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just-another-blog-of-fluff · 2 years

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Familiar - Part 10

Word count: 3,550

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x reader (established relationship)

Warnings: Just a super fluffy, semi-plotless installment to the series

It was recently our dear friend Mr. Hiddleston's birthday, so I thought I might incorporate that into part 10! This part was based on a prompt from 💙💚❤️ anon where reader surprises Tom at his hotel while he's away, managing to scare him when he arrives 😉

There will be additional parts to the series going forward! I'm lacing updates to the series in between completing my other prompts. I know I'm not taking new prompts, but I will take suggestions for future parts of the series still, and I have a bunch of inspiration prompts to work with too from before😊

"Alright, darling... I should really get going. We've got a long day of filming ahead tomorrow."

"Oh, alright..." You sighed sadly into the phone. "Get some rest, and I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight."

You pressed the end call button, watching Tom's picture vanish from your phone screen only to be replaced by the photo of the two of you that you had saved to your home screen background. He'd been away for three weeks already, traveling the country to make appearances at various conventions with the Marvel cast, and you missed him terribly.

But that was about to change.

Toby hopped up onto your bed, waddling over to you across the bedspread and nuzzling his head into your shoulder. He'd gotten a bit bigger over the last month or so, and while he was well on his way to becoming a model citizen, he was most definitely still a troublemaker. You maintained the opinion that the name 'Loki' would have really suited the pup, but Tom refused to gratify you with his agreement.

Even after Toby chewed up one of his shoes.

"Hey buddy!" you cooed, scratching behind Toby's ears. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, his tail a blur as he wagged with sheer elation just to be standing next to you. You pressed your forehead to his, grinning with excitement as you spoke to him in your squeaky baby-talk voice you always used with him. "Daddy doesn't know I'm coming to see him, does he? No he doesn't! He'll be so surprised, won't he, Toby?"

The pup yipped, rolling onto his back in clear expectation of belly rubs - a request you never could refuse. You scratched the soft, white fur on his belly while scrolling on your computer with your other hand, reviewing your travel details for the umpteenth time.

Tom's birthday was coming up in three days. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get any time off of traveling to come home and be with you around that time, and your schedule had gotten pretty hectic now that the new semester of school had begun. You promised you'd facetime him on his birthday so you could at least see one another, but it just didn't feel like enough. Tom had always been so good to you - you wanted to return the favor and do something wonderful for him.

So, you'd called on someone you knew would be able to help you.

You'd anticipated Chris Hemsworth would be confused when you'd called him a couple weeks ago, but he didn't sound phased in the slightest. He was thrilled to be able to help you coordinate your plan to surprise Tom on his birthday. He was going to be in Boston, which fortunately was only a short plane ride away. With some bribery and a whole lot of groveling, you were able to get your work friend Amie to cover your shifts at the bar for the few days you'd be traveling. Chris set you up with the details for the hotel they'd be staying at, and helped you arrange a ride there from the airport so you could be there when they returned from the convention that evening.

Tom had surprised you so many times, you were thrilled to be able to return the favor.

The following morning, you bade a sulking Toby goodbye, leaving him in Noelle's capable hands before heading out to the airport to make your way to Boston. Before you knew it, you had arrived at Logan Airport where a car was waiting to drive you to the hotel.

You'd been to Boston before, but you'd never dreamed of staying in a hotel as fancy as the one the car pulled up to that day. Located in the heart of the city, surrounded by bustling city folk and rushing traffic, the entire building seemed to be made of polished glass windows. The interior lobby had a sleek, lounge-style feel, with sharp lines and dimmed lighting and large leather sectional sofas arranged for casual conversation. If you hadn't been tagging along on Tom's business trip, you'd have taken one look at the place and decided it was out of your price range.

Honestly, you wondered when you'd get used to these sorts of things.

At the check-in desk, you spoke to the concierge and provided them your name. His eyes flashed with recognition, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"Ah, yes! We've been expecting you." He leaned forward, glancing around before whispering, "A little birdie informed us you'd be surprising Mr. Hiddleston for his birthday this evening."

You laughed at the phrasing, a sudden image of a small bird bearing a striking resemblance to Chris Hemsworth forming in your mind. "Would you be able to provide a room key for his room so I can really surprise him when he gets back?"

The concierge checked your ID, then handed you a room key and directed you to a room on the 14th floor. You took the elevator up, wandering down the empty hallway until you located Tom's room and let yourself inside.

The entire room was lined with windows, providing a gorgeous view of the city streets under the late afternoon sun. A broad king-sized bed stood toward one end of the room, with Tom's suitcase laid out on top of it. On the other end of the room was a small seating area with artistically round-shaped chairs and sofas, behind which stood a full minibar stocked with various high-quality-looking liquor bottles.

Alright. Maybe you could get used to this.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket as you searched for a spot to hide your bag out of view. It was a text message from Chris, letting you know their group was on their way back to the hotel now. Hurriedly, you shoved your bag away in the closet and shut the door, getting to work finding a good place to hide.

After running through a few ideas in your head, (bathroom... too obvious; closet... too cliché), your eyes landed on the large cabinet underneath the television across from the bed. The space was fairly large inside the cabinet, and more importantly, it was empty. You ducked inside and shifted to sit with your knees pressed to your chest, reaching out and shutting the doors to plunge yourself into darkness. It was tall enough that you could sit straight without having to duck your head too uncomfortably. Leaning back against the back wall of the cabinet, you waited in excited anticipation for Tom to arrive.

About fifteen minutes had passed, and you began to think maybe you should have waited to get yourself situated in this cramped space when you heard a key card slip into the door to the room. Your heartrate ticked up as you heard Tom's footsteps shuffling into the room, the door clicking shut behind him. He was humming, as he often did when he was in a good mood. You grinned, listening to the warm, baritone timbre of his voice that you'd missed so much for the last few weeks. It was taking all of your willpower not to simply burst out and throw your arms around him in a giant hug. No, there would be time for that after - it would be so worth the wait when you caught him completely off guard and surprised him.

You heard his footsteps pass by your hiding place, fading only slightly before the zippering sound of his suitcase reverberated through the walls of the cabinet. Silently, you shifted onto your hands and knees and pressed your face against the doors, peering with one eye through the sliver of space between them. Tom's back was facing you as he dug through his suitcase for something - a change of clothes, you suspected, given he was still wearing the Loki 'variant' jacket along with the dress shirt and pants that went with it. Holding your breath, you soundlessly pushed the doors to the cabinet open and slipped out, rising carefully to your feet and sneaking up behind your distracted boyfriend.

You got as close as you could without becoming concerned that he might back up into you without notice, leaning forward a bit before shouting in his ear.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

The shout that left Tom's mouth was surprisingly high-pitched for the normally baritone-voiced man. He whipped around, eyes wide for a moment before he fully registered your face. You couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing the sound of his shriek, throwing your arms around him anyway and squeezing him in a tight hug while your shoulders shook with your giggles. He slid his arms around you after a second, still seemingly shocked.

"How... darling, I'm so glad to see you, but how did you get here?" he asked.

"I had some help from your friends," you explained, loosening your hold so you could lean back and capture his lips in a kiss. "I see I succeeded in surprising you!"

"Uh, yes! It isn't typical for someone to sneak up on you in a locked hotel room!" He was grinning now that the shock of it was wearing off, finally registering the fact that you were there with him after three long weeks apart. "I can't believe you're here! Darling, I've missed you!" You shrieked as he dipped you backwards a bit to kiss you again, smiling against his lips. When he lifted you back to your feet, he asked, "Who is it I have to thank for setting this up?"

"Well, it was my idea... but Chris helped with most of the planning. And he may have pulled a few strings to help me book some things for us to do tonight."

"Ah, a good man," he declared fondly. "What have you planned for tonight, then?"

"To be honest, I only have a vague idea. I told Chris what I was hoping to do, and he said he'd take care of it from there. But... we haven't yet addressed the fact that you screamed like a girl when I scared you!"

Tom grinned sheepishly. "I'll admit, you got me. I was quite startled."

"Startled?? You were terrified!" you teased, giggling. "I'm gonna have to try this again sometime, maybe I'll get it on camera!"

"Oh, you think that's a good idea, do you?" he asked ominously.

"Oh, absolutely. I would definitely show all your costars. I guess I'll just have to settle for telling them the story this time..."

Tom gasped indignantly. "You will not!"

"No way am I keeping this to myself! It's too funny not to share!"

"You think it was funny, hmm?" His fingers dug into your sides abruptly, making you curl in on yourself in a fit of giggles. "How's this for funny?"

"Tohom!!"

"Don't 'Tohom' me! You thought you were going to get away with teasing me like that? Darling, honestly - you should know better by now." His fingers spidered up and down your ribcage at random, leaving you a twisting, giggling mess. You managed to twist hard enough to break free, backing away quickly with residual giggles spilling from your lips.

"N-no, Tohom! Stahay back!" you demanded, though both of you knew you didn't mean it.

"Stay back? You really think that's going to stop me?" He swiped for you and you leapt back just out of his reach. "Little rascal, you are."

"At least I don't scream like a girl!" you teased. His eyebrows shot up in amused surprise.

"Oh-ho, you don't? I'm fairly certain I could make that happen if you keep teasing me, darling."

Your face flushed with heat at the mere suggestion. He reached for you again and you stumbled sideways just in time, giggling rapidly. You'd so missed this playfulness with him gone the last few weeks.

"It won't be nearly as funny if you tell your friends that I scream like a girl."

"Oh, that's it."

He suddenly lunged forward, taking a much larger step than you'd anticipated, and captured you around the waist before you could scurry away. He pinned your back to his chest with one arm wrapped tight around your waist, dragging you backward and shoving his bag out of the way so he could scoop you up and drop you on the bed. You squeaked in surprise as he clambered up onto the bed to hover over you. Tom tickled you often, but he didn't typically make a big show out of it like this. Clearly he was keen on preventing you from telling his costars about his girlish scream.

"Are you going to keep it a secret now, darling?" he asked warningly.

"But... it's just too funny not to sh-AHAHARE THOMAS!!" He didn't let you finish, clawing at your sides and belly as he gazed down at you fondly.

"Wrong answer, love." His fingers crawled up your sides, quickly finding purchase on his favorite tickle spot of yours on the backs of your ribs on either side. You threw your head back and laughed hysterically, batting weakly at his hands. "How about now?"

"NAHAHA!" you responded incoherently, squirming under his ticklish touch.

"Hmm. I'm beginning to think you're getting immune to this spot, darling. Perhaps I've tickled you here too often." He paused his fingers for a moment, tongue pressed to the inside of his cheek in thought but still grinning affectionately. You began to regain the ability to speak, shaking your head wildly knowing where he would inevitably target next.

"Tohom, don't do ihit!! I know whahat you're thinking!"

"Oh do you? I've become too predictable as well?" He winked cheekily. "We can't be having that."

He sat up and snatched your ankles off the bed, scooping them into the crook of his elbow before tickling the soles of your feet. You squeaked and kicked helplessly, giggles streaming from your lips as his fingertips grazed the inner edges of both feet simultaneously. He'd caught you on one of those days when your feet were more ticklish than usual - quickly, the sensation became overwhelming and you tapped your hand on the mattress to forfeit. He relented immediately, lying down on his side next to you with a silly grin plastered to his face.

"You're adorable, love. But you're still not getting away with teasing me in front of my friends this evening," he insisted. You turned onto your side to face him, scowling playfully.

"Fine... I guess we'll keep it our secret. But only because it's your birthday."

"Thank you." He cupped your cheek with his hand, pressing a long kiss to your lips that sent tingles down to your toes. "Now then - what should I be wearing for this evening's festivities?"

The two of you got dressed in nicer casual clothing, throwing on your warm jackets in case it got too cold that evening before heading down to the lobby of the hotel together. When you arrived, Chris Hemsworth was there waiting for the two of you. With a warm smile, he wrapped you in a big hug as he always did in greeting.

"Wonderful to see you again!" he declared. Turning to Tom, he asked, "Did she surprise you?"

"Oh, I surprised him, all right..." you cut in, a teasing air to your tone. Tom shot you a playful glare, pinching your side.

"Wait, is there something funny you aren't telling me?" Chris asked in confusion.

"Yes, but Tom won't let me tell you. Under penalty of tickles."

"That sounds like a rather unfair ultimatum, Tom," he teased.

"Not unfair - simply resourceful," he argued with a grin. Chris looked to you, and you quickly mouthed 'I'll text you' before Tom could see.

"Were you able to get a reservation for us tonight?" you asked. Chris smiled brightly.

"Of course! I called in a favor from a friend of mine. You'll have a wonderful time!"

You'd asked him to help you book a spot on one of the Boston Harbor sunset cruises. It was a warmer than usual evening for February in New England, and so it was the perfect night for a boat ride. Something about Chris's tone told you there may be more in store for the two of you than you'd anticipated, however.

With a quick goodbye to Chris, you and Tom headed out to the car that was waiting to bring you to the harbor. The moment you stepped out, Tom's eyes lit up when he took in the sight of the old-fashioned yacht you'd be dining in that evening.

"I've always wanted to do this - thank you, darling," he exclaimed, wrapping an arm around you and hugging you to his side.

"I thought it would be a fun way to spend your birthday," you replied humbly, heart skipping at the excitement in his voice.

You led him up to the boat, providing your name to the attendant. She nodded, motioning for you to follow with a polite smile. Hand-in-hand, you and Tom followed up the ramp and onto the deck, where the attendant then led you inside the upper level of the boat through a door.

The boat was already bustling with people preparing for dinner, some wandering about the deck while others were finding their assigned tables inside. The attendant whisked the two of you past all of that, leading you all the way to the back and through another door.

"Oh, wow..." you breathed in awe as you stepped inside the next room.

The entire back wall was windows, with a perfect view of the cityscape. In the center sat a solitary table with two chairs, a glass of champagne already set at each place setting. The room was dimly lit, modern uplighting having been installed around the upper edges of the walls. With the sun still somewhat bright, natural light flooded in from the outside, but you could tell that once the sun went down the lighting would be incredibly romantic. In the back there was a glass door that led out to what appeared to be a private balcony on the back of the boat.

"Please enjoy!" the attendant stated kindly as she stepped back out of the room. "A waiter will be with you shortly."

With that, the two of you were left alone in this beautiful dining room for two. You glanced at the table, seeing a folded note tucked underneath the vase in the center. You carefully slid it out and unfolded it, reading the handwriting scrawled across the paper.

I promised I'd deliver, didn't I? Don't worry about the extra cost - consider it my own gift for the birthday boy.

Enjoy!

- Chris

"I told you he was a good man," Tom reminded you, reading over your shoulder. He stepped around behind one of the dining chairs and pulled it out, motioning for you to sit. "My lady."

"Tom! You're ridiculous!" you giggled, taking your seat and allowing him to push the chair in for you before taking his own seat across the table. You picked up your champagne glass and held it up toward the handsome man in front of you. "To another year that this earth was blessed with your presence."

"Oh, darling, I'm blushing," he chuckled, clinking his glass against yours. "Thank you for the wonderful birthday gift. I can't imagine a better way to spend my birthday."

The two of you chatted while you sipped your champagne and ate your dinners, catching each other up on things that the other had missed in your time apart. You showed him all the photos of Toby you'd taken on your phone in the last few weeks (which was an embarrassingly large number), telling him all about how the pup had successfully learned the lay down and stay commands you'd been working on with him. Outside, the sun set slowly below the horizon, leaving the sky in inky black darkness lit with the glow of the city lights.

"Shall we step outside, then?" Tom asked as you finished your last bite of dinner. You nodded, allowing him to take your hand in his and lead you out onto the balcony.

The night air was slightly chillier than it had been earlier that day. Tom wrapped his arms tightly around you, warming you up. You leaned forward against the balcony railing, gazing at the dark water of the harbor where the reflection of the city lights danced across its surface.

"Did you enjoy your birthday?" you asked, leaning your head back against his shoulder.

"Every bit of it." He pressed a kiss to your cheek, warming you up from the inside. "This was absolutely perfect. Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome." You sighed contentedly, enjoying the sense of safety you felt in his embrace. "I should tell you... I texted Chris about your little mishap earlier."

"Oh?" He squeezed you tighter, leaning over your shoulder to get a good look at the guilty expression on your face. "You know you're going to be in trouble for that later."

"Mm, that's a problem for later me. Present me wants a kiss."

A warm rumble of a laugh reverberated in his chest as he turned you around to face him, arms still wrapped tightly around you.

"Who am I to say no?"

And kiss you, he did.

#familiar series #ticklish!reader #tickle fluff #tickle fic #marvel tickle #tom hiddleston x reader

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hellveticabold · 3 years

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For All Time. Always.

I know some of us have been feeling pretty down about all of the anti nonsense here and on Twitter. We may also fear the new direction possible in season two. New director, new writer maybe, who knows what else. Plus the worry about how long we’ll have to wait to see these two together again.

It’s a lot to deal with. Maybe you feel like the world (or small moon) is crashing down on you. But I’m here to help!

Would you like to know how I know that Loki and Sylvie will be together - and for all time, always?

It’s simple!

Greed!!!

Disney is greedy as hell. It’s a money-obsessed behemoth, consumed with the need to sell the most product they possibly can to as many people as they can for as long as they can.

And that, my dear friends, is to the benefit of Sylki's everywhere.

Think of the merchandise alone!

The matching horned helmet wedding ring sets. The t-shirts imprinted with "A Bit of Both" or "You ARE my Way." Officially licensed Sylvie horned mouse ears, "Love is a Dagger" earring and necklace set. The Sylvie outfits from Her Universe. The Disney-branded green and gold tablecloth blankets for snuggling. A limited-edition snow globe of the two of them holding hands on Lamentis as the magenta dust swirls around them.

-Sylki Makes MONEY-

Lots and lots and LOTS of money.

Bruce/Nat and Steve/Sharon weren't dropped as couples due to outrage over them being together - it was dropped because no one gave a crap. It wasn’t important enough to anyone (actors, directors, writers, fans) to keep it going. No disrespect to the ships; they just weren’t fleshed out well enough by the creators, had no impact on the story, and so were dropped without fanfare.

No passion from the fanbase = no merchandizing = no relationship.

-Loki is Now Imperative in Marvel’s New Narrative-

Just like Falcon & Bucky and Wanda & Vision’s journeys in their respective shows, Loki’s growth through his relationship with Sylvie is the foundation of his series. It’s not only an important relationship, it is fundamental to his character and and therefore fundamental to Marvel’s Phase 4.

-Expanding the Market-

See this chart? This is a breakdown of people who think of themselves as superhero movie fans. It shows that 46% of all women DO NOT consider themselves fans of the genre (or don’t care). 39% of men are in the same boat.

Disney/Marvel will always want to expand their audience to earn money. But despite all of those awesome movies in Phases 1, 2, and 3, they still have yet to appeal to over 42% of the population.

So what’s the plan? How can they expand the fanbase?

-Romance!!!-

After a few choppy starts, we finally have two fully-fledged, heart-stoppingly beautiful, sweeping romantic love stories in the MCU.

Two out of three of the first Disney/Marvel shows center around a love story!

Wanda's love for Vision and her children as well as Loki and Sylvie's romance and search for one another only serves to grow the Marvel fanbase (namely appealing to women and/or anyone who likes romance as much or more than fist fights... which is a large percentage of that missing 42%).

Trust me, you're going to be seeing a lot more romance in Marvel for Phase 4. (The Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, Ant Man and the Wasp, etc.)

Women have money. Romantics have money. And Sylki has opened up a whole new demographic for Disney to squeeze.

Personally, I started shopping for Sylvie merchandise the second she popped on the screen. Any Sylki stuff they come out with, I swear to y’all, I’m going to buy ALL OF IT. (That Lamentis snow globe thing I mentioned earlier? I’d pay like 200 bucks for that.)

-There’s No Financial Downside to Sylki-

Think of it another way:

Disney isn't losing money by keeping Loki and Sylvie together (they're profiting quite nicely with Sylki, actually) and Disney won’t make money if they drop the relationship.

Antis won't stop watching Marvel movies because of Sylki. They won't cancel their subscription to Disney+ because of it. They're just gonna keep forking over their money show after show and movie after movie and rage tweet on the internet. Nothing Disney will do could stop their asinine posts (there's always someone complaining about something), and so why would they even try to appease those people?

Disney don’t give AF about the content of your posts, my dudes. They’re actually just happy you’re posting.

Cause it’s engagement! Thumbs up, thumbs down, doesn’t matter; it’s all engagement.

And engagement is money.

All of the anti's downvotes and little diatribes on 'self-cest' are annoying and sometimes downright offensive to us, but they keep people talking about the show.

Each pissy Tiktok video, each crabby IG story, each woefully ignorant Tumblr post - all of it serves to DRAW PEOPLE IN who might not have otherwise watched the show.

"What on earth is everyone so angry about?" people will ask. "What's self-cest? How could someone fall in love with themselves?" they'll wonder.

And then they’ll pay Disney to find out.

(Hell, I only watched Frozen because Elsa was supposed to be hella gay - conservative TV told me so!)

-So Keep the Faith, my Sylki Friends-

If you can't trust that the love and connection between those two characters and those two PHENOMENAL actors is enough to keep Loki and Sylvie together, you can trust that Disney will always follow the money.

and Sylki is money.

I promise you, there’s far more love from these two is coming! I hope my marketing background and jaded cynicism brightened your day!

#loki #sylvie #sylki #sylki meta #lovedaggers #this is my first meta #i hope it's okay #thank you for reading #capitalism ftw

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lonelyghosts-stuff · 2 years

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MCU Phase 4 Rant

Phase 4 has really left me feeling empty and upset with the mcu so far so i wanted to rant about it just to clear my mind. if you disagree with anything i say, that’s fine but know that your different opinion does not in any way invalidate mine.

I honestly didn't have an issue with wandavision until the end of the show when she didn't face the consequences of her actions. she didn't intentionally hurt people, but she didn't accept the consequences when she learned she did. the bullcrap about her making a sacrifice or something was so dumb. and then the criminalizing the dude trying to FREE A TOWN OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE was ridiculous. its like, near the the end of the show they realized he wasn't a compelling villain so they tripled down and made him jump from trying to save the town to straight up ATTEMPTED CHILD MURDER OUT OF NO WHERE. like yea okay, sure.

falcon and the winter soldier made it seem like tony didn't care about the others and that cap would forget about sharon. that coupled with a nonsensical plot with a weak antagonist butchered the show. "do better" and "don't call them terrorists" were terrbiel lines that shouldn't have even left the drafting phase. then the race subplot with isaiah provides further retconning and other issues but it also felt forced given the blm protests and riots at the time of filming. and then the criminalization of john who, while he wasn't a good cap, wasn't even given the chance. he at least tried but nooo it's funny when the dora milaje try to MURDER him and lemar. at least it was entertaining and mackie and stan's chemistry was brilliant. i think, even though i didn't really like the show, it has the most rewatchability of the three.

loki hurt me the most as he was my favorite character. the plot itself was fine, but the characterization of loki was terrible. they completely glossed over, yet again, what happened to him between thor 1 and the avengers 2. additionally, despite giving him more powers, they nerfed him even further. they made him into a joke and then brought in sylvie like she was his superior which is just such an insult to loki and the fans who have been wanting this show for HIM for so long. he gets made into a joke, nerfed, and set aside to set up sylvie. yea we got some nice emotional moments and confirmation that he wasn't evil, but it was done in such a rushed and sloppy way. unfortunately, owen wilson and tom hiddleston's chemistry was not enough to save this show.

and we got black widow which was just so bad. bad writing, directing, characterization, etc. characters made illogical choices, had invincible plot armor, they butchered nats character so much (yea right like she'd not check in even once on the people from her past??? we know how much family means to her! and she makes such dumb decisions in the movie too). they turn potentially great, serious and emotional moments into flat out jokes. they disrespected the character so much in order to set up yelena. i just got into marvel during the pandemic as i needed something as a pick me up as i was going through a lot of crap. at the time, i felt it was the perfect time to come into the universe with all the shows coming out. i loved the shows when i first watched them as i was riding the high of experiencing them for the first time and when they first came out, but now that i have had time to digest them and think about them more, i am upset. they ruined so much and have really lowered any expectations i have of future installments. if i see any of the same directors or writers from these projects on future mcu projects, my expectations will immediately drop.

#mcu #marvel #Marvel Entertainment #marvel cinematic universe #marvel studios #phase 4 #marvel phase 4 #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #wanda vision #wandavision #loki #loki series #loki show #loki on disney+#Disney #disney plus #disney+#rant

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lyrical-panic · 3 years

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Hello! So here's my request:

The 1-A girls including reader are having a girls night in one of their dorms playing Minecraft (teaching Momo how to play for the first time), giving out study tips, eating snacks and watching movies, etc... When their in a topic about their crushes and reader shyly tells them it is Tenya Iida... While the girls are shocked and ask a lot of questions why iida much to reader whos not really liking the questions, the girls decided to help reader out by setting both iida and reader on a date by grabbing readers phone and texting iida, much to readers protest and what the girls don't know is that the boys are having a boy night at the common room too and doing the exact same thing, helping iida out to finally ask reader on a date.

so yeah, haha that's all and you can add your own ideas there and can this be a oneshot? I also want to see the perspective of iida if that't possible? I hope this is okay? thank you!! ☺

Took a few liberties, included some personal touches, I’m really happy with how this came out and I hope you are too!

Risks

Masterlist

Weekend nights in Heights Alliance were arguably the best.

Mr. Aizawa was more flexible about curfew on Friday and Saturday nights, so the class took those nights as opportunities to have slumber parties and late night get-togethers.

This was one such night. You, Ochaco, Tsu, Momo, Toru and Kyoka had gone to Mina’s dorm room with snacks and games in hand. Your hostess had offered up her wide selection of video games and her Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ accounts. Toru had even come through with an impressive assortment of face masks, nail polish, and hair accessories. Needless to say, everyone was more than set for a night of careless fun.

“Wait, how do I craft something?” Mom held her controller out to Kyoka, brows pinched together.

“This button, here,” she took the controller, demonstrating by crafting an axe.

Upon realization that Momo had next to no knowledge of Minecraft, the party had abandoned its Super Smash Bros. tournament in favor of showing her the ropes. You’d vowed to help her make a simple house by the end of the night.

“Pro tip: make sure you collect all the same type of wood.” You suggested, eyes focused on the white stripes you were attempting to paint onto Tsuyu’s light green nails with some success.

“Yeah, unless it’s on purpose, like if you use a different wood for the roof or floor, it’s just gonna look like you hobbled it together in less than a minute.” Mina agreed, before promptly shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

Ochaco gasped playfully, swiping the bowl away. “Don’t eat all of it!”

“I’ll eat whatever I damn well please!” Mina retorted, making a grab for the snack as Ochaco floated it over to Toru.

“Okay guys, I can’t take it anymore.” The invisible girl grabbed the bowl out of the air. “We’re all together, hanging out with zero stress for the first time in months! Does anyone have anything juicy to share? Someone’s gotta have something!”

Kyoka rolled her eyes. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I didn’t come to gossip.”

“This class is a pretty tight-knit group, ribbit. Nothing really happens that we don’t all know about.” Tsu pointed out.

“Okay then. Crushes.” Mina prompted.

“What about them?” Momo asked.

“Who’s got ‘em?”

There was a moment of silence. You noticed how a few pairs of eyes flicked to Ochaco, who had gonna very red and very quiet. You sighed, musing to yourself about the things you did for friendship.

“I, uh, I kinda like Iida?”

You hated how you phrased it like a question. You hated how you mitigated the confession with the word “kinda”. You hated that silly, totally inadequate word “like”. Your feelings for Iida went beyond a simple crush. You’d had them for him for months now, you were long past the “like” phase. You were head-over-heels in love.

Toru gasped dramatically. “Really? Iida?”

Ochaco smiled at you, gratitude evident in her eyes. “You two would make a sweet couple.”

“What do you like about him?” Mina asked excitedly. “When did you fall for him? Are you gonna confess?”

“Take it easy,” Kyoka chuckled lightly.

You also laughed, albeit uneasily. You were beginning to regret not keeping your mouth shut. “Okay, I’ll take those one at a time. He’s kind and attentive, and he’s very loyal. I think I realized that I liked him a few weeks after the sports fest, and absolutely not.”

“Why don’t you want to tell him?” Momo asked, pursing her lips. “I think he’d appreciate the honesty.”

“Be that as it may, I don’t wanna make things weird between us or potentially ruin our friendship.” You explained “I don’t wanna jeopardize what we have now by confessing.”

“Plus, Iida doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’s want to date someone, ribbit.” Tsu put in, examining her newly painted nails. “He’s very serious. He’d probably see it as a distraction, these are really pretty, (Y/N), thank you.”

You smiled weakly at your frog-like friend as Toru threw a piece of popcorn at her head. “Tsu!”

“No, she’s right.” You sighed heavily, motioning for the popcorn bowl, intending to drown your sorrows and maybe yourself in it.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N).” Momo patted your back sympathetically as she passed the bowl down. “I can’t imagine how frustrating it is.”

You hummed in agreement as you shoveled the snack into your mouth. “Whatever. It sucks, bur I’ll get over it.”

“Like hell you will!” Mina snapped “Ochaco: our romantically challenged friend’s phone, if you please?”

Ochaco dutifully and bemusedly took your phone from Mina’s bedside table and handed it over to her.

“What are you doing?” You questioned, suddenly on high alert.

You were ignored. Mina instead took your hand, and placed your thumb over the home button on your phone, unlocking it.

“Seriously, what are you doing?” Kyoka asked.

“Texting Iida.”

It took you a few seconds to process her words and what they meant. Once you had, though, you made a sudden grab for the phone. “Oh no you’re not!”

“Chillax, I’m not gonna send him anything embarrassing.” Mina swatted your hand away as she scooted safely out of your reach. “I’m just gonna suggest that you two go out sometime and heavily imply that it’ll be a date.”

“Now hold on,” Momo cut in, setting down her controller. “We shouldn’t be interfering. This is between (Y/N) and Iida.”

“Yeah, if (Y/N) wants to ask him out, they’ll do it themselves, ribbit.” Tsu chimed in.

Mina sighed, slumping. “I know you’re both right, but I can’t just let them wallow! Iida really likes you, (Y/N)!”

“Oh yeah?” You raised both eyebrows.

“Yeah! He’s a lot softer with you then with anyone else!”

“He does tend to let you get away with things,” Kyoka admitted. “Remember the other day when you were sitting on your desk? The guy didn’t even bat an eye.”

“He also seems like he talks to you more than he does the rest of us!” Toru pointed out.

“Plus he worries about you more than the rest of us!” Ochaco added on.

“He looks more relaxed around you.” Tsuyu threw in.

“Sometimes when we have class representative meetings, he’ll offhandedly mention you.” Momo reported thoughtfully. “He’ll tell me about something you said or did that he found funny or endearing. It’s actually pretty adorable the way he talks about you. It’s like his whole face lights up.”

You were quiet for a very long moment. It was too good to be true. You liked playing it safe. You kept your cards close to your chest until you were absolutely sure you had the wining hand. And if you’d learnt anything in your hero education, it was that sometimes you needed to take a risk.

“Can I have my phone, please?”

Mina tossed it to you. Without another word, you navigated to your messages, and typed something out quickly. Before you could reconsider, you took a risk.

You hit send.

. . .

This isn’t actually all that bad.

When Kirishima and Kaminari had suggested a “boys’ night”, Tenya had been apprehensive at best. He was all for class bonding activities, but what was the point if it was only a fraction of their group?

“(L/N) and the girls are having a sleepover, so we may as well something ourselves.” Sero had pointed out.

Despite his skepticism, Tenya found himself thoroughly enjoying himself. After admitting he’d never seen a Marvel movie, Midoriya had immediately logged the common room TV into his Disney+ account and began the first ever 1-A Marvel movie marathon.

“Ugh, does this mean we have to watch Age of Ultron?” Ojiro groaned “That one sucks.”

“Yeah, but at some point I’m going to make Iida watch Wandavision.” Midoriya replied “Ultron is important to understanding it, sucky as it may be.”

“That’s not gonna be for a while if we’re watching every single Marvel movie, though.” Sato chuckled.

“Yeah, we’re definitely gonna need more than one night for this shit,” Kaminari chortled “Wandavision not withstanding.”

Tenya smiled, not quite following but listening all the same. He suddenly felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

(L/N): Random question. Want to go out and get dinner tomorrow, just the two of us?

It was indeed a random question. He had no qualms about spending time with (L/N) though. Even if it was just the two us them. Especially if it’s just the two of us. Tenya quickly shook the thought away though, feeling he’s cheeks flare.

Me: That would be great! Do you have a time and place in mind?

(L/N): Would 6 be ok? As for the place… would you be up for a surprise?

Tenya hesitated. Usually he’s say no. He liked everything to be perfectly planed to a T. But something about (L/N) made him want to be spontaneous. They made him want to take risks. So he decided to do precisely that. He threw caution into the wind as he sent his response.

Me: 6 is more than ok, and I’m always up for a surprise if it’s with you.

Tenya cringed immediately after hitting send. The instant regret was crushing and depressing. He wished he could be honest about his feelings, about (L/N) without overthinking every move he made.

Oh well. What’s done is done. He slipped his phone back into his pocket, praying you wouldn’t respond. However, his plea went ignored a minute later when he felt his phone vibrate yet again.

Biting back a groan, Tenya opened his texts, inwardly bracing himself.

(L/N): Awesome! I’ll meet you at 6 in the common room tomorrow, then. Can’t wait! ❤️

He gaped. That tiny red emoji wormed not his brain and burned itself behind his eyes until that was all he could see. He barely even registered the rest of the message.

“Whatcha lookin’ at, Iida?” Kaminari, never one to understand personal space, leaned over to glance at the class rep’s phone phone before he could angle it away. “You sly little- IIDA HAS A DATE!”

“No I- that’s not- Kaminari!” Tenya sputtered incoherently, arms flailing. “That was entirely inappropriate. You shouldn’t look at other people’s devices without their permission. It’s rude, demeaning, and an invasion of privacy!”

“Forget that, what’s this about a date?” Sero leaned in on Kaminari’s other side.

“Iida and (L/N) were texting,” Kaminari announced “They asked him out to dinner, he said yes, and they send a heart emoji.”

“What color?” Aoyama demanded, squinting.

“Red.”

“Oh my,” Aoyama leaned back in his seat, a coy smirk playing across his lips.

Sero chuckled, leaning across Kaminari’s lap to pat Tenya on the arm. “You lucky bastard.”

The blue haired boy brushed his hand away, bristling. “Not that my personal activities are any of your concern, but it’s not a date. We’re just going to get something to eat.”

“I’m not an expert or anything, but I don’t think many people go out one-on-one for dinner if it’s platonic.” Midoriya pointed out.

“Yeah, plus, that emoji says a lot.” Kirishima added “(L/N) clearly means this to be a date. If you don’t feel the same way about them, you need to tell them.”

“You don’t want to go on a date with (L/N)?” Todoroki asked, raising an eyebrow “I would’ve thought you’d be happy for an opportunity like that.”

“See! Even Todoroki can see you’ve got it bad for them!” Sato exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the confused heterochromic boy.

Tenya ignored his overly-excited classmates. He flipped back through his conversation with (L/N), staring at every text until he’d inadvertently memorized them all.

Me: Is this a date?

. . .

“So much for subtly, I guess.” Kyoka remarked.

“Subtly gets you nowhere with Iida!” Ochaco insisted “You have to be upfront with him!”

“But I sent him a heart,” You groaned for the fourth time.

“Well, there’s no sense in bemoaning it now.” Momo reasoned.

“It was a calculated risk.” Toru admitted, an undercut of worry in her voice.

“A risk, huh?” You chuckled humorlessly “I seem to be taking a lot of those tonight.”

Ding!

Seven pairs of eyes darted to your overturned phone at the same moment. No one moved an inch.

“Well,” Tsu nudged you “are you going to look at it?”

You gulped, shakily taking the device. The girl’s gathered around you. As you opened your text messages.

Iida: Is this a date?

“No backing down now!” Ochaco squealed, gripping your shoulders tightly and shaking you.

“Go, go, go, go, go!” Mina bounced on her knees like it was a sporting event.

You took a deep breath, then texted back.

. . .

(L/N): That was the idea, lol. It doesn’t have to be if you don’t want it to be, tho

Tenya pursed his lips, showing the response to Midoriya.

“C’mon, Iida.” His friend chuckled lightly “Just tell them the truth.”

The truth. He did want it to be a date, but a simple “I want to go on a date with you” didn’t seem sufficient. It wouldn’t do justice to how he really felt.

Tenya had already taken a risk tonight, so what was one more? But knowing what he now knew about your feelings, it didn’t seem quite so scary anymore.

Me: I’d love nothing more than to go on a date with you, (L/N). Truth be told, I’ve wanted to for a while now, I just haven’t had the courage to ask you myself. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. ❤️

#mha #bnha #iida #tenya #tenya iida #iida x reader #tenya x reader #tenya iida x reader #mha x reader #bnha x reader

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sopxhiea · 3 years

Text

Lush

Alfie Solomons X Reader

Summary: As more time passes, the wild girl realizes that she’s wrapped some ropes around herself and it’s only with Alfie’s help that she’s able to get out of her own trap.

“Behave.”

“Are you flirting or starting a fight?”

It’s teatime first, supper second.

The guests come and go, a couple muffled shouts here and there while the sun changes its position. The weather’s mostly cloudy, it rains every now and then but not enough to take notice. The coats slowly get thicker, the colors dim as the days morph into nights and the next thing you know, the whole month is behind you.

It’s the weekend, the date is somewhere between the many things you’d piled up in the back of your mind but it’s hard to reach out for it. A month has passed, you realize and a little smile finds your lips that doesn’t go unnoticed by the girls around but you catch yourself before silly thoughts enter your mind and wipe the smile off your face.

It’s not the time to dream.

The girls are walking slowly, backs straight and eyes soft as the madam gives them notes of how to correct their posture. They don’t have a book on their head like they’d made you do but the stifled laughter and the stolen glances are all there. There isn’t much to do around, not since you’d been given immunity of doing certain things after that visit.

Things have changed, you think, while watching the sky get darker with each passing minute. It’ll be a quiet night in with the other girls, a lot of laughter and scary stories are expected. You suppose you’ll join them but something in you seems a bit distant from it all. With a shake of your head, you stand up to help some of the other girls with meal preparations.

It’s all because of him.

You don’t get attached, you tell yourself while walking towards the back of the kitchen. The jar of jam is heavy in your hands as you walk back, murmuring to yourself about how stupid this all was. The plans were still in motion and they worked like a charm but there was something deep in your mind that kept you from being as rational as you used to be.

It feels like a fog, something sweet you’re walking inside of. Things feel lighter most of the time, especially when he’s around. You still have the upper hand, you suppose that’s something you’ll never lose but he’s been working the ground to get you to feel this way and you find it silly that it’s working so well.

It’s not love.

You repeat to yourself while cutting up some vegetables. The girls are used to your state now, mumbling and talking to yourself in a harsh tone while you work. He’s getting into your head and it’s easy to let go but you remind yourself that you’ve played the game longer than he has. You know the ropes better and they’re all keeping him tied down anyway.

It’s the weekend, you repeat to yourself and a brilliant idea comes to mind.

It’s been a while since you’ve snuck out. No one from the boarding house has the heart to do it but you, although the visits are less often than they had been. You figure you’re more tired than usual since you have more things to take care of in the house, but it’s all an excuse.

Sometimes, in the very dark of the night when you’re not quite yourself, you find yourself thinking about him. It’s not the way that you think about men: they’re mostly useless souls who want a pretty lady to smile at them and you pity them, you still do but it’s no surprise that he’s proven to be the exact opposite of every man you’ve met.

You blame yourself.

You’re not keen on losing the game and you’re still willing to bet good money on yourself but he’s smart, sharper than anyone you’ve played with and it catches you off-guard. The recovery is quick, you’re on your feet in no time but the more time passes, the more you realize the real danger beneath it all.

It’s not love, you mutter while putting on the dress.

Annabelle doesn’t care as much anymore, not after Alfie’s threats thrown her way. She keeps quiet as she watches you walk out of the house with nothing but a silk slip and a large coat on. She knows where you’re going but her lips are sealed shut, she’s fearful.

You come to realize that that’s the experience with Alfie. Men are so afraid that the amount calling you decreases each week. Some of them call you ‘his girl’ now which only makes you scowl. If anything, you’re the one who has your claws dug into him. The girls mostly want to fuck him, you find out after being spoken to in the back of a club by women who were trembling with the thought of a gangster between their sheets.

Lisa is giddy next to you while you walk into the club, excited to see the lad she fancies. You suppose they’ll get married, too. Like the rest of your friends who are either pregnant or about to tie the knot. You flinch at the thought, although you know Annabelle wants nothing more than to send you off.

Poor woman, never getting anything she wants.

Another thing that’s changed is how quickly time passes, the thought crosses your mind long after you’ve made into the club and a gentleman has your hand in his as you dance. It’s easy, second nature almost, as you sway your hips and his eyes widen at the things he starts imagining. They all think with their dicks anyway-

Not him.

You shake your head again, dancing to the loud music and taking the thought in your hand, tossing it in a forgotten box and locking it. There are so many of those thoughts that the gentleman’s face starts to look like his. His beard is trimmed like it usually is when he comes to see you and you can smell his scent when the thought arrives.

It’s the booze.

You don’t realize that the reason why you’re able to smell Alfie’s is because he’s standing next to the front door of the club with Ollie on his side. He’s there on business, the owner has not been paying up but he thinks your pretty little self doesn’t need to know about it as he watches you dance.

The club is packed due to it being the weekend and it reminds him of the first time he’d met you in the boarding school and the way you’d made ladies’ eyes widen with your moves. They were all bothered with being proper and he knew, for a fact, that you didn’t care for that.

Two months later and your ropes around him were tight as ever.

Only this time, you had your own ropes to worry about.

Lisa was sitting on one of the booths with someone he’d seen before but the lad dancing with you was not familiar. It didn’t matter, he’d pound them into the ground either way. He didn’t care for the way the lad’s eyes roamed all over your body, he was sure that was his privilege.

Your head was bobbing rapidly, mouthing the words to the song he’d never heard before. He knew he was an old bloke next to you but you didn’t seem to mind and neither did he. Your dress flowed around your ankles while he watched, breath caught in his throat for a split second and Ollie marveled at the sight of his big bad boss going desperate because of a pretty lady barely half his size.

Ollie figured it was curiosity or even better, love.

You had a smile on while moving to the rhythm, the lad seemed to enjoy your slightly drunk phase just as much. You started turning in circles after a bit and when you stopped to hold onto the said lad, he was gone and replaced by a very good looking familiar man.

You figured it was the booze playing games.

Surely the Alfie standing in front of you was a product of your imagination. He seemed too real to be an imaginary character but you figured the booze just had to be that good. A low smile found your lips and he almost mirrored the act but held himself. He was a little hurt.

“Where’s my lad?” you spoke, not sure if Alfie was actually standing in front of you or you were just imagining it. You had imagined him fucking you into a mattress last week so anything was possible.

He chuckled and glared at you, it made you realize that he was in fact standing in front of you but that didn’t change the act. He was still the man you knew. Ollie watched the strange interaction, it made him snort every time when his boss would try to deal with you and it would only backfire.

“There was a fuckin’ lad ‘ere, yeah, there was..” he spoke, hand tugging at his beard and you realized you were standing close to where Lisa was within the booths.

Alfie kept speaking, eyes not leaving yours and he saw the booze on your features. It made you relaxed and slightly silly but he settled that he liked that a lot. “...didn’t know he was fuckin’ yours, pet.” he spoke, the pet name making you giggle because it was just absurd coming from a man with blood on his hands, it only made you feel less contained.

You nodded, not making eye contact with him while you looked around. You had to crane your neck to meet his eye anyway and it just seemed like a bother in your slightly drunk stage. You spoke in a low voice in the noisy room but he’d heard, it was easy for him to pick up on your voice in a room full of people since he heard you in his dreams every damn night.

“He was my partner..” you said, hand on your arm while you stood before him. His eyebrows furrowed and you continued, this time looking at him as you spoke. “..dancing and all. You know, things you never do?” you said, a low smile on your lips as he looked at you.

You were still as dangerous, didn’t matter if you were slightly intoxicated.

“I’m gonna go ba-” you started speaking, finger pointing in the direction of the moving crowd but Alfie cut you off. He didn’t want to see you drunkenly dancing with some strange bloke and frankly, he had missed you.

“Ya’ stay here, yeah, fuckin’ stay where ya’ are...” he spoke, eyes looking over to the bar at the end of his sentence. He was standing close to you while his face hovered above yours and you licked your lips at the warmth that seeped off of the man and he forgot all he was going to say.

You lifted your eyebrows, knowing how easy it was for him to get riled up, especially because you still hadn’t slept with him. You’d kissed him and made out on several occasions and it only made him come back a little more desperately.

“I’m gonna go talk to the fuckin’ owner, lass, ya’ stay-” he started speaking but your drunk courage made you cut him off with glistening eyes.

“Here, I know.” you said, not breaking eye contact.

He had been getting more demanding than usual lately and while other women liked having a possessive man, the whole thing just pissed you off and he knew it, you knew that he did from the way his lips twitched. He had heard other lads talking about you, even more appealing now that you were some sort of forbidden fruit due to being called ‘Alfie’s girl’ and it made his blood boil.

But he wouldn’t tell you that.

You stayed where you were when he went to the back part of the bar and disappeared but it soon proved to be a bad idea, leaving you on your own. You were still slightly drunk and it didn’t help that the song was so catchy. Your limbs started moving before you knew it and you were smiling as you moved.

Unbeknownst to you, Alfie had taken care of the issue and was staring at your silly form. He was surely enjoying the little show but he didn’t like that it was in public, he liked it better you were alone and performing for him as you’d done a couple times before. He still reveled in the dreams he had about the way your body moved, it was pure sin to him.

Before you knew it, he was gently dragging you away again, the broad shoulders you knew so well. It was strange, you thought. He was such a strange man but you weren’t any better, he made an excellent companion. His company was calming and rather enjoyable, even though sometimes you’d see the blood on his sleeve.

He dragged you all the way towards the entrance and told Ollie to go fetch your coat. The lad was quick on his feet and you were annoyed, too restless in your state and you forgot about Lisa. Alfie’s face inched impossibly closer to yours when you were waiting for Ollie and you felt his breath against your face, fingers gently caressing your jaw and his voice contradicted the act as he spoke with a stern glare.

“Behave.” his voice was harsh, not cold but you knew there would be trouble if you didn’t do as he asked.

The game was fun and all but he was still a gangster and the one who had a gun out of the two of you, so you listened.

You nodded almost too gently and he didn’t spare a glance before disappearing behind the bar again. Thanking Ollie for the coat, you started putting it on but the loud sound stopped you, along with everyone else in the club.

You were sure you were just imagining things.

There were shots inside the club, somewhere along the back and your blood froze at the sound. Ollie ushered you outside, aware that his boss would make him pay if you were to see anything. The dancing stopped, most of the people scurrying away from the club. You saw Lisa in the arms of her man and didn’t think to stop her. Annabelle would scold her but you’d make sure you got all the blame.

One more gunshot and it was over.

Your eyes curiously glossed over Ollie’s but he kept his lips shut as he looked into the club to see where his boss had been. It was supposed to be an easy job, in and out but the owner had been resisting and that was not smart when doing business with Alfie.

You stood outside with Ollie for a while before Alfie emerged but the sight was unfamiliar this time. There was blood all over his once white shirt, you didn’t know if it was his or someone else’s. His hair was disheveled, thick crimson color on the outside of his coat and the edge of the hat he was holding in his hand. You took the sight in and the angry eyes that were directed at you.

You didn’t ask.

This was him, it was bound to show up sometime and he had done his very best to protect you from seeing him like this. As fucked up as it was, it didn’t bother you. You knew his line of work long before you’d got to meet the gentleman covered in blood and figured that some people just had to deal with dirty business and he happened to be one of them.

“I hope that’s not yours.” you spoke with a chuckle while looking at the blood on his shirt, surprising both men as they looked at you.

It didn’t seem to bother you at all.

“Nah.” he said after a while, Ollie long gone to get the car. He just stared at your puzzled form, trying to figure out why you hadn’t been scared or hysterical like most people were when they saw the state he was in.

But you just stared at him, not at the blood but at his slightly wounded face.

You spoke before he could muster up the energy to tell you that this was where the night would end.

“You need some patching up.” you spoke, finger pointing at your eyebrow to show that his was severely damaged.

Then, he just watched.

He watched as you told Ollie to bring out the car and drive you and Alfie to the bakery. You bossed his assistant around for a bit before the lad disappeared. He watched you walk closer to him and gently touch his left cheek where there were no bruises. He reveled in the way your eyes traveled across his face to examine the damage and he didn’t say a word.

He watched you as you pushed him into his own car and took the front seat next to Ollie as he drove you and Alfie to the bakery.

------

Things took a turn, Alfie concluded.

It wasn’t necessarily a left turn as he realized he very much liked the state he was in, your face inches away from his as you dabbed some alcohol into his eyebrow. He watched your eyes come in and out of focus and felt his pants tighten when you purposefully licked your lips.

He didn’t think he’d be here but he wasn’t complaining in the slightest.

He had stood there, wounded and a little tired on the doorstep of his office as you made him a comfortable place on his sofa and helped him into the office. He had not made a sound while watching you work, curious as to why you had learned to patch someone up this quickly.

He hissed slightly when you touched his arm where there was a knife wound. It wasn’t too bad, just needed some time to heal. You cut his shirt, not bothering to get it off of him since that was for later. You figured this was a better waste of your time than dancing with some drunk lad in the club.

Since you knew this lad well.

You chuckled at his hiss, no kindness offered to his expense while you patched him up. The whole thing would be traumatic for anyone to go through and Alfie had been a sight when he’d first appeared but you seemed nonchalant about it all and it only made him worried.

“Stay still for a damn second.” you whispered under your breath when he started moving again and the words made him furrow his eyebrows. You rarely swore and he figured it was best not to ask about it from a rational point of view.

But Alfie was not a rational man.

“The fuck is wrong?” he said, voice gruff as he looked at you. Your hands moved faster than an average person doing this job, like the nurses he’d seen in France.

“Your face and you might be losing an arm so...” you spoke, not looking at him as he tried to put the pieces together. “...a lot is wrong.” you said, a mere whisper from your lips.

He didn’t ask, figured there was a time and place for that.

“Luv, don’t ya’ fuckin’ need to be home by now, eh?” he started speaking, mumbling under his breath as he trailed off. You didn’t spare him a glance, too bothered by the fact that this was not something you could foresee.

The game had gone accordingly until now but this was not usual nor something you’d done with another man before. Certainly not a gangster.

There was dancing, sneaky remarks and flirty smiles but you’d never patched someone up before. You’d kiss him, sure, you’d straddle him but clean him up after he’d killed a couple men had never been on the list.

“I don’t have a...curfew since you scared Annabelle off from doing anything to me.” you spoke, words harsh but your voice was sweet as you spoke to him.

He was a confused man as he looked at you, he needed you to elaborate. He had shot men for not being clear enough and he found his frustration rising as he watched you tend to his wound. He wasn’t sure of what you meant.

He thought you were mad at him but then you spoke again.

“Besides, I never really listened to her.” you said, giggling at the end of the sentence while you dabbed his wound with some more alcohol, you were smiling at him as you’d said it.

He could never figure you out.

Your hands were quick to put his jacket back on when you were done, a little whiff of exhaustion left your lips and Alfie realized it was later than you usually came home. There were no rings under your eyes but a visible annoyance that came from being exhausted.

He looked at your small form, dress slightly covered in the blood his shirt was drenched in. You didn’t look fazed, just a bit tired from the way you stood. His eyes roamed over your body, feeling a bit guilty since he had been the one to drag you here but he also knew that this would be happening sooner or later, it just happened to be sooner than he’d expected.

You took a good look at his body, now bandaged and all content in the little cushion filled place you’d made on the sofa. He smiled at you, sheepish almost but you found it all too alluring anyway. This was not planned and it did make you frustrated but after all, it was exciting to be useful to him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the one protecting me, sir?” you asked, the way the last part rolled out of your tongue sounding like pure sin to him. He blinked first, and then his hand tried to grab yours but you shifted and moved so you were no longer as close to his sitting body while you stood before him.

He just chuckled. His voice was not as gruff as it had been but all power and manly as usual. “Lass...” he spoke, the tone of his voice cutting through the tense air like a knife. “Are you flirting or starting a fight?”

It could be both, really. He always had to guess with you.

You gave him a small smile, the first genuine one since you’d seen the blood and it made his chest all warm but he didn’t ponder on it. He’d be having too many bruises to count in the morning when the sun would come up and he figured he didn’t want you to see him that way. Although it was entirely too late for that, you had already seen the worst of it.

He just looked human to you.

He was a big scary boss, one many feared and for good reason but he just seemed like a man as you looked at him. He wasn’t badly injured but there was a glint of vulnerability in his eyes, one he would deny having but you held onto it. Maybe this little outing could benefit you after all.

“It’s a shame you have to ask, Mr. Solomons.” you spoke, voice lower than usual while you talked to him.

He knew this was a two sided coin and so far, he had been getting the wrong side.

He watched as you sat down next to him on the sofa, his body slowly coming out of the shock while the pain hit him. He took it better than most, you thought, he was clearly in control while the waves of pain hit him repeatedly but you chose not to dwell on it and instead, talked about what you really wanted from him.

“How ‘bout we make a deal?” your words were airy, voice too soft for him to comprehend and it took him a minute. Your face was already inches away from his and you wouldn’t kiss him, no, you’d toy with the wounded man but you would leave him alone at the end.

He searched your eyes for something, for anything, while your hands caressed his cheeks. Your touch was feathery, almost made him slip but he took control at the right moments so he wasn’t losing the game. He was already weakened when seeing you work and had no intentions of losing yet another round.

“Go on.” he said, simple against your lips as they hovered above his, not touching but almost there. He gulped and you threw him a smirk at the reaction, men were always like this.

You pulled back and sat in front of him on your knees so he didn’t have to look up from where he was standing. It would’ve looked like a love confession, you thought, if anyone were to see it but it was a proposition being made. All business as you spoke and he listened.

“You take me home tonight..” you spoke and a glint of hope appeared in his eyes, even though you were quick to shut it off. “...no funny business, as I imagine your state would make it difficult.”

your voice was soft as you spoke this time and he chuckled lowly at the words, hand at his beard in usual manner.

“It ain’t a problem, luv.” he said, watching the ways your eyes shifted at the words. You leaned closer so you were inches away from his face and spoke. This was what it all boiled down to.

“You take me home every night, Mr. Solomons. Out of that school.” you spoke, eyes looking at his and not wavering in the slightest because you knew he offered death or a deal.

The itch to be out of the school was getting to you and what better person than the bloke who ruled Camden to do that?

You knew the power he had and not just the money either. People were scared of him so it was useful to wear his name like an armor in the streets. It would be easy for you, a place for yourself in the city and protection.

But there was a catch.

“And you, yeah, what are ya’ thinkin’ of givin’ me for my fuckin’ generosity?” he asked, he knew you’d be wanting a place of your own and that was easy business but he needed something out of it, something to keep him on his toes.

There was the itch to get out of the school since you knew, for a fact, that if you didn’t leave soon, they’d have you married off to some guy. Alfie was much better than that, handsome and wealthy too and since people had been calling you ‘his girl’ for a while, you figured it was only natural to exploit the title.

You wouldn’t have sex with him to close the bet, no, this would be much more fun than that. You’d keep playing the game but you needed to give him a benefit somehow, to show that his help would count for something.

Although he didn’t really care for that, it was all worth it if he got to see you.

“What do you want me to do?” you spoke, face closer to his now that he was playing the game.

You thought maybe you could work for him, he knew the opportunity was on the table but he didn’t need someone else to work for him. But then, he didn’t really care if it meant that he got to see you everyday, he reveled in the idea of seeing you around each time he would look around the bakery.

He didn’t want the boys to see you, no, he would rather have you around his office and you stared at him as he calculated it all. It was easy to see the wires work in his head, gears turning as he looked at you from head to toe. He knew you painted and that you caught on fast and that was all he would need anyway.

He smiled, lip hurting since it had been cut but that didn’t stop him. His hand grabbed your chin, caressing the soft skin of your face gently as he spoke to you as if he were cooing.

“Ya’ know what you’re fuckin’ askin’ me?” he spoke, eyebrows furrowed in the slightest. He thought, for the first time, that you’d bitten off more than you could chew.

But he sometimes forgot who he was playing with.

You nodded, no hesitation in your eyes as you looked at the man before you. The game was still going on but this didn’t count, not when you were inches away from his lips and he’d dreamed of kissing you the past week, to be close to you the way he was.

You pulled back.

There was pure danger in your eyes, the kind of orbs Alfie swore were trouble when you stood. There was no toying at that moment, only the truth while you looked at him. Sure, you were capable of ruining a man of his wrath almost too easily but if he were to offer you a way out, the ropes would change and the whole game would shift.

But to whose benefit, that he didn’t know.

Your words were airy as you spoke, determined regardless while you talked to his sitting form.

“Make your decision, Mr. Solomons. But make it quick.” you said, not fucking around anymore because this man seemed like an out ticket and you’d do your best to keep him. “You know where to find me.”

He watched you leave before glancing back at his now cleaned wounds you’d so graciously taken care of. He thought of your touch and the determination in your voice when asking him for a way out, since you knew he was your one ticket if you wanted a life without a boring bloke you’d call your husband.

He shouted for Ollie and told him to fire Abel from doing his accounts.

-----

Tagging: @clairecrive @parkbearum @sourirez @vetseras @mollybegger-blog @babylooneytoonz @peakascum @fuseburner @r-rose08 @innerpaperexpertcloud @caffinated-tree @cathartichaoss @ihavefandomsssss @thatchickwiththecamera @sugarcoated-lame @alainabooks143

a/n: This is a bit late but I just finished all my midterms and i’ll be more active on here!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and do let me know what you thought <3 There will be another one coming out soon!!

Happy valentines day!! Sending you all my love and endless hugs <3

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canonicallysoulmates · 3 years

Note

Just saw your post about the post phase 1 Marvel movies and the meme you used for CA:CW. So I'm here to ask and get you cancelled. What did you think about the movie? Are you Team Stark or Team Rogers?

........................................................I knew this day would come......okay, let's get me cancelled!

I hate this movie, I hate this movie with every fiber of my being. Watching it was torture, it as the longest 20hrs of my life. It was like living out one of those very confusing math problems I started this movie at 10am somehow 6pm rolls around and there are still 2hrs left! Coño cómo?! I watched this with my mom, and when we checked how much time was left we were left looking at each other like 'que carajo what twilight zone bullshit is this?' It's one of those Marvel movies that I am so glad I did not waste my money on, I wish I could get a refund for my time but I made my choice and I shall now have to deal with it.

I hate this movie for many reasons but I'm not gonna make y'all wait any longer for what you're really here for because I know what y'all really want to know is whether I am Team Iron Man or Team Captain America. When it comes to the political aspects ie. the Accords, I am Team Neither.

Now, I cannot get into a comprehensive debate about the Accords because the writers did a shitty ass job, in a 2 and a 1/2 hour movie that felt like a lifetime, at explaining what exactly the Accords are in the movie universe. Emphasis on the movie universe, because I have seen debates go on in this motherfucking fandom where some people will bring up aspects from the comics Registration Acts but we're not talking about the comics okay, we're talking about the movies! And they're two fucking different things! And the movie did a shitty ass job at explaining what the Accords are, and that's one of the reasons I hate this movie: that it's so badly written.

But back to the point, which is where I stand on the teams when it comes to the politics, I am Team Neither because ultimately they were both idiots on how they handled this, and I think they both have good points like yes the Avengers and other superheroes should 100% be held accountable if they fuck up, the fact that they are superheroes and the "good guys" doesn't mean that their actions shouldn't have consequences but at the same time Steve's mistrust of the government and concerns that the team and others could be weaponized are also valid so I think they both have good points when it comes down to it and the smart thing to do - and in my opinion what would have made a much better film- would have been to come together and make like a counterproposal, decide on amendments, try to ensure they can get a representative so they have a voice on the table.

So, there you go when it comes to the Accords I am Team Neither however when it comes to the characters and their actions I am 1,000% Team Tony. At the end of the day he wanted to do what was best for both people and for his team, he wanted to keep the team together because he knew they were stronger together, and he was thinking long term not short term.

And then there's Steve who is an asshole in this film and completely lacks self awareness, cause there's a scene in the film after they've found out about the Accords where Steve goes "that's because he already made up his mind" about Tony and I'm just like bitch so did you, pot meet kettle, Rogers you knew from the get go that you weren't going to sign those papers don't go acting different and then like- here's the thing Steve has some very good points when it comes to the Accords but one of his points is that the UN is filled with people with agendas and agendas change which true but also motherfucker you yourself have an agenda! The whole Sokovia mess is an example that they cannot be trusted to hold themselves or each other accountable because inevitably the time will come where they'll want to protect their team mate like we see in this movie Steve do with Bucky, or how he wanted to protect Wanda because he looks at her as if she were a child not an adult. Steve, you lot are not exempt from having your own agendas and biases.

And through pretty much the entire movie, he has this whole my way or the highway attitude like this man does not know the meaning of compromise in this film, and he has such tunnel vision for Bucky- and listen! listen, listeeeeeen, I get it, I don't judge Steve for making his bestie a priority; I understand that Bucky is incredibly important to Steve, that he's the one person who's gonna look at him as just Steve and not as the Steve Rogers, I get that he carries a guilt over what happened to his friend, I understand he misses him, I understand all of that and respect the ride or die game but goddamn he was so focused on being a good friend to Bucky that he forgot about everyone and everything else and was a shit friend to Tony.

Actually a lot of people in this film were shit to Tony for no goddamn reason but Steve was such a shitty friend not telling Tony about his parents, that was a shitty ass thing to do and listen! I know what some of y'all are thinking you're thinking some version of 'he wanted to protect Tony' shut the fuck up. No, no, that's an excuse and it's a cheap one, you know damn well that was a shitty thing for Steve to do and y'all know damn well you would have reacted the same way Tony did if someone who you thought was your goddamn friend knew about something horrible that happened to people that were important to you and they never told you; that kind of shit hurts, and finding out someone you thought of as a friend doesn't care about you as much as you care about them hurts.

And y'all know goddamn well how emotions work, you know emotions aren't gonna wait for the rational brain to kick in don't some of y'all go playing dumb as if you didn't know this shit. Same way deep down all of y'all know Tony was holding his punches, that man gave Thanos a fight and got some blood if he had wanted to kill Bucky he would have. Don't none of y'all motherfuckers try to play games and act like you don't know this info.

Steve was a shit friend to Tony. Period. The least he could have done is have some empathy or compassion towards Tony when he saw his parent's being killed- and I swear to motherfucking god to the person who is getting close to their keyboard thinking of saying he showed compassion by not killing him back the fuck away from your motherfucking keyboard what did I tell you about playing stupid, this is properly tagged, stay in your fucking lane. Some of y'all be acting as if it were still 2016 and we're gonna be talking about that too, anon wanted my opinion on this film so now I'm going off.

Back to what I was saying, in some ways Steve wasn't a perfect friend to Bucky either cause he kept looking at Bucky and thinking of the guy he used to know but Bucky's not that person anymore, he's been through a lot of shit and it feels at times like Steve didn't fully realize that.

I hate Steve in this movie, I wanna punch him in the throat; he's an ass, he thinks he's above the rules, he's unaware of his own flaws, he might be a good friend to Bucky but that's it. I don't blame Steve though I blame the writers cause they're the ones who wrote him this way; moving on from Steve, I wanna talk about Wanda real quick, I don't hate the character of Wanda but I do hate the way she was written in this film, I hate that the writers expect us as an audience to look at this adult and think of her as a defenseless child who should be exempt from consequences, I hate that instead of actually doing something with her and exploring some interesting dynamics they just give her an AI boyfriend and a pinterest quote which sounds nice but falls flat especially considering she says said quote as she uses her powers (which is what people are afraid of) to send her love interest down several floors of a building. They could have done so many cool and interesting things with her, shame they didn't.

Another thing I hate about this film is what it did to the fandom, and how it was promoted because it was very much promoted as a pick your fighter, pick a side type of movie and after this movie came out I feel like the divide between Tony fans and Steve fans grew toxically and the effects are still seen to this day like some people really do be acting as if it were still 2016 and attacking others for what side they went with or for who their fav between the two is, and I'll be very honest a lot of the hate I have seen has been directed towards Tony and Tony fans. I hate that, I hate when TPTB deliberately pits fans against each other cause it just encourages a toxic environment.

Let me think was there anything that I liked about this film- wait, oh my god talking about all these other things I hate almost made me forget the thing I hate the most about this movie: it's pointless. Its existence is unnecessary; the biggest aspect of this film isn't the politics of the Accords, it's Steve and Bucky and how far Steve is willing to go for Bucky and have him by his side...but Endgame exists. The end of Endgame turns this film pointless, because the only true point of this movie is the relationship between Steve and Bucky that's the biggest takeaway from the whole thing, but then you have the end of Endgame where Steve just leaves Bucky.

I hated this film before I saw Endgame but after.....I never plan to watch Civil War again but if I did I'm pretty sure I'd self combust cause I'd be so angry I'd scream every time Steve appeared cause that son of a bitch ends up leaving; tears the whole team apart only to end up leaving his friend behind in the end.

I hate this film, I hate everything about it, well that's not true I love the Tony and Peter stuff, but aside from a couple of things I hate this movie, someone give me time stone I'm eliminating it from the timeline.

So, there you go those are my thoughts on CA: CW.

In conclusion, I am Team Neither on the Accords, Team Tony on everything else, Steve I still like you but this movie demoted you in my eyes and makes me wanna punch you in the throat.

#i clearly had a lot to say #anon do you see the pandora's box you've opened #anti captain america civil war #anti civil war #anti cacw #steve rogers critical #pro tony stark #mcu negativity #mcu fandom critical #wanda maximoff critical #anti steve rogers #i'm not anti steve but i did say this post would be properly tagged #non spn #anon #ask #long post

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kim-seungmine · 4 years

Text

moonlit

title: moonlit

characters: fem!reader x lee minho (lee know) of stray kids feat. bang chan, kim seungmin, hwang hyunjin, kid!yang jeongin

genres: exes to lovers au, romance, angst, based on eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, chan’s one sided love if you squint real hard, bff!seungjin.

warnings: cursing, mentions of drinking and food, mentions of insecurity/emptiness, minho is lowkey a flirt (and smooth af), this one is WORDY, sometimes nonlinear (flashbacks marked in italics, phase 2 completely happens in the past), lots of inner conflicts, watch me repeat the same words again and again.

word count: 14k

synopsis: after a nasty breakup, you have lee minho clinically erased from your mind... only to be reminded that while memories can be erased and forgotten, feelings will always demand to be felt.

Phase 1: Awakening

You clamp your shaking legs together, desperately trying to look like you’ve got it all together. The carton box on your lap feels heavier with each passing second as you wait for your name to be called. When the receptionist finally tells you to enter the consulting room, your head is full of him. His laugh, his voice, his touches, his smile, his empty promises, his lies, his last words…

This is why you’re doing this. You want him gone.

“Miss Y/N, please have a seat.” The doctor, Seo Changbin, motions at you to sit at the back of the room. A nurse places a tripod in front of you, setting the camera so it will capture your whole body. “Your sessions will be recorded, and we will keep all the recordings as archive. These recordings are confidential unless they’re needed for national security purposes. And, of course, if you wish to get your memories back in the future.”

Dr. Seo smiles, the calming tone in his voice doesn’t match the weight of his words. “You… you can restore the memories back?”

“I can’t,” he answers. “Patients are usually able to remember some past memories when triggered. And at least you will be reminded of why you want to do the erasure procedure in the first place. There are a lot of patients who regret doing this, and the last thing we want is to get sued because people make the wrong choices for themselves. I’m sure you have already read that part on the consent form.”

Great, you’re going to stop him from messing with your head by letting strangers literally damaging your brain.

“I won’t sue you. Let’s get this over with.”

“Sure.” Dr. Seo points at the camera. “Now, tell us everything, starting with who you want to erase.”

You grip your box tighter, as if to check if all the things inside still cause you pain no matter how many times you’ve seen them. You could have done this the normal way—crying, cutting your hair, even turning to God for help.

The thing is, one of these days the pain is going to swallow you up, and then you’ll be left with nothing. Nothing but an empty shell.

You should have been able to do this the normal way, but you’re too weak. Can’t you be weak for once? You can, right?

Clearing your throat, you stare at the lens. “Lee Minho.”

“Lee Minho,” you repeat. Louder. Clearer. “I’d like to erase Lee Minho.”

Chan finishes his beer in one gulp while you’re still struggling to open yours. It’s a shame, really—you drink almost every week, he drinks twice a year. He tosses the now empty can to the trashcan before opening another with ease, handing it to you. Mumbling a quiet thank you, you take a sip and watch him tear a pack of dried squids open.

“You’ll never go to those parties again,” he says. “I didn’t know my parents invited you because of that.”

You shake your head. “It’s fine. They meant well.”

He pulls his hair in frustration. “I can’t believe they said that in front of everyone! You must’ve been so shocked. I’m sorry.”

You grimace, the unwanted attention was indeed quite embarrassing. Enough to make you politely reject the next time Chan’s parents invite you to another gala. Mr. and Mrs. Bang have always been supportive of their eldest son, letting Chan started his own business instead of taking over the family business. Chan’s mother had called you a few days prior, asking you to accompany her son since it would be a good opportunity to “build connection and expand your business.”

You and Chan did exactly that, so it wasn’t like they were lying. But Chan’s parents also used the opportunity to try to convince the two of you that you’re match made in heaven.

“Can we drop this?” You glance at your watch, stretching your limbs before rising from your seat. The traffic light turns red and you signal at your best friend to walk faster. “I keep getting flashbacks of CEO Kang’s son laughing at us.

Chan follows suit, placing his hand at the small of your back before crossing the street. You let out a relieved sigh when you reach the warm subway station. “Kang Younghyun has more embarrassing incidents than ours combined,” he scoffs. “This is nothing compared high school. No worries.”

“You sure you don’t want me to take you home?” he asks as you train is arriving. “I should’ve brought the car instead of letting my parents drive us to the party.”

You click your tongue at him. “Then you’ll miss the last train.”

“I can take a cab home. You always fall sleep on the train it’s giving me headache!”

“Bang Chan.”

The train stops and opens its doors. “Fine,” he mumbles. “Just don’t fall asleep.”

“No promises!” you tease, stepping into the train a second before it closes. You wave at Chan until he disappears into a small dot before choosing the seat beside the door. The train is almost empty; standing near the door is a high school student listening to an online lecture and sitting across you is…. the most attractive man you’ve ever seen in your life. He meets your eyes for a second before shifting his attention back to his phone again, leaving you slightly disappointed.

You despise socializing at parties but you want the Hottest Man Alive to talk to you? Y/N you’re so pathetic.

The sight of a bundle of name cards inside your purse is what gives you a reality check, various names and faces are popping up in your mind. Only now you feel how exhausted you are, parties and talking to a bunch of strangers have never been your thing. You take your platform heels off just as the train makes its stop, one of them almost hitting Hottest Man Alive as a result.

Apparently God has decided to make you the embarrassment icon of the day.

“I’m so sorry!” you panic, about to reach your flying heel when he stands up and picks it up. He silently places it in front of you before pulling out a card out of his pocket.

“It’s okay, just check out our café when you have time.” Hottest Man Alive slips the card into your palm, rendering you speechless with his bashful smile.

Oh, you’re not going to fall asleep at all tonight.

You run your eyes over the black embossed letters once more, trying to calm your erratic heartbeat as you mentally convince yourself that he does want you to pay his café a visit. Your whole life has always been normal, so alarmingly calm and peaceful it makes you question your whole existence. Sometimes it feels like you’re living in someone else’s dream, foreign and temporary. Uncertain and insecure.

Last night was… weird, to say the least. You’ve never felt that attracted to someone before, not even your ex-boyfriends. In that moment, you felt unstoppable, carefree, happy… everything that wasn’t you.

Sadly, that moment didn’t last long and now you’re back to your overthinking self. What if he was just playing with you? Will he find you desperate or, God forbid, easy if you actually show up at his café? But what café owners don’t want a new customer? Besides, you’re bringing Chan, so Hottest Man Alive (or Lee Minho, according to his name card) is getting two new customers. If anything, he will be thanking you and hoping you will come again, just like any normal business owner.

“Hey,” Chan calls out to you, knocking on the car window. “We’re here, daydreamer.”

You shove the card back into your wallet, met with Chan’s confused eyes when you finally open the door. “You okay?” He cocks an eyebrow. “You look so out of it.”

Chan knows nothing about your encounter with Hottest Man Alive; he would’ve freaked out if he knew you wanted to visit a café because a random (handsome) stranger told you so. “Just thirsty. It’s so hot,” you mumble.

Eat Here Café gives off the homey atmosphere that immediately calms your nerves. You quickly scan the whole building, looking for any sign of Hottest Man Alive. You feel lighter yet bummed that he’s not there, except for some photos of him with a group of children pinned on the wall.

You choose a table near the cashier. “I’ll order. What do you want?”

Chan shrugs. “Any kind of cake.”

The puppy-like part timer greets you with a smile when you reach the counter. “Good afternoon, what would you like to order?”

“Injeolmi bingsu and Coke, please. Oh, and a vanilla cake!”

He repeats your order politely and you decide that you like the boy, taking a glance at his nametag that says Kim Seungmin. You never really pay attention to part timers before, but this one is remarkably efficient, polite, and very very cute (in a “I’d like to adopt him!” way).

You drop some cash into the tipping jar, the twinkle in Seungmin’s eyes feels so rewarding that you’re ready to put it into your “little things that made my day” on your journal later. He hands you the buzzer with a bright smile. “Please wait for your order!”

“Your stingy ass never gives such a generous tip. Did he flirt with you or something?” Chan marvels—loud enough to get Seungmin’s attention—when you return to your table. There are times when you regret being Chan’s business partner, but you realize that you’ve invested so much of your time and energy into building the company. That, and Chan is actually a dependable friend when he’s not trying to ruin your image.

Chan gets your order after the buzzer vibrates, digging into his cake right away. “Whoa this is good!” he exclaims. “How did you find this place?”

“…Instagram.”

“Do you think they hired a branding consultant already?”

You shake your head. “They post pretty regularly but I don’t think so.”

Chan’s eyes sparkle. “Do you think we should ask to meet the owner or something?”

“Hey Seungmin, iced Americano please! And remind me to pay your bonus later.”

The faintly familiar voice stops you from answering, your eyes wildly searching for the source. And there he is… the one you’ve been dreading to meet and also the one you’ve been yearning to meet. Lee Minho saunters into the café with his charming bunny smile and soft eyes, earning everyone’s attention except for Seungmin who’s still taking orders.

Seungmin only replies with a short hum, not taking his eyes off the cash register. You glance at Minho, mentally surprised by the way he doesn’t seem to be bothered with how Seungmin treats him.

“Quit staring before you start embarrassing yourself,” Chan warns you in the most boring tone. “I think he’s the owner.”

You almost spit out your drink. “I’m not staring!”

Minho exchanges some words with Seungmin before focusing his attention to all the customers. Your bingsu is melting, but you still follow his every move through your peripheral vision, not knowing whether you want him to recognize you.

“You really came!”

Chan points at himself, then at you. “Us?”

Minho shifts his gaze to Chan like he didn’t even notice the dimpled man was there whole time.

“Ah… y-yes,” you stutter. “This is very a nice café.”

One look at Chan and you know there’s no way for you to hide anymore. “He invited me!” you quip. “I mean, us.”

“Do you have anyone handling your social media accounts? Planning the digital marketing? Creating ads?” You have bombarded Minho with questions before Chan says anything, skipping the whole small talk step in “how to smoothly intrigue clients” manual.

Seungmin arrives with Minho’s iced Americano, putting the tall glass in front of him with no words before smiling at you and Chan. “Does any of you want anything else?”

“Yes, please,” Minho interrupts before you can refuse. “Please order whatever you want, it’s on the house.”

“Pulling the boss card, huh?” Chan jokes. “Then I’ll have orange juice.”

“Y/N?”

You didn’t have a chance to try the vanilla cake Chan ordered because he inhales food instead of digesting them, but the chocolate ice cream looks beyond tempting—

Minho chuckles. “How about our vanilla and chocolate ice cream?”

“Did I say that out loud?” you mumble to yourself, but proceed to thank Minho for his suggestions and tell Seungmin you’d like to have those. Minho flashes you a soft smile, almost making you melt on the spot if it weren’t for Chan’s leg kicking yours.

The conversation continues without any embarrassing incident. Chan lets you do all the talking, only adding further details when necessary while Minho asks you challenging but intriguing questions you answer passionately.

The so-called meeting ends with Minho promising to sign the contract by next week and Chan shaking your hand under the table, both confused and impressed.

“Is that why your employees are so relaxed around you? Because you just want everyone to eat and live well? I swear Seungmin didn’t even try to curse discreetly when you told him to wipe the counter for the 5th time,” you ask.

Minho laughs as the said boy exits his station, backpack slung across his shoulder. “Yes I’ll transfer your money after our guests leave. Don’t you dare remind me again!” the former yells playfully before the part timer opens his mouth. Seungmin bows to you and Chan before scowling at his boss. “You’re the one who told me to—nevermind. See you tomorrow, hyung.”

“I really like that boy,” you coo when Seungmin closes the door.

“I treat them as my friends,” Minho says. “I decided to do this because I just want to help everyone, including my employees. I don’t want Eat Here to be one of those expensive, pretentious cafes. I just want everyone to eat what they want, that’s why we have all sorts of things here. Combination of Eastern and Western, stuff like that. But this is still business, I have to do things to keep it running, right?”

You’ve met a lot of people with beautiful visions, but you’ve never met someone who wants something so simple yet complicated like Minho. It’s been quite a long time since you’re genuinely excited for a project, and now you know why Chan didn’t freak out upon knowing that you met Minho on the train.

“You guys can do whatever you want,” Minho adds, waving to a pair of part timers clocking in. “Are you going back to the office?”

Chan stretches his limbs. “Yeah,” he groans. “Gotta make sure our intern doesn’t jam the printer again.”

Your phone rings the moment Chan finishes his sentence. ”You jinxed it! Hyunjin is calling.”

“Whatever it is, wait until we’re back!” you whisper-yell at your intern.

“But noona, the printer—”

You give Hyunjin no chance to blabber about one specific printer and end the call. Minho giggles at your antiques, and you don’t have the energy to stop yourself from admiring his pretty features in the most obvious ways possible.

Chan pats your back before grabbing his phone and stands up. “I guess that’s our cue to leave.”

“Take these.” Minho writes your name on one of the paper bags, handing them to you with a big smile. “For everyone at your office. Thanks for reaching out to us.”

You peek inside the bag that has your name scribbled on it, not surprised to see both vanilla and chocolate ice cream inside—it’s the clear bottle that you’re curious about.

“Bye! I’ll send you the gym’s contact later!” Your best friend slash business partner waves at your new client slash crush from the driver’s seat. You take out the bottle, it’s filled with sikhye.

Your favorite drink, but Minho isn’t supposed to know that.

“Everyone deserves a fresh start. Don’t let anyone from your past haunt you. Start Erasure now.”

Minho mutes the television, heaving a sigh as he recounts his fateful meeting with you yesterday. The world has always been rather weird, he would say, but nothing defeats meeting his ex-girlfriend—his first love—who has no recollection of your time together. He heard from his former classmates that you sent them a message a few years ago, informing them that you would undergo the erasure procedure. According to his friends, you specifically told them to “never ever mention Lee Minho’s name or ask you about the procedure.”

You’re back in his life now, happy as ever, and the last thing Minho wants is breaking your heart all over again. He no longer owns that special spot in your heart, you owe him nothing. He left you insecure, disappointed and soulless, and now it’s his turn to be haunted by all the questions and what ifs in his mind.

His phone vibrates as soon as he flips the signage open, your name flashing on his screen. “Hey Y/N what’s up?”

“Minho I can’t multitask so please give me quick and accurate answer. I’m at the traffic light in front of Lotte now—”

“You need to turn left.”

“Okay… didn’t know my non-existent sense of direction is that obvious — damn, let me change lanes.”

Minho suppresses a chuckle. You’ve always been bad with directions.

“Turn left once more, and you’ll find us. We’re right across the first G25 store on the street.”

He steps out the café to welcome you when he spots a white Kia arriving. In contrast to his horrifying memories of teaching you to drive, you manage to parallel-park your car smoothly in 10 seconds, stopping Minho from offering to help you park your car.

“Sorry,” you grimace. “I suck at directions. Last week was the first time I went here and Chan was the one driving so I wasn’t really paying attention… and before you ask, no I can’t use GPS while driving. I barely managed to dial your number.”

Minho lifts his hands. “I was just going to say hello.”

“Oh, good! People always judge me for that!”

You don’t let him respond as you point at the photos on the wall. “Tell me about them!” you request. “Our photographer Hyunjin is going to be here any minute, and we’ll give this corner a special attention. Your customers need to know this.”

Minho scratches his head bashfully, the glint of admiration in your eyes is making him a bit dizzy. It’s been a long time since you looked at him like that. “Uhh, okay. These are the kids I’m supporting, they live in Africa,” he starts. “I hope I can visit them someday, but they’ve been sending me letters, saying thank you... telling me about their days and all.”

“Wow!” you marvel. “How does it feel? To receive such lovely letters?”

“Honestly, it kinda makes me feel like a parent,” he replies. “It feels wonderful.”

Moving onto the next set of photos, his smile grows wider. “I teach these kids dancing, sometimes taekwondo. They’re all very sweet, especially the maknae, Yang Jeongin.” Minho points at a boy with contagious smile. “He can be a brat sometimes, but everyone loves him.”

“Is this an orphanage? Can I meet them?” you blurt out.

“Of course! You’ll love them to bits.”

“You have to come back with Y/N noona!”

A few weeks later, Minho took you to the orphanage. You played with the kids all day and watched him teach them dance. You thought the kids wouldn’t like you as much, but now they’re trying to persuade you to stay the night.

“Aww, of course I’ll come back. Be a good boy, and we’ll be back sooner than you thought!”

Yang Jeongin, the youngest boy in the orphanage, has done everything to make you stay. If it weren’t for your “adult responsibilities,” you would have caved in because nothing could beat his puppy eyes and hopeful smile.

“Alright, go back inside, everyone. All of you need to sleep.”

The kids grumble at Minho’s command, slowly walking back to the main hall. After making sure no one sneaks out to follow you, the two of you make a stop at a nearby park that Minho claims to be the perfect place to admire the moon.

“Okay, you’re not lying. The moon does look pretty from here.”

The man sitting beside you smirks in satisfaction. “I never stay too long but I always like spending time here. Now that I think about it, you kinda resemble the moonlight.”

The switch of the mood has you cackling. “Aren’t everything about the moon associated with werewolves and murders? You’re expecting me to fall for such a lame pickup line?”

“That’s not how I see it.” Minho disagrees. “I think you’re radiant, bright but not blinding. Take it as a compliment.”

The word radiant strikes you light a lightning, forces you to face the harsh reality that you’re doing a really good job in hiding the hollowness inside—all the lingering questions and uneasiness. You’re far from being the light Minho admires.

“Trust me, I’m not radiant whatsoever.”

Minho stiffens, observing you carefully until you feel brave enough to look at him. At first, you see pity in his eyes, but it morphs into something that feels too good to be true. You find tranquil in his gaze, so serene that you nearly let your tears fall.

He reaches for your hand, interlocking your fingers together before pulling you up from your seat. “I’ll tell you whenever you’re being the moonlight that you are,” he promises, his voice is a perfect mix between sincerity and mischief. “Prepared to get sick of me because I’ll remind you everyday.”

Just because most people often cross the line doesn’t mean that being able to exert self-control when needed is something to be proud about, but Minho has always thought of it as his positive trait.

He’s going to cross it out of the list today.

His hand is still holding yours tightly, chatting away with a lopsided smile on his face. And yours. This wasn’t what he intended to do, but life loves to play God and tests him the moment he thinks he knows what he’s doing. Giving you his name card on the train has spiraled into taking you home hand-in-hand, peppering kisses on your temple when you become too cute to handle (which is almost all the damn time) and falling in love with you all over again. What happened in the subway impulsive and dumb, but he couldn’t control himself. He wanted to see you again, he longed to talk to you.

Minho just wanted a second chance to be good to you, but will things ever be enough? How will he make things right again? Providing you free coffee and say thank you for your visit? It was a selfish wish he shouldn’t have acted upon.

“We must’ve crossed paths somehow. There’s no way that we’ve never met before!” you say, swinging your intertwined hands happily.

It’s too late. History repeats itself, but Minho’s too far gone to stop. He’s trying to feel it, the need to exert self-control—he can’t.

“I didn’t come home often,” he lies, every word feels like knife stabbing his heart. You hum in response, a yawn escaping from your mouth as both of you are nearing your unit. Minho watches you enter the door password, mouthing the numbers silently, 2 3 0 9. Your grandma’s birthday. It’s always been your password for everything—phone, laptop, even Minho’s old apartment since you were the one who set it for him. It stays with him until this very day although he no longer lives in the same apartment.

You tug at his sleeve. “Come on in.”

Your stuffs are pretty much the same, if not exactly the same as a few years ago. The only things missing were those related to him. Polaroid photos of you together, the umbrella he left at your place, the mug he…. wait.

The purple mug Minho bought for you is sitting on the kitchen counter, causing him to nearly trip over his own feet. Did you forget to get rid of it before the procedure?

“Let me go change first,” you tell him. “Feel free to grab any snack. There’s cold water and beer in the fridge.”

He can barely answer as you disappear into your room. Memories start flooding his mind, it feels as if he finally finds all the folders with your name on them that he tried so hard to bury, stashed in the deepest part of his heart.

Those memories were so painfully beautiful he has to bite his lip to prevent his tears from falling.

“Oh that’s my favorite mug!”

You’re back, dressed in the black loose T-shirt you always wear during summers. Minho’s eyes automatically dart to your left shoulder, spotting the hole on the shirt that exposes a part of your shoulder.

Another thing that hasn’t changed. Another thing that makes you the you he knew. Another thing that diminishes his self-control into nothing because you have no idea how much he loved to—

“Minho?”

You cradle this face softly, wiping the tears he didn’t know he shed. Confusion and panic reflected in your irises. “Is everything okay?”

“Huh?” He touches his cheek before attempting to laugh. “Something probably went into my eyes...”

“Let me see.” Before he refuses, you’ve taken a step closer, gently blowing into his eyes. “Better? Want some eye drop?”

Minho shakes his head, removing your hands from his face and plants a kiss on your forehead. Another mistake that feels so right. “I guess I’m just tired. Is it okay if we chat some other time?”

You mumble an okay, following him to the front door. When he turns the door knob, you reach for his hand. “Hey,” you murmur, slowly examining his face. Minho tries to read yours in return, sensing your hesitation. He waits for a good minute patiently, letting you form words in your head.

“What are we? These things we’ve been doing… what do they mean to you? Does this mean we’re…”

You let out a frustrated sigh, more directed to yourself than him, and Minho understands what you’re talking about. He tightens his grip on the knob, desperately begging himself to stop all of this. You don’t deserve another heartbreak when you’ve done everything to continue living.

You’re a whole new person, yet you remain the one he adored. How can you be so different yet familiar? How can you be so… dearly you?

“Minho, does this mean that we’re—”

Minho throws his arms around you, burying his head into the crook your neck before slowly trailing his lips towards the exposed part of your shoulder. You have no idea how much he loves leaving kisses there, on that particular spot. As strange as it sounds, it gives him the strength and hope he needs. Minho never told you this; you’ll never be able to imagine how happy and relieved he currently feels when he plants one, two, three, countless kisses that set his whole being on fire.

“We are,” he whispers, dropping one last kiss before pulling you even closer, enveloping your body in his embrace.

There’s only one thing in Minho’s head now: love. He can only think about loving you better than before, and in this moment nothing can stop him from doing so because whether he likes the old you or the new you doesn’t matter anymore.

Minho just loves you, and he doesn’t want to think about anything else. Not even his selfishness. And especially not your future heartbreak.

“You’re so precious, Y/N. You’re so precious to me.”

Hyunjin is the only one at the office when you arrive. He’s busy with his camera, changing its setting every now and then before capturing random things on his desk. You and Chan were on the fence about hiring him at first since you’re just a small company and he’s a student with high expectations. However, Hyunjin turns out to be the one of the most eager apprentices ever, and you’re going to bawl your eyes out when his internship ends next month.

“What are you doing?” you ask him, only earning a distracted “Huh?” as an answer.

“Hyunjin, don’t forget to go over the photoshoot details with me before we leave later, okay?”

He lifts his head a little this time. “Okay. Let me just finish trying out this new technique Seungmin taught me.”

You chuckle, snapping a photo of your intern yelling at his camera when he messes up. Sending it to Chan, you write, “We should give him a raise.”

Your phone rings a few seconds later, frowning when Chan’s urgent voice greets you. “I’m inside my car. Can we talk?”

“Whoa, relax. What happened?”

“Y/N, please. Just come out for a sec.”

No one wants to start a fight with Chan when he’s talking in that tone, so you inform Hyunjin you’re stepping out for a bit. Chan’s sedan is parked right in front of the building, his conflicted face prompts you to enter the car right away.

“You told me there’s something weird about Minho but now you’re dating him? And you’re hiding it from me?” he deadpans without waiting for you to close the door.

“I didn’t mean to hide it from you,” you murmur. “I just don’t know how to explain it.”

Chan sighs in exasperation. “Why do you think you owe me an explanation? I’m your best friend, not your mother. How is Minho different from any other guy you’ve dated that you really tried to keep it a secret from me?”

You gulp. “Things between Minho and I… it’s different. I thought I knew what liking someone felt like, but after meeting him I realized I knew nothing about it. Everything feels so overwhelmingly wonderful and insanely intense I think I may fall apart if I start talking about it.”

Your best friend gives you a knowing look, but says nothing as he stares at a random stranger walking down the street. “And I know you’re not really fond of him so I was trying to look for the perfect timing to tell you. Sorry.”

“I just want to keep you safe. This guy knows small details about you that even I didn’t know. Are you sure you never met him before?”

He pauses, taking a deep breath before adding, “Did you do that erasure procedure?”

“How am I supposed to know?” you snap. “Isn’t forgetting about the whole thing the point of the procedure?”

“You love him, don’t you?” Chan’s voice is soft this time, but his words hit you right in the gut you have to stop yourself from flinching. Hearing someone say that they love you is scary, admitting that you are in love is a hundred times scarier.

Taking your silence as a yes, Chan turns on the engine. “Look, the last thing I want is seeing you sad. It breaks me, more than you know. So please consider trying to find out the truth. How are you going to love him if you don’t trust him? How is he going to love you if he keeps you in the dark?”

You lean your head against the window, watching your best friend dialing Hyunjin’s number to tell him that both of you will be back after lunch.

“We better be quick,” Chan says. “Hyunjin’s terrified he will have to answer Mr. Song’s call again.”

“We should definitely give him a raise.”

“Oh we will,” he snickers. “If he survives Mr. Song’s call.”

“You’re cruel.”

For the first time in your life, you feel like a ruling queen inside your island instead of a trapped princess. You know every nook, every secret passage, every hidden treasure that nobody else has ever explored. Everything feels real for once, you’re in control and you want to stay here forever.

Eat Here has gained more regular customers since you and Chan started handling its social media accounts, and the face-splitting grin on Minho’s face whenever a new customer pushes the door open makes you feel proud and giddy at the same time.

You weren’t able to witness your Hottest Man Alive greeting his customers happily today, but you promised to pay him a visit at the café. It’s a few minutes past 10, meaning the café has closed for the day, so you were prepared to see everyone cleaning up. To you surprise, there’s nobody inside when you arrive.

“Minho?”

Your boyfriend waves from inside the pantry. “Coming!”

Moments later, he comes out with a tray of food. Gesturing at you to take a seat, he places a bowl of potato salad, a pot of kimchi jjigae and some side dishes. “Wait, let me get some more.”

You recall your phone conversation 2 hours ago, vaguely remembering telling Minho that you haven’t had dinner. When he serves the last batch of side dishes and a bottle of sikhye, you tease him for being so sweet.

“I’m not being sweet though?” He pulls out a chair for himself, watching you eat with content eyes. “You said you were starving, so I prepared you some food.”

You shrug, letting him pour sikhye into your glass. “I just never expected that you’re someone who…”

“… cooks?” he finishes for you. “I just did the bare minimum. Do you really want to see me being sweet?”

“Is that a challenge?”

Minho clears his throat, the way he stares at you makes you fidget in your seat. Only God knows what’s inside this man’s mind. One second he’s nonchalant and cool, then he’s Mr. Flirty and makes you all swoony.

Patting his thigh, he smiles at you. “Come here baby.”

You shake your head in fear of completely losing your sanity. “No. What are you trying to do?”

“Being the most romantic boyfriend ever. Come on.”

Minho tries his best to suppress his laugh as you finally settle yourself on his lap, not sure whether you should rest your head on his shoulder or peck his lips or marvel at how firm his thighs are... damn it Y/N, what are you? 17?

Although you’re just sitting there like a log, Minho looks unbothered and reaches for the chocolate cake. He slices it into smaller bites, taking a piece of it with the fork before telling you to open your mouth. “If you still want ice cream then we can get some on the way home.”

“I’ve had enough ice cream for today. I went to this cute ice cream parlor with Chan.”

You take the plate from him, stuffing yourself with the rest of the cake. Minho’s soft pats on your shoulder and the sweet taste of chocolate seem to flush all the initial awkwardness from your system.

Another hour passes with you curling up on Minho’s lap, the latter listening to your little speech about how grateful you are for vending machines as if you’re talking about world peace. Your back hurts and his thighs ache but the way your head nestles in the crook of his neck and the way he pecks your cheek every few minutes are enough of a spell to trap both of you in this exact moment, where lies, doubts and regrets cease to exist.

You wake up with a jolt, reaching for your water bottle on the bedside table. It’s surreal for a dream to feel that real—it almost felt like a memory, something distant but present nonetheless. You’re sure that was the younger Minho you saw in the dream instead of the one you know, and before you come to a realization that it’s currently 2AM, you’re already dialing his number.

He picks up on the fifth ring. “Hmmm my moonlight, missed me?”

His sleepy voice causes you to blush, definitely not seeing that coming. “Nothing.” You wince at your parched voice. “I just had a dream.”

Minho lets out a low laugh, you can hear him sitting up on his bed. “About me?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Tell me about it.”

You sink into your bed, heaving a sigh you forget to hide. “It’s complicated.”

“Was it a bad dream?” Minho’s voice is firm but oh so calming that you start recounting every detail you can remember. He listens to you attentively, humming once in a while, and your muscles are all relaxed now. Minho is here, listening to your bullshit in the wee hours of the morning. Minho is here, calling you his moonlight with the most caring tone ever.

“I miss you,” he declares the moment you finish talking. “Can I come over?”

“All of sudden? Minho, it’s 2AM.” You glance at the clock. “Wait, it’s 2:18 now.”

“Then I’ll be there at 3AM.”

“But—”

He hangs up, and you just sit there until Minho enters your room at 3AM sharp, taking in your dumfounded state before plopping himself onto the bed and pulling you close. “I’m here,” he sweetly says and you can only nod, eyes boring into his as he runs his thumbs along your cheekbones. “I like you, exactly the way you like me. I like you more.”

You shake your head, burying your head in the crook of his neck to hide your red cheeks. “It was just a dream,” he adds, enunciating each word like a mantra. Closing your eyes, you repeat his words again and again inside your head, traces of pain from the dream still crawling up your skin as Minho’s sweet praises lull you to sleep.

“I’m sorry but that’s classified information. We cannot mention anything about our patients.”

“But she did the procedure because of me! I’m the one she erased!”

“That only gives us more reasons to forbid you from obtaining any information. It’s our policy to protect our patients, especially after the procedure is done.”

Minho wonders how this sullen kid managed to land the job, but bites his tongue before he really gets kicked out. He takes one deep breath before pleading at so-called receptionist (his name is Kim Seungmin but he could care less) once again. “May I at least know whether she was in so much pain?”

Seungmin fixes his glasses. “People her age mostly spend their money on traveling or whatever cool things they want to do, but she chose to have her memories manipulated so she wouldn’t have to remember you. I think that’s enough of an explanation.”

It’s no big deal, Minho tells himself. It’s normal for people to have the Erasure procedure thesedays. In fact, it’s become so normal that no one bothers to talk about it anymore. Erasure is simply another way to move on, just like Love Alarm is another way to detect love. If you decided that your memories together weren’t precious enough to keep in your heart, so be it. If he hurt you that much but you chose to erase him instead of confronting him, then it’s your loss.

Exactly. Was he that bad? Did he hurt you that much?

“Excuse me, Sir?” Seungmin is already standing by the door. “I think it’s better for you to leave.”

“Alright.” Minho lifts his hands in defeat, starting to feel bad for the poor boy who’s just trying to keep his job. “Hang in there, kid.”

“Congratulations, you just earned a VIP pass to Hell.”

Eat Here is doing well, the kids he’s supporting are starting school soon and he finally gets to return the feelings of the girl he loves the most but yes, Seungmin is right. The gates of Hell are open for Minho.

“Right,” he scoffs. “As if you didn’t greet people with a smile and convinced them that erasure was the best solution for all their problems.”

Seungmin grits his teeth; talks about Dr. Seo Changbin’s Erasure Centre are never easy for both of them. For Seungmin, it reminds him of all the pain, rage and guilt he thought he was used to seeing. For Minho, it reminds him of his selfishness and failure to make you happy.

“The erasure did help a lot of people though,” the puppy-eyed boy trails off. “It’s been years yet I’m still torn between wanting the procedure to perish and thanking it for saving lives.”

“Maybe it does save people. But then there’s Y/N.”

“And you,” Seungmin adds.

Minho chuckles. “And you.”

“Are you just gonna wait until she realizes that those dreams actually happened?”

A long silence looms over them until Seungmin slides a clear CD case along the counter. “I guess it’s time to reveal how I risked my life for you the day I quit my job there.”

A label with your name is plastered on it along with the logo of the centre. It’s the answer to all his questions when he first met Seungmin. The sole proof that everything between the two of you happened.

“I can get sued anytime,” the part-timer warns jokingly. “So use it well, and don’t cry. She said some hurtful things, but you deserved it anyways.”

“Do you think it could last another hour?”

Hyunjin snaps one last photo and tells the models to get a 5-minute break. “Do you want an honest answer or an intern-can-make-anything-happen answer?” he whispers at you while checking his shots.

You’re currently at a photoshoot in Gyeongju with a client you desperately need to impress, but your clumsiness just had to choose today to get in action. Chan was almost furious when you told him you left all the cameras’ charging cables at Minho’s apartment.

“So we’re fucked up,” you conclude. “How many outfits are left?”

“Including this one… three.”

“We’re so fucked up,” you correct yourself, approaching Chan to relay the expected bad news when a familiar car arrives at the villa. You barely hear Hyunjin muttering, “God is a male… for today…” before rushing to take the black duffel bag from Minho’s hand. He only smiles when you tell him he’s getting all the hugs and kisses later.

The photoshoot continues smoothly; allowing you, Chan and Hyunjin actually breathe after 5 hours trying to make the cameras’ batteries last as long as possible.

“I’m so sorry Chan,” you sigh.

He lets out a weak chuckle. “It’s fine. The problem’s solved anyways.”

“No thanks to me.”

“Thanks to you.” Chan glances at your boyfriend who’s leaning on his car, watching you from afar. “Minho brought the chargers, but you were the one who made him drive all the way here. You need to stop underestimating his feelings for you.”

You let Chan’s words sink in, eyes meeting Minho’s in the process. For a split second you forget about everything’s that’s been bugging you, wanting nothing but to lose yourself in his affection for you.

“Do you trust Minho now?”

Chan puts his hand inside his pocket, exhaling softly. “I know he’s crazy for you Y/N, I’m not dense. But does that mean he’s being honest with you?”

Hyunjin snaps one last photo that marks the end of the shoot, giving you a reason not to respond to Chan, jogging towards the models instead. “Thank you, everyone!” You bow to them. “There are some snacks left inside so please eat before you go, or you may take them home.”

You can still feel Minho’s eyes on you, following you wherever you run with the sweetest kind of fondness that makes it hard for you to question him. He’s like a prince who comes from another kingdom after crossing the long bridge and fighting in the wild forest. He stands there in front of your castle, waiting for you to deem him worthy of your love, of you.

How do you say no to that?

But how do you know if he sees you the way you feel he does?

After that night, you’ve had other dreams—the ones you never told him—each dream etched itself into your mind, filling in the empty spaces slowly but surely. They become a part of you so naturally that you’re convinced you somehow lived them.

“What are you thinking about?”

Minho has just finished loading the last box of props into Chan’s car trunk, now waiting for you to break your train of thoughts with an amused smile. You barely hear Chan and Hyunjin saying goodbye before they enter the car, leaving the two of you alone.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

Minho’s smile is long gone, his expression mirroring yours: confused, lost, a bit scared. “Are you okay?”

Even your 18 year-old self knew what to do then. A bit late, but she did it. The thought of embracing her as a part of you is making you nauseous, the acknowledgement of having a past you don’t remember is disturbingly scary.

“Those dreams... they were real, right? Those are my memories.”

Your stomach churns when Minho nods, surprisingly calmer than you expected. He pulls out a CD out of his bag, carefully slipping it into your hand. The thin plastic feels heavy in your hold, the world as you know it crumbling at the realization that this Lee Minho was the same boy who had your heart in his palm and broke it.

“I tried to picture this situation in my head every single day, but never had the courage to actually tell you. I’m so sorry Y/N. For everything, then and now.”

Lee Minho, the one who sees you as his moonlight, was also the one whose heart could never be yours.

“I’m Lee Minho. We’re both from Gimpo, and we met at high school. We were best friends, then sometime during 11th grade we started dating. You were this amazing, lovely girl who wore your heart on your sleeves, and I was the asshole who failed to realize how blessed I was to have you.”

Minho pauses to look into your eyes, the sorrow in his orbs triggers the tears you refuse to shed. “I became your boyfriend because I didn’t want to lose you,” he continues. “I was stupid, wasn’t I? Stupid and inconsiderate. All I had to do was tell you how I felt…”

"B-but why?” you sob. “Y-you l-lied to me, Minho. Again.”

“I did. Fuck. I did,” he admits. “You have every right to never ever forgive me. But Y/N, I never meant to play with your feelings. I was too late, but I loved you then. I love you now, and I don’t think I’ll be able to love anyone else even if I try.”

Phase 2: Forgotten Days

“A mug?”

Minho hums as an answer while copying your English homework in a speed of light, failing to answer your questions about why, out of all things he could buy in Japan, he decided to gift you a mug. You let out a huff when he leaves your next question hang in the air (“How did you know that I needed a new mug?”), but lets him be since the bell will ring in 15 minutes.

The purple mug is quite heavy and somehow that makes your heart flutter. Minho gave all the other classmates green tea Kit Kats and keychains, but he was willing to fit the bulky mug into his tiny suitcase for you.

You don’t know what’s going on inside his head most of the time, for all you know he could’ve bought the mug because he forgot to buy something for you and decided to grab the first thing in sight. It’s just a little gift, something you should just appreciate without thinking too much about it, but you can’t help but wonder. Sometimes you feel sorry for yourself for overanalyzing Minho’s every little gesture, trying to guess how much he likes you.

“I’m done!” Minho exclaims, returning your book before grabbing his wallet. He finally looks into your eyes, smiling at you as he ruffles your hair. “Gotta grab some snacks. You want anything? Strawberry milk? Chips?”

When he comes back with both although you told him you only wanted chips, Minho argues that he knows you’ll get hungry in the middle of lessons. Again, it shouldn’t feel so special, but he’s looking at you now, you and no one else. Lee Minho is like an enigma, but at times like this, you bask in his bright smile and everything is forgotten.

Summer is the enemy you’ve managed to beat every single year, but combine the scorching heat with excruciating cramps and you don’t stand a chance. You peek into the practice room once again, but Minho is still practicing his dance routines, his phone laid neglected at the corner of the room. The supposed-to-be 30 minutes practice turns into an hour, and you decide to just wait outside since you don’t have energy to go home on your own.

The door opens when you’re on the verge of passing out, luckily someone has caught you before you collapse on the floor. “Y/N,” Minho’s voice forces you to open your eyes. “What happened?”

“… cramps…”

He lifts you and dashes to the infirmary without saying anything else, yelling at some other students to “fucking move!” while trying not to trip over his undone shoelaces. You try to tell him that you’re alright, just a little tired from enduring the pain but he gives you no chance to talk.

Minho finally stays still after kicking the infirmary’s door to no avail. He makes no other attempt to open the door, slowly making eye contact with your drowsy eyes. You love seeing fire in Minho’s eyes, especially when he dances or plays with his friends. This is the first time Minho sees you with such intensity, but this is not the passionate flame you’ve been craving to see. This fire is destructive, painful. It breaks your heart that he’s looking at you like this, like you’re the source of all unfortunate events that happens in his life.

You feel like you’re the unfortunate event in his life, and the thought is enough to make you break free from his bruising grip, pushing the door open yourself.

“Go back to practice,” you tell him, sitting on one of the beds. “I’ll lie down for a bit then go home.”

Minho rummages through the medicine cupboard, taking a painkiller pill and fills an empty glass with warm water. “Drink this, I’ll take you home.”

“I’m fine, Minho…”

He shakes his head. “You’re sick and I’m taking you home.”

Too weak to argue, you swallow the pill and let him walk you home. Minho keeps his hand around your shoulder the whole time, not even bothering to check his ringing phone. He doesn’t talk to you either, and at this rate the silence is more concerning than your cramps.

“Can you go up on your own?” he murmurs when you reach your apartment building. “I have to go back to school, but I’ll stop by later.”

You only nod, about to wave him goodbye when he reaches for your arm. “Wait.”

Minho cups your face, pressing his lips on yours and stealing your breath away. Soon, he starts kissing you harder, but his lips still feel cold against yours and he still feels so faraway even when he’s gripping your waist like his life depends on it.

“Minho,” you manage to rasp, cradling his face to stop him from planting another kiss on your lips. He opens his eyes, staring at you with those beautiful eyes that, sadly, never really shine for you. “Your friends are waiting.”

Still panting, Minho gives you a nod before pulling away. The fire you saw in his eyes earlier has died out.

As you watch him walk away, you finally realize that you’ve been asking yourself the wrong question. It’s not about how much Minho likes you, it’s about whether he likes you at all.

If Minho could choose only one person to be with for the rest of his life, he would choose you. He enjoyed watching movies with you, he loved sending his silly selfies to you, he always wanted to end a tiring day by talking to you all night long.

He can still do that, you’re still his friend. The only difference is that he can hug and kiss you and tell other people that he’s yours. Minho doesn’t know why he lets the words “boyfriend and girlfriend” change the dynamics between the two of you, but it’s too late to undo everything.

“Can we just be friends again?” he repeats the question in his head over and over, yet he can never voice it out. The look in your eyes will be too devastating for him to bear, and he will you lose you forever.

“I’m outside,” he tells you over the phone, trying not to flinch at your excited “Oh!”

A few minutes later, you step out of the elevator, walking towards him with big steps.

“Feeling better?” he asks, noting the way your eyes light up at the question.

“Hmm. I took a short nap and it’s gone.”

Minho sighs. “Don’t wait for me next time. If I take too long, you can just go home. I’m sorry that I let you wait around like that.”

The last sentence causes you to lower your gaze, seemingly self-conscious with the fact that he forgot you were waiting for him. “Bought you some ice cream,” Minho says, trying to distract you from your thoughts. “Chocolate, vanilla, mint choco, it’s all there.”

“As an apology?” you half-tease, the tinge of sadness in your voice causes Minho’s heart to clench a little.

He quickly pulls you into his arms, resting his chin on the top of your head. “Yes and no,” he murmurs into your hair. Part of him is relieved when you don’t question his answer, only humming against his chest before wrapping your arms around him. It’s so easy to make you happy and it angers him. You’re too kind. Too patient. Too loyal. You’re too in love with him, and it hurts not being able to feel the same.

But as the warmth of your body starts to comfort his senses, Minho realizes this is where he wants to be. He wants to be with you, no matter what the labels are. “If you miss the last bus you’re gonna have to walk all the way home,” you remind him, voice muffled since neither of you wants to let go.

“One more minute,” he replies, fingers playing with the hole on your shirt. He places one feathery kiss there, a silent promise that he’s going to try his best loving you. The one promise that could have made you stay, but it remained unsaid until the day you left him.

“Surprise!”

Minho lets out a yelp, coughing up confetti that you pop right in front of face. His parents, standing a few steps behind you, are giggling at their son’s reaction. “I thought you had to go somewhere with your mom!” he exclaims, the surprise in his eyes is now replaced by confusion and… annoyance?

You quietly step aside, letting him shake off the confetti as you’re trying to find your voice. Minho’s parents don’t seem to notice the tension, laughing and explaining that they invited you over for the family birthday dinner.

His mother ushers both of you to the dining room where the feast awaits. “After all this time you still haven’t introduced Y/N to Soonie!” she protests jokingly while the said cat is purring at you. Coming over to Minho’s house without his knowledge sounded like a terrible idea right from the start, but now you really wish you had turned the offer down. The birthday boy only pats you on the back before telling you to sit down, and you spend the rest of the dinner conversing without ever looking at each other in the eyes. That’s no surprise, what surprises you is the fact that you don’t even bother trying to get him look at you.

After 2 years, you’re finally tired of waiting for Minho to love you.

“Soonie doesn’t usually like strangers,” Minho says as you’re walking to the bus stop. “But he really likes you.”

“Do you?”

“What?”

“Like me. Do you like me?”

Minho chuckles. “What kind of question is that?”

Words are bubbling inside your head, all emotions threatening to spill out you have to literally swallow them down. It feels like the world has come to a stop—the realization that your world has been revolving around Minho all this time makes you feel queasy.

“Y/N?”

You want to explode. You wish you can explode. There’s nothing you want more than taking out every piece of your broken heart, count all of them and show him how much you’ve been hurting. You thought your love was enough for both of you, but the bigger your love grew, the farther the distance between the two of you became.

Minho keeps his gaze on you as you’re mustering up courage to ask the most heartbreaking question. “Why?” you quiver. “Why do you pretend that you like me? Why do you bother doing that for 2 years?”

“I-I like you. So much,” he stutters. “Just not in the same way you like me…”

Blinking your tears away, you return his tormented gaze. “Then why did you let me like you alone? Every fucking day you let me wonder how much you like me, if I mean anything to you… I wait for you, convincing myself that you must’ve liked me if you chose to be my boyfriend. But it’s just a game to you, isn’t it?”

Lee Minho has always had his own way to love. You’ve seen him showering those around him with love in ways that seem so ordinary that people often take it for granted. But you see and feel everything, including hints that your feelings have always been one sided. You bury all those hints, telling yourself that he only needs time.

That time never comes, and you have run out of lies and excuses and hope to cover up for both of you.

Phase 3: Chasing Moonlight

The Queen lived under a spell all this time, believing that the foreign kingdom was her whole world while she didn’t even have a home to begin with.

But the ruins of her castle—the only thing that’s left of the kingdom she tried to understand her whole life—will become one. She’s going to build herself a new kingdom, one that she knows by heart, and call it home.

“Noona!!! I’m going home!!! Don’t stay there too long!!! You’ll get sick!!!”

You tear your gaze from the cloudy sky as Hyunjin shouts at you from the ground. You dismiss him with a little wave, forcing a small smile so that the boy will leave instead of going back to the rooftop.

“He’s right,” Chan adds. “You’ve been here for hours.”

After showing up at work with puffy eyes and hoarse voice, Chan attempted to send you home, but you insisted to complete some of your tasks before breaking down during lunch after Hyunjin accidentally revealed that he would meet Seungmin at Eat Here.

So here you are, finally sated after crying all the tears you had left at the rooftop during the remaining working hours.

“I’m fine,” you croak, cringing at your own voice. “You can leave.”

“And let you stay here until you’re all stiff and frozen?”

“Just let me be pathetic for one more day.”

He furrows his brows. “You’re not being pathetic. After what he’s done to you, weeping is the least you should do.”

You let out your first laugh of the day. “I surely wept.”

Looking incredibly relieved that you haven’t lost the ability to feel other emotions than sadness, Chan continues, “Wanna talk about it?”

“Do you know what hurts the most?”

He takes the longest time to think, but shakes his head at the end.

“The fact that I’ll probably never see him again.”

“That’s supposed to be a good thing, but go on.”

“Should I give him one last chance? Or should I just hate him until I die? What’s the right thing to do? What should I do to heal? What should he do to heal? All these questions are driving me insane.”

Those questions are the easiest to answer, so you expect Chan to sigh and tell you to snap out of it, but he just smiles at you. “What do you want to do?”

“Huh?”

“Have you tried answering your own questions? What you want to do is what you’re supposed to do. It’s easy, my dear friend.”

“I want to…”

Your mind wanders to last night, recalling that agony on Minho’s face that mirrors your own. A small part of you wants him to suffer for the rest of his life, consumed by guilt and the sheer horror of being erased from someone else’s memories.

“I want to curse him out.”

Chan playfully smacks your head. “You didn’t do that?”

“My mind went blank, then I started crying. That wasn’t cool at all, I know,” you huff. “I should’ve told him to go to hell or something.”

“After that? What do you want to do?”

You bury your face into your palms, ignoring the teasing tone in Chan’s questions. “The last time we talked, you were Lee Minho’s #1 hater. What happened?”

“I just wanted him to be honest with you. I never hated him,” he tells you softly. “Do you?”

You may never get all of your memories back, but the ones you can remember are enough to know that being with Minho used to be a silent torture. He was a thorny rose, beautiful yet unattainable. You wanted him so much you refused to look down and see your bloody fingers. The thorns were stuck there for the longest time, eventually infecting your soul until you were too weak to heal yourself.

But he’s not that boy anymore. He’s just Minho who listens to all of your rambles and actually keeps all those details in his mind. He gives you the warmest hugs and the most sincere kisses. He stays by your side, and you will always want him to stay.

When you finally lift your head to answer Chan, he gives you his reassuring smile that never fails to make you feel better. It’s the first time he’s talking about Minho without a frown, and you hope it’s a good sign. “Like I said,” he sing-songs. “Do what you want to do.”

The sound of footsteps approaching prompts you to curl yourself into a ball, trying to make yourself as invisible as possible under the dining the table. Jeongin manages to push the heavy door open after a few tries, mumbling that you’re not going to take the “king of hide and seek” title from him. You can’t help but giggle at his determination, waiting for him to find you while he’s scanning the whole room.

“Minho hyung!”

You stay still, not wanting to fall into the 5 year-old’s tricks so easily… until you hear Minho’s voice calling the little boy’s name. “What are you guys playing? Where’s Y/N?”

“We’re playing hide and seek,” Jeongin answers, his eyes still as sharp as a hawk. “I’ve found everyone, only Y/N noona is left!”

Minho hums. “Want me to help you find her?”

You don’t hear Jeongin responding, but the next thing you see is a pair of pretty eyes staring into yours. “Found her,” Minho murmurs.

Jeongin pulls you out with a huge grin on his face. “I knew you were there! Thanks for helping me, hyung.”

Minho ruffles the boy’s head before gazing back at you. “If you’re thankful, can I borrow her for a second? We just need to talk, then she’s all yours.”

You can’t find the strength to say no, hoping Jeongin will somehow be clingy this time. “Are you guys fighting?” he asks instead.

“Do you think we’re fighting?”

Jeongin nods, his sparkly eyes turn gloomy. “If I let you talk, will you make up?”

Minho glances at you. “I don’t know… I made a huge mistake.”

“Did you make her cry?”

“Yeah,” Minho confirms, voice thick with remorse and you’re not sure how long you can pretend to be okay in front of Jeongin.“I’m a bad person, aren’t I?”

You crouch down, pinching the boy’s pout with an endearing smile. “I promise nothing bad will happen. Can we go outside now? I’m sure everyone is waiting for you.”

Still a bit sullen, he links his hand with yours and lets you lead him out, Minho trailing behind the two of you. Once you’re back at the garden, Jeongin whispers into your ear, “I’ll always be your friend, noona. I won’t hurt you.”

“Of course you won’t,” you laugh. “I’ll join you soon, okay?”

Minho turns to you as soon as Jeongin goes back to his friends, studying your expressions carefully. You want to tell him so many things, yet the only words you can produce are, “Fuck you, Lee Minho.”

You feel slightly lighter when Minho says nothing to defend himself, sitting on the grass before gesturing at you to do the same. It fuels your need to let out the pain you previously sealed inside your heart, ironically basking in his comforting presence as you do so.

“The whole time I felt like something was missing. You knew that, then went on hiding the rest of the puzzle pieces and left me there, incomplete. Just like that.”

This isn’t your first time baring your heart to Minho, the last time you did it you were left with such immeasurable pain that erasing a part of your brain—your soul—sounded like a better choice. You wait for the sadness and rage to take over your mind, but the storm never comes. You wonder what makes it different until Minho shifts to look at you in the eye.

Minho is looking at you with those pretty eyes like you’re the only one he can see. It’s not just a sweet dream you tried to dream of every night when you were 17. You’re no longer the only one who’s wearing your heart on your sleeves.

“Am I doing this because I feel guilty or because I genuinely want to be with you?” he begins. “Believe me Y/N, I spent months trying to find the answer and justify what I did, but I guess you can never exactly separate those two feelings.”

His confession is bittersweet; you know it won’t end all your personal battles. You still have to fight them, help yourself to understand why you are thinking and acting the way you are. The gaps have been filled, and now you have to be the one who define yourself.

“I thought I could just treat you better for the rest of our lives. I was sure my love would be enough to heal you. That was very stupid and selfish of me, and I’m sorry. You’re free to hate me, push me away, ruin my life… the decision is yours. But I don’t wanna hide how I feel anymore. Not from you.”

You’re still pondering his words when Jeongin comes to check on you, making sure Minho isn’t making you cry again.

“No, Jeongin, I’m fine. Look? I’m not crying!” you reassure the pouty kid.

He beams at you with his toothy smile. “Really?! Did you make up? Friends have to forgive each other!”

“I know, sweetheart,” you coo. “And yes, we made up. Friends forgive each other.”

Minho shoots you a surprised look, but you ignore him until you convince Jeongin that he can continue playing. “I don’t know whether we can go back to what we were,” you tell him, gazing at the clear sky. “I still need time to process everything, but I was afraid that I wouldn’t ever see you again. So we can be friends, if you want.”

He chuckles, eyes sparkling and hopeful. “Hi. I’m Lee Minho.”

“I’m Y/N,” you reply. “Anyways, Lee Minho my new friend, how did you know that I’m here?”

“Your scary friend Bang Chan told me you’d be here.”

“So you think Chan is scary.”

Minho does something that’s between a shrug and a shudder. “He’s always shooting daggers at me how do you not notice?!”

As you and Minho spend the rest of the day laughing and enjoying the sun, you rediscover the magic of following your heart.

It’s heavenly.

To Minho, there are only okay days and good days. Bad days almost never happen, but today is a bad day. Everything started from Eat Here’s fruit supplier sending them the wrong strawberries, then Seungmin called in sick minutes before his shift started, and now he has to deal with a couple whose order hasn’t been processed since 40 minutes ago.

“I apologize for the inconvenience. We’re processing your order now and it will be on us. Jisung, we need another 2 glasses of lemonade—”

“We need our food, not—”

Minho’s lips stretch into a thin smile, the kind of smile he hates because you once said you could sense that he was faking it. His business smile is the only that can save him now, so he ignores the fact that you’re watching the whole chaos and says, “It will be on us. You’re going to need more drinks while waiting.”

After making sure that he’s appeased the angry customers, Minho goes back to the small table at the corner where you’re waiting for him. He can no longer mask his fatigue and annoyance when you lay your eyes on him, all he wants now is to hold you in his arms and sleep everything away. He knows he can’t ask you for more, he’s already getting more than he deserves since you agreed to be friends with him again.

He’s undeniably the luckiest man in the whole galaxy, but it’s human instincts to always want more. There are days when his longing for you is too much to handle, and today is one of those days.

His train of thoughts is interrupted when a cold glass is pressed against his cheek. “Minho?”

“Huh?”

Your eyes crinkle knowingly when he focuses his eyes on you again. “I want to listen to you ranting but I really need to go now. Chan needs me back at the office.”

“Okay,” he answers rather brashly. “Thanks for stopping by.”

Minho almost pouts the way Jeongin does (that pout always gets him) whenever the two of you are going home, luckily he stops himself just in time, opting to wonder what will happen if he tells you that he wants you to stay just a minute longer instead.

You make your way to the door, but not without stopping to give him one last advice, “You better not complain that everything is annoying every 5 seconds if you want that new guy to last more than a day. He’s been looking like a lost quokka!”

Your “warning” came out a bit too loud than you expected. Of course, it reaches Han “that new guy” Jisung’s ears and Minho hopes he remembers to give the poor kid a slice of cheesecake for free after his shift ends. You flash him an apologetic smile, turning to Jisung to convince him that his boss isn’t as bad as he seems before your phone rings.

“He’s harmless, Jisung, just make him iced Americano everyday, praise his cats, and you’re good. Okay, I have to go now or I’ll be jobless in an hour! Byeee!”

Minho’s mouth has curled into a lovesick smile at your antics, waving at you until you close the door of your car. The way you naturally calm him down surprises him everytime, it’s like you’re unaware of how much power you have over him.

God, you really own every inch of his heart, don’t you?

Second chances are overrated.

People change, but once you pay attention to them a just a liiiitle more, you realize that they’re still the same. Lee Minho believes he doesn’t deserve any second chance from you, yet he finds himself seeking forgiveness the moment he looked into your eyes again. As selfish as it sounds, Minho wants your love. Nobody else’s, just yours.

He tried to fill in the empty space you left with other people, but none of them fit. It was always too much or too little, punching him right in his gut for ever thinking that what you two had was too much, that you were too much.

Seeing you fast asleep in his living room with Soonie, Doongie and Dori is another reminder that you were never too much.

You were, and still are, his everything.

Dori opens her eyes before jumping out of your arms, making you stir. Minho quietly strokes your hair to lull you back to sleep, but soon your eyes flutter open as well. “Hmmm look who’s here… the hottest man alive,” you mumble.

Minho points at himself. “Not that I’m surprised, but thank you.”

Your sleepy smile and the breathy chuckle that comes after make his stomach flip. It’s just a simple reaction, something you probably didn’t realize doing, but it feels breathtakingly intimate and loving to Minho. A small part of you that only him can see, something that will cross his mind sometime during work, making him wish time to pass quickly so he can rush back home. To you.

Damn, he promised himself not to let him picture a life with you as the love of his life, but look at his defense crumbling right in front of you because of a mere smile.

You seem to notice his dilemma, lips forming another smile. Opening your arms, you whisper, “Come here.”

The voices in his head are drowned by your request, it’s echoing inside his head like a deathly spell. You have him in your embrace nanoseconds later, curling your hands around his neck as he completely succumbs to his longing.

Minho’s head buzzes with the need to tell you that he loves you, wants you, and misses you to the point that he almost asks you to please please please please forgive him and take him back.

“Okay.”

He lifts his head from the crook of your neck, eyes flickering to yours. You chuckle at his reaction, cupping his cheeks with your warm hands. “Say that again.”

“Say… what again?”

Minho blinks up at you, tiny groans of regret escaping his lips when he realizes that he just spilled everything out loud. “I’m sorry,” he sighs. “I wasn’t supposed to say that. I know this isn’t about me, but—”

“Did you mean it, though?”

“Of course I did,” Minho says. “But I want to go according to your pace.”

“If I didn’t want the same thing I wouldn’t be here, Minho.” Your voice is as sweet as honey, hypnotizing him into dropping his hopeless pretense. “I’ve built a new home that truly feels like home. It’s probably just a small house, filled with everything that makes me me. But it feels like a beautiful kingdom, and it’s not complete without you in it.”

You don’t have to say it; the way you hold his gaze with such a raw, pure sincerity and the way you asked him to be with you as if he’s the best person in the whole world are enough to let Minho know that he’s all forgiven.

Feeling a tug at his shirt, he meets your expectant eyes once again. “Are you going to continue staring at me like that until we fall asleep?”

The last traces his fear for disappointing you melts away as you start stroking his hair. “I love you,” he rasps, unconsciously leaning in until his lips brush over yours. “My precious moonlight, I’ll do my best so you won’t ever have to erase me again. I love you, Y/N, please don’t leave me.”

You barely manage to nod before Minho finally crashes his lips against yours, not giving you any chance to steal a breath as he lets his feelings overtake himself. He explores every part of your lips like a madman and you accept whatever he gives you, trying to keep up with his feverish kisses and letting him know that he doesn’t need to hold back.

The sudden urge to see you encourages him to pull away. Minho says nothing for a while, only looking into your eyes with silent adoration. Still breathless, you prop yourself up to reward him with a chaste kiss on the tip of his nose, the sweet gesture causing Minho to attack you with a series of playful smooches.

“How long do you think this will last?” you ask in between kisses, giggling when Minho switches your positions, you’re now lying on top of him.

“This?”

You pinch his cheek. “I gotta admit it feels kinda nice to hear you saying please so many times.”

Minho arches an eyebrow at your cheeky remark. “Is that so? Wait until you find out how much I like hearing you beg.”

“Minho!” you exclaim, dropping your head on his chest to hide your flushed cheeks. He wraps his arms around you, ready to make you even more flustered before accidentally locking eyes with his cats. You lift your head when you feel his body stills, following his gaze.

“Oh no,” you murmur. “The kids saw that, didn’t they?”

He smiles sheepishly at each of them, somehow feeling like he’s gotten caught by his parents. “This kind of thing happens when you love someone,” he attempts to joke. “So get used to it, okay kiddos?”

You nudge his chest with your chin. “God, you’re shameless.”

“They’re cats!”

“Then why are your ears so red?!”

Minho tuts. “That’s it. We need to do this more often so they’ll get used to it.”

As he silences you with another searing kiss, Minho almost malfunctions at how addicting and comforting it is to have you as his again. It’s impossible to fathom all of his feelings for you into words, yet he still hopes you’ll feel every single one of them.

And you do, because Minho is yours. Entirely yours.

“How did you pass your driving test? Did you bribe them or something?”

Hyunjin doesn’t bother to answer Seungmin’s accusation, eyes glued to the road.

“Watch it,” Minho warns monotonously while you’re gripping his hand, too scared to witness the younger trying to drive. Seungmin shrieks in horror when Hyunjin hits the break almost too late. He glares at the passenger seats where you and Minho are seated. “Hyung can you just take over? Or at least switch seats with me?”

“I can’t.” He points at you. “Y/N is scared as hell and I’m not gonna let you hold her hand.”

Hyunjin curses under his breath when several other cars pass him. “Give me a break! This is my first time driving at the highway,” he argues. “And I was supposed to borrow Chan hyung’s car! Driving your car makes it even ten times scarier!”

“Hey, what’s wrong with my car?!” your boyfriend protests.

The three men continue talking over each other, causing you to roar, “SHUT UP!! Hwang Hyunjin, if you take your hands off the wheels you’re gonna die before you even scratch the car!”

Twenty painful minutes later, Hyunjin succeeds in parallel parking the car with the help of a very frustrated Seungmin. The two boys are heading to the orphanage right away, leaving you and Minho alone for your little date.

Minho opens the trunk, setting it up quickly before pulling you to sit beside him, handing you one of the toasts he packed this morning. “Whoa, the moony park is even more beautiful during the day,” you muse, leaning your head on his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Minho agrees. “Should we come here more often at this hour?”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as you’re with me.”

Minho snorts at your cheesy answer, but you still sense his wary from the way he keeps glancing at you from time to time. “Is this about the erasure recording you found in my room yesterday? Is that why you took me here?”

“I’m just wondering why you’re still keeping it. I thought we agreed to destroy it,” he says, doing his best to conceal his uneasiness. You initially thought it was a great idea to forget it ever happened, but no, you’re not running away. You want to accept all the consequences of the decisions you have made, especially this one.

“We did, but then I realized I didn’t want to. I don’t want to erase anything anymore, Minho. I want to live life as it is. It’s a memento from the most important period of my life, and while it hurts, it’s a part of me.” You throw your arms around him, squeezing his body until he turns to you and return your hug. “It’s also a reminder that what we have is stronger than anything, don’t you think? I erased you and I still fell in love with you again. Like an idiot.”

Relief washes over you when Minho chuckles, carefree and amused. “You’re not an idiot,” he teases. “You just have an exceptional taste, and I’m way too irresistible. Let’s face it, you were already crazy for me even before I gave you my card.”

“No I wasn’t! I just thought you were attractive!”

“I am the hottest man alive.”

You sigh. “You’ll never let me live it down.”

“No,” he affirms. “Because you’re right. It’s time to stop trying to forget our past. I’ll never forget the fact that you’re calling me the hottest man alive, just like I’ll never forget how much I’ve hurt you. And how much I’ll always try to make it up to you.”

You laugh at his comparison. “I honestly can’t tell whether we’re having a serious conversation or just trolling each other.”

“It’s my talent, baby. Life is always fun with me.”

Although the park has become more crowded and your boyfriend is never big on PDA, you have no choice but giving him a kiss on his cheek. “You don’t have to do anything for me,” you whisper. “Just love me.”

“Hmm.” His lips stretch into a loving smile, the one smile reserved for your eyes only. “That I do.”

Minho isn’t a prince charming who sweeps you off your feet. He is your wandering prince and you’re his moonlight, illuminating his gloomy world. You show him that he doesn’t have to wander for the rest of his life, that he can call you home and stay.

And Minho will always be with you, showering you with the love you deserve. He’ll be the one who fight the demons for you and with you, he’ll be the one who reminds you over and over again how strong and precious you are whenever you lose faith in yourself. Together, you are moonlit. Together, you are complete.

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