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flurrys-creativity · 2 years

Text

Arcane

arcane (adj.) - secret, mysterious, understood only by few

Pairing: BM/Matthew (K.A.R.D) x Fem!Reader; Genre: Romance, somehwat historical AU (but not accurate), kinda Slowburn?!, strangers to lovers, kinda arranged marriage, Angst; Rating: MDNI, nsfw, 18+; Warnings: mentions of an arranged marriage, mentions of being sold off, mentions of BM being a brute and kinda barbaric, mentions of a sacrifice, reader is naive, mentions of scars, reader tripping, BM getting hurt, mentions of an attack by rogues, fire, saving a crying child from rogues, BM going berserk, killing rogues, blood, sword fights, BM getting hurt AGAIN, stripping each other kinda, taking a bath together, fingering, unprotected sex, hints of scratching, orgasm (m and f), bathtub sex, hints of a second round aaand he doesn’t just have big tiddies he also has a big dick... like thiccccccccc... aaand that should be it!; Wordcount: 14.403

Summary: Basically sold off to a man you only heard rumours about. You’ve never seen him before and you dreaded the meeting with him. The rumours about his fierce and brutality, making it even worse. Though arriving at the estate turned out differently than you thought.

A/N: This definitely got out of hand... and it all started with one simple dream... welp... Also BM is called Matthew in this one shot aaand I took the liberty to make Taehyung’s stage name into Joseph... so that’s him... Anyway! Please enjoy this looong boi!

The carriage shook you awake, startling you from your dreamless slumber. With tired eyes you leaned forward and pushed the curtains away from the window, catching a glimpse from the world outside.

Dark woods as far as your eyes could see, fog curling around the trees, creating an almost eerie feeling and the cloudless night with a bright moon above your head. The light created strange shadows that danced creepily and without any clouds the air felt cold to the skin.

Your eyes wandered around for a moment longer, hoping to see something remotely uplifting in this dull and sullen atmosphere, as goosebumps appeared on your skin and made you tremble violently. You caught sight of lights far in the distance.

The joy upon seeing them vanished quickly though once you realised it meant you were close to your destination.

A heavy sigh left your lips and you fell back into the seat. You felt the dread closing up your throat and tears pricking at the corners of your eyes while your heart tried to fight the heavy burden pulling it down.

Your village basically sold you off in hopes to prevent being ravaged by bandits or neighbouring troops. They ripped you out of the arms of your crying mother, ignoring how confused you were at that time.

Nobody had told you what was happening at first. You only saw your crying mother, who was held back by your father, who looked equally pained but remained his composure. You felt the fear rising inside of you as people continued to drag you away.

They had locked you inside a room, leaving you there before several women came into it as well. None of them spoke with you. Instead they started to undress you, wash you and put you in the finest clothes you’ve ever seen afterwards. One of them even did your hair, brushing out the tangled ends.

As soon as they deemed you ready, they left again and you were once more alone in that room. Not for long though because two men guided you to the assembly hall, where the spokesperson of your village waited for you.

He was the one to explain to you what was going on. He was also the one telling you your fate and the one who had decided to send you. He explained to you why he was doing this and to some extent you even understood his decision.

You really did, but you still didn’t want to reach that town you were headed to.

There were countless rumours about the man leading the town. People called him a brute, called him scary and relentless, called him to be someone with no emotions nor mercy.

And you were sold off to him so he would continue to guarantee the safety of the village and its people within it.

The carriage halted and you heard voices outside of it, before something like a creaking was heard and the carriage started moving again. You must have passed the entrance to the town. The dirt road changed to a cobblestone one, shaking you from side to side on your seat.

Soon enough the carriage halted again and the door to the carriage was opened.

You swallowed and steeled your nerves before you stood up and climbed out of the carriage. You blinked several times from all the street lights surrounding you, refusing to use your hand to shield the light from your eyes.

“M’lady”, a voice in front of you said calmly, “welcome to the estate.”

The man in front of you bowed ninety degrees with one hand over his chest and the other placed on his lower back. He only straightened again after you said your thanks, his face showing no emotion whatsoever.

“The master is still in a meeting. Please excuse the fact that he can't welcome you personally. He ordered us to show you around the estate, so you wouldn’t have to wait too long for him.”

Your eyes wandered behind the man, seeing two rows of servants standing behind him. All of them looked to the ground, none daring to face you directly. To say you were overwhelmed by this situation was an understatement, but you still nodded and let them guide you through the large house.

The entrance hall alone seemed to be large enough to fit your previous home into it, making you feel small in comparison.

You were guided towards all the rooms that were of importance to you - including the dining hall, the library, a study and the master bedroom. You didn’t dare to ask for the kitchen, used to cook your own meals with your family.

The servants left you in the bedroom, saying you were free to rest until the master would be done with his previous meeting.

Though there was no way for you to rest now. You stood in the middle of the room and looked around. A large bed on one side, several plush chairs and a table on the other. Two doors leading to the bathroom and the wardrobe and one large window front, with a glass door leading to a balcony.

You still didn’t understand as to why the master would want to welcome you in his own bedroom. You were sure you would become just another servant to him. Was that common? Would he show you the rest of the estate and especially your sleeping quarters?

You sighed heavily and walked towards the balcony, deciding the cool night air might help your racing heart. You immediately closed your eyes when the cold hit your face, a small smile playing over your lips.

The full moon shone down and illuminated a large garden, spreading underneath the balcony. Only a few torches were lit across the garden, the flames dancing in the cool breeze.

You leaned forward and took a deep breath as you closed your eyes. Maybe you were allowed to work as a gardener, thinking you wouldn’t mind it too much to tend to the flowers down there.

Lost in your own thoughts you didn’t hear the crunching of stones several feet underneath until they were directly beneath you, where they stopped.

You leaned over the railing of the balcony and looked down in curiosity, seeing a large man standing there. He sighed deeply and ran his hands through his hair, before he stemmed them into his hips. His breath came out in small puffs, forming little clouds in front of his face before they disappeared again.

The man sighed again and moved once more a hand through his hair, tilting his head back in the process. He had his eyes closed, moved his hand back to his hip and stayed like this for several moments.

He stood right underneath you and with the full moon above you were able to see his face clearly. Several scars littered his face - a bigger one over his left cheek. He had sharp features and an even sharper jawline, accompanied with blond locks.

Despite the scars he looked beautiful in your opinion. There was something soft about him, which intrigued you.

In that moment he opened his eyes, meeting your gaze immediately. His dark eyes widened for a second before they narrowed and his jaw clenched.

You yelped and pushed yourself back, fleeing back into the room. You closed the balcony door behind you and hurried back into the middle of the room. Your heart was beating out of your chest as your mind played the scene over and over again.

You had barely calmed your heart when the door to the room slammed open and made you jump. You looked up with wide eyes, seeing the same man from before standing now in front of you.

For just a second he looked surprised, slightly dishevelled and out of breath. Though after one blink with your eyes and all of that was gone. Instead you looked at a man with cold and calculating eyes, standing with a straight back and pulled back shoulders in the doorway.

“When did you arrive?”

His deep voice sounded sharp and cold, like shards of broken ice. You shivered involuntarily.

“Not too long ago”, you whispered and avoided looking him directly in the eyes. His aura was intimidating and knowing he had seen you on the balcony made your stomach churn. You weren’t sure if you were even allowed to do that.

He hummed and closed the door behind him, coming further into the room. He eyed you as he walked to the plush chairs and sat down in one of them. “Have a seat.”

You timidly walked over as well and sat down in a chair across from him, waiting for him to continue speaking. Something about his aura made you want to cower away or flee the scene as fast as possible. His eyes were staring into your very soul. Still, you stayed in place.

“Did you have a pleasant ride here?”

You blinked a few times, trying to process his question and the awkward tone you had sensed, but when you looked up into his face there was no awkwardness to detect.

“I-”, you hesitated, thinking there was no way you could tell him how dread filled your whole body during the entire ride and even now, “I had the pleasure to ride in the most comfortable carriage from our village.”

Once again he only stared at you.

Your brain immediately went into overdrive, thinking you must have said something wrong and before you were even able to stop yourself you started to ramble: “Not that I am expecting to only ride in the best carriages there are. Usually I go by foot, this was the first time I had the privilege of something so luxurious. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply I want to continue those rides. I’m totally comfortable with going by foot around the town to do errands and sorts like that.”

“We have servants to run the errands.”

You tensed. “Oh? So I’m on cleaning duty? Or should I be cooking? I wasn’t shown the kitchen though. I’m sorry, should I have started working immediately?” You started to fidget with your fingers and scanned the pattern of the carpet to your feet, not daring to look up again.

“We have servants for those tasks as well.”

“Then why am I here?” You immediately wanted to slap your hand over your mouth, regretting the short outburst of frustration as you couldn’t understand what else you were supposed to do.

You heard rustling of fabric and looked up, seeing him lean forward, his elbows now resting on his knees and fingers intertwined to let his chin rest on them. “They didn’t tell you.”

Even though it wasn’t a question, you shook your head no. You didn’t even know what exactly they didn’t tell you, since most of your information was passed to you in a hurry to begin with.

Your eyes trailed over his scars and a sudden thought shot through your mind. You involuntarily started to tremble, clutching your body out of fear. “I’m not a sacrifice, am I?” Your voice trembled just as much as your body and you couldn’t help the tears welling up in your eyes.

He stiffened slightly, his whole posture appearing as if he was ready to jump up at any second. “No, you’re supposed to live here”, he spoke as calmly as possible. His eyes roamed over your form, seeing how fear-strikken you were. “You were on the balcony before I came.”

“I’m sorry”, you whimpered and pressed your eyes shut, afraid what could happen next. A single tear ran down your cheek. “I didn’t know-”

“Did you like the garden?” He interrupted you, panic grabbing his heart once he saw the tear on your face.

Confused from his sudden question, you opened your eyes again and looked up to him. He still appeared as stoic as before but on a closer look something had changed in his eyes. “I wasn’t able to see much due to the dark”, you whispered hesitantly, gouging his reaction.

“Then I shall show you the garden tomorrow during the day.”

“Is the garden the place I shall work in?” You questioned, hopeful to have finally found the reason why you were sold off.

“I suppose-”

“Thank you!” You sighed in relief, not even realising you had interrupted him. “I promise to work hard and keep the garden in the best shape!”

He stared at you silently once again, watching how you wiped away the remnants of your tear and smiled genuinely. Even though you once again didn’t look at his face directly.

“You can ask the servants if you need anything. They will serv- help you wherever you need it.” He paused for a moment and closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. “It’s rather late and you’re probably tired.”

“Only slightly”, you agreed with a small smile, “but I’m sure you’re exhausted from a long day. I will retreat to my quarters so you can rest in your chamber.” You stood up and patted your clothes as if to dust them off, before you hesitated. “I’m terribly sorry but I wasn’t shown where I am supposed to stay.”

The man bit on his lower lip before he licked over it and stood up as well. “Let me show you”, was all he said as he turned around and walked to the door.

You followed him out to the hallway. A few chandeliers lit the area, creating dancing shadows with the armours standing around. You glanced at the shiny things every now and then before your eyes were drawn back to the broad shoulders of the man in front of you.

He passed several statues and stopped in front of another large door. The door looked just as intricate as the one leading to his room and when you looked over your shoulder, you were still able to see the sliver of light shining out of his room.

It surprised you to see you would be staying on the same floor and this close to his chambers.

You weren’t able to mention it though as he opened the door and walked into the dark room. You hurried after him into the dark but quickly stopped again. Only a small path of light from the hallway lit the room and you didn’t want to run into anything. Therefore you stood awkwardly somewhere in the room and tried to figure out how it looked in the shadows.

You flinched when large curtains were drawn back and the moon light flooded into the room. It wasn’t as large as the other room but the layout seemed similar. A large bed on one side, a small table with plush seats around it in the middle and a folded screen, hiding a bathtub, on the other side.

You heard how a match got lit and your eyes immediately got drawn to the small flame as it lit a simple candle near the bed.

“Is this room to your liking?”

It took everything within you to not laugh crazily. Instead you quickly shook your head. “I-, I don’t even know what to say.”

“I can show you a different room! I just thought you might like to have a balcony towards the garden as well.” He admitted and made a hand gesture towards the double glass doors at the window front.

You gasped and hurried to the glass doors, opening them without hesitation and walking out on the balcony.

He was right. You almost saw the same scene like you did before and with the cool moon light shining down on the garden, it felt almost serene.

“I guess I made the right decision after all?”

You once again jolted in surprise, turning around and pressing your back against the railing, as you stared at the man towering in front of you. “I-, yes”, you squeaked, trying to play over your surprise, “it’s lovely! Thank you!”

He looked at you for a moment longer, before he avoided your gaze. “I’ll leave you to it then.” With that he stepped away and almost rushed out of the room, leaving you behind.

You sighed, not sure whether it was out of relief or something else, as a small smile spread over your lips. You placed one hand over your beating heart and leaned your head back to look up into the clear sky. You breathed out and watched the small fog your breath created in the cold.

Despite not knowing what to expect from your stay here or from that man, you felt that it wouldn’t be as bad as you had feared before.

With one last glance to his balcony you stepped back inside and got ready for bed.

You woke up early the next morning, despite having arrived in the middle of the night and not having that much sleep. You mused your excitement for the garden woke you up in the first place.

Without hesitation you swung your legs from the bed and stood up, hurrying in your nightgown to the balcony. You opened the glass doors and stepped out on the stone with bare feet, placing your hands immediately on the railing and leaning forward with your eyes closed and face up towards the sun.

Even though the mansion was located in the middle of a town, the air smelled fresh and clean. Actually, the only thing you could smell were the flowers and plants from the garden in front of you.

You opened your eyes and looked around, taking in the plants and bushes in the garden. There were dozens of different flowers, dotting various colours in between all the green.

Without even thinking about it your eyes and head turned to the balcony on your left. You froze when your eyes landed on his half naked form stretching. Even from this distance you could see the dark scars littering his upper body.

“Sir Matthew!”

You jumped upon hearing another voice coming from the gardens and quickly ripped your gaze away.

“Sir Matthew, will you attend the training today as well?” A young man ran up to the balcony and waved one of his arms above his head, while grinning brightly.

“I’ll leave the training to you, Joseph. I have different plans today.”

You stared at the man, slowly realising you never knew his name. All this time you stayed at his mansion and even talked to him and not once did you ask for his name. Thinking back to the day in your village, you didn’t remember anyone saying his name as well. Not to mention all the rumours about him. None of the rumours included the name Matthew, instead you heard other kinds of names like brute, dark knight or even demon.

As you were deep in your thoughts Matthew turned towards your balcony. He was surprised to see you at first, but it quickly got replaced by curiosity as he noticed your face twisted in concentration.

Before he was able to call your name though, you snapped back and stared with wide eyes at him, realising he had seen you.

You awkwardly raised one hand and waved it as a greeting. “Good morning”, you smiled and quickly dropped your hand back in front of you, twisting your fingers, “Sir.” You added the last part after you remembered Joseph did call him Sir as well.

“Did you-”, Matthew stopped mid sentence, “wait there, I will come over to your room.” With that he excused himself and stormed back into the room, vanishing out of your sight.

“Good morning, my lady!” Joseph called and waved his arm as a greeting again. “So you chose to sleep in a different room tonight?”

You frowned in confusion. What did he mean by ‘different room’? Though you weren’t able to ask him as he continued to speak.

“No worries though, my lady! I know Matthew appears as some super scary guy but once you get to know him, you will realise he is a total softy.”

“That’s enough Joseph!”

You flinched again when Matthew’s loud voice suddenly appeared right behind you. He leaned slightly over the railing, capturing you between it and his warm body. You even felt one of his large palms on the small of your back.

“I’ll make you run extra laps tomorrow for bad mouthing me, you rascal.”

“Calling you a softy is not bad mouthing you, Sir.” Joseph laughed loudly while Matthew stuttered some incoherent stuff.

“Double extra laps for you!” Matthew called and grabbed your elbow, leading you back into the room. He closed the glass doors behind him.

You stood in front of him, rather overwhelmed by his sudden presence. You didn’t even dare to think about the fact you were only wearing a nightgown in front of him.

“So, uh, did you sleep well?” Matthew asked and rubbed the back of his neck, looking everywhere except towards you.

“I did, thank you!” You smiled genuinely and nodded to underline your statement. “It wasn’t long, because I’m too excited to see the gardens today.”

“Do you want to see it immediately or would you like to squeeze in a breakfast?”

You hesitated, thinking about both options. “You just woke up as well, didn’t you, Sir? So you’re probably hungry, so we should definitely eat first. After all, you will show me around, right?”

Matthew nodded shortly, glancing towards you for a second, before he walked towards the doors. “Then follow me, please. Once you’re dressed. We can eat together.”

You felt the heat rising to your cheeks due to the fact Matthew had noticed you only wore your nightgown, before your mind travelled somewhere else. “Are you sure that is alright?”

“What?”

“Me eating with you”, you told him while you stepped behind the screen and changed your clothes. “I thought the servants would eat somewhere else.”

“You’re not a servant though.”

Once you were dressed, Matthew motioned for you to follow him and you tried to keep up with his large steps, hurrying after him.

“Isn’t a gardener similar to a servant?” You questioned with a small pout on your lips. “I don’t want to get better treatment than the others. Unless that is usual for newcomers. Then by all means ignore what I just said.”

“You ramble a lot.”

“I’m sorry! I’ll stop immediately!”

Matthew sighed and if you weren’t walking behind him you would have seen him shut his eyes in desperation. “I didn’t mean for you to stop”, he mumbled and looked over his shoulder, seeing how you now looked to the ground and pressed your lips into a thin line. He sighed again and looked back to the front.

Even when you arrived in the dining hall and sat down at the table, Matthew didn’t know what to say. Instead he glanced at you every now and then before his gaze locked onto a painting on the wall next to him.

“So your grace finally decided to show up for an actual breakfast?” The teasing voice of a woman filled the awkward silence of the room.

She carried a large tray full of food and placed it down on the table in front of Matthew. “When was the last time I actually served you here? Usually you just drop by the kitchen, grab something remotely edible and vanish to the fighting grounds for the whole day.”

Matthew cleared his throat awkwardly and glanced towards you. Jiwoo had spoken loud enough for you to hear, even though you sat opposite of him at the long table. He saw your curious eyes flickering between him and Jiwoo, making him clear his throat again.

Jiwoo finally picked up on his demeanour and turned to you, her eyes widening slightly before a bright smile appeared on her face. “My lady! You arrived!” She grabbed the tray and hurried down the long table towards you. “What would you like to eat? This is a typical breakfast but we can create whatever you would like.”

You blinked rapidly, too overwhelmed to answer for several seconds. “I-, I really don’t want to be a burden.” You looked at the tray with all kinds of delicious food. “What do you eat for breakfast? I think I would eat the same.”

Jiwoo looked surprised at your question and turned to look at Matthew, trying to get some answers from him. When he slowly shook his head no, realisation dawned on her face. “Well, you are lucky then!” With that Jiwoo placed the tray down in front of you. “This is exactly what I eat for breakfast!”

Your eyes widened in surprise. “Really?” You were beyond amazed to see the variety and the amount of food. It amazed you even more to think that servants ate breakfast like that typically. You looked up to Matthew, who had been observing you, a fleeting smile crossing your lips.

All those rumours had made you think he was ruthless and didn’t care about anyone but himself. Though with all the encounters with the servants, you thought those rumours stemmed from his appearance, which definitely looked scary, but you didn’t think he was that anymore.

Jiwoo walked back to Matthew and placed one hand on his shoulder. “You owe me an explanation”, she murmured as she glanced towards you, who happily dug into the food.

Matthew leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, so he could rest his chin on his hands. “Nobody told her about the arranged marriage”, he whispered as an answer.

“Wait a second.” Jiwoo rushed out of the dining hall and returned with a second tray shortly after, placing this one in front of Matthew. “Then why don’t you fix that?”

“I missed the right moment”, Matthew grumbled and sighed deeply, “she thinks she was brought here to be another servant.”

“Thanks for making my job sound so lowly.”

“You know that wasn’t my intention.”

Jiwoo snickered and patted his arm. “I know, I know. But you can’t let her work as a servant and you can’t keep that matter from her. Everyone in this town knows about that marriage and sooner or later someone will mention it in front of her.” Her voice lost all playfulness with the last sentence, the serious tone feeling even heavier.

Matthew sighed again, his eyes still trained on your face. “I know.”

“As long as you keep in mind that you’re putting her in danger when you don’t tell her, I won’t bother you with that matter anymore.” Jiwoo once again patted Matthew’s arm and then walked over to you.

Her bright smile made you grin as well. “The food is amazing! I never tasted something so delicious!”

“I’ll let the chef know. Would you like seconds?”

You quickly waved your hands no in front of your body. “Oh no, no! This was more than enough! I’ve never had so much food at once before. I’m sure I would explode after one more bite.” You laughed awkwardly and placed your hands on your stomach.

“Very well. I will see you for lunch then!” Jiwoo bowed towards you and you bowed your head back, grateful for her service.

Matthew led you to the gardens right after his tray of food was empty as well. Once both of you got outside and walked along the paths of the garden, he slowed down significantly - enough to walk beside you.

You were captivated by the broad variety of plants. Colourful flowers attracted bees and butterflies, filling the air with a harmonious buzzing. At the very end of the garden were large fruit trees and in front of them bushes, that would bear dozens of berries once summer would come. In one part of the garden you even found various herbs, some of them you’ve never seen before.

Lastly there was a pavilion hidden by the trees and right next to a pond, where the croaks of frogs were heard.

“Do you like it?” Matthew asked hesitantly, even though he had observed you the whole time and saw the light shimmering in your eyes whenever you saw something new.

“I love it! This garden is huge! Just look at the vegetable garden! You can fill the stomachs of a full company with that amount!” You crouched down next to a potato plant and started to dig into the earth. “Warm and soft”, you mumbled with a content smile, “perfect conditions.”

You closed the small hole again and patted it softly before you stood up and clapped your hands, getting rid of the excessive dirt. You were about to rub your hands over your clothes, an old habit from back home, when you realised you weren’t wearing your usual apron.

Panic filled your brain as you stared at your dirty hands, not able to think of a solution on the spot.

“Come with me”, Matthew mumbled, seeing the fear-strikken look in your eyes. He grabbed your elbow and guided you towards a basin filled with water. “You can wash your hands there.”

You quickly pushed your hands into the cold water and rubbed over your skin to clean your hands.

“You’re not used to wearing fancy clothing, are you?”

“Not really”, you laughed lightly, “I had one nice outfit back home, which I only wore during special events and apparently even that wasn’t good enough when they sent me to you.”

“I can send a servant to get your clothes, if you want to.”

You quickly shook your head. “No need. It wouldn’t be good either way. I really don’t want to drag your status with my old rags. I just have to get used to this. It’s alright.”

Matthew noticed your solemn expression but didn’t press any further, knowing your reasoning was true. It would have an even larger effect with you being married to him.

He was about to bring up the topic, when a soldier ran up to you two.

“Sir Matthew! You need to come quick! There is a dispute between two townspeople and we can’t settle it.”

“Will you be alright on your own? I can send someone to accompany you until I get back.” Matthew turned to you, worry shimmering in his eyes.

“I’m going to be fine”, you smiled and nodded in reassurance, “go and help your people. You can’t always keep me company.” You ignored the bitter taste that washed into your mouth after you spoke the last sentence and continued to smile up to him.

Matthew’s jaw clenched momentarily. He didn’t like the sound of that either despite knowing it was the truth. “Alright”, he nodded shortly and turned back to the soldier, “lead the way.”

You didn’t see him until dinner time, where he tiredly plopped into his chair. He silently ate and then dragged himself to his chambers, leaving you yet alone again.

This became somewhat a routine over the months you stayed at his mansion.

Matthew made an effort to eat breakfast and dinner with you, often being too occupied during lunch time. You didn’t complain though. With the warm months approaching you had a lot to do in the garden as well and missed lunch more than once.

Jiwoo often brought you some snacks when she noticed you had forgotten to eat again. She even introduced you to another maid called Somin. You learned she was somewhat the head-maid and made sure everything was in order inside the mansion. With such a busy occupation you didn’t see Somin a lot, still you were glad to know her, since she could always help you whenever you needed something.

Somin even ordered Joseph to work with you in the garden, after she realised you weren’t able to do all of the tasks alone.

You had protested at first because you were able to do them alone, it just took a lot of time and you often slept less than a few hours a day. But after Joseph worked with you for a day, you were more than thankful for Somin’s decision. You weren’t as drained at the end of the day thanks to the workload having been cut in half.

On some days Jiwoo joined you as well and helped out. She always promised you she didn’t have other work to do but you weren’t too sure about that. Especially after she found a small dog, named it Tani and let it live in the shed of the garden.

You sat back on your feet and arched your back, feeling your joints crack from the movement. Jiwoo and Joseph had left a little while ago to do their other tasks as well, so you were once again alone in the garden.

The sun was already setting and its warm rays painted the garden golden. You smiled up to the sky, squinting your eyes to shield them from the light and wiped away some sweat on your forehead.

It was then that you noticed the crunching of stones as someone came closer. You turned your head, smiling once you saw Matthew’s large build heading towards you. “Are you done with your tasks today, Sir?” You asked and stood up, bowing slightly as a greeting.

He stopped in front of you and nodded shortly, glancing over the garden instead of looking at you directly. “You’ve been working hard.”

You laughed lightly and shook your head. “Nothing worth mentioning. It feels rather therapeutic than like an actual job. Especially after Joseph and Jiwoo started helping me out. I actually feel bad for taking them away from their real jobs.” You leaned back down and grabbed the basket full of vegetables, hoisting it up on your hip. “Did you need anything from me, Sir?”

“Somin suggested we eat dinner at the pavilion this evening. I wanted to ask you whether that is alright with you.”

Your eyes widened in surprise and you automatically turned around to look over your shoulders towards the pavilion near the small pond. “Oh, that sounds lovely.” You turned back to Matthew with a smile. “I just need to bring the products to the kitchen. I hope it won’t be too cold by then.”

Matthew looked around, seeing several more baskets lining the path. He turned around without a word and grabbed three of the baskets, carrying them underneath his arms.

“Sir Matthew!” You gasped and rushed after him. “You don’t have to do that!” You watched him in desperation as he carried the heavy baskets towards the back entrance of the kitchen.

He placed the baskets in front of the door and knocked loudly against the wooden surface. Matthew didn’t even wait for someone to respond before he turned back to the garden to retrieve more baskets.

“Sir Matthew!” You quickly placed your own basket next to the door, apologising to the kitchen staff for the rude announcement, before you ran after Matthew. “Sir, you really don’t have to.” When he continued to ignore you, you stepped forward and grabbed the basket Matthew was already holding. “Please”, you whispered and looked up into his stunned face, “this is my job, Sir.”

His eyes switched between your face and your hands desperately trying to pull the basket out of his own hands. They looked so small next to his own and even though the fingers were still covered in dirt, he just had a feeling they were a lot softer than his own fingers. “It’s alright. If I help you, we can eat sooner.”

You bit on your lower lip, feeling guilty for making him wait. “I’m sorry. I can take the baskets to the kitchen after dinner. The sun isn’t as strong anymore so it won’t be too bad to leave them out a little while longer.”

“I want to help you.” Matthew stared at your hands. His urge to hold them nearly consumed him fully. He only had to extend his fingers to brush against your hands. You were this close, yet he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “I want to help you too.”

“But-”, you stopped, coming up empty handed with arguments against it. How could you argue against the master of the estate anyway. “Thank you.” You smiled softly and dropped your hands from the basket, collecting another one instead.

With his help you only had to make three trips to carry all the vegetables and herbs towards the kitchen, where the staff carried them inside.

“I’ll bring the last one and we’re done”, you said out loud, handing over your current basket to the kitchen staff.

“No, I’ll do it.”

“It’s just a basket full of herbs. I can do that, Sir.”

“No, I’ll do it”, Matthew repeated himself and before you could say anything else he sprinted back towards the garden.

You gasped and laughed in disbelief, running right after him. You caught up to him as he stood in the middle of the garden and searched for the last basket, unsure where it was placed. With another laugh you passed him and ran towards the patch of herbs.

“Hey!”

You laughed again and looked over your shoulder, seeing Matthew running after you this time. You squealed and grabbed the skirt of your dress, pulling it further up to run better. You turned around corners, forgetting about the basket momentarily, as you didn’t want to get caught by him.

Matthew’s heart skipped a beat, hearing your joyful laughs, only to beat even faster when you looked over your shoulder and looked at him with a bright smile. Right at this moment you outshone everything he had ever seen and he wanted nothing more than to protect this smile.

As you looked over your shoulder you didn’t focus on your running, tripping over the hem of your dress in the process. You mentally prepared yourself for falling to the ground since your body didn’t react fast enough. You closed your eyes, ready for the pain to soar through your body, but somehow the impact felt different.

You carefully opened one eye, seeing nothing but black. Panicked, you opened the other eye as well. You wanted to rub over them but your movements were restricted and only then did your brain catch up to what was happening.

Matthew pushed himself up with one arm, holding you with the other one. “Did you get hurt?” He asked and quickly scanned your face and body for patches of blood. His eyes only stopped when he saw your hands pressed against his chest. His mind circuited when he realised you lied underneath him and looked up at him with wide eyes.

“I’m alright, thank you.”

He nodded shortly before he got up and distanced himself a little, pink dusting the tip of his ears. “That’s good.”

You got up yourself and dusted off your dress, trying to ignore the pounding of your heart inside your chest. When you glanced over to Matthew, you noticed one of his arms had a large abrasion from the fall. “Oh no, I’m so sorry!” You rushed over to him and grabbed his arm, extending it towards you as you inspected it. “This needs to be cleaned and taken care of. Please, follow me.” With that you grabbed his hand and pulled him with you, only stopping to take the remaining basket with your free hand.

You dropped the basket off at the kitchen and asked the staff to send Jiwoo with two bowls of clean water and several towels to the master bedroom, before you dragged Matthew there. You cleaned your hands thoroughly after you ordered Matthew to sit down on one of the plush chairs.

You then kneeled in front of him, oblivious to Matthew’s flustered state, and grabbed his arm again. “I’m trying to get some of the bigger stones out until Jiwoo arrives with the water.” You looked up at Matthew since he didn’t say a word. “If I hurt you, please tell me to stop.” Only after he hummed, did you start picking out some of the stones, being as gentle as possible.

Jiwoo nearly dropped the bowl of water she carried when she came into the room. Though her initial shock quickly turned into a knowing smirk once she caught Matthew’s expression. “Here is the water you asked for, m’lady.” She placed the bowl next to you on the ground, motioning the second servant to do the same. “Is there anything else you need?”

“No, thank you. Or actually.” You turned your head towards Jiwoo. “Would you let Somin know that we won’t be eating dinner on time?”

Jiwoo raised both her eyebrows and looked at Matthew where she started wiggling them teasingly. “Of course I will! Take all the time you need.”

You thanked her again and turned back to Matthew’s arm, continuing on cleaning it. You barely noticed Jiwoo leaving again, too focused on the task at hand. Only after you finished cleaning his wound, did you look up.

Matthew had his head thrown back to his neck and his free arm draped over his eyes. His chest moved heavily up and down and his jaw was clenched.

You stood up and leaned forward, placing one hand on his burning cheek. “Did I hurt you?”

He immediately jerked forward, his arm flying from his eyes. He stared at you with glazed eyes, wide like a deer stumbling upon a hunter. If possible his face got even hotter than before. “No, no, absolutely not. This was nothing. Let us get dinner now.” With that Matthew basically jumped up from the chair, nearly stepping into the bowls of water, before he stopped in front of the large door.

“I’ll need to clean this and you should change into a clean shirt, Sir.”

“Oh, okay.” He nodded shortly and quickly wandered off into the closet, coming back out with another dress shirt. He unbuttoned his shirt and was about to shrug it off, when you stopped him frantically.

“You’re going to tear it up! You need to be careful. Your skin is already healing and if you rub anything over it, it’s going to break again, leaving prominent scars.” While you scolded Matthew, you rolled his sleeve back up and motioned for him to take the shirt off except for this arm. Once the shirt simply hung down his upper arm, you carefully pulled it down, keeping a safe distance from his skin.

“Another scar wouldn’t really make a difference”, Matthew mumbled. He watched you silently while pain engulfed his heart. He always knew his scars were an issue. Children cowered away in fear or started crying upon seeing him, women thought of him as ugly and scary and men thought of him as dangerous. Even though he never intended to appear like that.

“It would make a difference”, you told him as you helped him into his clean shirt.

“Not really, I’m hideous either way.”

You halted in your movements, stunned by his statement. You looked up at him with wide eyes, disbelief written all over your features.

Matthew ignored your stare, pushing his other arm through the dress shirt. He sighed deeply and turned his head away, knowing you saw him as a monster just like everybody else. Even though he wished for nothing else than for you seeing him as something else.

“Every scar tells a story”, you whispered as you cupped his cheek, trailing the scar on it with your thumb. “So the story behind the scar makes a difference.” You lowered your gaze, letting it wander over his torso. Your hands followed shortly after, tracing the dark and light scars littering his skin. “Maybe you can tell me about them one day.” You turned your attention back to his arm. “I just hope you won’t need to tell someone the story of how you got a scar from ignoring your healing skin.”

Matthew snorted from the image you just painted inside his mind. “That would be embarrassing, wouldn’t it?”

You shrugged with your shoulders. “Maybe, though I got more embarrassing scars.” You felt the heat creep up your cheeks when Matthew scanned you meticulously, trying to spot your scars. “We should go to dinner now”, you hastily said and stepped away from Matthew, quickly adding, “Sir”.

“I’ll tell you about the stories of my scars if you share yours as well.”

You saw the mischievous glint in his eyes as well as the softest hint of a smile on his lips. You momentarily stared at him in awe, thinking how handsome and almost ethereal he looked. “But your stories will be all heroic or scary while mine make a fool out of me.”

“I’m sure I have some foolish experiences to share as well.” With that Matthew placed his hand on your lower back and guided you out towards the pavilion.

You liked eating dinner outside. You haven’t been outside for long and didn’t even finish your plate but you liked the small round table that had just enough space for two plates and some side dishes. You didn’t even have to squint your eyes to see Matthew properly. If you moved around, your knees would bump against each other. You knew he never tried to be distant towards you but with the large dining table it always felt like he was miles away.

“I’d love to have a picnic at the pond one day”, you said and gazed towards the water, watching the sun rays reflecting on it.

Matthew followed your gaze for a moment before he turned his attention back to you. “It does look beautiful.” He quickly avoided looking at you as soon as you looked back at him, feeling heat creeping up his neck. The look in your eyes, the sparkle within them had him completely entranced. “We could do that tomorrow evening?”

“Do what?” You blinked several times, lost in your own thoughts as you had stared at him. “Oh! Yes, that would be lovely.” You laughed in embarrassment and looked back over the garden, your mind drifting away once more. “Is there a market in town?” You suddenly asked and turned back to Matthew.

“Almost every day”, he answered and nodded shortly, “would you like to see it?”

You scooted to the edge of your seat, leaning forward in excitement. “I’d love to! Maybe we could trade some of the products or flowers, or we could buy saplings to plant new ones.”

“I’ll make some arrangements and take you there.”

You widen your eyes in surprise, mouth slightly agape. You hadn’t thought about him being the one to go with you, especially since he had a lot of duties and you surely didn’t want to waste his time. “You really don’t have to”, you whispered, kneading your hands in worry, “Somin or Jiwoo or even Joseph could join me.”

“Do you not want me to accompany you?”

If possible your eyes got even bigger than before, a rush of panic soaring through your body. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I want to accompany you. Would you grant me that wish?” Matthew leaned on his elbows, watching you with his usual mischievous glint.

“Of course!”

A week later you stood at the gate of the estate, waiting patiently for Matthew, who gave his last orders to the guards before he jogged over to you with an apologetic look in his eyes.

“I’m sorry you had to wait.”

You quickly shook your head. “It’s nothing. I really don’t mind.” You smiled and stepped next to him, ready to walk out the gate and into the town. Your excitement skyrocketed with your first step outside the wall.

When you arrived here you hadn’t seen much of the town, except for the lights in the distance, and even though you had been here for quite some time it always seemed to slip your mind leaving the estate. At first you had been quite occupied with getting to know the estate and the layout, finding your way through the hallways. After all, the estate was three times as big as your birthplace.

Same thing with the town. You looked around in awe. The streets were bigger, the houses taller and they looked nicer too. Little buckets full with colourful flowers hung in front of the windows and little messages of protection were written on the front doors.

You definitely hadn’t imagined the town to be like this. Despite experiencing that Matthew wasn’t anything like all the rumours you had previously heard of, the thought of this town being barbaric and downright nasty still crawled at the back of your mind.

“It’s beautiful!” You turned around, trying to see everything at once.

Matthew pulled you closer to him, nodding towards another pedestrian in apology, while also suppressing his grin as soon as you apologised profusely as well.

“I should be more careful”, you whispered and hid half behind Matthew out of embarrassment and worry you could bump into someone again.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll pull you away whenever it’s needed.” With that he placed his hands on your lower back and pushed you next to his side again. “So feel free to look around and explore.”

“That’s too kind of you, Sir.” At first you stayed close to him, refraining to step too far away, but soon enough your curiosity took over and you wandered around more. Especially when you reached the market. You hastily rushed from one stall to the next, amazed with the variety they showed.

Matthew watched you silently, his sharp eyes constantly on your form and your surroundings. Every now and then his jaw clenched when some of the townspeople came too close to you and it took everything within him to keep his composure.

The both of you had been walking around the town for quite some time, when you reached the town's square and a large fountain.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” You rushed towards the fountain and sat down on the edge, letting your fingertips create little ripples in the water.

Matthew stood in front of you, keeping some distance as he overlooked the area. His muscles were tense and his heart pumped like crazy, ready to protect and fight at any minute. One of his hands moved to the hilt of his sword that hung next to his hip.

“Sir, you’re way too tense”, you giggled and turned around to look at him.

“I’m not tense.”

You raised an eyebrow in question, tilting your head to the side. “Are you sure about that?” You smiled and patted the stone next to you, waiting until he sat down next to you.

“Do I really look that tense?”

You nodded softly. “So why is that?” You didn’t want to pry but you’ve never seen Matthew behave like that. Sure, he was kind of stiff and sometimes even awkward but you’ve never seen him so on edge before. “Don’t tell me you’re always so tense when your stuff is out in town.”

“It’s not like that. You’ve just never been here before.” Matthew avoided looking at you, knowing full well he had a different reason. He glanced at you out of the corner of his eyes, wondering whether he should tell you now. “Well, actually…” Matthew stopped again, unsure how to continue.

“I like spending time with you.” You swallowed the ‘too’ in your sentence, not sure whether he actually felt the same way. “So thank you for taking time off of your duties for me. I truly appreciate it.” You smiled, feeling suddenly shy with his gaze upon your form, and looked around the place. Your face lit up when you noticed a small band standing in the shadows of a large tree.

Matthew’s heart nearly stopped beating all together when you jumped up out of nowhere and rushed over the place towards a group of men. He wasn’t even able to react and hold you back. His body moved as if someone placed a slow motion spell on him and he cursed underneath his breath that he couldn’t move faster. His steps faltered when he saw you stepping away again.

Your back was still turned towards him and you excitedly switched from one foot to the other. Matthew noticed how the men picked up their instruments, grinning towards each other.

You started swaying around as soon as the first notes filled the air. Children nearby started dancing with loud laughter, pulling their parents closer to the musicians as well. More and more people joined the crowd, dancing around and momentarily blocking the view to you.

Once you noticed how Matthew shifted around, trying to keep you in his view, you hurried over to him and grabbed his hands. “Dance with me”, you laughed and pulled him into the dancing masses.

At first Matthew stood still as a statue, watching you with wide eyes how you twirled and danced right in front of him, trying to get him to dance as well. “I haven’t really danced like that before”, he admitted, feeling heat creeping up his neck.

You smiled brightly and shook your head, silently telling him not to worry. You then placed his hands on your hips and yours on his shoulders, gently pushing and pulling him according to the melody.

“Don’t be so stiff, fella!”

You snickered while Matthew’s head ducked down in embarrassment. “You’re doing great”, you told him over the music, squeezing his shoulders, “just follow your heart.”

Matthew looked at you intently, falling deep for your smile and your eyes. “What else can I do?” He wanted to dance with, wanted to hear your laughter and see your smile while dancing.

You shrugged with your shoulders, unsure what to tell him. After all, you hadn’t danced with anybody else but your father prior to this moment. “Whatever feels right to you.”

His brows furrowed in thought and his gaze darted around the area, watching other couples dance. He observed a father with his little daughter, letting her stand on his feet while he danced around. He watched two friends twirling around each other, changing directions ever so often. Though his gaze stuck with a couple that seemingly danced to their own melody, heads close together with giggled whispers and bright smiles on their lips.

Matthew let go of your hips and grabbed your hands instead, twirling you around in the middle of the square.

After your first surprise you quickly fell back into your carefree demeanour, laughing and following his lead with ease. You danced around him, watching his soft expression as he observed you. A squeal escaped your lips when he turned you around until your back was pressed against his chest.

Matthew softly held your hands, giving you the opportunity to step out at any given time but instead you pressed yourself closer against him. He let you take another turn and pulled you then back to his form again. Once again Matthew placed his hands on your hips, lifting you up and turning around himself several times.

You laughed loudly, placing your hands on his shoulders again to secure yourself. For a moment you simply had your eyes closed, feeling the wind breeze through your hair, hearing the music and laughter of the town. You just wanted to live in that moment for a while.

When you opened your eyes again, you immediately locked gazes with Matthew. Your insides fluttered, seeing his intense but soft eyes and the hint of a smile on his lips. Your breath got caught in your lungs as he slowly lowered you down again, your faces coming closer and closer.

Before Matthew was able to set you down, loud alarm bells rang through the town. The music immediately ceased and everyone on the square froze. Ever so slowly the adults tried to find the reason for the bells to ring, worry written all over their faces.

“There!”

All heads turned into the direction one of the elders pointed at, seeing dark, black smoke rising to the sky. “That’s at the edge of town!”

“Get back to the mansion”, Matthew muttered and pushed you into the direction of it. A bad feeling crawled up his spine, making him grab his sword.

“I’m coming with you!”

Matthew turned back to you, his gaze giving no room for discussion. “Go to the mansion. Now.” His eyes momentarily softened as he cupped your face with his free hand, placing a soft kiss on your forehead. “I need to know you’re safe.” With that he rushed off into the distance, leaving you behind.

You were about to turn around and head towards the mansion when you heard the screams for help. “We’re under attack! Rogues are attacking the town and setting everything on fire!”

Panic spread through the crowd. Parents grabbed their children and ran. People pushed each other out of the way, not caring when someone fell to the ground. Children were crying and screams tear through the air.

You stared frozen in place, watching the chaos ensue right in front of you. Only after someone ran into you, did you wake up from your stupor. You looked around, trying to think of something to calm the people. Your gaze fell on the musicians and before you could even think it through, your body already moved on its own.

You grabbed two large cymbals, apologising to the surprised musician before you ran towards the fountain and climbed on it, banging the cymbals together over and over again to grab everybody’s attention. “Get the children, women and elderly people to the mansion! Men grab anything you can get and protect your people from the intruders! Stay on the back lines near the mansion, let the soldiers handle the front line! Follow me!”

With that you jumped from the fountain, ignoring the water splashing around your feet and drenching you. You hurried towards the mansion, leading the townspeople towards the mansion.

Once you arrived, Somin and Jiwoo greeted you at the gate. Relief washed over their faces when they saw you running towards them.

“I need you to let these people in!” You said, gasping for breath in between words. “Children, women, sick and elderly people. Get them inside. The walls of the mansion can protect them. Let the men stand guard in front of the gate.”

Somin quickly waved her okay towards the guard at the entrance, watching how they opened the large gate for the people to enter.

“We need to get you inside”, Jiwoo said, grabbing your wrist and gently pulling you along.

“I can’t.”

“Your safety is top priority”, Somin insisted while Jiwoo nodded along with her statement.

“I’m sorry”, you whispered and pulled your wrist out of Jiwoo’s grasp. “I can’t. There are people out there.”

“And the soldiers will handle this!”

“They can’t fight and protect at the same time!” You shook your head with determination. “I’ll be back! I promise!” With that you turned on your heels and sprinted towards the large smoke clouds.

Of course you wanted to help the people in need but at the same time you had to find Matthew. Your heart yearned to see him safe and sound, clouding your every thought.

A small child stood in the middle of the main street, crying its eyes out, when you noticed several people on horses storming towards the kid. It didn’t look like they would stop for the child though.

You rushed forward and picked up the child, running with it out of the way. “Are you alright?” You asked, still holding the sobbing child in your arms. You patted its back and rocked it up and down, trying to calm it. You heard fighting in the distance and wanted to prevent anybody from hearing the kid.

“What are you doing here?”

You shrieked when someone grabbed your shoulder and turned you around. Your heart pounded loudly inside of your chest even after you realised Matthew stood in front of you. Relief shot through your body, ignoring the stern and slightly scary look on his face.

“What are you doing here?” Matthew repeated his question with a growl.

“Saving, uh, saving your people!”

Matthew frowned in confusion, his eyes roaming over your smaller form. Momentary relief washed over him upon seeing no visible injuries on you. “I told you to go back to the mansion!” He said sternly, grabbing your upper arm and pushing you along with the child towards the mansion.

You struggled in his hold until he stopped again, about to lecture you but you spoke up first. “I can’t just stay in the mansion, knowing I could help! There are still people out there.”

“My men will take care of them.”

“They can’t do that when they fight against the intruders and have to extinguish fires! Let me help!”

Matthew never saw this side of you and if it weren’t for the current situation he might have felt slightly impressed. Instead he ran a hand through his hair in despair, before both his hands landed on your shoulder. “Listen, I don’t care about anything else right now but your safety! Please, take this kid and save yourself!”

You stared into his dark eyes, drowning in his earnest plea. “What about you?”, you whispered, brows furrowing in worry. Your stomach churned in agony, trying to tell you something, but you ignored it.

“I’ll manage. As long as you’re safe.” He was about to turn around and leave, when you grabbed his sleeve, gently holding him back. Matthew turned back to you with a quizzical expression. “What is it?”

You opened your mouth but closed it again, frowning in thought as you didn’t know what to say.

Matthew turned back around to you completely, placing both of his hands on your shoulders. “Go to the mansion. I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He explored your face, seeing tears pricking at the corners of your eyes and your lower lip trembling.

“Please let me come with you.” You closed your eyes, scared of his reaction.

“You said it yourself, my men can’t do both. And as much as I dislike to admit it, but I won’t be able to protect you when I have to rescue someone else.”

“Please.”

Matthew sighed deeply. His eyes roamed over your form once again, halting at your quivering hand that so desperately held onto his sleeve. “Fine”, he sighed again, “but stay close to me at all times.” With that Matthew gently pulled your hand off of his sleeve and took it into his own.

“Sir!” A soldier ran up to you, shortly bowing towards you and Matthew.

“Get this child to the mansion and then come back to the front line. We need every man to protect our home!” Matthew ordered, shortly nodding towards the child and the soldier as they ran through the streets. He then pulled you into the opposite direction, further into the town.

Despite the situation a small smile spread over your lips, especially when your gaze dropped to your intertwined hands.

You wanted to explain your decision, hoping Matthew would understand your point of view, when he suddenly pulled you away from the open street and pressed you into a corner of one house, shielding your body with his form.

Both his hands were placed next to your head against the wall, trapping you where you stood. Matthew closed his eyes and turned his head slightly to the side, as if he was trying to hear something better.

“What’s wrong?” You whispered, unconsciously pressing your hands against his firm chest. You felt his strong heartbeat underneath your fingertips and the warmth seeping from his body.

“I hear footsteps. Someone’s running towards us.”

“Has that monster shown up yet?” A voice asked with a small grunt. “I just want to see his head roll and take what’s ours.”

“Nobody reported to have seen him so far. He’s probably scooped up in that mansion, that coward.”

Matthew clenched his teeth and shut his eyes, taking deep breaths. His whole body trembled in anger and he balled his hands into fists. “Stay where you are”, he hissed as he grabbed the sword from his hip and stormed towards the two men.

They screamed and yelled, trying to fight against Matthew. Fruitlessly.

You watched them fight around the corner, eyes wide in fear. You weren’t sure if you got scared by Matthew’s brutal fighting style or if you were scared for him, not wanting him to get hurt.

The large sword cut through the air, the buzzing sound it made almost too loud in your ears, despite the other noises around you.

Soon enough both men dropped to the ground lifelessly and Matthew stood over them, breathing heavily. He held his sword next to his body, blood dripping to the ground from the tip of it.

You carefully stepped out of the hideout. Your eyes were trained on Matthew’s back while you slowly walked towards him. You fiddled with your fingers, not sure how to approach him after he just killed two men in front of your eyes.

“Look, who we’ve got here!”

A yelp ripped through your throat as someone grabbed you from behind and pulled you back. Before you knew it, your hands got held behind your back and a sharp sword rested against your throat.

“The monster finally showed itself.”

Matthew turned around, throwing daggers at the intruder with his eyes. He stepped forward, ready to attack at once.

“Ah, ah, ah. We don’t want someone innocent to become a casualty, right?” The man behind you laughed hollowly, pulling you closer against himself. “Though does a monster really care for one little person?”

“Let go immediately!” Matthew growled, his whole body trembling in anger and fear. His mind ran several miles a minute, trying to find a way to save you without risking hurting you.

“Could it be?” The person twisted you in his hold, checking your hands and face. “Is this your rumoured spouse? Thought you’d be smarter than this and keep this tiny, little thing somewhere safe.”

“I’m not his spouse”, you argued, frowning in confusion upon hearing such a rumour. “I’m his gardener.”

“A gardener?” The man laughed loudly, carelessly cutting you with his sword from the force behind his laughs. “Why would someone with such a high position care so much about a lowly gardener?”

“But it’s true! I work in the gardens every day! He accompanied me to the market today on my request to broaden the flower variety!”

The man laughed even louder, shaking violently from it. “Is that what you’re supposed to say when you’re threatened? Hoping we would spare the life of that monster’s spouse? Listen carefully! Rumour has it that months ago the person for the arranged marriage arrived at the mansion and after all this time they surely must be married by now.”

Your eyes widened in shock, knowing full well that no other person arrived at the mansion after you.

Seeing your surprised expression the man laughed once again, throwing his head back and holding his stomach.

You used that chance and pushed him away, running in the opposite direction. You barely noticed Matthew running past you, attacking the man without warning. You ran around a house and hid in the next best corner, trying to settle your storming thoughts.

“Y/N.”

You flinched despite recognising that voice. You looked up through teary eyes, still trying to make sense of what you heard just now. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Matthew sighed heavily and pushed a hand through his hair. “I wanted to but I missed my chance. Over and over again.”

“For so many months?” You asked in disbelief. “Did you ever plan to tell me one day?” You inhaled shakily, still not fully believing the situation. “Was I really supposed to marry you?”

“Technically”, Matthew mumbled and avoided eye contact.

“Don’t”, you interrupted him, stepping away while shaking your head. “Why me?” You looked him in the eyes, searching for an answer.

“I never planned this. People were saying I should marry and secure an heir and somehow one thing led to another and your town decided to offer this deal. Letting me marry one of theirs while I promise my protection.” Matthew sighed again. “I wasn’t even given the chance to reject that deal before a carrier pigeon announced your arrival on that same night.”

He tried grabbing your hand but you quickly pulled them away, crossing your arms in front of your chest. You wanted to be alone right now, needed the solitary to sort your thoughts and emotions that currently swirled like a whirlwind through your body. “I’ll go to the mansion”, you simply stated and rushed to get away.

Matthew looked after you, devastated as he saw you wipe your face while you ran away. He wanted to follow you and make sure you would get to the mansion safely but at the same time he knew he had to keep his distance from you. He knew you needed time and he had to fight off more of the rogues. With a heavy sigh Matthew turned around, a grim expression adorning his face as he walked towards the enemy line.

You had run past the gates and straight into your room, refusing to see anyone at all. You had made a fool out of yourself for all these months. Most of your encounters with the servants finally made sense since they never treated you as an equal. Everybody knew about this except for you. How could you be so blind?

You sat down near the balcony doors, having them open to hear what was happening outside while you stewed in your own emotional turmoil.

Soldiers and servants ran around the grounds, barking orders and news. Somin tried everything in her power to keep some order with all these people in the garden, waiting to return to their homes again.

“All available soldiers and men are to stop the fires from spreading”, someone shouted, galloping on a horse through the masses, “Sir Matthew chased after the rogues, barking this order!”

You heard several feet running over the gravel path and into the distance, followed by the sound of the galloping horse. You looked into the distance, watching the large cloud of black smoke spreading into the sky. Worry gnawed at your insides and you involuntarily pulled your legs up to your chest, securing them with your arms around them.

“The fire is extinguished!” A soldier informed the people of the good news after hours had passed. “Reparations will start with the first sun rays tomorrow morning. A troop of soldiers will stay near the outskirts and will make sure the fires stay out. Families may return to their homes.”

The first people started to get up and walk towards the gates, excited to get back to their homes. They barely listened to the offer that families of burnt houses may stay at the mansion.

You contemplated getting up and seeing the damage for yourself, reminding the families of the shelter at the mansion. You would even give up your room if it were of any help. But sudden screams made you halt.

“Make way! Make way for Sir Matthew!”

You got onto your knees and stared through the railing of the balcony, trying to see what was happening.

Joseph rushed towards the entrance of the mansion on his horse, barely managing to hold Matthew on the horse as well. Once he stopped the horse, he jumped down and helped Matthew down as well, guiding him into the mansion.

You jumped up and leaned over the balcony railing, watching as Matthew dragged himself along the way and leaned on Joseph more than walking for himself. Once they were out of sight, you pushed yourself away from the balcony and rushed out of your room.

“What happened?” You asked breathlessly and stepped next to Matthew’s free side, offering to be a pillar to lean on for him as well. When Matthew only stared at you with a sad smile, you looked at Joseph, hoping he could give you some answers.

Joseph only shrugged with his shoulders. “He went berserk”, was all he had to say to you.

Both of you dragged Matthew into his room and towards the attached bathroom, sitting him down on a stool.

“I’ll call for Jiwoo and some maids to take care of him.” Joseph walked towards the door, ready to leave when you stopped him.

“Don’t”, you asked of him with a pleading gaze, “I’ll take it from here.”

Joseph questioningly looked between you and Matthew, who solemnly nodded at your statement and waved his friend out of the room with one finger. “Alright. Should you need any help, you’ll find all of us in the kitchen.”

“Thank you.” You watched Joseph leave the room and closed the door behind him, taking a deep breath before you turned around to Matthew. “What were you thinking?” You walked over to him and grabbed his cheeks, turning his head upwards so he had to look at you. Your lip quivered upon seeing the gash over his right eye and his split lip. “I should’ve never left your side.”

“No”, Matthew hummed lowly, raising his hands to cup yours. “It was wise of you to leave. I’m relieved you didn’t get hurt.” His eyes fell on your throat, seeing a thin red line and a droplet of dried blood. He then closed his eyes in pain, cursing underneath his breath. “I’m sorry.”

You quickly shook your head before you leaned down and pressed your forehead against his, whispering that it wasn’t his fault. You closed your eyes and stayed like this for a while, relishing in the feeling of being close to him and knowing him in safety.

“I’ll run you a bath”, you then said softly and pulled away again. You leaned over the tub and turned on the water, holding one hand underneath it as you waited for it to warm up.

You nearly fell into the water when Matthew suddenly hugged you from behind, nuzzling his face into your shoulder. “Will you join me?”

“J-join you?”

“Yeah.”

“As in getting into the tub as well?” You asked and swallowed a nervous lump in your throat.

“Yeah.”

“O-okay.”

You turned off the water once the tub was filled and then turned around in Matthew’s embrace, placing your hands on his chest and looking up into his face. “I’ll help you”, you whispered and started unbuttoning his shirt, brushing it off his broad shoulders after you opened the last button.

You sucked in a breath, seeing several scratches over his chest and another deeper gash at his side. Your trembling hands hovered over the wound and you looked questioningly up to him.

“I had worse.” He raised his hand and cupped your cheek, brushing a few strands of hair behind your ear. A hesitant smile spread over his lips when you pressed your face into his touch, even grabbing his hand and holding it in place as you closed your eyes.

“I was so scared for you”, you whispered and turned your head to kiss the palm of his hand. “When the soldiers said you ran after the rogues, the thought of an ambush crossed my mind and I feared you wouldn’t come back. To me.”

Matthew wrapped his arms around your form and pressed you against his body, hugging you tightly as he spoke into your hair. “I will always come back to you if you let me.”

You smiled into his chest, gently hugging him back without putting pressure on any of his wounds. Once he let go of you, you continued to undress him. Heat rose to your cheeks when you unbuckled his belt and opened his pants. You pushed them down and helped him out of it, leaving Matthew in his undergarments. You nervously hooked your fingers at his waistband, hesitant to pull them down as well. “Is this okay?” You asked and searched for confirmation in Matthew’s eyes.

Only after he nodded, did you continue. You avoided looking down though, feeling somewhat shy around him knowing he was completely bare in front of you. “Let me help you into the tub”, you offered but Matthew shook his head, motioning for you to turn around.

After you hesitantly followed his request, Matthew gently started to undo the knots and strings of your clothes, pushing them down once they were loose enough. As soon as you were in your undergarments, he turned you around. “Stop me if I do anything you don’t feel comfortable with.” When you nodded again, he grabbed the hem of your linen top and pulled it upwards and over your head, leaving your upper body exposed in front of him.

You automatically covered your chest with your arms and hands, feeling the shyness increasing with his intense gaze on you.

“Don’t hide from me”, Matthew whispered and tapped your wrists, “please.”

Reluctantly and with heated cheeks you opened your arms, letting them drop to the side of your body. Even though you wanted to avoid looking at Matthew, your gaze wandered back to his face over and over again, nervously checking his reactions.

He cupped your cheek with one hand again, exploring your eyes after your gazes locked. “May I kiss you?”

“Yes”, you exhaled shakily, whimpering immediately when your lips met for the kiss. You closed your eyes and placed your hands on his chest again, slowly pawing at them since you had no clothes to grab. You barely noticed how Matthew’s hands wandered down to your underwear and pushed them down, making you equally naked as him.

Matthew then lifted you up into his arms and stepped into the bathtub, sinking both of you down into the warm water.

You sighed softly and let your head roll back, giving Matthew more access to your throat as he littered your skin with kisses. It took everything within you to not pound on him immediately. Instead you stopped him and pushed yourself away a little. “I’m supposed to take care of you.”

He scoffed with an amused expression but nodded nonetheless and leaned back, looking at you expectantly.

You changed your position until you kneeled in the tub. You then leaned outside to grab a sponge and pressed it under water, letting it soak for a moment. With a nervous smile you leaned forward and started rubbing the sponge over his shoulders and collarbones.

It was quite difficult to keep your balance without leaning on something in front of you. Matthew noticed this immediately and grabbed your free hand, placing it on his stomach. “You can lean on me.” He hesitated and looked at the distance between you two. “Or you could come closer. Maybe even sit on me?” Matthew chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding looking at you.

“O-okay.” You slowly moved to straddle him, biting on your lower lip when your cores met. Your eyes glanced down, seeing his erect shaft between both your bodies. You quickly looked back up, feeling the heat shoot into your cheeks. He was thick and that short glance was more than enough for your insides to yearn for him. You moved your hips forward, brushing against his dick with your clit.

You hissed from the contact while Matthew closed his eyes and threw his head back, taking deep breaths. He wanted you, wanted to ruin your little hole until you begged and screamed his name. But at the same time he didn’t want to scare you away, keeping his desires at bay.

You continued to brush the sponge over his chest, rolling your hips against his dick every now and then. You bit your lower lip, wanting more than just a little friction.

As if Matthew read your mind, he submerged his hands into the water, placing them on your thighs and rubbing circles into your skin while they moved closer to your core. His breath became uneven when you readily lifted your hips, giving him access to your most private parts. He cupped your entrance with his hand, pressing his palm into your nub. Matthew watched in fascination how you bit down on your lip and sighed softly in pleasure.

Your sighs turned into a loud gasp as soon as Matthew entered a finger. You grabbed onto his shoulders in surprise and bucked your hips into his hand, moaning his name when he started to move his finger in and out of you.

“You’re so gorgeous”, Matthew whispered against your lips, kissing you deeply before he added another finger into you. He groaned lowly when you grabbed his dick with one hand, pumping it in the same rhythm he pushed his fingers into your folds.

“Please”, you begged without even knowing what exactly you wanted. You pressed the sponge against his shoulder, keeping yourself barely stable like that with the trembles that rocked through your body.

Matthew removed his fingers and pulled you by your waist until the tip of his dick brushed against your entrance. “Tell me when to stop”, he urged you before he pushed you down on his shaft.

The air got knocked out of your lungs with his cock stretching you almost painfully. You grabbed the edges of the bathtub with your hands, your hold strong enough to turn your knuckles white. Still, you wanted to take him even deeper.

Once he bottomed out, you nearly collapsed against his chest, gasping for air while you got used to the stretch inside of you.

Matthew grabbed the sponge from your hand and started brushing down your back, mumbling soft praises about how good you were taking him.

You kissed his chest with a soft laugh. “Wasn’t I supposed to take care of you?” You pushed yourself up a little and looked at Matthew with a raised eyebrow. A smile crossed your lips when he simply shrugged with his shoulders. You ran your hands over his shoulders and chest, tracing some of his scars with a sad look in your eyes.

“I was gravely ill as a child”, Matthew mumbled as he grabbed your hand and traced the biggest scar right across his chest, “something bad had lived inside my chest so they cut me open to remove it. This one” – Matthew moved your joined hands to a short scar right above his collarbone – “is from an arrow that pierced my armour during a training battle. Hurt like hell.”

You listened closely to his words and leaned down to kiss every scar he pointed out. “You fought great battles”, you whispered and placed your hand over his heart, feeling its beat underneath your palm.

“I do have scars that came from pure ignorance. But they aren’t as prominent as these.” He raised his hand and turned his palm upwards, showing you a light scar in the flesh between his thumb and pointer finger. “I wasn’t very careful when I polished my swords.” Matthew watched you with warm eyes while you raised his hand to your lips, kissing the scar there as well.

“As a child I got sick with chickenpox and I couldn’t stop scratching myself. I have a few scars because of that”, you admitted and pointed them out on your skin. They were barely noticeable but Matthew copied you from before and placed soft kisses on them. You giggled lightly and turned your wrist upwards, showing him another scar. “I ran with a sharp tool and fell down, slamming it into my wrist. I wish I would have learned from that experience but I didn’t.” You showed him your other hand, a similar scar on the back of it.

Heat crept up your cheeks when Matthew placed a kiss on the back of your hand, holding eye contact with you. “And I have a scar right under my lip”, you whispered and pulled your lower lip into your mouth, showing the thin scar that was usually hidden.

“How did you get that?” Matthew asked and leaned forward, placing one hand around your head.

“I have no idea”, you admitted with a soft laugh before you closed the gap and kissed him again. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pressed yourself against him as much as possible. Your eyes fluttered shut and you simply dwelled in his soft touches and his warmth.

His calloused fingers slowly wandered down your back until they were back on your hips, rubbing circles into them. Matthew moaned into your mouth as he pulled himself out of you, only to be immediately sucked back in by your mound. “So tight”, he mumbled against your lips, trying to pull out and thrust back into you.

The water splashed around your bodies with every thrust Matthew made. The sounds of it were the only other thing you heard despite your moans of pleasure. With each thrust Matthew slammed into you harder and faster than before, letting the water even splash over the edges and to the floor.

You moaned his name over and over again, your eyes already rolling to the back of your head while your fingernails raked over his bare back and neck. Soon enough you started to beg him, feeling a coil build up in your lower stomach. Your mouth felt dry and dozens of small shivers ran over your skin while your muscles trembled in pleasure.

“Cum for me, my love”, Matthew ordered you with his deep voice, moving his hand to your nub and pressing his thumb against it.

You went slack against his form, thankful Matthew wrapped his arms around you and leisurely thrusted into you, riding his orgasm out while you came back from yours.

“You did so well, my love”, he whispered and kissed your temple, rubbing his hands over your back.

“I still need to tend to your wounds”, you mumbled without making any indications of moving soon. Especially not once you realised Matthew was still hard inside of you. You turned your head a little to look up into his face, seeing his reddened cheeks and his sheepish eyes.

You bit down on your lower lip to prevent the smirk stretching over your face. “Let me tend to your needs now.”

Taglist: @xavi-in-kpopland

#kwritersworldnet #kdiarynet #wkcnet #kvanity #bm #big matthew #kard #k.a.r.d #kard bm #k.a.r.d bm #matthew #matthew kard #one shot #arcane #kpop #idol

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minnieminshi · 2 months

Text

Sporteen Masterlist

Welcome to what I call my chronic brainrot and where I start to accept the fact that I might actually like watching sports even tho I spent most of my childhood saying I hate sports lol

This is the first series I’ve done and I’m also a first year uni student so I make no promises on how frequent I can update this but I do wanna try to get them done at least by when my semester ends in like April

Also some of the stories are linked as since some of the guys are on the same team/sport

Choi Seungcheol: Pucking Chemistry

Summary: You never should’ve agreed to tutor the captain of the hockey team. Who shows up a full hour after the agreed meeting time? Choi Seungcheol, apparently as you’ve come to learn. And now you’re stuck tutoring him because for some reason, you're his last hope to pass chemistry so he’s eligible to play in an upcoming tournament.

Warnings: cursing because I can’t help myself lol, mentions of your father abandoning the family

Extra info: high school setting, Cheol uses the term "princess" a lot and I'm a sucker for calling people by their last name, mentions of Monsta X’s I.M (aka Changkyun) and Kard’s Somin (but she gets mentioned like once lol), your little brother’s name never gets mentioned but you do call him Frosty lol, and my knowledge of hockey is limited to watching Dr. Mike on yt talk about hockey injuries so there’s not a whole lot of hockey action in this fic lmao. On a personal note, this fic made my realize my little brother is turning 13 this year and I can’t handle that because what do you mean he’s a teen now he literally turned one the other day and I think that shows in this fic lol

Release: 2/24 Read Here

Word count: 9.9K

Yoon Jeonghan: Maybe Romeo and Juliet Were Onto Something

Summary: When you agreed to help your dad with coaching his soccer team, you expected to help with writing down prs and handing out water bottles in return for free tickets and an excuse to be out of your dorm. What you didn’t expect to happen was falling for the charming co-captain of his soccer team. So do you take your shot with co-captain or do you heed your dad’s one and only rule of absolutely no dating his players?

Warnings: cursing since that’s gonna be pretty much a staple in my writing lol, arguments with a parent

Extra info: uni setting, so originally Jeonghan was gonna be a basketball player but then I remembered I hate basketball due to getting hit in the face and breaking my glasses on my birthday during practice… Plus I saw a tiktok of svt playing sports and Jeonghan was playing soccer and the gears started turning in my head lol

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Hong (Jisoo) Joshua: It’s a Win-Win! Right?

Summary: Agreeing to fake date your best friend definitely wasn’t on your schedule when you dropped by after Joshua’s swim practice after your student council meeting had ended. But with his oddly passionate fangirls, you suppose this was more for his comfort than anything else. And hey, you could also use this to get your vice president to stop hitting on you as well, so it's a win-win for everyone. Plus it’s not like you’d be met with the realization that you might be in love with your best friend, that’s crazy…

Warnings: cursing because I can’t help myself lol, and crazy fangirls

Extra info: high school setting, I got a confession… I don’t actually know how to swim lmaoo I just never learned so I apologize for the lack of actual swimming lol and Joshua is definitely inspired by Oikawa from Haikyuu in the sense of his fangirls lol and I guarantee there’s at least 50 fake dating Oikawa fics so here’s my spin on that with Joshua lol. I was also half tempted to make Joshua like one of my friends, who, for some reason decided our senior year to join our school’s swim team that I didn’t even know we had lol while he was on the varsity soccer team but I decided against it for simplicity lmao

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Wen Junhui: Racing Hearts and Skating to Love

Summary: Getting the chance to perform at an end of year celebration? Amazing! Having to perform a paired performance with Wen Junhui? Not amazing! Don’t get it twisted! You don’t hate Junhui, in fact it’s the opposite. You’ve been silently crushing on your fellow skater for months, and now you’re going to have to create and perform a paired program with him. Which of course meant having to spend weeks with him, and getting close to him to actually practice. But you can do this, it’s only for a few weeks, your heart can handle it. Hopefully it can, at least.

Warnings: cursing because I can’t help myself lol

Extra info: it’s never mentioned but it’s a uni au lol, reader wears contacts and glasses because I do too and I love Wen Junhui so next question lol and literally all my knowledge of ice skating comes from the time I was obsessed with Yuzuru Hanyu like a year or two ago so I apologize for the inaccuracies of the sport lol

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Kwon Soonyoung: Goal- Wait Watch Out!

Summary: Meet cute except it’s not cute and you probably have a concussion from the rogue soccer ball to the head. All you were trying to do was drop off your roommate's lunch since she forgot in the morning and now you’re being carried by a concerned goalie and your roommate treating you like one of her athletes. At least the goalie carrying you is cute?

Warnings: cursing since I can’t help myself, and of course injuries (a concussion) since that’s the plot lol

Extra info: uni setting, my knowledge is very limited on soccer and all that I do know comes from when my librarian would let me stay in the library while the cup was going on last year instead of making me go do errands for the teachers during my student aide period lol and putting Hoshi as goalie is most definitely brought on by Jeonghan’s monthly meeting pics of him as the goalie lol

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Jeon Wonwoo: Scheming Love

Summary: When your coach told your team that you guys would play a skirmish against the boys volleyball team for fun, you felt your heart freeze. Now you weren’t scared of the boys team, you believe your team is fully capable of beating them in a game. No, what scares you is the fact that it means you have to play against Jeon Wonwoo, one of the middle blockers on the team. And your longtime crush. Normally you’re confident as a libero, doing your best to make sure your team’s defense’s on top and making sure the ball doesn’t touch the ground, but with Wonwoo on the court at the same time? Maybe you should start apologizing to your team now. Wait, why did they have a team huddle while you were helping the manager bring the water bottles? And why are they smiling at you like they’ve just made the greatest plan in the history of the world?

Warnings: cursing as usual, and threatening to strangle someone (as a joke lol)

Extra info: high school setting, reader wears glasses because I do too and I love Wonwoo lol. One of two fics that are fueled by my Haikyuu brainrot that’s coming back thanks to the movies and the new content that’s been coming out recently. Wonwoo as a middle blocker is brought on by this twitter artist that’s drawn Tsukishima in some Wonwoo stage outfits and that has caused me great pain I eat it up every time and reader being a libero is because that’s my favorite position lol

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Lee Jihoon: Wait Where Are You Going? Come Back!

Summary: You really didn’t plan to watch your university’s baseball team play today, especially since it was so hot out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky to provide some shade to hide under. But alas, your best friend insisted on dragging you along, wanting to watch her boyfriend play. Sure that’s fine and dandy, but why drag you along? At least the catcher’s cute, or what you can see of him on account of his mask. Wow, he's really muscular and is he giving Seokmin signs on how to pitch- wait why is your best friend and her boyfriend pushing the two of you after the game is over? And why are they running away? Oh, she’s gonna pay for this once you get through his conversation with the cute catcher.

Warnings: cursing as usual, and betrayal from your best friend and Seokmin lol

Extra info: uni setting, I’m like 85% sure Woozi said he used to play as catcher when he played baseball so that’s why he has this position. I don’t know anything about baseball besides one man named Shohei Ohtani and that getting hit with the ball hurts like hell (and all the injuries Dr. Mike on yt covered lol)

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Lee Seokmin: Breaking News! Falling in Love is Scary!

Summary: Being part of your university’s blog and radio show is great, until you’re being forced out of the studio/office and out in the open to go interview the baseball team after a recent winning streak. Normally this job would get assigned to another team member, but after a recent bout of frat flu ravaging your crew, the interview is left up to you. Whatever, just get the answers to the prewritten questions you have and the sooner you can go back to the studio/office to work on other things. Or that was the plan before the pitcher, Lee Seokmin, took an interest in you and suddenly seemed to pop up everywhere around campus. Or aka, grumpy reporter x sunshine baseball player.

Warnings: cursing as per usual, and you being a hater for no reason lol

Extra info: uni setting, I don’t know much about baseball other than the fact that I would kill to see DK in a baseball uniform

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Kim Mingyu: Red Bandage of Fate

Summary: When you joined the athletic team as a student trainer and got assigned to the university’s soccer team, you wondered if the team’s number 06, Kim Mingyu, the ace of the team and top scorer, was the same Kim Mingyu who basically lived in the training center, constantly in need of treatment for his never ending list of injuries. And please, slow down with the injuries, the center’s almost out of athletic tape and bandages, you’re begging him to please be more careful out on the field.

Warnings: cursing because I can’t help myself, and very obviously injuries (I’ll come back to be more specific with the injuries lol)

Extra info: uni setting, I’m taking an intro to athletic training class this sem so I know some stuff about treating athletes but again it’s intro class so beware if some things aren’t super accurate lol

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Xu Minghao: Filmed Lovestory

Summary: When you agreed to help film your friend’s practice for an upcoming competition, you didn’t think much of it. You’ve done it thousands of times. Put on your skates, a couple of extra layers so you won’t freeze, use her phone to record her, and follow her out on the ice. It’s simple, really, and a great way to spend Saturdays while also getting some exercise in between your tiring uni life. What you didn’t expect is somehow to agree to film the practices of one of her skating friends. Her very handsome skating friend, you might add. So now your weekends are fully booked for the ice, but watching Minghao skate on the ice, it’s not so bad.

Warnings: cursing as per usual

Extra info: uni setting, as I mentioned with my Jun fic, all of my figure skating knowledge comes from the time I was obsessed with Yuzuru Hanyu like a year or two ago so again I apologize for the inaccuracies of the sport

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Boo Seungkwan: Tangerines, Confessions and a Supply Closet

Summary: When you agreed to be the boys volleyball team’s manager, you didn’t think you’d spend your high school career taking care of the team. Yet, here you are, in your senior year and the only reason some of your players are even here (and why some of them are passing their classes, seriously signing up as a manager became a lot more than just handing out water bottles!). The only reason you’ve been able to stick around as long as you have is because of the team’s setter, Boo Seungkwan, who makes your job of wrangling the team a little easier. Now if only you could get the team off your back about confessing to him before the two of you graduate, that really would be great.

Warnings: cursing as per usual, threats to kill an entire volleyball team (all jokes), and getting locked in a supply closet

Extra info: high school setting, this is the second fic that is 100% fueled by my Haikyuu phase that is slowly coming back due to the movies and the new content that’s been coming out recently. And out of all the sports, this is the one I’m most knowledgeable in since I actually watch matches (shout out to Lim Sungjin and Heo Subong). Also I had such a hard time giving Seungkwan a sport since he does so much I decided on volleyball because the thought of him playing makes me want to bark so there’s that

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Chwe (Vernon) Hansol: Quick, He’s Not Watching!

Summary: When your older brother told you to wait for him in the bleachers, promising to give you a ride after your night class, you didn’t think much of it. If you’re lucky, you’d be able to take a nap in the bleachers waiting for him. What you didn’t expect was to somehow catch the attention of one of the midfielders, Vernon. As you come around more and more often, you find the midfielder always making an effort to say hey to you, and even stealing some of the team’s snacks for you. Now you just wonder if he’ll make a move before your brother notices the two of you getting closer with each other.

Warnings: uni setting, cursing as per usual, and older protective brother that means well but doesn’t go about it the right way

Extra info: I deadass looked up what the positions in soccer are because I have no idea what goes on in the sport even though one of my friend’s played our entire high school career

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

Lee Chan: You’re Not Too Bad

Summary: You didn’t think that showing up to your best friend’s, Seokmin’s, baseball practices would make one of the players hate you, but here you are and apparently Lee Chan hates you. Or so you think at least. The rest of the team loves you, especially since you always bring them plenty of food to feed them throughout practice (it pays to be a nutrition major) and always try to help out even though you’re not an official manager. But it’s no biggie, it’s not like Chan hating you bothers you, nope, not at all. But maybe you’d skip out on stopping by Seokmin’s practice for the week… Yeah that sounds like a good idea.

Warnings: cursing as per usual, Chan being a bit of an asshole but it gets resolved don’t worry

Extra info: uni setting, Dino being assigned baseball is all because of the 231105 fansign where he was given a baseball jersey and glove, and I still don’t know how baseball works

Release: TBA

Word count: TBA

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