But see, you must be all better now!”

He nearly doubled over in laughter. “You’re shitting me,” he said without stopping himself.

The girl who had been rambling on about your death and how it must have affected him, halted in her tracks. “Huh? What do you mean?”

Tongue in cheek, he shook his head. “No, whatever. Keep going. I wanna hear what you have to say.” The muscle in his jaw feathered and his grip on your hand tightened.

To the others’ credit, they tried subtly getting their friend to not take the bait, but she just couldn’t help herself. “Well, it’s no disrespect or anything, of course. But she was completely holding you back, y'know? She didn’t even know what to look for when she watched your practices and she just sat there like a duck, so I don’t know why you even asked her to come with you so often. I mean, you guys were friends—I get that—but we’re friends, too. I would’ve definitely been able to help you so much better.”

Well. That spelled it all out for Changmin in capital letters.

Chanhee arched an eyebrow high. “Wow, you’re a worse human being than I gave you credit for.”

“It’s funny how whenever people say they mean ‘no disrespect’, whatever they say is extremely disrespectful,” Changmin huffed. His eyes narrowed into daggers now, hands fisted. “You not only spat on my best friend, but also on me and my ability to choose friends. By the way, we are not friends, especially not when you shit on mine right in front of me. Dead or not.”

When a rush of silence fell over the corridor, Changmin muttered, “Thought so,” then nudged Chanhee. “Come on, Chanhee. Let’s go.”

When the two boys brushed past the girls, Changmin finally breathed out.

When he no longer felt your hand, his head whipped around the corridor, searching for you—

“Changmin, the room’s this way.”

He coughed. “Oh, uh, right.” His eyes swiveled about the corridor once more, frowning when he caught you slipping into the practice room right behind Chanhee.

The practice room was dimly lit with the far wall lined with mirrors and a barre, floors made of a smooth hardwood. Kevin and Juyeon were by the large speaker in the corner trying to hook up one of their laptops to the sound system. They glanced up and saw both Changmin and Chanhee coming into the room, then lifted their hands in cheerful waves.

“Hey! Glad you guys are finally here,” Kevin exclaimed.

Chanhee snorted, dumping his bag in his usual corner. “We just had a showdown in the hallway.”

Kevin’s eyebrows flew up. “Oh?”

“They were disrespecting Yn,” Changmin shrugged stiffly. He walked over to his own corner, where you were already seated against the wall, and dropped his bag down next to you. He held your eye contact as he said, “They deserved it.”

Juyeon whistled lowly. “I’m sure they did. Wow, the fucking audacity. Do they just lack human decency?”

Kevin pursed his lips. “Apparently.”

“Fucking incredible.”

Chanhee shrugged his jacket off, eyeing the dark look still present in the shadows cast over Changmin’s face. Or maybe it was just the lighting. “Okay, let’s get started, shall we? Changmin, warm us up.”

———

Practice progressed smoothly.

You always liked Changmin’s corner of the room—definitely not because his duffle bag was here (because lord did that thing smell some days), but because it had the best view. (Of Changmin.) From here, even on the floor, you could observe his sharp, calculated movements, the graceful way in which he knew how to use his body and draw art in the air.

It seemed that the harder the choreography was, the more sweat he perspired, the harder he breathed, and the bigger he smiled. It was hard work like this that made his heart full, and thus, made you happy.

Occasionally, he would pass looks over to your corner, always looking for you and your reactions (maybe even your approval). He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do when this was all over, but… he wasn’t going to think about that quite yet. He didn’t want to give that thought time to sink in.

The music blasted throughout the room louder than your own thoughts when Chanhee threw his head back and declared a break.

Everyone retreated to their separate corners, and Changmin, sweat dripping down his bangs and the side of his face like he’d just showered, came over to you. He leaned down and swept his water bottle out from his bag and guzzled the water down as fast as his throat could accept it.

“Tired?” You asked him quietly as he wiped his mouth with the collar of his shirt.

He broke into a smile. “Yeah.”

Changmin dropped his bottle onto his bag, exchanging it instead for his phone. “Are you okay? From earlier, I mean.”

“Oh. Those girls? Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

His mouth curled into a frown. “What they said—”

“—Can only hurt the living,” you said, brushing it off.

“Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t still hurt.” Changmin lowered himself beside you now, only stealing glances at you so he didn’t look weird to everyone else. “They didn’t say anything to you when you were alive, did they?”

Your blank face didn’t make him feel any better. “Maybe something here or there, but nothing as direct as what was said earlier. It’s okay though. The past is in the past.”

Changmin swallowed. “How could you say that?”

You held his eyes, and for a moment that was all you could do. Instead of pushing against him and trying to defend your insensitivity, you said, “I’m sorry, Kyu. And thank you for what you did back there. But I guess even when I’m dead I don’t like talking about it.”

His eyes gleamed. “I’m sorry they did that to you.”

“Just don’t blame yourself for something you couldn’t have stopped.”

His throat bobbed. “It’s not that easy, Yn-ie. You know that.”

“I do know, but just try, for my sake.”

DAY SIX

CHANGMIN didn’t sleep. Technically, he slept for half an hour, but those thirty minutes of sleep had been enough to keep him awake for the rest of the night.

The dream he had awoken from was still fresh in his mind. Thirty fast seconds of gauzy, luminescent adolescence. It was the rusty squeaking of the playground swings, the afternoon golden hour sun hanging like a medal in the sky at the end of the day. It was yours and his youthful gazes, cheeks full of love and smiles and that god forsaken discussion about death.

“What comes after this?” A line like this could only come from a child who had yet to experience the beauty of the world or a child exhausted by its horrors.

A shrug from him. “I dunno. Maybe we become ghosts!” He delivered this line with such vigor and delight that you couldn’t help but beam at his antics.

“Like the ones from Ghostbusters?” You asked him.

He bobbed his head, kicked his legs out to gain some momentum on his swing. He fell back whilst gripping the twin chains, tongue lolling out and making you laugh. He loved making you laugh, even as a kid. “Exactly like that. I want to spit out green ectoplasm just like that. Blehhh!”

The two of you mocked the ghosts from the universally known blockbuster. You didn’t exactly like scary movies, but the way Changmin stared up at the screen with awe and dimples big, you couldn’t help but like them, too.

After a minute, Changmin wrapped his elbows around the chains and let himself drift there, his eyes turned to you. “What about you? What do you think happens to us when we die?”

You looked up at the afternoon sky in thought. “Shei from art class told me this story that her mama tells her as a bedtime story. At the end, the girl and boy become butterflies so they can fly together in death because they couldn’t be together in life.”

Changmin blinked, the thoughts bouncing about in his head coming to a slow halt. His lips parted. “Oh.”

“It’s not as cool as ghosts, but I think about my grandpa whenever I see a butterfly now.”

Well, how could he possibly argue against it? He smiled then, reaching across the gap between you two to bump your shoulder. “I think butterflies are cool, too! We should say hi to every butterfly we see then.”

Changmin’s eyes fluttered open like the wings of a butterfly then, twelve years later from that moment in time. The room was dark, the sky outside his window burned to rust and void of stars. He let out a shuddering breath from his lips, shaky from exhaustion and shivers from the memory he had just revisited. How had it been so vivid?

He rolled around in bed to his other side and his eyes screwed shut in an attempt to return back to the land of dreams—maybe even to that very day twelve years ago. When death had only been a conversation, and not a reality.

Sleep would not come. Today was Saturday, day six.

You said you had seven days before leaving him forevermore.

Changmin rolled back over and grabbed his phone off the nightstand and squinted as the light from the screen blinded him. It was three in the morning; that definitely checked out. He opened his notes app, disregarded the title, and began to type out something. Anything to get his body moving as fast as his head.

Things to do with Yn before tomorrow.

His hand came up to rub his lips for a moment, then he yawned wide. His eyes had adjusted to the bright screen by now, and he swiped out of his notes to consult the internet.

Ghosts. What are ghosts? How do you summon ghosts? How can you make a ghost stay?

Changmin’s brows creased as his eyes zipped down article after article—he was pretty sure he must have downloaded about a hundred viruses and bugs onto his phone by this point. Not one article gave him a straight or doable answer. Not anything that he couldn’t do without practice or additional materials. Nothing he could accomplish before midnight tomorrow.

He dropped his phone onto his bed, flopping backward onto his pillow with his hand draped over his forehead. Was it too much for him to want you to stay? All of the things he had thought about doing with you or saying to you when you were alive, shoved under the rug for “another time”… He wished he had known. Goddamn it, he wished he had known.

———

“You’re up early.”

Changmin practically bolted into the bathroom to start up the faucet and brush his teeth. “I’ve been up since three,” he replied, toothbrush hanging from his mouth.

You were sitting on the couch again and rubbing Gana’s belly. “Three?”

“Mhm. Couldn’t sleep.” He spat out his lathered toothpaste and speed-ran his skincare routine, hands slapping the moisturizer and sunscreen into his skin.

You chuckled out from the living room. “What’re you doing in there? It sounds like you’re hitting yourself.”

“I’m just trying to be fast,” he said. When he was done, he took the slightest bit of hair product between his hands and ran it through his dark locks to give it life and volume. When he was decently satisfied with it, he breezed back into the living room and flicked his fingers upward at you. “Come on! Chop chop, Yn-ie! Things to do, places to see!”

You cocked your head to the side, a slightly weirded out smile pressed onto your face. “Huh? How are you so awake right now?”

He was in his bedroom when you asked this and thus, out of your direct sight. He shuddered, the energy slipping off the lines of his face for a split second as he threw things into a bag haphazardly. “I’m just—it’s just one of those days where I’m better off on a power nap, y’know?”

“Okay…?”

Changmin slung his bag over his shoulder and strode over to you to yank you up to your feet. He grinned wide at you. “Well? Ready for the day I have planned?” He stuffed his shaky hands into his pockets.

Your eyes narrowed at him, but you eventually sighed—accepted it. “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

———

Changmin pulled his phone’s notes app up and clicked the checkbox next to “go down to the boardwalk for rolled ice cream”. It was accompanied by about seven items prior to it, also crossed out in twin strike-throughs. It was about six o’clock in the evening now, the sun having well set into the horizon to yours and Changmin’s left. The ocean breeze wafted through his hair, and though the view of the boardwalk below was glittering and beautiful, all he could think about was the next thing on his list.

It wasn’t that you didn’t need to eat, but that you couldn’t… really eat. The food related items were there so Changmin could experience it with you one last time, but his cup of strawberry cheesecake rolled ice cream sat untouched and fast-melting in his lap.

Changmin felt the familiar twin taps on his shoulder and jolted. His head whipped up to meet your eyes. He gulped at the look on your face. “What?”

“Your ice cream is soup.”

He glanced down at his lap and saw the thick chunks of pale pink swimming in an ocean. “Oh.”

You rested the side of your head against your fist, then propped your elbow up on the back of the bench the two of you sat on. “What’s going on, Kyu? What’s your rush today? You have a whole list written out, and we’ve been practically everywhere around the city today. I think I saw you ignore the giraffe statue in the toy store earlier—which, frankly, is not very Kyu of you.”

The last thing you expected him to do was to stare at you until he started crying. You saw the way his face scrunched up, first, then the silver pooling in his eyes. His cheeks had puffed just slightly until he combusted, fat tears rolling down his face and dripping into his ice cream soup.

Your heart sank.

Changmin got up and stalked to the trash can just a little ways away from the bench and tossed the wasted ice cream away. When he came back, you wrapped him up in your embrace, gently cupping the back of his head. “I’m sorry I upset you,” you said quietly.

“I’m sorry for crying again,” he hiccuped. “I just—I’m just so frustrated. And I just don’t know anymore. There’s enough shit to do on that list to get us to tomorrow night—”

The realization dawned upon you. You had a sneaking suspicion throughout the day as he dragged you from place to place, barely taking the time to properly enjoy the attraction, but now that he had finally said it, the truth hit you square in the chest.

Your eyes fluttered shut for a moment, before they opened toward the shimmering boardwalk below. “Changmin-ah. Kyu. Let’s go home, hm? Do you wanna go home?”

You felt him nod against you, and that was settled.

When the two of you made it back to Changmin’s apartment, he walked in with shoulders hunched and head hanging. The lights stayed off, the quiet remained unbroken. You sat him down on his worn place on the couch, and you resumed that perch on the coffee table that you had taken on that very first day you had manifested in his apartment.

Changmin leaned forward onto his elbows. He was no longer crying, but his eyes were red and puffy, bottom lip wobbly. The worst thing was that he not only looked sad, but also ashamed. He kept his gaze firmly on the hardwood floor, and his voice was gravelly, “I just wasted an entire day, didn’t I?”

You shook your head. “N—”

“I’ve come to the realization that you’re probably not here to right any wrongs,” he pressed on, his head lifting for this moment to plead with his eyes for you to let him continue, to let this all out. “You haven’t done a single horrible thing in your life, Yn, not in my eyes. And… well, your death was an accident, and maybe for a second, I wanted to believe that there was foul play involved so I could distract myself but…” He picked at one of his fingers. “Now I just want to seize the last of these hours I have with you. And I thought I was doing it right today, but it was the exact opposite.”

He reached out for your hand and you gave it to him as he cradled it with both of his.

“I,” you began, “I understand what you were trying to do, Changmin, and I don’t blame you. I would have done the same thing.”

The breath he released was shaky as he stared you in the eyes with his red and silvery ones—stared you right in the eyes as he lifted your knuckles to his lips and held them there.

Something rocked through you then. You wanted to cry; god, you so badly wanted to cry.

“I wish it was me,” he croaked. “I wish it was me. I wish it was me—”

Your hand tightened around his fingers. “No,” you asserted. The strength and firmness of that single word made Changmin’s breath hitch. “No, Changmin. Don’t.” You shook your head vigorously, trying to wrap your head around the mere thought of Changmin taking your place, and everything in your chest seized. “Don’t say that.”

“God, fuck. Yn—” he stammered, pressing the back of your hand to his lips to stop the flood of emotions to break through yet again. Every time he thought he built himself back up, the dam just happened to be more fragile than he believed it to be.

You swallowed. “Changmin, I have to tell you something.”

He shook his head then. “No. God, no, don’t say it.”

“Changmin, I love you. You know that.”

He released your hand and flew back onto the couch, knees pulled to his chest and his face buried in his hands. “Yn, please.”

You clutched your hand to your chest. “I’m being selfish, and I’m sorry for that, but I… never got to say it to you before I left your house that day.” Not enough times. Never enough times.

“Yn, you don’t understand,” he rasped. One hand gripped onto his knee, the other swiping upwards into his hair so you could see the full brunt of his emotions, clear as day on his face. “I love—d you. I loved you so much that it makes my chest hurt. And—and—god, I think I would’ve wanted to spend the rest of my life with you if we had more time and I came to my fucking senses. Yn, it hurts so bad.”

You lowered yourself to your knees in front of him and coaxed him to unravel himself. He leaned forward, forehead pressed against you as he dry-sobbed until his lungs ached and burned from the inside out.

You couldn’t tell if all of what he just told you was true or in the moment. But what you did know was that the world was so very cruel. It would have been nice to figure this out with him, to see what might have transpired, or enjoyed the journey nonetheless. All of that… you had reached the final destination, and Changmin would go on without you now.

You had one day left.

With that one day… you were still unsure as to how you should seize it, but at this very blink in time, your priority was your best friend. You climbed onto the couch beside him and let him find comfort in your embrace.

You rubbed soothing circles into his back as you gathered your thoughts. “Do you know…” you started lowly and gently, “that I think the world of you? And I don’t say that to make you cry again; I’m saying that so you know, in your heart every day, that you could have never failed me. Like you said, in my eyes, you could do no wrong.”

Changmin sniffled against you. “But what if I do fail you? What if, when you leave for real, I can’t go on?”

“Well, then I’d like you to promise me that you will try your best to keep going. Your best is enough,” you said to him, finger brushing the hair from his forehead. “The Kyu I know is so very strong, and I know that even when the going gets tough, you get going, because you are tougher.”

He held onto your shirt, his chest’s rising and falling beginning to slow and calm down. “I promise.”

“Good. I’m proud of you.” You leaned down and pressed a butterfly kiss to the crown of his head then rubbed his shoulder. “I know this week must have been really difficult for you, but I watched you make steps toward healing. I won’t sugarcoat how hard it might be, but you have people who love you, Changmin. People who love you and care about you and want to be there for you.”

“Thank you,” he rasped. “Thank you for being here. For coming back. It probably wasn’t your choice, but thank you for choosing me in life and in death.”

For a moment, you closed your eyes and (maybe; just maybe) thought you finally felt a tear cascade down your cheek. “I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else, to be honest.”

DAY SEVEN

IT had been awhile since Changmin had invited anyone over to the apartment. Chanhee had pretty much invited himself over yesterday, but this morning, you had suggested to Changmin to host a movie night with the others so he wouldn’t have to be alone when you took off. (For wherever you were off to.) Changmin had recovered slightly from yours and his conversation last night, but there was still a soft spoken air around him.

At about six minutes past eight o’clock that Sunday evening, Changmin let Chanhee, Kevin, and Juyeon into the apartment, with Ghana leaping for joy onto the knees and thighs of these old friends he hadn’t seen in awhile. Before you died, it wasn’t uncommon that Changmin invited the group over to hang out. He thrived on the energy and connection of other people, and when he had shut himself in for an entire month, it was clear that he would not be himself for a while.

Kevin scanned the apartment with a pleasantly surprised nod. “Wow, I’m shocked that you kept it clean.”

“Yah! What kind of guest are you?” Changmin jokingly whacked Kevin with the excess material of his sleeve.

From your perch in the middle of the kitchen counter, you snickered. “If only he knew, Changmin.”

Changmin sent you a look, lips pressed in a smile.

“Man, I missed Gana so much,” Juyeon groaned, leaning down to pucker his lips at the poodle. Gana reacted accordingly, hopping up onto Juyeon’s knees and licking the tip of the man’s nose. “Mwah!”

Changmin rolled his eyes and hopped onto the ledge of the kitchen counter right in front of you. You leaned forward and rested your chin on his shoulder. “Oh please. Gana’s only got eyes for that pretty, white poodle—what’s her name?”

“Bori?” Chanhee’s pink head perked up from the couch. He peered over the ledge with a wide smile as he wielded the TV remote in his hand. “Younghoon says the two lovebirds ought to hang out again soon.”

Juyeon pouted. “Hmph, well I was in line first, so…”

Changmin shook his head with a melodramatic sigh. “Aish… by the way, you weirdos better say hi to Yn over there or I will kick you out right now.” He was only kidding, of course. (Maybe half kidding.) He was tempted to make the joke that you were really behind him and that he wasn’t referring to the shrine by the TV, but he knew they would only give him weird looks and he’d be the butt of the joke.

His three friends immediately jumped to it, raising their hands in cute, excited waves, smiles gleaming under the television light. Kevin scurried over to the table, cooing at the dinosaur plush seated next to your portrait. You couldn’t quite hear the words he murmured to you, but Juyeon was a little louder when he paid your shrine a visit himself.

When they had finished, Juyeon raised the dead tea light in the sky. “Aye! This light’s out, Changmin-ah.”

“That’s what I noticed yesterday, too!” Chanhee chimed in. He shook his head with a playful click of his tongue. “Tsk, tsk. If you’re gonna keep a shrine, you should tend to it.”

“Aish,” Changmin muttered again. (“They’re not wrong,” you added cheekily; “Heeey, shush you.”)

“Changmin, are you not coming to join us at your own movie night?” Kevin teased as he tore off his jacket and settled onto the couch next to Juyeon.

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” He felt the weight of your head lift off his shoulder, then could he slide off the counter and join his friends at the couch.

You smiled to yourself as you scooted up the counter to take Changmin’s old place. From here, you had a great view of the movie anyway. They were arguing between a couple different titles, but it seemed that Changmin was insistent on one in particular.

“—Ghostbusters. Have you seen the original? You haven’t? That’s so insulting; we’re watching it now!” Changmin screeched, grabbing hold of Chanhee’s shoulder to shake the poor man into doing his bidding with the remote.

Eventually, the movie started rolling, the ectoplasm spilled, and on your final night as a ghost, you watched yours and Changmin’s childhood staple movie for the very last time. From time to time, you caught Changmin twisting his head over his shoulder to throw smiles back at you, and you knew he was reminiscing the same as you were. Only, as the night grew longer and time flew by, there were less and less looks thrown back at you.

And just like that, a sense of contentment settled over you. Like a set of ellipses, your time was coming to a gradual halt.

At five minutes to midnight, Changmin jolted up in the middle of The Avengers to a twin set of taps on his left shoulder. Chanhee sent him a mildly concerned look, since his friend’s movements jostled his head off Changmin’s shoulder.

Changmin cleared his throat, quietly murmuring, “I’ll be right back”, then slipped out of the front door.

Changmin’s slippers hit the concrete outside the apartment complex with a dull smack. Crisp cool night bit at his cheeks, but when he saw you standing beneath the rusty-orange night sky, he ran up to you and crushed you to his body in a final embrace. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, but his mouth curled into a smile against your shoulder.

“I wish we had more time,” he whispered in a last, desperate attempt to implore the universe.

You cradled the back of his head, eyes screwed shut. “Me, too. You have no idea, but… you’re gonna be okay, Kyu. It’ll all be okay.”

Changmin tucked his face into your neck to catch the lingering scent of your shampoo, to memorize the imprint of your body into his brain so he might always remember what holding you felt like. “I’ll make you proud, Yn-ie.”

Silver lined your eyes, your throat tightened—for fuck’s sake, you wished you could cry. “You’ve already made me proud, Changmin.”

———

When Changmin returned, three heads perked up from the couch to watch him settle down next to Chanhee again. They caught the glistening wetness of his eyes, but he smiled through it, as if he had just come back from seeing a friend off.

Changmin curled up into Chanhee’s side, the latter asking him gently, “You okay?”

Changmin nodded. “I’m okay.”

—fin.

BONUS SCENES. — day seven cont’d.

(“Hey, before you go, can I ask you a favor?”; “Anything.”)

A minute after Changmin had settled back in the apartment, he cleared his throat, inclining his head to the shrine. “Guys, I know you said I should really maintain the shrine better, but the shrine maintains itself.”

Everyone followed his line of sight to the shrine where your portrait glowed in the light of only one tea light. However, they all heard, loud and clear, a distinct tap-tap sound against the base of the dark candle. The light blinked to life, and everyone erupted into madness.

Through his friends’ screams, Changmin cackled in hyena-esque delight. “I told you my apartment was haunted!”

DAY TWELVE

“CHANGMIN, over here!”

The street was alive as university students flooded into all cram into the humble bbq restaurant in the district, this chilly Friday evening. Only a lucky few would be able to score a table without having a prior reservation, but lucky for Changmin and his friends, Kevin was always on top of his Yelp notifications.

Changmin beamed at his friends, his eyes widening as Chanhee practically hurled himself down the street and into Changmin’s embrace. “Holy shit—I could’ve become a pancake on the sidewalk just now.”

Chanhee rolled his eyes with a laugh. “Oh shut up, you drama king.”

“Hey, that’s all you, dude.” The two of them walked back over toward where Kevin and Juyeon stood by the door. A long line had formed down the opposite side of the block, but the four of them stood in the area simply waiting for their reservation notification to arrive.

Juyeon brought Changmin in for an affectionate side hug, and Kevin asked him how he was feeling. Changmin answered with a small, affirming nod and statement; though, the deja vu was awfully strong tonight.

Kevin pursed his lips in a smile. “Good, I’m glad, man.” Then his phone lit up, and so too did his face. “Ooh, fuck yeah! Our table’s ready—c’mon!”

Changmin was about to follow his friends in through the door when he stopped short. His head perked up and swiveled to survey the sidewalk. He thought he had just heard his name being called…

“Kyu!”

He whipped around now, and his eyes locked onto a form on the far side of the street. It was a mass crush of people over there, but he could pick you out of a sea of people—anytime, anywhere.

Something seized in his chest, and he broke into a teary-eyed smile. Before he could wave or further acknowledge your presence, someone passed in front of you, and you melted in with the crowd. Gone, as if never there before.

“—Changmin-ah, what’s up? We can’t be seated until we’re all inside.” Chanhee shook Changmin’s shoulder, then followed his gaze. “What’s over there?”

Changmin shook his head and turned on his heel to duck into the warmth of the restaurant with Chanhee. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I just saw an old friend.”

a/n: thank you so much for reading all the way thru and i hope u liked it ! :') pls do consider reblogging this or dropping a comment/ask &lt;3

#the boyz x reader #ji changmin x reader #changmin x reader #q x reader #the boyz oneshot #the boyz angst #the boyz fluff #the boyz imagines #the boyz scenarios #changmin oneshot #changmin imagines

[dramatic-crying]

blankets // ryan dunn x reader

inspired by this writing prompt: "If you steal the blankets, I'm gonna put my cold feet on you."

warnings: some foul language

description: after a long day of filming stunts, Ryan comes home, and he's completely eager to just be around you.

word count: ~550

As I'm lying on my soft bed, I hear the door to the bedroom Ryan, and I share open and close quietly. I shift my head slightly to see Ryan quickly taking off his grimy shirt from a day of filming, revealing his toned stomach and broad shoulders. I sigh in delight just to see him back home safe after the chaotic day I'm sure he's had.

He slowly strides over to the foot of the bed, climbing on the mattress and up to the headboard where I'm laying covered in blankets. He gently wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head right underneath my chin.

I soon notice the new bruises that have appeared on his arms, and decide to ask, "Rough day?"

"You could say that," Ryan sassily remarks, chuckling. "But I am just so fucking happy to be here with you right now. I love those guys, but goddamn... sometimes I just need to have a little peace." I can practically feel the grin spreading across his face.

I give him a heartfelt kiss on his forehead. "I get it," I reply as he nuzzles his head into my shoulder. "Do you want food or anything?"

He quickly removes his head from my chest and stares me straight in the eyes and swipes a piece of hair out of my face. "You look beautiful right now."

I roll my eyes playfully, but he doesn't move a muscle. "Oh, please," I dismiss. "I'm a mess. I'm in clothes I've been wearing for the past three days, and I haven't washed my hair in at least two days. You're such a little liar."

He hesitantly grabs my right cheek with his hand he now pulled free from our hug and urges me to look at him. "You have never looked like a mess. In fact, you are so stunning every day, and I always wonder how a gorgeous babe like you would even talk to a fucked-up stuntman like me."

I chuckle slightly, but his gaze never falters. "You can't really think that little of yourself. Please, Ryan... believe me when I say that you are the best thing that ever happened to me."

He finally smiles. In fact, it's one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen him give me. "And you are the best thing to ever happen to me. I think... I love you."

Before my relationship with Ryan, if someone told me they loved me, I would've ran away as far as I could from them. But for some reason, hearing him say those words just feels right.

"And I know I love you," I declare, grabbing his cheeks and pulling into one of the most passionate kisses we've ever shared. "What do you say we go to bed, Ry?"

"Alright," he drones, "But if you steal the blankets, I'm gonna put my cold feet on you."

I playfully shove him in the shoulder, but he stands up and gets under the covers to be comfortable. Thankfully, he gets back into the same position we were cuddling in before. "Goodnight, my love," I say, turning off the lamp on the bedside table.

"Goodnight, hottie," he laughs, giving me one more kiss before getting comfortable in my arms once again.

FIN

hey everyone! ik this one was a little cheesy but its kinda fun to write cheesy stories like this once in awhile lol thank you all for your support! <3

#ryan dunn x reader #ryan dunn #jackass x reader #jackass #ryan dunn fluff #jackass fluff #i love him #he's so silly

[azaleaaxolotl1]

He was looking out the balcony of the hotel, both arms on the railing, crossed over and leaning a little bit forward. His head tilted up, just a little. His purple-indigo hair flowed in the cold, yet gentle breeze. His eyes closed and redness adorned his features.

“Smile!” You said, chuckling. A Kamera in your hands, pressing the button to capture this memory.

Scaramouche whipped his head around as if he just saw something at the corner of his eye rush by, but in reality, it was you.

“Hey.” He said. Scaramouche’s eyes held hurt in them, sadness, which was unusual. He never looks Ike this, so sad.

“What’s wrong?” You said, sympathy lacing your voice. You walked beside him, placing the Kamera on the table at the very end of the balcony. You put both your hands on his shoulders.

“Nothing, I was just thinking, that’s all,” Scaramouche said, sadness in his voice.

“I can tell when your upset, what’s up?” You said, looking at his Anemo vision and the gold feather that was attached to it.

He sighed and began talking about his past again and about his mother.

“I just wanted her to accept me and not abandon me.” He said.

“You know, it’s not good to be stuck in the past, you must keep moving forward, you don’t need to idle your time on people who have left you behind. You must not dwindle on people who have betrayed, either for the good things or bad things.” You said, in a smart tone. You didn’t want Scaramouche to worry anymore.

He hummed at your statement, he agreed with you.

“Something else is still worrying you.” You said, looking up at the full moon.

“I just… what if I lose you too? What if you betray me, just like they did.” Scaramouche said.

“Don’t think like that! I choose to be with you, I want to be with you at every step. I want to witness everything that you go through. I want to comfort you when you’re down, I want to cuddle you when you’re scared from your nightmares. I’m not going anywhere.” You said, holding a positive smile on your face.

A tear rolled down Scaramouche’s face. He tried to wipe it off but another fell from the other eye. He couldn’t control himself, more tears kept on coming out.

“Thank you, Y/n.” He said.

“Of course!” You said, walking up to him and hugging him.

“Hey, now that I’ve told you what’s on my mind, what’s on yours?” Scaramouche said.

“I just… when you’re going to Snezhnaya with the traveler, please kill the Tsarista.” You said.

“I don’t think I can guarantee that, but I’ll try, for you.” He said.

———————————————————————

Now he was standing in front of the harbinger headquarters in Snezhnaya, raising his left hand and looking at the ring on his middle finger.

It was yours, you gave it to him when you reached your last breath because of Eleazer.

He must stay strong, for you. For the God of Wisdom, for his mother.

“Are you ready to help me defeat the Tsarista?” The traveler said, looking at Scaramouche.

“I’m always ready, it was Y/n’s last wish to defeat the Harbingers and the Cryo Archon, I must fulfill it,” Scaramouche said.

He was dealing with Pierro and the Traveler dealt with the Tsarista.

He watched Shenznaya fall, and by that, he means watching the Cryo archon draw her last breath.

“Hah, you win the Archon war but you were defeated by a mortal and a puppet, pathetic.” He said, looking at her lifeless body.

Now all he was thinking about was you. ‘I love you, Y/n. May you Rest In Peace now.’ He thought, crying.

A/N: Art made by hitsuji_kome on Instagram. Please, if you have any requests, I’m more than happy to write some

#scara angst #scara x reader #scaramouche x reader #genshin impact scaramouche #scaramouche angst #scaramouche x y/n #angst to comfort

[bakugohoex]

[15:35]

part one | part three

atsumu miya checks his phone every time he gets even an ounce of a break. he knows you’re in the middle of a lecture currently, probably typing away at whatever your lecturer is saying. he can envision your furrowed eyebrows, your coffee stained lips and most of all the ogling eyes of the man who has been harassing you for weeks.

he sent a text to you, knowing he wouldn’t get a reply till later on he knew he would be finishing early. deciding to pick you up after you were finished as a surprise, he grabbed his stuff, changing into joggers and a hoodie as he said goodbye to his teammates.

going into his car, he made a pit stop at a florist, picking up your favourites as he parked near campus. he checked your location seeing you in one of the buildings, he wore sunglasses and a baseball cap as he walked inside the automatic doors.

he saw people come out from two wide doors, assuming you would come out as well, he sent a quick text saying to stay put as he paced around. you saw the text just as you were packing your bag, deciding that you needed to leave before a certain man who sat two seats above you stopped you in your tracks.

you quickly walked down the steps, going pass the creep as you stopped to see a certain blond in incognito. “‘tsumu,” you cooed as you started to walk towards him, he took his sunglasses off as he brought the flowers forward.

before you could even meet your boyfriend, a certain classmate decided to intercept you. “y/n why in a rush?” you stop in your tracks as you give a look of disgust.

“my boyfriends here,” you try and barge past the but he puts an arm out.

“hey, hey, hey, what boyfriend? i thought we had an ongoing date going.” he moved towards your side, putting his arm on your shoulder, you finally saw atsumu, a look of jealousy and disgust on his face.

atsumu began to walk towards the two of you, already seeing how uncomfortable you were. you could hear the irritable boy beside you as you tried to shrug his arm off you, “baby who’s this?”

you knew atsumu was acting dumb as he grabbed your hand pulling you towards him. “this is the guy i told you about, who keeps trying to hit on me?” you stress the last part.

atsumu stares at the man up and down, he was much taller than your classmate, he gripped your waist pulling you into his side. “agh, he looks exactly ‘ike how ya describ’d princess,” he seethed out.

“yeah, are these for me?” you both ignore the man, as atsumu instead hands the flowers to you.

he nods happily as you can see your classmate try and but into the conversation but as you and atsumu kept speaking he had no opportunity. “ya tryna really ‘ard aren’t ya,” atsumu mocks out as you give a light chuckle.

you smell the flowers, loving how he knew to get your favourite. grabbing atsumu’s hand as you listen into the reply, “i didn’t know my girl had a man.”

atsumu clenched his jaw, “firstly, she’s not ya girl.” he steps closer to the man, “secondly, she’s told ya many times.” before finally bending down to reach his ear, “and lastly, ya’ll neve get to sleep with her, so stop trying.”

you didn’t hear the last part but a sense of shock went onto the boys face. “come on baby, let’s get ya some food,” he tugs you away as your classmate remained still in his place.

you both walked away, speaking about both your days as atsumu kissed the top of your head. directing you towards his car, he held you tight as he knew no man would ever get in your way.

#miya atsumu x you #atsumu miya x y/n #atsumu miya x you #atsumu miya #atsumu miya x reader #miya atsumu x y/n #miya atsumu #miya atsumu x reader #haikyuu x y/n #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu #haikyu x y/n #haikyu x you #haikyu #haikyu x reader

[journey-to-the-attic]

3rd anni req 4: [RPG AU] solomon / past life

ao3 link

note: i really enjoyed writing this one! i've been meaning to do more for this au for ages, it's just such a fun concept to work with, but i just never get around to it

brief context if needed: fantasy rpg au setting, solomon is a reincarnation of the evil sorcerer solomon who was trying to evade persecution, and in his new life he is best friends and travelling companions with young hero ik, and here he finds out the truth about himself

∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎

This place feels more like a mausoleum than a house.

The reports say that the owner died decades ago, and that the house has lain undisturbed ever since - up until recently. That isn’t the story Solomon’s seeing here, though.

It’s dusty, but it doesn’t feel like a place that’s been abandoned for eighty years. Try five, maybe.

He brushes a finger through a thick layer of dust on a shelf. These odd contraptions littered around the place - cogs and glassware with no rhyme or reason - aren’t ancient by any stretch of the imagination. He picks up something that resembles a wind-up toy and turns the key. The wheels still spin smoothly.

Welcome home.

He jumps. “...IK?”

No response. He listens hard - he can hear footsteps coming from upstairs. But that voice came from just behind him - surely she can’t move that quickly?

“That wasn’t funny,” He calls, attempting bravado.

Really? I thought it was hilarious.

He manages not to jump this time. He swings around and presses his back to the wall, hand falling to the knife at his hip.

Hey, there’s no need for that, says the strange voice, amused. I’m a friend.

“A friend,” He repeats warily.

Quite an intimate friend, agrees the voice, and he hears the groan of wood from just around the corner. Come with me. I have something to show you.

Don’t bother, it adds as he makes for the hallway, to call IK down to join him. There’s nothing here worth the little girl’s attention.

“Don’t call her that,” He grunts with a spark of indignation. “And—”

I daresay what you’ll find would only hurt the youngster, adds the voice, and at this he pauses.

“...fine.” His mouth feels dry - he hears the irregular pattern of his own breathing as if from miles away. “What do you want to show me?”

Follow me, croons the voice, and something shimmers at him from around the corner.

Let me show you something remarkable, it tells him. The brightest mind in any generation. The most prolific mass murderer this land has ever seen. There’s plenty to learn.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” He growls. “But I don’t want any part in it.”

And yet he finds himself following the voice anyway.

Aren’t you just a little curious?

Wouldn’t you like to just take a little peek?

So close now. What a shame it would be to miss out.

And what a shame it would be to not know more. How close-minded!

Sharp pain lances through his temples - he stumbles, catching himself on a red velvet curtain, gripping the side of his head with a groan. “What— what are you playing at?!”

Side effects. Don’t mind those.

“I…” He can hear colours, taste sounds - feel as he’s never felt before, like millions of icy needles drawing fire from his skin. “...this…”

Why don’t you take a look behind the curtain? The voice whispers.

His mind feels in free-fall - he shakes his head blindly, but he finds himself reaching forward. He seizes a fistful of cold velvet and pulls.

Everything around him seems to shrink to a point. His own pale face stares back at him through the mirror.

“Is this some sort of joke?” He mutters.

His reflection grins back at him. “Welcome home, Solomon. It took you long enough.”

“What…” He tries to step back, but his feet feel anchored to the ground. “...I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t! Poor, gullible human that you are.” Mirror-Him laughs. “How cute. Did you have fun living with the mundane, at least?”

He tries to find words, but the reflection doesn’t wait for an answer. “I suppose I don’t need you to tell me. I’ll know soon enough. Now, come here. It’ll all make sense in a moment.”

He doesn’t move. His reflection frowns at him.

“Slow on the uptake, aren��t you?” Mirror-Solomon presses a hand against the glass. “It’s me - I’m you. I’m the part of us that had to die so that you could walk free. Me and you - two pieces of a glorious arcane puzzle.”

He feels his own hand moving to meet his reflection, and fights to keep it still. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not—”

“Not a sorcerer?” Mirror-Him sighs. “I’ve got news for you, cupcake. You wouldn’t be able to see me if you did.”

His head thumps. He says again, lost, “I don’t understand.”

His reflection’s expression softens a little. “I told you, didn’t you? We are the brightest mind any generation has ever seen. Before I died, you prised secrets of life straight from time’s mouth. We unlocked it together - in death, you would be reborn.”

“And when we reunite, I will be whole,” He recites, then claps a hand to his mouth. He doesn’t know where the words have resurfaced from.

His reflection grins at him. “Now you’re getting it. Come on, Solomon. Set us free.”

I know you.

I’ve felt the weight of your sins everywhere I’ve gone. Every place you’ve touched, people have died. Every time I bring your face somewhere new, it’s as if the land itself remembers what you’ve done. I hated it.

Now I understand. I feel it now - your hatred. My anger.

IK is upstairs. I can’t let you hurt her.

“Worried, are you?” His reflection leans closer, dropping his voice to a whisper. “I’ve got a secret to tell you. Once you remember everything, you won’t care.”

That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, he thinks, and the pain in his head suddenly intensifies. It’s all he can do to keep himself from crying out.

“You’ve been waiting for me - you just didn’t know it.” Mirror-Him doesn’t sound surprised by his disobedience. Perhaps that’s the worst part.

A thought, a foreign memory - he’d known this would happen, and that he wouldn’t be able to resist it. He’s a weak-willed mortal, after all.

He moves before he can stop himself. His hand meets the reflection - the cold of the glass cuts into him, and in one silent instant, everything ends. And everything begins.

He feels his legs collapse beneath him - he lands against the wall with a cough, heaving for air as if he hasn’t tasted it in years. Indeed, half his soul has starved in that mirror for the past five years.

Solomon stares down at his hands and sees blood. His fingertips buzz - warm sparks dance across his palms, as if the magic itself rejoices to be reunited with his mortal body. He feels himself smile.

He stands up. His reflection moves with him now. To be honest, part of him had been worried the mirror wouldn’t hold up for long enough - but he hadn’t exactly had time to seek a crystal looking-glass. Oh, that’s new. I remember…

“Oh, how I’ve missed you,” He says to himself.

He imagines this is how the man in the desert must feel - who finally finds water after hours in the scorching heat. How clever he is - a lesser being wouldn’t be able to cope with even a fraction of this operation.

His two sets of memories melt into each other easily. Like simply adding water to a jug. And—

“Solomon? I think we should get out of here.”

He whips around, and immediately knows he’s made a mistake. IK blinks at him from the end of the hallway, clearly unnerved by how quickly he reacted.

“...I think we’re dealing with magic scraps here,” She says after a moment, still eyeing him warily. “Some kind of crazy wizard or something. We need to get someone who knows about that kind of thing to look at it.”

“Crazy wizard?” He repeats almost incredulously. He’s blinded fools for lesser insults.

“I’ve never seen some of the stuff upstairs.” She grimaces. “The shadows were all moving - I swear one of them had teeth.”

Her left arm is dangling uselessly at her side, and he suddenly registers the dark red stains on her sleeves. He feels a familiar rush of worry, and hurries forward without thinking.

“You got bitten?” He reaches forward to inspect the wound, then thinks better of touching it just yet. “Are you alright? How do you feel?”

“Just stings like hell. I’ll probably live.” She attempts to make a thumbs up with the injured arm, then sucks in a breath and shakes her head. “...I’ll ask Luke to look at it later. We should really get going - I don’t think it’s safe here.”

He thinks about telling her that this house is under his control - that the shadows she saw were likely the remnants of failed experiments, that they’re some botched form of life that didn’t know how else to play. He thinks about telling her that that bite might well have been venomous, and that only he knows how to prevent the toxins from rotting her arm from the inside out.

He thinks about telling her that it’s all been for nothing - all the times she’s had to defend him from mobs, everyone from royal guards to fruit vendors, who’d seen him for what he was and rightfully spat at his feet. He thinks of telling her that there’s no need to shield him like this as they leave the house.

He thinks about telling that he knows fifty ways to kill her right there without leaving a trace, and hundreds more that would leave some far worse than a corpse.

But he doesn’t. He lets IK take his hand and lead him down the hill.

He can’t seem to smile now. His hands are clean, and yet he tastes iron each time he tries to speak.

What happened? What happened, Solomon? How did your master plan go wrong?

There was one contingency he didn’t plan for. He’d known he wouldn’t have the power to reject his old self - but somehow missed that, equally, he couldn’t simply abandon his new life, either.

Solomon realises now that his plan had been spoiled from the moment IK helped him out of that pit. The sorcerer, in all his wisdom, had failed to consider this - that he could love and be loved in that next life.

It feels as if the earth should swallow him whole, and yet nothing seems to have changed. The local lord greets him cheerfully when he rides past on a hunting expedition. He remembers poisoning that boy’s father.

New knowledge supplanted by the old, and memories from both past and future in tandem. What could he possibly do now?

#3rd anni event #rpg au #obey me #writing #obey me solomon #jtta ik #jtta aus

[miracledarling]

Hey Renna I hope you're doing well...

I'm sorry if this might come off as trauma dumping but I really just need someone to talk to....

I'm really frustrated with myself since I lack persistence...Like I'll wake up one day and be like I'm gonna manifest my dr but after like a day or two I'll start wavering and eventually I'll go back to my old state. This cycle has been going on ever since I found abt the law.

I was really REALLY behind with my school work (I attend online school), I didn't study for my exams and everything was just piling up...So I decided that I'd just manifest being up to date with all my school and acing my exams despite not studying...Now my school break is over and as you can guess none of these things have manifested...Why? because I persisted for like a day and let my negative thoughts win...Now here I am even more stressed and desperate...

Ik that this is something no blogger can help me with, I've read all your manifesting posts plus other bloggers, I've listen to Edward art and I've read some of Neville's books, I know everything there is to know about the law...But I keep on going back to my old state...I don't even know why I do this to myself tbh cause it SUCKS here, like there's nothing to look forward too, yet I keep on going back to the old state...

Rereading this ask just made me realize how stupid I am... Like I'd rather stress about the 3D then persist in the new state...starting from now on I'm just gonna work on my self concept because my core beliefs abt how life works are still pretty f'd up and I'll stop giving myself stupid deadlines...

I will be back with a success story soon...

This post is kinda all over the place but I hope you understand what I mean...I love your blog btw

hi darling, i am so sorry for the late response(left tumblr for a bit🥲) i hope u can see this answer 💕💕

first you are not stupid honey, its okay to feel stuck. bear with me alright, it will be okay

Like I'll wake up one day and be like I'm gonna manifest my dr but after like a day or two I'll start wavering and eventually I'll go back to my old state.

ik how that feels, but you have to understand that YOU are the only one that can make the change for yourself. break the cycle is the first step, break the cycle or it will loop tomorrow.

getting into a new state is like moving into a new home. it may feel unfamiliar, unnatural, different at first. even uncomfortable. but as you return and accept it, keep living in it, it will feel natural. you will learn to accept it as true. your reality is what you are aware of as a fact. aka assumptions.

you are not the past. you are not the old story. you are not your thoughts. you are not your feelings. you are not your state

what are you being right now? what are you aware of as a fact? what are you assuming as true?

I AM happy, I AM safe, I AM healthy, I AM loved

if there are mistakes, let go of past mistakes. you can revise even. stop clinging onto the past, stop clinging onto the old story. be who you are now.

Ik that this is something no blogger can help me with, I've read all your manifesting posts plus other bloggers, I've listen to Edward art and I've read some of Neville's books, I know everything there is to know about the law...But I keep on going back to my old state...

trust yourself honey. you will help yourself more than any of us can ever. you will thank yourself so much once you start trusting yourself for guidance. asking yourself for clarity

truth is, most of the answers are within us. we have them. everything is here. so you don't need more outside guidance.

yes it can be scary to stop looking for outer confirmation. it might feel like you're doing it wrong, that you're missing out on something helpful. keep trusting yourself to help you.

try your best to resist the urge to go back to the old story. i've once heard someone say: you must get uncomfortable to get comfortable. you may feel discomfort in the new state but focus on the end and the end only. it will all be okay. you don't need to force anything, allow yourself to surrender to imagination and feel the end as true. you don't need to be positive 247, a mental diet is not forcing thoughts to be good. rather, pay attention to your inner world and place your awareness on what matters ⭐️

whenever you feel frustrated, always go back to the END. live in the END in your head. always take care of yourself out there though. stidy if you must, but you are the perfect student in imagination

you are free in imagination. trust your imagination and free yourself in imagination

i don't know much about your circumstances but i just want to let you know that you can get through this. you can do it dear. i know you might have been through a lot but as long as you trust yourself, it will be alright honey. 💕

yes you will be back with a success story soon. and i know you are succeeding. you are successful. you have succeeded

ily and hope i could help you🥹🤍✨

#ask #loa #law of assumption #loassumption #neville goddard