Ricky X Reader - Tumblr Posts

This is so cute!😍

Falling for You || Ricky Bowen x Reader

Summary: Putting up Christmas lights with your best friend leads to something more. 

Word Count: 788

Authors Note: Ya girl got Disney+ so I was like cool lets check out HSMTMTS and like any sane person, I fell in love with Ricky Bowen so here ya go! First thing that I’ve written that isn’t maze runner or newsies so lets see how it goes! 

Warning: CLICHES!! 

There are many controversial issues that are brought up in this climate but arguably the one that you were the most passionate about was how soon Christmas decorations should be put up. 

Should it be before Thanksgiving so you can enjoy the festive lights while chowing down on dry turkey or once December actually rolls around so Thanksgiving can finally get some spotlight? You, however, believed that the day after Black Friday was the most crucial time to decorate for Christmas because ornaments and Christmas lights were cheaper. 

By this time in Utah, the temperatures seemed well past freezing so it was really hard to put up decorations without help. Luckily, you had some assistance. 

“ Ricky! Hold the ladder still I can feel my feet slipping,” You whined as you held onto the rain gutter for support. 

“ Sorry! Maybe we should switch, your parents will kill me if you end up in the emergency room like last year,” He said as his grip on the ladder tightened,” the snow is getting worse by the minute. I can’t even feel my face anymore.” 

You stopped hanging up lights for a second to look down at Ricky, his nose and cheeks were a warm rosy color and little snowflakes covered his brown curls. When you realized that you had been staring at him too long, you turned your attention back to the task at hand. 

Your relationship with Ricky was confusing to say the least. You two were really close until he started dating Nini so for most of sophomore year, you were on your own. It wasn’t until school started back up again that you two became closer, probably since his time wasn’t focused so much on a girl. 

When you thought things couldn’t get weirder, you realized that his laugh was endearing and not annoying and whenever he would smile, you found yourself wanting him to smile again. You were a woman of science and while you knew that love is just a chemical reaction, you knew well enough that you were falling for your best friend. 

“ Your face is perfectly fine,” You said under your breath as you continued hanging the lights,” what a cute moron.” 

Ricky smiled to himself, not knowing if he should’ve heard that or not. Ricky questioned a few times if you did like him, he knew you like the back of his hand yet lately, you had been acting so different. You two used to hug and playfully hold hands but lately, it was like you were avoiding it. Ricky, however, knew his feelings well. 

“ Yes! I think I did it,” You raised both of your hands up haphazardly in triumph, not realizing that you had messed up your own balance.

The ladder fell backward and you found yourself falling midair, trying to grab onto anything. 

Ricky snapped himself out of a daze and positioned his arms out to catch you but you were falling too fast. While you technically landed in his arms, the momentum sent the two of you falling back into the powdery snow. 

You both grunted as soon as you hit the ground, both of your heads knocking into each other. Your eyes were still closed in pain but a dumb part of you thought that maybe if you didn’t open your eyes, then he couldn’t see you blushing hard. 

After recovering for a second, Ricky instinctively used one hand to hold onto your waist and the other went straight to cup your cheek,” A-Are you okay? Anything broken?” 

You kept your eyes shut and simply shook your head which prompted more concern from Ricky. 

“ You don’t seem okay, just open your eyes Y/N,” He said, his voice filled with worry. 

You hesitantly opened your eyes and even Ricky let out a soft gasp when he realized how close the two of you were. Your faces were mere centimeters away from each other and now it was Ricky’s turn to blush. 

Ricky didn’t know if it was because of his mild concussion or his heart banging against his chest but without thinking, Ricky sighed softly,” Guess you really fell for me huh? Lucky me.” 

You could literally feel his heart beating as he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. You couldn’t think of anything to say so instead of blabbering on and making an awkward fool of yourself, you leaned into Ricky and kissed him. Ricky raised his eyebrows in surprise but immediately melted in your touch, softly kissing you back. 

You were the first to pull away and instead of seeing a face of rejection, you saw his dorky face plastered in a big goofy smile,” Yep. I’m definitely lucky.”  

MELTING POINT | shen quanrui | TEASER

IN WHICH Emperor Zhanghao uses the imperial command to wed both you and Prince Shen. Normally, one would be happy to be wedded to a prince and become one of the most powerful ladies in the Empire. However, the young master of the Ducal house of Shen is said to be a cold and indifferent man. Oh! And did I mention that your duchy and his are enemies? Right! The cherry on top—I almost forgot that you have a weak body too haha… How will you survive the harsh Northern lands? Will you get along well with your husband? Will you be treated alright in an unfamiliar environment? Shall you just return back to the comfort of your home?

FEATURING Zerobaseone’s Ricky as the son of Duke Shen, Prince Shen Quanrui and you as the daughter of Duke Han, Princess Han Y/N.

GENRE romance, angst, fluff | historical fantasy, supposed enemies to lovers, forced marriage, northern duke au

WARNINGS non-gender neutral reader (reader will be using female pronouns/titles), forced marriage, infidelity, mention of heart attack, mild swearing, and blatant favoritism.

NOTE wc: 1.4k | to be released on AFTER HIATUS, if you want to be tagged when the full oneshot is released, then either comment or send an ask regarding this post. Thank you!

MORE WORKS — navigation | zb1!masterlist

ACT ONE: THE IMPERIAL COMMAND

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN, all your life, you’ve been told to hate someone because they’re your family’s opponent and then all of a sudden (in a matter of five days), you need to act as if you’ve been on good terms with them? No guidebook or school course could have prepared you for what’s to happen right now.

Yes, of course you’re aware that you’d be married off to your father’s choice of family for all your life, you think you’ve accepted it already. I mean, one would think so after being reminded of it all your life right? It’s not like it’s uncommon anyways. Everyone in the nobility marries through convenience and then has flings with their lovers. It’s more common than you think. You’d know, since you caught one of your father’s friends with their mistress once.

Yet, who’d assume that you’d be married off to the Ducal House of Shen of all people? You don’t think you would have put that in your bingo (yes, bingo exists back then) list this year—or any year to be honest.

For a bit of background to the confused readers (breaking the fourth wall let’s gaurr), The Zerose Empire exists with four ducal houses: Park, which exists in the west; Kim, from the South; Han of the East, and Shen of the North. Your family, The Ducal house of Han, has always been in opposition with the Ducal house of Shen. It was a fact that everyone knew, and it was a dislike that stemmed from way back then. (one so long that you don’t even know the reason anymore, just that you weren’t supposed to like them.)

And yes, the dislike is still rooted to this day. You could imagine how tired the Emperor, other noble houses, and ministry workers were. By this point they were quite sick of the petty arguments from both the ducal households. So sick, in fact, that Emperor Zhanghao IV, used the imperial command and declared that “Duke Han shall bring forth his most beloved daughter to marry Duke Shen’s successor.”

Your father almost had a heart attack after the declaration, but it was of no use to bargain since the imperial command was used.

In your opinion, father was a pretty good man. Not perfect or clean of course, but good. Your mother was the first wife, and surprisingly, the only wife he truly loved. It was unfortunate that mother died a year after you were born because of her weak body, and even more unfortunate that her only child turned out to be pretty weak too. He had remarried once more since then, and has had a few mistresses and children out of wedlock in an attempt to cure his aching heart. Despite the new ladies, you were still the first in his heart considering you were the only child he had out of the wife he loves.

Having a big room beside your father’s in the second floor all to yourself when all the others had to be in the first floor spiked a few jealous hearts, but your father was persistent and only allowed you the best despite your not-so-healthy body. So it was to no one’s surprise that Emperor Zhanghao meant for your father to pick you to be married to the young master of the Shen Ducal house.

That was five days ago. Your father had begged for your understanding to comply with the Emperor’s words despite him not liking the command either. He had told you that it was for the unity of the Empire and that the Ducal house of Shen had promised to your father and the Emperor that they would treat you with utmost respect; and that if they break that promise, you would be sent back with ten times the alimony paid by your father. (and boy was the original alimony already a crazy amount)

You had told your father to not worry about it as you knew your father worried for you greatly. After all, in his eyes, you were still the weak baby that he held in his arms just last week. How could he send a weak child to the harsh northern lands where you were unfamiliar with everything? Of course, you had your own worries too. Different from your father’s, though. Mostly about your own soon to be husband.

Unlike your family, where many children reside, the Ducal house of Shen only had one heir. The young master of the North, Shen Quanrui, was said to be a cold man according to the rumors you’ve heard from your maids. He was quiet and reserved, only showing his face in high society once in a blue moon. Similar to you in that matter, except it was because you were often too sick to attend rather than introverted.

You too had only met him once, in the Empire’s founding anniversary ball. Though you didn’t have the best memory, you could easily recall that face of his. Blonde hair that seemed to be dyed and striking blue eyes, it was as if he stepped out of a fantasy storybook. You’re sure he wore colored contacts back then, considering that both the Duke and Duchess had dark eyes. Nevertheless it didn’t change the fact that he was probably the most handsome man you’ve ever seen. You remember exchanging eye contact with him for a bit longer than you should have, and you remember how he raked your appearance with his eyes as if he was the hunter and you were the prey. You rolled your eyes and left back then despite the butterflies you got.

The sound of your bedroom door opening strips you out of your imagination.

”Sister,” said the voice of a young boy, “can I come in?”

”Yes,” you answered, “come in, Yujin.”

Han Yujin, the son of your father and his second mistress, was the only half-sibling you deemed close to you. His mother had died early on due to the same sickness as yours did, leaving him alone to fend off all the jealous eyes around him. You had sympathized with him, so you decided to keep him close and make him untouchable as one of your people. The young boy has since then grown attached to you, listening attentively to everything you say. Now, the young boy had become strong and wise, making him one of the successor candidates.

”I heard from father that you’d be married to that damned man, Shen Quanrui or whatever,” Sulked Yujin.

”That damned man,” you sighed, “is still a respectable man who fended off the wild beasts and is a close aide of the Emperor, you shouldn’t speak of him with that tone.”

“But—sister! He’s our enemy, we’re not supposed to like him! And—and, I heard from the maids that he’s a cruel and heartless man. What if he treats you harshly and locks you up in a tower or something!? What if he’s an indifferent husband who never looks after his wife and just messes around with other women? You deserve someone who’d love you and treat you as the apple of their eye—someone like—”

”Yujin,” Your voice stopped his train of thoughts as you held his hand, “don’t worry too much, okay? It’s not like I’m going there alone. My personal maids and Dr. Seok would be with me in the North, and they would report to father if anything happened. If he ever treats me cruelly, then I’ll be back here before you know it.”

”But still…I don’t want you away from me..”

“AWEE is my baby brother worried for me~” you teased as you squished him into a hug, emitting a loud Hey! from him as he tried to get out of your tight grasp.

Whether your words were to reassure him or you; however, you don’t know.

Who would have known that you’d get married to that man two weeks from now? Who would have known that you’d have to pretend like you didn’t hate this man all your life because you’re supposed to marry him? Who would have known that the first time you’d exchange pleasantries with your soon to be husband would be in your wedding aisle? Who would have known that you’d be moving away from your father’s protection and into the cold and dangerous land in less than a month? Goodness, may the heavens spare you.

TAGLIST — @ja4hyvn @flwoie @sulkygyu @xiaoderrrr @ineedaherosavemeenow @lonewolfjinji @teddywonss

© astrae4 2024 | please don’t copy, translate, or plagiarize my works on all platforms!

Guys the ricky fic will be postponed to mid april. Having 10 exams + 12 IGCSE exams rn so we pausing the writing grind till i finish half of these up 🫡🫡🫡

MELTING POINT MASTERLIST

IN WHICH Emperor Zhanghao uses the imperial command to wed both you and Prince Shen. Normally, one would be happy to be wedded to a prince and become one of the most powerful ladies in the Empire. However, the young master of the Ducal house of Shen is said to be a cold and indifferent man. Oh! And did I mention that your duchy and his are enemies? Right! The cherry on top—I almost forgot that you have a weak body too haha… How will you survive the harsh Northern lands? Will you get along well with your husband? Will you be treated alright in an unfamiliar environment? Shall you just return back to the comfort of your home?

FEATURING Zerobaseone’s Ricky as the son of Duke Shen, Prince Shen Quanrui and you as the daughter of Duke Han, Princess Han Y/N.

GENRE romance, angst, fluff | historical fantasy, supposed enemies to lovers, forced marriage, northern duke au

WARNINGS non-gender neutral reader (reader will be using female pronouns/titles), forced marriage, infidelity, mild swearing, and miscommunication.

NOTE hi everyone! i’m so sorry for such a long wait, but thank you so much for you guys who did so regardless! this took so long to come out (initially it was supposed to go out during March) due to my health problems…but i’m happy to say that i’m fully recovered and finally going back on track with my writing plans! Thank you so much for your support, I hope you enjoy this series 💗

MORE WORKS — navigation | zb1!masterlist

CHAPTERS.

1 — the hunter and the prey.

It doesn’t really hit you that you’re getting married until your father comes in. The moment you see the tears in his eyes, you also feel your eyes water. You remember being young and dreaming of how you’d marry someone you love. You remember planning your dream wedding. This was it. This was what you had always imagined. Yet, all at the same time, it seemed so different.

2 — an unwelcomed bride.

3 — the past chases.

tba…

TAGLIST. @ja4hyvn @flwoie @sulkygyu @xiaoderrrr @ineedaherosavemeenow @lonewolfjinji @teddywonss @khaelscafe @autumn583 @lvieee @cyberstephzz @cara-rey @cuntserver8000 @yujinified @lowcalmarlboro @moncheriesu @carat-rose @fairyytyunn @taerae-verse @peachyy-moon @kaywhyessssss @cheederzchez @hueningcry @renjuneoo @totalnieparksunghoon @kuromixheartzzz @nerezza1234567891-blog @dilucpegg3r @ohsunnyboy @iraa567 @k-p0p-4ever @slimeclimbtime @paradise-world @sparkcling @fremineth @chickenscoups @kpopandbookschild (ask or comment to be added!)

NETWORKS. @k-labels @zumblrnet

© astrae4 2023 | please don’t copy, translate, or plagiarize my works on all platforms!

THE HUNTER AND THE PREY | SHEN QUANRUI

FEATURING Zerobaseone’s Ricky as the son of Duke Shen, Prince Shen Quanrui and you as the daughter of Duke Han, Princess Han Y/N.

GENRE romance, angst, fluff | historical fantasy, supposed enemies to lovers, forced marriage, northern duke au

WARNINGS 2.8k words, non-gender neutral reader (reader will be using female pronouns/titles), forced marriage, infidelity, mention of heart attack, mild swearing, and blatant favoritism.

NOTE i do hope you enjoy this chapter! thank you for the support you have given me so far! reblogs would be greatly appreciated if you’d do so ☺️💗

MORE — masterlist | next chapter

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN, all your life, you’ve been told to hate someone because they’re your family’s opponent and then all of a sudden (in a matter of five days), you need to act as if you’ve been on good terms with them? No guidebook or school course could have prepared you for what’s to happen right now.

Yes, of course you’re aware that you’d be married off to your father’s choice of family for all your life, you think you’ve accepted it already. I mean, one would think so after being reminded of it all your life right? It’s not like it’s uncommon anyways. Everyone in the nobility marries through convenience and then has flings with their lovers. It’s more common than you think. You’d know, since you caught one of your father’s friends with their mistress once.

Yet, who’d assume that you’d be married off to the Ducal House of Shen of all people? You don’t think you would have put that in your bingo (yes, bingo exists back then) list this year—or any year to be honest.

For a bit of background to the confused readers (breaking the fourth wall let’s gaurr), The Zerose Empire exists with four ducal houses: Park, which exists in the west; Kim, from the South; Han of the East, and Shen of the North. Your family, The Ducal house of Han, has always been in opposition with the Ducal house of Shen. It was a fact that everyone knew, and it was a dislike that stemmed from way back then. (one so long that you don’t even know the reason anymore, just that you weren’t supposed to like them.)

And yes, the dislike is still rooted to this day. You could imagine how tired the Emperor, other noble houses, and ministry workers were. By this point they were quite sick of the petty arguments from both the ducal households. So sick, in fact, that Emperor Zhanghao IV, used the imperial command and declared that “Duke Han shall bring forth his most beloved daughter to marry Duke Shen’s successor.”

Your father almost had a heart attack after the declaration, but it was of no use to bargain since the imperial command was used.

In your opinion, father was a pretty good man. Not perfect or clean of course, but good. Your mother was the first wife, and surprisingly, the only wife he truly loved. It was unfortunate that mother died a year after you were born because of her weak body, and even more unfortunate that her only child turned out to be pretty weak too. He had remarried once more since then, and has had a few mistresses and children out of wedlock in an attempt to cure his aching heart. Despite the new ladies, you were still the first in his heart considering you were the only child he had out of the wife he loves.

Having a big room beside your father’s in the second floor all to yourself when all the others had to be in the first floor spiked a few jealous hearts, but your father was persistent and only allowed you the best despite your not-so-healthy body. So it was to no one’s surprise that Emperor Zhanghao meant for your father to pick you to be married to the young master of the Shen Ducal house.

That was five days ago. Your father had begged for your understanding to comply with the Emperor’s words despite him not liking the command either. He had told you that it was for the unity of the Empire and that the Ducal house of Shen had promised to your father and the Emperor that they would treat you with utmost respect; and that if they break that promise, you would be sent back with ten times the alimony paid by your father. (and boy was the original alimony already a crazy amount)

You had told your father to not worry about it as you knew your father worried for you greatly. After all, in his eyes, you were still the weak baby that he held in his arms just last week. How could he send a weak child to the harsh northern lands where you were unfamiliar with everything? Of course, you had your own worries too. Different from your father’s, though. Mostly about your own soon to be husband.

Unlike your family, where many children reside, the Ducal house of Shen only had one heir. The young master of the North, Shen Quanrui, was said to be a cold man according to the rumors you’ve heard from your maids. He was quiet and reserved, only showing his face in high society once in a blue moon. Similar to you in that matter, except it was because you were often too sick to attend rather than introverted.

You too had only met him once, in the Empire’s founding anniversary ball. Though you didn’t have the best memory, you could easily recall that face of his. Blonde hair that seemed to be dyed and striking blue eyes, it was as if he stepped out of a fantasy storybook. You’re sure he wore colored contacts back then, considering that both the Duke and Duchess had dark eyes. Nevertheless it didn’t change the fact that he was probably the most handsome man you’ve ever seen. You remember exchanging eye contact with him for a bit longer than you should have, and you remember how he raked your appearance with his eyes as if he was the hunter and you were the prey. You rolled your eyes and left back then despite the butterflies you got.

The sound of your bedroom door opening strips you out of your imagination.

”Sister,” said the voice of a young boy, “can I come in?”

”Yes,” you answered, “come in, Yujin.”

Han Yujin, the son of your father and his second mistress, was the only half-sibling you deemed close to you. His mother had died early on due to the same sickness as yours did, leaving him alone to fend off all the jealous eyes around him. You had sympathized with him, so you decided to keep him close and make him untouchable as one of your people. The young boy has since then grown attached to you, listening attentively to everything you say. Now, the young boy had become strong and wise, making him one of the successor candidates.

”I heard from father that you’d be married to that damned man, Shen Quanrui or whatever,” Sulked Yujin.

”That damned man,” you sighed, “is still a respectable man who fended off the wild beasts and is a close aide of the Emperor, you shouldn’t speak of him with that tone.”

“But—sister! He’s our enemy, we’re not supposed to like him! And—and, I heard from the maids that he’s a cruel and heartless man. What if he treats you harshly and locks you up in a tower or something!? What if he’s an indifferent husband who never looks after his wife and just messes around with other women? You deserve someone who’d love you and treat you as the apple of their eye—someone like—”

”Yujin,” Your voice stopped his train of thoughts as you held his hand, “don’t worry too much, okay? It’s not like I’m going there alone. My personal maids and Dr. Seok would be with me in the North, and they would report to father if anything happened. If he ever treats me cruelly, then I’ll be back here before you know it.”

”But still…I don’t want you away from me..”

“AWEE is my baby brother worried for me~” you teased as you squished him into a hug, emitting a loud Hey! from him as he tried to get out of your tight grasp.

Whether your words were to reassure him or you; however, you don’t know.

YOU’RE CLOSE TO SLAPPING Emperor Zhanghao. Okay, so maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration unless you want a one way ticket to a death penalty. But what the hell man. It was so (notice the sarcasm?) nice of him to let you marry a man you’re supposed to hate that he even gave you a due date of two weeks to be locked in for life. What is the meaning of marriage to him? Homework? I mean it might as well be since no one wanted this…

But here you are preparing for your wedding as the maids have meticulously worked their magic on you. Hours of hard work to make you “the most beautiful bride to ever exist that not even the cold young master could resist.” (says them) They expected him to fall on his knees and have his spring blossom the moment he laid eyes on you. Though you didn’t believe it, you still laughed along with them.

When you looked at yourself in the mirror, you were honestly taken aback. Clad in a simple yet elegant dress with your hair up, you looked like a painting. Damn, did they really outdo themselves. If that man doesn’t fall in love with you (or at least find you the slightest bit attractive) at first sight then he’s probably just not into women. (It honestly doesn’t sound impossible considering that you’ve never heard of him being in a relationship with a woman before.)

It doesn’t really hit you that you’re getting married until your father comes in. The moment you see the tears in his eyes, you also feel your eyes water. You remember being young and dreaming of how you’d marry someone you love. You remember planning your dream wedding. This was it. This was what you had always imagined. Yet, all at the same time, it seemed so different. The reality of your situation juxtaposing the wedding you have always dreamed of. Oh, to be young and naive.

You bite your lip and look down, unable to face them. It seemed as if your father could read your thoughts as he took your hands in his.

“Oh y/n…” He started carefully, as if thinking on what to say next so you wouldn’t feel upset on your big day.

“It’s fine—”

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I-I know you’ve been dreaming of this day for a long time, I’m sorry we only had a short time to prepare for it. But, I promise you, I did my best to make it as grandiose as I could possibly do so and—”

“No, seriously, it’s fine,” you denied, despite not being the most pleased, you know that your father had tried his best for you and you didn’t want to seem ungrateful, “I’m just melancholic that we won’t be as close anymore. I was informed that even though the Duke and Duchess are here in the capital, Prince Shen handles the matters in the North.”

“Ah!” Exclaimed your father as if he had just realized, “Don’t worry about that! The North has the fastest trains in the kingdom. You can visit us anytime, it would only take you five hours.”

“Oh really?” You said, pretending that you didn’t know that fact, “That’s great then, I can visit anytime I want.”

“Yes yes—now come, hold my hand once more. It’s time to walk the aisle.”

You hold his arm, finally walking out of the dressing room and towards the venue. The walk was mostly silent, and no one talked until you both reached the closed door that opens to the venue.

“Y/n.” said your father in a heavy voice.

”Yes?”

”I know I don’t say this often, but I hope for your happiness. If he ever makes you unhappy, then come back to me. I’ll even commit treason if the Emperor stands in the way, haha.”

“Father…”

”I know, I know. Gosh, I sound so old. Ready to meet the son of that corpulent piece of shit?”

”Father!”

“Oops sorry, old habits die hard. I mean, ready to meet your husband?”

”Yeah yeah, let’s just go already.”

Your father signaled the attendant to open the door, and shortly after, you could hear the announcer call your title. You realize that this may be the last time you’d be called with the surname Han.

You had little time to ponder on it though, as soon the gates opened and you had to focus on not tripping on your heels as you walked beside your father down the aisle.

The wedding venue was…wow, honestly. Your father is surely a big liar, you conclude. Pretty? Not even words can describe how beautiful the venue is. You’d think the wedding was planned for two years if you were an onlooker. The venue was held in a historical building which had lots of carved statues and decorative designs. Huge pillars hold up the roof, each pillar covered in vines and flowers. The roof in itself had hand-painted art that seemed to wash out from time, and a huge chandelier held on to the roof in the middle, sparkling so bright that it seemed like diamonds. Fresh white and purple flowers decorated the guests’ tables, and all around the venue were violinists in white dresses, standing on a short and small podium, seeming to mimic the sculptures that decorate the walls.

The road in front of you seemed to be shining, and you don’t realize how near you are until you feel your father let your hand go. Ah, this was it. He transferred your hand to an unfamiliar one, and it was only now that you finally looked at your soon-to-be’s face. It was slightly distorted thanks to the veil, but from what you could tell, the man was wearing a full white tux made from silk and decorated by pearls, with a black tie to complete his outfit.

‘At least he doesn’t have a boring fashion taste,’ you conclude.

Time passes, and before you know it, you have already said your promises and ‘I do’s.

“Please exchange rings,” says the priest.

Prince Shen takes the ring first, and then holds your hand. As he puts the ring on you, you could slightly feel his hand tremble.

‘Ha?’ you think, ‘does he despise me so much that the touch of my hand makes him furious?’

It leaves a bitter taste to your tongue, surprisingly. Your thoughts make you miss the lingering touch of his thumb on your ring finger. And, when it got to your turn, you quickly put the ring on his finger, letting go of his hand right after.

“You may kiss the bride to seal the promise,” declares the priest.

You could see his hands hold the bottom of the veil, before lifting it, finally giving you an opportunity to see his face. You conclude that God certainly took a long time to make that face. His face was the same as you remembered. Striking and attention-grabbing in a good way. The only thing that bothered you seemed to be his eyes. It seemed cold and distant, yet sharp. It was as if he was able to uncover all your secrets, and it made you nervous.

You feel his hand reach out to your chin, and you hold your breath. It was like you couldn’t breath, eyes searching all over his face on what he’d do next. He leans in, and your thoughts flood in a panic. It was like you were frozen, unable to move. Your heart starts beating so loud that you can't hear anything else. What should I do? How should I react? Why is he getting so clo—

“May I?” He breathed out, and you can just feel his breath right in front of your lips.

No? I don’t know. No, thank you. No, no, no—

“Yes,” you answered breathlessly, as if finally letting yourself take in the air.

And before you could overthink once more, his lips crashed into yours, so desperate for it that you had to hold his arm to stabilize yourself. It was as if he had been waiting for this for a long time—like an impatient tiger having to wait for the right time to finally strike its prey. And, just like a tiger who never lets go of its prey, he doesn’t seem to have any intention in letting you escape.

CLARIFICATIONS IN THE STORY

An Imperial command means that if you don’t comply with it, you’re committing treason. An Emperor can only use this command a few times in his lifetime.

Why is Yujin a candidate successor but not you? Back then, only men were allowed to be successors.

“Young Master” is what the employees call their boss/client who have not earned a title yet.

The term “Spring Blossom” is commonly used in old korean folk stories and means that one has started to find love in their heart or is beginning to love someone.

“Prince” and “Princess” is the term you officially use for the daughter/son of a duke/duchess. A king or emperor’s child is called your majesty.

The term “Spring Blossom” is commonly used in old korean folk stories and means that one has started to find love in their heart or is beginning to love someone.

“Prince” and “Princess” is the term you officially use for the daughter/son of a duke/duchess. A king or emperor’s child is called your majesty.

comment down or send an ask if you’re confused about anything!

TAGLIST. @ja4hyvn @flwoie @sulkygyu @xiaoderrrr @ineedaherosavemeenow @lonewolfjinji @teddywonss @khaelscafe @autumn583 @lvieee @cyberstephzz @cara-rey @cuntserver8000 @yujinified @lowcalmarlboro @moncheriesu @carat-rose @fairyytyunn @taerae-verse @peachyy-moon @kaywhyessssss @cheederzchez @hueningcry @renjuneoo @totalnieparksunghoon @kuromixheartzzz @nerezza1234567891-blog @dilucpegg3r @ohsunnyboy @iraa567 @k-p0p-4ever @slimeclimbtime

NETWORKS — @k-labels @zumblrnet

© astrae4 2024 | please don’t copy, translate, or plagiarize my works on all platforms!

zb1 and the attractive things they do 🫶🏻

-nonnie🌻

cupid, you struck my heart.

zb1 x reader | 335 wc

| note: i loved this sm :( also, nice seeing you around, 🌻 nonnie!

KJW is the most attractive when he smiles unconsciously because you smiled. he’s happy when you’re happy. you’re happy when he’s happy. (also because he’s an empath so 🤷🏻‍♀️)

ZH is the most attractive when he meets you in the middle; mentally, emotionally, and physically. he hates when people leave him behind so as much as possible, he avoids doing that with you.

SHB is the most attractive when he is so patient. to you, he’s the most attractive this way because sometimes, all you need is a person who is patient enough to stay through all of your ups and downs.

SKM is the most attractive when he snaps photos of you almost 24/7 and keeps them safe in his gallery, away from the prying eyes. and every time it’s your birthday or monthsarry, he’ll make up a short edited video with vlogs and pictures.

KTR is the most attractive when he puts you and your comfort first. if he notices that you aren’t comfortable with the place, he’ll immediately pull you away from the scene and take you to a place where you are much comfortable.

SQR is the most attractive when he lies back and watches you do the things that make you happy. he likes watching your smile slowly pop up on your face, watching you with so much admiration.

KGV is the most attractive when he pampers you. it’s the older brother nature in him, making it easy for him to pamper you in any way possible.

PGW is the most attractive when he is confident in his own skin, even around you. to you, he’s the most attractive when he has the courage to be comfortable around you: him in his weakest or even simply in his snorlax pajamas.

HYJ is the most attractive when he tries to figure out how love works out with you. he’s young, he has a lot to learn more about the world. and with love, it’s easier to figure out with you.

© GUNFLEUR — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

𝙕𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:**:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟˏˋ°•*⁀➷*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･

𝙅𝙞𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙜:

↳ None yet!

𝙕𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙖𝙤:

↳ None yet!

𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙗𝙞𝙣:

↳ None yet!

𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙬:

↳ None yet!

𝙏𝙖𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙚:

↳ None yet!

𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙮:

↳ None yet!

𝙂𝙮𝙪𝙫𝙞𝙣:

↳ None yet!

𝙂𝙪𝙣𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙠:

↳ None yet!

𝙔𝙪𝙟𝙞𝙣:

↳ bf yujin texts!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:**:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟˏˋ°•*⁀➷*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･

ᵕ̈ ೫˚∗: zb1 as your boyfriend

a/n: these get progressively longer the more you go on and that’s my bad, i’m just insane over this group idk …

notes: long hair is implied in jiwoong’s, yujin is not included due to his age!, i did not proofread this so sorry for typos

wc | 3.5k

jiwoong

i think this would be so much fun in the like adult way … like doing taxes together and watching tv shows

dating jiwoong means SETTLING DOWN!!! this is for the long run for real

in all seriousness i think being jiwoong’s s/o means you will feel very secure at all times

he isn’t interested in anyone but you … like seriously

looks at you like you’re the only person on the planet when you’re out and about

if anyone hits on him, he shuts it down SO fast that you’ll barely have time to process what happened

in terms of love languages, i’d say his is probably acts of service in both giving and receiving

there’s no better way to show him that you love him than taking care of little chores around the house (especially the ones he usually does) or picking up some toothpaste when he’s running low

in the same way, he loves to do those things for you—he really appreciates the way you smile when you find out he did the dishes for you <;<3

overall, a very sweet relationship, and a very very long-term one

IT’S ALMOST LAUGHABLE how gentle Jiwoong is as he braids your hair, pulling each strand off your head with such precision and cautiousness that you’d think he was braiding strands of pure gold. Weddings were long events, and you’d noticed that, every time you went to one, you ended up with a million knots in your hair that you had to spend extra time brushing out after.

So, Jiwoong had the bright idea to braid your hair—and insisted he do it for you, so that you wouldn’t have to keep your arms raised for so long, or something. You just didn’t think he’d try this hard at it.

“You can go a little faster, you know,” you said, painting your eyelashes with mascara. “If you go any slower, we’ll be late to the ceremony.”

“We can just sit in the back,” he mumbled, continuing to put one strand over the other. “I need to make sure it’s well-done so it doesn’t just knot your hair even worse than leaving it down does.”

You sighed, a little smile appearing on your face. “Whatever makes you happy,” you sighed, continuing to put on your mascara. “Who am I to say no?”

zhang hao

i feel like the most prominent part of dating zhang hao is trying to figure out how you scored him LOL

i mean look at him … he's so perfect it’s almost painful

and he’s such a good boyfriend that literally all of your friends are so jealous … and he’s the only guy they haven’t called ugly so that’s a plus LOL

i will say though dating him has to mean you’re really comfortable with yourself because just about everyone shoots their shot with him

obviously he turns them down but he’s too nice to do it in a way where they’ll actually be scared off (cough jiwoong cough)

he’s very loving and very appreciative, and loves hearing about everything you do

tbh he just loves you

his love language is definitely physical touch, but in the like sweetest way possible

he holds your hand and swings it around when you’re out and about, he leans his head on your shoulder when you watch movies, he puts his head in your lap when you’re sitting on the couch…

and he always stares at you, which is super nerve-wracking, but he just loves you so much that he can’t help it

seriously has heart eyes for you

IT’S NOT ALWAYS that your mom calls, but you supposed today just had to be the day. As much as you love her, she tends to talk your ear off, which is something you’d rather not deal with at a random time in the middle of your day. Nevertheless, it was better to get it over with now rather than later.

Hao had been napping with his head on your lap when she called, and you’d hoped that would be a good excuse to hang up. Except, when you pleaded with your mom, telling her that Hao was sleeping and you didn’t want to wake him, she insisted that she needed to talk to you right then. So, for the past twenty minutes, you’d been listening to her talk about her knitting club while you ran your hand through his hair.

You’d also failed to notice that Hao had been awake since before she’d even called. Initially, he just wanted a few more seconds laying on you before you kicked him off (because your thighs were cramping and you needed to stretch), but he’d been pleasantly surprised when your attention was stolen by the phone call.

So, when you looked down and saw him staring at you oh-so-lovingly, you choked on air, causing your mom to frantically ask you what was wrong. All the while, he stared at you, wondering how he managed to find you (but shouldn’t you be asking that)?

hanbin

if you’re feeling unloved, just date hanbin and he will fix it right up for you

he is an endless pit of love and is just waiting to give it to someone (that someone happens to be you)

you’re like 90% sure he popped out of a cheesy romance novel and wandered straight to your door but i digress

everything about this guy is so pleasant that it’s almost nauseating

his mom, how clean his bedroom is, how much he happens to enjoy cooking, how much he loves all the things you suggest as date ideas, it’s so much that your friends are suspicious that he’s hiding something incredibly unforgivable

he’s not, though, he’s just like that

and he just happened to be truly, madly, deeply in love with you so congrats on that one!!!

hanbin’s love language is also physical touch (shocker)

he’s super clingy, especially when you go out together, and has to have a hand on you at all times (if you get separated it will literally ruin his day)

really loves to cuddle with you…for example, if you decide to take a nap without him, you will wake up wrapped in his impossible to escape koala hug

he also loves kisses. forehead kisses, cheek kisses, all kisses … he especially loves it when you kiss his tattoos

he gets super enamored with you when you give him the same energy back, so try that out, too

EVERY DAY, YOU GET HOME from work around the time Hanbin’s decided to start dinner, and, every day, you attempt the same little prank. Slowly, you enter your home, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

The sound of the nightly news fills your ears, and the smell of whatever Hanbin decided to make attacks your nose. As subtly as possible, you put your bag and keys down on a dresser you have in the entryway, removing your shoes and tiptoeing through the house as quietly as possible.

As usual, Hanbin’s back is facing the doorway, and he’s hunched over the stove, fiddling with whatever he’s making. You tip-toe run up to him, bumping into him and wrapping your arms around his waist. He giggles, as usual, and puts his hands on your arms.

“Hi,” you say into his back, which prompts him to turn around in your embrace, staring down at you with the most loving expression he could muster up.

And, placing a kiss on the crown of your head, he says, “I missed you.”

matthew

CUTE BOYFRIEND!!!

matthew is like so clueless in a relationship and he’s just kind of winging everything, which makes him about 70% funnier

you’ll be out shopping and he’ll pick something up, usually a trinket of sorts, look you dead in the eyes, and say, “is this something people get for their partners?”

if you say yes, it will magically appear in your bedroom like 4 days later and he’ll be oh-so proud of himself

your parents LOVE matthew, to the point where you begin to wonder if they like him more than they like you

it’s nice, though, because they’re more willing to help pay for your utility bill if they know matthew’s benefitting from it too LOL

he’s such a sweet boyfriend that sometimes you like need to stop and put your phone down

his love languages are words of affirmation on the receiving end and gift giving on the giving end

when you’re away from one another, he texts you selfies along with cute little summaries of what he’s doing and absolutely expects you to do the same

also sends good morning/good night texts if he can’t say it in person for whatever reason

also has some like tiktok-worthy beige flags (the comments say they’re all green flags)

like he asks you what your ring size is like once a month and then comes home with ring pops and goes “i had them custom made to fit your finger”

and you’re like “omg matthew i can’t believe you would do that for me!!!”

MATTHEW’S HANDS ARE poorly covering your eyes as he leads you to this mystery-location that he’d spent the entire day hyping up. He swore it was going to absolutely blow you away, and had even said that you’d be at a loss for words.

“We’re almost there,” he said, excitement dripping from his words. “Be careful, there’s a couple of steps here.”

You did your best to ascend without face planting, although it was a bit difficult given that Matthew was unknowingly rushing you due to his excitement. “Okay, are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

In a flash, he removed his hands from your eyes, and it takes you a second to realize what you’re staring at. It’s a table cutely decorated for some sort of picnic, with string lights overhead and a candle burning on the table. You realize you’re in your parents backyard pretty quickly, but the thing that really has you confused is the teddy bear sitting on the edge. It looks exactly like the one you carried around as a kid, albeit much cleaner—but you’d lost it when you were 10.

“I tore apart your house looking for it,” Matthew said, putting his head on your shoulder. “Mr. Tumnus, right? Like the Narnia character? He was behind the couch. I got him cleaned, too. Do you like it?”

taerae

swoon

UGHHHH taerae is so perfect

like he’s totally the boy next door, locker neighbor, church boy type of boyfriend

he asked you out on valentine’s day with a bouquet of your favorite flowers and a box of like really pretty chocolate-covered strawberries and you’ve been whipped since

you’re both wrapped around each other’s fingers in the most severe way possible

you’re also definitely like a married couple, specifically a couple of grandparents who’ve been retired for like 30 years

you probably share a friend group, and everyone in the group considers you two the parents of the group (you’re the dad)

almost always, you have a third wheel, but that’s fine because you and taerae are good at making sure it’s not awkward (which is why people always want to come on your dates)

taerae’s love language is definitely quality time

more often than not you’re both doing something completely separate from one another and he doesn’t care, he just likes knowing that you’re around

i don’t see him being the touchiest person, even in a relationship, so spending time together is the only thing taerae needs to feel loved. if you never blow him off and spend all of your free time just sitting next to him, he’ll be entirely pleased forever and ever

SOMETIMES, YOU FORGET that Taerae is in the room with you, which tends to be more embarrassing than you’d have wanted it to be.

Once, early in your relationship, he’d come over and you’d been spending time in your room. Except, hours had passed without you saying a word to each other, and you’d forgotten he was even there in the first place. You were so engrossed in your latest craft project, attempting to crochet, that he’d blended into the scenery of your bedroom.

So, when you kept messing up on a particular stitch, you found it fit to stand up and absolutely scream at the top of your lungs. When you got done, you planned to sit down and keep doing, but you heard Taerae laugh nervously behind you, causing you to freeze up.

“Uh, what was that?”

You turned around, staring at him with what could only be described as horror written on your face. You stared at one another in complete silence for what felt like hours, although in reality it must’ve been no more than five or six seconds.

“I forgot you were here,” you finally choked out, feeling heat rush to your cheeks. Taerae just laughed, and it only made you feel more miserable.

“You’re adorable, you know?”

ricky

ricky is such a sweet boyfriend

even if he’s a bit awkward at times he’s so nice to be around

i think he just cares about you so much that he fluctuates in the same way that you do…if you’re happy, he’s happy, if you’re sad, he’s sad, etc…

at the same, he’s always completely panicked that he is not doing enough for you

he constantly checks in to make sure that you are getting what you need from him, and, while he wouldn’t say it aloud, he appreciates it when you do the same

he doesn’t like conflict so he pretty much does anything he can to get rid of the problem before it happens

as such, if he finds out anything upsetting, he will approach you about it instantaneously

i think ricky’s love language is gift giving, though, both on the receiving end and on the giving end

whether it’s an origami flower made out of a receipt you got or a pretty necklace you found while out and about with friends, ricky treasures it like it’s his child

almost every gift you’ve gotten him is displayed in his room somewhere, like he’s got a whole shelf dedicated to things that you gave him …

all of his gifts are incredibly well thought out too even if they’re last minute

he also tends to just give you anything that you express literally any interest in

you like the hat he’s wearing? okay it’s yours now

“no i mean that i like it on you!!”

he doesn’t care it’s yours now

THANKS TO A FAMILY VACATION, you hadn’t been able to see Ricky for a week, which had been the end of the world for both of you. So, the moment you got back home, you ditched the comfort of your room to head straight to his house.

The moment he opened his front door, you collapsed into his arms, taking in the scent of his cologne mixed with the smell of laundry detergent coming from his sweater. Then, you realized that the sweater he was wearing was new.

You leaned back to get a better look at it, taking it in. “I like it!” you exclaimed, smiling up at him. He tilted his head in confusion, staring back down at you.

“Like what?”

“The new sweater.”

Without even skipping a beat, Ricky tugged it over his head, causing your mouth to drop open a bit. “Wait, no—”

Before you could finish your sentence, he’d pulled it over your head, and was waiting for you to put your arms through the sleeves. He smiled, happy with his sudden attack. “I knew you would, so I got two.”

gyuvin

dating gyuvin is so much fun

you were probably friends before you started dating, so when you start dating, it’s like your friendship amped up 200% along with like some kissing and stuff LOL

he knows you inside and out, to the point where you wonder if he knows you better than you know you

he also definitely had a crush on you for a loooong time before he acted on it so he remembers little details you shared in passing from years in the past

as such he’s constantly taking you out on the most lovely dates you could possibly imagine

you mentioned you like hot chocolate two years ago on a friend group outing? well good news! gyuvin remembered and he’s taking you to a world-renowned cafe that’s specifically noted for its hot chocolate

you like barbie movies???? every single one is downloaded onto his computer. every one. and he knows which one is your favorite

i think gyuvin’s love languages are acts of service + quality time

he just likes doing things for you and he likes doing things with you too … he just likes you tbh

he’d be heartbroken if you ever said no to one of his meticulously planned out dates so make sure to never do that (his friends would also hate you instantly and being hated by sung hanbin AND park gunwook is terrifying so don’t do that)

strangely enough, when you reciprocate the energy and plan out intense dates based on little tiny information, he gets super flustered, so try it out if you can

THE FIRST THING that comes out of Gyuvin’s mouth when he comes into your living room is, “You remembered?”

You’re almost taken aback by the question, eyes widening the moment the words leave his mouth. He was asking you that? After he remembered every little detail about you, from your favorite episode of your favorite show to your favorite breed of dog?

“Of course I remembered that you like soccer. How could I forget that you like soccer?”

You’d set up a little mini-party for the both of you to watch the World Cup, equipped with snacks and a jersey for his favorite team. And, somehow, he was a blushing mess, as if he didn’t expect you to remember something so basic about him.

“I don’t know,” he mumbled, turning away from you as he turned beet red. “I just…I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Well, expect it more often,” you said, linking your arm with his, a bright smile on your face. “Cause I love you. And I love doing things for you.”

gunwook

yea gunwook is definitely your first love and you’re really hoping he’ll be the last

you probably had some sort of super dramatic lead-up to you actually getting into a relationship, so you’re also probably super attached to each other by the first day you’re calling him “boyfriend”

even though he’s young, gunwook feels a lot of responsibility for everything in his life, so being with you is essentially his wind-down time

as a result you have a lot of sleepovers, which include doing facemasks and going to bed at like 9pm because he’s so tired

and you just generally spend a lot of time together because you’re an oasis in the middle of the desert for him

gunwook feels really proud that he gets to have the title of “your boyfriend,” so be prepared for him to call himself that a lot

it makes him all giggly and happy, which makes you all giggly and happy, so you’re pretty much giggly and happy 24/7

gunwook’s love language is absolutely words of affirmation

he’s under a lot of pressure (student council vice president, class president, like good lord he is leading the people) so he just wants to hear that he’s doing well, especially from someone he cares so much about

even just telling him that he’s doing his best will make him melt in a pile of i-love-you putty

and he makes sure to do the same for you :)

IT’S NOT OFTEN THAT Gunwook breaks under the pressure, but when he does, it breaks your heart, too. It’s inevitable that he loses his balance sometimes, given the fact that he often takes on way more than he can handle, but you’re always there to pick up the pieces.

“You need to go to bed,” you say as warmly as possible, placing a hand on his shoulder. He continues to write a flurry of numbers onto his paper, trying to fulfill his plans of finishing all his weekend homework so he could spend the majority of it hanging out with you. “You can finish tomorrow morning, okay?”

Gunwook stops, finally, leaning back in his chair. He looks up at you, a frown on his face, and you can tell that he’s starting to unravel. You cup his face in your hands, looking down at him with the calmest smile you can muster.

“You did a good job, tonight. And calculus will be there for you in the morning, okay?”

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop.”

You smile, a feeling of triumph overtaking you. “Thank you very much!”

thank you for reading!

ᵕ̈ ೫˚∗: waking up with zb1

a/n: anon who requested this i saw the req and i actually felt my third eye opening ty for your service

notes: yujin is not included due to his age!, university au for gunwook’s

wc | 4.0k

jiwoong

jiwoong wakes up before you about 95% of the time

he seems like the type of guy who just … wakes up at the same time every day, no matter how late he went to sleep the night before

body clock and all that

so i imagine jiwoong wakes up at around 7, but he doesn’t move for a good 15 minutes

during these 15 minutes he makes an important judgment call: do you want to sleep or do you want him to wake you up

he’s your personal alarm so he’ll have to wake you up at some point, it just depends on when and how he’s going to do that

sometimes you get offended when he lets you sleep, other times you will ignore him trying to wake you and continue slumbering until you smell whatever he decides to cook for breakfast

this is the most stressful decision of his day 99.9% of the time

if you wake up, you will copy his morning routine while half asleep and then doze off at the dining table until the food is ready

if you sleep, he will wake up you when the food is ready

it’s lowkey incredibly exciting for you when you wake up before him, mostly because of how infrequent it is

you’ll lord it over him for the rest of the day like it was some sort of competition in the first place LOL

he’ll be like “just set an alarm?” but that doesn’t count because he’ll wake up, too

he doesn’t understand the joys of waking up before your boyfriend who’s a responsible adult that wakes up at 7 am without even an alarm

WHEN YOU WAKE UP, you can see the light coming through your eyelids, but your brain screams at you to just go back to sleep. You begin to turn onto your other side, trying to find a new comfortable position so you can go back to your dreamland when something occurs to you.

There’s an arm draped over your middle, unmoving. You don’t hear anything but rhythmic breathing, too—no chuckles, no sighs, nobody saying your name softly.

So, your eyes rip open, immediately assaulted by the sunlight coming through your blinds. Once the shock ends, though, you’re met with the sight of Jiwoong, dead asleep in front of you. His hair is messy and his mouth is slightly ajar, his eyes are shut and his face is somewhat puffy from a full night of sleep. The sight is mesmerizing, and you bask in how beautiful your boyfriend looks, even in the morning.

Then, after a few minutes, you get to scheming.

It takes everything in you to suppress the manic giggle sliding up your throat, and, as slowly as you possibly can, you pick his arm up off your side and drop it back onto the bed.

I am going to make the best breakfast in the world, you think, scuttling out of the bedroom while you think about how exciting it is that you finally woke up before he did.

zhang hao

i imagine you wake up before zhang hao most of the time

he seems like the type of guy to be absolutely dead to the world when he’s asleep idk

you make it a point to go to bed before him too so you don’t have to listen to his snoring

i feel like hao likes being the little spoon </3 so i imagine you wake up with him nestled right up to you like a cat

of course it takes everything in you to not start screaming and crying over how cute he is

as aforementioned hao is a deep sleeper so most of the time you get up and start your day, and you only wake him up if he asked you to the night before

usually, hao will wake up when you’re sipping your morning drink of choice and scrolling through your phone on the couch

and he’ll waddle out and collapse on top of you :( head on your chest and arms wrapped around your middle … and then he goes back to sleep ON you

you’re rendered unable to move for the next half an hour so hopefully you have nowhere to be

when hao wakes up (rare, special event!) before you he doesn’t think much of it lol

usually, he just takes it as an invitation to lay in bed with you for longer

then he’ll get bored and wake you up “so you can chat”

“do i ever wake you up to chat?”

“no but i’m me”

then you’ll listen to him ramble on for a good twenty minutes while you try to wake up

he ends his little rambling session by giving you a big kiss and then getting up for the day

he’s so perfect lol

YOU WAKE UP to Hao’s finger on your cheek and his face inches away from yours, which scares you so bad that you yelp and jerk back. Hao frowns, jutting his bottom lip out as if he didn’t just wake you up at 7:30 in the morning.

“Why are you up so early?” you manage to choke out, cringing at the way you’ve woken up feeling.

“I don’t know, but I have a question,” he says, inching closer to you so his head is now on your pillow. “Do you think the government has actually found aliens and they’re just not telling anyone? Like, is that possible?”

“Huh? Why are you asking?”

“Just think about it,” he says as if there’s anything you can manage to think about at 7:30 in the morning. “Would they be able to pull that off without us knowing?”

“How would I know? I mean, maybe? If they tried hard enough?”

Hao hummed in response, tapping on his chin. “Okay. You can go back to bed."

hanbin

things are pretty middle of the road when it comes to hanbin

you could wake up first, or he could, or you wake up at around the same time

i think he has a daily alarm so whenever that goes off, if you’re both still sleeping, you’re both waking up at the same time

then there’s your allotted morning hanbin time

he doesn’t strike me as someone who wakes up quickly, so he’ll turn his alarm off and then cuddle up to you

i think he’d prefer sleeping face-to-face so most of the time your face is either buried in his chest or vice versa

at some point, he will begin the day with a “good morning beautiful” or a solid “i missed you” and it kind of feels like being punched in the stomach (he’s so UGHHGHGGH)

and he’ll ask how you slept, how you’re feeling, what you’re doing that day, etc … and you’ll do the same ofc

he’s very gentle in the mornings and he has a severe case of pink cheeks so he’s adorable to you

i see hanbin as the type of guy who likes doing his morning routine with you so you’ll get up together, brush your teeth together, wash your face, and all the different things

but i think he really really likes it when you cook him breakfast

it’s kinda odd but he will literally eat anything you put in front of him … like it could be a plate of salt and he’d be like “mmm this is delicious”

he will sit and watch you cook with a silly little grin on his face

he’s so sung hanbin

this guy is fatal

HANBIN FOLLOWS YOU to the kitchen like a chick, and, the moment you walk behind the counter, he’s immediately sitting on a stool, head resting on his arms.

“What do you want to eat?” you ask, opening the fridge to survey your options. You had plenty of eggs, and you had quite a few bread spreads that could make good toast. You had an avocado left, too, which meant you just needed to hear from your boyfriend to start cooking.

“Whatever you want.”

“Savory or sweet?”

“I could do either.”

You sigh, wondering what you were expecting. So, you take the carton of eggs from the fridge and place it next to the stove, putting a pan on and turning up the heat. You hear the sound of the stool screeching behind you and, a second later, Hanbin is wrapping his hands around your waist. You feel the weight of his head on top of yours, and you’re almost melting at the gesture.

“How do you want your eggs cooked?”

“I don’t care.”

The moment is instantly ruined by the answer, and you sigh in exasperation. “Oh my god, please just pick a type of egg. Scrambled. Over easy. Sunny side up. I will do anything, please just pick.”

matthew

matthew is another guy who wakes up before you

except he wakes up to go to the gym so when you wake up, he’s gone and there’s a little note on your nightstand telling you when he’s going to get back and how much he loves you

good news is he comes back with food so you two are NEVER cooking in the mornings

spiritually i just know that matthew is an acai bowl guy so he comes back with two of those and then you both chow down

but i think, on special occasions, he will sleep in (when this happens, he’s usually not in the mood to go to the gym), and you’ll usually wake up before him when this happens

and i think matthew treats you like his own personal teddy bear so you wake up, arms around you and head on his chest while he’s snoring away

usually, you’re good to just lay there for a while until you start getting a cramp from the way he’s holding you

you’ll try to wiggle out but it’s no use, he’s got you in an unbreakable grip

so you’re left laying there, whisper-yelling “matthew!!! matthew!!!!”

at this point you haven't even seen his face yet, just his arms iron-locked around your waist and whatever else of him that you aren’t laying on top of

finally, you give up the whispering and just flat-out yell his name, which scares the shit out of him

he lets go and you roll off of him, sighing in relief at the feeling of your cramp beginning to go away

“what was that for?”

“leg cramp”

you and matthew will proceed to not move for the next 30 minutes to an hour, with there being small conversation interspersed throughout

FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, you wake up to Matthew laying next to you, rather than you laying on top of you. He’s laying on his stomach, practically face down on his pillow, with one hand on your hip and the other jutting off the side of the bed.

You giggle at him, wondering how he ended up laying like this when he usually has you locked up in his embrace. You reach behind you as steadily as you can, feeling around your nightstand for your phone so you can take a picture.

Once you manage to grab it, you quickly turn it on, but your plan is interrupted by two things. One, it’s nearly 10 in the morning, and, two, you have three texts from Gyuvin that were sent over an hour ago, asking where Matthew was.

It takes a moment of thinking for you to realize that he’d probably slept through his alarm, leaving Gyuvin completely in the dark. You lightly poke his bicep once, and when you get no reaction, you go again, but a bit firmer this time. Matthew doesn’t even stir.

“Matthew? Hello?” you ask, but nothing. So, your only solution is to half-yell his name, which causes his eyes to fly open.

“Oh my god, what?”

“You blew off Gyuvin.”

The moment you say that he’s up and on his phone, frantically typing while you laugh at him.

taerae

i actually think you wake up before taerae nearly 100% of the time

with the newfound news that he’s a gamer, i actively think he’s probably up way later than you and doesn’t get up until like noon

because of that, if you wake up earlier in the morning, you’re either waiting 70 years for him to rise from the dead or you’re getting up without him

he’s not that hard to detach from either, as long as you replace yourself with a stuffed animal you’re good

and 90% of the time you’re the one holding onto him so it’s not that big of a deal

sometimes you’ll be eating lunch when he finally emerges and then he’ll just eat the rest of your lunch

but he always greets you and asks how your morning was :) it’s very endearing

however, when taerae wakes up before you, it’s quite literally like he just won the lottery

he treats it like it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him (similar to things with jiwoong tbh)

gets up and takes 80,000 pictures of you so he can tell everyone the good news

he attempts to make you breakfast in bed but, when he’s gone for too long, your spidey senses go off and you wake up like “oh my god where is my boyfriend he’s GONE”

so you go searching for him and find him partying it up in the kitchen

and then he gets upset at you because he had a tray ready and everything

the big event is when you wake up around the same time though

usually, it’s because you both got really drunk the night before

neither of you are happy but at least you have each other

YOU WAKE UP TO a pounding headache and a slight bit of nausea, which is something absolutely no one wants to wake up to. Taerae is lying in front of you on his back, arm over his eyes and a look of utter displeasure on his face.

“How did we get home?” was your first question, realizing that you didn’t remember anything after shotgunning an entire drink after someone told you they thought you couldn’t.

“Hanbin drove us,” he groaned, voice deep and hoarse from the sleep you just endured. You looked at the clock and realized it was 2 in the afternoon, which made you feel even worse without you trying.

Regret begins to soak into your skin as you shuffle closer to him, wrapping your arms around his waist and tucking your head into his chest. He weakly puts an arm around you, too, and you can tell he’s feeling the same way.

“Let’s never do that again,” you propose, which causes Taerae to laugh. His chest rumbling actually relieves your headache a bit, although you’re unsure as to why.

“You say that every time we go out.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t mean it.”

He scoffs, and you tighten your hold on him. “Yeah, okay. Whatever you say, sweetheart.”

ricky

with ricky it’s also a big 50/50

except he wakes up at the same time every day, with no exceptions

he goes to bed at the same time, too

he will never sacrifice his routine and every time circumstances have him waking up earlier than usual, he’s unhappy and quiet

but when he’s on schedule he will continue his schedule whether or not you’re awake

you can’t really blame him because you’d kill to be as put together as he is

so when you wake up before him you really treasure it

ricky is a beautiful sleeper, he never stops serving face

you’ve never managed to catch him looking ugly while sleeping and you’re beginning to think it’s quite literally impossible

you’ve shown your friends pictures and they’re always in awe…how does he just look like that even when he’s entirely unconscious

i think he likes to sleep near you but not necessarily cuddle

he’s mostly fine with you just being next to him, but he won’t push you off if you happen to latch onto him in the night or anything

so you usually wake up facing him with him facing you, perhaps a knee touching or something

and you ogle at him until he wakes up and goes “what are you staring at” like hello??? you, you beautiful loser

when he wakes up before you, he will wake you up when he finishes making food. always has a plate ready for you :)

very cute guy overall

YOU WAKE UP to Ricky standing over you, already completely ready for his day. He’s gotten dressed and done his hair up, and all of his jewelry on.

“Morning, princess,” he hums, and, as you come to, you realize you can smell something cinnamony coming from the kitchen. “I made breakfast if you want to come eat.”

You mumble a string of incoherencies, pushing yourself up from your comfortable position and staring at the wall for a second. Then, in what could only be described as laziness, you look at Ricky and hold your arms up. He stares at you for a second, confused as to what you’re asking for, but gets it after a couple of seconds.

He lifts you up from the bed in one fell swoop, and you wrap your legs around his waist, putting your head in the crook of his neck. You’d never felt more content in your life, and, briefly, you wondered how you managed to get yourself a Ricky.

But, the moment is over all too soon, and he’s putting you in a chair, walking over to where you assume were the premade cinnamon rolls he’d put together. “How many do you want?”

gyuvin

gyuvin strikes me as the type of guy to love sleepovers

aka you stay up until like 4 in the morning doing god knows what, and then you don’t wake up until 2 in the afternoon

and most of the time you’re waking up incredibly disoriented because you’ll have fallen asleep pretty much everywhere but your bed

once you fell asleep on a couch outside and woke up to the worst sunburns of your life

sometimes you’re laying on top of him on the couch while the TV plays the 10th hallmark movie of the day

other times you’re asleep on the floor with literally no recollection of how you got there

you’ll always have intense back and neck pain for the rest of the day though so don’t worry

but, in the off chance you two actually made it to a bed (which only happens when you have ‘girl night,’ aka you do face masks and watch mean girls), i think gyuvin is nice to wake up with

he’s the type of guy to wrap literally all of his limbs around you and trap you in a leg-and-arm cage

he’s tall and lanky and doesn’t like the fact that his feet go off the edge of your bed so obviously the solution is to just entrap you

and he’s not an incredibly heavy sleeper so he’ll notice you woke up and wake up too

the sleepover antics continue with the two of you going over every important notification you missed while you were asleep, sometimes including entire events you missed

“oh i forgot i was planning on going to lunch with gunwook and yujin…oh well”

sometimes you miss classes even though the night before you’re swearing to him that you’re not going to stay up super late and miss them

after that, you go about your day like normal

and plan to do it all again that night too

WHEN YOU WAKE UP, the first thing you notice is the extreme pain in your neck. Then, you notice the fact that you’re not laying down, rather, you’re sitting up with your back against the wall, your computer open and dead in front of you.

You then feel the weight of Gyuvin’s head on yours, and the feeling of his shoulder under your head. Your stirring wakes him up—you can feel it—and suddenly he’s groaning about how bad his neck hurts. “What were we even doing?” you asked, swiping your fingers on the mousepad of your laptop. It doesn’t turn on, and you decide to attempt to sit up straight. In the process, a bunch of pops come from your back, which feel awful and good simultaneously.

“I don’t remember,” he said, a slight strain to his voice. “I think we were binging the, like, golden buzzer videos. Right? Isn’t that it?”

“I don’t know.”

You turn to see Gyuvin stretching, most likely trying to rid himself of the pain from sleeping like you had. For some reason, the sight causes you to burst into laughter, which causes him to do the same. And, for a few moments, the two of you sit there, cracking up at nothing but each other.

gunwook

the third routine haver of zb1 after matthew and ricky

he’s awful at sticking to it though

you and gunwook wake up at the same time because his alarm (titled “wake up and go to the gym”) wakes the two of you up

because he’s only 18, you’re not living together, so you aren’t really used to waking up with him lol

also because of your youth, when you’re waking up with each other, it’s often in his twin XL dorm bed

so you’re laying on top of him practically and you’re sharing one pillow

it’s really not comfortable but gyuvin, his roommate, spent the night at ricky’s so you didn’t want to pass the opportunity up

you both regret it the moment you wake up cause you’re sweaty and gross LOL

usually, you’re the first one to sit up, mostly because he can only get up once you have

but then you spend like 30 minutes just sitting up on the bed holding hands

you’ll ask what time gyuvin is gonna get back and he just shrugs

neither of you wants to get up literally every time this happens so by the end of the 30 minutes you’re back to laying down

except your head is on his chest and he’s got his arms around you

then you lay there for another hour until gunwook gets a text that gyuvin’s on his way up because he forgot his wallet and he and ricky want to go out

gyuvin CANNOT see you in the room because he’ll make fun of the both of you endlessly

you’re both super awake now

panic ensues

YOU PRACTICALLY FLY off the bed the moment you read the text, Gunwook following quickly after you. You whip your head around the room, looking for a place to hide from the monster that is now quickly approaching your safe haven.

Under the bed is too obvious, and too open, so Gyuvin would easily be able to see you. Under the desk isn’t big enough, nor is it covering enough, so there’s only one option for you, and Gunwook has already beaten you to it. He’s throwing the closet door open, ripping a shirt and jeans from inside, while you practically nose dive in.

Gunwook slams it shut, and there are mere seconds until you hear the door unlock and open. Your heart is pounding as you hear Ricky greet Gunwook, and Gyuvin rustling through his stuff.

“Oh, [First] isn’t here?” Gyuvin asks, sounding genuinely bewildered.

“Isn’t she probably just hiding?” Ricky counters and your heart drops. Gunwook laughs, and you hope they can’t tell it’s incredibly panicked.

“Should we look?”

It goes silent, Gunwook offering another awkward laugh. “Nah, just kidding. See you later, man.”

The moment the door opens and closes, your body deflates in relief, and Gunwook opens the closet door, letting you back out into the world.

thank you for reading !

tags: @happysmileybee @wtfhyuck

ᵕ̈ ೫˚∗: cuddling with zb1

a/n: anon this is such a good request thank you also it’s so hard to describe like how people work

notes: yujin is not included due to his age!

wc | 2.1k

jiwoong

big strong warm man

what i mean is jiwoong is the perfect surface to lay on

i think he’s the type of guy to enjoy cuddling but he also doesn’t like need to be cuddling you at all times during your downtime

like it’s not a need yk

and he won’t ask to cuddle (so if you want to and he’s not thinking about it you’re gonna have to ask)

but he’s the type of guy to like … yawn as an excuse to put his arm around you LOL

jiwoong’s ideal cuddling spot is on the couch while you watch tv/a movie

he appreciates it when you lay on him. you’re like his personal and unique weighted blanket

he’ll be sprawled out on the couch and you’ll be on top of him, head on his chest

he will put his arms around your waist and will intermittently poke your sides like he’s checking to make sure you’re real

if you lay there for too long he will kick you off when he feels his arms starting to go numb lol

at night, i don’t think he’s the guy to full on cuddle

i think maybe he’ll put an arm on your waist but that’s it

he doesn’t like your icicle hands jolting him awake at 3 am LOL

if he’s sick he will attach himself to you though … he will also apologize for making you sick afterwards

cuddle rating: 8/10, minus two points for always making you ask

zhang hao

hao is a princess and he likes to sit on your lap

i won’t let anybody tell me otherwise he will actively just sit on you

doesn’t matter what you’re doing or where you are he will just sit on you

it’s kinda like the opposite of jiwoong … hao loves to lay on you except he’s (most likely) taller than you so it’s awkward

sometimes you’ll be napping and he’ll scare you awake by literally collapsing on you

he likes cuddles a lot though so that’s not all he’s doing

i said this in another set of hcs i did but i think hao likes being the little spoon

again he’s a princess

but also i think he just likes the feeling? like he feels comforted in your embrace so he wants you to just hug him all the time

he also strikes me as the type of person who gets cold easily so it warms him up too

on rare occasions, he will be the big spoon but it’s usually when you’re feeling bad and it’s making him sad

hao’s ideal cuddling spot is anywhere but he does like the bed a bit more

cuddling with him is also very quiet and relaxing

there are a lot of kisses on the cheek, forehead, pretty much everywhere

overall very soft and fun time !! it’s very intimate and cute

cuddle rating: 9/10, minus 1 point for him telling you to suck it up when your legs go numb from him sitting on you for so long

hanbin

hanbin is sooo clingy

has to have a hand on you at all times so cuddling is regular

like hao, he will cuddle up to you anywhere at any time, it doesn’t matter if you’re alone or literally all of the boys are there

he’ll sit on your lap but also enjoys it when you sit on his

big spoon, little spoon, it doesn’t matter he is LOVING IT!!!

but i think hanbin prefers cuddling on the couch most

idk if anyone else thinks this but he’s so christmas-coded in my brain, so his ideal is sitting on the couch with the fireplace on and just enjoying each other’s company

he likes laying his head in your lap a lot, especially when you’re talking about your days together

because he can see every single move and every expression you make, so he can easily gauge whether you’re talking about something negative or positive

he will switch with you when you’re done talking, so your head will be on his lap as he tells you about everything you did that day

and he’ll play with your hair while he talks it’s very sweet

hanbin is also the type of guy to cuddle with you while you’re sleeping at night

he can’t sleep without you being there :( he’ll require a stuffed animal replacement when you’re gone

if i keep talking about this i’m going to collapse

cuddle rating: 13/10, plus 3 points for the way he nuzzles up to you at any moment he can

matthew

matthew falls asleep every time you cuddle

it’s so bad

you’ll literally just be leaning on him while you sit on the couch, you’ll look up at him, and he’ll be fast asleep

as a result cuddling with matthew can be very uncomfortable because he’s just like asleep on you

i think his favorite thing to do his like … how do i explain this … i couldn’t figure it out so here’s a link to renjun and chenle doing what i'm thinking of

it’s the easiest way for him to conk out and also not cause you to get the worst cramp of your life in your leg

in the rare moments you fall asleep on him it makes him giggle so much that he wakes you up

and then he falls asleep like 3 minutes later

thanks matthew

a lot of your matthew cuddling time comes from napping with him

i could talk about napping for hours but to keep it short it’s just very sweet

matthew is big and strong man and NOT!!! cute guy so he likes to be big spoon a lot

i mean a lot

more than being a strong man i just think matthew likes holding onto things idk

like he’d be content with a huge teddy bear but he prefers you instead … you know

cuddle rating: 8/10, minus 2 points for laughing at you when you fall asleep on him and minus 1 point for falling asleep on you right after, plus one point for being the absolute cutest

taerae

cuddling with taerae is so casual like that’s the only way i can put it

idk it’s like … you’ll be sitting on the couch holding hands

and then he’ll put an arm around you … and then you’ll put your head on his shoulder … and then his legs are on yours … and now you’re here idk

taerae also likes to sit on your lap

except it’s in the funny way where he’ll taerae sashay over and then kinda just perch himself there

arms around your neck and arms crossed

this is his excuse to be near you in front of other people … he makes it jokey so that he can then give you a kiss on the cheek and tell you how much he loves you

loser

i think when you cuddle with taerae seriously it’s mostly in bed

he takes big naps and drags you with him

you fall asleep and wake up in a human knot like 5 hours later

your leg is on top of his and he’s got an arm like laying over your face and you’ve got an arm over his waist

you feel kinda sweaty and gross too but taerae looks really cute so it’s okay

i also think taerae likes to cuddle when he’s not having the greatest day

he’ll just sit down with you and collapse on you, face in your neck and arms wrapped around your waist :(

i love taerae sooo much

cuddle rating: 8/10, minus 2 points for trapping you in a knot for an hour that one time because he wouldn’t wake up

ricky

don’t hate me but i don’t think ricky is a big cuddler

it’s not that he doesn’t like it it’s just not his favorite thing in the whole entire world

his idea of cuddling is like holding your hand LOL

if you’re big into cuddling or your love language is physical touch he’s going to suck up his opinions and cuddle you it’s just gonna be a bit awkward

like he will weirdly put an arm over your shoulder while you lay on him

it’s like being in middle school all over again

he will literally google “how to cuddle” and ask gyuvin for pointers

you’d think cuddling was an olympic sport like just hug ur s/o bro

so i don’t really have much to say on that but i have A LOT to say when it comes to skinship

ricky is a hand-on-your-waist enthusiast

idk it just fits there so perfectly … it’s like his arm was meant to be around your waist

no matter where u go that’s where it is

i also think ricky gives shockingly good hugs? idk they’re kinda hot LOL

he does the thing where he’ll greet you by hugging you with specifically one arm … can you guys envision this like i can

big back hug guy … and he will put his head on top of yours

god SWOON ricky is so UGHHGGHGH

cuddle rating: 5/10 stop asking gyuvin for pointers // hug rating: 10/10 how can u make a hug so attractive bro (i need to write ricky brother’s best friend)

gyuvin

HUMAN TEDDY BEAR!!!

lanky boys are meant to be cuddled i don’t make the rules

he’s just so easy to koala hug cause he’s so long

based on what we know about him i think gyuvin LOOVES to cuddle

specifically i think he likes to lay on your tummy

like you’ll be laying down normally and then he will come lay perpendicular to you so he can use ur tummy as a pillow

if you’re not lying down he will substitute for your chest, and he likes to convince himself he’s the reason your heart is beating that fast (it is beating at an absolutely average rate LMFAO)

his absolute favorite is when you put your head on his chest

it makes his heart flutter and gives him butterflies like he's a schoolgirl about to confess to her crush

you can literally hear his heart pounding when you do it

i think cuddle sessions between you and gyuvin are also gossip sessions

like he will unload every insane thing he’s heard recently onto you and expect you to do the same

when you’re gossiping he likes to lay face-to-face, and a lot of the time he will just put his hand on your face

or he will put his arm on your waist … or mess with your hair

you’ll be saying the most heinous shit about someone and he will be giggling bc he thinks you look pretty

and you do the same exact thing

when you sleep he encases you in an impossible-to-escape limb cage so good luck with that

cuddle rating: 10/10 get ready to hear exactly how that one guy in his math class cheated on his gf

gunwook

HUMAN TEDDY BEAR AGAIN!!!

i know this man is the cuddle CHAMPION like you take one look at him and you can tell he gives warm hugs

he’s also like a space heater so he’s automatically the number 1 person to be around

tbh it could be like 30°f and you wouldn’t need a blanket you’d just need to attach yourself to gunwook

he loooves cuddles soooo much this guy just thinks it’s so cute

he teehees like a teenage girl every time you do

gunwook’s ideal cuddle is you being fast asleep with your face in his chest and your arms around his waist

mostly because he can take these really cheesy selfies of you asleep on him like bro stand UP

but also because he can scroll on his phone and have something to do while he acts as your personal heater

also appreciates laying on top of you which is sometimes difficult because he’s generally larger than you

i also think he would enjoy it when you sit in between his legs and he can like … wrap his arm around you and put his head on your shoulder … does that make sense

when gunwook is sleeping he treats you like the pillow he talked abt in that one clip … so his leg is on you and his chin is on your head etc

it’s cute

sometimes you can’t breathe tho

cuddle rating: 10/10 equal to gyuvin but unique in his own ways. go to the store and get yourself a gunwook

thank you for reading !

tags: @happysmileybee @wtfhyuck

the soulmates unfortunately series (zb1) [preview]

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ABOUT. here's the thing about soulmates, once you meet the one that is meant for you, you start to age. the biological clock starts to tick, and you are no longer the fresh faced 20 year old. years go by, and next thing you know it, you've grown old and wrinkly – right next to the love of your life. but here's the thing about y/n, she hated that.

y/n has had many soulmates in her lifetime, 4 of which had made a significant impact on her life. namely, her first husband, kim jiwoong. the man that she had a daughter with, zhang hao. the husband that raised her daughter, sung hanbin. and finally, ricky shen. (un)fortunately for her, her soulmates keep dying.

genre: romance with adult themes warnings: mentions of death, blood, character death, killers, cursing, etc. contains adult themes. each chapter will have specified warnings. note: yujin is not in this series as he is not 18 yet.

CHAPTERS

chapter zero: the first few soulmates

chapter one: the man she first married, kim jiwoong

chapter two: the man she had a daughter with, zhang hao

chapter three: the man that raised her daughter, sung hanbin

chapter four: unfortunately, ricky shen

chapter five: the finale

PREVIEW OF CH ZERO. (below the cut)

“Got anything that’ll get me drunk in the next ten minutes?” 

You plopped down on the bar stool, haphazardly placing your purse next to you. The bartender is eyeing you strangely, as if in disbelief that you’re even inside their hole in the wall establishment. 

You sigh and pull out your identification card, a laminated piece of junk that tells you how old you really are. Scratch that, how old you are meant to be. He picks up the card and raises it up next to your face, comparing the woman in the picture to the you that sits in front of him. It reminds you that you need to get it renewed…again. After all, the last time you updated your photo was sometime in the 80s, reflecting a version of you with big hair and large colorful earrings. You don’t blame him for wanting to double check, contrasting the all-black ensemble you currently sport. 

“Listen pal, I just buried my daughter today. I would appreciate it if you could get on with it”. You might not blame him, but you are impatient. 

He slides your ID card back and pours you a whiskey on the rocks. “Sorry for your loss ma’am” he solemnly extends his condolences as he places your drink in front of you. You pick it up, raising it and nodding a “thank you” before taking a large gulp. It burns. 

You outlived your daughter. And you wonder if you’ve been going about life in all the wrong ways.

Atop the alcohol display at the bar is a small TV, flashing a report about a young woman named Somi who was murdered and found dead at her home – leaving her husband a widower. The news station flashed a photo of the blonde couple, sharing that they had just gotten married a week ago. She was beautiful. A shame. 

At that moment, a tall man enters the bar and decides to take a seat next to you. Other than the fact that he too, is dressed in all black – you feel a deeper sense of similarity. Like kindred spirits, you recognize broken souls like yours. You order two more rounds of the whiskey the bartender gave you. 

“I heard about your late wife in the news, I’m sorry for your loss.” You feign sympathy and slide the glass to the man next to you. 

He looks taken aback at first, but accepts your offer. Now facing you, he raises his drink to you. You do the same.

He’s strikingly handsome, with platinum hair and dark eyebrows. You also don’t miss that he’s dressed in Yves Saint Laurent from head to toe. He takes a peek at your ID card still laying on the table, making sure to catch your name. 

“Next one’s on me, Y/N” he says, taking another swig at his whiskey, finishing his glass. He calls on the bartender, and buys an entire bottle for the two of you. The bartender returns his credit card, with the name ‘Shen Quanrui’ engraved. 

“Thank you Quanrui, that’s very generous of you.” 

He puts on a small smile, almost no one calls him by his legal name. “You can call me Ricky” he says as he pours into your glass. 

“Alright Ricky. Here’s to life.” you raise up. It feels inappropriate to be clinking glasses on the day you buried your daughter, but you figured you could make an exemption. Ricky too, seemed to be going through the same thing with his late wife. 

“To life.” he responds, tapping his glass against yours. 

Just two broken souls who had lost someone important in their lives, drinking to fill the hollowness. You almost don’t feel the familiar bloom in your chest, tugging at your entire being like a magnet trying to find its other half. And if you do feel it, you pretend it’s the whiskey burning its place in your heart. 

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written in the stars | zhang hao royalty au

☆ chapter 2 here ☆

genre: angst, romance

pairing: reader (afab) x zhang hao

about/tags: in which zhang hao is a crown prince, and you are not the princess he's arranged to marry (1.9k words)

royalty au, arranged marriage (not to reader), love at first sight, i'm in a bridgerton mood that's why i wrote this

The palace is buzzing, and you’ve never seen it so busy. The servants seem to multiply as they make haste with the preparations. All the curtains have been drawn back, and the palace gleams in natural sunlight. The hallways smell of fresh flowers, and the floors are newly polished; you can almost see your reflection. Faintly, you can hear the footmen yelling, signaling the arrival of the royal heir of the neighboring country.  

While they were only arriving on a formality, these occasions are naturally celebrated extravagantly. No expense spared in public appearances, dinner parties, and tournaments. After all, it is only once where a soon-to-be-king is able to visit the home of his queen-to-be. Then, she is whisked away from her roots, to start a new life elsewhere. 

How wonderful, a royal wedding is to take place soon.

But not yours. 

Despite what people may think, you enjoy not being the eldest daughter of the family. You didn’t get all the attention from male suitors in soirees, you weren’t gifted the finest jewels, nor were you surrounded by a flock of ladies at all times. It’s liberating, you think. 

Your sister didn’t even have much of a say when it came to her marriage preparations. With the diligence of a dutiful princess, she complied and obliged to the plans of your parents. You couldn’t imagine living a life like that, being told that a certain path was your destiny. You certainly did not envy the life of the eldest princess. 

You contemplate moving from your spot to greet the esteemed guest, but it is decided for you when a butterfly lands on your shoulder. You gently place your finger near its legs, hoping it will latch on for you to get a closer look. Instead, it flutters away.

Curiosity gets the best of you and you follow it – all the way to the edge of the garden. 

To your surprise, it lands on the shoulder of a man. All you know of him is that he’s dressed in a cream ensemble. Engrossed in his conversation with your father, he clearly doesn’t notice the delicate creature on his shoulder. 

“Ah y/n darling, you’re here. Say hello to his highness” your father, who probably spots you staring, introduces you to the man. 

You curtsy, “good afternoon, your grace. Welcome to Astoria” 

Returning the greeting, he bows gently, then takes your hand where he places a small kiss from his lips. While a traditional greeting amongst royals, it was an act you weren’t used to receiving. When you both look up and meet his eyes for the first time, you’re suddenly met with jealousy – “a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, princess”

And for the first time in your life, you wish you were your sister. 

—--⋆⋆☆⋆⋆—-

When you show him around your palace, as your father instructed, he greets your staff warmly. He asks you questions about your people, your customs, and your culture. He listens intently, watching you greatly elaborate about the place you call home. While you  talk his ear off, he takes slow strides to also appreciate the art, the flowers, and the instruments that play the most beautiful melodies. When you near the quartet, he  fixates specifically on the violin, watching it be played with such admiration. 

“Do you fancy the violin, your grace?” you ask. 

“I find it the most beautiful, do you not? An extremely difficult instrument to learn, but when mastered, elicits music fit for the angels.” 

He thanks the violinist and commends him for his talent, before you both continue with the palace tour. 

Sensitive, gentle, and kind – Prince Zhang Hao is every bit the person that is perfect to rule a kingdom.

—--⋆⋆☆⋆⋆—-

At dinnertime, you try to focus on your meal. Instead, you watch the prince enjoy the company of your sister. They’re both smiling as they engage in small conversation, you can’t tell what it’s about, but he looks charmed. As they all always are, you think.  

When you turn your attention elsewhere, Hao finds himself looking at you. In a brief moment of distraction, he watched you bring the wine to your lips, slightly staining it a deep burgundy. 

—--⋆⋆☆⋆⋆—-

It’s a bright summer afternoon, and the light from outside refracts beautifully against the stained glass windows. Being trained in arts, music, and sciences – your favorite place in the whole world had to be the royal library. So you find yourself here often, reading a book, studying maps of the stars, or much like today, practicing the violin. 

When you finish the song, you hear applause, and you’re shocked to see the prince. “I didn’t take you for a violinist, princess”. His body leaning against one of the bookshelves, arms crossed against his chest. Without the prying eyes of the servants, nor the pressures of royals, he seems relaxed. 

You gently place the violin back in its case, and look over your shoulder. “Am I good enough to elicit music fit for angels, you reckon?” He smiles, remembering the comment he made a few days before. 

“I wouldn’t have applauded you if you weren’t, I’m quite an honest man you know.” You chuckle, “and indeed you are, your grace.” 

“You can just call me Hao.” 

And while you are taken aback, you humor him anyway. “Okay, Hao – may I ask why you’re holed up here with me at the royal library? Shouldn’t you be with her royal highness today to greet the public?”

“Your sister is currently busy meeting the designer for her gown, so I decided to find something else to keep me occupied.” he walks nearer to you, hands behind his back. 

Boldly, you respond with “well, you have the pleasure of my company now”. He comes face to face with you when he says:

“Indeed I do, princess y/n.”

—--⋆⋆☆⋆⋆—-

Over the next few weeks, Hao has joined you at the library in the early mornings. While the rest of his day is spent fulfilling the duties of a visiting prince, the start of his day is reserved for you.

You get to know each other better through the study of geography, as he tells you about the places he’s visited on your maps. You tell him how certain stars align to form different constellations, and how the night sky might have been decorated differently on your birthdays. You learn that he speaks multiple languages, after he helps you transcribe the ancient texts from the east. 

He speaks gently, yet with conviction. He smiles softly when you call his name, and approaches you in a gentle manner. He is also patient, when you are slow to understand him. He looks into your eyes intently while you tell stories, and you feel that his gaze might burn holes into your existence. His touch, gentle, when he guides you on the piano. And when challenged by you, plays the violin equally as beautifully. 

Among other thoughts, you’re happy to know your sister will marry a good man. 

“I have to go now, princess. I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

You smile at him warmly, “like always, Hao.”

—--⋆⋆☆⋆⋆—-

But he didn't arrive the next day, nor any day after that. Instead, his time has been given to your sister, who has requested to have morning tea with him daily. You don’t fault him, it’s his duty as a fiance. And perhaps time away from him is good. 

So when you find him gazing out at the same balcony of the library, you are surprised. 

“Y/N, what do the stars say tonight?” you look up at the sky, and then at him. He’s leaning against the railing, propped up against his elbows. Facing you, you fear that his height will cause him to fall backwards.

“Difficult to say with all the clouds, there barely are any.” As if to confirm your analysis, he too looks up at the sky. 

“So what brings you here, hao?” you ask as you make your way over next to him. You look up once again, hoping to find what he is looking for. 

“I wanted to spend my last night here to gaze at the Astoria stars you tell me about.” Right. His last day here. You don’t know when he’ll return, and if they will at all. But tomorrow he leaves with your sister to his country, Mariposa. The next time you see him will be at his wedding. 

“It’s a shame, maybe you should visit more often then”. You huff out, half jokingly because you know that’ll never happen.

“Yeah, maybe I should…” Hao trails off and watches you turn around to lean toward the balcony instead. Your face is resting on your hand, and you’re looking out into the garden hoping to be graced by the illumination of the fireflies. The moonlight hits your face, and hao studies the way your eyelashes flutter and how your breathing rises and falls. 

You can feel him staring. "You need to stop doing that, Hao"

"And what am I doing?" you look at him, and you don’t know if he’s feigning innocence or is completely ignorant. His eyebrows are raised, and you suppose it’s the former when he raises his hands up in surrender jokingly. 

Your face breaks into a smile, then a giggle. He likes the way your lips pull into a tight line before it gives up, and you convulse into laughter. He thinks it’s cute, the way you try to hold it in at first.  

So he too, feels the need to hold you responsible when he says  "and you princess, need to stop smiling at me like that”

Your smile falters, and then he clears his throat. You both break away from your gaze, and look straight ahead. Into the garden, where the fireflies are starting to show themselves. But the air is so silent, you can hear your own heartbeat. 

Then Hao asks a dangerous question, “do you think that would be so terrible? to look at you the way I do, and to enjoy the allure of your smile?”. He looks at you expectantly, hoping you understand what he feels for you with that question alone.

"Would that be so terrible?" you repeat his words, also questioning yourself. You want to think it over, but you know the answer. “Yes, yes it would hao. Because you are betrothed to my sister.”

The silence of the air is this time, welcome. 

Seemingly unafraid, he asks another question – “do you think maybe this is what is written in the stars for us? To be condemned by duty?” he doesn't need to expound for you to understand what he means. 

You sigh sadly, “it appears to be that way…your grace.” He feels the boundary that you’ve effectively placed. The use of the royal title, a reminder of why he has come to Astoria in the first place. 

You don’t look at him as you say goodbye to him one last time. You walk away from the ledge, and as he grabs your wrist to hold you from leaving, you try to release it. 

“Let’s not, your grace. It’s easier this way. Please.” His heart shatters at your words. So he lets you leave. He doesn’t know that there are tears running from your eyes, and that you fear you’ll change your mind if you take one look at his face. 

That night as he lay in bed he cursed his birth order, and so did you. 

—--⋆⋆☆⋆⋆—-

As you watch them leave the following morning by the steps of the palace entrance, the same butterfly makes its way to you. It lands on your glove, and as you raise your arm to take a closer look – it flies away, towards the prince’s carriage.

You don’t follow it this time. 

—--⋆⋆☆⋆⋆—-

✩ chapter 2, chapter 3✩

A/N: First of all, I wanna apologize to anon because there is no fluff ending shfbhsbfj I just feel like it didn't fit the royalty vibe

This is also my first take on a non-idol universe! Hope you guys liked it and i'm hoping to hear what you guys think hehe

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PHONING... 𓂃 ࣪˖ Take A Bite.

After his mysterious disappearance your friend returns with an apparent appetite for human blood.

જ⁀➴♡ wc 2k ✧ angst , vampire!ricky

warning. horror , unnamed character deaths mentioned , loosely inspired by jennifer's body

The last night you had seen him as wholly himself— when your world crashed into his, you belonged to no one.

The swelling in your heart the moment he walked you to your doorstep was swept under the rug, accepting his coat back from you with a smile you’d grown to know over the years.

By the time you collapsed into your bed, the sun was already on its’ way as you remained blissfully unaware of what had happened in the night.

Body throbbing to the faint music ringing in your ears and feet aching from jumping the whole night. The muscles in your cheeks beginning to tire from smiling so much at the tug of your heartstrings.

That was the moment before everything.

When you thought there was love— when you had yet to feel the full force of your reality.

Returning to school the next day, the dense forests surrounding only made you feel isolated as you sat in class, eyes fixated on where he sat— where he should be.

During chemistry you’d considered asking his friends but Matthew would shrug, offering the explanation that he’d simply fallen ill after an overstimulating night.

The school felt off, as if the walls had shifted somehow. Walking down the halls almost felt eerie in a way, the lingering question of where he was remaining.

To others around you, it might have seemed normal— but you knew that it wasn’t.

Ricky would never go out of his way to not respond to you, even if he was busy he’d make sure to share everything with you. Not a single day went by where you weren’t met with tons of notifications from him— photos of what he was eating or small updates through the day.

The silence was off putting to say the least.

Two days had passed when you heard a loud noise in the downstairs of your home.

Tapping away at your laptop, your eyes felt heavy as you hit the backspace over and over. Thoughts of Ricky continued to resurface as you brushed them aside, attempting to focus on your project in favor of your partner Wonyoung.

There was the faint noise— a thud. Everything seemed to still as you wondered if your ears were playing a trick on you, hand hovering over the laptop.

Another unmistakably eerie noise came from downstairs as your blood ran cold. Despite what your mind was telling you, you were dragged to your feet to go investigate.

Against your better judgement telling you to call someone, you found yourself slowly moving downstairs, the usual creaks of the old house echoing excruciatingly loud.

The sound was unsettling, almost haunting: the slow drip of water. One. Two.

It was barely audible yet chilling to the bone.

Your heart was pounding in your chest as the noise came again, a bit louder this time, as if beckoning you. Apprehension swirling within you, you felt pulled into the unknown depths of your own house.

If all your senses were heightened, attuned to every sound around you it didn’t help as all you could hear was your heart beating in your ears.

The old wooden steps creak beneath your weight and the sound paused for a moment, only to resume once you paused.

The darkness of the hallway ahead had fear creeping up your spine.

Finally moving to the kitchen, you felt like a lamb led to its own slaughter. With bated breath, you inch forward, footsteps barely audible against the carpet.

And then, there it is again—the eerie noise, louder now.

It's coming from just around the corner, just out of sight.

You take a deep breath and round the corner, heart pounding in your ears. As you inch closer to the source of the noise, the tension mounts, your senses on high alert.

The kitchen faucet leaking periodically, the breath trapped inside your throat finally escaped as you turned the handle, silencing it.

In the back of your mind, you knew that couldn’t have been all. Logically there was a reason behind the strange thuds you’d heard but regardless, your mind attempted to calm you by saying it’s all in your mind.

Turning, your heart stops for a moment as you’re met with somebody. Looking up at him, you let out a sound of relief.

“Jesus, Ricky!” He doesn’t answer.

The kitchen was only lit with the moonlight creeping in through the window, it took you a moment for your eyes to adjust before you recognized the outfit he was wearing. The same outfit you had seen him last.

The scent of metal hit you as you scanned over him, assisting in you finally noticing the amount of blood coating him.

“Ricky…” your voice was shaky, apprehensive and filled with worry. “Are you alright?”

The smell made your head spin, nausea settling deep inside you and he just smiled, teeth coated red.

Without answering, he ended up shuffling through your fridge before you could collect yourself.

Curiously, your eyes followed him as your feet kept you stuck almost like a prisoner in your own body.

He moved faster than you could even react, pushing food aside and out onto the kitchens marble floor before settling on a chicken.

Realizing what he was doing as he shoveled pieces into his mouth, the pit in your stomach simply tightened.

Clearly something had happened— he wasn’t acting rationally or anything like you’d seen before. Some sort of psychotic break you’d assumed had him behaving almost animalistic.

Anxiously, you kneeled down and extended a hand to his back.

“You’re not really supposed to…” your voice trailed off as you cringed at the scene. “Eat it like that.” You finished.

Teeth seemingly rotted as he devoured the raw meat, the realization washed over you that this wasn’t the Ricky you knew— that something had taken over.

For a split second you felt that there was a pleading in his eyes when he looked up at you, a small whine at the back of his throat itching to be let out like a caged animal but all you were met with was the animalistic growl he let out when he harshly pulled away from you.

Your attempt to call for help was put to a stop when you were pinned to the wall in a flash, hands pressed to your side in a vice grip as you felt the bruising already begin to form.

Leaning in, his voice was laced with a tone you’d never heard before. It wasn’t playful but sinister.

“Are you scared?”

All you could do was nod. He laughed.

That night was spent cleaning up all the waste off of the floor. Food carelessly tossed around, covering the floor along with the black substance he had thrown up made your own stomach churn as you’d lost your own appetite.

You weren’t sure how to proceed or even what had happened, the entire thing felt like a scene out of a horror movie.

Something had happened to him— whatever it was must had happened the night the two of you went out.

His stained clothes, hair tousled and knotted with blood drying on its’ tips. Maybe if you had invited him to stay over, you could have prevented whatever it was.

You began to blame yourself all throughout the night: you couldn’t deny it was all your fault.

In the end you had no one else to blame for your life falling to pieces: that’s what you assumed.

There was no way you could have known what he went through, heart racing through his chest as foliage flew back against his face. Feet prints in the mud exposing exactly where he’d gone.

Something was taking over or already had.

That night you’d barely gotten any sleep, project long forgotten as you perused the internet for an explanation or something to try and understand what had happened.

Vampirism— a ridiculous theory.

Maybe it was to absolve some of the guilt you felt— you’d try to reason with yourself and yet you’d always reach the same conclusion. That you could have done something.

Is pain any less valid when it’s self-inflicted?

Doesn't it hurt just as much?

Maybe you were selfish for being upset- maybe you were going crazy.

You were sure you had gone crazy because the next day, he walked down the halls looking just how you’d remembered.

The distraction from the previous night kept you on edge as you shuffled through your locker, trying to put away your books and ignore the heavy feeling of your eyelids.

The sound of the locker next to you swinging open alerted you and you jumped.

“Boo!”

“Jesus— fuck!” Hand on your chest, you tried your best to steady your breathing as you shot a glare at the person in front of you. “Seriously? Again?!”

Ricky was standing there, a smug look on his face. Unlike the previous night he looked put together. Skin perfectly smooth and hair cleanly, he looked a lot like how you were used to.

All you could muster up was a short response, somewhat in shock at his presence. “You’re.. here.”

Ricky gave you a confused look, leaning back against the locker. “Uh, yeah? Why wouldn’t I come?”

There was a beat of silence as you gave him an incredulous look. “Why— Why wouldn’t you come? Are you serious? Do you..” looking around, you leaned closer to him.

A look of mutual confusion crossed both of your faces. “Do you remember last night?”

Ricky was silent for a moment before rolling his eyes and looking in the opposite direction of you down the hall.

“What about last night?”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “What about—?! Bro— you puked venom all over my kitchen!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, did you hit your head or something?” His voice was lacking concern and your face fell for a moment.

“You wish I was with you last night.”

The way he carried himself felt only slightly off, like something was bubbling below the surface.

Shifting under his gaze, you began to consider that your mind was just playing tricks on you. Maybe you were hypnotized by some fabricated delusions and it was all a meaningless nightmare.

“I- um… maybe I’m just tired? Nevermind.”

Seemingly satisfied with that response, he smirked again. “You were really that bored without me?”

Embarrassed, you rolled your eyes as you shut your locker. “Seriously, Y/N. You’re helpless, you need to start doing stuff without me.”

Before you could open your mouth to argue against it, he threw his arm around your shoulder to drag you to class.

Leaning into your ear, you could hear the arrogance in his voice. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

It would have been sweet like all the times he had shown you affection before, if only you didn’t feel his nails sinking into your shoulder.

Life in this town was dull and monotonous; but Ricky made things interesting.

The same could be said about your other friends but there was just something about him that stood out to everyone. Maybe it was his looks that drew you in but his personality made everyone stay.

To say that you were opposites was an understatement. You didn’t possess half of the confidence that Ricky did so when the two of you became friends in elementary school, mostly everyone was surprised.

There were moments his humanity would pop out again. You couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something isn’t right as he was sprawled out comfortably on your bed one moment then sitting up and glaring daggers at you the next.

One moment his voice would break the silence, the familiar gentleness that he used to speak with. “I wish we could've stayed kids, you used to love the softer me.”

It felt as if you were stabbed in the heart, an ache of nostalgia lighting inside you. You wondered if he felt unloved by you now, if he felt you pulling away from him or whatever he had become.

A few more days had passed and he had been acting strange again. Everything had been off lately— students were mysteriously disappearing and everyone was on edge.

Some were in mourning.

The first student to reappear was someone you didn’t know personally but knew of. Some guy from the football team seemingly torn and shredded to pieces like he was attacked by an animal.

It put you a bit on edge but you pushed any conspiracies out of your head, focusing your energy on anything that could keep theories from swirling around in your mind.

You couldn’t blame Ricky’s change in behavior lately, there must have been something to explain it. There was the underlying feeling from that nightmare you had swept under the rug.

Pushing yourself up on your elbows, you pushed your computer off of your lap to make room for him the way you used to.

A part of you wanted to make him feel loved but you couldn’t bring yourself to say it when it wasn’t true anymore. The Ricky you loved, whoever he was, this didn’t feel like him anymore.

Instead, you offered what you could.

“I think you still have that kid in you.”

Ricky paused for a moment, eyes trailing over your room to look at himself in the mirror. Bloodshot eyes narrowed as if mentally exhausted.

“Do I?” There was another beat of silence before he sighed, laying his head onto your now clear lap and looking up at you with a smile.

Reaching up a hand, he teasingly tapped you on the nose. Cringing, you shoved his hand away.

“Hm… maybe I do.”

Over the next few months, you’d gotten used to the change in Ricky. Or at least you tried to convince yourself that you were used to it, in reality your relationship had became a train wreck.

Ricky flaking on plans was unusual but your suspicion came back when he had told you he was going to hang out with a guy— only for said guy to come up a week later dead.

The more times it happened, it became obvious that it had to do with him. Anytime you tried to bring it up, he’d lose his temper and ice you out again.

Maybe it was because you found comfort in familiar places that you decided to let him convince you everything was fine.

Someone that you knew so well, he had changed.

“You’re killing people.” It sounded ridiculous to say out loud. The way he scoffed, brushing you off completely.

“Just some guys, it’s not like they’ll be missed.” This time it was your turn to scoff.

“You— that’s not your right to decide! What.. are you? I mean- what happened to you, Ricky?”

Groaning, he rolled his neck to crack it. “Can’t you just stay out of it?” The tone in his voice made your blood boil, as if he was looking down at you.

As if you were a fly annoyingly buzzing in his ear.

That was when the fight broke out.

“You know I’d never hurt you, right?” You knew that he was trying to convince you, but you could tell even he didn’t believe that.

He’d flashed the smile you missed so dearly and he pulled you in, hand cradling the back of your head so gently.

The pit in your stomach told you to run— but you didn’t.

Before you knew it, teeth had broken into skin, a sweet venom pulsating under his tongue.

It happened in a flash and you’d thrown him off. All he did was laugh.

There was so much anxiety in the moment— a hint of hope and faith that you had pushed away fast enough.

Some delusional belief that you were an exception, that you were fine. But it was all unnecessary.

Once you let your heart take over, it was already out of your hands. There was nothing you could do to change the fact that it would either work or it won't.

All you could think of in the moment was all the people you had watched die— how you’d knowingly pushed aside your morals to hold onto the ghost of someone who was taken far too early.

There was a time when you considered Ricky one of the brightest things in your life. The ring around your finger he gave you when you were younger, how you’d subconsciously turn it when you were anxious.

There were things you had chosen back in your lunchbox days: clocks to tell the time you’d spent with the heartbeat separate to yours. The heartbeat sitting across from you in the sandbox, drawing shapes on the ground.

The heart that had now gone cold, the heart yours would soon follow.

The items that made up your school days: pencils, erasers, and a book of blank pages with words written on sand through all the ages.

A spoon and bowl he’d brought when you were sick, a phantom meal or a family recipe for you to warm.

A cup to catch the rain— he’d empty half of his into yours to quench your thirst and dull your pain.

After that fight you were down to one, looking down at the tools littering your desk on a Monday night and you couldn't choose.

A knife and a picture of him.

You knew what you had to do to put an end to it all— the gruesome deaths and murders. To hold on to the last bit of humanity you had left in you, it had to be done.

Slowly, you were going to follow in his footsteps— but you’d finish it before you let that happen.

Whatever he had become, you didn’t know it anymore. A million questions remained unanswered but one thing was for certain: you wouldn’t let him hurt anyone again.

Wherever Ricky was now, you’d find him and end things.

Bloodlust and childhood memories were a bittersweet mix, forever bonding the two of you until your end. Although you were convinced that you would be bonded even beyond that.

Sandbox love never dies, after all.

જ⁀➴♡ phone in ᝰ.ᐟ