Thank you for all your support on the first chapter :>
Word count: 878
Pt1 Pt3 Pt4 Pt5 Pt6 Pt7
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You had been personally invited to attend Auradon Prep, where children of both villains and heroes attend class together. At first, you didn't want to go, wanting to stay behind just like Max, who decided to stay in order to help his dad and be his apprentice. You also didn't want to leave your mom behind in Wonderland, but Max had convinced you that if attending Auradon Prep was what you really wanted to do, you should go and not make any more excuses to convince yourself not to.
You were walking around your room, almost finished packing up for Auradon and blasting out music when suddenly you heard rushed knocks coming from your bedroom door. Feeling confused and worried you wondered what that could be but before you could open the door Max barged into your room.
“What was that?” you threw the clothes you were holding at him as you shouted. “Max you can’t go barging in my room like that, you scared the life out of me!”
“Sorry, sorry sorry! It won’t happen again!” Max repeatedly apologized clasping his arms together.
“Mind telling me why you did that?” you asked, picking up the clothes you threw at Max. He looked at you as he nervously rambled "I may have, or may not have broken something in the castle and the guards were chasing me.” Giving him a dumbfounded expression you huffed out “You are the bane of my existence!” You then made your way towards him after putting the clothes in your luggage.
“You came into my room thinking you would be safe?” you questioned, “Well yeah… that’s what I just did” he raised both his shoulders after unclasping his arms and shifted his attention to the luggage that was lying on the floor.
“You haven’t finished packing yet?” he raised his eyebrows glancing at the multiple pieces of luggage tucked in a corner of your room. “Aren’t your maids supposed to be doing this for you?”
“I like packing by myself” you grumbled, "I find it satisfying…”
“Fair enough” Max responded, turning his attention back to you.
“Come on let’s go out” his head gestured to the door inviting you to leave with him. “Aren’t the guards haunting you?” You smugly smirked at him, ”They wouldn't be if they saw me with the princess.” he noted, resulting in you shaking your head in disbelief and giggling, “I’m not your guardian angel Max!”
“I know that… but come on, let's go to our spot” he gave you his best puppy eyes mentioning your spot near the river. “Fine..” you sighed and opened the door for him walking after him once he stepped out.
“Max..” You glanced at him as you two sat on the boulder. “Yes princess?” he said in a term of endearment staring back at you with a warm smile. “Do.. you think things will be different when I go to Auradon?" You asked with a worried thought that going to Auradon might be a bad decision for the both of you since there might be a possibility of your friendship breaking apart because the distance between Auradon and Wonderland was too far.
What if he found someone else? A new best friend or even a girl leaving you all alone in Auradon.
“Why would things be different between us?" he slowly reached for your hand, "I don’t think things would be different between us… We always will have each other. I will always have you with me and you will always have me with you through thick and thin,” he gave you a small reassuring smile. “Remember we’re like ‘Tweedeldee and Tweedeldum’ why would things ever be different?" he added, chuckling at his own reference. Grinning at his remark, you leaned your shoulder against his and laughed along with him. After a few moments, you went quiet, turning to face him and softly asked.
“I mean… What are we? What am I to you?”
He was quiet for a second, avoiding making direct eye contact with you. “I guess I never really thought of that.” He spoke, lowering his gaze to his lap not bearing to look directly at you, hiding his face as his blush spread across his cheeks.
“Listen, Max… I uh… I have to tell you something..” you mumbled; Now you were the one avoiding his gaze. Max turned to face you again after regaining a bit of confidence humming in response to encourage you. Taking a deep breath, you confessed “I can’t think of a life without you by my side…” Looking deeply into his eyes you added “Max I don’t want to lose you to someone else so I’m saying this to you now. I love you, more than a friend...”
You grew worried that your friendship might be ruined because of the three words that you had whispered. Max, being the flustered kind he is, was taken aback by your confession making you quietly turn away thinking that he might not like you back.
“___ I am so very in love with you too. Every morning I wake up just to quickly go to you, you are the reason why I keep on living my life. You are everything to me ___. I love you too…”
The first time Percy Jackson met you, he was five years old and convinced you were magic.
You were sitting cross-legged in the sandbox at your preschool, carefully building a castle while he watched, wide-eyed, as the towers stayed standing even when he accidentally knocked into them.
"Are you a fairy?" he asked, dead serious.
You giggled. "No, silly. I just know how to make it stay."
Percy decided right then that you were the coolest person in the world.
As years passed Percy was used to weird things happening around him. But when you also started seeing things—shadowy figures in the alleyways, whispers in the wind—he didn’t feel so alone.
One night, after a nightmare, you called him, voice trembling.
"Percy, there’s a thing outside my window."
He didn’t hesitate. "I’m coming over."
You met him halfway, barefoot and clutching a flashlight. He held your hand the whole way back to his apartment, where Sally Jackson wrapped you both in blankets and let you sleep on the couch.
"You’re stuck with me," Percy whispered.
You squeezed his hand. "Promise?"
But the monsters got worse.
When a fury attacked you both after school, Percy grabbed your wrist and ran, his heart pounding in his chest. You didn’t even question it—you just ran with him, like you always did.
It was Grover who finally found you, panting and wide-eyed in an alley.
"You’re both demigods," he wheezed. "And you’re in so much trouble."
Adjusting to camp wasn’t easy.
Percy got claimed immediately. You didn’t.
He saw the way your shoulders slumped when another day passed with no sign from your godly parent. So he did what he always did—he stuck by you.
"Who cares who your dad is?" he said, throwing an arm around your shoulders. "You’re my best friend. That’s better than some glowing symbol."
You got claimed a week later. Percy cheered louder than anyone.
Something happened in the middle of a battle.
A monster lunged for you, and Percy moved faster than he ever had before. Water surged from nowhere, slamming into the creature with enough force to shatter stone.
When it was over, he was panting, his hands shaking as he grabbed your shoulders.
"Don’t do that," he growled.
You stared at him, heart pounding. "Do what?"
"Almost die," he said, voice cracking.
Something shifted between you then. Something deeper than friendship.
Summary: Daisy Lancaster has always known her one-sided crush on Benedict Bridgerton needed to end, but the journey to move on wasn’t easy. Follow her timeline, from their childhood meeting to the difficult confrontation of her unrequited love as a grown woman, where Daisy faces her deepest feelings and learns to let go.
In exchange, Benedict, in a moment of introspection, is forced to confront the choices that led him to ignore the feelings he’s long known were there.
Part 1: Daisy's POV
Part 2: Benedict's POV
Part 3: Unsaid becomes said
Daisy could almost hear the mocking tone Daphne always gave Anthony when his shot got amissed. She could perfectly picture Colin’s smug smile when the shot he pretended to ruin, perfectly entered its designed loop. But the most vivid memory of the pall mall game, would be Benedict pointing all these details to her, as a secret. She shook her head, eyes going back to focus on the contracts she was organizing.
This has been her life lately; working, attending to social events as a duty, and nostalgically reminiscing moments of happiness. It was tough to have Benedict in the majority of them, especially given how she recently gave up on him. That is the main reason she rejected her father’s invite to join, using this paperwork as an excuse.
“The last time I saw you this bored was in the big rainstorm four years ago.”
Daisy straightened up in shock, eyes widening as she saw Benedict leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed and that infuriating grin she couldn’t quite decipher.
“Four years ago seems too far off,” she replied, composing herself quickly, her voice calm even though her heart was pounding painfully in her chest.
He stepped inside slowly, as if unsure whether he was welcome. “Well, I remember it clearly. Your Father was out of town and you had to stay with us. Daphne was sick, so you only had me to be your source of entertainment. You spent two hours talking about how contracts are more exciting than anyone gives them credit for.”
“Which was true,” she countered, folding the papers in front of her. “You just didn’t want to admit that you were impressed.”
“Oh, I was,” he said, his tone quieter now. “Still am.” She looked up, as his tone gained unexpected seriousness.
“Benedict, I know you didn’t come just to make me go and play pall-mall.” The air between them had changed. He looked like he hadn’t slept. His eyes held something unfamiliar—uncertainty.
“It’s true.” He said. “I came to talk about this recently… distance between us.”
“Oh, it is definitely not recent.” Daisy stood, stepping out of her desk. “You haven’t paid attention to me since last year but only bothered to notice when I gave up on trying. And then suddenly, you storm Lady Danbury’s salon to quote poetry like you were on fire.”
“I was,” he said simply. “I am.”
She blinked, startled. “What?”
“I didn’t understand it at first,” he continued, taking another step closer. “When you stopped showing up. When I stopped seeing you at the house. I thought—well, I don’t know what I thought. That it was just life changing. People drifting. But then I saw you again, and—Daisy, everything felt… off. And when I saw you with Cavender—”
She raised a hand, cutting him off. “Don’t. Don’t make this about another man. Not now.”
He paused. Nodded. “You’re right. It’s not about him. It’s about you. And me. And how—God, how blind I’ve been.”
Silence stretched between them. Daisy stood completely still, arms folded, eyes fixed on his.
“I meant those words that night,” he said, softer now. “I meant every single one. I wasn’t just trying to save you from embarrassment, I was—” He stopped himself, laughed bitterly. “I was confessing. Without even realizing it.”
“Confessing,” Daisy repeated incredulously. A few years ago, the word would have sent her spinning straight into a daydream. Now it only made her wary.
“Benedict, I don’t know what confessing implies in your context.”
“It implies,” he said slowly, as if choosing each word mattered, “that the last year has been the most miserable sort of education. That I mistook comfort for certainty. That I let myself believe you would always be there, until you weren’t—and suddenly the world was… quieter. Colder.” He exhaled, a shaky, humorless breath. “And I realized too late that it wasn’t the world that changed. It was me, missing you.”
Her throat felt tight, but she forced herself not to look away. “You can’t come here only because you dislike the silence you created.”
“No,” he agreed. “I came because I don’t want it anymore. Not between us.”
A beat.
“I came because I love you.”
The room seemed to tilt—just slightly, just enough for old instinct to whisper finally, but she held her ground.
“Benedict,” she said quietly, “I spent years loving you alone. I can’t go back to that. I won’t.”
He stepped closer—not touching her, but close enough that she could feel the tremor of his breath. “Then don’t go back,” he murmured. “Let it be different this time. Let me prove it can be.”
She swallowed hard, searching his face. He looked nothing like the man she had rehearsed letting go of. There was no careless charm now. No bright, easy smile. Just sincerity. And exhaustion. And a raw, unfamiliar hope.
“Say you’ll give me a chance,” he asked. “One. Just one.”
Daisy turned slightly, letting her gaze drift to the open window—where faint shouts from the pall-mall lawn drifted in the breeze. Laughter, competition, the echo of a life she used to imagine for herself. A life that had once included him so effortlessly.
She closed her eyes, inhaled, and made her choice.
When she faced him again, her expression was steady. “One chance,” she said. “Not a promise. Not a guarantee. Just… the possibility.”
Relief flashed across his features so quickly it was almost boyish, and she found herself—against her will—softening.
Benedict extended his hand. “Then may I start by walking you outside? I believe your father is about to declare himself champion, and that is a tragedy we cannot allow.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “You always were dramatic.”
“And you,” he replied, eyes warm and earnest, “always saw right through me.”
For a moment, neither moved. Then Daisy placed her hand in his—lightly, cautiously, but unmistakably choosing to. His fingers closed around hers, gentle yet certain.
The first step they took was slow. Careful. Uneven. The second felt a little like hope. And as they crossed the threshold together—sunlit shouts growing louder, a familiar chaos waiting outside—Daisy realized something quietly, startlingly true.
For the first time in a very long while… she wasn’t walking toward the past.
Summary: Both Harry and Aline deal with seeing each other for the first time after 10 years.
Author's note: This is more of a filler chapter, so not much is going on. Next one is gonna be soooo worth it, tho, in my eyes at least. Hope you guys like it, let me know what you think
𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒕𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒕
𝖽𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝖺𝗌𝗁𝖺𝗆𝖾𝖽 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾
The hospital doors hissed shut behind them, sealing off the faint beeping and sterile scent that clung to every corridor. Outside, the light was thin and cold, late afternoon softening toward evening. The Sidemen lingered on the steps in a loose, uneven circle, hands buried in their pockets, the silence between them heavier than it should have been after a charity visit.
Harry stared at the ground, thumbs hooked in his hoodie’s pocket, shoulders drawn in. He’d come to make children smile, to brighten someone else’s day, but somewhere between the laughter and the goodbyes, he’d watched a woman he once knew better than himself look straight through him.
Alina had been polite. Professional. Cold in a way that left bruises.
She hadn’t yelled.
She hadn’t needed to.
“Alright,” Josh said finally, voice breaking through the quiet. “Am I crazy, or was that doctor really weird with you?”
Harry’s stomach dropped. He’d prayed they wouldn’t notice.
Simon gave him a sidelong glance. “Yeah, man. You know her?”
Harry tried for casual and missed. “It’s nothing.”
None of them bought it.
He shifted, scuffed his shoe against the pavement, the words catching in his throat. “It’s… complicated.”
A pause, then a sigh. “She’s from Guernsey. We grew up together.”
Ethan frowned. “You never mentioned her.”
“Yeah.” Harry’s voice thinned. “It’s been a long time. She was my best friend. We were—” his jaw tightened, “—together. Before I left for London.”
Josh let out a low whistle. “Well. That explains the arctic chill.”
Tobi clapped him lightly on the back. “You gonna talk to her?”
Harry shook his head. “She doesn’t want to hear anything I have to say.”
“You don’t know that,” Vik offered quietly.
“I do,” Harry said, voice final.
He turned toward the parking lot. The air had cooled into that uncertain hour between day and night, when the sky turned blue-grey and the world began to dim. Behind him, the others fell into quiet conversation, but Harry kept walking. He didn’t look back.
Alina shoved her scrubs into her locker with a force that rattled the metal. The clang echoed too loudly, slicing through the hum of the hospital. Around her, life carried on — nurses swapped shifts, wheels rolled down the hall, monitors beeped on. It was early evening now, the sharp edges of the day softening into the rhythm of the night shift.
She was angry. At him for showing up. At herself for caring that he had. Ten years should have dulled everything — his voice, the way her stomach twisted when he said her name, the image of his face the day he left. But none of it had faded. Her pulse betrayed her; it still remembered.
The air outside had turned cool and violet. She crossed the empty service road and found a bench beneath a flickering streetlamp in the small park beside the hospital. The world was still except for the distant hum of traffic and the rustle of leaves. Peaceful, if she hadn’t been living inside a noise that only she could hear.
Her phone felt heavy. She called before she could talk herself out of it.
“Love?” her mother’s voice came warm and faintly breathless, like she’d been in the middle of folding laundry. “Everything alright?”
Alina closed her eyes. “Yeah. I just… wanted to hear your voice.”
The pause that followed was patient, expectant. “Tell me,” her mother said softly.
“Tell you what?”
“Whatever made you call me in the middle of your shift,” came the calm reply. “You never call without a reason.”
Alina leaned back, the streetlamp’s light brushing her cheek. “He came to the hospital today. Part of a celebrity visit for the kids.”
A small silence. “Who?”
“Harry.” The name cracked slightly. “He called me Nina.”
Her laugh was dry, humourless. “Like no time had passed.”
“And how did that feel?” her mother asked gently.
“I don’t know,” Alina admitted. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.”
“You don’t have to know,” her mother said. Then, quieter, firmer: “You don’t owe him anything.”
Alina smiled faintly, her eyes on the empty swings swaying in the wind. “I know. It was just… strange. Seeing him again.”
“Go home,” her mother said. “Eat something warm. Sleep.”
“I will,” Alina promised.
When the call ended, she stayed a while longer, breathing until her heartbeat stopped sounding like panic. The light flickered once, and by the time she rose, the last of the sunset was gone.
Home smelled like fabric softener and leftover takeout. The windows fogged slightly from the heater; Edward’s car was parked outside. She climbed the steps, shoulders heavy, and pushed open the door.
“Finally!” Joan called from the couch, eyes on her tablet. “We were about to send a search party.”
“Sorry,” Alina said, dropping her bag near the door. Her voice was small, her energy stretched thin.
From the armchair, Edward turned, controller still in hand, his blond hair a mess. “You’re acting weird.”
"No, I'm not," Alina said, turning to him a little too quick, her voice snappy.
“She’s being cagey,” Matilda said, stepping out of the kitchen with two mugs of tea, her copper hair glowing under the light. “Which means something happened.”
Alina sank into the couch, the cushions sighing under her weight. “I’m fine.”
Edward let out a laugh. “You’re never fine when you say it like that.”
On the rug, Victoria looked up from her laptop, her dark hair slipping over one shoulder as she closed it softly. “What happened? Another stupid parent?”
“No,” Alina said, eyes fixed on the table. “Just… long day.”
Joan glanced up, sharp and unblinking. “Alina. What’s going on?”
Alina’s fingers tugged at her sleeve. She knew her friends were not letting it go, and maybe a part of her was relieved that she was gonna talk about this with someone. “You know, the visitors today — the Sidemen — one of them was someone I knew. From back home.”
“Which one?” Matilda asked, curiosity edging her tone.
Before Alina could answer, Edward gasped. “You knew Harry Lewis and never told me?”
Joan sighed. “How do you even know it was him?”
“He’s from Guernsey!” Edward said, gesturing wildly as if it was something he expected everyone to know. “And you live with me! He’s my favorite Sidemen!” He continued turning her attention back to Alina a look of betrayal on his face.
Alina didn’t blink. “There’s nothing to tell. We grew up on the same street. It was a long time ago.”
Edward stared, unconvinced. “But it’s Harry Lewis.”
“Not everything revolves around your YouTube crush, Ed,” Joan muttered.
“I don’t have a—ow!” Matilda’s foot had clearly found its target. Victoria hid her smile behind her mug, the motion so subtle only Alina caught it.
Victoria set her drink down and leaned forward slightly. “You don’t have to explain anything.”
“I know,” Alina said, softer now. “It just caught me off guard. That’s all.”
Joan tilted her head. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Then, after a pause: “Was he important to you?”
“No,” Alina said quickly. Then, quieter: “Yes.”
The room stilled. No one pushed. They just let the silence settle.
Matilda placed a cup in Alina’s hands. “You want to talk about it?”
Alina shook her head. “There’s nothing to talk about. He was my best friend. Then he left. We didn’t keep in touch.”
No one argued. The hum of the house filled the space instead — the soft crackle of the heater, the sound of spoons against mugs. Joan rose after a moment. “I’m getting cake. Anyone else?”
A few murmured yeses followed. Edward, still half turned toward the TV, gave Alina a softer look. “You sure you’re okay?”
She forced a smile, delicate but holding. “I’m fine.”
The words felt thin in the air. Victoria’s eyes flicked toward her, gentle, watchful, the kind of look that said she didn’t believe it but wouldn’t call her out — not tonight. Across the room, Edward caught the glance, a flicker of something unspoken passing between them before he turned back to his controller.
Alina leaned against the couch, the low conversation fading into background noise. In the window’s dark reflection, she caught her own face — calm, steady, perfectly composed. But beneath it, she could still see the echo of the girl who hadn’t learned how to stop remembering.
Themes: slow-burning romance, nostalgia, childhood memories, self-discovery, vulnerability, the delicate balance between fear and hope
Type: one-shot
Disclaimer: This story is purely fictional. Any resemblance to real places or events is coincidental. The characters, their thoughts, and actions are products of imagination and do not represent real individuals. If inspired by other works, proper credit is given. Spelling or grammar errors may appear—thank you for your understanding.
Word count: 2k
The cold air caresses your cheeks as you stand in front of the familiar entrance to the ice rink. A small hall that in your memory has always smelled of something cold, old plastic and something that reminded you of candyfloss from a distant era. Some old ballad is playing from the speakers. You are about to enter, but you feel slightly tense. Your fingers clench the edge of your scarf as if this will give you courage. You're not afraid of skating after all. You are afraid of what might happen or not happen.
Sunghoon is already waiting in the middle of the ice. He moves smoothly across the ice as if the laws of physics do not apply to him. When he spots you, his face lights up. And that's when your heart does that stupid thing it always does in his presence. If only he knew.
You met each other here. Not exactly at this ice rink, but at a similar one, during a competition you begged your parents to go to for a long time. You were maybe eleven at the time and obsessed with figure skating, like any girl who discovered Korean sports television too late at night. You secretly watched reruns of performances, trying to imitate the skaters' movements on the slippery floor in your socks. Eventually you managed to drag your parents to a local competition. It was cold, the seats were hard and you were trembling with excitement. And then a boy entered the rink. Sunghoon. His performance lasted maybe three minutes, but you remember his every move. It wasn't just about technique - although he was already excellent. It was about the fact that he looked like the ice was his home. As if he knew every inch of the ice sheet and trusted it more than anything else. Afterwards, you couldn't help yourself. You went down, accosted him clumsily, and he,instead of ignoring you like most athletes, listened as if he was genuinely curious about what you had to say.
'I liked how you did that... that with your hand,' you said. - you began, waving your hand in the air, trying to replicate one of his moves. Instead of laughing, he nodded.
'You demonstrate it nicely' - he said quietly, but with a smile. And then, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, he asked:
'Do you skate too?" You hesitated. Because, after all, you weren't. Not yet. But in your head you were already a figure skater. And when you nodded, he didn't even question it for a second.
From that day on, everything changed.
Your parents signed you up for classes, then a second and a third. And Sunghoon? He just... was there. Not always next to you, not every day, but at every competition, every once in a while - as if the universe was making sure you didn't lose sight of each other. Sometimes you only saw each other for a moment, in the corridor between the changing rooms, sometimes you only exchanged a quick nod. But it was enough. Back then it was still good enough.
Then that camp came. The summer camp. You were already fourteen years old and by chance you ended up in the same group. For the first week you were like two magnets, hanging around each other, not speaking much. But once you started talking, you couldn't stop. You don't remember exactly when he stopped being just a rink boy to you. Maybe when he made you laugh to tears with the story of how he forgot his performance gloves and had to borrow pink ones with bunny ears from his younger sister. Maybe the time he helped you up after a failed pirouette and said ‘You're stronger than you think you are.’
Maybe when you started to miss him before he even left.
Or maybe... maybe you never stopped.
You drive onto the ice carefully, as if the sheet might crack under your weight. Sunghoon drives closer, but leaves a safe space between you. A space neither of you has dared to cross in years.
‘It's been a long time since you've been here.’ - he says, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye.
'I was a little afraid I wouldn't be able to skate anymore."
‘And yet you came.’ - you smile, uncertainly.
‘Sometimes you have to go back to where something started.’ Sunghoon is silent for a moment, then moves first. His figure cuts through the air with the same elegance you remember from your childhood, as if he never stopped. As if he were part of the ice, not just a guest of it. You try to catch up with him and for a moment you ride in sync, in a rhythm that only the two of you know. It's not choreography, it's muscle memory. A silent understanding. The ice sings under your skates. Quietly, almost unnoticeably as if it wants not to disturb you. Some boy in the background falls over with a thud, his friend snorts with laughter. A girl in a red helmet shouts something to her parents, who film her from behind the railing. All this is happening next to you, but your bubble is tight. When you turn, you feel Sunghoon doing the same. It's like you're connected by an invisible string. As if you still knew things about each other that you had never said out loud.
‘Do you remember how you used to teach me to skate backwards?’ you ask, without turning your head.
‘I remember you bumping into me three times at the speed of light,’ he says, his voice trembling with laughter.
‘Only because you were unlucky enough to be the closest,’ you reply without thinking, but the laughter doesn’t come immediately. Because it’s not just a joke. It’s a memory of something simpler. Without the tension that now hangs between you. You stop and watch him come back to you, swinging in a wide arc. Sunghoon always skated as if he didn't have an ounce of doubt in him. You never mastered that confidence. Maybe that's why you bumped into him so often. You were looking for balance. In him. He stops right in front of you. He looks at you with his head slightly tilted, as if reading thoughts from your face that you haven't sorted out yet.
‘You know,’ he begins calmly, his voice warm and familiar, ‘when you stand like that, you really look like you're waiting for something to happen. Your lips move faster than your heart.’
‘Maybe I am waiting.’ It wasn't meant to sound so serious. But spoken aloud, it sounds almost like a confession. Revealing a soft, unprotected interior. Sunghoon says nothing. But he stares. Long and deeply. Just like he used to. Only now you know what that gaze does to you. And it hurts. Because you want to dive into it. But you're afraid that as soon as you try, you'll drown with no chance of rescue.
‘We used to come here every week,’ he recalls quietly, as if he doesn't want to break the short connection between you.
‘In winter, in summer...’ you agree. ‘No matter what the weather was like.’
‘It always ended the same way.’ You smile slightly, even though your eyes are filled with too many memories that have suddenly come back.
‘A disaster?
‘You falling on me. You burst out laughing. But only for a moment. Because his voice, his gaze, everything around you reminds you too strongly of how close you are to the edge. An emotional abyss you’ve been avoiding your whole life.
‘Maybe you were driving too close,’ you say, trying to balance things out.
‘Or maybe I just...’ He moves closer until you can feel his warmth despite the cold of the ice rink. ‘I didn't want to be anywhere else.’
This time, your heart is beating too hard. Too real. You feel it in your throat, in your fingers, in your lower abdomen, as if your whole body is trying to tell you: he feels it too. Instead of answering, you look. And suddenly you are that girl again, with her scarf blowing in the wind, laughing too loudly and not knowing what to do when his hand accidentally touched hers. But now it's no accident. He leans in, his hand gently brushing your cheek, as if to see if he can get away with it. You don't pull away.
‘Do you think if I fell into you now, you'd laugh too?’ he asks with a hint of affection that wasn't there before.
‘I don't know,’ you reply quietly. ‘Maybe I wouldn't want to get up.’ It slips out before you have time to think. And suddenly everything freezes. He stops smiling. But not in a bad way. More like someone who has just heard something. Something he has been waiting for for a long time.
And that's when you take a step. One of those uncertain steps that end in a quick sway of the body and a sudden loss of balance. Too much emotion, too little concentration. You try to save yourself, but the ice doesn't forgive such mistakes. You want to regain your balance, but you instinctively grab the nearest thing.
That thing is Sunghoon.
He tries to react. His hands rise as if to catch a falling object. But you're faster. You land on him. Literally. He hits the ice with his back, and you hit him with your whole body, your hand on his neck, your face right above his. Your forehead almost touches his cheek. Your knee digs into his side somewhere. Sunghoon looks surprised, but not scared. Rather, it's as if he didn't expect this moment, but at the same time, he doesn't mind. His hand, uncertain, lands lightly on your hip, just to make sure you're okay, at least that's what reason tells you. But your body feels differently. You look at each other for a moment that seems detached from the rest of the world. The laughter that was circulating between you a moment ago has disappeared. Instead, there is something new. A quiet tension. A desire you don't admit to. Because this wasn't supposed to happen. You were supposed to laugh, pretend that it was nothing, that you were just friends who accidentally fell over.
But nothing about it felt like an accident.
And now, as you try to shake off this strange mixture of emotion and coldness, your fingers accidentally brush against his neck. The skin beneath your touch is warm, and you immediately pull back as if you've been burned. But he doesn't react. Not with a word, not with a movement. He just stares. You feel something inside you soften. You feel at a loss for words. Your throat goes dry because you don't have the courage to say that you feel something you don't understand, but which has been there for a long time. Quiet, stubborn, just waiting for the moment to reveal itself.
But you say nothing. Because you're afraid you'll ruin it. Because you're not ready. Because maybe it's just you.
You get up, doing it too quickly, as if you want to escape from something more than just the cold of the ice rink. He also gets up, adjusting his jumper with a slight smile that doesn't reach his eyes.
‘Are you okay?’ he asks.
‘No. Just my pride hurts a little,’ you reply, trying to sound light-hearted. But your heart is still beating too fast, too unevenly. You can feel it in your chest, as if it were trying to break out.
You go back to skating, as if nothing had happened. The jokes return, but they are shallower, less spontaneous. You don't look at him as often anymore. Because you're afraid that your gaze will reveal more than you want to show. Because you don't know how he feels. And when you say goodbye that evening, with an overly cautious ‘see you later’ and a gentle nod, silence remains with you. Not the silence between words, but the silence between hearts.
If only he knew.
And if only you knew that he feels the same way.
Notes: This oneshot has been sitting quietly in the corners of my drafts for quite a while, but I finally decided to share it. Thank you for taking a moment to read it.
Postoje dijelovi mene koji više pripadaju drugima nego meni samoj. To su oni dijelovi moje duše koje je dirnuo neko značajan, blizak, neko rijetko poseban u datom periodu života. Moje srce je arhiv svih formativnih konekcija koje sam doživjela.
summary: Moving in your hometown was awfully hard for you, staying with you mother you needed to find a job. However you were devastated after you got robbed and humiliated in the process. You remembered your childhood bestfriend but you can't seem to remember his name..
wc: 3k
tw: murder, kidnapping, stalking, Period-Typical racism, Period-Typical sexism, gore, bad English, this is extremely old, short one shot, Angst, childhood friends to strangers, the plot is happening rlly fast, ooc?, not proffread
a/n: originally this was suppose to be a fanfiction but since I really really not enjoy writing for hazbin hotel as I used to I turned it into an oneshot since I don't like my work go to waste. The plot is going rlly fast couse this was suppose to be a fanfiction y'all with a happy little ending where you'd end up with Alastor but I decided to change it a bit.
Moving in your hometown was awfully hard for you. The feeling of nostalgia washed over you, as you saw the forest that you used to play in, when you were a kid. The trees have grown, indeed. You walked up to the old entry, that you and your friend created. It was extremely hard to expose the hidden and abandoned path for two small children. It took hours! However when you two finally succeeded, you had to go home since it was already late and you had to eat dinner.
You truly cherished the memories that you shared with your close ones here. You remembered every story like it happened yesterday. You were a bit shocked to see the path fully exposed. Back in the old days, it was only a little hole that only children could fit it. Half of you was happy, knowing that you won't have to crawl and struggle through the hole that didn't exist anymore. However the other half of you was disappointed, 'cause your hard work got wasted.
Deciding to take a scroll through the forest, you followed the familiar path. Noticing how half of the forest turned into an hunting area, you weren't surprised at all. The hunting season was just around the corner and you were not happy about that. You moved into your old household as your father decided to leave your mother alone. She needed your help and you provided it as you loved your mother dearly. He, himself found a better house in a wealthier area. Unfortunately for you, your house was very close to the once so familiar forest. When you were little everything looked so big and magical but now? The magic had dissapered from the once fairy tale space.
Turning around on your heel, you faced with an abandoned playground. Kids, including you, used to play here a lot. You were shocked when you saw it in its terrible state. The slide dirty with mud and weird black substances, rotted and once more, everything was terribly rotted. After a while of thinking, you began to understand why this place went abandonment. Really, whose idea it was to put a playground inside of a forest?
Continuing your scroll, you began to remember your old childhood friend. What was his name? You couldn't remember. You didn't believe that you forgot such an important thing. His whole face was a blur, yet you still remembered that charming smile of his. Somehow he always managed to make you smile and laugh. You started wondering if he is still as funny as he was in the past. Wait.. Does he still live here? Does he still remember you? You hoped that the answer to both of these questions were positive.
By the time you came back home it was already dark. Walking in, you greeted your mother, apologising for taking so long. She just brushed it off saying that "you don't have to spend all of your life in this house." Chuckling a bit you mentally agreed with her.
Looking around, your eyes were met with your luggage that you did not unpack yet. A sigh escaped your lips as you made your way over to your belongings. The truth is that you were too exhausted to unpack them, however you knew that they just wouldn't unpack themselfs.
Walking into your old room, that holds so much lovely memories from your childhood, you noticed a newspaper on the floor. April 11th, 1929, yesterdays date. Your mother must have opened the window in your room, and the newspaper must have flew it way in here. Dropping your belongings, you just noticed the cold temperature in the room. Freezing even. Closing the window you picked up yesterday's newspaper to look at it.
The axeman of New Orleans attacked again!
There's an axeman going around? How didn't you know that there's a murderer in the place where you grew up in? Anxious, you decided to sit down on your bed and read the rest of the article.
Time flew by and you grew more and more disappointed of the news you just read. No wonder father moved out you thought leaving the newspaper on your nightstand and rubbed your eyes. Tommorow will be a hard day and you knew that. The luggages didn't unpack themself yet so you had to finally do it. Wanting to forget about the informations that you acknowledged you moved to your belongings and started unpacking.
There wasn't really a lot of things there; just some clothes, hygiene stuff, basic writing supplies and some of your most important things that you could never get rid of.
9 pm. That was the time on the clock when you finished unpacking. Exhausted you rolled in your bed, not even thinking of changing into your pijamas. Your mind started to thrift to the events that happened today. The memories of your childhood were truly worthy being in an museum.
Just as you were about to fall asleep, your mind decided to remind you of him, once again. Wait.. What if he was killed my the axeman? You truly hoped that it wasn't true. You thought that maybe, just maybe you two could get the chance to catch up. However the promise.. You had no idea why didn't he keep the promise. Before you could think more about it, your eyes closed by themself.
"Tag, You're it! " You giggled before running deeper into the forest. You heard footsteps mixing with your own behind you, signalling that he was chasing you. Turning, and making an unexpected turn, you failed to notice how your dress got all muddy. You had no idea that you would get scolded after you'd came back home by your mother.
You laugh, as you turned around to see that you successfully lost your friend. Hiding in a bush that slightly tore your dress, you waited for him to give up or to just walk by so you could scare him.
"Boo!"
You screamed as, to your suprise, your friend found you. "not fun.." You mumbled as he helped you get up. "You cheated!"
"I didn't!" He argued, giggling a bit at your indignation. "You're just too easy to catch."
"No i am not!" You gasped in annoyance.
Your argument went on and on, you accusing him of cheating and him defending himself as he told you that he just creeped behind. Before you knew it your legs were leading the way to your houses.
Soon enough it was time to say your goodbyes as you both were standing beside your homes.
"Despite everything, I enjoyed hanging out with you today, ..." Your younger self confessed to him. Wait, him? You clearly heard you say his name. Why couldn't you remember it? Why couldn't you remember his name.
Before you knew it, you were dragged to a pitch black hole. You wanted to scream, but for some reasons you couldn't manage to utter anything.You turned around as you heard a familiar voice calling your name. Nothing was there. You gasped when something dragged you by your legs, finally screaming to let you go.
You jumped out of your bed, sweating in a middle of the night. You could hear the birds chipp as the rain continued to pour rather aggressively.
It was just a nightmare.
"I still don't understand why you have to leave so early, pumpkin?" Your mother asked worringly, her eyes showed that she isn't very sure of what you're trying to do.
"The sooner, the better!" You declared with determination. You were confident with what you're trying to do, hoping that you will find a job in an maximum week. "Can't waste any time, love you, bye!!" You yelled, closing the door behind you. You didn't need any negative energy around you.
Walking down the alley, you turned around to go to the busier side of the town. Head up high, heels clicking with every step you took, your eyes scanning all of the shops that were near you. However there was one that caught your attention..
Stepping in the boutique, you noticed how clean and neat it was. All of the newest dresses, coats and jewelry displayed for customers eyes. You could get used to it..
Walking up the counter, you rang a little bell on it. You jumped as your heard a sudden voice behind you.
"Good morning dear, do you need any help?" An older woman asked you, moving to face you behind the counter. You could tell that she was in her 50s.
"um.." You looked at her, still startled, not knowing what to say. You thought that you would have some time to think about it. She looked at you with a confused look and you took it as a signal to finally say something.
"I was wondering if you need help. I mean if you need help with the job.. around the boutique." You finally uttered. Fixing your clothes and straightening your posture to look presentable. Her umber eyes staring into your determined ones.
"I apologize sweetie, but i'm not looking for any workers at the moment" Her mode shifted a bit when she saw your sad look. You were disappointed, even though you knew that you won't get a job at your first try.
"That's fine, do you by any chance know someone or an shop that is short on staff?" You asked, with hope in your eyes.
"Unfortunately." she looked down and started searching for something behind the counter. "However i could contact you if I'll acknowledge any in the area? I know how it is looking for a job these days." Before you could think about what she said, the woman asked you for your name. Giving you her number; in case you wanted to contact her, after writing your own name down on an another card.
"Thank you so much ma'am." You thanked her after introducing yourself. "It means a lot to me."
"Oh! No need to be so formal. Call me Louise." You gave the woman a kind smile, before repeating her name and saying your goodbye.
You had plenty of time left, it was only nine am, and now you were questioning yourself why'd you leave this early. Pheraps your mother was right, after all. Eyeing all of the buildings around you, you decided to go to a florist next.
Before you could take another step a young boy stopped you.
"Miss, would you like to buy a newspaper? They're only 15 cents each!" You looked at him, at the newspaper that he was holding and back at him. Pheraps it would be useful. You could tell that the little bit was struggling, wanting to earn some money. So were you.
"of course, little one."
He smiled widely at your response waiting for you to find your money. You handed him the 15 cents shortly after, in exchange, earning today's newspaper. Before you could thank him, he already run off. Confused you looked back at the newspaper you were holding, about to read it.
Wait a second..
That's yesterday's newspaper! This little boy tricked you. These kids these days.. You sighed, not having the strength to run after him, continuing your way to the flower shop.
Soon enough you arrived at your destination, the bell rang as you stepped into the shop.
Looking around you were fascinated with the interior, everything looked so pretty that you couldn't get enough of it. The different types of flowers; Roses, Tulips, hibiscus..
And Oof!
"I'm so sorry mr.. I was in the way." You apologized as you bumped into a rather tall stranger. His skin was in the shade of caramel and his hair just slightly darker. He looked at you almost out of pity, is he making fun of you?
"No need to apologize, clearly I wasn't looking where I was heading as well." He calmly explained, fixing his coat from any dust that could get on it. "If I may ask your name, dear?"
You quickly introduced yourself, putting your head up for him to shake it, to your dismay he didn't even touch you.
"Well what a lovely name for such a lovely lady like yourself! My name? Alastor, pleasure to be meeting you."
"Alastor? Did I know someone names Alastor?" You thought but quickly recovered. As flawless as this conversation was going you had to continue your journey. Excusing yourself from the gentleman you began asking for a job once again.
"Woman. What makes you think that this is a job for a woman?" The man behind the lada laughed at you, shooing you out of his establishment. "A woman could never handle a job as tough as this one."
You wanted to cry, you truly did. This was the 6th building you visited today, all of them didn't need help and it was already getting dark. Devastated you left the store, not wanting to get even more humiliated. Your next stop? Your house. You thought about how dissapointed your mother must be in you, you'd can't want to look her in the eyes.
As you were walking, step by step by your childhood forest you heard some bushes rustling behind you, now you felt like you were getting watched. Paranoid you turned on your heel to look behind you.. No ones there. You let a sigh of relief, but before you could turn around you felt yourself getting sleepy..
Dark.
That's what you saw, everything dark and even darker. You squinted your eyes after opening them to not get blinded by the light. After you got used to it, you looked at your surroundings..
Basement, you were in a basement? How did you end up here, you don't remember. Your head hurts like hell and your mind 8s spinning. Trying to get up you failed miserably and only hurt yourself by the chains you were chained up to. "what..?" You thought.
"And that I am dizzy with a dame like you." You heard a familiar voice behind you, wanting to turn around but couldn't as you were chained up. "don't worry I'll make it quick for my lady."
Opening your mouth to speak, to whisper, to scream.. You realized you couldn't do any of those, your mouth stuffed with something.
"You're probably wondering where are you? who am i? what is this man gonna do to me? aren't you? Well.." The sound of loud metal could be heard in the entire basement as he hit you with a metal pipe on the head. You were quickly losing blood, a stray of blood coming from the insides of your head, from your nose, from your mouth. Before you passed out you did that you heard his last words to you or rather to himself..
"I don't need any disturbance in my life, I don't need love its a distraction."
दोस्ती सिर्फ एक रिश्ता नहीं, ये जिंदगी की सबसे खूबसूरत कहानी है। बचपन के वो दिन याद हैं जब बिना किसी वजह के घंटों बातें होती थीं, हंसी के फव्वारे छूटते थे और हर छोटी खुशी मिलकर मनाई जाती थी। वक्त के साथ ज़िम्मेदारियां बढ़ीं, मुलाकातें कम हुईं और दोस्ती की चमक जैसे फीकी पड़ गई। लेकिन सच्ची दोस्ती कभी पुरानी नहीं होती, बस उसे फिर से जगाने की जरूरत होती है। इस फ्रेंडशिप डे पर शिकायतों को किनारे रखिए और अपने बचपन के दोस्तों को वही पुराना प्यार महसूस कराइए। उन्हें फोन की एक घंटी या एक प्यारा सा मैसेज भी पुराने दिनों को लौटा सकता है। छोटी-छोटी बातें, प्यारी यादें और दिल से निकली हंसी ही तो जिंदगी को आसान बनाती हैं। क्योंकि दोस्त वही होते हैं जो मुश्किल वक्त में भी मुस्कान ले आएं। तो चलिए, इस बार सिर्फ फ्रेंडशिप डे नहीं मनाते, बल्कि दोस्ती को फिर से जीते हैं – जैसे वो बचपन के दिनों में जीया करते थे।
Celebrate this Friendship Day by rekindling your childhood friendships. Discover simple and heartwarming ways to strengthen your bond and ke
