R-a-v-a's house

18 |writes stories sometimes when ideas are floating <3

[r-a-v-a]

TRICKY HOUSE

Tricky House Pt.1!

Tricky House Pt.2!

Tricky House Pt.3

Tricky House Pt.4

[amethystwrytes]

Pic Crew Fun😘 @moni-logues thank you for tagging me, love a dress up romp.

Link Here

I’ll tag @katieraven @lilsunflower95 @lovemepie67 @kiestrokes bc I think I recall you guys doing these at least a few times…and obviously anyone who wants to do it 💜

[kiestrokes]

Thank you for the tag Amethyst 🩵 I feel like it’s been forever since one of these circulated.

Non obligatory tagging: @chans-room @still-with-koo @mochilatae @minttangerines @minisugakoobies @hwaslayer @andysorbit @bangtanintotheroom @eureka-its-zico + anyone else that wants to! You can say I tagged you.

[andysorbit]

I love these staaaahp and yours is so cute 🥹🥹

thank you for tagging me!!

I'm gonna tag @calibabii21 @brownsugarbaybee @vestyle @sharonxdevi @agust-june @ringdingdongdxck @nervouschildmilkshake @bluerazzjazzhands and literally everyone (sorry my brain is not remembering usernames atm and tumblr isn't acting right)

[brownsugarbaybee]

Eep this is saurr cute

Tagging: @welcometomyoasis @danceyreagan @thesafecafe @hee0soo @calibabii21 @aaniag @moonlighthoon @svtiddiess @thewooziverse @haechanhues @seonghwasprincess @jungwonsblkgf @phattyboo90 @sjyfave @ja3hwa @ja3yun & anyone else who wants to 🤞🏽

[jungwonsblkgf-deactivated202504]

sorry i'm late guys

tags:@yourmomni @lheewonz @r-a-v-a @jakeeyyxoxoxo @multifandomslxt

[r-a-v-a]

@minholing @mint-yooxgi @mingified

[r-a-v-a]

          TRICKY HOUSE PT 4  

  The following day... 

“Hey y/n wake up!’ a voice calls out to you in your dreamland.” what? Who could’ve possibly?” You fly over to the garden to find nobody, and only then do you realize you're being woken up in the conscious state. “Y/n...” You blink your eyes open to find Sumin’s hands hovering over your face. You sit up while pushing his hand away from your face and he realizes you are awake. "I was waking you up” he says sleep evident on his face. "I was having a good dream” you say feeling groggy and tiredness evident in your voice. "You're always have a good dream”. “Ok fine I’ll get up but why the hell are u waking me up at 7am?” You ask him then he replies, “We are leaving today, or should I say tomorrow or yesterday?”  “Lol thought an era traveler would know “. “Anyway, get ready now I’m done with everything except looking and feeling goof and then I will be set.” “I was ready from the start!” You say smirking. You escort him out of your room and get ready to leave for the journey. You got ready and felt a little preppy You wore *signature/favorite scent* You wore a crème set of undergarments and wore a purple stained leather corset untop of it You wore {those shorts} and put a skirt that had periwinkle,pink,puple and grey untop of it. The skirt had the wardrobe function to turn into a train and a shield. You decided to wear a little makeup and opened your mini suitcase {hint of bratty reader}. When done with make-up you added a mole on your lower cheek. You put on pearls and jewels for the love of it and added flower rings. Th purple skirt you wore was without fluff, rather it had a belt and hook that could be removed if u needed to. You finished your outfit and wore a fur petticoat  untop of the leather corset. You put your gun in the tin suitcase and loaded the bullets with no safety. You sent a model of it to Mingi after making them and agreed that the poison should be in powdered form. What better way to send   a      cult out than a painful poison? 

You were told a phone was practically useless because of the androids so you decided to keep that tiny mirror (smaller than a makeup mirror) and put it behind the gun. The last thing you need is your favorite flower to eat (that you would drug distractions with)     

*knock,knock*    

“I’m done, done. ...    and you look... wow” you say feeling your temperature on your cheek subconsciously.  He smiles “Thank you. You are too.”  He says taking a good look at your outfit with a hint of curiosity.  “We were waiting for you.” He says now looking into your eyes. “Oh, I’ll follow you downstairs.” You head downstairs trailing behind him and occasionally stopping to check your pretty outfit. “Guys she’s here.” Hunter announces as you get down the last stair. You look up from the floor and do a twirl.” Ta-da “  Hyun woo says "I didn't know you had this        pretty dress “    “Thank you”. 

  You spawn the portal practically pushing everybody else through first then stepping in yourself. Ateez was waiting for You and the crew at the otherside. The mirror you used to make the portal close up after you went through. You were now in the room with Ateez where evryone decided who to team with. ♡ Yujun,Junghoon and Hyunwoo left with Jongho and Yunho.Sumin,Jumin,Yechan left with San and Wooyoung. You,Hyunwooand Seeun left with Mingi. Jinsik,Minjae left with Seonwha. Hongjoong needed to be alone so nobody accompanid him.When you enetered the lair the first thing you did was showMingi your cute outfit.(Flashback to the pirate and fairy days)"Woah I like the way u put on Jewellry Like how u get fix on Man" You said smiling and laughing at your own joke."Fix on" He said laughing "Yeah, Fix on" You say laughing like it was the most entertaining thing u have seen.(present). "See this?" You say pointing at your skirt. "Yeah?" mingi sasys wondering what about it. To his surprise you remove the flower string and reveal weapons strapepd unto rhe skirt."Woah" Says Mingi "This is cool you could show it to Hongjoong. I think he would think it's cool" "You think so?" You ask smiling at the thought of Cool,awesome, and Inspiring Joong. Like your work. Hyunwoo kept up with the details of the mission eyes trained soley on the map as you basically chatted it up with Mingi. "We don't have the chip?" Says Hyunwoo."You won't need it" Mingi says sitting up a little straight at the table. 

Jongho and Yunho on patrol as usual, since the delicate planning takes up their routine,they aren't sure about the rookie era travellers. for what they know,They have no intention of fucking up last moment because of these rookies. So, they asked them to stay in The Car workshop and venture around there.Yunjun felt they deserved better besides who came all the way here to land in a garage. However, Junghoon insisted that you brought them here and they should just submit and work. There shouldn't be any problems.Hunter found the reason they were left in the garage and decided to wait for Yunjun and Junghoon to settle down. 

❣ 

Sumin,Jumin and Yecha are at the match waiting for San's turn with Wooyoung and San. They were given the order to tone down and act like the crowd but look like they are betting on San. The reason wasn't clear, but they did it anyway. tHis did not Stop Yechan from bugging Wooyoung with questions. Sumin was intimidated by the people surrounding him at first but acted tough and soon became lax when San was leading. Jumin cheered the loudest he almost forgot where he was until somebody unintentionaly smacked him on the head due to him Jumping a lot. 

Meanwhile Jinsik and Minjae were having a blast. They got to ride their seniors their very own bikes and obviously they ahd to wear protective clothing and cute little helmets like babies they are but who would pass that up if they got to ride alongside Seongwha and Yeosang of Ateez. 

When around them it is easy to forget taht they are the most wanted men of this Era both fro their music and the bounty on them. For this exact reason they hunt the hunters. Bounty hunters who are always looking to get money fom the government by catching a wanted criminal. They don't get money they just get kileld off or silenced not that the ppl signing up would know. Mingi is their gunman which meant you were playing with guns today. You showed Mingi your gun."Do you know how to use it though? I get you only designed its exterior." He said being wary to not make you feel awkward but to his surprise for the second time that day, you picked up a crossbow and shot the arrow at the target. You put that down and bow and aimed at the next target which was an Apple Seeun was eating and it went through the apple "I 'm hungry leave me some of the fruits" You picked up a gun and shot it at a target aiming for the head. Mingi realized he is dealing with a genius."I am guessing you can snipe then." 

. 

. 

. 

SEEUN is busy hacking the wifi when he realizes theyve already done that."Holy crap! dude-" Seeun exclaims. "What" Hyunwoo asks in a bored tone. getting up from his seat on the couch to Seeun."They just keep blowing my mind-" says Seeun."They are in the system already." says Hyunwoo. "No shit dude". 

YOU and Mingi are at the tower a litle bit nervous because you never sniped and never aproached the enemy in secret. You were hoping you wouldn't get spotted by the target. You spread the mat on the floor and layed on your belly. You took the sniper and got into Mingi's position. You looked over to Mingi, he had shot the target. He looked dangerous in a cool way. You wanted to copy him. Whenever you fought, as a Fae folk, there was an ominous aura even when you smiled. You needed to conceal that.You liked the thought of tricking people, smiling as they fell for it. It made you feel like a Fae more than it crossed your mind."Y/N." "Yeah?" "Don't space out like that" Mingi Says making you stop smiling deviously and ask him in your usual demeanor"How do you know I'm spacing out-" "Nothing" He replies but urges you to start. So, you proceed with how you think sniping is done. And you use your third eye. You used your physical eyes to copy Mingi.Mingi stops you from using your third eye and teaches you how to shoot without the target getting alarmed.You felt thrilled as it'ss only natural for Fae of your calliber. You let your shell shift into the robot labs for a second, something that can only be seen with a third eye that you doubt these scientists could ever realize. You rip a robot's head off and carry its dismanteled parts back to your post. You drop the dismantled robot beside you and Mingi."What the heck- And you never explained how you always did that" Mingi asks a bit confused and worried to add to his curiosity." Its a robot and I'm a fairy =)" You answer a huge grin plasters on your face. At this point you are giving off a fairly dangerous vibe yet the most unsuspecting smile on your face. An eerie thought Mingi as well as Ateez would know so well. You let Mingi know you're going and enter the portal. You take the dismantled computer along with you. The portal takes you to Seeun and Hyunwoo. Who are not having it easy with the code. "Hey" "AHH" Seeun and Hyunwoo scream in a tone you are sure is an opera thing. You roll your eyes at them. "This should help" you say placing the computer on the floor. You head to the bathroom to take a break. "Why is there a robot in a robot- These sleazy assholes" Hyunwoo comments tearing the password screen away from the back of the robot. Seeun connects the hard drive to a computer. Slowly but Surely, they begin to hack the computer and change its original function. (Virus) Y/N comes out of the bathroom entirely different in an entirely different place. A restroom. She steps out, Her hair looking different her makeup is more dystopian and she is dressed in Uniform. Nobody would suspect her because she had put a poison from a bleeding heart into the lady to make her a vessel to use. What she was promoting had nothing good for humans of her caliber anyway. The chip she has made Humans hallucinate for 8 hours into the day. More complaints would be of Faeries dancing and chanting in the user's head. The user would see a blurred out vision of a faerie .Arabella instigated this part and had some minor touches to it.Not some you were aware of. The hallucinations would show of problems They were using the robots to ignore. The world was at ashes .Your powers that are relatively strong have the ability to be drained now. You were done brainwashing the executives all that was left was to return to your post and so you did. As soon as you left which was after the meeting, The lady died from the poison. 

SEEUN and Hyun woo were done with the hacking and they needed you to shoot the virus which played the tune of a children's song. Just to add to the faerie dancing. People who refused to get the update would be mortified. The melody would be heavily manipulated and played DUNE to those who were apart of ateez or were Ateez's Alias.Arabells idea was to clean the whole civilization and start again but to her dismay you strongly disagreed. 

------------------- 

ϙ✿‿The Chat with Arabell‿✿  

"We need to have a chat". You looked down on the piece of paper with a frown on it. Arabell was a "love"-natured faerie or so she liked to call it.She was rather bratty and manipulative. She liked to say that was the most human part of her. Her other side was practical and accepting. You were a fitted pair, You were a nature fairy and Half siren. You were filed with more will of love than will of trickery. You were (are) the most beautiful creature alive. You loved roaming and playing in the rainforest and you bathed in a pond during your time as a Fae in a medieval Time. However in Universe Z nature only grew over(at odd timing and practically disobeyed the rules of the universe)You felt wronged by Projects that took over your land after a long fighting,drowning,convincing,crying and pleading that killed your own kind along with animals whose lives went in vain as you could not protect your forest or your treasure. You were tired. What more is there to live for? You had lost all you ever cared for in your long existence. Everything was destroyed, no room for hiding and all your friends either fled,died,or moved to a different galaxy which would take forever according to the rules of the Universe. As you spent more time with Arabell you learnt she was someone you knew in the past The wisp were all her friends except they only came around when she was at shore. Arabell was from the clan that protected the Sea. A well respected one that managed to protect the Heir (Arabell) even at a time where the Fae on land were destroyed. When she was in lakes to befriend you, Men always seeker her treasure no matter the time. During the day, night, dawn, at any time there was always a new victim of hers who fell prey to greed. There was an 'unmovable precious stone' In the middle of the lake where you two would meet up to play. Every now and then Arabell killed a man That was aiming at you, thinking You were the guardian of the stone. And every single time it was because of deeply rooted greed  that overcame the fear of Fae folk.On a blessed day, After you had parted with her To see what commotion the Wisps are warning you about, She heard the clanking of armor and  hooves of horses it was too late.They had found the Fae Kingdom by means of Sorcery and they killed almost every breath of any creature they could find . The wisps were no exception They had captured almost all of them excluding those who fleed to another planet and the others who had to go back to their previous galaxy.You were not among the Fae that was killed as you were yet to see the harm that was done. By the time you got to the scene, your mothers were being burned alive. The forest looked barren no sight of your Friends except those who were killed,The animals fled the forest, everything was in wrecks. All this for what? Because you hadn't been there? Because you were unworthy of your post? Why did the universe choose to torture you in such torment.  

Arabell was surrounded by these men except she was in the water using all her might to guard the stone.She had no other choice but to drown them all with her Voice. What creature dared to not hear? None. Humans were nothing special to her. She was going to make them pay. (Don't feel bad when these fuckers, all drown...) She waited till night to make her appearance in the lake. The humans were waiting for her. Such idiots. They fell for her trap so easily. She sang" LET THEM DROWN, " The ground around the men started to fill with water. The soil started to sink in as the rocks in the soil crushed their bones. "LET THEM DROWN" 

The voice that spoke to her joined her in the singing to comfort her as she had to get rid of the last bits of your friendship. The Lake. They sang," Nothing wrong with a little havoc, Its fun when shit hits the fan, So guillotine their heads by shouting, cut em off, leave waters red" You followed them in their singing "Drink from the leche of Sirens, Summon the Sailors in Town, Strangle the fear of deciding, Which ones deserving to drown." The dismembered body parts of the soldiers (brain in water, Stomach in lungs, Muscles torn apart etc), Filled the purest lake of your friendship. The lake had to go now. What was once a lake is now a fuel for misery. The Last of the Nature Fae (You) Decided to put the Land in a Drought to save the Heir of The Sea (Arabell was yet to tell you when Greed intruded). Before all of the havoc. Before the daughter of a Siren and A Witch crossed the thin line between the water and land to try being a Siren. You were of the land, and she was of the Sea You were never going to meet Had she not been the heir of The Sirens and You had not been the Guardian of the Forest. Besides fae weren't so advanced at the time. You could only communicate through mirrors, not go through them. Being so attached to the forest You couldn't leave even when there was no more of it. As soon as drought came through and the forest died it put u in a slumber. Your body turned to rock as you lived your last days in Agony. Moss would slowly come to cover up your Body if the forest were to ever live again. You knew you would soon remember this When your memories evolve in the womb but for now you were in the tomb. Rest at last. Your memories of the tomb returned at the ripe age of 15. You knew you were different but not this special. You would be approximately 14615 years of fairy, but those years were counted from your tomb in reincarnation. So, you hadn't roamed the earth for long.Everybody expected you to forget about the Global warming crisis, but you WOULD NEVER. An - Nari your bestie had given it her all to make you look decent in Public. You grew out of the idea (U had better ones*) You had a neutral feeling with Arabell. So, you met her when xikers went to zombie town. She organized a tea party This wasn't urgent? ...

[sexnoise]

Reblog if you honestly have NEVER sent anon hate.

[mamahartbigg]

It pains me that only 14,000 people can honestly reblog this

[r-a-v-a]

The number is still so low. The number of people who are unwilling to open confrontation and can only hide behind the screens, sadly increases daily. Let's be respectful on this platform

[lookatmeenoww-deactivated201301]

Okay seriously. Reblog if you're OLDER than 11.

[danisontnonfire]

why is it that not more than 1/20 of Tumblr haven’t reblogged this

[r-a-v-a]

Lately, I have been very stressed tired and sad I did complete Tricky House but I had no motivation to post it or write it on the computer

I have been busy with School being part of a new curriculum and moving to the next grade in 1 year was just a lot my grades were not faring well either because I had to focus on my mental health but now I will Start writing the story in word and post it I won't be doing that this week because I have an exam to write I will probably do it next week . I realized I hadn't been really present here and I paid no attention to tumblr whatsoever.

[paisholotus-deactivated20250511]

Please repost!

Palestine, Sudan, Congo, many more. All are war crimes and acts against humanity.

[the-polyhedron]

How many people’s most beloved childhood stuffed animals are actually teddy bears, like I feel like that’s a thing someone made up. Reblog this and put what your longest owned and/or favorite stuffed animal as a child was in the tags, inquiring minds want to know

[r-a-v-a]

Mine is a cute pink bunny my cousins gifted me tho the first I had was a penguin(realise how there are no teddies?)

[r-a-v-a]

have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you! I feel like this had something to do with my peaceful weekend is this Fate? Good luck? lol tysm<333

[wooyoungmybelovedhusband]

For the writer ask game: 4, 10, 11 🥰

Ahh thank you for asking ^^

What are some themes you love writing about?

I definitely love mafia themes as you may know from my fics, BUT YANDERE IS ON TOP OF THIS LIST FR

Oh I do wanna try writing fantasy themes too^^

What are your strength wrt writing? (@r-a-v-a also asked me this^^)

I personally say, I write good summaries 💀, but I seriously do not know what are my strengths ALTHOUGH I have heard my moots and followers say I write good dialogues- (I HOPE IT'S TRUE CAUSE I'M HONOURED)

What are your weakness wrt writing?

Um- id definitely say when I'm writing the ending of a smut? Or series? (Cause we've seen how awful the ending of his burning desire was-) BUT- I'd like to say I've gotten a 🤏liiitllee better at it^^

[r-a-v-a]

hello hello!! We don’t talk much but I just wanted to drop in and say hello! I see you all over my dash and I adore your blog 🫂

Why thank you I also adore you a lot I did not expect this coming back to Tumblr after a while <333 This made me happy

[pinksugardollz]

[r-a-v-a]

Feeling so beat up rn i'm not even sad wtvr is this feeling-

[isearchedtheyooniverse-deactiva]

September is suicide prevention month. Reblog if your blog always supports anyone with a mental illness.

[r-a-v-a]

I may not be what you are looking for but I can help and you don't have to feel that way though its completely normal and fine to *hug*

[applejongho]

this part.

[r-a-v-a]

the only part i know how to dance properly:

[changbeens]

new to tumblr?

found yourself getting blocked for seemingly no reason?

does your profile look like this:

you're getting blocked because people think you're a bot

do yourself a favour and change your profile images to literally anything except the defaults. give your blog a name, give yourself a bio even if it simply says "new, figuring this out" or something. please, just do ANYTHING that shows everyone you're a human. then you wont get blocked anymore and you'll have a lot more fun here!

oh and while we're here, another hot tip: reblog things. likes do nothing here, there's no algorithm

okay happy tumblring tumblrinos, tumblrinas and tumblrinehs!

[remedyx]

Inception

Ateez Ot8 x Reader

Chapter 27

Don't tell anyone, but I melted writing this chapter 🫠🥰

My feet carried me down the hall quickly. Trying to put as much distance between Yunho and I as possible. My head was reeling with what had just happened. I didn’t hate it. Quite the opposite in fact. I wanted him. I wanted more with him. I wasn’t sure how far I was willing to go, but something inside me told me I would have given him everything and offered more if I could. And that scared me. It wasn’t as if I had never been intimate with a man before. I lost that excuse a long time ago. But the weight of knowing what it meant to them scared me.

Not just Yunho, but all of them. I had bonded with several of them and to make a decision like that based on urges in the heat of the moment wouldn’t be fair.

How would the others feel? Just the thought of how disappointed they’d be made my stomach churn. But remembering the look on Yunho’s face as I ran away also felt like a punch to the gut. I was so conflicted. The intensity of all my emotions reducing me to tears, blurring my vision as I navigated my way through the halls. As I rounded the hallway corner that would lead me to the staircase heading to the second level, I crashed into someone. A soft grunt leaving me when my nose bumped into their chest hard, and I was nearly knocked off balance.

“What the-“

I jerked my chin up, eyes widening in horror as I took in the bright red head of hair in the darkened hall. Jongho cut himself off, his annoyance quickly turning to confusion and then concern as he looked down at me. I dropped my face, rubbing persistently at the tear tracks I knew still stained my cheeks. His hands grabbed my wrists, halting my movements as he ducked his head to look at me.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. Refusing to look at him and cursing myself as the tears continued to fall ceaselessly. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid. It was bad enough that I knew my own indecencies, but for them to know now too was another wave of anxiety that piled on top of the already insurmountable summit.

“Clearly, there’s something wrong. Tell me and I-“ He paused mid-sentence.

The sudden silence worried me enough to peek up at him. His brows were furrowed as he stared down at me. The slight tilt to his head curious. Something I would have found kind of cute if I weren’t in the situation I found myself in and if he hadn’t been leaning in closer. My panic spiked, feet backpedaling and would have sent me to the floor if it hadn’t been for Jongho’s grip on me.

I threw my hands up, hoping to hold him off. His hold on my arms tightened, grip twisting to turn my hand, wrist up. He dipped his head towards it, my blood running cold as I could almost hear him sniff me. Yunho. He was smelling Yunho. The look in his eyes hardened, gaze turning hot with rage and a low growl built in his chest.

“That son of a bitch.” He spat, dropping my hands, and taking a heavy step in the direction of the infirmary.

“No! Your Highness!” I frantically scrambled in his way, intent on stopping him before he could get too far.

The ice in his gaze dropped to me. His steps faltered, but I knew he was waiting for me to say something. He was more than capable of brushing past me without much difficulty. I was aware of that fact. But his hesitance told me he was willing to listen to what I had to say, even though the anger still bubbled just beneath the surface.

“Please don’t.” I whispered pathetically, hating the way I sounded so weak.

“Don’t? He put his hands on you and it upset you. And you want me to let him off?” He seethed, hands curling into fists.

It was at that second that I knew he wasn’t angry with the fact that it had happened so much as him being concerned I wasn’t willing when it did. I assumed his fury originated out of jealousy. It never occurred to me that he was vexed on my behalf. My cheeks burned with shame. Of course, he wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t even one of the ones who I had bonded with. God. My embarrassment just wouldn’t cease tonight.

“I-I wanted it.” I admitted shamefully.

It was better for him to believe me a harlot than to think Yunho had assaulted me. I flinched once the words left me, my eyes dropping to the floor, unable to meet his any longer. I half expected him to be disgusted, or maybe even ignore me altogether. While I didn’t think Jongho a cruel man, it wasn’t as if I thought he was fond of me either. He had no reason to affiliate himself with me, or what I did. But he was upset at the thought of what he had assumed had happened between Yunho and me. And as if I needed any more surprises, what happened next took the cake for the evening.

Jongho sighed. Out of my peripherals, I could see the tension leak out of his shoulders. His torso deflating as he ran his hand through his hair. I didn’t even have time to react as he reached towards me. Hand wrapping around my shoulders and pulling me to him. I held my breath in shock as his form enveloped mine. The second I was embraced, all of my fears resurfaced. Bursting out of me in a flood of sobs as I released them. Unbelieving of how comforting he was being and needing that comfort more than anything right now.

I grasped his shirt in my fists, burying myself into his chest as I cried. The soft cotton of his shirt becoming soaked in my tears, but he didn’t let go. He didn’t even say a word as he let me cry. I didn’t know how long we had stayed like that. But by the time my tears turned to hiccups, I was exhausted. My eyes puffy and heavy and my body begging for me to lay down. I pried myself away from Jongho, sniffling, trying to wipe away the last of the waterworks.

“Better?” He asked, waiting until I nodded.

I bit my lip, not real sure where to go from here. I wanted to sleep, but I didn’t want to be alone. It occurred to me just how strange this was. Gaining comfort from Jongho of all people. Someone who barely ever looked at me. More hot-headed than just warm. But he was all I had. I couldn’t go back to Yunho. I was still a mess and I don’t think I’d be capable of talking right now. My mom would definitely be asleep by this hour and even if she weren’t, I didn’t have the energy to try explaining what happened and how I felt about it. The other guys, most certainly not. Perhaps I got lucky with Jongho not seeing me any differently for my actions, but that could quite possibly be because we weren’t bonded.

He wasn’t invested in a relationship between the two of us like that. And he didn’t have to be. The awkwardness finally caught up with us. His arms dropping almost immediately once my tears subsided. The sudden loss of warmth and comfort as he retreated making me wrap my arms around myself in an attempt to salvage some of it. He looked uncomfortable, eyes darting anywhere except directly at me as he cleared his throat.

“You should get some sleep.”

The words from him felt like a finality. The slow back step confirming my fears. He was leaving. A wave of loneliness threatened to drown me at the thought of him going and before I could think better of my actions, I grabbed hold of his sleeve. His eyes darted down to my grip, a frown marring his features before he looked back at me.

“Um, i-if you don’t mind. Could you sit with me for a while?” I whispered, not capable of mustering more strength into my words than what had been delivered.

He was tense again, shoulders stiff and form almost imperceptibly pulling away from me. Something I might not have even noticed if I hadn’t been holding onto him. He looked away from me again, eyes glued to the darkness outside the window as he sighed.

“You should ask San.”

His tone wasn’t exactly harsh, but it wasn’t soft either. More matter of fact and said in a way that told me he’d rather I do that than ask him. I flinched, hand releasing him as my embarrassment returned full force.

“I’m sorry.” I murmured, withdrawing into myself.

He sucked in a sharp breath, feet turning so he could face me again.

“No, I- shit…” He swore under his breath. “I didn’t mean it… like that.”

He reached towards me but thought better of it as his hands hesitated a few inches from me and then dropped back down to his sides.

“I just mean that San is better at this than me. He would be a better choice for keeping you company right now.”

I scrunched my brows together in worry, fingers picking at my sleeves as I fidgeted. “But-“ I trailed off.

I thought about how I would explain to him that I didn’t want anyone else. How scared I was for San or anyone of the others to know. It was a miracle already that he was here. And I was the selfish one for wanting more from him even though it clearly made him uncomfortable. Jongho was more observant than I gave him credit for though.

“He wouldn’t think any less of you, you know?”

I ducked my head in shame. He was right. Some part of me knew that. But the overwhelming part of me that suggested otherwise was winning. There was a chance that none of them would care, but it was slim. And until I could sort my own thoughts, I couldn’t attempt to explain them to anyone else. Jongho’s feet took a couple steps closer to me, I went to lift my head to look at him, but stopped when I noticed his hand reaching towards me again. He took my wrist, a little roughly, but it didn’t hurt as he started walking down the hall with me in tow.

“Your Highness?” I asked confused, trying my best to keep up with his brisk pace.

For a brief moment, I panicked thinking he might have been taking me to San after all. But I was almost positive San’s quarters were on the second floor where mine were and Jongho didn’t take the stairs. He passed them, leading me down a different hallway. One I hadn’t been in before. He didn’t answer me, quickly making his way to a door and pushing it open before gently nudging me inside first. I was surprised to find a bedroom, a rather immaculate one at that and I would have thought he had brought me to an empty guest bedroom if it hadn’t been for a coat draped over the back of a chair and several papers littering the desk beside it.

I sensed Jongho enter behind me before the door closed. I turned my head to watch as he stepped around me. Hand rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he cast a quick look around the room. His eyes met mine briefly before quickly looking away again.

“You can… stay here until you feel better. No one will bother you.”

He was trying. Even though he was out of his element, he was trying to comfort me.

“Is this your room?”

“Yeah.” He grunted, grabbing his coat off the desk chair to hang it back up. “You can take the bed. I have some work I need to finish anyway.”

“I don’t want to take your bed.”

He crossed his arms, lifting an eyebrow my direction.

“Well there’s not anywhere else for you to get some rest, so you don’t really have a choice.”

He was right. Again. Other than the desk chair and the bed, there wasn’t anywhere to sit. Feeling my cheeks color for what felt like the hundredth time in the span of an hour, I conceded.

“Right.”

I refused to meet his gaze. Casting another look around the bedroom, I noticed an ajar door on the far side, the bathroom in it barely visible in the low light of his room. I could really use a shower. The sight of it reminding me how uncomfortable it was being in my clothes that I had… soiled earlier.

“Would you mind if I bathed?”

His head turned toward the bathroom, a slow nod answering me as he crossed the room to a separate door nearby. He opened it, entering and disappearing until I could hear him shuffling around inside. It was only a few seconds before he emerged again, stack of clothes in hand as he held them out to me.

“It won’t fit very well, but it’ll work for now. I’ll give you some privacy.”

He waited just long enough for me to take the clothes from him before heading for the door. Not another word leaving him as he exited, making sure the door shut snugly behind him. Thinking it would be better for me to be as quick as possible, so he wasn’t kicked out of his own room any longer than necessary, I scurried into the bathroom. As much as I wanted to savor the warm water, I forced myself to be quick. Momentarily distracted when I opened his shampoo. The smell was cardamom with a hint of bergamot.

“Mmm.” I hummed, loving the combination and using more of it than I probably should have.

The scent lingered even as I rinsed it out. As if it permeated every inch of my hair and skin. I definitely wasn’t complaining though. Even as I stepped out, being wrapped in the smell of it was calming. Jongho was right, the clothes he had given me were too large for me. The top more like an entire nightgown, but they worked and if the most I had to do was pull the collar up and over my shoulder every once in a while, I could live with it.

I opened the door, peeking out to see the room was still empty. A part of me wanted to snoop, but I didn’t know when Jongho would be back, plus it wouldn’t have been very polite of me. Especially since he was being nice enough to let me stay here in the first place. So, I ran to the bed, sliding under the covers and pulling them up to my chin as I sat there taking everything in. This was the first time I have been in any of their rooms. Jongho’s was unusually empty it felt like, but then again, this wasn’t his room so much as a guest quarter in Hongjoong’s home. So, I guess it made sense.

A soft knock on the door caught my attention. The sound so quiet I almost missed it. Almost positive it wouldn’t be anyone other than Jongho, I slipped out of bed to open the door. It was. As soon as I opened the door, he waited just long enough for me to step aside before squeezing through the small opening. Shutting it behind him. He gave me a quick once over before nodding.

“You look like you feel better.”

“I do.”

“Good.”

The atmosphere was bordering on awkward again. I wished I knew how to better interact with him. And while I hated how all this came about, spending time with him like this was a good start. It was then I noticed the small cup in his hands, the contents familiar as my eyes lit up in excitement. Jongho’s eyes dropped down to what I was looking at, body jolting a little as he held it out to me.

“I uh, thought you might be hungry since you weren’t at dinner. I meant to see if there was anything left from dinner, but I found this on the counter and thought maybe you’d want it.”

I was touched by his thoughtfulness. But I was also touched by the dessert he held. It was obvious who had left it there. The strawberry infused dessert known to be an addiction of only one other person aside from me. Seonghwa. He was there again even though I didn’t go see him. But he still made extra for me to find. Or rather, Jongho, I guess.

“Thank you! It’s my favorite.” I told him, taking the offered dessert excitedly.

The first spoonful was indescribable. It never really occurred to me how much I missed having it. Since my father passed, I couldn’t eat it anymore. The ingredients too expensive for us to buy when mother and I lived in Tregeron. The taste was nostalgic. A delicacy I used to only ever share with my father and now that he was gone, it was one of the few things that made me feel closer to him. I wasn’t aware of Jongho’s eyes on me, too focused on the dessert. If I had been paying attention I would have noticed how his eyes softened and he smiled as I stuffed my face with the treat. Whipped filling clinging to the corner of my mouth as I devoured it.

While the ones my dad made were delicious, Seonghwa’s were on another level. But he also lived where the dessert originated and clearly, he enjoyed sweets. It would make sense he would hone his craft of baking. Especially if it involved strawberries. I almost missed the way Jongho’s fingers reached out to me. I meant to ask him what it was, when they curled around the collar of the shirt he had given me. I hadn’t realized it had slipped down, baring my shoulder and collarbone. He fixed it for me, pulling the collar back into place silently.

“Jongho.”

I tilted my head as I looked up at him.

“You can call me Jongho. Instead of ‘Your Highness.’”

“Okay.”

He nodded as if that were the end of that conversation. Leaving me to stand in the middle of the room while he approached his desk. I had thought him saying he still had work to do was an excuse, but that appeared to not be the case as he took a seat.

“You’re really going to work?” I asked.

“I said I was, didn’t I?”

He didn’t look at me, just settled in his chair as he picked up a piece of correspondence. I could tell he wasn’t pleased by what he was reading, unless he always had a frown when working. Could be either option at this point seeing as I don’t know much about him. I swapped my gaze from him to the dessert in my hands. I had only eaten about half of it and while I was still hungry, I couldn’t bring myself to take another bite. So, I shuffled my way over to him, setting it down on the desk beside him.

“You’ll need it more than me.”

He was surprised. Glancing up at me before clearing his throat and gently pushing it back my direction.

“I don’t really like sweets.”

I shrugged. “You’re missing out. It’s really good.”

I spoke to him as I walked away. Shimmying my way back under the covers of his bed happily. I tugged the covers all the way up to my chin again, sinking into the sheets contentedly. Jongho didn’t say anything in return, he simply sat there staring at the dessert for a few more seconds before turning back to his papers. I watched him for a while. The soft yellow lighting of his lamp giving just enough light for him to work as he flipped through page after page, accompanied with the scratch of his pen every once in a while.

It was peaceful. The awkward atmosphere I had thought surrounded the two of us before dissipating as we sank into the comfortable silence. He didn’t look bothered by me watching him. Either ignoring me or not noticing in the first place, as he submerged himself in his work. The hard set of his features not entirely unfamiliar. His seriousness something I was beginning to realize was apparent in everything he did. The bright red of his hair turning several shades darker in the lack of light, skin taking on the yellow glow of the lamp. Other parts cast in shadow as he turned his head when searching for something or splitting his attention between documents.

He was undeniably handsome. Features not as sharp when compared to his brother, but not any less beautiful. The softness of his face in complete contradiction with his hard exterior. Or maybe not. He was a lot kinder than first impressions portrayed. A little rough around the edges, sure, but it didn’t hide the fact that he cared more than he let on. Clearly. I wouldn’t be here if he didn’t. My exhaustion returned in the time I observed him. Aided by the smell of cardamom and bergamot that pervaded his sheets and pillows too. The smell enough to lure me into a deep sleep.

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