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itslottiehere · 2 years

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even the sun gets clouded sometimes (h.s) — part three

hello beautiful people! here we are, part three is all yours. this fic means so much to me, and this part is extremely autobiographic, and i just hope you don’t mind that lol. i just wanted to thank you again for the crazy support i received on this fic, it still doesn’t feel real. thank you, thank you, thank you. please, as always, read the trigger warnings. it’s a sensitive topic, and i don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable. as always, please leave your feedback in my asks on in the tags, it’s really important! without further ado, happy reading! love you all <3

> part one | part two

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tw: angst, fluff, swearing, talk of self harm.

word count: 8.4k (grab a snack)

—

their movie nights became a regular thing. every week, one of them would text the other “movie night?” and in a half hour at most they were sitting on her couch, a take out of some sorts on the coffee table, deciding who could choose the movie that night. it usually happened after a hard day, like when harry’s car got totalled (and he got to sleep on her couch again. “double win this time”, he thought) or when she had back to back clients who were way too rude, and she just wanted to relax. if someone had asked her a month before if she thought about spending time with harry as “relaxing”, she would’ve laughed at their faces for 10 minutes straight. but it turned out that harry’s a great listener, a really good one. maybe not so much at giving advice.

“just tell him to fuck off.”

“harry, i can’t do that, he’s my boss!”

“and what? bosses can’t fuck off?”

this went on for a few weeks, and in that time she got to know a little bit more of harry: his interests, his hobbies, the movies he liked best.

he was a real fan of romcoms, and the dichotomy was extremely funny: a tall, well-built man, who had a resting face that seemed to be of someone bothered 24/7, who teared up whenever he saw a cliché love story.

harry would argue all the time that he was definitely not crying, and she’d let it slide. it was kinda cute.

she also learned that harry was a lover of cats, and wished he could get one but feared that they were going to get lonely, with him being out most of the time.

“it’d be nice to have someone around, you know? the apartment gets lonely sometimes.”

she nodded solemnly, understanding perfectly what he was saying. sometimes it was just nice to have someone there with you. not in a romantic way, not even in a friendly way, but just in.. an existing together kind of way.

she felt the same often, and that’s why niall was frequently over at her place. he loved being at her’s — mostly for the couch and the beer she kept just for him in the fridge — and she liked the company.

harry actually found out a bit more about her. she didn’t share much — and he didn’t dare ask any personal questions this time, still embarrassed about what happened almost two months and a half before. but he learned what she did for a living, which was interesting.

“yeah, i work for a publishing company. that’s why i have a thousand books all over, i can’t seem to find a place for every one of them. but it’s okay, i love being surrounded by them.”

“but the others say that you’re on the night shift whenever you are not out with us, made me think you were a nurse?”

“oh well, they say that when i stay late at the office. i usually stay there till after 11pm, hence why they call it “the night shift”.”

“why do you stay so late?” harry inquired, putting his chin into his hand, leaning a bit forward.

“sometimes it’s because i have a deadline, or because i’m reading a draft that’s just too captivating and i didn’t even realise that time passed. i really enjoy my job, and even if sometimes i have to deal with not-so-nice clients or a crabby boss, i love it all the same.”

“i see, that’s pretty great, actually. not many people get to say that about their job, you know?” she just nodded. “so, any new novels i should be on the lookout for?”

on friday night, harry texted her “movie night?”, even though they already had one on monday, but he was so tired from the week and just wanted to relax. and seeing her was what made him the most relaxed.

more times than not, he wouldn’t be able to finish the movie, nodding off about halfway. then he was waken up by soft — albeit, slightly cold — hands of a certain someone, who put a quilt that smelled so much like her on him and was picking up his legs, urging him to lay down and get in a more comfortable position.

she never woke him up telling him to go home, just offered him a place to stay. he really couldn’t put into words how much he appreciated that.

so, he was hoping to see her and perhaps get to sleep on that soft couch, surrounded by everything that reminded him of her. he didn’t know if it was weird, how much comfort she brought him.

all his hopes were crushed when she texted him back.

“i’m so sorry, i’m on the night shift. rain check?”

he stopped in his tracks. he was already on his way to pick up dinner, because she never said no.

not even when she was on her period and wanted to just be swaddled in a soft blanket, away from the world. she told him that he could come over, but she had one simple condition.

“please bring over the greasiest burger you can think of. there’s an extra key under the doormat, i can’t stand up.”

when he arrived, he did find the keys and he opened the door. he saw her all curled on the couch, and he could’ve just smothered her cheeks with kisses.

the thought scared him at first, but when he really thought of it, it was the same feeling he got whenever he saw a cute little kitten or puppy. like, a cute aggression kind of feeling.

he saw her face light up as soon as he came in her line of sight.

“well, that’s a nice change.” he thought. perhaps her smile was directed to the burger sitting in the bag on the coffee table, but harry thought it was directed to him as well.

so, to hear her say she couldn’t make it to movie night, made him frown. he really, really wanted to see her. he was even going to let her choose the movie!

but a change of plans was needed.

—

it was nearing 8pm, her stomach was rumbling and her eyes were about to close. all she wanted that night was go home, have a nice bath and get into some cozy pjs, preparing herself for the christmas shopping she had to do during the weekend.

the thought of asking harry to come over for a movie night crossed her mind, but she didn’t want to bother him, he probably had better plans for a friday night. she was more of a homebody, so staying at home sounded like a dream, but harry told her he liked going out in clubs and such.

that’s why she was surprised when he texted her, and she hated telling him no, but she had too many things on the following monday, so she thought she would get ahead as much as she could.

which meant that she had to turn down movie night, and she just knew he had that cute pout on his lips, that he’d get once she’d won the third round of “rock, paper, scissors” for who could choose the movie that night.

around 8:15, there was a soft knock on her office door.

“oh sorry guys, i’ll get out right now but you can also not clean this room, i’m going home late!” she got up from her chair and started picking up her papers so she could get out of the cleaning crew’s hair.

but when a familiar mop of curly hair came through the door, she stopped cleaning up.

“harry? what are you doing here? is everything okay?”

“yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. i brought dinner.” he came through the door and walked into her office.

“but... why? a-and how do you know where i work?” she looked at him quizzically.

“i texted sarah and asked her for the address. and why? can’t i just want to see you?”

she couldn’t stop her cheeks from getting warm, as warm as the feeling she was feeling in her belly. he wanted to see her.

“no no, of course.” she coughed a little. “please sit. and thank you so much, i’m so hungry.”

“yeah, i know, i could hear your stomach growling from the end of the hall.” he chuckled.

“hey!” she acted offended, but was smiling as wide as him.

they ate their dinner — well, she inhaled her food — and they chatted a bit.

“so, tell me more about your job. about you, in general. it feels like i’ve done all the talking these last couple of months.” he cleaned his hands on the paper towel, getting his fingers clean from the sticky sauce.

“uhm, i don’t have much to tell, i’m not that interesting to be honest.”

“i think i have to disagree.” he looked up at her, and she could feel herself swoon. “why are you here tonight?”

“oh, i just have back to back staff meetings on monday morning, and then i have meetings with clients in the afternoon and i’m not going to be done with everything in time if i don’t stay late tonight. i need to have the weekend free of work.” she confessed, clearing up her desk from their containers.

“need a weekend away from everything?” he wondered.

“i do, yeah.” she smiled. “but that’s not happening this weekend, unfortunately. i have to shop for christmas presents, i’m already late and i have to get them all at once, and it’s really overwhelming.” she sighed.

“you’re tired.” he noted.

“not all that nice to hear that for a woman, you know? it means i look bad.”

“no, it’s not what i meant. i just can see your eyes halfway closed. you can’t work right now, you’re falling asleep.”

“but i need to, harry, i have to fin-“

“no, you don’t.” he interrupted her, his gaze piercing. “i’m getting you home. and i won’t take no for an answer.”

“but harry, i-“

“nope. we’re going home.”

“but-“

“do i need to pick you up and carry you to the car? because i will do it if you keep fighting me on this.”

she looked at him, wondering how the hell they ended up there.

harry just tilted his head to the side. “you ready?”

it felt like she had no other choice but to nod.

—

when she asked him to stay and watch a movie, harry couldn’t say no, finally getting what he wanted all along.

this time he knew he probably wasn’t going to be the one to fall asleep first, for once! as soon as she was asleep and in bed, he was going to go home.

his plans slightly changed though, because a sleepyhead decided to rest her head on his lap, and he couldn’t move an inch. he wouldn’t.

and honestly? he really didn’t want to.

it was like when a cat decides to rest its head on you. you are the chosen one, and you will not move till the cat moves first.

now, instead of a cute ball of fur, there was a just as cute girl, curled up with her hand close to his knee, lightly fisting the fabric of his trousers.

she didn’t fall asleep that way, but when harry saw the uncomfortable position in which she passed out, he had to do something to make her a little more comfortable. and that’s how they ended up here.

he saw her sleeping before — at adam’s cabin, especially — but never got to linger on her features.

he could see she had a slight furrow in her brows, and he just wanted to put the pad of his finger against her skin and smooth it out. was she having a bad dream? was she overthinking even when asleep? was she uncomfortable?

then he focused on the curve of her nose, and lastly on her lips. they were slightly pouted, a bit open, and just looked so soft. so pretty, and pink, and soft.

harry couldn’t say this was the first time he thought something like that. he found himself often looking at her lips, especially since she told him she usually focuses on them when people talk.

“like, i don’t want to seem like a creep, but if i don’t watch a person’s mouth while they talk to me, it’s like 90% of the information doesn’t reach my ears.”

and since then, he couldn’t stop himself from doing that. although, he often did that with her only.

huh, weird.

and then he started watching her lips when she would eat, seeing how she kept them shut while she was chewing, because she couldn’t bear hearing people making noises with their mouths when they eat. harry got a pillow straight to his face one time, followed by the threat of her smashing his teeth in if he didn’t cut it out. a feisty one, she is.

and while he observed them in all of these occasions, he noticed how plump they were, how pink and just... pretty.

one night, when he was a bit tipsy, he was just about to tell her all of this, but thanks to his lucky starts sarah unknowingly came to his rescue, tearing her away from him and dragging her to the bathroom.

he thought that was for the best, she should never had to know the thoughts he had swirling through his mind. it mostly happened when he was unconscious, especially when he was staying over at her house.

“it’s just because you’re literally surrounded by her stuff. you are in her apartment, on her couch, with her quilt around you, her smell lingering. it’s fine.” he thought to himself, a pathetic way of shoving his dreams out of his mind.

when he first dreamt about kissing her, he was scared shitless. they had been friends for about a little over a month then, and he felt a bit weird dreaming about a friend that way.

it wasn’t even something dirty, they were just having fun at the park, he was pushing her on the swings.

“higher, harry, higher!”

“love, if i push you any higher you’re going to fall!” he said laughing.

“i don’t care, just do that, please!”

“no love, i can’t, you’re gonna get hurt.”

she started slowing down once he stopped pushing her and when she was almost still, he came in front of her, stopping her for good when he placed his hands on her knees, crouching down a little to get to her face level.

when he caught the look she had on her face, he could’ve just melted. she was pouting, pouting, for pete’s sake.

“hey, what’s this all about?” he said, pointing at her lips.

“you didn’t push me higher.” she looked at him, trying her hardest to keep her pouting face, but he could see the smile that wanted to creep up on her face.

“aw baby, want me to make it better?” he said sweetly, tilting his head to the side.

“yes, please. thank you.” she smiled a little, looking at him.

and that’s when he leaned in, leaving a sweet kiss, taking her plush bottom lip between his. he could feel her crumble underneath his touch, even if he was seeing this from a third person point of view. he could feel the soft skin of her lips, tasting her cinnamon chapstick, and what he imagined — and was almost positive — she just tasted like: the sweetest nectarines of the best summer of your life.

when he pulled away, he saw her eyes were still closed, as if she was wanted to bask in the moment for just a second longer.

“made it better?” he told her, smirking at her still flushed face.

“mmh mmh, i think so.” she finally opened her eyes, and smiled back at him. “now, your turn!”

“love, how do you think you’re going to be able to push me!”

“shut up, i’m strong.” he gave her a cut the bullshit look, and she was absolutely offended. “i’ll show you, c’mon! get on then!”

he woke up gasping, looking around the room to understand where he was. when he realised he was at her apartment, he groaned a bit. of course he was.

as said, he was scared. not just by the kiss itself, but by the sheer intimacy of it, because it clearly wasn’t the first they shared, anyone could’ve seen that. he also noticed how happy she was, how loud her laugh was, how comfortable she had to feel with him to show him her more childish side.

what scared him most, you ask?

the fact that he envied the dream version of him.

ever since then, those kind of dreams came to his mind often, but he always pushed them aside, as games his mind was playing on him. he didn’t think about kissing her when he was awake, did he?

“no, i don’t”, he kept telling himself.

but seeing her all curled up against him, her lips looking so soft and plump made him think twice about his words.

instead of just laying one on her — when she was unconscious, may he add — he decided to tuck the hair that fanned over her face behind her ear, with a touch so light he thought that he wasn’t even touching her. but he wanted this contact to last a little bit longer.

so, he lightly grazed his finger over her cheek. even her skin was soft as a pillow, what was wrong with her?

he run his thumb along her jaw, and when he felt her shift, he panicked.

“shit, shit, shit, don’t wake up, don’t wake up, please.” he murmured so quietly it was barely a whisper, putting his hands up as if she was going to go off like a bomb.

she didn’t wake up, but she did turn her head, from facing the tv to facing harry. she brought her hand again at — now — the top of his thighs, but instead of holding onto his trousers, she gripped his sweater, that was a bit baggy.

“thank fuck” he thought, because she would’ve grabbed his crotch if she didn’t find that sweater.

—

after the movie was over — harry didn’t pay too much attention to it, after she fell asleep — he thought it was time to make her go to bed and rest properly. but he really didn’t want to wake her up.

so he tried to pry his sweater away from her fist, just so he could lay down her head on the couch and get up. he did just that, and once he was on his feet, he crouched down again, putting one arm under her knees and one under her back, picking her up.

when she was finally in his arms, she curled up against him, tucking her head in his chest, a hand spread at the center of it. harry looked up to the ceiling, asking any god or ethereal being what the hell did he do to deserve this.

once they reached her bedroom door, he opened it with his foot and carried her to her bed. he tucked her in, and as he was about to leave when he felt someone gently take his wrist, and heard a soft voice, barely a whisper.

“stay over? don’t wanna wake up alone.”

and could he really say no to that?

could he really say no to her?

she was asleep before he could answer, so he just took her hand, squeezed it and told her under his breath. “of course, love.”

—

the following morning harry woke up before her, which was kind of unusual. she was usually the one who stirred him awake to have breakfast — she got better at cooking eggs and pancakes, so he didn’t have to lie anymore about just drinking coffee in the mornings.

but last night she must’ve been spent, she probably wanted to sleep in a little more.

that gave him time to look around her living room, seeing how she decorated for christmas. there was a huge tree, probably almost three meters, with warm yellow fairy lights and red and gold adornments, a shiny star on the top.

then there were all kinds of trinkets all around, even little statues of mary, jesus and joseph, the whole nativity scene. he didn’t know she was a religious person.

he thought it must’ve taken her so long to decorate all by herself, especially the tree. she probably climbed over something to put the star on top, risking to fall down and get hurt. couldn’t she have asked him to help her?

he decided to stop lurking and go into her kitchen to fetch some ingredients to make her breakfast, for a change. when breakfast was almost ready, he decided to go wake her up.

he walked into her bedroom as quietly as possible, not wanting to startle her awake. when harry reached her sleeping figure, he put his hand on her shoulder, shaking a little.

“good morning, sleepyhead. it’s time to wake up.”

she grunted in response.

“c’mon now, breakfast is almost ready.”

she grunted again, making him chuckle.

“not a morning person, are you?”

“just five more minutes, please.” she croaked. he muttered a low “alright”, and went to go back to the kitchen, but her fingers grabbed his wrist.

“stay here, i’m cold. heater must not be working properly.”

he couldn’t say if he was more happy or shocked by her request. smirking, he sat back down on the bed, close to her legs. but that wouldn’t cut it, clearly.

“what are you doing all over there? get in here.” she moved the comforter and patted the bed underneath. when she noticed he wasn’t moving from his spot, she spoke up again. “hey, get in here quick, the heat is going to leave.”

he chuckled, and finally stood up and got into bed beside her. he wasn’t even in there for two seconds, that she was already wrapped around him, as if he was going to disappear.

“just five minutes, right?” he softly asked her, his arm going around her shoulders, hand on her bicep.

“yeah, five minutes.” her face was tucked in his neck, and he could feel her lips grazing the skin of his throat when she spoke.

she really was cold, and she had been the whole night. when he carried her to bed last night, she was half awake, and when she asked him to stay over, she imagined he was going to sleep with her in her bed. but then, he went back to the living room, and she was just too tired to call him back.

so, when harry came to wake her up, she tried putting it a little more plainly, and even then the man couldn’t take the hint.

5 minutes soon turned into an half hour, and she can’t lie: she never felt so comfortable. who knew harry was so great at cuddling?

the both of them were in that sleepy state when you’re not really asleep but you’re not totally awake either, and if she didn’t have to run to the shops to buy christmas presents, then she would’ve stayed there for the whole day.

harry could describe the feeling as heaven, nothing ever felt so right. how come they didn’t cuddle before?

but other questions came to mind: what’s happening? why did he wish he could stay in this bed forever? why does her tracing patters on his chest make him feel like he’s on a rollercoaster?

when they finally dragged themselves out of her bed — that was even more comfy than her couch, if possible — breakfast was indeed ruined and they decided to eat while they went out.

“wait, you want to go christmas shopping with me?”

“you’re the nut job who’s going shopping for presents five days before christmas. you need all the help you can get.”

and so, off to the shops they were.

but here’s the thing: how can you purchase a present for someone who’s right there with you? and what the hell would he like for a present? she had absolutely no clue what to get him.

maybe he wasn’t getting her a present, but she wouldn’t care, after all they started being friends only for a few months before, she wasn’t expecting anything from him. but hell was going to freeze over before she didn’t get him a present, that was for sure.

she got all the others presents, and harry went back to her apartment, looking like a porter with all the bags he had in hand.

“you sure you got everything? don’t you have a third grade cousin that needs something? or a remote uncle that you haven’t seen in 17 years?”

“my god, you should be a comedian.” she looked at him with a fake smile.

“i don’t even know how they are going to receive these if you bought them today.” he scoffed. “mind opening the door for me, darling?”

“i’m trying! you’re a pain in the ass, styles.” she grumbled. “and i’m going to spend tonight packing them, and then i’ll overnight them. i don’t know if they’ll get the presents in time for christmas, but it’s the thought that counts.”

she finally managed to open her apartment door, and let harry go in first: the man couldn’t wait to drop all the boxes and bags.

“and i wouldn’t have this problem if i went back home for the holidays, but i’m not, so here we are.” she said while closing the door.

“why aren’t you going home?” and why did she sound so upset about it?

“you know, work, life, stuff. i hope to see them a little later next year, but going back now was impossible for me.” she shrugged.

“i see. at least we’re going to spend it all together, though?”

“yeah, it’s going to be great, i bet.” she gave him a tight lipped smile, which didn’t sit right with him.

“what’s up?” he asked.

“nothing, what?”

“you’re not the only one who can read people. tell me what’s going on in your mind.” he looked at her pacing around the room, leaving the presents on the kitchen table.

“it’s nothing important, it’s probably going to sound so silly, you wouldn’t-“

“i wouldn’t have asked if i didn’t care. please, tell me.”

she took a deep breath and sat on the couch. “it’s just that christmas is my favourite holiday. i love the atmosphere and back home we really celebrate christmas: a table of no least than 20 people, all the aunts and uncles and cousins, people who i probably see once a year, at that very dinner.

and then we have all these traditions, little things that make me miss home. like, my mum used to wake up me and my sister with christmas music on christmas day, every single year, and she still does it every time we get back home for the holidays.

or like, on christmas eve, me, mum and my sister go to the church i used to go to when i was younger for the vigil, and we have this mass that it’s like two hours long but it’s just so beautiful. i wouldn’t consider myself a religious person, but being in that room just brings me so much comfort that i can’t even put into words.” she looked up at him, eyes a bit teary.

“then we used to come home, around 11am and we would watch “the grinch” while we waited for midnight to open our presents.” she sighed. “it’s such a special holiday for me, and when i think about the fact that there was a time when it didn’t feel like that, when i was away from them... i don’t know, it makes me sad.” she gave him a small smile, looking down at her shoes.

“hey.” he put his hand on her knee. “we don’t have to talk about this, any of this. i’m sorry i pushed you, i didn’t want to make you sad.”

“no, it’s okay.” she swallowed thickly. “i- uh.” he saw she was struggling to find the words.

“i think i’d like to speak about that, if you wanted to hear about it. i don’t want to force you to stay there and just... i don’t know, throw all my trauma at you.”

“you wouldn’t. i would gladly listen, if you feel comfortable enough, though. niall is going to rip my head off if you aren’t.” the last part he murmured under his breath.

“what was that?” she inquired.

“nothing important, love. whenever you are ready.”

she took another deep breath, sitting crisscrossed on the couch, facing him but with her head looking towards her fingers, which she was basically tearing apart.

“since i was a child, i used to feel things, emotions, very strongly. i would always say that they would feel amplified, and i absolutely loved that. i loved feeling everything so deeply, because it reminded me that i was alive and i was here and i could do anything i wanted to. but once i moved away, i don’t know what happened, but i just started feeling a little less, and a little less. till i was numb.

i was desperate, i couldn’t recognise the person looking back at me in the mirror. i didn’t cry, i didn’t laugh, i was just... being, existing. i was younger, i was stupid and i did something even more stupid, just wishing that i would feel something, even if that something was pain.” her voice started wavering, she pulled her lips in her mouth in an attempt to stop her tears from falling.

harry was watching her, but didn’t dare utter a word. she was finally opening up — he doesn’t know if for the first time ever or not, but he didn’t dream of interrupting her, if she wanted to go on.

after a little while, when it seemed like she calmed down a bit, she resumed talking.

“it went on for a while. it wasn’t just the physical aspect of it that was causing me problems, but also the mental state i was in. i cut everyone out of my life, didn’t go home for two years straight: i skipped christmas, birthday dinners, anniversaries. i felt like the worst person ever walking on earth, but i still couldn’t really feel anything. and that just made me spiral, because i was mourning the person i was before. i missed her. fuck, i missed her so much.” she sniffled.

“but then, one day i just knew that it all was getting too much, that i couldn’t keep going like this or else the ending i was heading towards was going to be catastrophic. so i reached out and asked for help: i went to therapy, and i still go to this day. not exactly for the same reasons, but mostly to have a place where i can just let go, i guess.” she stopped and looked at harry, who was staring at her, his brows lightly furrowed, meaning he was listening to every word.

“and therapy really helped getting me out of that mental space. it was difficult, uncomfortable, i had my fair share of setbacks, but during one session my therapist told me something that i hold close to my heart to this day, ever since then.” she smiled to herself, eyes focused on the cushion she was sat on.

“she told me: ‘you know, even the sun gets clouded sometimes.’ even the happiest people — or what seem to be the happiest of people — have their dark days. and that’s fine. you just need to get through them.”

harry thought that no metaphor could ever be as perfect to describe her as this one was.

he was still silent, waiting to see if she had anything else to add. but she misinterpreted his silence for something bad.

“oh god, i’m sorry if this was too much for you, you could’ve told me to stop but since you didn’t i went on and i didn’t even check-”

he couldn’t stop himself from grabbing her waist and make her straddle his lap, arms tightening in a hug that could’ve crushed her bones, but he didn’t care, he just wanted to have her close. his face tucked in her neck, inhaling her perfume, and he hoped she could understand from this hug everything he wanted to say, but couldn’t find the right words to say out loud.

he didn’t need to say anything, all she had to know was expressed by the way he was hugging her. his face rested in her neck, her hand went straight to his hair, playing with the curls at the nape of his neck.

she doesn’t know for how long they stayed like that, but didn’t even care.

—

christmas was around the corner. on monday, she went to the post office, dropped off every present, went to work and had the full day she knew she was going to have, but she had just two more days of work before christmas eve, then she’d spend that beautiful following day with her friends. it wasn’t going to be like at home, but it was with another family she loved just as much.

during these two days, she worked hard on harry’s present. she didn’t know if it was going to be as good as she wanted it to be, but she’d try her very best to make sure it was.

on christmas eve, she stayed home putting the finishing touches on the presents that she had to bring the following day at sarah’s, and checked on the food she had to prepare for their dinner.

around 9pm, she sat down on the couch, looking at her decorated apartment.

the christmas tree she got was almost a carbon copy of the one her mum had at home: three meters tall, way too big for her living room; even the decorations were very similar.

she was sad about not being able to go home that year, but she had to be back to work on the 27th and it wasn’t smart to make such a long trip for just one day, even if it was a special one.

but there was something more that was making her sad, or well, worried: she hadn’t skipped christmas since those years. she wasn’t in that mental place anymore, she had been clean for years now, but you can never know what could trigger you and make you fall back in old habits.

so she tried not to think about that, but of course she just couldn’t stop. she started feeling guilty for behaving the way she did, cutting everyone out of her life, lying to them and pretending she was alright. in her mind, she knows she wasn’t in a good mental state, but that didn’t take away any of the guilt she was feeling.

her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door. she thought that maybe it was the landlady coming by to wish a happy christmas — she was a lovely older lady who always gave her candy whenever she ran into her.

but when she opened the door, she found someone a little bit younger than her 70-year-old landlady.

harry stood there with a bottle of red wine and a present in hand.

“happy christmas eve. let me in?”

“and here i thought you were a caroller. you sure you don’t want to sing anything?”

“shut up and let me in, it’s freezing.”

this was probably the first time harry came over unannounced. he always texted her first, or waited for her to text him for their movie nights, but since she told him about the traditions she had with her family back home, he knew he had to do something.

it wasn’t hard to understand that this holiday season was hard for her, not only because she was far from her family, but because of what happened in the past when she was away from them.

harry could imagine the kind of thoughts that had been swimming in her head these last few days, and he couldn’t stand it. no one should have these kind of thoughts ever, especially not during the holidays.

especially not her.

so, he decided to participate in one of the little traditions she told him about, and thought that maybe they could watch “the grinch” together and open their presents at midnight.

when he told her this, she had the prettiest smile on her face. she never smiled at him like this, and this time he was sure that it was for him. that made him smile just as wide.

they watched “the grinch” together and they both teared up at the part where he was picked on at school.

harry was shocked when she told him that cindy lou was played by the same actress that played jenny humphrey in gossip girl.

“no fucking way that’s her! she looks so sweet here!”

“people grow up, harry.” she laughed. “and hold on- you watched gossip girl? how have you never shared this with me?”

“didn’t think it was an interesting fact to share.”

“are you kidding me? it’s a very important piece of information! you can’t trust anyone these days.” she muttered ironically, but that didn’t stop harry from throwing a pillow at her.

once the grinch was over, it was around 11:30, so they decided to make some hot chocolate and wait for midnight.

“alright, 11:59, one minute to go!”

“you know it’s christmas and not new year’s, do you?”

“yes, you ass, i do know. but i wanted to wish you merry christmas at exactly midnight.”

harry smiled at her, shaking his head lightly.

they looked at each other, until her screen showed 12:00am, making it officially christmas day.

“merry christmas, harry.” she said sweetly.

“merry christmas, love.” he answered back, looking at her fondly.

“now, for the good part... presents! wait here, i have to get yours in my bedroom.”

“ooh, i like where this is going.” he said smirking, earning an eye roll from her.

“get your mind out of the gutter, styles. you little freak.”

he shook his head, but he was getting a bit antsy. what if she didn’t like his present? what if he didn’t like her present and his poker face wasn’t good enough and he made her feel bad? he was sure she could’ve gifted him something straight out of the trash and he would’ve loved it, but you never know.

she came back into the living room, and he could see she was feeling the same way as him. she sat back down on the floor with him, near the tree, and had her presents in hand.

wait, presents, plural.

he was fucked, wasn’t he?

“they aren’t the greatest presents and i usually am great at gift giving, like insanely good. but i really did try my best and i hope i didn’t disappoint too much. go easy on me, please.” she said the last bit laughing, but he could feel the insecurity in her voice.

he wanted to let her know that she would never disappoint him, but no words were coming out of his mouth.

huh, so your smart mouth can talk shit all day but can’t pay her a compliment?

but it felt like she already knew.

“so, this one first.” it was in a tube, and he didn’t know what to think. so he was quick to open it, and he smiled widely when he saw what it was.

“it’s a movie poster where you can scratch the movies you have seen. i bought the same one, i want to put it up the wall, so we can see those movies together and scratch them.” she said, looking down at her hands.

“i love this. this is so beautiful, thank you so much.” he said truthfully. it was such a sweet gesture, and of course she would think of such a thing.

“alright, then for the second present. i thought the first one wasn’t going to be enough-” he went to interrupt her but she wouldn’t let him. “no, you shush. i thought it didn’t convey how much i care about you, so i wanted to give you this.”

she gave him the next gift, that resembled a book a lot. when he opened it, he smiled to himself: “the unbearable lightness of being”.

she told him a thousand times that this was her favourite book and that he just had to read it, because it changed her life. but when he opened the book and flipped through the pages, his breath hitched.

this was her own copy.

“i, uh. i annotated it for you. i know it’s a used copy, — and i’ve read it like 20 times i think, so it’s pretty used — but i felt like it was just right to use my own. it’s kind of like i’m giving a piece of me to you, and i wouldn’t want to give it to anyone else, to be honest.”

he heard what he said, but couldn't tear his eyes from the book in his hands.

inside the first page, there was a small inscription.

“thank you for being here even when it’s cloudy. merry christmas, H.”

he was staring at the words scribbled on the page, wondering how lucky he had to be to be there, with her.

“it’s okay, if you don’t like it, i can just-”

“please, stop with that. i love it, i’m just speechless, i don’t think a thank you is gonna cut it.”

“a thank you is more than enough, harry. it’s nothing too special.” she shrugged.

“it is to me. and i’ll hold onto this forever, i promise you.” he said looking deep into her eyes, making her soft.

“i’m glad you like it, then.” she smiled. “and you speechless? that can be my present, holy shit!” she tried to lighten the air a bit, given the seriousness of that moment.

“heyy! rude.” he scowled. “now, for your present.”

he gave her a box, wrapped with a pretty bow and a note attached to it; she decided to read what he wrote before opening the present.

she was so giddy, anxious and happy. she couldn’t believe she was actually here with harry, reliving a tradition she only had at home. and she couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that this was all harry’s idea, that he wanted to make her feel as if she was home.

she was just so grateful for that mishap in the woods back in october, because it brought them here, and she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

she opened the little envelope, and took out the note.

“with the hope you’ll find your eugene fitzherbert soon enough.”

she looked up at him quizzically, but he just tilted his chin forward, silently telling her to open the box and check for herself what his note was referring to.

when she finally opened it, she felt her jaw hitting the floor.

“it’s a first edition. you probably already know this, but rapunzel is a story by the grimm brothers. and i know there’s no eugene fitzherbert in this one, and i know you love him, but i couldn’t not buy this when-”

he couldn’t finish his sentence because she threw herself in his arms, tackling him to the ground with her on top.

“this is the best thing anyone has ever gotten me. you’re just the sweetest harry, i can’t believe you did this for me. i don’t deserve this, oh my god.” she whispered in his neck, her lips grazing the soft skin. he felt the small kiss she left right on his throat, and he hugged her tightly against him, as if he wanted for them to stick together.

“you deserve this and more, love.”

they stayed on the ground for a little while, and when she was trying to pull away he just hugged her closer.

“just, uh. just one more minute, okay?” he said lowly.

“of course. whenever you want to let go.”

he thought he never wanted to.

but when she tried to pull away again, he couldn’t stop her.

“now my presents look like shit, in comparison to yours.” she pouted, but it was soon replaced with a smile. “i can’t even think about how much you spent over it, my goodness. you’re nuts.”

harry just chuckled, and she started talking again, looking at him in a new way.

“uh, can i do something? but you have to tell me if you’re not comfortable and if you want to stop right away, because i don’t want you to feel forced into anything and-”

harry quickly picked up where this was going, so he placed his hand on the back of her neck, sat up, went and shut her up for good.

her lips felt as soft as they looked, as soft as they did when he’d dream about them. this was what heaven felt like, he was sure of it.

he lightly bit her lower lip, taking it between his front teeth, earning a small whimper from her. he was going to die, he was sure of it. but if this is the last thing he got to do, he’d pass away peacefully.

she had been waiting for this moment for so long, and now that it was happening it felt like she was walking on air. his lips felt like soft pillows against her own, and she could taste the hot chocolate on them and his tongue. she couldn’t get enough.

when he pulled her bottom lip with his front teeth — those bunny teeth she was lucky enough to see whenever he gifted her a toothy grin — she couldn’t help but whimper against him, melting even more when he sucked on it lightly, as if to make it better.

they kept kissing until they were out of breath, but it seemed like neither of them wanted to leave the other’s lips for even just a second, afraid that this perfect moment was going to disappear.

but harry pulled away first, afraid of actually passing out if he kept going.

and god, he couldn’t believe the sight he had in front of him: her eyes still closed, as if she was wanted to bask in the moment for just a second longer.

exactly like he dreamt about.

when she fluttered her eyes open, he knew he was done for. that was it, the peak of his existence. how had she gotten him so wrapped around her little finger? he was absolutely whipped for her.

she looked into his eyes, those pools of green that had always drawn her in. eight months ago, they looked at her with something very close to disdain, but now? disdain was the furthest thing she could find in them.

and fuck, was she glad about it.

after they stared at each other for a while, she spoke up again. “i still feel like i need to pay you back somehow, that present was too much.”

“mmh, i think i have an idea.” he smirked, leaning in.

“oh really?” she said teasingly, leaning in as well.

“mmh mmh.”

and they kissed again. and again. and again. and a little more after that.

—

on christmas morning, she woke up snuggled in her comforter, with two arms wrapped around her midsection, keeping her close. she sighed with content.

could things get any better?

“‘morning, love.”

apparently they could. he felt his lips kiss her head, but she wanted more. she turned around to face him, and didn’t wait a second to smash her lips against his, hearing him hum against her lips.

“good morning, bub.” she smiled against his lips, leaving another quick kiss. “sorry, i didn’t even brush my teeth.”

he shook his head, grinning at her. “don’t care, not even in the slightest. i’ve waited for way too long to do this, so please do whenever you want to.” to mark his words, he kissed her again.

“you did?” she looked up at him and he nodded.

“waited a long while for you, darling. i don't mind having waited now, though.”

“ah, you’re such a sap. no surprise you love romcoms.” she smacked his chest lightly, leaving her hand right above his heart.

“hey! don’t be rude now.” he scolded her with a smile on his lips.

“alright alright, you walmart version of ryan gosling.”

“oh, you’re going to regret this.”

—

harry had to go back to his place to get ready and pick up the gifts to bring to sarah’s.

“can’t you come with me?” he pouted.

“i’m sorry, i have to shower, get dressed and stuff. i’ll see you in a little while, i promise.”

“you could just wear my stuff.”

that made her feel all gooey on the inside, but also made her chuckle. “don’t worry, i’ll steal all your hoodies in no time. i've already started, if you remember.” she smiled, leaving a small peck on his nose.

“good. they look better on you anyway.” he pecked her lips three times before kissing her for a little longer.

“okay, now you have go or else we’re going to be late.” she said between kisses.

“mmh mmh, you’re right, should definitely go.” he said, but just went ahead and kissed her, before she pushed her hand against his chest.

“stop it, we really are going to be late. i’ll see you soon, i promise.” she smiled softly at him, lightly shoving him outside her door.

who thought harry could be such a softie? again, herself from 8 months ago would be laughing like a crazy person if she knew that harry was at her doorstep, pouting because he had to go home and couldn’t keep kissing her.

a couple of hours later, she was dressed up and ready to go. she heard her phone ring, meaning she received a message. glancing at her phone, she couldn’t help the smile on her face.

“i’m on my way. you ready?”

“yes, i am, E.”

“don’t know if you thought this was another person you spent all day kissing, but my name starts with an H, love.”

she didn’t bother telling him why she called him E, maybe he’d get it someday.

—

here it is! it’s time to say goodbye to these two softies. this fic is probably the best thing i’ve ever written, and i’m incredibly proud of it. i hope you enjoyed it as well! thank you so much for your support, it’s been crazy. thank you!

tag list (for those tagged, do you want to be on the permanent tag list? let me know!):

@his-only-angel-1989 @sunshinemoonsposts @cherrysulewski @idgasb @feestyles @msolbesg @call1800coochie @a-strange-familiar @the-art-of-living-honestly @onlyangel-k @sushiirestaurant @annesauriol @longingtobewithu @jjharry @hes-club @fairyinpurple @harrysbigspoon

#my writing #harry styles #harry styles angst #harry styles blurb #harry styles fic #harry styles one shot #harry styles os #harry styles x reader #harry x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles writing #harry styles x y/n #harry x y/n #harry styles fluff #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic rec #harry styles smut

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eleni-cherie · 9 months

Text

a thief's end ✨ || bts • myg - chapter 0.3

"so eager to be in a headlock again?"

"only if it's by you."

he thought he was done with the criminal life and ready for some peace and quiet. but his plans collapsed in the form of a strange girl who was in trouble.

»»»

masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to lovers s2l

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

»»»

Soyeon pulled the bucket hat back on to avoid unwanted attention when they reached Taehyung and Cassandra's place.

It wasn't a big house, but the area seemed quite nice and polished. Making Soyeon gape at it with wonderous eyes while wandering over the frontyard. "Are your friends wealthy or something?"

He couldn't help but laugh at this as it simply sounded ridiculous to him, shaking his head.

How was he supposed to explain they had all saved up tons of money from all their heists over the years?

"Not really, but, uhm, she's a doctor you know.."

She nodded, understanding and he internally sighed in relief that she believed his excuse. Ringing the doorbell then. And much to his surprise, it opened within a second. Taehyung standing there, leaning against the doorframe. Arms folded in front of him as a surprised look spread on his features when spotting the young woman behind his friend.

"Where you waiting at the door?" Yoongi huffed as he shuffled inside.

"No, just randomly passed by when you rang," he shrugged and stepped back to make space for them to enter, glancing at the girl then back at Yoongi. "You want to intoduce us or..?"

Yoongi blinked, only now realising what he meant as he turned around at Soyeon. "Oh, uhm-"

Soyeon, irritated by him acting so slow, slightly shoved him aside. Smiling awkwardly at the tall guy. "I'm Soyeon, hi," she introduced herself, "I'm sorry for causing such a turmoil, really. It wasn't my idea to bother you guys, but he insisted." She motioned to Yoongi behind her who remained quiet, scratching the back of his neck. "So I had no choice."

Taehyung chuckled at this, amused by her honest nature. "It's alright, that's how he is." Taking her hand then, he gave it a quick shake. "I'm Taehyung."

He spun around then, waving for them to follow him further inside. "Cas! They're here!"

The two followed suit, entering the living room where he had disappeared to and seeing a young woman with a round face and long curls already waiting. Jumping from her comfortable seat on the couch as soon as she spotted them. "Oh, hey there!"

She first hugged Yoongi, then turned to Soyeon offering her a hug as well which startled the younger woman. She accepted it nevertheless, finding this warm welcome quite nice.

"So you're my new patient," Cassandra eyed her with a smile and gestured to the hallway. "Let's go to the bathroom and I take a look."

Soyeon nodded, glancing anxiously over her shoulder at Yoongi who was giving her an ensuring smile. She swallowed and turned back to Cassandra, following her through the hallway.

"Here, sit down," the doctor said and pointed at a stool she had already prepared. "I'm Cas, by the way. Well, Cassandra. But the lads call me Cas," she giggled while sliding on a pair of disposible gloves.

"Soyeon."

"So Soyeon, what's the matter? Yoongs said something about a cut?"

She nodded, carefully taking off the hat and revealing the wound. For some reason she expected a similar reaction to Yoongi's when he'd first seen the cut. However, Cassandra was trained for this and had already seen all kinds of wounds over the years. So it needed more to shaken her up than this.

She leaned over, taking a closer look on Soyeon's forehead. Examining it for a moment, before grabbing a small towel. Soaking it under the tap with warm water and placing it on the wound, beginning to carefully clean it. "It's nothing severe, I can reassure you," she said then, seeing Soyeon easening at this, "But it was good he brought you here. If we don't stitch this up, it might get infected. Or leave a scar."

Soyeon bit back a giggle at the similarity of the words, it was almost a déjà vu. "Yoongi said the exact same thing."

"Mhm, he should know first hand after all," Cassandra mumbled, adding a bit of soap on the towel and continuing cleaning the wound. Soyeon winced a little, making her retreat. "Sorry, might sting a little," she smiled apologetically, before placing it back and continuing. Finally, she rinsed the wound with clean water and patted it dry.

She then grabbed a needle with a thread and forcepts, having already sterilized them after the call. "This will hurt a little, not gonna lie, but grit your teeth. It'll be over soon."

Soyeon gulped at the warning, her breath picking up when seeing the needle. She didn't say anything though. Just gritted her teeth, just like Cassandra asked her to. Earning an encouraging smile from her before she began her work.

"So, how did you and Yoongs meet? He literally just came back from the mountains two weeks ago or so," Cassandra giggled. Figuring out enganging her in a conversation would ease her nerves and distract her a bit.

"Mountains? What was he doing there?"

"Training his sword fighting or something," Cassandra sighed, "According to Tae he get's into a hermit mood every now and then and just disappears to quiet place."

"Huh." Somehow that didn't surprise Soyeon. She might not know him well, but he seemed like the type of guy to do something like this. He seemed to be a rather unflappable and placid, perhaps even a little withdrawn, person. Her gaze fell for a moment then, wincing at a stitch.

"H-he helped me get away from some guys who were after me."

"The same ones who caused this?" Cassandra countered with an arched brow, focusing back on her work.

"Yeah.. uhm." She didn't feel like elaborating further and Cassandra didn't pester her. "So, uhm, do you have to do this often? Stitching up stranger?"

The older girl giggled, shaking her head. "Only the guys. That's why I've got all the needed tools here at home. Although it has become less frequent those past few months."

"Oh, how come?"

"Well, they retired from their heists. At least Tae and Yoongi did. Our two other friends are still doing little thefts here and there for fun, I guess." A smile tucked on the corners of her lips while. Not noticing Soyeon's startled stare.

"Heists? Theft? Were they-"

"Thieves, yeah.. Oh! You didn't know?" Cassandra's brown eyes also widened in shock and she pressed her lips together. Regretting not thinking before speaking. At least she had just finished the last stitch and cut the thread. She leaned back against the sink then, groaning. "Crap, sorry. I shouldn't have told you. Thought those guys were after you 'cause you, too.. I thought you were also one and that's why he helped you. Oh, crap."

Soyeon's head was spinning. And she had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself and stay rational. Ok, a thief. At least not a hitman or drug dealer. Right? Could be worse.

"No, it's fine. I mean, I understand why he didn't tell me. I wasn't completely honest with him either after all.." Her brows knitting together then. "But you said they retired?"

Cassandra nodded while grabbing a tube of topical antibiotic from one of the cabinets then. Carefully dabbing some of the gel onto the wound with her finger. "Yeah, see.. Tae and Yoongi weren't really thieves thieves. They were more Jimin's partners in crime. He was the thief and they helped him with their skills," she explained, trying saving the situation. Hoping she didn't cause Yoongi any trouble now. "And when Jimin announced he wanted to step back, they settled here where interpol couldn't get them. So me and Tae got married and Yoongi wanted to get back into training and meditating." She grabbed a clean bandage then, placing it on the wound.

"I see.."

Cassandra noticed Soyeon's hands were scraped as well, so she heaved the sleeves of the cardigan, scrunching her nose when seeing all the grazes and scratches lying underneath them. She went back to rummaging around a cabinet.

"You know, they ain't bad guys." She glanced over her shoulder to Soyeon, who was obviously still taken aback by all this information. "They didn't hurt anyone unless for self-defense and only stole from rich people, banks, sometimes museums.. They wouldn't take the money of a poor old lady, is my point. If they were like this, I wouldn't have fallen in love with one of them." She grinned when finally spotting what she was looking for in the far back. Stratching her arm to reach it. "And especially Yoongi was the least thief of them all. I mean, Tae and Jimin had started when they were teenagers, while Yoongi just happened to stumble into it when meeting Jimin."

With a triumphatical grin she pulled the little brown bottle out. Taking a cotton stick and dunking it into the bottle before dabbing it onto the bigger scratches on her hands and arms. Making a thinking expression then.

"I've never really asked them how or why exactly Yoongi joined them, though, I just know he became friends with them after they did him a huge favour. That's all."

Soyeon hummed, processing everything. It made sense why he had never given her an uneasy or uncomfortable feeling, despite having been a criminal in the past. He wasn't a bad guy. Proven by the numerous times he had already helped her in the short period of time they knew each other. And that without even knowing what was going on. And even taking her to his doctor friend now for her injury. Seemingly without ulterior motives.

Perhaps she could indeed trust him.

"It's okay, really.." she smiled at Cassandra then who had just finished. "I don't think badly of him now. So don't worry."

The older girl exhaled in relief, smiling widely as well. "I'm glad, really. He's a great person. But don't tell him I told you. He might get mad at me," she pouted to which Soyeon giggled, giving her a quick nod. "I won't. And thank you for taking care of my wounds."

"You're welcome, that's literally my job after all."

They found the two guys in the living room where they had left them. Only that now a small furry dog was sitting on Yoongi's lap. A wide smile on his lips as he was petting and playing with it. He looked so content, enjoying the dog's happy wiggling that he didn't even notice them returning. It was a quite adorable sight for Soyeon, this carefree side of his.

"We're back!" His head instantly snapped up at Cassandra's voice. Glancing at them expectedly.

"So.. everything alright?"

She nodded, smiling briefly at Soyeon. "Everything's patched up, don't worry."

He nodded, seemingly relieved. He set the dog down then which the ball of fur took as a sign to return to his owner's arms instead. "Thanks, Cas. And sorry for bothering you two. You had probably other things to do."

"Not really," Taehyung shrugged from his seat on the carpet. Rubbing his hands over the dog's fur, "We were just chilling and watching some sitcoms."

"That sounds so lame. Like we'd be one of those boring old couples," Cassandra whined, laughing then, "But yeah, that's basically what we did. So you didn't bother. I'm glad I could help."

Yoongi and Soyeon bid them goodbye and walked back to the car. An awkward silence surrounding them as they sat inside and it took him a moment before he started the engine. She glanced at him before her eyes went back to her fiddling fingers. "Thanks for.. you know, bringing me here. Despite me refusing first."

"It's okay."

Sinking further into her seat, she contemplated for a moment whether she should mention her knowledge of his past or not. She decided against it. He'd mention it if he wanted her to know. Still, she knew a lot more about him now while he still didn't know almost anything about her. Soyeon took her phone out and unlocked it, sliding it over the dashboard.

Furrowing his brows, he turned the engine off again and picked the phone up. Taking a look on the display. It was a photo of Soyeon wearing a necklace. She tapped on the display with her finger. "That's what they're after."

"The necklace?"

She nodded. "It's golden with emeralds.."

"Yeah, I can see that. But what's so special about it? I've seen bigger ones."

"Of course you did," she quietly breathed, earning a questioning look from him.

"What?"

"Nothing." She cleared her throat then, taking the device back. "Anyway, I don't know why they're after it either. Honestly, I'd have just given it to them if it meant they'd leave me alone but.." She paused, her eyes gleaming sadly. Making him wonder why her mood changed. "But it's quite special to me," she admitted then, "My grandpa left it to me in his last will. It had been a gift from him to my grandma."

His features softened, understanding. "So obviously it has high emotional value." He gave her a sympathetic smile, seeing her nod. "I get it, really. I still have my first sword that my late uncle gave me," he smiled sadly. Leaning back in his seat then. "It's old. The blade not very sharp anymore and it has definitely seen better days but.. I'd never give it away."

Her eyes went up, reciprocating the smile.

"Still," he spoke up again as his brows knitted together in confusion, "It's weird those guys would be so persistent about a simple necklace."

"I know, it's ridiculous. They've literally hunted me all the way from Seoul."

The crease on Yoongi's forehead deepened and he chewed his bottom lip, thinking hard for any logical explanation. From his experience, there must be a deeper meaning behind it. It might not be a simple necklace after all, even if it seemed like one at first glance.

"Do you know where your grandfather got this necklace from?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. It was on one of his business trips I guess."

He perked up at this. "Business trips?"

"Yeah, he was an art buyer so he travelled a lot."

His eyes widened, as if he caught onto something. "Can you send me that photo?"

"S-sure."

She watched him starting the engine again, driving off. And he remained silent while driving. Sometimes glancing at her with a troubled expression. As if he knew something she didn't. Soyeon, still uncertain about his weird behaviour, sighed. Propping her chin onto her fist.

The sun had set awhile ago. The city lights shining brightly, tiring her for some reason. Or perhaps it was the late hour. She yawned. "My new place is just a few blocks from here. Just drop me at the next intersaction."

A deep frown set on his soft features as he looked at her with questioning eyes. "You want to return to the place you fled from? What if they're still there, waiting for you like last time?"

She shrugged awkwardly, his judging tone making her feel insecure about her idea. "I mean.. I don't have anywhere else to go right now and I think, I'll just.. I don't know.." Her eyes closed. Tiredness overtaking her. Not only did she feel physically exhausted, but also mentally. This whole situation drained her, to say the least. "I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do. You know, maybe I'll just give them the necklace after all if I encounter them again. It's not worth it, I mean.." Unintentional tears began welling up in the corners of her eyes and she tried to suppress them as best as she could, blinking them away when looking at him. "What am I supposed to do, Yoongi? What do you think I should do?"

Yoongi exhaled deeply, turning into a main street. "First, let's get you to a place they won't find you so soon. And then, with clear mind, decide what would be the best. I can't make that choice for you."

She pouted her lips, wiping away the single tear that rolled down her cheek. The car became slower and he eventually parked it at the side. "Just cry if you want to, no reason to hold back."

She looked up at him confused, meeting his worried glance. "I don't wanna cry.."

"So stubborn," he tutted, "You're already doing it."

Her eyes widened, not understanding. Only when he reached out, wiping the tears from her cheek with his thumb she realised they were streaming down her face, staining her cheeks. And in that moment, she gave in.

And he quietly sat there, only reaching out to hold her smaller hand and lightly squeaze it, since he was unsure of what else to do. Not wanting to interrupt her in any way as he felt she had held it back long enough.

Soon her sobs died down and she calmed down. Inhaling deeply, before looking at him and whiping the remaining tears with the back of her hand. "Thank you," she said for what had felt like the hundredth time that day. And for the hundredth time he said: "It's okay."

He let go of her hand then, grabbing the steering wheel and starting the engine again. Merging back into traffic.

"So where are you bringing me then?" she sniffed, not recognising the area.

"My place for now, if that's alright with you."

She let out a short laugh then. "Oh, Yoongi.. was this your plan all along, to get me to your place? You could've just asked so from the beginning," she smirked. Causing him to huff.

"I-it's just getting late and it'd be the safest place for you right now," he mumbled. His flustered expression and stuttering only made her burst out giggling.

"I know, relax. I was just messing with you."

He pouted, letting out a short laugh as well. "You know.." he began then, scratching the back of his neck. "Thanks for telling me what was going on. I get that it wasn't easy."

"It's alright. I thought you'd deserve to know after all this."

He nodded, contemplating for awhile. "Perhaps I should also be honest with you.. I avoided telling you about my past as well.."

"That you and your friends were thieves? I already know."

"You -" Startled, he almost switched lanes, earning a honk from another driver. "How do you -" He sighed then, having already figuring out the answer. "Cas, right?"

"Can't tell," she shrugged, acting innocent which caused him to laugh under his breath. Shaking his head. "This woman.. so you know?"

He didn't seem mad, which relieaved her. "Yeah. Honestly, I was first worried you might also be after the necklace if finding out but.. I thought my gut feeling couldn't be that wrong about you. So since I knew your secret, I told you mine. It was only fair."

"Your gut feeling, huh?" He peeked at her from the corner of his eye. "And what did your gut feeling tell you about me?"

She smiled to herself, glancing out so he wouldn't see her blushing. "Not much. Just that you're a good guy and I can trust you."

He smiled. "Good guys can also be jerks."

"Yeah, but you aren't one. Are you?"

"I try not to be."

"Well, you weren't one to me so far. That's good enough for me."

They eventually reached his place in a nice area with overall modern apartment buildings. Despite it being an apartment, it was quite large, although sparsely decorated. It mainly only contained dark furniture and a few figurines, along with several katana and a jersey decorating the walls.

She had somehow imagined with all the money they must've had collected over the years, that it'd look more showy. It was a pleasant surprise it wasn't though. It wouldn't have fit to his kind and more reserved personalitym she concluded.

Yoongi disappeared in a room then. And she stood there in the lounge area, not exactly knowing what to do with herself. She looked around, being a bit lost when hearing his steps again. Seeing him appearing then, holding a pillow.

She was about to thank him and reach out to grab it, when he let it drop on the couch and laid down. Leaving her dumbfounded. "Wha- Why are you laying on the couch?"

He blinked an eye open, arching a brow at her as he was confused about her confusion. "To sleep?"

"And where do I sleep?"

He simply pointed to the hallway. "Turn left, it's the last room in the back."

She huffed, following the direction his finger had shown her, then looked back down at him. Her arms folded in front of her chest. "You don't have to sleep on the couch.."

"It's okay, I don't mind."

"Stop always saying 'it's okay'," she groaned, getting frustrated, "You already did enough. I'd feel bad if I also kicked you out of your own bed."

"You aren't and it's fine," he grinned and closed his eyes again. Pretending having fallen asleep.

And she gave him a dead glare. "Seriously? I know you're not that fast asleep," she snorted, nudging his arm. He grabbed her wrist, preventing her from nudging him again and opened his eyes again. "Just go to bed already." His eyes were firm yet gentle. Making her breath hitch.

She pursed her lips then. "Fine. Thank you."

"Soyeon?"

"Hm."

"Stop always saying 'thank you'," he smiled and let go of her wrist. Closing his eyes once again. He expected to hear her complaining or finally walking out. He didn't expect, however, her slightly chapped lips to leave a peck on his cheek.

By the time his eyes fluttered open, she had already walked away, switching off the lights.

"Goodnight, Yoongi."

He breathed, staring at the dark ceiling above him.

"Goodnight, Soyeon."

»»»

next chapter: 0.4 here

Don't forget to like, reblog & leave feedback!♡ It motivates me to keep writing :)

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theold-ultraviolence · 2 years

Note

friend !! ahh hope you're doing well,, it's so very cool your taking a few requests !! i hope you're enjoying doing them 💗📚

i come with a few prompts for you from the lists you reblogged (a bit of a mix, i apologise), completely up to you though, do as the mood sways you !! could i possibly suggest: for my newest fave, our beloved and bedraggled eddie munson,, 11. barefoot (june prompts) and 22. kisses in the rain (touches ask list) ??

thank you so much,, you'll smash it 💕

Home Sweet Home (Eddie Munson x reader)

Summary: You and Eddie decide to go to the prom despite it not being each other’s conventional scene, but a series of unfortunate events interfere with your night. /// (A/N: FRIEND!! This one is extra special because I'm so happy to be able to write something requested by you, when I've been the one flooding your inbox with requests since last year lol! I hope this lives up to it, and thank you so, so much for these prompts! I got a little carried away and this ended up being 3k words long, oops). No CW warnings, just a little bit of angst and a lot of fluff.

Getting Eddie to comply with you was easy.

Rarely did he ever deny you anything.

Even knowing this, you never exploited your power – only used it for the dumbest things and never actually on purpose.

You craved ice cream before he dropped you off at your home after school? You bet he’d take you for one, get you a double scoop and even persuade you into adding sprinkles. You insinuated your curiosity over watching Footloose at the theater? He’d complain the entire time but would accompany you anyway – and as a way of thanks, you wouldn’t tease him for having looked enthralled by the plot despite the front that he put forth.

Often you didn’t even have to ask; you mentioned that you were cold? His leather jacket would be around your frame in a second; feeling under the weather? Eddie would be spooning you from behind without making a single noise to let you sleep.

But now that school was ending and the one miracle you’d been hoping for did happen – Eddie passed all his classes and would be able to graduate with you – you debated on whether you’d have the heart to ask for the one thing you’ve been dreaming of since you were a freshman, but that you knew it would be a torture for him.

It wasn’t going to be his scene at all; he didn’t get along with anybody outside Hellfire club and the first thing he’d want to do after receiving his diploma would be to just dodge everyone and get the hell out of the place.

But you really wanted to go to the prom...

It’s not like it was your scene either. But your desire to go lay in it being the one occasion where you’d be able to get all dressed up and maybe feel truly beautiful, like the actresses in the romcoms you secretly liked, just for once. You were no beauty queen in Hawkins, though it wasn’t something you lost sleep over. You just wanted to know, for one night, before going back to reality.

Even so, Eddie wouldn’t want to go – had been going on rants for the majority of the school year about how shallow of a tradition it was and that he’d rather be caught dead than in a tuxedo, or eat dirt rather than listen to the lame ass band that they’d hire to play.

Part of you wanted to save yourselves the trouble and simply forget about it and another part of you wanted to just see what happens if you do run the idea by him.

“What’s going on in that lovely head of yours?”

He asks you from underneath his van, all laid up on a skateboard on a Saturday morning in which you had decided to ditch your own work to be with Eddie. He was home doing mechanic work on his van and you didn’t want to be stuck in a diner all morning, for it was the first sunny day out after having had a series of rare overcast days in June.

“Nothing at all” you sigh as you idly toy around with Eddie’s toolbox while sitting cross legged on the floor next to him.

“Babe, I can see the gears turning over in your head from here.”

You look at him, with his stained Megadeth crop tee, face all covered in grease and hair a messy halo sticking out underneath a bandana from the position he’s in and you think there’s no way in hell that he’ll ever agree to this, but his twinkling eyes are nothing if not genuine – forever eager to to rid you of any and all burdens.

So you take one big intake of air and let your words out in one quick beat.

“Listen, I've given this a lot of thought and – you don’t have to say yes if that’s not what you want! It’s totally cool if you say no. I was just wondering if – ”

“-- Babe.”

“-- I-I was just wondering about… prom, that’s all…”

He stops everything he’s doing and rolls himself away from the car to look straight into your face.

“You wanna go? To the…prom?”

“No! I was just thinking – I don’t! I was just looking at dresses at the mall the other day and it got me thinking but no, I don’t want to go, Eds.”

“(Y/N), do you want to go to the prom?” His tone is deadpan and his eyebrows are raised to the fucking sky. You can’t look him straight in the eyes like that.

This was such a bad, bad idea, why did you open your big mouth?

“But you don’t want to go, Eddie, you’ve said so a thousand times and I wouldn’t want to go without you.”

He gets off the skateboard and sits right in front of you. “Baby, be honest with me. Do you want to go?”

You’re paralized, eyes focusing on your fingers picking at your cuticles to avoid his heated gaze as the awkwardness stretches far and wide all over the trailer park.

“We’ll go.” He finally cuts through the silence.

“Eddie, don’t feel like you have to, seriously!”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll go.”

He accentuates his conviction by grabbing your hand, and though he smiles you can still detect the faraway storm brewing in his dark eyes, tightening the knot around your throat.

You give his hand a loving squeeze and try to keep diverting the tension in the most lighthearted way you could think of.

“What are you gonna wear though?” You jokingly scrunch your nose and to your relief he actually wheezes a laugh.

“Definitely not a tux, fuck that.”

The conversation resumes with you joking around about who was gonna wear what, who was gonna take who, what kind of shitty cover band they’d bring and so on…

And after a while, when the sun rays have finally become gentler, you remark, “Just promise me something. If you feel uncomfortable, even in the slightest, just tell me and we’re out of there.”

“Don’t worry about me, (Y/N).” He shakes his head with a certain kind of warmth in his eyes.

But you did, you did, you did, you always worried about him because you could see beyond his curtain of cheer that perpetually enveloped him.

You hope that the evening wouldn’t turn out to be a total disaster.

—

A week later…

God damnit, it better not rain. It’s June!

You plead as you gaze towards the gigantic clouds that hover over the graying sky as you wait for Eddie on your front porch, feeling the chill deeply seeping into your bones.

You had been jittery all morning; first upon waking after a sleepless night filled with anticipation followed by the process of obsessing over every minute detail of your hair and makeup when getting ready and lastly, waiting for Eddie’s call at 6 pm, walking circles all around your empty living room.

“Gotten all dolled up yet, baby?”

You couldn't control your sprinting over to the telephone, nervously twirling the cord around your finger.

“Well I’m no cheer queen, but I’d like to think I cleaned up okay.”

“Don’t say that, you always look beautiful. Alright, I’m outta here then – pick you up in 30.”

“See you soon, Eddie.”

And true to his word, you didn’t have to wait for long in the cold outside your house. Soon, Eddie’s van pulls up to the front porch and you’re swooning over the sight that greets you.

He wasn’t joking when he said he wouldn’t wear a tux and truthfully you wouldn’t have it any other way because you’re so weak at the knees you can’t even walk down your front steps properly.

He looks so handsome in proper black suit pants and a navy blue shirt, even if his uncle must’ve lent him those because they hung a little too loose on his frame; he has his signature leather jacket on, without missing his usual rings, frizzy mop of hair and a bright grin on his face.

“Wow, look at you!” You exclaim as you giddily come down your front steps to hug him.

“Look at you! – baby you look amazing.”

Compliments from Eddie are never scarce yet still they make you feel all flushed and radiant every single time, especially today.

Your dress is honestly simple; it’s a burgundy, spaghetti strapped long dress with a sweetheart neckline, with sheer draping that lines the neck and chest and also makes up its puffy sleeves, with intricate lace details over the hem. You’re sure it wouldn’t be the most extravagant thing at prom judging from the variety of dresses you encountered at the mall, but this is you – and with Eddie by your side, you truly look like you belong to one another.

“Wait – we have to immortalize the moment. The freaks of Hawkins High go to prom!” Eddie sing-songs while pulling out his polaroid camera from the van to take several pictures of the both of you in different goofy poses before a last one where you’re properly smiling – looking like the standard kids posing in their house before going to the dance (Only it wasn’t the parents taking the picture, because yours had been away for the whole weekend, regardless of you telling them that you were going to the prom).

“Ready to go?” He mutters against your forehead before kissing you.

“Lead the way.”

–

The drive is as fun as it always is with Eddie on the steering wheel, with his van filled with laughter and music. If Eddie was nervous deep inside like you were, he never showed it. It helps that he’s blasting School’s Out by Alice Cooper on the stereo, which really puts you in this kind of invincible mood when it just hits you that this period of your life is finished at last and you’ve freedom to do whatever you pleased.

Besides, you’re all geared up if you decide to bail. The plan was that, if you decided that the thing was boring – if the music was too lame, or if the jocks bothered you – you’d simply head out to his trailer, order takeout, watch a film and have yourselves a real grad celebration with lots of rounds and zero sleep.

Not to mention that you’d already stopped by the convenience store to stock up on alcohol…should you need to spike up the fruit punch at school.

You’re halfway to your highschool now and the sky had fully dressed up in darker hues of blue while the first drizzle of rain had begun to fall, prompting Eddie to turn on the windshield wipers while you keep playing games along the way.

“Okay, okay, okay, I got it – would you rather go to Carrie’s prom, or the one from Prom Night?”

“Eddie, that is so morbid, neither!”

“No, no, no you gotta pick one, baby!” He looks at you with a mad grin and you find the more time you spend in Eddie’s company, the less anxious you feel about the whole ordeal. It’s always been easy with him, calming your nerves regardless of the situation.

In a momentary lapse feeling all star struck looking at his smiling profile, it passes through your mind that, even if the actual prom turns out to be a disaster, you’ll still enjoy the night because you have Eddie with you.

“Either way I’ll get murdered, I don’t want to pick.”

“Think about it, it’s an easy choice,” he continues, “If you go to Carrie’s prom your chances of survival are definitely 0 or maybe 1 if you’re lucky because she goes after everyone at the gym; If you go to the one from Prom Night you’re pretty much safe if–”

“ – EDDIE, WATCH OUT!”

Suddenly a car comes speeding out of nowhere, cutting your way so abruptly that Eddie loses control with the tires slipping on the rainy road and in mere seconds the van is being hauled all over the woods on the roadside.

“SHIT, Fucking asshole! You okay (Y/N)!?” Eddie gasps as he’s able to pull the breaks before you could crash against a tree.

The impact had been the scariest but other than your racing heart you feel fine.

“Yeah, I’m okay, at least he didn’t crash against us,” you heave and grab Eddie’s hand to ease both of your trembling.

He gives your hand a tight squeeze and lets out in one breath, “FUCK, I had just changed these tires a week ago!”

Eddie’s out of the van in an instant to check the state of the van and to his dismay his new tires were all flattened and out of their sockets.

He huffs and groans in annoyance upon looking in the back of the van and realizing that he had forgotten his toolbox at home because his Uncle Wayne had asked to borrow it.

“SHIT, SHIT, SHIT! Didn’t we just pass a payphone a while back? Fuck, I hope Thatcher Tire is still open. If not I'll have to call my uncle and he’s gonna give me such shit for having wrecked the van – ”

You know how the saying goes, ‘when it rains, it pours?’ well that’s exactly what happens in the next minute. You hadn’t even answered Eddie when all at once you’re soaked from an intense shower of rain.

“--SHIT!”

“We can’t walk all the way to the payphone in this rain, Eddie!” You shout over the sound of the storm.

“We’ll be stuck here otherwise, (Y/N). Don’t worry, I must have a raincoat in the backseat. You stay here and I’ll go.”

To your bad luck, all he has in the backseat is a military green puffer vest, not much of a cover-up for this storm. He gives his leather jacket to you instead and takes the vest for himself.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go! You stay here inside the van and I’ll be right back!”

“Be careful, Eddie, please.”

“I’ll be alright, sweetheart. Stay put!”

—

…It’s been around 5 hours of waiting inside the safe shelter of Eddie’s van.

The first time he’d taken the trek to the payphone he’d come back drenched and wound up because Thatcher Tire had indeed closed. He tried to phone home for his Uncle but even he knew that it would be useless, seeing as how Wayne always came home in the early hours of the morning.

Two hours inside the van, your stomachs had begun growling so you took one for the team and ventured out to the nearest convenience store you found, about six blocks away. The money you had you’d already spent on alcohol, so you only had enough left for a couple of sad looking hot dogs that got wet as you made your way back to the car.

And this really had to be the worst moment to wear high heels.

The first thing you do when you come back is to shove your heels off your shoes to free your blistering feet.

You start getting antsy as another hour goes by – with no other cars passing along the road, and the battery of the van threatening to die out from having had the lights and the stereo on.

With all the strength he has left, he tries one last time to go and reach his uncle, and comes back absolutely beaten with defeat. The best Eddie could do was leave a message for him with a neighbor, and hope that they wouldn’t forget to give it to him so that Wayne would come to their rescue.

Prom night has been reduced to lying still in the back of the van, with aching muscles and bodies covered by his leather jacket and puffer vest as makeshift blankets.

The aftershock of the incident had drained you completely, so you didn’t even have any energy left to talk – simply laid there in the darkness, head to head, staring at the ceiling while listening to the deluge outside.

This is probably the first time that Eddie has remained this quiet for so long, ever since you’ve known him – something that unnerves you until you can’t bear it anymore.

You tentatively turn your head to nuzzle the side of his neck and murmur timidly, “Eddie?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry…”

“What the fuck, why are you sorry!?”

“What do you mean why? I was the one that wanted to go to the prom. If we had stayed back at your trailer like we usually do on date nights, we wouldn’t have had this accident. I’m sorry.”

“(Y/N), this isn’t your fault. No one could’ve predicted this. I’m the one that should be sorry, I should’ve been paying attention to the road.”

“That guy came out of nowhere, though.”

“Look on the bright side, at least we don’t have to listen to a shitty band or eat shitty food. Well…shittier than the wet hot dogs.”

You snicker, stomachs twirling over the mere remembrance of the soggy bread on that rubbery hot dog that had been more fulfilling than the stale snacks Eddie had in his van compartments.

“Yeah we saved ourselves from watching Jason get crowned as prom king, ugh, who wants to see that?”

“You know what,” he kneels towards the front of the van to turn the radio back on.

“Fuck it! The battery’s gonna die anyway, might as well enjoy our time until Wayne gets here. Who says we can’t have our own little prom out here?”

“What are you talking about?”

The car comes back to life with the sound of static from the changing radio stations, and excitement fills the hole in your belly that had formed from the horrible experience you’d just been through.

“You think the rock station will play some danceable tunes?”

“You wanna dance? In the rain? Even with the blisters in our feet?” You’re listing complaints but the smile that stretches your lips wide can’t be controlled, you’re already rising to your knees.

“We might regret it tomorrow when we’re in our deathbeds with a fucking cold from dancing barefoot, but…We only get one chance, princess.”

You swear he looks like your very own dark prince when he offers his hand to you and leads you out into the woods after having raised the volume of the stereo to its max.

From within the van, a melancholic yet heartening melody in piano begins to reverberate through the woods, surpassing the sound of the rain. You recognize the song to be Home Sweet Home by Mötley Crüe.

“Ohh, now that’s a prom song!” Eddie shouts out with his gaze towards the rainy sky and a fist in the air.

With your bare feet and Eddie’s leather jacket around your shoulders, you walk through the wet soil, finding the perfect spot that’s illuminated both by the warm light coming from Eddie’s van as well as the stars and moonbeams that peek through the foliage of the trees.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” You giggle as you awkwardly try to figure out where to put your hands – how does one even begin to dance?

“Me either,” Eddie grins with his full teeth on display and wrinkles around his eyes, “Just hold on to me.”

You rest your hands around his neck while his arms settle in the small of your back, bringing you close to his warmth as you begin to sway.

Mick Mars’ guitar accompanies the softness of the piano before diving into an electrifying, victorious chord that catapults the song into a stellar dimension that compels you to lay your head against Eddie’s chest and let yourself be transported – hold on to the ride as the song takes you on a tour towards a whole other galaxy.

And beyond the rain and your steep clothes and all the misadventures that got you into this very moment, you remember the passing thought that you’d had earlier on the road.

With Eddie, even the bad times are worth living.

You lift your gaze to him and your heart takes a happy leap within you when you see the loving smile on his face.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here – with my bare feet full of blisters, a potential cold, dancing to Mötley Crüe with you, Eddie. This truly surpassed my expectations of the prom.”

He’s rendered speechless, so he replies to you in the best way he could.

With his hands framed around your cheeks and lips locked with yours in a kiss that seems to last a lifetime, all throughout the bridge of the song.

A kiss that swims over the powerful notes of the guitar and the hopeful chorus that repeats Home Sweet Home on and on until the end.

And with the closing piano and vestiges of the melody being hummed by Vince Neil, it dawns on you that high school is over, that you’re both free and on your way to a better place that, to you, it starts with this.

With Eddie’s arms, Eddie’s kiss – your own home sweet home.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #fanfiction #reader insert #stranger things #prompt fill #my writing #fluff and a little bit of angst #gender neutral reader

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thegloweringcastle · 1 year

Text

Part Two - 365 Days Later

@the-lonelybarricade, remember how HOURS AGO I said it would be posted soon? Lol well it’s finally here. Sorry it took so long 🫣

Also, when you told me that your favorite romcom was About Time it took all of my willpower to not start over and write it as a feysand au because ITS MY FAVORITE TOO!! Gets me in my feels every time and I love it. Suffice to say, I will continue to work on it for my own enjoyment because it is a need, not a want.

I hope that you enjoy this next chapter as much as the last!

@acotargiftexchange

warnings: none(?)

word count: ~3.3k

Feyre’s second arrival in Velaris sparked the same giddiness and awe as her first trip. And this time, she was looking forward to more than just the winding river and picturesque mountains. This time, she was anxious to see the man who had consumed her every thought for the past three hundred and sixty five days.

The air was crisp with seasalt and snow, and the setting sun poured over the city like chilled honey. Holiday decorations of all kinds lined the streets, and people smiled at each other as they passed. As Feyre made her way to the fabric shop on the corner, she decided she would gladly live in a place like this.

Someday, she promised herself.

She lugged the canvas - wrapped in layers upon layers of protective foam and paper - all the way from the train station to the shop on the corner, and when she opened the door, the scent of jasmine washed over her like a wave of nostalgia; a dream from so long ago it was nearly fantastical, nearly too good to be true.

But there he was, sitting on a stool behind the front counter, his violet eyes flashing over the pages of an old cracked paperback dwarfed by one single hand.

He only looked up when the door shut.

Feyre smirked. “Hello, prick.”

His grin was even brighter than she remembered.

***

Rhysand would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about Feyre over the past year. There and then gone, that short time they spent together had been like a spell cast on him. He couldn’t think about any woman - anyone - but her. And then, when it had gotten later and later into the day with still no sign of her, Rhys had been worried. Until she appeared in the wink of an eye, standing in the doorway of his mother’s shop; that was when Rhys’ best dreams had come true.

“What?” She said, after he had been silent for one heartbeat too long. “Did you think I would go back on our deal?”

“Not at all, darling.” He stood and stepped from behind the counter to greet her. “I just lost track of the days.” Liar. He had multiple countdowns going on his calendar and cellphone.

“I present to you a Feyre Archeron original.” Archeron. Rhys liked the sound of it. He even believed it would sound rather nice with his own name. Archeron - Moreno. Yes, he could get used to it.

She hefted a large, flat cardboard box onto the counter and slid it across to him like in a drug deal.

“Can I open it -”

“Rhysand!”

Feyre raised a single, thin brow at him.

“One second Fey-”

“Rhysand, sweetie, have you seen my chalk?”

Rhys turned just in time to see his mom slip around the corner from the back of the shop where her work room was located.

“I thought I set it on the…” Her gaze landed on Feyre, then the box, then back on Feyre. “Hello dear! Is Rhysie here treating you well? I’m happy to help you if there’s something in particular you’re looking for.”

Rhys appreciated the effort Feyre put towards not laughing. Still, her mouth hitched up in a smile as she spoke. “Oh that’s okay ma’am. I was just delivering a gift to Rhysie here.”

“Oh, well go ahead and open it! Don’t let me interrupt.”

“Sorry, mom. Top secret.” He ignored the flush creeping up his neck and instead moved around the counter to stand beside Feyre. “Ma, I don’t believe you’ve met Feyre. Feyre, this is my mother and the owner of this shop. Mom, this is Feyre Archeron, world renowned artist with a surprisingly accurate aim.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, miss...” Feyre stuck her hand out but was instead pulled into a hug.

“Please, call me Zyra. You must be the lovely girl Rhys won’t stop talking about! I have to know, did you really-”

“Okay!” Rhys clapped his hands once and grabbed his coat from the rack. “Feyre needs help with a project, so we’ll be very busy the rest of the evening. Will you be okay on your own in the shop for a while?”

“Bah,” She waved a hand in the air. “I’m just doing finishing touches on Emerie and Mor’s gowns for their engagement party. You kids go have fun - and stay warm!”

After another round of hugs and, much to Rhys’ embarrassment, cheek kisses, they were out of the shop and strolling down the sidewalk. For a few long minutes, Rhys was too mortified to look at Feyre. When he did, her eyes seemed to hold more moisture than before.

“You’re mom is…” Her voice seemed more strained than usual. “She is very kind.”

Rhys didn’t know what to say to that. The plain, honest truth? Yes, and she’s saved my life by saving the lives of those I love. She’s saved my life by loving me. Acknowledge it without seeming clingy? Yes, she is. She’s a spitfire; it’s where my cousin and sister get it from.

But while Rhys was caught up in his head, Feyre had already moved on.

“I know what I would like you to do for me as part of our deal.”

This was something he could handle. “Oh? I’m intrigued.”

“I have one last portfolio to submit to get my degree in the spring. The theme is ‘dark’, and I was hoping you could give me a tour of the ‘Star Light City’.” She gestured to one of the banners, embroidered with the city’s nickname, hanging below a garland-clad lamppost.

“Feyre darling, it would be my honor.” Rhys offered his elbow, and his heart sped up when she took it. “I know just the place to begin.”

***

For what felt like the millionth time, Feyre stopped them to take photos. She seemed enamored with the river, entranced by the colorful streets and smiling people, and even more taken with the stars beginning to peek through in the quickly darkening sky. Every single thing Rhysand saw as a normal part of life, Feyre saw as a work of art. And he loved it. Indeed, he too liked to take a moment and appreciate the beauty of the world around him; he certainly wouldn’t take it for granted. But watching her fall in love with the sight of ice formations along the riverbank or the individuals walking through the city at night brought more joy to Rhys than anything in the world.

He heard the shutter click once, twice, three times more. Rhys wondered what that was like, to experience the whole world through paint and charcoal and camera lenses. Was it as lonely as it looked?

He turned and leaned against the rail they stood at, angling his head to look at Feyre. “Is it difficult to love art?”

Feyre let the camera down to hang from the strap around her neck and looked at Rhys. “What do you mean? Art’s probably my favorite thing in the world.” She glanced downwards, shy. “Or at least, one of my favorite things.”

Rhys shrugged. “I don’t know. Does it ever make you feel… disconnected?”

Feyre shook her head, her cheeks - rosy from the cold - tightening in a smile. “Not really,” She turned and mimicked his position. “Art, for me, is a way to connect with everyone. All these people around us have lives of their own, stories that nobody knows. Art is like skimming the surface of those stories; making new friends everywhere, if only for a brief time.” She shrugged. “Besides, even when it does make me feel lonely, it’s never as lonely as life without art.”

“How often does it make you feel lonely?”

She paused, held her breath, scanned the building in front of them. Rhys imagined she was searching for words, filing through her thoughts like one would a catalog. “If I am feeling lonely, it is not usually because of art.”

As Rhys tried to think of a response to that, Feyre lifted the camera back up to her face and snapped a picture of him.

She hit a button and looked at the digital screen, her face creasing into a frown. “Oh darn,” She drawled. “Your face got in the way. That’s too bad, it would have been really good otherwise.”

Rhys let out a deep, rumbling laugh, and Feyre’s returning smile was better than any photograph, disrupted or not. “I think you would get along with my sister and cousin quite well.”

***

Ice skating was one of the many childhood experiences that Feyre had never had. Rhysand made it look easy enough, gliding around on shiny blades and slick ice, but after she had tightened her shoes and stood from the bench, she realized she was not as physically fit as she originally thought.

The outdoor rink was small and empty, save for the two of them and a group of teenagers messing around at one end, which made Feyre far less self conscious and a far lower risk to her surroundings.

“Have you got it alright?” Rhys swooped in front of her, ice shavings flying through the air as he slid to a stop.

“Yes, but-” She was breathless. “How do you expect me to take pictures? I really shouldn’t be doing this with a camera.” She reached her arms out, grabbing for Rhys as she began to move without actually moving. She flailed a bit more, but he settled her by resting her hands on his shoulders and mirroring her.

“Alright, you hang on tight, and after we get going maybe you can start getting some shots. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” She gasped. “But I swear by the cauldron, if you let me fall and my camera breaks-”

“I’ll buy you a new one and carry you to the hospital. I promise.” His grin was sly, but his eyes were soft. Far more lively than the replicas she had tried so hard to paint in the months since she’d seen him.

She moved to take a picture of them, but realized too many photos of him might seem… odd. He didn’t need to know she had been thinking about him, and only him, for the past year. His head already had trouble fitting through the door. So, Feyre ended up getting a photo of their shadows intertwining on the surface of the ice. And she didn’t think it turned out too bad.

“Keep your eyes on something that’s not moving to help your balance.” His words were practically a direct order for Feyre to get lost in his gaze. She felt better that he was staring at her too. “Have you ever been ice skating before?”

“Nope,” Her ankles wobbled. It took more strength than she thought. “My parents… I never got the chance.” They hit a rough patch of ice, and their momentum nearly took them out.

“Easy,” His deep voice slid down her spine, chilling her with white hot sparks. He leaned in closer, and she found she didn’t mind the invasion of space. Feyre had fallen against Rhysand’s chest where the scent of jasmine engulfed her senses; a knot of anxiety unwound in her stomach, the pressure in her neck eased. “You okay? Your parents clearly did you a disservice by never taking you skating. A wipeout like that could have ended very badly for both of us, and then who would have carried you so valiantly through the snow and to the hospital?”

“Ah, well,” She shifted her weight. “I’m sure you would have found a way to manage.” She pushed one foot back, copying Rhys’ movements, and then the other. She started moving, wobbling like a newborn foal the whole way.

Rhys whooped, the sound echoing through the park. “You’re doing it!” He began to slip one hand from hers. “Think we could go side by side? Don’t worry, I’ll go slow.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Feyre clung to him like he was a lifeline. “Rhys, I don't think that’s a good idea! Rhysand!”

“Don’t worry darling, I’ve got you.” He swept around to stand behind her, and it almost would have been romantic if he weren’t holding her hands like an adult helping a baby learn to walk. Feyre, however, couldn’t find it in herself to care, and was far more concerned about not falling while carrying an expensive piece of art equipment.

Before she knew it, she was no longer shuffling along the ice like a penguin, but rather gliding in short bursts, clinging to only one of Rhys’ hands as they went.

“There you go, you’ve got it!” The sentence was a jinx. Feyre looked away from the ground to meet his eyes, pushed off with the wrong foot, and promptly fell down, pulling Rhys with her.

Her breath left her with an oof as he landed half-atop her, before turning into a laugh.

His laugh froze in front of him. “Are you okay?”

“The real question: is the camera okay? If the camera is okay, then I am okay.” She sat up, inspecting the lens, different buttons and dials, and screen. “Yes,” she said with a relieved sigh. “Everything's good. Honestly I’m surprised it took me that long to go down.” She readjusted her hat but made no move to stand, her unsteady legs appreciating the break.

“I’m not. You’re a natural! I hope you’re ready to go to the Olympics with me.”

When he angled his head down to meet her gaze, the world gave Feyre the perfect birthday gift; it handed her the highlight of her portfolio on a silver platter. The loose ice shavings suspended in his hair looked like stars, his black hair as dark as midnight, and it all blended perfectly into the backdrop of the night sky.

“Don’t move,” She raised her camera up, lining everything up just so, so that it looked as if Rhys and the night were one. Really, after getting to know him, she wouldn’t have found it hard to believe if they were. “Perfect.”

“Yep,” He leaned back on the cold, snow coated ice. “I know I am.”

She rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw the spirit realm. “Har-har. You’re hilarious.” But still, she laid down beside him, staring up at the endless sea of stars.

It was a while until Rhys broke the silence, his words an ax to ice. “Can I ask you why you’re here alone on your birthday?”

He remembered? She didn’t think he would remember the small mention she made last year of her birthday trip. “I don’t…” He waited patiently while she searched for the words. “My sisters - Elain and Nesta - and I, do not always get along. And because my birthday is so close to the holidays, it requires either a lot of traveling or one long stay away from their homes, neither of which are options they’re fond of. They were both able to escape our hometown - I wasn’t - and they have their lives set up nicely elsewhere. I can’t really blame them.” She never really acknowledged how wrong it was until she said the words out loud, and even then, she could see the logic of it all.

“‘Escape’? I’m going to go out on a limb and bet none of you like your hometown. If you hate it so much, why do you stay?”

She shrugged. “A few reasons. Partially because of school, partially because I can’t afford anywhere else.”

“What about your parents? Extended family? Couldn’t they help?”

“Um, no, and… “ She didn’t know how to say it. She didn’t know if she should say it. So she deflected. “Not to sound snotty or anything but why do you care so much?” She tried to soften the sentence with an easy laugh.

“Everyone deserves to be happy with their lives.” He shrugged. “Didn’t mean to pry though. Sorry.”

She changed the subject. “What about you?” She rolled her head to the side so she could see him. “What are you doing now? You said last time you graduated in the spring.”

He actually blushed. Almost as brightly as when Feyre met his mom. “I was actually planning to run in the next election. About two years from now.”

“What?” Her eyes widened. “That’s amazing, Rhys.”

Again, he shrugged. “Calm down now, I haven’t won yet.”

“Emphasis on the ‘yet’. You’ll do great.”

He chuckled. “I appreciate your confidence in me,” He chuckled. “But I highly doubt that the citizens will vote for a young adult fresh out of university.”

“Rhysand Moreno,” Feyre sat up, tugging Rhys with her. “You are simultaneously the most arrogant prick I have ever met in my entire life, but you also have a heart bigger than the moon. You have everything it takes to be an elected government official, more specifically a good, kind government official.” She glared at his impish grin. “What are you smiling at?”

“Feyre darling, your lips are blue.” He brought his hand up and brushed one, bare thumb across her mouth. Feyre didn’t know how his hands weren’t freezing, all she knew was that the bitter cold was suddenly not so bitter. “Come on,” He helped her stand. “Let’s get some hot tea.”

***

Flames danced around the fireplace in the hotel lobby, licking and jumping at the garland strung from the mantelpiece and casting wild shadows across the hardwood floors.

Rhys stared into his cup, swirling the last dregs of his tea around the bottom. “You know, it’s too bad you’re not staying for New Year’s.

“What, you don’t have anyone else to kiss at midnight?” He had to admit, she was getting good at replicating his smirk.

“No, it’s not that.” It was just that there was no one else he wanted to kiss. “You see, here in Velaris, we have something better than fireworks. I think you would enjoy it. Especially as an artist.”

Feyre raised a skeptical brow. “I have trouble believing there is such a thing as something better than New Year’s fireworks.”

“Hmm,” He looked at her through lazy, half-lidded eyes. “Perhaps you’ll just have to visit on New Year’s Eve and find out.”

“I suppose so.” She set her teacup down on a coaster, and Rhys didn’t miss the questioning look she sent its way. “Tell you what, Rhys. I will arrive on New Year’s Eve and stay the night so you can show me this proclaimed ‘better than fireworks’ display,” she cleared her throat. “evenifitsjustsoicansayyourewrong.” She fanned herself. “Sorry, frog in my throat. Anyways, I will come for New Year’s, and in exchange you will let me spend some more time with you and your mother.”

That was… not at all what he expected her to ask for. It definitely wasn’t what he wanted her to ask for. When he brought his focus back to her, he realized she was shy, maybe even a little sad. And for the first time since their conversation at the ice-rink, he wondered how lonely her life away from Velaris was like.

“Feyre darling, are you trying to make another deal with me?” Her cheeks flushed; there was his answer. “If so, I am more than happy to agree to it.”

Their handshake was firm, and Feyre’s touch warmed Rhys to his very bones. “I just hope I can make it the extra ten days without you, darling.”

It wasn’t until Feyre was on the train early the next morning that she found the gift and card inside her purse. The letter, a greeting card with Van Gogh’s Sunflowers covering the front, was a simple birthday wish. What made it special was the person it was from and the number they left. Despite the struggles her following year brought, Feyre could safely say that it was one of the better years she had had in a long, long time. If you were to ask her, she would say there was no correlation between that fact and the messages she often received. You wouldn’t have to be a genius to know she was lying.

#feysand #rhysand #feyre archeron #home for the cold spell #acotar holiday gift swap

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missyourflight · 7 months

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some stuff i read and watched in september:

my brilliant friend (s1-3): had a bit of ferrante fever and rinsed through this, i think it's v well done as an adaptation -- it's been so long since i read the first couple of books that the casting of the lads made them feel much more vivid than i remembered, also i Need to go to florence

foundation (s2): honestly entertainment peaked with deranged space emperor clone lee pace spitting blood in ben daniels' face and snarling i fucking love it, hope to see it back in 2-3 years probably!

the gold: finally got around to this bc they were talking about it on the watch lol, very cool the way it sort of sprawls out from the original heist and just keeps going, classic dcoop sketchiness, still mulling over casting jack lowden as lymond bc what other blonde scottish actors even are there

starstruck (s3): ROSE MATAFEO FOREVER etc. this season pretty much an anti-romcom which i'm on board with, the friendship stuff fucked me up, not to get into but phew re: being single in your thirties while all your friends are having kids etc

passages: really liked this but somehow didn't love it quite as much as i expected to, franz ben adele perfect, whishaw really come full circle since basically playing the franz role in cock at the royal court lol, beautiful knitwear outfits homewares

the best years of our lives: like 3 hours long but doesn't feel it, quietly devastatingly empathetic story of returning ww2 veterans, i need to watch the five come back series on netflix bc william wyler is so so good

a haunting in venice: i would also like to go to venice, kenbran's having fun at least my dutch angle king, i hope they keep letting him make these forever although i also rewatched tenet and nothing here tops the part where he jogs slowly backwards through time

the broken hearts gallery: the best of a bunch of recent-ish romances i watched, geraldine viswanathan is a Star

michael clayton: somehow hadn't seen this before but very satisfying like corporate thriller, tom wilkinson and tilda are great, i want to rewatch andor now

elena ferrante, the story of the lost child: finally finished the neapolitan novels, fuck me up elena. can't think of a comparable series of like adult novels that go this hard for me, maybe st aubyn? yowl

colin walsh, kala: this ripped actually, loved like the irish specificity of the voices

james frankie thomas, idlewild: literally took critical damage every time i had to read the word HoYay but this was great and painful about like being a horrible little queer teenager and codependent friendships and livejournal and annotated fanfiction etc

marilynne robinson, gilead: ow i loved this, i think it's a real skill to make like goodness compelling, looking forward to being devastated by the rest of the series etc

sylvia townsend warner, lolly willowes: 🧙‍♀️🍂🌝

katie kitamura, intimacies: more things should be set at the courts in the hague tbh! made me think about translation a lot and also black earth rising

cat sebastian, we could be so good: sometimes you just want to read a gay romance about being in love with your best friend innit

operation mincemeat: omg i actually went to the theatre, this was silly and very much The British Hamilton but i loved it and i cried and i ordered drinks to my seat, 5 stars etc

the effect: i didn't see the original billie piper staging but i love lucy prebble and i loved this cast, literally paapa essiedu can do anything, kobna holdbrook smith reminded me that i should carry on with the rivers of london audibooks, one in a long list of signs that i should probably talk to someone about my mental health lol

#monthly media #sophposting

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coreancitizen · 1 year

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2022 Year in Review: My Korean drama recommendations

2022 went by so quickly, and I think that's partly because almost every week I had new episodes of shows to look forward to. I'm a bit of a contradiction: I don't have the patience to wait for a new show to be completed so I could binge it, but I (maybe not-so) patiently wait for episodes every week, haha. TBH, I find I'm more invested in a show and its characters when I watch a drama weekly. And there were so many characters worth the investment in 2022: Woo Young Woo, Queen Im Hwa Ryeong, the Oh sisters, Kim Yumi, Jin Do Jun and Jang Uk, to name a few.

I just want to make clear that, as in previous years, this is by no means a list of the best Korean dramas of 2022. These are merely my favorites among the ones I watched that premiered in 2022 (or ended in 2022).

You can find my previous roundups here:

2021: Year in Review 2020: Year in Review

YUMI'S CELLS 2

New season means new love for Kim Yumi (Kim Go Eun) as she begins a romance with co-worker Yoo Babi following her breakup with video game designer Goo Woong. TBH, I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about the new pairing — I have a soft spot for Ahn Bo Hyun — but Jinyoung charmed me even before the series started. He and Go Eun have a sweet and natural chemistry that made me root for Yumi and Babi, even knowing how the relationship ended in the webtoon. Another thing I love about the series is its portrayal of Yumi's pursuit of her dream to be a writer — from the frustrations of earlier rejections to keeping it positive while faced with criticisms and the satisfaction of another job (book) well done. That shot of her jumping on the bed toward the end of the series was cathartic and the perfect cap to Yumi's growth. (Viki)

LITTLE WOMEN

This is NOT Louisa May Alcott's famous novel though it does share some themes and puts sisters at the forefront of the story. The Oh sisters — In Joo, In Kyung and In Hye — just want to live a life not steeped in poverty. So when 2 billion won falls on In Joo's lap, their problems are over, right? Nope. A multitude of troubles arrive as the sisters get entangled with a rich, powerful and corrupt family with a lot of unscrupulous allies. This series got me on the edge of my seat from the very first episode and the thrills and tension never let up until the end. I absolutely love how messy and chaotic the sisters and their relationships with each other are. They love but they also fight, annoy and block each other, LOL! Now please cast Kim Go Eun and Wi Ha Joon in an action comedy series or film and give them the ending on the sunny beaches of Greece that their characters deserve. (Netflix)

BULGASAL: IMMORTAL SOULS

This is the first drama that caught my attention last year, a fantasy with monsters, past lives, immortal love and families. It's the story of how the lives of a man (Lee Jin Wook) who was turned into an immortal monster 600 years ago and a woman (Kwon Na Ra) who has been dying and reincarnating for centuries have been intertwined. The world building is quite interesting and the central mystery keeps you guessing until the very end. Keep an eye out for familiar faces as people from the past emerge in the present. (Netflix)

A BUSINESS PROPOSAL

This romcom is adorable with a capital A. Shin Ha Ri (Kim Se Jeong) shows up to a blind date pretending to be her best friend and does her best to turn off a potential match by behaving outrageously. It's a schtick she and her chaebol best friend had cooked up a long time ago to discourage suitors. Unfortunately, the blind date turns out to be Kang Tae Moo (Ahn Hyo Seop), the young president of the food company where she works. And even more unfortunately, he's interested and now wants to marry her! Hilarious chaos ensues, abetted by the couple's adorable best friends (the second couple), her zany family and his kdrama-loving grandfather. You'll never look at an archaeopteryx (bird-like dinosaur) the same way again. (Netflix)

TOMORROW

This is a lovely, heartbreaking, oftentimes cathartic drama about people desperate enough to consider taking their own lives and the team of resolute grim reapers who work very hard to prevent their deaths. Comatose Choi Jun Woong (Rowoon) is the newbie in the Risk/Crisis Management Team led by Koo Ryeon (Kim Hee Sun). Lim Ryung Gyu rounds up the team. Head of the Soul Collection Team Park Joong Gil, despite being a fellow grim reaper, is a thorn on the team's side — he has a special animosity for Ryeon that may have something to do with the past. Fortunately, the team has a stalwart supporter in the Jade Emperor (Kim Hae Sook). (Netflix)

MILITARY PROSECUTOR DOBERMAN

Legal action drama with a touch of comedy is probably the best way to describe this series and it's the perfect leading man vehicle for Ahn Bo Hyun. Do Bae Man passes the bar with basically just a GED and so finds himself unable to find a spot in a decent law firm until he gets an "offer he can't refuse" from corrupt lawyer Yong Moon Go: Serve in the military for five years as a prosecutor and then join his prestigious firm after. The plan is going swimmingly until he crosses paths with another military prosecutor, Cha Woo In (Jo Bo Ah), who is targeting some members of the military brass for revenge after her beloved father's suspicious death. After long-buried secrets begin to emerge, Do Bae Man finds himself reevaluating what it is he really wants to do with his life. (Viki)

EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO

Woo to the Young to the Woo! The series follows Woo Young Woo, a young lawyer on the autism spectrum. She's got a brilliant legal mind, able to see different angles of a case but struggles with day-to-day interactions. Fortunately, she has the people looking out for her, like her dad, her boss/mentor, her law school friend and, of course, the handsome support team member who might just have more than friendship in mind. Park Eun Bin is brilliant as Woo Young Woo, she truly gets you invested in her challenges and triumphs. The legal maneuverings are fairly interesting, especially when they involve a rival law firm and somebody from WYW's past. (Netflix)

ALCHEMY OF SOULS

In the land of Daeho, an assassin trapped in a blind woman's weak body encounters a young lord from a powerful family who needs help to unlock his powers. Interesting lead and supporting characters, solid world-building, fantastic sword and sorcery action? I was sold from the very beginning. At the end of the second ep, I was absolutely in love with the feisty Mudeok and her rather bratty young master/pupil Jang Uk who just wants his gate of energy opened so he can do what everybody can — cast spells and use a sword. There's a twist at the end of the 20-episode first season, and I guess your enjoyment of the second season would largely depend on how much you accept the change. But in both seasons, the crown prince remains quite the scene stealer and he's possibly my most favorite character of all. (Netflix)

UNDER THE QUEEN'S UMBRELLA

A truly female-driven drama — from the queen and the queen dowager down to the concubines and, yes, even the court ladies. The series begins with Queen Hwa Ryeong's biggest problem being the four grand princes' rather relaxed approach to their education, lagging behind the other sons of the king via his numerous scheming concubines. But tragedy strikes and the queen and her sons suddenly find themselves fighting to make sure they don't lose not just their positions but their very lives. Kim Hye Soo makes it so easy to root for the embattled queen who wields her position and her eyebrows skillfully to thwart ministers, concubines and her mother-in-law, the queen dowager. I also love that her sons, the four grand princes, are unlike other royal brothers in sageuks — they are close, affectionate and loyal, leaving the dirty tricks to their half-brothers. This series probably has the most satisfying ending among the ones I watched last year. (Netflix)

REBORN RICH

Yoon Hyun Woo is a hard-working, loyal, no-questions-asked employee of the powerful Jin Family, which controls the Soonyang Group. One day, on an overseas errand to retrieve some secret money, he is betrayed by someone in the family and murdered — but promptly finds himself "waking up" in the body of the youngest grandson of the Jins, back in 1987. How, you ask? I finished the series but that part is still unclear. What's clear is how charismatic and believable Song Joong Ki is as the twentysomething investment whiz Do Jun. And what an amazing actor Lee Sung Min, as Soonyang chairman and patriarch Jin Yang Cheol is. The push-pull in their relationship is what made the series work for 15 episodes. Not that the supporting cast members are slackers. This is one of the best ensembles I've ever seen, the actors really working to make these characters ones you'd love to hate. Some of the business stuff might put off viewers but I found the whole thing fascinating and easily understood. I cheered when Do Jun/Hyun Woo used his knowledge of the future as well as his relatives' greed to take pieces of Soonyang. I'm recommending this series but with a caveat: I found the ending a bit of a mess and rather unsatisfactory. BUT the previous 15 episodes are fantastic and definitely worth a watch. (Viki)

Bonus recommendations

I recently started dipping my toes into Chinese dramas, even though I'm still intimidated by the episode count. "Love Between Fairy and Devil" is sweet and hilarious and has fantastic special effects. (Netflix and Viki)

But my heart truly belongs to Li Wei and the sixth young prince of Xin State as they figure out family, politics and love as their "New Life Begins." (Viki)

Last but certainly not the least, "Pachinko," which even though it stars some of the biggest names in Korean entertainment is not considered K-Drama by its creators. Based on Min Jin Lee's critically acclaimed novel, the series — Youn Yuh Jung, Lee Min Ho and Kim Min Ha are key parts of the ensemble — follows the trial and tribulations of a Korean family over four generations. The story begins in Korea, moves to Japan and eventually spreads to the United States. The story is rich and emotional, the direction precise and the acting superb. It has been recognized in a lot of year-end lists and recently won the Critics Choice Award for best foreign language series. (Apple TV +)

#kdrama reccs #yumi's cells 2 #tvn little women #bulgasal #military prosecutor doberman #mbc tomorrow #a business proposal #extraordinary attorney woo #alchemy of souls #under the queen's umbrella #reborn rich #love between fairy and devil #new life begins #pachinko

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seethesunny · 1 month

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Hi, lovely! Here’s some for the ask game. 🍓🥤🌻🪐

Hi friend, happy Saturday 🤲🏼❤ thank u lots for the ask! I always get bored haha

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?

This is funny because I've always been a creative kid, so I would create my own stories inside my head and they eventually turned into some of the shows/books I liked- sometimes a mixture- and at the time I didn’t know that was called fanfiction! I have the vivid memory of snatching my mom's lavender Nokia cellphone to write in a notes app, that happened until I fell into the role-playing world for years and that only cemented my love for it, I fully got into writing seriously around five years since that but never posted, it was for that same group of friends only. So that's my backstory! I had given up on it for a number of reasons but I'm back in the fanfiction pit lol

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

Since I've been a tessjoel girlie from the beginning I'm pulling some of the hidden gems on FF dot net that some new fans may not know! These are all videogame tlou.

Starting with one of my favorite fics EVER (it is a habit to reread it monthly) written by Raff who is a legend and was a pioneer for them. This is an au that's technically canon compliant for the tone, a very straight-forward summary: Ellie is Tess and Joel's daughter, this is the little glimpses of how they raise her in the QZ:

@kokureno and I gush over this particular fic nonstop, college au with romcom elements, what's not to love?

This one is a curious case because while I read it previously, my mind was blown away when I finally read Dirt (also recommend it) then came back to it. Tess and Joel share a vulnerable moment and Tess realizes there is more to him than what she thought, pretty spot on character analysis:

This one is a Tess lives au AND a babyfic, and you know how hard it used to be to find babyfics for them specifically? Aside from signs (originally from FFnet), I wasn't that lucky and this was a blessing:

Someone said missing scene fic about a very necessary topic aka Joel and Ellie bringing up Tess during their journey? The old man HAS feelings??? Anyway, this is 100% canon to me:

This one is for those who are fans of Tess’s backstory in the old tlou storyline where she was the main antagonist/villain, which means she had a brother who was killed; in my heart this will always be her OG origin story honestly. Plus, Joel also opens up about his own loss:

Don't you love it when there's a recurring theme in your fic???? Tess and Joel's lives when they're running out of time, Tommy appears too, canon compliant:

Okay this one is on AO3 too, I get that, however I first found it here and anyway it has now been buried so! I'm showing it again. Tess's centered fic were a rarity so I know this one like the back of my hand, the most juicy gritty QZ life angst, it's also an origin story about her AND a character study, go wild:

Another one on AO3, but hear me out this IS them at their true core and a required reading for everyone to understand them and their dynamic perfectly, it's pretty sad and there's not much comfort but that's why it's so good. Also, the queen herself (amb) wrote it and this is my special dedication to her bc she cemented this Fandom alongside Raff and she's the best at pulling our heartstrings:

Those are some of my favs. I can't include every single one cause it would take me ages but there are so many more there that are worth a read. If you love them most at their ambiguous nature, the early fics filled the void and nurtured the mind.

🌻 ⇢ tag someone you appreciate but don't talk to on a regular basis

A really talented artist around here who's outstanding at what she does, ily chica @betweentwoceremonials

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

Last year I had an awful infection and it took me a while to get rid of it, but I did some medical analysis a few weeks ago and now I'm fine 🥳

This spot is for the people I love and love me in return, I never take it for granted!

Not to get too pessimistic bc I try to keep it light but I never thought I would reach my 20s and yet- I'm still here, and I'm proud of myself for it

#asks #ask games #seethesunny mailbox #oliviassunrise #about me #my writing #other people's writing #other people's fic #fic rec #long post

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avelera · 1 year

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ive been enjoying giving sanctuary so much, but i cant help but wonder, will you go back to write more of "come live with me and be my love" once its done? i dont want to seem like im asking like "whens the new chapter!!!" bc i rly dont mean it that way i just really love the expansive queerness & am patiently hoping for more, if you're still willing

Yes yes yes! I fully intend to and indeed, after this arc of Giving Sanctuary is complete I'm pretty sure I'll be DYING to get back to a bit of low-stakes Regency romcom fun! CLWM and even This Rough Magic are in NO WAY abandoned. It's just that neither of those have even a final CHAPTER NUMBER yet whereas with Giving Sanctuary we are like... 1.2 arcs (6-8 chapters??) and maybe a couple standalone one-shots away from the completion of that story and I'm not gonna lie, that really lit a fire under me when I can see the finish line.

The good news is, in the course of writing Giving Sanctuary I really feel like I grew as an author especially when it comes to writing ARCS, like, mini-arcs, instead of one gigantic plot. That skill is going to be soooo valuable going back to Come Live With Me, which, people might have noticed, is still at like Day 3 out of 365 because I kept having new ideas for the next scene and the next that would come right after it, and obviously that's just not sustainable for 365 days! So I think being able to take that experience from making discrete, self-contained but nevertheless building arcs like Naxos and the Endless Family Dinner and say things like "This is the Big Event of Month 2, this is the Big Event of Month 3, and we're going to skip forward between those events" will be a HUGE help in getting some forward momentum there.

THOUGH, I don't regret how methodically CLWM has gone through this first week, since naturally, that's where all the NEW experiences are, like Dream working in the shop, or Hob being introduced to Dreaming sex lol, those are new experiences I wouldn't want to just skip over, but now that they're established, I can say things like "And then they worked in the shop for a week, had a ton of crazy Dreaming sex, and now here we are a month later when The Next Big Thing happened", for example, and you all won't feel cheated like "Wait, I would have wanted to see those things the first time!" lol (I mean, I'm sure people would but at a certain point, these two would reach something of a routine).

#arranged marriage au dreamling #maggie's writing progress #occultist hob fic #1689 fic

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twogyuu · 11 months

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hihi holly <3333 i'm here to add to the vernon train (i cannot resist vernon content i can't </3)

so! for the song + member thing can i get vernon with 'fireworks beneath my shoes' by yorushika? the song fills me with so much longing and nostalgia and it's so </3333333333333333

also! hiiii ily i hope you're doing well beloved <33333333

Hi my friend!!!

Totally off-topic lol, but someone told me TXT is soon!? I hope you have so much fun 😍 Stay safe and hydrated 💙

Fireworks Beneath My Shoes hhhmnmmm . . . this is also my first time listening to this song, so going purely off of vibes!!!

I don't think this is a thing in the U.S., but ik in Japan and Korea they have libraries full of manga/manhwa and ppl can just sit, read, rent, and/or buy books. This song is giving me these kinds of soft cozy, but somewhat nerdy (in a good way!!!) vibes, so!!!

S2L/high school!au where Vernon and OC befriend through the notes they leave in the books they read in the library told from the POV of the librarian! It's a hole-in-the-wall bookstore/library, kind of old, but the owners decorate it fun with like comic-strip walls, treehouse/loft reading areas, etc.

Initially, they just know each other as the other student that visits after school. It's like clockwork: Vernon comes in half an hour before OC, settles into the old red couch they have the in back. OC comes in, always glancing over to see if Vernon's there before making way to her corner with the wooden table. One day, Vernon passes by the table and leaves a book there with a note and it's just something cute like, "Hi I'm Vernon. I notice you come here a lot and just want to say hello," and the rest is history!!!

Notes soon become full-on conversations over manga/manhwa, then other aspects of life: where they live, how is school, what they wanna do, etc. Eventually, they do that cheesy teenage romcom thing where OC is sitting and reading while Vernon is laying in their lap also reading or vice versa 😭🤧 I'm getting very unwell writing this-

I hope you enjoyed it and it embraces the nostalgia that you were feeling with the song <3

Send me a song and a SVT member, and I'll give you a plot based on both!

#xan 🌌#aceofvernons #twogyuu:writing #twogyuu:ask games #vernon scenarios #just something fluffy <3 #also just gonna add this song to my playlist thank you very muchhhh

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voidsteffy · 2 years

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Hello, do you have any desi movie recommendations for a european such as myself? And do you know where to find such movies with english subtitles?

I've always lived the short bits of desi movies I've seen on gifs and stuff but i wouldn't know where to start. I'm a big fan of romcom if it helps narrow down your recommendations. Thank you!!

Oh hey! These are the underrated Telugu film recommendations that I already posted on here, they're underrated but they're definitely worth the watch (ig they have subtitles on the streaming platforms I mentioned and most of them are rom coms). I'm mostly a curator of hindi, english and telugu films so you might find others recommending other language or more films💗

Some others are listed below, enjoy!

Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha (Telugu)

(it's available on Amazon Prime with subtitles, kindly check if it's the same in your country) - it's a comedy of errors that takes root in the protagonist willing to do anything for the girl he loves. Even drive her nieces and nephew across state with a slew of gangsters on his tail.

Black (Hindi)

(Rani Mukherjee and Amitabh Bachchan) - I have no words for this movie... It's a piece of art is all I can say. It's not a romcom though, it's like the Hellen Keller case but make it Indian. If you're venturing into desi movies, it'd be a wonderful experience to enter the art this way.

Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (Hindi)

This has a star studded cast and omg it's made our childhood over here in India. It has cute dance numbers and celebrations. It's a pakka romcom/family drama movie and you'll be addicted to the theme song that plays literally every 10 seconds

Dil Chahta Hai (Hindi)

A story about 3 friends who find love all in their own way. A heartfelt movie about friendship and how each perceives love.

Dil Dhadakne Do (Hindi)

Partly a romcom but full time chaotic family drama but more refined lol. It's about a rich emotionally-broken fam roaming Greece on a cruise in an anniversary party of the parents.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara - If you haven't been out in a while, this movie will give you all the FOMO of the world lol. Three friends (again haha) set out to roam Spain for a bachelor's trip and find themselves. It's like a fest for the eyes (and i'm not just talking about the sceneries 🙈)

Hello

(it's on disney hotstar?) A heartfelt romance of a boy and a girl's happenstance of a friendship. They cherish the short memories before they are torn apart from each other and years later, they meet each other without knowing who the other is.

Oohalu Gusagusalaade

A romcom/comedy of errors where our protagonist has the bad luck of having to help his boss get a girl, only that girl turns out to be his first love. (I linked the movie available on youtube, it has english subtitles)

English Vinglish

(not a romcom, so sorry, but it's a must watch with all the right emotions) Our protagonist is looked down upon by her family for not knowing English. When she goes abroad for her niece's wedding, she makes sure to learn the language that would make them consider her one of them.

10.

Dear Zindagi

(you can rent it on youtube or watch on netflix maybe?) more of a find-yourself film again, but this is so relatable and heartfelt... a successful cinematographer visits a psychologist for therapy and he helps her see her life in a new way. Starring Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan. Must watch Indian film

11.

Jab We Met

Honestly if you don't watch this, i have failed you. This is the story that basically defined 2/3rd of every desi girl's personality. Aditya is a suicidal millionaire with no hopes on life. He meets Geet, an over-enthusiastic girl with a peculiar outlook on fate. One missed train and a brothel later, his life turns for the better. (the songs HIT and so does the ship, it's just iconic, this is called positive romance)

12.

Nuvvu Naaku Nachav

(i have no idea where you can find it but when you do, i promise you the jokes are funny. they're the real telugu comedy if i may so) an unemployed Venky moves into his father's friend's house. It is here he starts falling for the friend's daughter, who might or might not be engaged. (no physical cheating)

13.

Barfi!

I saved the best for last😎 This masterpiece can be found on Netflix with english subtitles. It's a romcom/comedy of errors/fucking heartfelt love story. It will make you cry if you're engrossed. Barfi, a man who cannot hear or speak, meets his autistic childhood friend Rimjhim when he wants to kidnap her for money. (it is NOT stockholm syndrome) If you do not watch this movie, I might as well cry🥺🥺

So there you go, 12 more must watch/underrated desi movies. I'm assuming you're open to the Indian way of cinematography and aren't one of those who judge simply because it's different from what they're used to. These are the gems chosen out of a lot others💗hope you like them!

#asks #manu recommends movies #telugu cinema #hindi cinema #desiblr #desi gems #jab we met #dil dhadakne do #dil chahta hai #barfi #nuvvu naaku nachav #english vinglish #oohalu gusagusalaade #znmd #natural star nani #k3g #good cinema good cinema aaaand good cinema

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sassymajesty · 1 year

Note

Hi!! is there any added story/draft/ficlet about 'oifan fic' here on your tumblr blog or everything you ever written about it is on the ao3 link? Just wanted to check if there's something more because I just finished reading the fic in ao3 and maybe there's a little plus written here I reaaaally loved it!! by the way, I LOOOVE the floor plan! ugh I love these kind of things, houses/apartments/stores plans yes gimme, I'm a hoe for these kind of details lol and your floor plan was really helpful! I love visuals about what I'm reading! thank you!

everything i have for oifan is on ao3 already! i have a few tidbits in the f: oifan tag though. but hey, here's a lil sneak peek at the next chapter (that should be up sometime soon, i'm so close to finishing it up i can taste it)

——————————

The answer comes almost instantly “Good. Did it take you almost an hour to convince him?”

“Eh, no. He was game in twenty minutes or so. We were making plans for Sunday lunch. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.”

As soon as she presses send, Clarke wants to take it back. They might have gotten closer over the past week, the usual animosity between them dying down to a mere annoyance, but Lexa is still her boss and talking about missing her dad is still oversharing.

“Oh” is all the answer Clarke gets, after a couple agonizing minutes. She’s about to throw her phone clean across the living room and head to bed when it pings in her hand, “She’s alive. I did not think she’d be alive.”

Hard as she tries, her brain can’t make sense of it. “Who?”

“Amy Dunne. I’m watching the movie.”

Clarke turns her TV back on to the monologue scene, Amy writing about a whole story she never lived. “I didn’t think you’d really watch it.” It makes her smile to her phone like a teenager with a crush. But Lexa, the most stoic woman she knows, is watching a movie she recommended — Clarke reserves the right to be smug about it. “And how did you make it so long without watching it? It’s been out for almost a decade.”

Amy has just taken a mallet to her cheekbone when Lexa answers. “You don’t see me poking holes in your pop culture knowledge. It’s just not something I usually watch.”

“You like romcoms, don’t you?” Clarke texts back in a whim, in a teasing tone.

“I refuse to answer that.”

Clarke bursts out laughing, full belly laughter. She should have known — Lexa has a pink water bottle and the pen she favors the most has a little golden charm on it, of course she’d like romcoms.

“We can watch When Harry Met Sally next time.”

Their lives have been so chaotic lately that this is a rare peaceful moment. Neither can tell when the next one will be. But Clarke will find a day —maybe a Saturday afternoon, or even another Wednesday night when they’re stuck in the office— and she’ll get Lexa to admit her favorite movies are all romcoms.

“Deal” is the answer that comes through.

#f: oifan #anon #nina's mail #💌

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eleni-cherie · 1 year

Text

among thieves ✨ || bts • pjm

- chapter 1.8

"what even am I to you? your rival, your lover, an obstacle or am I supposed to be your coffin?"

about two thieves who can't live with nor without each other. and a joint past that comes back to threaten them.

»»»

masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, very flirty jimin, friends/rivals/exes to lovers (it's complicated, ok?!) f2l e2l ex2l all members play a role in this story!

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

»»»

The gang didn't waste any time. Climbing down the rock, they made their way around the bay to the old pirate ship. From up closer the signs of the timeson it being even clearer. It had surely lost the shiny glory it once had hundreds of years ago, it was only part of their imagination now. The ship's back was partially underwater while a big whole on the side was gracing the front part of it.

After a short dip in the water, they eventually reached it. The gigantic whole providing them with a good spot to climb up and get inside where everything was inclined due to the ship's prone posture, making navigating through the old wooden space rather difficult.

"Alright, where's the treasure now?" "Let's simply devide since it's such a big ship. And whoever finds it, calls the others." They nodded, everyone going seperate ways. Jimin went to the ship's bow towards crew's quaters, Arabella went to the back to the officer's quaters, Yoongi upstairs to the main deck and Taehyung decided to go downstairs to the supply decks.

Shoving some wooden boxes aside, Arabella opened the door to what looked like a small bedroom. Most furniture was decaying and covered by a thick layer of dust and dirt. She entered with help of her flashlight. The floor underneath her creaked with every step she took while scanning over the shelves and drawers when a wooden box on the desk caught her interest. She opened it carefully, afraid it might crumble into dust at a wrong move. Her eyes widening when seeing its content, beaming with joy. Inside was a pearl necklace with a golden pedant. The pedant itself decorated with countless tiny diamonds. She couldn't help but squeal happily, taking the necklace and putting it around her neck, covering it under her jacket. After roaming around the rest of the place, not able finding anything else of value she sighed and stood up straight. Brushing off the dust from over her clothes when suddenly hearing the clicking of a gun getting cocked behind.

"Not so fast, Arabella."

The blood in her vessels froze when hearing that voice again. It had been years. Over a decade actually, but even so she'd never forget it. She hadn't been able to, as much as she'd wished to.

"How did you even find this place?" She did her best in looking as unfazed as possible as her hands rose, although internally she was boiling with rage.

"It wasn't too hard," Kir smirked while pointing her gun at her, "While searching up the forest, we found the entrance to a tunnel. We simply followed your tracks, as you had also figured out the traps for us. So really, it wasn't hard to find this place." Arabella pressed her jaw together. Yeah, 'searching up'. Rather blowing up everything until randomly finding something. She began weighing out her options then. Concluding she needed some kind of distraction to be able reaching for her berretta. "I wonder if my men took care of your friends yet.." the older women wondered our loud then, "They surely did."

Arabella's face remained stern, no sign of emotions. She knew she had to keep her cool and stay focused if she wanted to get out there alive. Not exposing any weaknesses or letting her mind get clouded in any way. And she tried her best not to think about the possibility that Kir's men did 'take care' of the guys. Of course Jimin, Taehyung and Yoongi were skilled, she knew first hand, but Kir's men were in the majority. However, she needed to suppress these kind of thoughts. She couldn't allow herself to think of Jimin and the possibility of him - "Anyway," Kir interrupted her thoughts and much to her surprise, lowered her gun. "I actually got a proposal for you."

Arabella arched a brow at her. "I doubt a good one," she snorted.

"Oh, I think it's a pretty good one," Kir smirks, "I don't think you'll be able refusing it." "Try me." Clicking her tongue, the older woman shrugged non-chalantly. "What about you rejoining us? Would make all of our lives easier, don't you think? No hunting you anymore, no attempts of eliminating you.. Doesn't that sound tempting?" "It'd be a cold day in hell if that ever happened." Kir shook her head disappointedly. Humming then. "Not even if we told you your real name?" She saw a small sparkle in her eyes, taking it as a hint to continue. "Tell you all about your parents. Their names and where they live.. How about that?" A smile filled with insincere sympathy spread over her thin lips. "It sounds nice, doesn't it? To finally know where you come from. Your origin. I know first hand how much you've always wanted that."

For a moment, Arabella's mind went blank. It was true after all, she'd wished for an opportunity like this for all her life. Having forgotten everything about her past life and identity almost killing her at times. With the only remaining memory of her parents being the silver bracelet around her wrist and her name on it. There had indeed been a time where she would've done anything to gain her memory and past life back. However, she knew it was too late now. Having this information would be useless now. She could never go back to that short-lived life she once had. It'd be impossible to ever go back to that, especially if the price for the information was to rejoin the organisation that made her lose this life in the first place. The cause of her getting ripped out of it. Perhaps it was better this way. Arabella Valentine had now become her true self. Her true identity. The one she'd carried for most part of her life. "No, thanks," she eventually replied with a bored yawn then. Catching the older woman off-guard. Her gun raising again. "Well, then. How about I don't kill your friends instead if you return? Think about it. Either all of you die or you all stay alive. And all you gotta do is join the organisation again." "You know what, you must think I'm pretty dumb for believing anything that comes from your mouth," Arabella retorted then, getting fed up with her lies. She knew Kir would kill them either way, no matter her choice. Only giving her false promises and hope. "There's only one person in this world I trust and it sure as hell ain't you. So go ahead, shoot me! Let's get over with this. Because I'd rather die than having to work for you ever again."

The sudden tremor of a loud explosion caused the ship to quake in that moment. Kir losing her balance, which Arabella immediately took advantage of. With a highkick she threw her opponent's gun into a corner. However, Kir wasn't just anyone. The two started physically fighting without their weapons. And although Arabella had been trained by these people, Kir managed to pin her down after all. Reaching for her gun. "Silly girl. You should've taken the offer." And with that she pointed at Arabella underneath her foot whp struggling freeing herself. "Y-you can't kill me. Isn't that why you ordered Jimin to do it?" Kir shrugged, her lips tucking into a devilish grin. "And who'd snitch me? You? You'll be de-" Another commotion. Smoke entering the room as shouts and yells echoed from upstairs. "Fck, what's going on?" Kir muttered through gritted teeth, taking a glance behind her. In that moment, Arabella raised her legs and twisted them around her, toppling her and snatching the gun away in a swift move. "Gun powder, you idiot," Arabella said then and got up taking out her berretta as well. Both guns aiming at Kir as she started walking backwards towards the door. "The ship must still be full of it." She shot a few times, purposely missing her and ran off while Kir took cover. Disappearing into the smoke.

Unknown sillouettes were running through the corridors and she pressed herself against the wall to stay unnoticed. It was obviously Kir's men. They were shouting and yelling. The word 'fire' having fallen as they panickedly hurried upstairs.

A fire, of course, Arabella thought and coughed. Cautiously making her way to the deck. Some of her idiot men must've shot, igniting the gun powder that was spread all over the place.

As she reached the main deck, she heard another smaller explosion from the bow and the ship trembled underneath her. Kir's men were jumping off the burning wreck, one after another into the water in an attempt to escape. Arabella looked around then, not able spotting anything but flames in the further back. She bit her lip as a gleam of fear washed over her before she shook her head. Running her hands through her orangy-dyed hair. Pull yourself together, she ordered herself and she made her way to the rear despite the fire. Seeing a big hole in the wooden ground, her eyes caught something shiny down there behind the curtain of smoke. Taking a deep breath she jumped down, coughing when the smoke hit her lungs. It being must stronger down there. And she covered her lips with her hand, taking a look around. Not able containing her awe at the sight of the objects around her.

There it was. The treasure.

The thing that brought them there in the first place. The thing that had caused all this. The whole ship's hold filled with golden objects, artefacts, coins and jewels. And despite this having been the main reason for all this journey - from the document to the sapphire to the organisation hunting them again, the puzzles, Jimin getting shot, abducted and conditioned to kill her and them crossing the whole globe in search for it - depite all they had gone through, her heart sank when seeing it all now. Because right in that moment, she couldn't care less for all this gold.

Another cough escaped her lips and she began making her way deeper inside, through the piles of treasures, broken boxes and cannons. Small fires burning in between of gold. Eventually she reached a big door with ornaments blocking her way and she tried kicking it open, even more smoke hitting her then. "Guys?" she called out, waving with her hands to get the smoke out of her face. The room contained even more treasures and was decorated with golden statues, shining dully behind the smoke. Something cold prickled her side for a second when she heard Jimin's voice and her heart eased. "Bella?" The metallic tip instantly disappeared, Taehyung stepping out from the smoke. "Fck, Arabella. I almost shot you," he sighed and slid his gun back into its holster. "Nice way of welcoming your rescuer," she huffed to which he rolled his eyes. "Thought you were one of these jerks," he shrugged then. Yoongi appearing beside him then. "Yeah, they tied us up and locked us in here." "Bella, are you alright?" Jimin asked worried, shoving his friends aside to see her from close up, making them frown. He grabbed her shoulders as his eyes were looking at her concerned. Making sure she wasn't injured. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she calmed him with a smile, "But we should leave. The whole place will explode any minute."

They followed her out. Another concussion swaying them to the side and they hit some of the golden objects. More smoke clouding their vision than before now and they crouched to avoid breathing in too much. Yoongi cut some boxes that had turned and blocked their way. Suddenly gunshots were fired through the smoke. Everyone crouching behind the mountains of gold.

"I know you're somewhere here, Arabella!" Kir's yells echoed from inside the grey fume, followed by some gunshots. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" "This maniac will blow us all up," Yoongi muttered quietly, glancing at Arabella behind him. "She's too obsessed with you." her jaw clenched as her glance fell to the ground and she frowned. "You're right," she said then and took a deep breath, making a move to stand up. "I'll try destracting her and buy you guys some ti-" "The hell are you talking about!" Jimin hissed and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down. "Don't you dare get out there!" More gunshots were heard along with a small explosion going off near them. "She won't let us go," she argued, pulling her arm out of his grip, "I am the reason she's still here and hasn't fled like the rest of them. This ship will explode any minute, Jimin, either we all die or you let me buy you som-" "Bella, no! You know I won't let you, that'd be pure suicide." Her eyes were holding some kind of sorrow as she bent forward, placing a kiss on his cheek. It was one of those moments again. Those inescapable moments where they reached a standoff and the possibility of them not making it was high. Not all of them at least. And Arabella knew this, even if Jimin was still in denial. Her lips curled up into a smirk then as she pulled back. ' "Call it devotion." And with that she grabbed her berretta and ran out, disappearing into the smoke before Jimin could even react. His hands failing in catching her.

"She has the guts, I'll admit that," Yoongi said in an almost admiring tone, making Jimin frown. "That's not having guts, that's being irrational!" he yelled frustrated and pulled his walter ppk out. "I'll go after her, you two leave." "You know we won't do that," Taehyung said sternly. "Besides one against four is better than only two." Jimin wasn't able arguing with that. But he had to. Giving his friends a sad look. "No, you gotta make it back safely to Cassandra." Taehyung's lips parted for a moment. A scowl spreading on his features then and he shook his head. "No. She wouldn't deserve a coward." After all, she was someone who always put others before herself and helped anyone in need. How would he be able to ever look her in the eyes again if he bailed on his friends in a moment like this. "Look, this is something between me, her and that damn organisation. You two have nothing to do with it and just got sucked into it." "Cut it out already," Yoongi scoffed and got up. The grip around his sword firmer. "We won't leave, whether you like it or not. We chose to get sucked into it. So let's not waste any more time!" Jimin was about to object when another gunshot was heard, making him instantly jump up. His heart racing fast as he looked at the direction the woman he loved had disappeared to. Praying she had been the one firing that shot. "Come, let's save your girl," Taehyung smiled and patted his shoulder. A firm grip around his magnum. And Jimin simply nodded with a determined look. Gripping his gun tighter as they ran into the thick smoke as well.

Their vision got clearer as they went further due to the light peeking from the hole above them and they eventually spotted Arabella in a close scuffle with Kir. Pushing away Kir's hand from her as the other was trying to shoot. Instead hitting the wooden ceiling. Provoking another fire to break out. The ship beginning shifting again and the two women slipped to the side. Hitting a pile of coins. Jimin's eyes quickly wandered around, catching a net full of gold dangling close above them. Only held by a thin rope. "I got a plan," he said then, glancing over his shoulder to the other two, "When they get under that net, I'll push Bella away and in that moment you'll cut the rope." Their glance followed the direction of his eyes, seeing the construction and they nodded. Jimin saw Arabella holding her head as she got up, probably having hit it. She was walking in the direction her gun had fallen to, not noticing Kir behind her also getting up while holding her gun and heaving it towards her. His eyes widening in panic and without thinking much, he started running and pushed Arabella away. Landing on the ground with her in the same moment that Yoongi cut the rope. And the net filled with precious golded objects dropped right on Kir, crushing her.

Arabella felt her head spinning, confused of what had just happened. Her eyes slowly blinking open then, growing round when seeing Jimin on top of her, shielding her body. Their noses touching. He didn't say anything. He was just silently looked at her with an intense glare while propping his arms on each side of her face. As if his eyes urged her to never do something as dumb as this ever again. And she swallowed while they remained like this for a second more, just holding each other's gaze. Slowly, he began to lift himself and got up, his eyes never leaving hers. Holding his hand out for her, which she took without saying a word. Arabella faced Yoongi and Taehyung then, giving them a small nod. "Thanks." They gave her a small nod back. Nothing more being needed to say.

She took a last glance on the inanimate Kir underneath the gold, an overwhelming feeling of liberation and devastation flowing in her chest before she turned her back to her. And they made their way upstairs onto the main deck.

Yoongi was the first one climbing onto the ship's railing. "God, I hate getting wet," he whined and squeezed his eyes shut before taking a deep breath. Eventually letting himself fall into the cold water with a splash. Taehyung following behind, seemingly less hesitating. Landing right next to him. And the two began swimming towards the cave's opening. Jimin and Arabella climped the railing up as well. Standing there and watching them for a moment when Arabella suddenly took his hand. Squeezing it firmly, catching him off-guard. And he looked at her with raised brows. "If we actually make it out alive.." she began and her eyes found his. ".. and we reach a point when we can't do this kind of job anymore.. let's give it another shot." "You mean.." He couldn't finish his sentence, being too taken aback by her unexpected offer. She simply nodded. And he smiled, squeezing her hand back and guiding it to his lips. Kissing it. "I promise."

And they jumped. Diving into the cold sea water.

They swam out of the cave, reaching the rocky shore where the other two were already waiting for them. Leaving the cave behind them as they walked out into the setting sun. Kir's men, or at least the ones who had managed escaping, were nowhere to be seen. Probably having left already, not minding whatever happened to their boss.

By now all four were quite exhausted, however, they couldn't just rest now. They needed to get back to their car and get the hell out of nowhere and back to the city.

As they returned to the forest and they stamped through and they chopped their way through the undergrowth, the sound of a detonation in the distance caught their attention. It must've been a big one to be heard all the way from the cave. And they were even able to sense a slight vibration in the air. A swarm of flushed birds flying out of the trees. It was most likely the ship, getting wrecked completely now and leaving it undiscovered for some more decades or even centuries.

Taehyung's hand slid into his pocket then, taking out a golden coin and holding it against the light. "Got myself a small souvenire," he chuckled proudly and observed it from all sides. The engravings dating it to 1708. "Oh, same," Yoongi said, revealing a gold coin as well, "So this whole adventure wasn't totally for nothing." Jimin laughed out loudly, revealing a third gold coin. "I like how your minds work!" The three snickering happily over the coincidence, making Arabella roll her eyes. "Noobs," she said and zipped her jacked down. Revealing the pearl necklace she had got herself. Causing their laughter to abrubtly die down. And they stared at her bewildered before Taehyung snorted. "Of course, why am I not surprise." "When did you even.." She shook her head at them disappointedly and giggled. "Noobs."

After awhile they eventually reached their jeep, exhaling in relief since they wouldn't have to search for it in the dark and they opened its doors when the clicking of unlocking guns behind them was heard. "Hands up, you're under arr- What the fck happened to you?"

Jimin groaned, turning around with his hands up. Seeing none other than Seokjin, Jungkook, Skylar and some other officers there. "Seriously, pops? Very bad timing." "No really, what happened to you? You look -" "Like crap?" Taehyung finished, glancing at his partners. Bruises, cuts, scratches and dirt covering their bodies and clothes, "Yeah, we also feel like that." Jungkook couldn't help but stifle a laugh at this, to which Seokjin only coughed annoyed. "I wanted to say 'beaten up' but I assume 'crap' also fits." "Oh, you know.. some traps here, some exploding pirate ship there.." Jimin shrugged. "So I assume those guys we caught earlier weren't total lunatics then," Jungkook mumbled, peeking at Seokjin for confirmation. "Yeah, seems so.." The four exchanged a look. "You caught some guys?" The older agent nodded as he put handcuffs on Jimin. "Yeah, we were here since city residants reported explosions and smoke across this area to local police. And we knew you guys had something to do with this. And then we saw those suspicious vehicles racing through the forest. So we obviously stopped them." "And arrested those men," Skylar added as she handcuffed Arabella. Seemingly enjoying it a little as she was smiling while doing so. In a way it was her revenge for Mexico City.

"Good. You know these guys were from -" "That ominous crime organisation?" Seokjin laughed out. "Yeah, we figured that out. Kim and Jung from special victims and organised crime are taking care of them, while we take care of you guys. And Valentine? The two would also like to ask you some questions." Arabella just mumbled a 'whatever' as Skylar lightly pushed her to the direction of the van, the rest following behind.

"Seriously, pops.." Jimin sighed then as Seokjin led him to the van, "You know we'll just escape anyway. Why not skipping the whole 'arresting' part?" "Oh, c'mon. What kind of interpol agent would I be if I'd make it so easy for you guys? I gotta do my job, too, after all." "Today was really tiring though. Just make an exception." "Oh don't worry, you can rest as much as you want in your detention cells." "Will we at least get some food?" Yoongi asked then, feeling his stomach growling, "I'm starving." "Yeah, yeah. You'll also get food. Don't worry," Seokjin ensured him as they got pushed inside the van and closed the doors.

And the four sat there, exchanging glances as the vehicle began moving.

And they laughed.

What an ironically lame ending to such an adventure.

However, the next one was right around the corner, waiting for them already.

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next chapter: epilogue here

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