#what i would wear to a fairy ball | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

scribblesandsherlock · 5 months

Text

Once Upon a Time

Mike Schmidt x babysitter!f!reader

Word Count: 1864

Summary: Like all other imagines go, ever since Mike hired you as Abby’s babysitter, you’ve made their life so much more fun. Today’s fun? Playing fairy tales with Abby. Mike thinks it’s hilarious until he’s suddenly brought into production…

• • •

There was a satisfying ‘click’ when Mike turned the key. With one little shove, the door was open and he could breathe again. Another rough shift at work, but he was so grateful to be home. Where he could relax and just unwind…

And then he heard giggling. And he had the sinking feeling this was not going to be an “unwind” kind of day. What kind of mischief was Abby getting into now? Although, he much preferred hearing her laughter over the silence he used to get. Ever since he hired that new babysitter, Abby’s brightened up a lot. So, despite the drowsy drooping over his shoulders, he smiled as he shut the door behind him.

“Hey, I’m home!” He called out.

“We’re in here!” Your voice replied, making his smile twitch just a bit wider without him meaning to. You were such a saint. After what happened with the last babysitter, he thought he wouldn’t find another half as good, but you surpassed any and all expectation. Once he got the ball rolling better with work, he’d pay you. Soon.

“What on earth…” Mike’s voice trailed off when he saw what was going on in Abby’s room.

Lights were strung about, a great big fort connected to the ceiling and strung down like a canopy. With the use of cardboard, paper, and markers, the fort was surrounded by fake towers and what he assumed was a moat. And under the strung-up blankets were two familiar faces with paper crowns.

“We’re playing fairy tales,” You quickly explained, feeling the urge to take off the crown. You hadn’t felt self-conscious when it was just you and Abby, but when a cute guy looks at you? That’s a whole different thing. The embarrassment only worsened when you saw him stifle a laugh. Crap, what could he be thinking right now?

If only you knew that he thought you both made the cutest sight he'd ever seen.

"If we're going to do Snow White, we need an apple." Abby turned to you, refusing to let Mike ruin your fun together. She was not done playing. In fact, seeing the two of you looking at each other gave her a little idea...

"I'll go get the apple." You stepped over the cardboard towers and paper moat to head to the kitchen, "I'll be in the kitchen."

"Right behind ya," Mike added as he shrugged off his jacket.

You quickly took the crown off and set it down before going to the counter. You rummaged through the bowl of fruit, going past bananas and pears to find what you wanted.

Mike pulled out a Gatorade from the fridge, "Heh, thanks again for this. You have no idea what a difference you've made to Abby."

"Oh it's nothing. She's a lot of fun." You reassured him.

"I promise I'll pay you as soon as my check comes in, this isn't going to be the usual. You know, if, uh, you still want to continue this. I get it if you don't. You're not obligated to keep coming..." He was rambling now. He hadn't gotten like this since high school. Sheesh, what was going on with him? He reached up and adjusted his shirt's collar. It was getting warm in here all of a sudden.

"Mike, stop. You're completely fine. I'm happy to be here. After all, what are neighbors for?"

He shrugged. He'd just gotten so used to you being here, so quick. You fit right in. Looking back on it, the house used to feel so empty. Abby used to go to her room and just draw by herself. Mike would go to bed early or watch a couple shows on TV. Now, there was so much light and laughter brought in. He barely recognized his life anymore. He really hoped this was a sign for better days.

"Ah! Here we are, a classic red apple. I better not keep the princess waiting." You teased and started heading back to Abby's room, with a little skip in your step. But to your surprise, upon entering in, you saw Abby wearing her darkest purple blanket over her head like a cloak.

"I don't remember Snow wearing anything that dark."

"I'm not going to be Snow, you are." Abby told you and hurried to take the apple from you, "I got to be the princess the last two times. It's your turn."

You hadn't realized you were taking turns but okay.

"Where is your crown?" Abby squinted at you and made a face, "Mikeee! (Y/n) needs her crownnn!"

"Where is it?" He hollered from the other room.

"I left it on the counter!" You rose your voice, trying not to laugh. What has your life become? You felt like a Mom or something. And hey, you kind of liked it. Even though this wasn't your blood family or anything, you'd gotten real close with Mike and Abby. You just felt so comfortable with them.

Mike came back and briefly held up the crown, "Alright, where's the princess?"

Your face reddened and you sheepishly held up your hand, "Here."

He nodded and strolled over, briefly standing on his tip-toes to set it dramatically over your head, earning giggles from his sister. But just before he went to leave, Abby grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Don't go yet, I want you to watch!"

"Watch?" You echoed and your heart dropped to your stomach. Yeah, you were doing this for the kid, but you felt so shy playing pretend in front of Mike.

"Oh, alright, I'd be happy to watch." To your horror, Mike plopped down into the chair by Abby's desk and folded his arms. A big smile on his face.

Your eye twitched at the cocky little gesture. Oh, he was loving this, wasn't he? You didn't know if that was better or worse. But you tried to put it out of your mind when Abby got into character. She came up in her makeshift cloak,

"The evil witch approaches and knocks on Snow White's door..." Abby narrated before knocking on one of the blankets, pretending there was a thudding sound.

You stepped inside the fort then immediately poked your head out, forcing your gaze on Abby instead of Mike's amused face in the corner, "Hello?"

"Hello, young lady..." Abby ironically croaked, despite being many years younger than you, "I am giving out free apples. Would you like one?"

You heard muffled laughter again. Well, you weren't going to let him get to you. If he was going to pay you someday, you were going to earn every penny. He wanted a performance? Alright, here we go.

"Oh, how lovely! Of course!" You reached for it and held it to your mouth before taking a big bite.

"Muahaha! My plan is all coming together!" Abby rubbed her hands together and burst into a fit of mischievous giggles—that sounded a little too convincing for half a second.

"Oh no! I feel strange!" You held a hand to your head then spun around before making a dramatic 'fall' back onto the floor, bending your knees at the right second so the impact wouldn't be so bad. Besides, there were so many scattered pillows around, it wasn't harsh at all.

"Oh, bravo! Great job." Mike chuckled and clapped before starting to get up from his seat.

"Hey! The story isn't over!" Abby pointed a finger at him, "This part is important! I need your help!"

"Wait, what?"

"Snow White needs a handsome prince to wake her up." Abby explained and took off the cloak. She reached to the side for the crown she had made for herself, and handed it to Mike, "Your turn."

You had been pretending to be asleep but now your eyes were wide open. You started to sit up, "Oh, Abby, that's not necessary--"

Ohh it suddenly wasn’t so funny anymore. Was it, Mike? “Yeah, I'm really not an actor. You guys have fun, I'll just prepare dinner..."

But Abby wasn’t having it. She pointed to you first, “No! You! Lay back down! And you! Prince!”

Mike blinked down at his sister, but…apparently he didn’t have the strength to turn her down. He sighed and put the crown on his head. You honestly couldn’t believe it.

You slowly lowered back to the ground and closed your eyes. Not like you weren’t kind of hoping for a kiss from Mike one of these days, but you couldn’t say this is the way you expected to have your first one.

It certainly wasn’t the way Mike planned it, either. He had expected he’d finally get up the courage to ask you on a date. After he’d gotten around to paying you and proved he was in a better situation. But as soon as Abby found out of his crush on you, she had to push this to go a little quicker. He just had to hope he didn’t die of embarrassment in the process.

Abby took off her cloak and let out a gasp, “Oh no! My friend, Snow White is hurt! Help! Help! Prince Charming, come help!”

Mike sighed and walked over, “What’s wrong?”

“The princess has been poisoned! She needs true love’s kiss to wake her up!” Abby held her hands together and looked up at him with expectation.

“Abby, you really don’t expect me to—“ But the look she gave him told him she was serious. Was this really happening? Why didn’t he have the courage to tell her no?

He got down on his knees and looked over your features. He couldn’t tell but you were just as panicked about this. Your heart was pounding like crazy. What was he going to do? Maybe he’d kiss your forehead or your cheek. Something light just to say he did it. But no. When Mike lowered himself near to you, you were surprised by the touch of his lips. The soft scratch of his stubble. His breath was warm on your skin and made your heart flutter. This wasn’t the way you both had planned it, but it was a beautiful first kiss together.

Of course you both didn’t go crazy, Abby was right there, but it was a lingering kiss. Soft and sweet. Mike was surprisingly gentle. But just before you both could get used to it…

“Yay! The princess is saved!” Abby threw up her hands and giggled.

You both broke apart and nervously chuckled at the same time. You decided to speak first before it got awkward.

“Thank you so much for saving me!”

“Of course.” Mike dutifully bowed his head like a prince would, briefly licking his lips.

“Now the prince carries Snow White off into happily ever after!” Abby beamed.

“Heh, alright. Right this way, princess.” Mike gently scooped you up into his arms and rose to his feet with no issue. Wow, he was strong…

“Off to happily ever after?” You giggled and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Off to the spaghetti and meatballs I’m making for dinner.” He replied.

You held a hand to your chest and laughed heartily, “Oh, my hero!”

The end.

#mike schmidt fnaf #mike schmidt fanfiction #mike schmidt #josh hutcherson #fnaf fanfiction #mike schmidt imagine #Mike schmidt one-shot #mike and Abby Schmidt #mike schmidt fluff #Mike schmidt x reader #mike schmidt x you #mike schmidt x y/n

2K notes · View notes

thestuffedalligator · 1 year

Text

"You never complain about Stone Soup."

"I like Stone Soup," said the cow. "Stone Soup is an honest con. We get a meal, everyone thinks they've seen a little bit of magic, you sell the stone for a little bit of pocket money, you pick up another stone at the next town. Everyone gets something."

"And if I remember right, you were the one who suggested we steal the magic beans."

"That wasn't stealing, that was a legitimate trade."

"A legitimate trade for a talking cow that disappeared by morning?"

"He didn't even lock the barn! How is that my fault?" She huffed and laid her head onto her forelimbs. The stalk of grass in her lips wobbled with her scowl. "Old fool never knew what he had."

Jack hummed. He craned forward to get a better look into the tiny, cracked glass, pulled gently at the corner of his eye and delicately dabbed the makeup brush.

"My point is," said the cow, "this all seems rather - cruel."

Jack turned. One half of his face was magnificently painted in faerie shades of blues and violets. The other half was just confused. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"For gods' sake, Jack, this is a perfectly innocent girl who you plan on humiliating in front of the royal court."

"How would she be humiliated? As far as she'll know, she'll have a lovely time at a lovely ball in a lovely ballgown."

"You don't have a lovely ballgown!"

"Well I can't afford a ballgown, now can I?!"

"So you're going to make her waltz in her fucking underclothes?!"

He took a dramatic breath. "Look," he said, brandishing the makeup brush. "If it worked on the fucking emperor, it'll work on a fucking scullery maid. If she gets told by a fairy that she's wearing a fairy dress that can only be seen by intelligent people, she is going to believe like hell that she's wearing the very image of sartorial extravaganza."

The brush was masterfully twiddled. "And when everyone else finds out that she's wearing a fairy dress that can only be seen by intelligent people, there won't be a single person in that room who would dare to disagree."

The cow shook her head. "I don't know, Jack," she sighed. "I just don't know."

"It'll be fine," Jack said, turning back to the tiny glass and bringing a deft hand again on the canvas. "Trust me. How did you do finding the slippers?"

"Couldn't find crystal," said the cow. "Best I could get were a glass set from an elf down at the cobbler's."

Jack hummed. "Well, they shouldn't be that important. Nobody will look too closely at her shoes."

#fairy tales #cinderella #the emperor's new clothes #writing #fantasy writing #short story #narrativia

2K notes · View notes

upsidedownwithsteve · 7 months

Text

Eddie Munson x fem!reader [4.7K] mean!eddie, toxic relationships, exes to hooking up, power plays and a nineties house party. You weren’t sure whose house you were in, but there was body glitter smeared across their white walls.

Weezer was blasting from the stereo in the living room, crowds of people moving between there and the kitchen, more draped over the staircase, making out with people they just met. You weren’t sure what time it was, but it was dark outside the windows, the rest of the house lit up with plug-in disco balls that spun slowly, discs of orange and red and blue and pink bouncing off of faces and floors.

It was late enough that you’d lost your shoes, late enough that the watermelon vodka you’d brought with you was empty. Late enough to make some bad decisions.

Robin found you in the kitchen, shoulders bumping against yours as she steadied herself, eyes red rimmed and she smelled like smoke and cherries, the blue eyeshadow you helped her perfect was now a smattering of aquamarine glitter down her cheeks. The lights made her look like a fairy, the cheap drink made her look too far gone.

“You okay?” You asked her, grinning when she pulled you into her chest, your cheek smashed against her own. You’d have matching freckles now, blue and sparkly. “Where’s Nance?”

“She’s peeing,” Robin yelled back, a little too loud since the music was fading into another song. You winced but laughed all the same when she smacked a noisy kiss to your cheek before turning her mouth to the shell of your ear. “That guy has been checking you out all night.”

Robin gestured not so subtly to a boy by the door. Tall, blonde, green eyes. Pretty enough, if you liked cargo pants and the Ed Hardy look. You didn’t know him but he caught your gaze and lifted his chin in greeting. You looked away.

“Mmm,” you wrinkled your nose and you dragged Robin back into the living room, coffee tables pushed up against walls as throngs of people gyrated under the lights. Everyone sparkled, mini skirts showing off bare legs, flashes of neon stripes in hair. “Not my type,” you told her.

“Oh, we’re getting fussy now, huh?” Nancy appeared between you both, a bright blue bottle of something in one hand. She took a sip and then offered it to Robin. “I thought you wanted laid tonight?”

You shrugged, looking down, avoidant. You plucked at the charm bracelet on your wrist, turning the glow stick that was wrapped above round and round. You weren’t sure where it came from but it turned your skin violet. “Maybe,” you told your friends. “I don’t know.”

You had wanted to get laid tonight. That was the plan, anyway. That’s why you were wearing your shortest skirt, a white, pleated thing that would be more suited for a cheerleader but a boy had once told you it was his favourite. The snag in the plan was that particular boy was nowhere to be found. You had already searched through the party with only the faces of strangers staring back at you, and when you made it into the backyard, your heart stalled at the sight of Gareth, of a leather jacket and a black and white baseball shirt.

But the boy wasn’t with his friend and you didn’t want to give either of them the satisfaction of letting them know you were looking. So when Gareth caught your eye and smirked, shrugging, you spun on your heel and tried to pretend you didn’t know even know him anymore.

It had been months, after all.

And you had been the one to break up with him. Hadn’t you? That part of the story was blurry, maybe even up for debate. At least, he liked to fight you on the fact of the matter. Another party, another girl who got too close, a situationship that hadn’t been defined even though the night before he was whispering all things sweet into the junction of your thighs. It had all been cherry vodka and weed, a messy argument under the blare of R’n’B and neither of you had had the patience to listen to the other.

You’d thrown his leather jacket at him and walked home.

The next weekend you’d watched as he pulled Tammy Peterson onto his lap and licked into her mouth, his heavy eyes on you as you stood across the room and watched. Tammy left with his jacket that night, heavy and clinking with zips and chains.

You hadn’t spoken since.

So why did seeing his name buzz across your phone screen not surprise you?

munson: heard u were lookin 4 me

You scoffed, staring down at the little pink phone in your hand, the tiny text barely even visible in the low light. Confidence oozed from his message and you lifted your head, scanning through the crowd until you found Gareth, still lingering by the back door and he grinned knowingly when he caught your eye. You scowled, lifting your hand to flip him the bird and the sincerity of it was lessened by the butterfly ring on your finger.

Robin and Nancy frowned, both of them moving to your sides to peer over your shoulders. “What’s going on? Who’s texted you?”

You hit the back button suspiciously quick, the green Home Screen empty of anything incriminating but you still hid it against your chest. The device seemed to burn you, as did your cheeks. “What?” You yelled over the music, swallowing hard. You suddenly wished the stereo was louder. “Nothing. No one.”

It was easy to make an excuse then, leaving the two girls on the makeshift dance floor as you pushed past people on the staircase, elbowing couples who were too busy making out. You caught the bathroom door just as someone was leaving it, a boy too drunk to stand upright and he slurred something at you just before you slammed it behind him, sliding the lock into place. The music was quieter in there, a muted thud of drum and bass from below your feet. There was a half full can of beer on the toilet cistern and someone had left their bra in the bathtub. There was more glitter on the tiles, pink, lavender and gold and the overhead bulb had been swapped out for a bug zapper, the whole room turned violet.

You tapped out a reply, perched against the sink, bubblegum pink nails pressing furiously at the buttons, your nose scrunched in annoyance, the tip of your tongue trapped between teeth.

u heard wrong :)

You didn’t have to wait long for a reply, your cell vibrating in your hands and announcing a new text message. The tiny screen of your Nokia lit up green with the boy’s name, something that still made your heart pound.

munson: dont play coy w me sweetheart.. we both know u miss me x

don’t flatter yourself baby

You knew this game. You loved this game. And Eddie Munson was your favourite person to play it with. It was coming around to that late night early morning hour that led to badly made plans, that time of the night when friends were too drunk to keep tabs and the front door of the house you were in had a pretty golden glow to it, an escape to someone’s bed.

You squeezed your thighs together, chipped nail polish tapping against your teeth and you chewed at your thumb, waiting. You really did want to get laid. It had been too long, one drunken hook up since you’d decided that Eddie wasn’t worth your time anymore, a guy from the town over, taken back to yours after a party in someone else’s backyard that led to beer pong and a heavy make out session against a strangers corvette.

He couldn’t find your clit, thought foreplay was a few minutes of pinching at your tits and he came before you were close to anything that resembled pleasure. Then he drank the last of your OJ, stole your phone charger and left at four am.

This? Eddie? One last hook up? You needed this. Nay, you deserved this. Even if your friends would strongly disagree. Your relationship with Eddie Munson had been somewhat tumultuous, most would say. From high school sweethearts to twenty somethings that were headed in different directions, he was a boy you couldn’t quit all that easily. Eddie liked guitar and gaming, smoking weed and sleeping in and your chances at a decent enough career path were woefully diminished if you stayed behind in Hawkins for him.

Eddie grew anxious, jealous, turned resentful and then got too cocky, growing out his curls, wearing big boots and leather jackets and giving himself tattoos in his friends' basements. You got colder, distant, impatient. Then break ups ended in make ups and that ended in fucking him in the front seat of his van and it would happen all over again the next weekend.

It was fun until it wasn’t.

But the sex was fucking ridiculous.

And so was Eddie’s confidence because he simply replied with an address, the new apartment you’d only heard about. He’d taken his time, but he’d saved up and moved out of Wayne’s, out of the trailer park and into a small one bed, a new girl every other weekend to grace the sheets.

munson: 624 Oakbank Street apt 61B. second floor sweetheart, c u soon ;)

No. You wouldn’t. You shouldn’t. You did. Fuck it, it’s fine.

You unlocked the door, swerved the drunk girls who fell in through the frame and tackled the stairs again, hopping over splayed limbs and couples intertwined, heading for the front door and hoping someone would be around who could take you to the other side of town.

“Where are you going?”

Robin. She was grinning, smug, knowing. You shrugged, pocketing your cell before she could grab it and you resisted the urge to make a run for it. “Nowhere. Home. I’m hungry.”

Robin snorted, glitter specks shining from her cheeks. “For dick? Or a cheeseburger?”

Your lips quirked up. There wasn’t much use in lying. “Both?”

—————

Eddie was standing at his apartment door when you turned the corner. Your heels had clicked up the stairwell and the wall sconces lit the way, your eyes flicking over each door number until it didn’t matter anymore. 61B was already open, a boy standing in the frame in soft jeans, acid wash blue with rips in the knees, a Metallica band shirt that’s collar was loose and stretched out. He still had his rings on, silver and chunky and supposedly scary looking.

The chain you’d bought him for his birthday last year was still around his neck.

It should’ve made you angry, it should’ve at least made you annoyed but the cheap vodka and the empty feeling in your chest and between your legs had you head spinning. A record that stuttered and skipped, the same dirty loop stuck in your head because you were sure there’d been much hotter men at the party, maybe. Probably.

Right?

But at that moment, Eddie was the prettiest thing you’d ever seen. He was smirking, arms crossed and leaning against the door frame, curls soft and falling into his eyes like he’d just washed them and you tried not to walk faster, to not trip over yourself in a haste to get to him.

He didn’t kiss you hello. He just kept smirking and he moved to the side to let you in, eyes shining with glee as he followed your movements, your body brushing past him as you entered his new place. It smelled like his room at Wayne’s, held the same scene that once reminded you of home, smoke and hidden weed, Eddie’s cologne and the same detergent his uncle used.

It made you bristle and square your shoulders. This wasn’t the plan.

“Nice place,” you said and you sounded bored, unimpressed. Good. “I see we’re still not giving up the toys.” You gestured to the shelf above the sofa, a line of hand painted figurines placed carefully in a battle formation.

“They’re collectibles, sweetheart,” Eddie grinned and he didn’t sound phased. He didn’t look bothered. “Have some taste. You want a drink?”

“We both know I’m not here for you to wine and dine me, Eddie,” you tilled your eyes and stood in the middle of the room, your hands on your hips. Suddenly, your skirt felt so much shorter than it had before and the boy let his gaze fall to your legs, the expanse of bare thigh that was framed by pretty pleats. “Let’s not act cute.”

Eddie huffed out a laugh, an eyebrow quirked. He let himself drop onto the sofa, an army green thing with corduroy cushions, his arms stretched out along the back of it. He pouted. “You don’t think I’m cute?”

You said nothing. You couldn’t. Your heart was beating too fast.

Eddie made a cooing sound, a soft, patronising thing that made your toes curl in your heels and the cotton fabric of your underwear just grew a little wetter, clinging to you. It was awful.

“We both know you think I’m cute, c’mon now,” Eddie teased. His eyes were shining, dark in the low light because he only had one damn lamp in the room. “You don’t wanna play nice? Fine.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and he plucked a half smoked joint from the amber glass ashtray on the coffee table in front of him. He sparked up, placing it lazily between his lips before gesturing to you, gaze heavy. Smoke trailed from his lips as he spoke, the joint between his lips, expertly held in place with no hands. “Take your clothes off then.”

You should’ve been outraged, you should’ve laughed in his face. You should’ve flipped him off and grabbed the bag you dumped on his breakfast bar and left. But Eddie was grinning at you and he looked like a challenge, he looked like a dare, he looked like the prettiest fucking mistake and you really wanted to make a bad decision.

A terrible one, maybe. Fuck it, it’s fine.

You shrugged off your jacket. Denim and metal buttons hitting the floor and you kept eye contact the entire time, unflinching when Eddie’s grin widened. He relaxed, looking every bit in control as he slouched into the couch cushions, eyes wandering over the bare skin you uncovered, smoke trailing from his barely parted lips and up to the ceiling.

He was already hard, you could tell. You could see. The heavy bulge prominent underneath his denim, twitching as he got off on being in control.

Your hands came to your chest, trailing down your sternum and chasing the tiny lavender buttons there, a purple camisole top popped apart with each twist of your fingers. It fell apart without much effort, fell to the floor when easier with a tiny shrug of your shoulders and you stood in just your skirt and chunky heels, looking like some kind of wet dream barbie.

You didn’t need a bra with the plans you’d had for yourself.

You cocked your head to the side, indifferent, unbothered. You tried to act like your heart wasn’t racing, like your cunt wasn’t throbbing and you wanted to beg to be touched. Eddie could play a cruel game and weakness wasn’t an option, so you stood a little taller and let your tits jut out all pretty, peaked nipples and trails of Robin’s pink body glitter evident on your collarbone.

Eddie sucked in a breath, lips twisting to hide the twitch of a smile that seemed more real than the others, a proud grin that told you you were winning so far. So you hooked your thumbs into the waist of your skirt and shimmed your hips, white pleats joining the rest of your clothes on the floor, a pretty pool of fabric and dignity.

Bubblegum pink thong, cherry red heels, strappy and with platforms high enough to crush a man’s ego.

“Keep the shoes on,” Eddie murmured, jaw tense, cheeks a rosy flush. “They’re real pretty, honey. They new?” The boy leaned forward again, elbows in knees, the roach stubbed out in the ashtray.

You nodded, bottom lip tucked between your teeth and your bracelets jingled as you ran your hands down your stomach, fingertips trailing along the delicate string of your underwear that curved over your hips, the soft of your stomach.

“If I told you to come n’suck my dick, would you do that too?” Eddie’s smile was sharklike, his words taunting, a little mean. Like he thought he was still winning. “You look so pretty on your knees, you know that? Love it when you put that hot little mouth to use.”

Your eyes narrowed even though your breathing hitched. Just a little, not enough for him to notice. But you knew it was only a matter of time before you had to rub your thighs together and the pretty pink shade of your underwear would turn a little darker. “Take your clothes off and we’ll see what happens.”

Eddie laughed, a brave noise, smug and cocky. He tilted his head, jaw a strong line, the shadow of stubble there and you knew if you got to dig your teeth into it, he’d moan for you.

“You think you’re callin’ the shots here, babe? That’s real cute, you’re almost naked and you think you’re in charge?”

You grinned back, standing a little prouder, fingers hooking into the hand of your thong, running across your navel. Eddie followed the movement, gritted his teeth and huffed.

“That’s exactly why I’m in charge,” you cooed, pouting, sickly sweet and far from innocent. “Take your clothes off, Eddie, don’t be shy.”

He shook his head, too stubborn, an age old game you both played so well. Except before, it was sweetened with kisses, soft laughter and gentle hands that teased and coaxed the other into submission. Now? Now this was just psychological warfare.

He stared at you, mean, eyes narrowed and his cheeks still pink, slouched back on the sofa with a casual hand thrown over his crotch. You weren’t sure if it was supposed to hide his hard on or offer some relief, but you watched the length of him twitch when you shifted your weight, popping one hip and he pressed his palm over himself.

You grinned, victorious.

But still, he didn’t move. So you sighed, wistful and dramatic and you tried to ignore the rising heat in your chest because you were so exposed and so vulnerable, ready to lay yourself bare for the guy that broke your heart and then spent each Saturday night in bed with you, pretending that he didn’t.

But hey, maybe you were to blame for that too.

Instead of saying anything else, you shrugged and made your way over to an armchair. You recognised it from Wayne’s trailer, one Eddie must’ve taken to remind him of home and you dropped yourself onto it, one leg hooked over an arm. You let your head fall back, lazy, the last buzz from the beer you took in the back of the cab simmering below your skin and you didn’t waste anymore time teasing. Your hand slid into the front of your thong, fingers seeking out in the way they knew best, parting your folds until you were spread and hidden, eyes scrunching shut at the pad of your finger swiping over your clit.

You made a pretty noise, extra soft and gasping, just for Eddie. He’d long since taught you how to put on a show, always about the drama. So you whined, let your lips fall into a pout and arched your back. Your fingers slipped down, prodding experimentally at your entrance before you gave up all pretence and slid two inside of yourself, not long enough, not thick enough, but it satiated the empty feeling that had clung to you since you first arrived at the party.

“Fuck,” Eddie groaned and your eyes shot open, gaze finding his and he was pinker then before, all flushed cheeks and glassy eyes, his ringed fingers wrapping around the outline of his cock through his jeans and he squeezed it roughly. “Jesus Christ, sweetheart, that’s just filthy.”

He said it like a compliment, words like a reward and they made your body fizz, skin electric and you smiled, humming lazily like you didn’t care.

You did you did you did.

You wanted to one up him, you wanted to win, you wanted to break him and put him back together and make him fall in love with you all over again. You wanted to make sure he never looked at another girl. You wanted to make him crawl.

So you pulled your fingers from yourself, slick and glossy in the low light, bringing them to your lips before you sucked them. Eddie’s jaw dropped, eyes hooded and pupils blown wide and he leaned forward, desperate to see more. He was barely holding himself up, clinging to the coffee table as he stared at the space between your thighs.

“Holy fuck, babe, that— that’s,” he cut himself off with a groan when you snuck your hand back inside your underwear, wet fingers sliding noisily over your clit. “Oh, that’s so fuckin’ hot. Come ‘n let me have a taste, baby. Let me get my mouth on that pretty pussy, huh?”

You shook your head and smiled, cotton candy underwear stretched tight over your knuckles and you moved a little quicker. You weren’t giving in. You’d make yourself come before you did.

It took three more minutes before Eddie moved, growling obscenities as he stood and yanked off his shirt, snapping at his belt buckle with one hand as he crossed the room. You thought he’d be on you, you thought he’d maybe drop to the floor and put his mouth on you, lick you slow and soft like he was so good at, like he’d asked for. But he grinned something wicked as he grabbed your wrist, hand tugged from between your thighs and then you were pulled up. He wasn’t rough about it, but he certainly wasn’t gentle.

“You wanna play games?” He huffed, voice wavering a little because he finally had his hands on you. Eddie gazed down at you, still a little taller even despite your heels. His hand caught your chin, finger and thumb pinching at your cheeks until your lips popped into a pout and you burned. “Let’s play, pretty thing. You wanna be my toy, huh?”

You gave in, only just. You nodded, gasping when Eddie’s thumb stroked over your lips and he smiled, boyish and charming and all too pretty. Then he spoke. “I always used to break my toys.”

Fuck.

He spun you, fast enough to be disorienting and then you were pushed onto the armchair, knees on the cushions and your chest to the back of it. Your hands curled over the top of it, holding on for what was about to come. The first smack on your ass was startling, hard enough to warm you, heat blooming over the curve of you keened, eyes slipping shut and into that fuzzy space only Eddie seemed to be able to bring you to. Your head fell forward, resting on the cushion and you sighed, his name a whisper that you hoped he didn’t hear.

“C’mon, baby,” you could hear the grin in his voice and he slapped your other ass cheek, making the fat there bounce. “Make it pretty for me, hm?”

You knew what he wanted and you obeyed, too far gone from the feel of your own fingers, the emptiness that was left after Eddie stopped you from coming. You sucked in a breath and pushed your ass out further, back arched real pretty, your cheek squished to the back cushion. Eddie stood behind you, godlike, unzipping his jeans and pulling his cock free. He stroked it, rough and he get handed, the way you’d learned to touch him, eager, thick fingers pulling at the head until it turned pinker and pinker.

“Tell me you want it.”

“No.” Your voice sounded small, wavering.

You sounded like you were lying.

Eddie laughed. “Still wanna play? Fine.”

Two hands palmed at your ass, skin warm and rings cool, the silver catching at your skin as he squeezed, pulling at your cheeks until they spread obscenely and Eddie groaned. He used his thumb to hook into your thong, pulling what little material there was away from your skin until he got to look at all of you.

Spread all pretty, slick and wet and shining. A line of spit hit your ass, sliding warm to cool over your puckered hole until it trickled down, seeping into the seam of your cunt and you dripped with him. Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck it. It’s fine.

It’s fine.

Eddie hummed, enjoying the view, enjoying himself, enjoying you. His thumb brushed over your, making you jump in surprise, his soft laughter leaving you burning until you felt the head of his cock line up with your cunt, spreading your folds around his tip. He pushed, just slightly, enough for you to feel the beginning of the stretch and you whined, arching back more, eager. Desperate.

“Say you want my cock.”

No niceties, no pet names. No affection. Just a power play. Eddie didn’t want a relationship. He wanted to win.

“No.”

Another laugh, proud and amused and your stubbornness earned your another swift smack and this time you let the boy’s name fall from your lips a little louder. Eddie swore, moaning with you because his name coming from the back of your throat sounded like sex, like victory. So he tried again, a little sweeter.

“C’mon, baby,” he cooed. He tugged at his cock, let it slide against the dean of you until he was as slick as you were. “Feels good, don’t it? You wanna feel me deep? You wanna feel me here, honey?” He let his hand tuck around you, palming over your tummy and you whined, nodding.

Game over.

Fuck it, it’s fine. It’s really fine.

“Please,” you murmured, voice hoarse, head hazy. “Please, Teddy.”

And just like that, the playing field was evened out. The nickname made the boy crumble, a gasping, groaning sound tumbling from his mouth and he melted over you, his chest to your back, cock sliding in, a tight, hot wet stretch and suddenly you were full.

You cried out, eyes snapping shut, jaw loose and head falling forward. Eddie caught you, one hand on your hip and the other sinking into your hair as he tugged you back up, a little mean, a little rough. But he brought your face to his, cheek to cheek as he cooed, murmuring pretty things about his pretty girl and it was all too much.

It felt like the beginning.

“Look at you, fuck,” he sounded gone, words stuttering out of him with every hard thrust and his hands were bruising, palming at your hips, your tummy, skating over the column of your throat until every part of you felt heated. “Who’s pussy is this? Huh? She’s fuckin’ made for me, sweetheart, so tight she doesn’t wanna let me go.”

His words made you come, like they always did, hot and filthy and possessive and murmured low in your ear. And then Eddie came too, hips jerking, groaning wild, curls falling down his back as he tipped his head and emptied himself inside of you. He liked to sweep his fingers through your folds after it, feeling himself dripping hot and slick out of your cunt.

And then when you collected your clothes from the living room floor, Eddie was sitting shirtless on his couch as you dressed yourself, already rolling another joint. The lighter flickered, a blue-orange in the night they seemed so much darker and colder now Eddie had moved away from you.

He hadn’t kissed you once, you realised, your lips lonely. He had blue glitter on his cheek, galactic freckles that matched yours. He was still dripping down the inside of your thighs when he raised his cell and asked you:

“D’you want me to call you a cab?”

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x reader smut #eddie munson smut #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson drabble

946 notes · View notes

zapreportsblog · 8 months

Text

↳ THE VOLTURI / POLY ↲

queen of the ball

your ours

bonds beyond blood

a haunting resemblance

tangled in duty

im not easily impressed but when I am then im impressed

ending things

a nocturnal sojourn

installing fear into their hearts

protecting what’s theirs

target on my back

moments like these

forced to stay

as long as you’re okay

caius knows best

unexpected bonds

an unconventional union

the enchanting dance

the beginning of understanding

the hybrids protector

headcanon : you as the volturi mate with Cassie personality

bleeding me dry like a got damn vampire

baked goodness

she’s just too damn good

how would the volturi react to someone with the gifts similar to the scarlet witch

your end and your beginning

how the volturi would react to their mate who’s both repulsed and fears them for killing innocent people

different type of yandere the volturi can turn out to be

how yandere volturi would react to their human escaping

↳ OTHER CHARACTERS ↲

how they react to you kissing them on the lips unexpectedly

i need love and affection

damsel in distress

beanstalk

too far gone

i can handle my own

happy birthday

the end of the road

our other half

don’t mess with the guardian

a day to remember

tattoos and bar talks

descendants

getting through mama bear

home from war

concealed

duckling

papa

my sweet boy

the non shifter

cold

wedding singer

waking up

the cold never bothered me anyways

the past needs to stay in the past

a lifelong bond

not a people person

afraid of love

↳ THE CULLENS ↲

finding my voice

the storms rolling in

heed my warnings

descendants

getting through mama bear

concealed

forget me not

an unconventional union

true mates

my sweet boy

the mating pull

the non shifter

wedding singer

how they react to you getting a tongue ring

waking up

a blast from the past

little fairy girl

the cold never bothered me anyways

the past needs to stay in the past

fear of rejection

the hybrids protector

a lifelong bond

show some respect boy

not a people person

the witch hybrid and her companion

the witch hybrid and her companion 2

afraid of love

like a bear in hibernation

blood cravings

perfectly imperfect

↳ REQUESTED / ORIGINAL CHARACTERS ↲

the predators and their prey

shadowed hearts

the pairing

↳ THE PACK ↲

how’d he react to his gender neutral partner wearing his hoodies/shirts because they are oversized on them

whenever, wherever, however

the night we met

checking in on you

the non shifter

imprint

the past needs to stay in the past

a lifelong bond

the witch hybrid and her companion

the witch hybrid and her companion 2

634 notes · View notes

bellalunadreams · 2 days

Text

Merlin Cinderella au 🫣

I’m not good at writing but, I think it would be really cute to have a Cinderella au with everything being the same (setting and Arthur being the prince wise)

It would take place when Merlin just comes to Camelot, and instead of living in the castle, Gauis has a house/healing center in the lower town.

I don’t think the evil stepmother and sisters would come into play. But it would just be Merlin coming to Camelot like in the show and becoming quick friends with people in the kingdom (huge ‘everyone loves Merlin’ believer)

Uthur wants Arthur to marry to continue the bloodline and to secure him as next in line to rule. So he holds a ball for all eligible (noble) suitors in the kingdom (suspended disbelief of Uthurs possible bigotry 💀)

Merlin wants to go cause he thinks it’ll be fun but he can’t since he’s not a noble. He goes looking through Gauis’s old magic books to find a spell to change his appearance and accidentally summons a fairy godmother.

He gets his disguise but it’ll only last till midnight so he makes the most of it and causes as much mischief as possible, when else is he ever gonna get an opportunity to get into the castle and get away with anything he wants with no repercussions? (No one will recognize him 😈)

Arthur is overwhelmed with everyone practically throwing themselves at him so he gets away to the gardens( or something of that sort)

There he spots Merlin setting up a prank or something. He questions what he’s doing and Merlin says something like “are you a snitch?”

Merlin and Arthur proceed to pull pranks on a bunch of the nobles and Arthur has the time of his life for the first time in forever. Merlin doesn’t treat him like the prince, he treats him like just some guy and Arthur loves it.

They settle down back in the gardens with them both in a fit of laughter after their last joke. One of them makes a comment about having not danced the entire night, the overbearing music of the hall muffled but the quiet of the garden they dance together under the moonlight.

Arthur makes a comment about not even knowing Merlin’s name when the bells chime for midnight.

Merlin’s eyes widen like saucers and he takes off, shouting apologies as he goes. And in his rush off his neckerchief snags on one of the flower bushes.

Arthur finds the neckerchief and swears he’ll find that mysterious man again.

Merlin makes it back to Gauis’s hut just in time as the spell wears off and passes out in bed

The next morning there’s a royal decree to find the man danced with the prince and lost his neckerchief getting away

I feel that Arthur would be really determined to find him. And he would know that Merlin was not a noble, no noble would behave the Merlin did.

Arthur would personally go through the whole kingdom, house to house if he had to.

I feel like they would meet again in a really funny way too. Like Merlin would be delivering something for Gauis and they would run into each other like how they met in the show.

As soon as Arthur would hear his snarky comeback he would know that it’s him lol

Arthur would propose to him on the spot with the neckerchief

And they would live snark-ly ever after

#if I had the time and I could actually write I would #this is such a cute idea #I would love to read this fic so much #something run with this #PLEASE #LMAO #bbc merlin #Merlin au #Merlin #Arthur #arthur pendragon #Merlin fic idea #fic idea #merthur #murther #merlin x arthur

121 notes · View notes

x0x0josephinex0x0 · 3 months

Text

pretty boy | jeonghan

I can't help myself from writing enemies to lovers Jeonghan, because he provides the source material himself. Also big thanks to Hani @vanillacheol for letting me use her name and likeness to a) provide our MC with a bestie and b) provide Seungcheol with a girlfriend. Anyway, here are the details: Word count: 8.3k Summary: After a complicated first date, you swear to hate Jeonghan forever, but fate has other plans >:) Genre: E2L, academic rivals to lovers, royalty au kind of, college au kind of Warnings: reader is referred to using feminine pronouns and other identifiers, reader is mentioned to be wearing a skirt and a gown on separate instances, Jeonghan calls reader "princess" a lot (because she is), there are pranks mentioned, pressure to choose someone to marry is mentioned, lots of name-calling, a couple of arguments, lots of kissing, some suggestive language, some brief actual bullying (not between Jeonghan and MC), long-hair Jeonghan (def needs a warning), and Jeonghan is an absolute menace as per usual.

“Are you listening to me?” your friend Hani asks, bringing you back down to earth.

The truth is, you hadn’t been listening to her at all. You’d been miles away in your mind, daydreaming of home. “I’m sorry,” you say sheepishly. “Would you mind repeating?”

Hani rolls her eyes. “I was asking,” she says pointedly, “if you’ve got a flight for my birthday ball yet.”

“Of course,” you reply. “Why?”

She fidgets nervously — a telltale sign she’s hiding something. “Oh, no reason,” she says, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

Your grin drops. “He’s coming,” you realize. “Jeonghan is coming to your birthday ball after all.”

“I know what you’re going to say, and I need you to be rational about it. Jeonghan is Seungcheol’s best friend, and I couldn’t just not invite him.” Hani plays with her pearl bracelet, a gift from her boyfriend, and avoids eye contact with you. She’s gotten more assertive since she started her relationship with Seungcheol, the prince of a nearby country, who’d fallen in love with your friend at freshman orientation at your posh private college. They’d been together for a year and a half, and six months ago she never would’ve said any of that to you, carefully concealing her real feelings behind a placid smile.

It’s for this reason you’re grateful for Seungcheol. He’s helped your friend feel confident and strong, and you can tell how much he loves her. He’s also kind and thoughtful and genuine and funny, very down-to-earth despite being a prince, and full of good advice when you need it. Becoming his friend has been a huge perk of the relationship he has with Hani.

The one major downside? Yoon Jeonghan. He’s Seungcheol’s best friend from home, the son of a high-ranking military leader in Seungcheol’s home country, and apparently they were raised like brothers. Unlike sweet and harmless Seungcheol, though, Jeonghan is a devil in disguise. Blessed with the face of a fairy prince, with intellect to match, he was confident to the point of arrogance and seemed to always get exactly what he wanted. He could sweet-talk even the strictest professors into extending deadlines just for him, and had a penchant for connecting especially accommodating students and teachers to job opportunities and networking events and even really nice favors — once he paid for one of the school secretaries to fly to a tropical island with her new husband just because she straightened out an attendance issue for him.

You had butt heads with Jeonghan almost upon first sight, which had coincidentally been on a date that Hani insisted you go on. “You’ll love him,” she had oozed.

“Are you sure you’re not just trying to fulfill your lifelong dream of us dating brothers?” you’d grumbled, trying to avoid showing how nervous you’d been.

“They’re not really brothers,” Hani had reminded you, “but of course I would love it if you dated Jeonghan for real. He’s perfect for you, trust me.”

She’d had to eat her words when you came home from the date soaked to the bone, a murderous glare in your eyes. “He is without a doubt the most bull-headed, self-important, cocky, absolutely despicable human being I’ve ever met. I never want to see him again,” you’d fumed.

“What happened?” Hani had exclaimed, rushing to grab you a towel. She listened sympathetically as you recounted how it had all gone down.

It had actually started off well. Jeonghan struck you as the kind of person who could make a brick wall feel clever and important, and he was a perfect gentleman at first. He’d even addressed you as “my lady”, a reference to your position as eldest princess of a small island country, until you begged him to relax, but the level of decorum he’d approached you with had bolstered your confidence a bit.

“So...princess,” he’d said cautiously after you’d insisted he call you by your name, and you’d rolled your eyes at this. “How’s the island these days?”

“Are you asking me about foreign policy on our date?” you had asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, I’m asking you about your home,” he’d countered. “What’s it like there? It’s one of the few places I’ve never been.”

“Oh, really?” Your eyes lit up. “Well, it’s much warmer than it is here.”

“Naturally,” Jeonghan had said. “Do you miss that?”

“More than anything,” you’d said, frowning at the snow falling in soft piles outside. “Near the palace is this one stretch of beach -- you sort of have to hike through a small jungle to get there, but nothing too bad, you know -- and when it snows like this I have to remind myself that it still exists and I can go back there one day.”

Jeonghan grinned. “What does it look like?”

“Well, there’s a thick treeline since it’s just past the woods, but that means it’s very private. It’s got the most beautiful sand -- it’s pink!”

“Pink sand?” Jeonghan had repeated, his head propped up by one hand as he gazed at you, rambling on excitedly.

“Yeah, it’s from a micro-organism that lives in the coral reefs that grow around the island. There are a few different pink beaches on our island, but this one is special. Hardly anyone knows about it. Seokmin -- my cousin, you know, the theater major -- found it first, and I’ve been going there ever since.” You caught sight of him watching you and felt your face heat up. “Uh, sorry. I got carried away.”

“No, no, it was cute,” he reassured you, which made you feel even more embarrassed.

“What about you?” you had asked, and you’d listened with rapt attention as Jeonghan had described the mountainous region he hailed from, with so many clever little asides that made you laugh. You were generally more of a “black cat” type personality, but Jeonghan was bringing out an eager, girlish side of you that almost no one got to see. He made you feel like your blood had become carbonated -- like little tiny bubbles were flowing all over your body, all tingly and excited.

The conversation had lasted hours, covering everything from your families (yours was close, his was rather distant) to your favorite foods (seafood for you, fried chicken for him) to the most unusual kinds of music you liked (film scores for you, musical theater songs for him). Finally, with all your food eaten and the drinks all but drained from their fancy bottles, it had come time to talk about education. “If you weren’t a princess, what would you be studying?” Jeonghan had asked.

“I think I would still want to learn about public policy, especially as it relates to nonprofits,” you had replied. “At my core, I want to use what I know to help others, and there’s almost no easier way to do that than improve the legal conditions for charity work.”

Jeonghan nodded thoughtfully. “You might be the biggest nerd I’ve ever met,” he finally said with a grin.

You had gasped, pretending to be scandalized. “Even bigger than you, Mr. Political Science?”

He shook his head. “Imagine how cool I’d have to actually be to be studying poli-sci and still be considered cool.”

“Oh, are you considered cool?” you’d teased. “I hadn’t heard that.” (Which was a lie. When a girl in your dorm had found out who you were going on the date with, she’d almost keyed your car out of jealousy. Jeonghan was notoriously cool.)

He clapped a hand over his chest. “Please don’t wound me like this. My reputation is all I have.”

You looked him up and down in the way that tabloid articles had called your “man-eater move.” “Just your reputation, pretty boy?” you questioned lightly. “How disappointing.”

Jeonghan’s eyes got wide, but he recovered quickly. “I actually have one more thing. Way more important than my reputation.” He said it so seriously that you leaned forward in interest.

“What is it?” you asked, looking up at him through your eyelashes.

He leaned forward to match you and whispered in your ear softly, “A fully completed Death Star Lego set.”

And you had burst into laughter. People were generally easy for you to read, but Jeonghan took you by surprise every time. The rest of the meal was full of giggles and simmering tension. More than once you caught yourself staring at him and wondering what it’d be like to kiss the smirk right off his gorgeous face.

Which is how you found yourself in the custodian closet at that very restaurant twenty minutes later doing exactly that.

He had begun it -- suggesting a quick bathroom break that you somehow understood with your eyes, and on your way in he’d pulled you right into that tiny closet and pressed his mouth to yours like it might be the last thing he ever did. You were surprised at how strong this lithe boy was as his arms wrapped around your waist, his hands tightening into fists around the fabric of your skirt at your hips as he pressed you up against one of the shelves, knocking several bottles of cleaning wipes onto the floor. You had gasped and pulled away, just enough that you could look at him. “Careful, pretty boy,” you’d hummed breathlessly as you pulled him back for more, and he’d groaned.

“Call me that one more time, princess, I dare you,” he’d murmured against your lips.

“Is that a threat?” you’d whispered back, knotting your fingers into his long hair, perfectly content to let him do whatever it was he’d had in mind.

But then his cellphone, which had somehow slipped out of his pocket onto the floor, rang. Loudly. You both dived for it, worried that someone would hear, and you reached it first. After silencing it, you saw a familiar notification pop up on Jeonghan’s phone.

“No way!” you’d exclaimed quietly. “Are you in Exploration of Debate?” It was an online class you were taking as a general, where you posted anonymously on an online debate forum. The person with the highest number of won debates was the person with the highest grade, and to your chagrin, you were in second place after a devastating loss to “TwinkleToes17”. In fact, so ruthless was TwinkleToes that they’d gained a reputation outside the class as someone who was a pure psychopath, willing and ready to twist every word to their advantage. It seemed like everyone on campus had heard of this person.

Which is why you’d burst out of the closet two minutes after. “I can’t believe this,” you’d yelled, not caring that the other restaurant patrons and the wait staff were staring at you. You’d ripped your coat off your chair, grabbed your bag, and ran out into the wet, snowy evening, Jeonghan hot on your trail.

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset. It’s a class,” he’d insisted, jogging to keep up with your dramatic pace, a laugh in his voice that only made your anger more overwhelming.

“Okay, firstly, even outside the class everyone knows you’re a monster,” you’d said. “And secondly, you manipulated me and twisted every word that I said to win that debate.” The third thing, which you hadn’t said, is that you couldn’t bear looking stupid in front of anyone, even if no one knew it was you. Mistaken, fine. Naive, sure. But never stupid.

And Jeonghan had made you look really stupid.

So you’d ignored his repeated calls after you, until he’d finally got frustrated and stopped following you. You’d walked the entire five kilometers home in the snow, arriving soaked and cold and grumpier than you’d possibly ever been. Worse was when you shared classes with Jeonghan for the next two semesters, unraveling your plan to never see him again.

When recounting this story to Hani, you left out the part about the short-lived makeout session in the closet and the undeniable chemistry between the two of you. You, instead, focused on the massive betrayal of learning about his online activities, Hani had scolded you for being too stubborn, prideful, and competitive, and that had been the end of it.

But the true rivalry had begun six months ago. You had had to go over to Seungcheol’s apartment to take care of Hani while he was away. Hani usually stayed at his place when she was sick, mainly because Seungcheol was the world’s biggest worrywart and called her constantly when he couldn’t be there while she wasn’t feeling her best.

So you had driven to his place, to hopefully ease some of her suffering (and Seungcheol’s), completely forgetting who he lived with. To your shock, it was Jeonghan who answered the door. “Ah, princess,” he’d exclaimed. “Welcome.”

The way he’d beamed when he saw you was infuriating. Peeking around his shoulder, you made venomous eye contact with Hani, who was sitting in a heap on the couch, her eyes red and watery with her illness. “How are you?” you asked, pointedly stepping around Jeonghan to go to her.

“I’m suffering,” she said. “But Jeonghan has been taking really good care of me.”

“Has he, now,” you’d said in a deadpan voice.

“Well, now that you’re here, I need to run some errands,” Jeonghan had said, quickly excusing himself to go to the grocery store. You had tended to Hani while he left, not turning when he’d called a goodbye over his shoulder as he stepped out into the night.

Watching Hani was mostly uneventful. You brought her water when she finished her glass and watched TV together until Seungcheol came back. As you’d stood up to leave Hani and Seungcheol, who were snuggled together on the couch, Hani asked if you would grab the ibuprofen out of Jeonghan’s bathroom.

You had been surprised (and a little annoyed) at how clean it was inside, but he had left his toothbrush out on the counter, which immediately made you think of the fluorescent blue dye you had in your bag that you had needed for a recent experiment in your geology class. The dye, coincidentally, was colorless until it reacted to saliva, and stained everything around it a shocking shade of blue for several hours before fading completely. You had tried to be good, you really had -- you’d almost left the bathroom without doing anything to the toothbrush -- but there was a petty streak in you that desperately wanted Jeonghan to feel even one bit as foolish as he’d made you feel. Plus, when were you ever going to get an opportunity like this again?

This had been the beginning of the prank war between you and Jeonghan. The following week, you’d come home to a flock of confused pigeons trapped in your apartment. “Where did he even get a flock of pigeons?” you had muttered as you mopped your hardwood floors free of all the lingering gifts that the birds had left for you.

“Beats me,” Hani said, spraying your tabletop with cleanser. “But I think this is a good learning experience for you. Jeonghan is really sweet, but he’s competitive, and he’ll do anything to win.”

“Oh, but I’m the exact same way,” you’d told her with a grim determination.

And so, it had continued. One week you were swapping out Jeonghan’s bar of soap for one that was almost identical but had a particularly itchy ingredient, the next week Jeonghan rearranged the letters on your keyboard and made it nearly impossible for you to finish your assignments in time, the week following you stole his textbooks and replaced them with poorly written erotic novels.

The pranks had only escalated the academic rivalry you’d had, especially as the two of you had striven to derail the other. When the exam results came out, you were elated to learn that despite Jeonghan’s efforts, you had come out of the semester at the top of the class — with Jeonghan just below you at number 2, by .02 points. Now, as you were about to fly to Hani’s birthday ball during spring break, your elation has been crushed. “Are you still going to come?” Hani asks, giving you her big sad eyes that you can’t say no to.

And because this is Hani, who knows you better than anyone and has always been there for you, you already know what you have to say. “Of course I’m going to come,” you reassure her. “It’s your birthday. I suppose I knew he’d probably end up deciding to come. But I’ll be darned if I let a man get between us.” You can’t suppress an eye roll. “Especially not that man.”

“You’re the best!” Hani exclaims. “Do you have a dress yet?”

“I have a few options,” you say. “I’ll take them with me so we can try things on together and you can help me choose.” You grin at her squeal of delight and try not to think about all the strategizing you’re going to have to do to avoid Jeonghan at the ball.

******

“You’ve got to be kidding,” you groan.

Jeonghan grins from the seat beside yours. “What? Did you want the window seat?” he asks, pointing out the small window of the airplane. It’s one of those huge jets with two stories, built for a seventeen-hour flight across the world, and yet, of all the seats you could be sitting in, of course Jeonghan is sitting in the next one over.

You huff as you sit down. “Why didn’t you fly with Cheol?”

“He flew with Hani,” Jeonghan replies. “I didn’t want to third-wheel for that many hours in a row.”

That’s honestly pretty fair, but you can’t let him see you agree, so you roll your eyes. “Well, this is actually good. I needed to talk to you.”

“About?”

“The ball. We have to call a truce on our war.”

“Our war?” Jeonghan repeats with a raised eyebrow.

You clear your throat. “Our...rivalry.”

“I would call it a ‘friendly competition’,” he tells you.

“It’s really not that friendly,” you snap, and rifle in your bag for your headphones. “And it doesn’t matter what you call it, we just need to be well-behaved and civil during the ball because I will not have you or anyone else ruining Hani’s birthday party.”

“Well, I can’t promise to be well-behaved, but I promise I won’t ruin Hani’s party,” he comforts.

You shake your head. “I guess that’s the best I could really hope for,” you grumble. Unable to locate your headphones, you toss your bag under your seat in frustration.

“What did that poor bag ever do to you?” Jeonghan asks.

“I can’t find my headphones,” you hiss.

“I brought an extra pair.”

You stare at him. “You did not.”

“I truly, truly did,” he says. “Would you like to use them?”

“What will it cost me?”

“Nothing,” he says, grinning. “Let’s call it a mark of our truce.” He pulls them out of his bag and hands them to you, and you accept them, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Do they zap your ears when you put them in?” you ask nervously.

“No,” he says, taking one bud and putting it in his own ear. “Just regular old headphones.”

So you put one of them in, bracing yourself. Nothing happens, but the way Jeonghan is watching you is making you worried. “Forgive me if I’m a little wary after the pen incident.” (You were, of course, referring to a prank Jeonghan had pulled where he had replaced your pen with one that shocked you at random intervals.)

Jeonghan rolls his eyes. “I’m not trying to make your life miserable, princess. Actually, right now, I’m trying to make your life easier.” He leans back against his seat’s headrest and closes his eyes. “It’s not going to kill you to trust me a little.”

You shoot him a dubious look before acquiescing, slipping the other bud into your ear. No shock. You decide he’s probably telling the truth, and you listen to an audiobook while you wait for the plane to take off.

Hours later, after you’ve watched the sunset fade to black outside Jeonghan’s window, and after watching two movies and dozing off during a third, you jolt awake to a sudden dip of the plane. Blinking rapidly, you try to make sense of your surroundings, and the first thing you register is a hand clasping your own.

You look over, mortified, to see Jeonghan staring at you. But instead of the sneer you expected, his expression is serious and kind. “Are you okay?” he asks, squeezing your hand comfortingly.

“I’m fine,” you say, although your voice is shaking and you can’t bring yourself to let go of his hand even though it’s embarrassing.

“You’re scared of flying?” he asks you quietly.

“Not enough to not do it,” you reply. Maybe it’s the look in his eyes that makes you think that you’ve stepped outside the incessant teasing that has been the hallmark of your relationship with this man, but you find yourself saying, “I feel like I should be used to it already.” Immediately you begin to worry about how Jeonghan might use this weakness against you, but he just looks at you.

“Well, if it makes any difference,” he finally says, “you’re handling it pretty well.” He gives your hand a squeeze.

This is just too weird. The weirdest part is, it doesn’t feel weird at all -- not talking with him, not holding his hand, not even the way he looks at you. For a second, you remember how intently Jeonghan had listened to you speak at that dinner all those months ago. This seems much more like the person you thought he was before you’d found out he’d destroyed you in an anonymous online debate. And, terrifyingly, this was a person you could see yourself falling deeply into, with no hope of escape.

The plane lurches again, and you close your eyes and breathe deeply through your nose. A low chuckle from Jeonghan makes you shoot him an annoyed look.

He shrugs. “Sorry,” he says. “I don’t mean to laugh at you, I’m just surprised.”

“Why?” you ask through gritted teeth.

“Because,” he says, as though choosing his words very carefully. “You don’t strike me as the kind of person who’s scared of anything.”

His tone is -- dare you say it? -- respectful, almost awed, full of admiration.

“Well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me,” you remind him, swallowing nervously.

He purses his lips. “Sad, but true.”

“What do you mean?” you ask.

He leans back in his seat again, closing his eyes. “Figure it out, princess,” he whispers, before falling asleep with your hand clenched around his.

******

The night before the ball, you’re on a video chat with your little sister when your dad enters the frame.

“How’s my girl doing?” the king asks, and you have to smile. Your dad is really an amazing leader, and an even better dad.

“I’m good,” you say. “Just three more days before I’m home!”

“We’re so excited to have you back,” your sister chimes in, and your dad nods enthusiastically.

“Can I have a word with your sister?” your dad asks her, and she skips away with a quick “bye!”

“What’s up?” you ask.

“There’s been a little bit of tension on the mainland lately,” your dad confesses. “Nothing too concerning, but we want to nip it in the bud. I think it’s time for you to think about your future.”

You know when he says “future” he means “marriage”, and your heart sinks. As the eldest child, you will inherit the crown once your father retires. His hair and beard are grayer every time you see him, and you’ve known for awhile that he’s feeling a bit exhausted. “I am thinking about it,” you admit. “I’ve been going on dates.”

“Anything promising?” your dad asks hopefully.

You fiddle with your shirt hem, hesitating before you answer. The truth is, only one date you’ve been on since college is memorable at all. You try not to think about Jeonghan’s smirk and the way he’d made you laugh and holding his hand on basically the entire seventeen-hour flight over and most importantly his lips against yours in that dusty custodian’s closet before shaking your head. “Not really,” you confess. “Most politicians are really boring.”

Your dad scoffs. “Tell me about it.” He sighs. “Well, I’m not trying to force you into anything, but maybe the ball can be a good networking event for you. I heard that Prince Chan will be there.”

Prince Chan was internationally famous for being a real-life “Prince Charming” -- the perfect gentleman, always smiling, handsome as a fairytale prince. Your country was off his country’s southern coast, so his home was close to yours. “That might be a good political move.”

“And Prince Seungcheol will be there, and the general’s son, I forget his name...” Your dad trails off, but you know who he means, and you rush to put an end to those thoughts.

“Seungcheol is dating Hani,” you remind your dad quickly. “And Jeonghan -- the general’s son -- is...not an option either.”

“Okay,” your dad says, not catching the unspoken information in your tone. “Well, you’ll have boots on the ground, so just try, okay? And we can talk about it when you get back.”

You finish your talk and hang up, looking up at the vaulted ceiling of your guest bedroom in Hani’s parents’ palace. It was a curse to be the heir to the throne sometimes. The weight of your mantle was often so heavy it felt crushing. Your country was a small one, inhabited by gentle people. Military power, the nuances of war, conquest — none of these things were built into your culture. You weren’t sure what you’d do if things went south.

Sighing, you head to the bathroom to start getting ready for bed. When you emerge from your shower and as you’re brushing your hair, the wind starts to pick up from outside. By the time you get into bed, a storm is raging outside. This, coupled with the thoughts swirling relentlessly around you head, has you thoroughly wound up and incapable of sleeping.

So you wrap yourself in a dressing gown and head up the corridor toward the spiral staircase that leads to the library. One thing that always helps you sleep is a familiar book. You wander between the dim shelves, only lit by a few strategically placed lamps, as the thunder gets louder and louder. Finally, you’re able to locate a copy of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Secret Garden, which you take from the shelf, cozying up in a large armchair to read by one of the lamps.

A few pages in, you’re nearly startled to death by a voice from behind you. “What are you doing awake?”

You jump out of the chair and whirl around. “Jeonghan!” you whisper-shout. “For the love of all that is holy, you scared me.”

He gives a small smile. “Sorry, princess.” He’s also in his PJs, his shoulder-length hair still wet from a shower, and there are dark circles under his eyes that make him look more gaunt and melancholy than usual — a vampire rather than his standard fairy. It’s especially pronounced in the low lamplight.

“What are you doing here?” you ask.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he says simply.

“Why not?”

“‘Cause you couldn’t sleep. I sensed you coming in here.”

You scoff. “What nonsense,” you say.

“I’m serious. We’re soulmates.” Jeonghan’s grin has turned sly.

“Don’t be difficult,” you snap. “Was there a real reason you wanted to share, or — ?”

But then a bolt of lightning briefly illuminates the library in bright white light. The following clap of thunder is so loud it seems to shake the library. Jeonghan cringes and claps his hands to his ears before eyeing you warily.

You point a finger at him. “You’re scared of thunderstorms?” you guess.

He blushes. “Scared is a strong word.”

He cowers as the lightning flashes again, plugging his ears preemptively to avoid the massive clap of thunder. “You’re totally terrified,” you say when he finally takes his fingers out of his ears. “Well, this is just perfect.”

“That seems like a strong word, too,” he grumbles, coming to sit in the chair next to yours. “Perfect, how?”

“Now I know your weakness, and you know mine,” you explain, turning your attention back to your book. “We’re even.”

You couldn’t be more shocked when Jeonghan snakes a cold hand onto your wrist. When you gape at him, he looks at you with wide, innocent eyes. “I held your hand during the turbulence,” he reminds you. “So this is actually how you get even.”

This is hard to argue with, so you just keep reading with his fingers wrapped around your hand. “Do what you need to do, pretty boy,” you sigh.

His sharp intake of air makes you look up from your book. “What?”

“You need to stop calling me that,” Jeonghan says quietly.

“Or what?” you say, shutting your book with a snap.

“Or I’ll lose my mind,” he says in a strained tone. His jaw is clenched, his cheeks are flushed, and his palm on your wrist has become clammy with sweat. “I thought it would be easier to be close to you, but you insist on making my life harder, don’t you?”

This hits you like a punch in the gut. Glaring, you wrench your hand from Jeonghan’s grasp. “You don’t have to talk to me, Jeonghan. It’s perfectly alright for you to ignore me if it’s that hard for you to stand interacting with me.” Suddenly the library doesn’t feel big enough for you and Jeonghan to occupy the space at the same time -- as if all the air has been sucked out of the room. You jump from the armchair and turn on your heel, your robe blowing out behind you.

But Jeonghan is following you again -- and it’s so reminiscent of that first night that you almost laugh. “I don’t understand how you’re not as tortured as I am,” he calls after you. “That’s part of what makes me so insane.”

“Who says I’m not? You’re absolutely agonizing to be around,” you shoot back over your shoulder.

“No, you don’t understand,” he says, and he catches you by the arm, whirling you around so that you face him. You try to shake free, but his grip is iron-strong. “It’s like you’re barely affected by my presence. You don’t feel this constant draw -- this constant need to --

“To what, Jeonghan?” you ask, taking a step forward. “Finish the sentence. To what?”

Your faces are inches apart, the tension between you so thick you could cut it with a knife, and Jeonghan flexes his jaw and swallows hard before his gaze flicks down to your lips. You’re breathing too hard, your pulse too quick, your face hot. He inches closer -- the tips of your noses nearly touching, and when he whispers, it’s in a husky tone that sends chills down your spine. “It’s impossible for me to understand how you don’t seem to think about what happened between us. For you, it’s like it never happened. For me...I think about it every day.”

He’s so close you can smell the peppermint toothpaste on his breath. So close that if you even slightly moved forward, your lips would meet.

And then lightning strikes again. Jeonghan lets go of your arm, takes a step back, nods to you like he would an acquaintance from class, and leaves you alone in the library, where you lean, trembling, against a bookshelf just as the more distant clap of thunder rings out. You have to place a hand over your chest to soothe the frantic beating of your heart. The rest of the night is sleepless -- you toss and turn, wondering what on earth has just happened between you and Jeonghan.

******

“Is Hani ready?” Seungcheol asks, meeting you halfway up the stairs.

“Almost,” you say, adjusting your pearl necklace so the clasp is in the back. “And she gave me explicit instructions that you are to stay at the bottom of the stairs. She wants that movie moment. And you are going to give it to her, because it’s her birthday.”

Seungcheol follows you back down the stairs. “So, Jeonghan’s been weird today,” he says, a question in his tone.

“He’s always weird,” you say shortly.

“Weirder than usual. You look great, by the way,” he tells you, gesturing at the glittering white dress you’re wearing. It hugs your frame with a corseted top, cascading like sea foam down your hips and ending in a train. Hani had picked it out, saying that it matched your small pearl-encrusted crown the best, but you also suspected that she knew it was your most devastating look.

“Thanks,” you say to Seungcheol. “Wait until you see Hani.”

He’s so down bad he even smiles just at the sound of her name. “I can’t wait.”

“And about Jeonghan,” you continue. “Did he tell you -- anything?”

Seungcheol gives you a stern look. “Should he have? Did anything happen last night?”

“There was a thunderstorm,” you say quickly.

“Ah,” Seungcheol says, his gaze a little too understanding. “Jeonghan is scared of thunderstorms.”

You nod, refusing to answer the question he isn’t asking. Luckily, you’re saved by the arrival of Hani at the top of the stairs, looking absolutely stunning in the prettiest blue dress. Seungcheol’s whole face transforms into a picture of joy. “Wow,” he breathes.

You can see her beaming from here. You decide to let them have their moment by themselves, and instead push through the magnificent double doors into the ballroom. As your eyes scan the crowd, you try to believe that you’re not looking for Jeonghan, but there has been a knot in your chest since last night, and you somehow sense he is the only person who can do anything about it. Before landing on Jeonghan, though, your eyes land on Prince Chan. You remember your dad’s request and plaster on your most winning smile as you approach him.

“Hello, Prince Chan,” you say, curtsying low to him. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

He’s just as handsome as everyone has said, and he’s smiling just as kindly as you’d expect. “It’s a beautiful party,” he says. “The hostess is your best friend, right?”

“She is,” you confirm. “Princess Hani is wonderful. Have you ever met her?”

“Only a handful of times. We were kids,” he explains. “But everyone speaks highly of her.”

You nod. “So, how are things on the mainland?” you ask, changing the subject.

You pass a few pleasant minutes discussing his interests, the state of his country’s affairs, and you. After awhile, a very territorial woman comes to stand between you and Prince Chan, interrupting your conversation. He shoots you an apologetic look over her shoulder, and you wave him off with a small smile and a bow, backing away.

“Already causing problems, I see,” says a familiar voice.

You turn to see him -- Jeonghan, in his decorated military uniform, looking far more handsome and ethereal than he had any right to. You stick up your chin. “Well, it wasn’t my intention,” you say. “He was standing alone.”

“What a kind soul you are,” Jeonghan says drily as Hani makes her grand entrance.

You pause in your bickering to applaud her, beaming and embracing her as she comes to greet you. “Do you feel beautiful?” you ask her.

“Yes, I do,” she tells you. “Thank you for always being here.”

After she walks away to greet her other guests, you turn back to Jeonghan. “So, do you have anything else to say to me? Or do you have more pigeons to sedate and put in my bedroom?”

He grins. “As tempting as that is, I have plenty more to say to you.”

Just then, the music starts, and before Jeonghan can offer you his arm to escort you onto the floor, you are turning to the nearest passing gentleman and asking him to dance. Jeonghan follows suit, escorting a pretty redhead in a yellow dress into the space right beside you. As you begin the steps of the dance, you make polite conversation with your partner, whose name you have already forgotten. Jeonghan seems to be vaguely paying attention to his own partner as she rambles on good-naturedly, but his eyes never leave you. His scorching looks from across the dance column have heat rising in your cheeks and the back of your neck, and a funny swooping feeling in your stomach, almost like you’ve done a massive drop on a roller coaster.

At the end of the dance, you politely bow to your partner and are just about to scurry away when Jeonghan catches your hand. “One dance,” he begs. “Please.”

And his eyes are searing with some barely-concealed passion, his skin unnecessarily flushed and his jaw set in a hard line, and you open your mouth — to refuse him, you remind yourself — but nothing comes out, leaving Jeonghan free to pull you back into the dance floor and into his arms for the waltz.

You have done a simple waltz a thousand times — maybe hundreds of thousands at this point. Your feet are familiar with the steps and the turns. It’s simple enough to do. But waltzing with Jeonghan is like trying to speak a language you’ve never heard before. Pressed against his body, his hand burning into the small of your back through your dress, you find yourself unable to meet his eyes as he leads you through the steps. Something about him holding you like this is reminding you forcefully of that distant janitor’s closet, and this is making it impossible for you to look at him for fear of what it might do to you. So, with your heart pounding in your ears, you fixate on the top button of Jeonghan’s uniform and let him whirl you around, until it feels like everything else has faded away but the music and his arms around you. You can feel the weight of his gaze, but you don’t look up until the very last strains of the song are fading away.

And as you do, Jeonghan’s angelic face breaks into a smile that could make the devil repent. He’s so unbearably beautiful that you actually feel your breath hiss out of you, stolen by his smile. You realize that it doesn’t matter how much you pranked him or ignored him or rejected him or lied to yourself — there was absolutely nothing that could have kept you from falling in love with him.

Just at this moment of revelation, someone taps Jeonghan’s shoulder. “Sorry to interrupt,” Prince Chan says.

“It’s no trouble,” Jeonghan says. He’s still partially holding you in his arms, and you are still struggling to remember how to breathe, but Prince Chan seems not to notice or care.

“Would you mind if I had the next dance?” he asks, looking between the two of you.

You find it impossible to speak, so you just nod in assent. Jeonghan gives your hand to Chan, looking mildly crestfallen, and you try to get your crap together before the music starts.

You successfully collect yourself enough to look Prince Chan in the face. He’s smiling at you, but his eyes are a little too understanding. “Jeonghan’s great, huh?” he asks.

You try to laugh, but it comes out choked and awkward. “He’s a bit too charming for his own good,” is all you’re willing to admit.

Chan nods in agreement. “He’s interesting. Most people like to show their very best selves to others, and you find out the bad stuff the more you get to know them. But Jeonghan kind of does the opposite.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he’ll be crafty and cunning up front, but he’s actually very kind. And you only get to see that if you get close to him.”

“How do you know?” you ask.

Chan glances over at Jeonghan. “I actually stayed with his family for a month while my mother was sick,” he explains. “Jeonghan had gone through something similar, and he was a big help to me. Of course he still drove me crazy sometimes,” he adds with a laugh, “but he’s solid gold all the way through. You just have to crack him open a bit to see it.”

You’re silent, chewing on this information, when all of a sudden, someone tosses the contents of their wine glass at you, coating your gown in a deep red stain. You gasp and look over to see Jeonghan with his current dance partner -- who is holding her empty wine glass and grinning wickedly at you. You recognize her as the one who interrupted your earlier conversation with Chan. “Oops,” she says.

Your eyes bounce between Jeonghan and the girl. “I need to go change,” you say to Chan. “Please excuse me.”

Chan’s glaring at the girl, and he nods to acknowledge he heard you. You immediately turn away from Jeonghan’s wide-eyed stare, hugging your arms to your chest and heading straight for Hani and Seungcheol. “Some psycho threw her wine on me,” you whisper to her. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” she asks with concern.

You muster a weak smile. “No, you stay and enjoy your party.”

“I’m going to go escort the psycho out of here,” Seungcheol says, his eyes focused behind you on where you’ve left Chan and the girl and Jeonghan. You look over your shoulder to see Jeonghan leaning in close to the girl and whispering something in her ear, and this is the final straw. A part of you wonders if he planned it himself -- even after you asked him not to ruin things. So you turn on your heel and flee from the ballroom, running up the stairs and heading toward the library.

The tears start the minute you cross the threshold. You hate crying, and hate being a cliche damsel in distress, but the lack of sleep, the confusion about your own feelings, and the blatant bullying you’ve experienced have overwhelmed you, and it’s hard to stop yourself from collapsing into full-blown sobs. You only have a few seconds to cry by yourself between the bookshelves, however, before you hear someone’s footsteps sprinting into the library.

“Princess?”

Oh, no.

You try not to make any noise so that he won’t find you, but Jeonghan still rounds the corner and finds you. You immediately turn your back to him, wiping your eyes as you face the bookshelf. You can hear him approaching you slowly. “Princess?” he repeats.

You slowly turn over your shoulder to face him, looking him in the eye. You know you probably look ridiculous, but you still have to ask. “Was that your idea of a prank?” you say in a hard voice.

“Not at all,” he replies, his voice equally sharp. “Seungcheol and I threw her out ourselves.”

“You did?” you squeak.

He gives you a sad smile. “Of course. She’s never going to be within fifty miles of you ever again if I can help it.”

You nod, looking at your feet. “Well, that’s good. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Jeonghan hesitates, then takes another step forward. “I need to talk to you,” he says.

You avoid his gaze and back up a little, right into the bookshelf. “I don’t see what we have left to talk about,” you hedge.

“Are we back to the bickering?” he asks, sounding frustrated. He steps forward again, nearly toe-to-toe with you, and brings a hand up to your chin, tugging on it gently. “Need you to look at me, princess.”

You lift your eyes to him and are once again overwhelmed by his closeness. You can’t help the deep breath you take at the sight of him. “Why do you keep pretending you hate me?” Jeonghan asks you quietly.

“What do you mean?” you reply.

“I know you don’t really hate me,” he explains. “I’ve known it for months. But I just don’t know why you can’t admit it to yourself. I wish you’d just let it go.” When you don’t reply, he sighs. “I’ve never met anyone as stubborn as you. You truly have no equal.”

Your emotions are so overwhelming and close to the surface that this light barb stings a lot more than Jeonghan probably intended. And this sends you over the edge. You bat his hand away and whisper-yell, “Well, you’re selfish, and conceited, and self-important, and conniving, and I don’t know why I --”

But you stop yourself before you give yourself away. Jeonghan impulsively brings his hands to both sides of your face, trapping you in. “Finish the sentence,” he demands. “You don’t know why you...what?”

But the answer won’t come, stuck between your heart and your voicebox, your stubborn mind trying fruitlessly to bar Jeonghan from knowing the truth. But, as is always the case in all the love stories you’ve ever read, the heart is too strong for the mind, and for a moment, it overcomes all rational thought and takes control over your hands. You grab Jeonghan by the collar and pull his lips to yours.

No amount of shock could keep Jeonghan from responding to your kiss. Ever quick on his feet, he brings a hand to the back of your neck so that he can move you in just the way he wants to, and you, for the first time in forever, let go of your need to sort through all your feelings and make them make sense, and give in to your heart entirely. You don't have to think with Jeonghan -- he takes charge in a way that makes your knees feel weak, and you cling to him desperately to avoid toppling over. Jeonghan kisses with even more passion than he had in that closet, with enough fire that you think you both might combust. His lips are searing and insistent, and you melt into his arms. Instinctively, you tangle your fingers in his hair, and he gives a throaty chuckle. “Careful, princess,” he whispers between kisses, and you hum against his lips in bliss.

Eventually, his kisses turn soft and sweet, slowing down to a pace where you can both catch your breath. And then he pulls away. The sight of him with his hair ruffled from your hands and his cheeks flushed and his eyes bright makes you giggle, and he beams at you, his gaze flicking to your lips again. “Wait,” you say before he can kiss you again. “I like you.”

“Duh,” he says with a laugh in his voice.

You swat his arm. “I mean it. I don’t understand how, or why, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the night we met. And compared to you, everyone seems so...dull.” He’s smirking now, and you swat at him again. “Stop it! I’m trying to be sincere.”

“I can’t help it,” he complains, and he’s looking at you so fondly that it’s dangerous. “You’re so cute. And I love to listen to you speak, but when you speak you move your mouth, and suddenly that’s just become so incredibly distracting for me.”

“My lips are distracting?” you repeat, wrinkling your nose in disgust at how corny it is.

“Well, they always were,” Jeonghan admits. “But right now...” He leans in, gives you a peck, and then runs a hand through his disheveled hair and groans. “Oh, it’s nearly too much.”

You giggle again. “You’re truly obsessed with me, aren’t you?”

“Embarrassingly so,” he says proudly. “Why else do you think I bribed the person who would’ve sat next to you on the plane to take my seat on Seungcheol and Hani’s flight?”

“You switched flights to travel with me?” Yesterday, this would’ve been annoying to learn -- but now, it’s a little endearing.

He nods. “And I switched classes so that I could take them with you. I’m still going to do that until we graduate, mind you, so if you could please avoid the eight o’clock classes, I would appreciate that so much.”

You tsk in fond exasperation at him. “And all of this time, you didn’t think to tell me that you’re --”

“Head over heels for you? Well, I sort of felt like it probably wouldn’t have gone over well. So I bided my time. And it was worth the wait,” he says, clasping one of your hands to his chest. “There’s absolutely no one like you, princess. You’re the best person I’ve ever met.”

You shake your head, although on the inside you feel like angels are singing. “What an end to our war,” you say, snaking your arms around Jeonghan’s shoulders.

“War is such a strong word,” Jeonghan complains. “It was barely a scuffle.”

“You filled my room with pigeons.”

“And that was low-hanging fruit for me.”

“You’re shameless.”

“Entirely,” he agrees. “Which is why I have no plans to return to that ball anytime soon.” He gives you a mischievous smile and once again looks at your lips.

“I can’t miss my best friend’s entire birthday party,” you remind him, playing with a lock of his hair shyly.

“Hmm,” he says thoughtfully. “That is a predicament. Might I suggest a compromise?”

“Indubitably,” you say, playing along with his posh tone.

He scoffs. “We go back in an hour. We stay to watch her open her gifts. And then we meet back here.”

“To do what?” you ask him, giving him your own dangerous grin.

“What an excellent question, princess,” he says, leaning in and kissing you deeply and slowly before pulling away just slightly and brushing a stray hair from your face. “I guess we’ll have to play it by ear,” he finally tells you in a low voice. “How does that sound?”

“It sounds perfect,” you sigh, and then you smirk at him. “Pretty boy,” you add as an afterthought.

His eyes darken. “I’m going to make you regret that,” he threatens. And as he kisses you into oblivion once again, you seriously doubt it.

#seventeen #svt #svt fic #svt fanfic #svt imagines #svt x reader #jeonghan #yoon jeonghan #jeonghan x reader #jeonghan imagines #jeonghan x you

371 notes · View notes

jazjelspen · 10 months

Text

leaving on wild charted waters [pt.5]

(what if our mc just got tired of Night Raven College and it's inhabitants?)

(what if our mc participates in RSA's annual ball!)

("filler" chapter/splashes of angst but it gets real more into the chapter/fluff/mc having fun/fleshing out RSA students/ basically the same author's note in pt 4 applies here/not proofread/oh and mc has like a few NRC scares here T-T)

(requested tags!: @vivianstar-blog2 @phantomcookiedough)

if you want to be tagged in future chapters please comment or message me! I will only tag you if you directly ask for it and i will only tag you once unless you ask to be tagged on all future chapters of a particular series. thank you to all those who asked for a part 5!)

the ball: part 2

(prepping)

three full weeks have passed since you first seeked refuge in RSA and now it's now a brand new day in the fourth week of your stay. it was the day of the highly anticipated ball!

it was the school's annual ball with students from all dorms joining together for a night of magic and music. many found this boring while others were excited for it. you were one of many that were excited for such an event!

you and your five best friends including a distant friend named Elias Ashes all came to visit the so called 'fairy godfather' of the school, Evan Bleu, a fourth year of RSA working towards his official fairy godparent license but for now is practicing by making wishes come true around the school here and there when the time is right. in this present moment every one of you were standing in certain parts of his dorm room while he stood there overlooking every one with a smile.

"seems like you all seven seem to be in need of my services! would I be standing correct if I said that you all are here for the ball?" all of you simultaneously nodded before Evan spoke up once again while clapping a bit in excitement "amazing! this'll be fun! now, would you all be kind to tell or show some elements of what each of you would like to wear tonight?" asked the platinum haired boy while scrunching up his sleeves to his elbows with a slim white wand in hand.

Alex first hummed while thinking before shrugging "not sure, something nice, fancy, comfortable. elements?... you put whatever you think fits me most." he gave Evan a small smile "giving you all the creative liberty as long as I look good, blue."

Evan chuckled as he nodded "I understand Alex, now who's next?"

immediately right after he finished speaking chirped in the light caramel haired boy, Elias, who raised his hand up as he spoke up second "oh! oh! me... please! I'd like something similar to what you usually give me!.. but with a different type of shoe fit for the occasion please. since last time I lost my left shoe in the middle of the dance..."

"oooh I'm so sorry... yes I'll keep that in mind!" exclaimed the white haired boy in blue.

you then raised your hand third, still unsure of what exactly you liked as long as it was comfortable for the night. "uhm, I'd like to go next!--" you spoke up while Evan gave his full eyes and ears to you "perhaps something comfortable yet fun looking?.. I'd still like to look good without feeling heavy or too tired at the end of the night!" you smiled as you spoke as well as mentioning several other elements to your outfit that you'd like to wear and have on you for the occasion.

Evan nodded and kept a mental note of what you wanted "a unique yet well established mix! I just know for a fact your outfit will be amazing!"

Neige then was next to speak, but anything he said became slowly muted in your ears since you felt two small set of eyes looking at you. you slowly turned your head towards the open window of the room to come face to face with a little bat. a bat that seemed very familiar but you couldn't exactly put your finger on it on where you remember it from. what made it even weirder was that it's beady little eyes were looking right at you when you slowly started to realize that you have never seen a bat on campus before. 'how weird..' you thought 'perhaps it's a pet, or it's from the courtyard..' you felt like you had it on the tip of your tongue but you really weren't sure. it did out nerve you though because the only other place you've seen bats around was in NRC, specifically Diasomnia.

but if the only place bats could come from is Diasomnia then... could it?..

no it couldn't be, no way-- they wouldn't be that crazy in sending a small mammal to find you and watch you right?-- right??

if so, poor bat.

but also if so, you knew you'd be overly annoyed and irritated beyond belief. why couldn't they just leave you alone?? wasn't it clear enough with you leaving that you didn't want to be around them anymore!?...

even if you did miss them all to death.

yet despite this you reminded yourself that you left for a reason. you left because no one helped you enough and most of the time you fended for yourself and Grim when no one looked your way when you asked for help. they insulted you belittled you and made you feel worthless. threw you in overblot after overblot to play therapist to all those affected with issues that weren't any of your business to begin with yet were dragged in anyway. you were forced to live in a haunted dorm with the floors creaking and ceilings at times caving in on their own-- sometimes the ghosts were helpful and kind at times but your bad first impression of the beginning of your experience tainted the rest of it.

then.. what even was there to miss?

'no, I can't go back. I came here for a way home and a place to stay where I won't have to risk my life every week or month. I can't do this to myself anymore.' you reminded yourself.

you let out a deep sigh before you felt a sudden gentle shake of your arm, you snapped your head towards who that was at the same time you snapped out of your thoughts. the one who shook your shoulder was Rielle.

"hey... you seemed to be staring at something outside but it flew away and you stayed staring at that spot.. you feeling alright?" your favorite RSA redhead spoke as we realized that everyone in the room looked at you worryingly. the feeling of all eyes on you made you shrink down a bit.

"im fine im fine just-- remembering some stuff from back at NRC.. it's nothing really I didn't mean to make any of you guys worry." you shrugged as you gave them a sheepish smile. "anyway, where were we?" you asked, but then everyone kinda had a confused look on their faces now.

"_____," Rielle spoke "we've all finished saying what we wanted to say, we're gonna go get a quick bite before getting ready and finally leaving for the ball."

you looked at him with wide eyes and a slightly gaped mouth, to which Chenya ever so politely with one finger pushed your jaw up to close your lips together. "was I zoned out for that long?.."

"uhh-huhh.." Chenya intercepted "kinda scary to be hones-- yoWCH!"

Alex slapped Chenya on the arm for his comment and spoke with an irritated tone "he's lying _____ don't listen to a thing this fur-ball has to say." huffed the young man.

"ahh well-- then let's get going then! so we can get ready and be on time for the ball!" you stood up from wherever you were sitting "and thank you very much for your time, Evan!" you spoke as you gave thanks to the boy in blue before you walked over to the door, the rest of your group rushing in getting up and speed walking towards the door with you. all but Elias whom seemed to wait till everyone left so he could leave himself.

Evan waved at all of you as you walked out "bye bye starshines! see you in a few!"

everyone else said or yelled their 'see ya' laters.

when you were all now away from the proximity of Evan's dorm room though Chenya decided to start speaking,

"he calls everyone 'starshine'... me-ow always thought it to be kinda cheesy dontcha think?-- yoWCH!"

"shut it cat, it's just his thing leave the poor guy be."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(getting ready)

the next few hours went by in a total blur. you all ate together while talking about school, common interests, and of course the ball. you all walked back to the Evan's dorm room to see a several group of students you recognized already walking out looking dashing and formal.

once you all walked in it seems like Evan just finished up getting Elias ready-- and gosh was he sparkling like the night sky. "ah! hello everyone!" spoke our 'fairy godfather.' "come in! I just finished up my friend here so whomever is ready can come on next!"

and the rest was also a blur but you clapped here and there for each of your friends who each looked flattering and stylish in their own unique ways with outfits that really suited their personalities. it wasn't until it was your turn to get ready that you fully now fully in the moment.

"now let's see... something comfortable yet fun.." mumbled Evan "let's try.. bibidi-babidi-boo." with a quick move of his wrist he pointed his wands towards you and a splash of tiny specs of stars engulfed your body to form the shape of your desired outfit. your hands almost covered your face as a reflex to shield yourself but quickly relaxed when you felt nothing but magic hugging you tightly before it dispersed and showed your outfit and-- it looked like something you'd only wish for in dreams. at first it was a bit weird to see yourself so formal after being in NRC for so long but you got used to it when you saw how it complimented all your features and your body type... and it felt hella comfortable!

except there was one thing missing...

Evan gasped as you poked a foot out "oh my! my apologies my dear" he flicked his wrist towards your shoes to change them to whatever pairs of shoes your heart wished for, along with some artistic contribution from Evan as well.

your entire group either were stuck frozen staring(respectfully) or complimented you to death, overall everyone shared the same opinion: you looked absolutely amazing.

as everyone fell into chatter and were getting ready to leave and go out in about in new fabulous attire Evan had to announce one important thing "now remember everyone! spell only lasts until--"

"--the clock strikes twelve! we know we know blue, at twelve we all go back to normies." spoke Chenya as he tried to get comfortable in these formal clothes.

"very well then! now go on everyone, have fun! take lot's of pictures and make many memories! oh and don't forget to post on Magicam so I can see too!" the blue fairy waved you all off as you all walked out and cheered many 'thank you's and 'see you soon's in unison.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(the ball)

you all walked to the ball since the ballroom was in such close proximity to the dorms. you all joked around and playfully mingled in a buzz of pre-party excitement. as you all approached the entrance you and your friend group stared in awe at the glowing entrance and banner welcoming you all to RSA's annual ball.

Neige let out a small 'whoa' under his breath as he held his hands up together under his chin "I knew the fireflies were a nice touch!"

Raps nodded, "just wait until you see the murals inside!"

as you took your first steps inside you could truly feel your breath sucked out of your lungs... in a good way.

the scene that stood before you inside was nothing but magically. the ballroom was very large and wide with various sets of tables that you all helped set up now being occupied by several groups of students at the ball. classical music played in the back as well as an empty dj booth waiting to be used beside the small yet very talented orchestra playing only a few main instruments. despite how far away they were from the entrance you could still hear the vibrant and elegant melodies play in and out your ears as if it were right beside you. various students from various different dorms were slowly starting to occupy many parts of the ballroom aside from the tables to either just stand in their own groups in the corners of the room or to just get food on the many side tables out on display for all to get. and when you looked up your mind just exploded even more with how beautiful the ceiling and wall murals looked thanks to you and Raps's team up. they looked similar to the vibrant and detailed church murals you've seen before except the paintings here were much more vibrant and rich in color and beauty. and we can't forget to mention the chandelier! with the light hitting each speck of glass hanging onto the chandelier it's like it emphasized the scenery and made the murals pop and look almost heavenly.

wow, you really had much to say about the event.

Rielle gently grabbed your wrist and carefully lead you to any empty table you guys could find with enough seats for the six of you to sit together, once you did you all made sure to leave a few items or coats to mark this as your spot.

"lets go get some grub now! all those sparkles and fancy outfits have made me hungrier than a hog." Chenya tittered before Alex and Raps each grabbed the cat's left and right arms individually to drag him to the table as they exclaimed 'you bet!'.

Rielle was about to head over with the other boys until he noticed that you haven't moved, seeing you still a bit star-struck at all the flowers, paintings, lights, and all other decorations you all set up as a group made him smile softly. "not joining us, shrimpy?" he asked,

'shrimpy'... you swore you almost heard Floyd's voice ring in your ears.

"I'll--" you interrupted yourself immediately by snapping your head to look at him in a split second "what?.." an almost afraid expression contorted your face.

Rielle immediately noticed this reaction and his heart cracked seeing that look on you "o..oh!-- I'm so sorry _____ I didn't.. know you wouldn't like it--" he then by reflex quickly but gently held one of your hands with a genuinely guilty look on his face "it's just-- it's silly really but you at times remind me of a little shrimp since y'know.. I grew up in the sea! but I didn't know it’d come off in a bad way! I’m truly sorr!—“

ahh right, now you remember. he's told you that he was originally born and raised a merman, just like those other three you used to know.

you immediately stopped him from talking by simply interrupting him "no no! of course not!-- look you didn't offend me at all it's just.. it reminded me of a nickname a..."friend"... from NRC called me too.." you paused only to smile warmly, which melted off that frown off the redhead's face. "but I like it better when you say it."

the young man nodded in understanding, feeling better now that you told him how you really felt as well as feeling a bit special. he gave your hand a bit of a gentle squeeze before he heard the voice of Chenya steadily coming closer and closer.

"hurryy Red! your favorite strawberries and cream that you like are at the dessert table and everyone's getting their grubby hands on them before youu! let's gooo!~" Chenya linked arms with Rielle before dragging him away from you, leaving your hand cold.

"I..I'll be right back _____!" he exclaimed before being dragged further into the crowd by his cat-eared friend.

even if the moment was resolved fast, it still left you a bit spooked.

You waved them off before you took your seat at the table you all decided on staying until you looked to your side to see Neige. you thought he left with the others but I guess not. "oh! hey Neige, not eating either?"

Neige who was currently on his phone perked up at the mention of his name and gave his full attention to you "I will! just that-- I'm kinda a bit occupied with some comments on a specific post lately.. they've been really weird and all.. I closed comments but as im previewing what they said before--" he spoke as he eyed his phone with a weird look on his face. "I understand what they mean but-- I also just don't get it exactly."

"mind if I take a look?" you asked before he gave you a nod and a sweet smile and handing you his phone. you gently took it from his hands to see it was the picture that you and him took on Magicam, you scrolled down to meet with an enormous amount of comments that you could only assume to be from NRC students considering what they are saying..

"so they went to RSA?.. lol they really switched up on us.."

"traitorous much?..."

"ooo so this is why my house leader has been meaner than usual."

"all of our house leaders have been meaner than usual anon."

"lmao tf is that the prefect"

"y is the ramshackle prefect in rsa..."

"that explains why everyone is talking about a boat."

"they do know they just started a war, right?"

and this was just a few of what you were able to read.

god, these comments really weren't helping..

"ah.." you sighed as you were hit in the face with the realization that now not only does everyone know, but that they are not handling it well. honestly you were glad they were at war with themselves at your departure. all you wanted was to leave them to their own devices with you not having to tug them all back like rabid dogs. yeah, let them be at war. let them handle things themselves, it wasn't your job to apologize for everything they did.

you wouldn't really call it a betrayal that you left, it was a necessary act to take care of yourself. so if they wanted to call you a 'traitor' because you left to find a better way back home then so be it.

"night raven students, guess my leave from there to here has got them in a buzz.." you shook your head as you huffed "ignore them Neige they are just so pressed because of your school and their school being rivals. nothing against you personally at all." you flashed him a gentle smile in hopes of turning his frown upside down "not only that, but we're at a ball!" you held one of his hands gently as you tried to stay optimistic "c'mon let's eat something fast then hit the dance floor once the dj starts! we will not let some students from across the sea ruin our night of fun."

Neige could feel himself sigh and let out a nice big smile at your words, since you were definitely right on that part, we couldn't let students that aren't even a few feet close to us ruin this night.

then just as fast as they left the rest of your group came back quickly with food! especially Chenya and Alex who both seemed to be balancing plates of food on their heads and arms.

"me-ow thought that maybe we'd bring your plates to you since both you lazy kittens didn't get up~" purred Chenya.

Rielle was the next to interact "here, your favorite!" he spoke sweetly before placing a dish you've grown to love in RSA right in front of you.

you thank him kindly, once everyone set their plates down and ate you and Neige silently agreed to ignore the comments that you read together. the thing is that you felt even more uneasy than usual.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

(the needle)

after eating and the dance music started that's when all of you jumped onto the dance floor and stated jumping and dancing your faces off, even if some of you didn't even know how to dance or were not very used to it you all felt comfortable enough with each other to not even think about being judged. both music and blood were beating against your ears and the beat of your heart was hitting against your throat as you were dancing and jumping while all of you interacting and holding onto each other in the middle of the crowd of other RSA students that were enjoying their own times with their friends too. for once in your life you've felt free and full of healthy adrenaline. after months of having to play Cinderella at Night Raven College you were finally able to have your own night at the ball where no one could bother you anymore, no headmaster to boss you around and no upper or even lower class-men to ruin this for you anymore.

at least you really hoped this was the case tonight.

there was a moment where you felt a strong breeze from behind you, then another breeze, and another. it got to the point where you had to snap away from the excitement to now move your head towards whatever was that was basically flying beside you. you looked over at the side where you felt your last breeze and it was towards one of the open windows that were open to let in the fresh night air.

how odd.

it was a bat hanging from the top of the window, maybe the same bat that you saw recently?...

then there was a small yet very bright ball of light that shined right beside the bat as if accompanying it. anyone could've mistaken it for a small firefly but something was different, very off, it seems as if these two were watching you. what weirded you out more was that no one beside the windows noticed these two, almost as if it was only you who could see it.

you stayed there standing in the middle of the dancing crowds, you squinted your eyes to get a better view but all you could see was the little bat flapping it's wings as if motioning a 'come here' movement.

"hey ______! why're you standing our song is playing!" Raps exclaimed you out of your thoughts, you flinched a bit before giving them a small yet obviously forced smile to them all before responding back.

"oh! I.." you paused as your eyes flickered between your friends and the bat with the little bright light "I need to use the restroom! I'll be right back!--" you exclaimed right before you tried to squeeze yourself through to go straight to the window in hopes that your friends were too high on the dancing adrenaline to not notice you. when you got closer the bat it quickly flew out and darted to somewhere up higher..

the bright little light stayed for you to finally approach it, seeing how close you finally were this same light started to slowly fly towards a quick back exit from the ballroom where almost no one paid attention to. as it flew you could hear your name being faintly ushered by said light, this only piqued your interest even more and the faint tone of it's voice held a sense of familiarity to you. it caused your legs to then quickly catch up to it out the exit and swiftly walk out.

the light lead you to a brick wall behind one of the school's towers, the light seemed to phase through the wall before coming out again when it saw you didn't follow it. the small light slowly walked through the wall, following each step you took. you took a deep inhale, puffed out your cheeks, closed your eyes and walked right through the wall! when feeling no impact from it you then opened one of your eyes and let yourself exhale.

looking around your surroundings you see that it's all dark, a large and wide stone space with a small window above the ceiling that shined the moonlight towards the middle of the room where it rested a spinning wheel with the bright little light that continued to usher your name landing right on top of the tip of the spindle. your footsteps echoed and bounced across the room as you slowly approached the spinning wheel.. you watched the little light continue to glow and then seep itself into the needle of the spindle. your hand, without any of your control, then slowly reached towards the needle. it was slow with your conscious trying to stop it from moving but your hand continued to hover over the needle. right as you felt your finger graze the tip of it..a large puff of black smoke immediately engulfed and wrapped itself around your entire body.

until you felt a heavy weight lean and hold onto you, two arms around your waist, a face on your shoulder, black hair in your own face as well as the shadow of horns... very familiar horns.

"my child of man... I have you again."

oh.. no.

oh no.

(hope this came out alright! I don't know if I proofread this properly at all so I'll just count this as not proofread T-T hope it's still a nice chapter to start off the angst and drama that will seep in from NRC to RSA!)

693 notes · View notes

blues824 · 10 months

Note

Riddle, Rollo, Malleus and Jamil reacting to their normally unladylike and tomboyish female s/o show up to the masquerade ball in a gorgeous ball gown?

Bro I went to a formal in May and your reclusive author actually went to a whole other state for this. I looked like a princess and I rocked it. I looked flawless, as did my irl besties.

Riddle Rosehearts

He was waiting around nervously for you, wondering if you had started dancing with another guy already. However, he had not seen your mask as he walked around the ballroom, so he guessed that you had not arrived yet. Then, the entire room went absolutely silent as a few spotlights made their way to the stairs.

There, he saw your mask. It was you… in a dress?? This was definitely not expected, as he knew you to be a person who absolutely despised dresses and skirts. However, here you were with your nails done as well as proper etiquette. You even picked up your dress carefully so that you wouldn’t trip, and you did it so gracefully that Riddle doubted it was you.

A path was cleared leading to him, and another spotlight went on him. He suddenly felt everyone’s gaze, but that didn’t matter because you looked absolutely beautiful. You slowly made your way to him, an awkward smile on your face as your heels clicked against the tiles of the floor. Your eyes were focused on him, and suddenly his mask felt uncomfortable and started clinging to the sweat on his face.

Within seconds, you were in his arms. You hugged him, thanking him for waiting so long and the poor Housewarden was just so flustered that he barely stuttered out an it’s fine before reciprocating the affection. As he was close, he caught a whiff of your perfume, and the familiar scent made him feel more at ease.

You then pulled back and asked if he would like to dance, and he said yes. He glanced at a few people nearby who looked envious of him, but he didn’t really care. You were his, as he was yours. You put your left hand on his shoulder and he wrapped his right arm around your waist, then your free hands intertwined with each other. Then, the music started.

Riddle had good form, as his mother deemed it fitting to learn how to waltz. He was further shocked at how well you were doing, but you told him that Vil had taught you how to dance after the Fairy Gala Event that happened a while ago. A small smile made its appearance on his face as he remembered that entire fiasco, however, he was not ecstatic to hear that he wasn't your first dance.

Jamil Viper

He was conversing with Azul by the punch bowl, talking about something random when the entire room went silent. The cecaelia stopped talking as well, and just let out a gasp. Jamil was about to ask what happened when he turned around and saw you at the top of the stairs. He knew it was you as well, because it was your mask.

But he not only saw your mask, but also your absolutely beautiful ball gown. It was very uncharacteristic of you, and he kind of expected you to show up in a suit similar to all of NRC’s. His girlfriend who usually had the I don’t care about society’s rules for women was now wearing not just a mask and a dress, but also heels as well. You looked gorgeous either way, though.

You were walking directly towards him when you spotted him in the crowd, and he made his way to the front. Once you reached the bottom of the stairs, he extended his hand out to you, silently asking if you would like to dance with him. You put your hand in his, and he gently pulled you flush against his chest.

“Do you remember the lessons I taught you?” he asked, whispering so that no one else would be able to hear. You nodded your head and placed your hand on his shoulder, and he put his arm around your waist. Some of the other men in the room could be heard whispering about how Jamil was lucky, and he had to agree with them. To have you in his arms, just about to dance, made him feel like the luckiest man alive.

A few seconds later, the music started, and he led. Everyone cleared the dance floor, watching you two twirl around. You both whispered to each other, the intimacy of the situation dawning on you. He told you that he looked so beautiful, and you grew a bit flustered. He could tell that you were out of your element, much like a fish out of water, so he told you to ignore everyone else and just focus on the beating of his heart.

He brought your hand that was holding his to his chest as he said that. You felt his heartbeat, and he twirled you around before pulling you back. He was also out of his element, as he’s not used to having the spotlight after years of competing with Kalim. However, he loved sharing the spotlight with you.

Malleus Draconia

This was not the first time he had been to a ball like this, or even to this specific event. He had attended many balls, some of them masquerade, within Briar Valley for political reasons. After all, being the Crowned Prince of Briar Valley, his attendance was necessary. However, this time was different. This time, he had a partner.

After spending a few moments conversing with students from the many different schools that attended, the room went silent. Malleus turned to see you at the top of the steps, and he couldn’t believe what he saw. You were wearing your mask, with a dress and heels. It took him by surprise, as he doesn’t ever recall you wearing a dress back at NRC.

You met his gaze, and everyone suddenly disappeared from around you. You saw that he was making his way to the stairs, and you were doing your best not to tumble down the steps. He met you at the bottom, and he took your hand in his to place a gentle kiss on it and ask you to dance with him. You nodded your head, and you were swiftly pulled to his chest. You readjusted your hold on his hand as you placed your other hand upon his shoulder. He placed his free arm around your waist, and he started with the first step when the music started.

It was actually going smoothly, save for your heart absolutely pounding against your chest. Malleus even commented about how he could sense your heartbeat rising, a smug smile on his face, before you told him to be quiet. He chuckled, before focusing back on the steps of the dance. He asked where you learned how to waltz, and his mood soured upon learning that Vil Schoenheit was your first dance partner and not him. However, everyone was watching you dance with him, and they now knew that you were his date. That would have to suffice.

All of his attention was on you. Your mask sparkled in the lights casted by the chandeliers, your eyes peeking through and being enhanced by the mask’s color. Your dress as well was absolutely gorgeous. You looked like a queen… his queen. He must have said that out loud because you looked at him in shock, and he assured you that what he said was true.

When the dance was over, he surprised you by dipping you down and kissing you, making everyone in the ballroom gasp. Your eyes went wide before melting into the display of affection, before he brought you back up and made sure that you were balanced. He then offered you his arm, which you wrapped your own around, as he made sure you got something to eat.

Rollo Flamm

After all that he has done, he never expected you to say yes when he asked if you would go to the Masquerade Ball with him. You even snagged his handkerchief, promising that you would be there to give it to him. He had a small smile on his face, heart in his eyes as you walked off to get ready for the ball.

Now, he was speaking to his Vice President and his Student Aide by the tables as he awaited your arrival. Then, the former retainer tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the stairs. He looked, and there you were: you had your mask, as well as a gown and high heels. Rollo might not have known you for a while, but from what he has seen, you were what one would call a tomboy. He didn’t care, just as long as you were respectful to those deserving of it.

That aside, he quickly made his way to the steps when he saw you walking down. He extended his hand for you to accept once you got to the bottom, and it was warm against his ironically cold one. With your free hand, you reached into the dress’s pocket and pulled out the handkerchief, and he gently took it with a smile. He pocketed it again, and he reached for your other hand and placed it on his shoulder.

You got the memo and allowed him to wrap his arm around your waist before the music started. When it did, he stepped first, and he nearly slipped because he was so focused on you. You giggled, and he was about to reach for his handkerchief to cover his reddening face when you stopped him and said that it was alright. Plus, he had his mask on.

The two of you continued to twirl and dance, and you were whispering to him so that no one else could hear you. With overwhelming sadness in his eyes, he told you about how magic had managed to kill his brother, and the hand that was on his shoulder went to gently cup his face. You told him about your life thus far as a magicless human, and how you had given everyone a second chance. That meant that he, too, deserves one.

When the music ended, he bowed as you curtsied, and he kissed the back of your hand and thanked you deeply for the second chance. You smiled as you both rose, when suddenly Azul came up and asked if he could have the pleasure of collecting your second dance. Rollo watched as you went with your friends, and he pulled out the handkerchief from his pocket. He held it to his face to hide his sadness, but he noticed something. It smelled like your perfume.

543 notes · View notes

prideofcelestia · 2 years

Text

❝ when he sees your baby pictures ❞

« characters - lucifer, leviathan, satan, belphegor, barbatos, mephistopheles »

« gender neutral reader »

« headcanons »

« notes - repost from my old blog so there's a chance you might have read it »

LUCIFER

Lucifer drinks the pictures in — his face relaxing into a tender expression. When he tries remembering the last time he had felt laughter fill his chest at the sight of a baby picture, his mind goes back to his days in the Celestial Realm when he had more patience. Words spill from his lips before he can stop himself.

“[Name], you looked like an absolute angel…”

A faint blush graces his cheeks as he realises that in his mind, he just placed you in the same place as all the bright cherubims he had seen as an angel. You put his heart at ease so he takes one of the pictures for his own. Try as you may but that is his property now. He loves to look at it when he’s feeling extremely stressed.

Grinning to himself, he muses, “Time is short for a human… yet their company is so precious.”

LEVIATHAN

Leviathan laughs. “LOLOL such normie baby clothes!”

One would think that he was born wearing Ruri-chan cosplay. The other brothers call him out on his behaviour and refuse to show him your pictures so he pouts and throws a tantrum about how the world is unfair to otakus like him!

When he gets his hands on your baby photographs (after quite the struggle, in his words), he’s thrilled and looks at it with awe. With every passing second, his cheeks get more coloured before he closes his eyes and covers his face with the back of his hand.

How were you so cute as a baby?! He thought they were meant to be awkward and silly. Even though you have some embarrassing pictures, he… he wants to hold the baby you! He has an amazing assortment of toys that will keep you entertained. Just stay away from his precious figurines!

“Leviathan took 9000 damage. This is soooo moe w’aaaah. How is a simple otaku such as myself supposed to react?!”

SATAN

Satan looks at your pictures with utmost concentration. Every time his brothers talk about what a cute munchkin he was (*looks at Asmo*) or what a ball of mischief he was (*looks at the entire population of the Devildom*), he feels irritated. His childhood reminds him of the circumstances of his birth and how he wasn’t there with his brothers when it mattered. Owing to the uneasiness, he’s not particularly fond of children — unless it’s a whiskered baby. His arms are always open for kittens.

Seeing you in the pictures, however, makes his heart flutter in a way he has never felt before. He wants to protect and cherish you, fill your life with books and cat plushies. The urge is so strong that he runs out of the house — his head still full of baby you — as he buys every item that he would like to pass on to a beloved child. The mountain of stuffed toys that you have no use for makes you want to scream as you fix a questioning glance at him. To be honest, there are some fairy tale books you have never seen before so it isn’t a complete waste.

BELPHEGOR

Belphegor takes a quick glance at the picture and returns to his nap. With a cheek pressed against his pillow, he mumbles, “Hmmm, you were a cute baby.”

The lack of reaction makes you want to move on but he won’t let you. Grabbing your arm, he pulls you to the bed and whispers in your ear.

“[Name], you looked really soft in the picture. Now I want to cuddle you. It’s your fault for making me feel this way so you’ll take responsibility, won’t you? Don’t move a lot and let me enjoy it.”

He has burned the image in his mind and can’t help dreaming about the baby you giggling up at him. It’s soft and makes him feel peaceful.

Don’t get him wrong. He’s not a fan of children — babies in particular, because they are loud and their cries disrupt sleep. However, seeing the eyes that he loves look back at him from the picture ironically makes him want to protect you.

BARBATOS

Barbatos thinks that you were adorable back then. Not that a lot has changed but some detail about your first years warms his heart like a cup of fine tea.

He knows that baby pictures are a source of embarrassment for most because he often found Diavolo flustered when the matter of his innocent days was brought up. He’s amply experienced with kids to know how to tease you about it and oh boy, this demon uses his knowledge to good use.

“Oh, [Name], I have a gift for you… I happened to see your photo album.” That’s his way of informing you that he’s well versed in your past photos, “I noticed that you wore this colour quite frequently during childhood. However, remember not to spill food all over it anymore. Okay?”

He’ll never let you outlive it.

MEPHISTOPHELES

Mephistopheles squeals. Babies are amazing — be it crawling in front of you or in pictures. He snatches the photos away from whoever is holding those as a huge grin appears on his lips.

He’s usually gruff with you while also being gentle (read as tsundere) but now, he’s saying how fascinating it is to look at your life as a baby. He comments on all your pictures and thinks that your activities back then were adorable.

“Look at them playing… Look at them sitting… It’s a balm for the heart.”

He gets so excited that he tries to find similarities between the baby you and the present you just so that he has an excuse to hold onto the pictures for longer without appearing overly affectionate.

#obey me #obey me!#obey me x reader #obey me x mc #obey me lucifer #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me belphegor #obey me barbatos #obey me mephistopheles #x reader #x mc #gender neutral reader #obey me headcanons #obey me fluff #shion script

3K notes · View notes

angelprompts · 5 months

Text

random character headcanons, vol i ♡ happy developing ᵔᴗᵔ

teddy bear — does your muse have any treasured possessions? what makes it so special?

scratched cd — what genre of music does your muse hate? if someone happens to turn on that genre, will they tolerate it or leave the room?

dried paint brush — how creative is your muse? do they create anything with said creativity or are they considered 'wasted potential'?

playground equipment — what's a childhood memory, whether it's liked or not, that stands out to your muse? why does it stand out among the rest?

candy bracelet — does your muse prefer chocolate, hard candy or chewy candy? do they even like sweets at all?

broken record player — what regrets does your muse have? if they could go back and change that event / the past in general, would they?

ball pit — what does your muse do for fun?

orange creamsicle — what's a topic your muse could talk about for hours? is there a reason this particular topic means so much to them?

hopscotch — does your muse like to work out? if not, how else do they move their body from day to day?

flimsy fairy wings — did your muse used to celebrate / dress up for halloween as a child? if yes, what's a costume they remember wearing (and did they pick out or did their parents)?

instant messenger — if it's not already taken, what is your muse's go-to username?

#ask memes #headcanon memes #headcanons #inbox memes

251 notes · View notes

youremyheaven · 7 months

Text

The Pisces Heart of Cinderella 👸🐭👗👠🏰

Claire Nakti had made a video about UBP's connection to Cinderella. While I wholeheartedly think its bs to reduce one entire nakshatra's legacy down to them marrying rich, I do think the connection to Cinderella was right. HOWEVER, I have a different take on it.

Cinderella is not merely a story about a poor girl who marries a Prince. Cinderella is a good person stuck in a really unfortunate circumstance. She is mistreated by her own family ("step-family" but receiving step-treatment is a common theme in the lives of many UBP folks) Despite it all, Cinderella is a hard worker, kind, gentle and imaginative. Its really hard to not give into bitterness when you're in a such a position but Cinderella? She's a sweetheart. She puts her head down and does the work without complaint. And soon enough she's rewarded for it. The Fairy Godmother is the embodiment of her good karma; what goes up has to come down and eventually your goodness and sincerity will be recognized. We have to take into consideration the time and place in which Cinderella was written, which is hundreds of years ago. Marriage was the only way out for women and in many parts of the world, it still is.

In this context, Cinderella going to the Ball was her receiving an opportunity to transform her life. We can come up with many "feminist" alternatives where Cinderella is a dressmaker or a boss babe or whatever but its pointless to apply 21st century morality to a fairy tale. Think of it as an allegory. The Prince here represents good fortune and Pisces is the final rashi/sign and represents the culmination of all good things. Cinderella has worked her whole life for this, this is her turning point. She gets to marry into royalty and live in a castle. This of course can be taken literally as we've seen many UBP women marry into wealth but it is also a metaphor; if you work hard enough (not just actual labour but also spiritual/karmic work) you will achieve breakthrough. In order to break out of cycles, we must put the work in. And Pisces/12h is all about breaking patterns and coming out of the cycle. The close association with butterflies should say enough. The butterfly endures the pain of transformation and breaks out of the cocoon in order to emerge as her true self.

Remember that Revati is the birth nakshatra of Saturn.

The themes of karma, justice and fair-play are very evident in Revati nakshatra (which is the birth of Saturn) as well as UBP (which is a Saturnian nakshatra).

These are the two naks that lie entirely within Pisces rashi so they're what I refer to when I speak of Pisces. (0-3 degrees of Purva bhadrapada will also be included)

Cinderella wasn't chosen at random. It wasn't sheer luck. She was wearing glass slippers that her Fairy Godmother gave her. Those were specifically made for her. Going with the earlier metaphor of the Fairy being the embodiment of karma, the slipper represents the rewards that Cinderella has earned. Even when she walks away from the Ball, the trace of her karmic footprint (literally lol) remains there. What is meant for you cannot miss you. And eventually, Cinderella gets her due.

Cinderella is a deeply Saturnian story and Pisces rashi itself has both Saturn & Jupiter influence, representing two sides to the same coin and the Wheel of Fortune. The sign of Pisces is ruled by Jupiter, the largest, most expansive planet associated with luck and abundance. Meanwhile, UBP nakshatra is ruled by Saturn and Revati nakshatra is the birth nakshatra of Saturn. Vedic mythology and astrology is full of paradoxes and contradictions, representing the duality yet singularity of human existence. Therefore it's only fitting that the concluding nakshatra that literally means "wealth" would be the one under which Saturn, planet of discipline, karma & limitations would be born.

One cannot exist without the other. Jupiter mahadasha is followed by Saturn mahadasha and even though Jupiter is known as the giver, Jupiter's blessings are more short term, it is Saturn that gives long lasting success and good fortune because Saturn only rewards the worthy.

The theme of going from rags to riches is present in the lives of many Pisces natives.

Another nakshatra that has similar themes is Punarvasu.

Now I'll mention some Cinderella adaptations and the actresses who played Cinderella (Claire already covered many in her video so I'll try to include less common examples)

I had to start with the OG 1950 animated Disney film. It stars Ilene Woods as Cinderella

Ilene has a very interesting chart that makes her the perfect choice for Cinderella.

She is Bharani Sun, UBP Moon, Mercury in Rohini, (exalted) Venus in Revati (atmakaraka) Mars in Punarvasu, Ketu in Vishaka and Ashlesha Rising

All of these naks connect to different aspects of the story and emphasize a lot of common themes.

Bharani, as I'd explained in my post about Venus naks is strongly associated with karma and is presided by Lord Yama, God of Death, time, karma, justice and punishment. Bharani is a very transformative nakshatra and I'll go so far as to say that being in the company of a Bharani native triggers transformation/karma in others as well.

Rohini & Mrigashira are also strongly associated with fairy tales (I'll make a separate post about them in the future) and themes of running away, seeking a new home, being a misfit/outsider in your own house etc are common Rohini themes.

Punarvasu literally means "return of the light". Jupiter can give but he also takes. All Jupiter naks have themes of both gain and loss. Especially with Punarvasu natives, I think there is often a tendency to take their initial success/prosperity for granted/take it too seriously/have their head in the clouds, so they lose it and then re-gain what they lost or even more in the future, thus making a "return to light". Rags to riches is a common theme for these natives.

Vishaka nakshatra is known for having many enemies and for having many haters. They often find themselves in an environment where they're an outcast in some way. Being misunderstood is a HUGE theme.

Ashlesha, as I'd explained in my post about the nak often manifests as dysfunctional relationship with their mother and for receiving step-daughterly treatment at home. Obviously this is a major element of Cinderella's story as well.

Lua de Cristal, the 1990 Brazilian adaptation of Cinderella stars Xuxa as Cinderella.

She has UBP sun & stellium (mercury and jupiter) Bharani Moon along with Pushya Mars & Rising

Pushya is considered the most auspicious nakshatra and known for being a "wealth giving" nakshatra but as a Saturn ruled nak, these natives often undergo a lot of trials and tribulations.

First Love (1939) is based on Cinderella and stars Deanna Durbin as the protagonist.

She has Jyeshta Sun, Anuradha Mercury & Venus with Ketu & Rising in Revati

Jyeshta is a nakshatra associated with unluckiness and poverty. It is generally considered an inauspicious nakshatra but as Claire's research has shown its the birth nakshatra of numerous billionaires, nodding to the paradoxical nature of Vedic astrology/mythology.

Any woman who plays Cinderella is going to have heavy Saturnian energy and Deanna is no different with that double Anuradha; which is also the height of Saturnian restriction.

the gender swapped 1960 adaptation titled Cinderfella stars Jerry Lewis as Fella.

He has Purvabhadrapada Sun (2 degrees Pisces), Mercury in Revati, Rahu and Rising in Punarvasu

This 2012 Russian adaptation of Cinderella stars Kristina Asmus as the titular character.

She has UBP Moon, Revati Mercury (atmakaraka) Venus in Rohini and Jupiter in Bharani

Mary Pickford starred as Cinderella in one the earliest screen adaptations in 1914.

She has Revati Sun atmakaraka, Venus in Rohini, Jupiter in UBP and Ketu in Vishaka

If the Shoe Fits (1990) stars Jennifer Grey as Cinderella. She has UBP Sun & Moon with Ketu in Purvabhadrapada (0 degree pisces)

Korean Dramas are notorious for playing with the Cinderella trope so here are a few Kdrama examples:

The Last Empress stars Jang Na-ra (UBP sun conjunct mars) as a Cinderella esque character.

Secret Garden stars Ha Ji Won who is Revati Moon, Punarvasu mercury atmakaraka, Venus in Ashlesha and Ketu in UBP

She also played a similar role in Empress Ki

My Secret Romance stars Song Ji Eun who has Bharani Sun & Mercury, Venus in UBP, Ketu in Ashlesha.

Something About 1% stars Jeon So-min who is Revati Sun

Master's Sun stars Gong Hyo Jin who is Revati Sun, Vishaka Moon

I'm Not A Robot stars Chae Soo bin who is Punarvasu Sun, Pushya Moon with Ketu in Bharani

Here's Drew Barrymore (Punarvasu Moon) in Ever After which is a Cinderella adaptation devoid of magic.

The stepmom is played by Punarvasu Sun Anjelica Huston

The "good" stepsister who is instrumental to the turning point of the plot and who ensures justice is served is played by Melanie Lynskey who is Bharani Moon with a Revati stellium

Claire recently made a video about Punarvasu where she said there is a theme of losing something, repenting and gaining it again. The contrast between opposites, light vs dark, beauty vs ugliness etc is a big theme in this nak. I think this movie does a great job of representing Punarvasu.

The good and the evil are both played by Punarvasu natives. This is crucial because Punarvasu is all about cycles. By the end of the movie we see the good person aka Cinderella rewarded for her goodness and the evil stepmother punished for her cruelty. Punarvasu means return to light and this also means nobody goes unpunished.

Its even more poignant that the person most crucial to ensuring that justice is served is played by a Bharani Moon native (Bharani IS karma itself tbh) and that she herself is neglected by her mother and treated like an outsider.

Lastly, it's interesting af to me that in almost every adaptation of this story, right from the very beginning to now, Pisces natives are cast as Cinderella along with a group of certain naks recurring again and again.

Here's Revati Moon Cardi B recreating a Cinderella inspired look for Harper's Bazaar

i hope i could add a little more nuance to the pisces connection to cinderella<33 hope you enjoyed it<33

#astro notes #sidereal astrology #vedic astro notes #astrology notes #nakshatras #astrology observations #vedic astrology #astroblr #astrology #astro observations #revati #ubp

232 notes · View notes

talesofesther · 10 months

Text

is it too late to call you mine? | ch 1

Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Summary: In Sebastian's prettiest dreams, you'd wear a gown of a color that matched his tie, he'd take your hand and dance all night until morning came. But those dreams felt like a farfetched reality. Would you even consider going with him? As more than a friend?

A/N: This is part one out of two, of my story for @spaceyaceface's HL Writing Challenge. Hope you guys like it, let me know. <3

Masterlist

It was rather magical, how the white blanket of snow covered Hogwarts' grounds—with the arrival of winter, courtyards, towers, and trees alike harbored snowflakes that shone against the sunlight during the day and against the fairy lights scattered around the castle at night.

Despite the gelid wind nipping at your cheeks, you couldn't help but love it.

"Do you know who you'll be going with already?" Poppy walked the viaduct courtyard bridge beside you, hugging the two books she was carrying close to her chest.

You chuckled, glancing down at the way your shoes buried slightly in the thin layer of snow. "No, besides, I don't even know if I will be going at all, Poppy."

"What do you mean? You have to go, the Yule Ball is like one of the most awaited moments for anyone who attends Hogwarts," she reasoned. Then, a sly smirk came to her lips, and she bumped your shoulder with hers, "I'm surprised he hasn't asked you yet."

"Who?" You furrowed your brows.

"Sebastian, of course."

His name brought an instant blush to your cheeks that you tried to blame on the cold wind. You averted your eyes from Poppy, "why would he ask me? We're friends, it would be weird."

The sun had just peeked over the mountains in the distance, it was a cold morning today. The students who walked past you pulled their robes close to their bodies; you thought you heard a fourth-year complain about how far summer was still.

You had a scarf snug around your neck, the colors of your house adorning the fabric and keeping you warm. You thought your peers could learn a thing or two about appreciating the present. How the white of the snow blended with the dark stones of the castle, how the mountains and plains in the distance looked like something out of a painting when the first golden rays of the sun highlighted them.

Poppy pushed open the doors that lead to the central hall and a soft gush of warmth coming from inside enveloped your body and kissed your cold cheeks immediately.

Many Christmas decorations were already adorning each nook and cranny of the castle. You had been ecstatic when you saw Mr. Moon setting up the first big Christmas tree.

"Weird, you say?" Your friend walked ahead of you, the gold and black of her own scarf framing her rosy cheeks as she glanced back at you, "sometimes I wonder if we're talking about the same Slytherin."

Your lips hovered open and your feet stayed glued to the floor, just short of going through the threshold. What could she mean by that?

"See you in Herbology." With a wink, Poppy was walking away from you.

You tried not to dwell on it. Ever since the beginning of your sixth year things had been different between you and Sebastian. Everything you'd gone through together in your fifth year inevitably brought you closer—even more so when, by the end of the year, neither one of you had anyone to go back to. You chose to stay with him and Ominis at school; spending most of your afternoons tucked away in your Room of Requirement as hours went by in a breeze. Sebastian's soul became familiar to yours. There were moments, tiptoeing between the line of friends and something more, hidden behind corners and dimmed by faint candlelights, that felt too delicate to ever be labeled. And now, you still don't know what to call them.

Things became all the more complicated with the impending arrival of the Yule Ball. As if in on a secret, your friends kept teasing you about Sebastian taking you. And you couldn't help but feel somewhat of a pressure. You couldn't help but wish he actually would.

── ·❆· ──

Out of all the classes, Herbology had a special place in your heart. Nothing could beat the atmosphere of the greenhouse. As soon as you walked through the doors and came face to face with that gorgeous pink tree, a wave of calmness hit you instantly. Sunlight came in through the green-tinted glass walls, a slight breeze made the falling leaves rustle around you, and the smell of grass, dirt, and flowers covered your senses.

Snow was falling outside, yet here, it somehow always seemed to be spring.

You slowly walked down the stairs and to your potting table, removing your scarf from around your neck.

Sebastian had already taken his spot right beside you. He had a dark long coat over his uniform and his hair was messier and just slightly longer than usual, you also couldn't help but notice the faint blush under his freckles and on the tip of his nose, from the cold no doubt. You thought it was endearing.

"Well, good morning." His voice kissed your ears.

A smile found itself on your lips pretty quickly, "morning, Sebastian."

"Gotta love Herbology first thing in the morning. Nothing like getting your hands dirty to start the day just right," He mumbled, one finger brushing over the soil in his pot before he turned fully to you, his hip leaning against the table as he crossed his arms over his chest.

You chuckled lightly, gaze focusing somewhere on Sebastian's left shoulder. Poppy's words kept echoing inside your head; I'm surprised he hasn't asked you yet. Without fully realizing it, you left Sebastian without an answer. Your lips hovered open as your eyes turned unfocused the more you lost yourself between what-ifs.

Chocolate brown eyes regarded you with interest, perhaps just a tad too long before he finally spoke; "alright, spill it. What's bothering you?"

You weren't sure how he managed it, this ability to read between the lines when it came to you. You blinked multiple times and softly shook your head, gesturing to dismiss his worry. "Nothing's bothering me."

Sebastian clicked his tongue and took a step closer to you. In a moment of boldness, he reached a hand forward and straightened the lapel of your blazer. "You'll have to do better than that," he raised an eyebrow at you.

If you focused enough, you'd be able to feel the ghost of his words on your lips, count each freckle over his cheeks, that's how close he was. You couldn't breathe even if you tried to. And that's exactly what Sebastian does to you. His fingers may brush your cheek and he may get as close as breathing the same air as you, and yet…

"Humour me," Sebastian shrugged, leaning back against the table and distancing himself from you as if nothing ever happened.

He always pulls back. He gets so close, and yet it feels as if he's afraid to ever go further. Tiptoeing the lines of your relationship, yet never crossing them. Planting feather light kisses on your heart, yet never fully embracing it. He confused you to no end. And you still don't know what to call whatever it was that existed between you and him.

Ultimately, you were beginning to think there was nothing there at all. Sebastian had always been flirty after all.

"I've just been thinking about the Ball," you shrugged too, trying to sound nonchalant as you braced one hand on the table. "If I'll be going, and… with who."

Sebastian bit the inside of his cheek at your words, avoiding his gaze from yours for just a moment before a forced grin came to his lips; "I don't think it's much worth worrying over it, there's better things to do for a night than dancing to boring music. Especially when everyone will be occupied dancing to said music."

His eyes glinted mischievously as he spoke. You half expected him to invite you to sneak into the restricted section of the library again or something of the sort.

"Poppy says I should attend, something about having the full Hogwarts experience," you smiled, choosing to not comment on his slight mood swing, "I may be inclined to agree."

Sebastian only hummed, his brows furrowed as he choose to finally settle his attention on the sorry excuse of a Dittany he'd been growing since last class. "I… hope you find a good partner then."

You allowed your eyes to linger on him until Professor Garlick started speaking. Noticing how his jaw tightened in place and his shoulders became somewhat tense while he reached for the fertilizer.

You couldn't understand why Poppy was so certain Sebastian could ever think of asking you to the Ball.

── ·❆· ──

A mixed smell of freshly made potions hung in the air. Brewed Knotgrass and maybe a pinch of feathers of some kind. Chatter was going around the potions classroom, as it usually did before Professor Sharp arrived.

Sebastian had both elbows resting atop his potions station, slouched in his seat as one of his knees bumped up and down, and with his dark eyes glued to the door. There was a leave of Mallowsweet lazily being torn apart over and over by his fingers as the seconds trickled by.

"Sebastian!"

Something gently slapped the back of his head, bringing the boy back to reality. He hummed questioningly and turned to face Ominis, who sat beside him with a scowl.

"I figured you weren't listening to me when you failed to answer my question for the third time," the blond deadpanned, however with the beginnings of a smirk appearing on his lips. "Has she not arrived yet?"

Heat crept up Sebastian's neck and he straightened in his seat, "who?"

Ominis raised an unimpressed eyebrow at his friend; "you know exactly who I'm talking about."

"Don't," Sebastian mumbled, pushing to the floor the mess he'd made on his table.

"Are you still overthinking whether to ask her or not?" Ominis sighed, resting his elbow on the table so he could lean his head on his hand. "Sometimes I wonder which of us is the blind one."

Sebastian faked a laugh, "very funny, Ominis. I'm not overthinking anything, I've already made up my mind. Plus, I think the Yule Ball is overrated anyway."

Ominis hummed, "you and I both know that's not true, Sebastian. Not when it comes to her."

Sebastian gulped the sudden lump in his throat upon hearing his own thoughts being spoken out loud by his friend.

"Just don't force me to hear your whinings later," Ominis concluded.

A huff escaped Sebastian's nose at his friend's quip. He turned around with a pout evident on his lips. In all honesty, he hadn't meant a word of what he said to you in Herbology; if anything, that had been his emotions getting the better of him—the thought of you going with someone else brought a sour taste to his mouth and, for lack of a better word, he panicked. Because ever since the Yule Ball was announced, Sebastian caught himself smiling alone at random times as he walked the hallways of Hogwarts; the image of you walking down the stairs all pretty in a gown as you made your way to him, so he could take your hand and place a kiss there, painted his mind in the prettiest of colors, inevitably bringing a smile to his lips.

Sebastian liked to think he'd make it the perfect night, holding you close as you danced and serving you drinks whenever you desired; maybe he'd even go a step further and tell you exactly just what it is that you do to him—how you make his heart jump in his chest whenever he sees you, how he has to remind himself to breathe whenever you touch him.

It was a spark that had been there ever since you bested him in your first duel. A spark that he could feel leaving embers in his soul at each escapade and rule broken together. A spark that eventually turned into a flame, leaving scorch marks against his skin as punishment for all he'd put you through.

And now, Sebastian couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd hold your hand as you showed him your vivariums and have an arm around your shoulders as you walked the school grounds. He'd lose himself if he ever were to lose you. But he couldn't bring himself to do more, to cross that blurred line.

Sebastian didn't know how. How could he ever tell you that you hold his bruised heart in your hands? How could he ever say he was incapable of imagining a future without you in it? How could he do any of that, when he was nowhere near worthy of you?

In his prettiest dreams, you'd wear a gown of a color that matched his tie, he'd take your hand and dance all night until morning came. But those dreams felt like a farfetched reality. Would you even consider going with him? As more than a friend?

So, in stumbled words, he told you he found it boring. And part of him hoped you would both skip the Ball together. At least, he'd have you for the night.

Sebastian was pulled from his daydream when you walked over the threshold, smiling at Natty as you walked by her potion station. He was about to call you over when you were stopped in your tracks by Garreth Weasley.

A frown etched itself in Sebastian's features, his eyes burning against you and Weasley as he watched you speak. He couldn't make out the words you were saying, but the ginger had a hand brushing over your forearm for a moment, way too close to your hand for Sebastian's taste.

And then you smiled, all sweet and soft in a way that got Sebastian's insides all twisted because that smile wasn't directed at him.

None too soon, you were finally ditching Garreth and walking towards him and Ominis. Sebastian straightened in his seat and forced his expression into a neutral one.

"Hello boys," you greeted the Slytherin duo, dropping two large books on your table beside the caldron, "have you finished Sharp's assignment yet?"

Ominis' lips turned up at the sound of your voice, his features softening, "I have, I'm quite confident this is one of my best yet."

"We had an assignment?" Sebastian chimed in, making Ominis audibly groan from beside him.

You raised an eyebrow in his direction and he gave you an obvious wink, his Cheshire grin framing his freckles.

"So," Sebastian continued, avoiding your eyes, "what were you and Weasley talking about?"

"Oh," an unusual warmth came to your cheeks, you opened one of your books on no specific page, "he- he was just asking if I'd like to go to the Yule Ball with him."

Sebastian nearly choked on his own breathing upon hearing your words, he had to double-check them in his head to make sure he'd heard correctly. Several emotions clogged up his throat all at once. Anger, because how dare Weasley ask you to the Ball. Regret, because the ginger had done what Sebastian himself was too afraid to do. Despair, because somehow it felt just a little like losing you. Jealousy, because you were his. And then finally, realization, because you weren't his, not really; Sebastian had no right to feel any of this. Yet he did anyway.

His chest felt tight, his heartbeat began to hurt.

A strange chuckle escaped Sebastian's lips, he could feel Ominis' eyes boring into him, as ironic as that was. "Why would he think you'd go with him?" Sebastian liked to believe he kept up his nonchalant attitude pretty well.

You pursed your lips, taking a deep breath, "I said yes."

Sebastian thought that maybe Crucio would sting less.

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Read ch 2 here

Thank you for reading this little story. Feedback and reblogs are literally what keeps me motivated to continue posting here, so I’d appreciate it if you could take some time to reblog and comment if you want. <3

You do not have permission to repost, copy or translate my works on any platforms (even with credit), please respect.

Sebastian’s taglist: @milkiane @v1ci0us @auxiliare

#sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow imagine #hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x you #sebastian sallow x f!reader #sebastian sallow x f!mc #hogwarts legacy x reader #imagine #fanfic #angst #fluff #sebastian sallow fanfiction #my story

366 notes · View notes

corpsebasil · 5 days

Text

NIKOLAI HUNGER GAMES PARTE DOS

dear God he's so handsome I can't do this

Maybe you shouldn't be, you know you shouldn't be, but you're happy to see your prep team regardless of how you're feeling on the inside.

"'The female tribute for District Two'" Lionus Treech, the announcer for your district, had cheered, reading the slip of paper inside the glass bowl. If you could've bet money you'd put your life's savings on every name in that bowl being yours. "'Y/N Y/L/N!'"

When you moved forward, exchanging one quick glance with the sharp-toothed Enobaria, you knew none of the other surviving victors would volunteer. Even Brutus, a nasty, violent man that still treats life like an arena, hadn't done much but lift his brows when Nikolai's name was read from the male bowl. (It helped that Nikolai was watching Brutus with an expression that promised unspeakable violence if the older man even blinked funny.)

"Darling!" The first voice cries; the trio of stylists that burst through the train door are as loud as their sense of style, all three clad in some sort of animal print. "You look stunning!" Lark gasps, bringing his warm hands to your face. The dark-skinned man is wearing bright purple liner, the color unfairly gorgeous on him. "Don't worry, we'll get these dark circles out of the way. Where's that handsome man of yours?"

"You won't believe the party you missed last month, Y/N. There were aerialists dressed like actual swans! And a frozen swan ice sculpture!" Jem adds, kissing your cheeks quickly. Her dark hair is pulled back in a spiky bun, the part of her hair zigzagging. "You would've looked glorious in this white little number I was working on--covered in feathers. Just glorious."

"I'm sure Y/N feels devastated she missed it." Xiomara, your most level-headed stylist, muses, her tattooed skin free of any makeup. She almost looks normal by Capitol standards--if it weren't for the ear-modding that leaves the tips of them pointed like a fairy's. Her golden eyes are amused when she pulls you into a soft hug, her voice soft. "Hello, darling. We've all missed you." When she pulls away it's clear she wants to say more but she doesn't. "The gem of the Capitol. We will do our best to make you shine."

"Oooh! That's an idea!" Lark snaps his fingers. "'Shine'!"

"What are you getting at?" Jem scoffs.

"Shiiiiiineee. We can cover her skin in gold dust! She'll look like a goddess."

"She'll look like a damn disco ball."

"Lets see you come up with--"

"Hello." The moment Nikolai speaks, his frame filling the empty doorway, all three preps whip their heads in his direction. Jem actually blushes. Then the cooing begins, Jem and Lark fussing over him while you and Xiomara watch with tiny smiles on your faces. Your prep team--Nikolai's biggest fans. "Yes, yes I did." Nikolai responds to a flurry of questions, Lark's biggest concern being whether your lover has cut his hair recently or not.

"With you and Finnick there I'll have to keep smelling salts around for the amount of swooning Capitol citizens." Lark sighs, fanning himself dramatically. "Just imagine him covered in gold dust, Jem."

"I am certainly imagining it."

"Picture it. Picture it vividly."

"Let's allow the two of them relax." Xiomara urges, calmly leading her fellow stylists out the door. She gives Nikolai a soft pat on the shoulder as they leave, still squawking about covering the two of you in gold dust. The second the door closes you sit on the nearest velvet-clad seat, a long sigh leaving you.

"Gold dust, hmm?" Nikolai hums, approaching you calmly. "Seems like your prep team is excited for the Quell."

"Maybe they're inspired. They get to style me, after all."

"Course they are." Nikolai smirks when he leans over you, arms caging you against the couch. Your eyebrows lift, chin raising a fraction as he crowds you, forcing you to look up. "You're utterly striking."

"Why thank you. I always say--"

"You always say--?"

"--'I am the gem of Panem'--"

"Yeah, yeah." Nikolai scoffs, cutting off your giggles with his mouth. He leans into you, lips roving over your own while you close your eyes, your hands tugging him even closer. "'Gem of Panem'. You certainly are." His words are spoken softly against your lips before his tongue moves to trace the curve of your throat.

"Yes..." You murmur, head tipping back. "That is....true."

"Mhmm."

"Nik."

If anyone overhears the moan you let out when he kisses his way down your neck, tugging the front of your dress down with him, they don't bother you.

Lol

I need him

#shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov #nikolai x reader #nikolai lantsov x reader #shadow and bone imagine #the hunger games au #catching fire #the hunger games

53 notes · View notes

nburkhardt · 9 months

Note

My beloved baby Pikachu I bring Pokémon ideas~

Eddie as ghost type gym leader whose gym looks like a metal concert and he has his sweetheart strapped to his back at all times

Steve as a water/fighting type gym leader whose gym is half a pool. Everyone is surprised to find this guy in a soft pastel sweater, tight jeans, and the fluffiest hair is the leader. Until he brings put his nail bat as the battle starts.

Everyone thinks they hate each other because they seem polar opposite but no one notices the skull ring on Steve's left hand nor the soft purple sweater Eddie sometimes wears.

They're married your honor!

The Party is a group of newbie trainers that get taken under their wings of course.

🖤❤️🖤❤️🐼

AHHHHH!!! PANDA I LOVE YOU, I already freaked out in dms with you but I’mma say it again: I LOVE YOUR BRAIN, you get ALLLLL the forehead kisses 🥹🥹🥹 I’m sooo gonna ramble away. Maybe not a full fic but my god I’m obsessed. (It’s a full fic, with a surprise pov!)

We’re going to mix up all the gens together (so if you only know some Pokémon, I’ll include pictures at the bottom of the ones I mentioned)

ALSO: if you have any ideas for anyone else’s Pokémon, let me knowwwww.

Onto my rambling fic under the cut 🥰

Here’s the thing, when Dustin decided to take on the gym challenge, he had no idea what he was going to expect.

He didn’t think picking a grass type to start could both hurt and help him between each gym. But Snivy was a little spitfire and like him; dramatic. She didn’t like any of the nicknames he threw out at her. She also didn’t like her pokeball, instead she preferred to sit on his head.

All of his friends were also doing the challenge but he was getting distracted by figuring out more information on each Pokémon instead of just battling. They’re all ahead of him, which, is okay it’s annoying but’s fine.

Especially when he ran into Steve.

Dustin was supposed to take on the fairy gym next but he heard the leader was ruthless. So, he decided to train up a bit. Maybe even evolve Natu and Trapinch. But instead of that, he was grumbling as he carried his very much knocked out, Trapinch to the Pokémon center instead of battling more.

Servine was walking next to him now, too big for staying on top of him when walking. She was also grumbling in her own way, crossed arms and nose in the air.

“We’re trying to get them to evolve, Servine, not knock them out!” He threw out at her getting closer to the center, “can’t believe I let you get your way all the time”

She apparently didn’t like that information and huffed before walking away, which would normally be fine if they weren’t in a new town. So, instead of reaching the Center like he wanted, he turns around to follow her. Returning Trapinch to his ball for now.

“Come ON, Servine I didn’t mean it like that! You’re so good at everything but-” he immediately knocked into somebody and knocked to the floor, “fuck, ow. Dude!”

Looking up he finds a guy, probably in his early twenties with a Mimikyu sitting on his shoulder while a tiny Pumpkaboo floats next to him. Which is a weird combo with the dude’s outfit choice of a soft looking yellow sweater and light wash jeans. “Not my fault you weren’t looking, dude”

Dustin glares up at him before getting up and dusting his legs off, “hey! I’m only looking for my Pokémon, she ran off from me!” Looking around he can’t tell which direction she actually went in, “by any chance you from around here?”

The guy makes a funny assumed face, both ghost pokémon snicker as well- which is so confusing. But he’s not too concerned for that, more so about the fact that his goddamn starter ran off.

“Yeah, you could say I’m from around here. What’s the Pokémon? A tiny Bidoof? Oh or is it a little Oddish?” He laughs and makes a weird hand movement that clearly both ghosts know and move away, “they got a name? That’d be way easier”

Crossing his arms he looks away, “Servine, and no. She didn’t like anything I came up with, so”

The guy’s laugh dies down and he frowns, “what, were the names lame or-” he shakes his head, “you’re upset, sorry, I’m Steve. Let’s find your Pokémon instead of bickering”

“I’m Dustin, and- SERVINE!” His eyes widen as the tiny Pumpkaboo (seriously how is that Pumpkaboo that small?) leads his Servine towards them, “I’m sorry, seriously, you’re the best and that was uncalled for. Are you okay?”

Servine nods and curls into his arms. He doesn’t bother saying anything else to her, cuddles her close and turns to find Steve picking up Mimikyu and whispering to Pumpkaboo, “Thanks. Seriously”

Steve smiles, “no problem, Oz here is pretty good at finding things.” He looks at his watch before wincing, “I gotta run, we’re gonna be late. You at the fairy gym?”

What the- “how do you know?”

Steve gives another funny look before shrugging, “Got an eye for these things, anyway, next gym is ghost. Be wary of him, he’s a little, hm, much. Yeah?”

All he can do is nod and watch as Steve just walks away.

Fairy gyms are brutal, even with Trapinch evolving into Vibrava. His saving grace was Slugma and that was it still rough since it’s fire isn’t that effective against fairy.

Maybe he should’ve gone with more poison types.

But that was two days ago, and now he’s making his way towards the next town and their gym. He is wary. Not only because of what Steve told him but because of running into Lucas.

(Lucas had decided on a water type, Totodile. Which was a little surprising for Lucas but Dustin didn’t question it, the little Totodile was energetic and lovable.)

He was minding his own business trying to figure out whether or not he could, technically, learn how to speak in the Pokémon’s language. When a blue bundle ran towards him, looking around he spots Lucas trying to catch his breath. “Hey! I thought you would’ve been passed this one”

They play catch up and once it’s all been said and done, Lucas shows him where the gym is. It looks fairly normal on the outside but Lucas swears it’s a whole other world inside.

“It’s like a concert, and there’s an actual audience too! Which was overwhelming at first, but once I got my footing it was like they weren’t there” Lucas explains, stopping only once their in front of a normal looking gym, Lucas laughs and shakes his head, “yeah that was my first expression too. I think you’ll enjoy it. Might have a hard time”

He looks away from the building to raise an eyebrow at him, “what does that mean?”

“Dude you picked a grass type as your starter! And you have no dark types!”

Rolling his eyes, “thanks for the encouragement, I’m sure I could handle it. Even with the disadvantages.”

Lucas looked like he didn’t believe him, but it didn’t bother him. Their whole party looked at him funny when he went with a grass type. Hell, Max made fun of him for it.

It didn’t matter, the gym challenge is turning out to be nothing he wanted to do once he’s able. He wanted to be a professor anyway. This was just temporary, even if he gets beat a bunch of times.

Walking inside the gym, he bypasses the annoying tips guy at right next to the door and makes his way to find the actual battle area. Lucas gave him the directions, it was confusing he said.

Sure enough, there’s a goddamn maze and cords everywhere.

After what feels like hours, he makes it to the end and is faced with a stage. Cords and what looks like vines everywhere, sure enough a small audience is there too. It looks all badass and a mix between rock and metal.

As he opens his mouth the lights go away and he has to immediately cover his ears as a loud beat starts. There’s a guitar being played even louder, clearer too. A spot light hits the stage and now he knows who’s playing.

Standing in the middle of the stage is a man. Long frizzy hair, leather jacket over a t-shirt with a band on it, ripped black jeans and black shoes. His guitar really completes the look, red with black lines all over.

The guy plays for a few minutes before stopping and walking closer, “Welcome to my metal concert, you ready for your ass to be handed to you?”

Right as he’s about to open his mouth a little orange and brown blur pops up behind the gym leader, it looks oddly familiar.

The man follows his gaze and groans, shifting his guitar to his back and focusing on the tiny Pokémon next to him, “Ozzy, we talked about this! Either stay in your ball, off the battle field or at home.”

Dustin blinks, moving closer he finds that the tiny Pokémon is a Pumpkaboo. That’s definitely moving and saying something back, which makes the guy shake his head before glancing around.

“Uh-“

“Hold on, I’m trying to find- HONEY LOVE! Come get your child!”

There’s no movement but he hears a snort, then the tiny Pokémon moves away and he sees the gym leader shake his head again, “sorry, that little guy is only a baby. Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

The guy’s smile is wild and maybe Lucas was right.

An hour later and Dustin is sitting on the edge of the stage freshly beat and definitely ready to call it quits for the day.

“Did Eds give you a rough time?”

His head snaps up, there’s Steve with Mimikyu on his head and a Vaporeon sitting next to him.

“I just need to do some more training.” He doesn’t want to admit that yes, the gym leader, Eddie, definitely gave him a rough time. It was fun, but Eddie was even more brutal than the fairy gym.

Maybe he just needs to catch a dark type.

Steve nods slightly, making Mimikyu squeak. “Doesn’t hurt to train more, V here” he pats the Vaporeon’s head, causing a pur to happen, “wasn’t the greatest battler, we had to do lots of training. Before you do any of that, want to come have dinner with us? You and your Pokémon can all rest for the night”

Dustin can’t figure out how he didn’t put two and two together. He feels like an idiot right now.

“What do you mean you’re also a gym leader? The final one at that?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Steve snorts, putting his hands in his pockets as he leads them to a house, “not my fault you didn’t pay attention when the professor talked about the gym challenge to you.”

Crossing his arms he glares at the ground, “yeah well, Professor Owens forgets shit. How is it you’re the water gym leader yet have a ghost type with you?”

There’s an amused smirk on Steve’s face and what sounds like a giggle come from Mimikyu, “I might specialize with water types, I do have a fond experience with ghost types. And dude, it’s okay to try catching other types. I just so happen to work better with water types. Queen here was a gift, basically, my partner found an egg and gave it to me.”

He nods because Steve’s right, it is nice to use all different types. Though if he did only pick one, grass or bug type is where he’d stick with.

“Alright” Steve smiles and comes to a stop, “we’re here, once we get inside you can let your Pokémon out.” He leads them up to a door and Dustin takes in the mixture of aesthetics.

There’s clearly two different personalities living in this house, whoever Steve’s partner is, definitely enjoys the darker aesthetic compared to Steve. Who gives off a more pastel aesthetic. Not that he fully knows, he’s still going off or how Steve is dressed.

“Hey baby, I brought a guest!”

They both hear a crash and then a curse. A Gengar floats out of the kitchen and snickers as it stops in front of Steve, “What did you do?”

“He’s over the moon for beating up a Nin- woah! Honey love, you brought the kid I just beat?”

Blinking hard because there’s no way, Dustin also rubs his eyes before looking over at the kitchen doorway. His vision clears and yep, there’s the gym leader, Eddie, standing there in a pastel purple sweater and black sweats with his Decidueye leaning behind him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, seriously?”

Steve outright laughs and pats his shoulder, “dude, you’re face. Oh man, should’ve taken a picture.” He moves closer to Eddie and presses a kiss to his cheek, “He looked so sad after the defeat, I had to.”

Eddie shakes his head, amusement clear on his face, “Honey, you gotta warn people when you bring them over. Even if they look like a kicked Eevee”

He scruffs and looks away from the couple to find the Pumpkaboo, Ozzy apparently, next to him. It makes him groan, “I’m an idiot, you’re the one who found Servine!”

Ozzy nods excitedly before floating down and nudges his bag, confused he opens it and Ozzy dances around him. He’s curious and looks over at the couple, “uh, what?”

“He’s asking you to let your Pokémon out, they’ll enjoy some play time and food.” Eddie answers and looks at the time, “which is done by the way. Come on, let them out and we’ll give you some tips”

Shrugging, he does just that, all his Pokémon looking around curiously before spotting the backdoor where Ozzy and Steve are now in front of. All of them rush over and Steve laughs before opening the door, letting all of his Pokémon outside.

“Don’t worry, we got a fence and there’s food already out there.”

He can only nod and watch as his Pokémon all play together with Steve’s and Eddie’s Pokémon.

Dustin doesn’t know how he ended up here, honestly, he’s sitting inside a home that belongs to two gym leaders. Who are not only two of the strongest ones but also married to each other. Of all the things he was learning, this might’ve been the most surprising.

————

I’m gonna end it there because if I keep going this post will be stupid long (it already is 😅) BUT!! I decided to make this into a series!! It’ll be a fun one that I could write and post whenever I want. Can switch up povs and everything this way. Please don’t ask me why I went with Dustin’s pov this time around, I don’t even know. I just..kept going.

Anyway! If you enjoyed this let me know what you think and if you have any ideas/suggestions you can totally leave me some!!

Taglist: (sorry if you don’t like Pokémon 😂)

@spectrum-spectre @itsfreakingbats @mysticcrownshipper @artiststarme @thereindeerlady @justforthedead89 @ronniescontinuum @freyaforestafay @littlewildflowerkitten @estrellami-1 @gregre369 @zerokrox-blog @bookworm0690 @flustratedcas @carlprocastinator1000 @marvelmwah @solliesolesito @navnae @i-less-than-three-you @strangersteddierthings

Here’s the graphs of the Pokémon I have mentioned and also the full teams of the main three (Dustin, Steve & Eddie) and also Lucas’ totodile (didn’t come up with his full team)

#steddie #pokemon au #steddie fic #dustin henderson fic #Dustin will be a Pokémon professor someday #for now he’s that kid at every start of the games that goes ‘SCIENCE IS AMAZING’#stranger things fic #nburkhardt writes #strangers things and Pokémon au #steve x eddie #tbh idk how to tag this

214 notes · View notes