newest release: an excerpt and a study of non-mc living life with mc and zayne, while being in love with caleb
β οΈ all works written under this blog are mine! please do not feed my work to ai. may your shoes always have a small pebble in it and make you uncomfortable as you walk, if you do. i'm warning you β οΈ
ended up deleting 4 hour drabble work bc i was sleepy and wanted to make this an independent post instead of a reblog and am slightly pissed at myself for not ensuring i copied it all before deleting it.
this is my attempt to recreate it after x days of moping and blaming myself. i'll format it later when i'm not at work
a spin off from this post, and in the world of slowburn romance!zayne.
wc: 3.3k? | slight character study, zayne indulgence
alternatively, zayne experiences both the best and worst worlds when it comes to non mc with low cold tolerance.
during the winter, zayne often finds non mc cozing up with her friends. at first, he didn't think much of it. she's a warm person. bright, cheery, happy. evident even on the first day they met at the local bakery several months ago. then, when she accidentally trips and grabs his arm out of reflex, he realizes that she actually is warm. he still feels it on his skin even after she moves away.
later, he learns that she's unanimously been dubbed as akso's teddy bear. no wonder he's even seen greyson and yvonne huddle around her. this becomes such an integral part of his understanding of her that to see non mc alone feels a lot like winning the lottery.
intrigued and slightly greedy to monopolize non mc's time, zayne quickens his pace and slots himself beside her before anyone else can. he tells himself that it's just because they've not been able to go out to cafes and hasn't seen each other for a while. the slight seizing of his heart is definitely caused by the hours of work and no sleep catching up to him, and not because non mc shoots him a bright smile and tells him she misses him.
definitely not.
sitting beside non mc feels right. the soft, cheery voice fills the air around him and the scent of strawberries and sugar relaxes zayne more than he's willing to admit. it startles zayne how close they are to each other when non mc places her hand on his shoulder and leans in to show him the new cafe she'd discovered. her chair is flush against his, and his arm is casually thrown over it (when had he placed it there?). had his sense of boundaries blur that much?
he eyes the girl beside him, still rambling and completely oblivious to her effect on him, and wonders if she ever thought how others would see them. would she feel embarrassed? think of it as normal as she's done with her friends? they're so close his skin is buzzing from when her arm brushed against his. 98% of the time, non mc's head rests on top of his shoulder. and sometimes, zayne can't help but rest his head atop hers too.
she is the softness that ensconces him after a tiring day at work. the filling meal that gathers the fallen pieces of his self. the lulling silence that washes the weariness away. this girl wields a flame that burns through the frost he'd lived through his entire life, and it feels perfect. it is perfect.
except... even this close, their arms are never linked. touching, but never around each other. they are arm to arm, side by side; a rush of air floods his chest, sharp, dizzying, exhilarating. and yet, it feels as if non mc is kept on the other side of a glass wall. as though they're only allowed to orbit one another. zayne sometimes thinks they're always teetering at the edge of intimacy. they never cross the invisible line, but the devil in his ear has been at him for weeks daring him to do so.
zayne is tempted just enough to finally imagine all the what ifs. usually ending with a kiss. or two. or three.
a comfortable silence falls between them. taking the chance, zayne finally asks non mc about her thoughts about being everyone's... unofficial heater. does it not bother her?
for non mc to radiate body heat like the sun, there has to be a catch. sure, it's... not unusual, he supposes. there are people whose bodies run naturally warmer than most and non mc must be one of them. but he canβt think of her warmth as just a blessing, the same way he knows his high tolerance for the cold isnβt one.
non mc laughs, saying she finally understands why he keeps looking at her looking all constipated and she was the culprit. she proceeds to explain being warm and swarmed during the winter is something she's used to. the feeling of love and tenderness bubbles inside her when her friends do so and make her feel so seen.
her only downside for the entire thing is that she gets cold easily. after being surrounded for so long, when everyone leaves to return to their stations, the warmth and comfort she's been basking in with everyone simply stops being hers.
the faraway look in non mc's eyes after her voice whispers into the quiet hall churns zayne's insides that he's sends him in a panic.
thanks to his evol, zayne develops a high tolerance to the winter wonderland, but even he still reaches for a warm cup of coffee to fuel him for the day. if somehow, by being in near proximity with her warms him... then the opposite should be the same for her! if that happens, then non mc can get more exposure to the cold and build up her immune and nervous system against it.
hence, he comes up with this convoluted plan to... "help" non mc. 'regulate your body heat', he explains, the tips of his ears and his neck a cherry red color as he stares down at non mc's glimmering eyes. 'to help offset the excess and get you acclimated to the cold.'
to zayne's ears, even he finds the idea slightly ridiculous. if greyson were to hear the words coming out of his mouth, the man might probably leap in joy and spread how an utter loser he is or strap him down a spare bed to operate on his brain. non mc will slowly distance himself from him, calls won't go through, friday cafe hops will no longer happen and the only time he'll ever see her again is as a name written on a piece of paper. why did he have to open his mouth and said those words?! she's going to think of him as weird now.
but his spiral was for nothing. non mc simply links (together!! bound to one another!!) their arms and smiles at him like he'd just offered her the sweetest dessert in town. 'then, i can have you for the rest of the day?'
zayne carries the fuzzy warmth in his chest the whole day.
on the days when the hospital halls are extra cold because of the snowy weather, zayne is helpless. instead of helping non mc, he feels he's only making it worse. non mc insists that he's warm enough and to stop thinking that he's going to freeze her to death by holding her close damn it.
but zayne knows warmth, and he knows that it is her and not him, and he couldn't hear non mc's comforting assurances over the ringing of his anxious thoughts. he keeps minimal contact with her during those days. instead, zayne prepares hot packets and warm blankets for her to use. if he wasn't going to be the one to do anything, then he'll find a way to take care of her.
summer days are much easier to handle. again, thanks to his evol, his body remains cool against the everyday battle of summer heat. and non mc seeks him out more often outside of their usual brush-in against the break room their cafe hoppings. it's been great.
but other than that, zayne gets affected by the heat like everyone else. he's parched; he's sweaty; he's tired after moving for a few minutes. if not for the air-conditioned halls of akso hospital, his patients, and years of self-discipline, he might've taken a leave to avoid the hot day.
non mc, on the other hand, is thriving despite the sweltering heat. she's buzzing with energy, fluttering from one room to another with a bright smile.
he is half-envious and mostly entranced. hazel eyes trail over non mc's form, tracing the curve of her arms to the tips of her fingers, as she hands out cups of cold water or iced chips to everyone and anyone. they finally rest to the corner of her mouth, drawn to her little dimple like moth to a flame.
yvonne says non mc is glowing. greyson quickly retorts that it's sweat. zayne thinks it's a little bit of both.
every move feels alive. watching her feels new even if he's seen the procedures a thousand times and memorized it like the back of his hand. his mind conjures the time he's able to catch a glimpse of her in her own element. it's mesmerizing; the way she moves with purpose and carries herself with confidence. he'd always hear that cheery lilt in her voice and the permanent smile etched on her face that makes people hung unto her words like the gospel.
he is so sure, that even if his hands are strangers to pigments, he could sketch her, carve her, paint her, with frightening accuracy. from canvas to paper, from the stars in the night sky to the shadows on the back of his eyelids. so long is the memory of her face etched in his mind that his hands will still know the shape of her in the dark.
she is the sun: a force of nature, unstoppable and inevitable. centering zayne's world and pulling him in by just being in her orbit. zayne can't help but theorize that non mc must be a goddess that descended to live among mortals like him to teach the meaning of life.
the smile she shoots him from across the room strengthens zayne's hypothesis.
however, said beautiful goddess is going to send him to an early grave. the more he looks at her, the more his chest tightens. couldn't she sit down to rest with him for a few minutes? that's all he'd really like; to sit by her side and feel her comforting presence envelop him.
it wouldn't be out of character for him to... care. he's a doctor and her friend. he'd made that (stupid) proposal to help her "regulate her body heat" and doesn't this situation count for that? oh who was he kidding, of course it does!
he quickly calls her over, mind already running a hundred miles to look for symptoms of hyperthermia. her face is flushed, and her breathing is a little uneven. closer now, he can spot the redness peppering across her arms (likely a rash) and the light sheen of sweat across her face. his brows furrow when non mc keeps on blinking her eyes and shaking her head, as if trying to knock away a persistent headache.
"zayne!" she greets with a small smile. "sorry, i know i said i'll only take a minute..."
"it's fine," he replies. "it doesn't matter."
"uhh what am i? chopped liver?" greyson's voice rings out, waving his arms over his head dramatically. "hi greyson! how are you doing? oh, you know, just being the coolest physician in the world."
yvonne smacks him upside while non mc rolls her eyes at his antics. "hey guys," she waves at them, clutching the tray closer to her chest. "i've got a couple more iced water if you guys want them. i think i've got everyone covered already?"
"did you have one?" he asks before taking the tray and handing it over to greyson, who immediately complains. his hands gently wrap around her arm, and the heat of her skin startles himβmore precisely, the lack of it. his eyes narrow; that doesn't look like a good sign.
non mc shakes her head, unintentionally causing his exasperation to spike again, as she wipes her forehead with the back of her hand. "my god. can you believe this heat?"
"i swear i feel like i'm going to pass out any minute now," non mc jokes.
which, apparently, is the final straw that snaps his rationality because underneath his fingertips, non mc's pulse stuttersβtoo weak and frantic for his liking.
"honestly," he snaps, anger and frustration pouring from his voice. hazel green eyes glaring at the stubborn woman in front of him, all wide-eyed and confused at his sudden 180. the urge to apologize floods his veins but is quickly overridden by the worry he has for her. "are you trying to kill yourself?"
"what has gotten into you?" non mc asks, bristling in vexed confusion, side-eyeing greyson and yvonne to help give her a clue on what is running through his head.
the back of his hand meets her forehead, feeling the sticky sweat cling to his skin. he repeats the same to her neck and clicks his tongue in disapproval. non mc decidedly remains silent, eyeing the doctor with a growing realization that seems too real and too big for this moment.
"in case you hadn't noticed, today was reported to have the highest heat index the entire week. highest," he repeats, unable to keep an exasperated sigh escape from his lips. "we were told to take extra pre-cautions and not over-extend ourselves."
zayne takes the handkerchief from his pocket and pinches one corner of the fabric. he lets his evol slip through and seep into the fabric until the entire thing was coated with a thin layer of frost.
"wait, how did you..."
pushing his frames over his head, he starts patting her face with the cooled material. "at this rate, you're going to run yourself to the ground. haven't you noticed you've stopped sweating? eyes dull, skin clammy, sluggish movements. i'm willing to bet your head's been pounding since earlier and you've been ignoring it. again."
"you're overreacting. how sure are you about all thiβ"
"i look at you," he states, face scrunching in disbelief that she would think otherwise. "i'm always looking at you."
zayne misses the bewildered look on non mc's face. otherwise, he would have noticed how those words sounded a lot like a confession.
the slight discoloration under her eyes is striking against the unusual paleness of her skin. it unsettles him. while he isn't the poster boy for getting proper rest, he can tell with certainty that non mc's been running on fumes.
"you're overreacting" non mc pouts, slumping further into the plastic chair. "it's not even that hotβ"
"the thermostat begs otherwiseβ"
"not helping, grey!" non mc growled, but greyson could see the blood rush to her face to know how she really feels. she turns to zayne again, attempting to placate the doctor. "i've been drinking cold water, i promise. plus, the AC has totally been a big help! i didn't even sweat at all--"
"you didn't sweat because you are overheating."
"am totally not!" she denies quicklyβ too quick, in fact that one can hear the slight embarrassment underneath her petulant tone. her lips jut out in an exaggerated pout, exhaling loudly that earns a raised brow from zayne (and an amused glance from greyson and yvonne).
greyson eyes the couple beside him with a knowing look. the doctor is still well on his tirade about the negative effects of heat exhaustion and the precarious balance of being productive and being overworked. his eyebrows are drawn together, jaw tight, as he works his way down to pat and wipe down every exposed patch of skin he sees. he'd never seen zayne so distraught; not even the time when a patient coded on them on the surgical table.
meanwhile, non mc is suspiciously quiet. he's known her to be quite the excellent conversationalist. non mc possesses a way with words that leads even the grumpiest patient to complain about how their pillow isn't fluffed and how bored they are in the room. but now? non mc is studying his friend like she's trying to dissect his mind or live in it.
he watches his friend wipe down her arms with a gentle touch; the one pediatrics use to care for someone's precious gift. it was so subtle and yet screamed everything about what the man feels for her.
he's known zayne for years now, and he'd like to think that he knows him well enough to call himself his best friend. people often misunderstood the poor guy due to his aloof and reserved constitution. he's an amazing doctor, but it is hard to remember that he's looking out for you when he stares you down like a disappointed parent or rips you into a new one. it's gotten better over the years, but he's far from being an expressive guy. still, once you learned how to read him, it opens a wealth of information that tells you everything from the slightest shift in his gaze to the miniscule quirk of his lips.
and from his point of view? zayne is near screaming with worry.
greyson wasn't sure of what non mc truly feels towards his friend. he definitely knows that zayne does. even if he'd vehemently deny it every time. but now that they're forced to see the two of them interact like they've disappeared, he can most certainly say that non mc does have feelings for his good friend.
the fondness swimming in her eyes is too tender, too sweet, too loving to be considered friendly. whether non mc is fully aware of it or not, greyson... has the popcorn to watch it unfold in front of his eyes. (and that it works out for his friend. god knows zayne needs it.)
a few more seconds pass before non mc's voice drops to a whisper as she leans close to him. "if i'm overheating..." a jolt runs down his spine from hearing the sudden drop, making zayne pause and look at her. her eyes peeking under fluttering lashes, determination simmering underneath all the shyness, head tilting to the side, and lips curling to a faint, playful smile that tells zayne he's either going to bang his head on the wall or run out of air to breathe. "i can count on you to help me... right?"
... she has to know what she's doing to him. he can hear his heart pound against his rib cage, and he can smell the gloss she uses on her lips. he takes a deep breath, mentally counting up to ten to regain control. he's not quite sure how much his heart can take before she finds out what she does to him. "you are missing the point."
non mc hums in faux deliberation. "am i?"
zayne feels the simultaneous urge to grab non mc's shoulders and shake her hard enough to reset her brain, and to grab her face towards him and kiss her senseless. clearly, there's an obvious choice here to make and it's neither of those.
he knows he's just doing her job and helping out her co-workers, but it isn't like she's immune to the heat or the fatigue it brings. her excessive body heat makes things worse and zayne doesn't even want to imagine what might happen if the symptoms finally caught up to her (her fainting and falling down a flight of stairs, getting a migraine in the middle of the road, having trouble breathing until she collapses from it).
"yes," he takes both of her hands in his. "this is very serious."
"very serious," non mc copies, mock-stern.
"please," he stresses, eyes carrying an emotion far too heavy, flickering under his earnest request. "save us both the trip to the ER and rest."
"fine," non mc rolls her eyes and drags her "i"s out. "you'll owe me for this. trying to contain all this greatness from making the world a better place!"
silence finally falls unto zayne's figure, as he slumps down on the plastic chair. on either side of him, greyson, yvonne and non mc are having an animated conversation about the new movie with anna losavei and making plans to see it when the movie releases.
honestly, all the words are just hums and rumbles to his ear. with his head resting on her shoulders, he breathes in the soft scent of strawberries and chocolate. her fingers trace and scratch the baby hairs at his nape, and zayne feels his eyes fluttering shut. his back would scream at him laterβno doubtβΒ but he couldn't bring himself to care. when he's this at peace, nothing in the world could take him away from her.
zayne falls asleep to a dream filled with strawberries and chocolate and a laughter that reminds him of love.
contrary to the popular belief, non mc is intolerant to the cold. even after years of flitting in and out of air-conditioned rooms, years of hunkering down that dark corner of the library to study, her body should've been able to adapt to the cold.
this was not her case.
a shaky sigh of relief escaped her lips at the sight of her apartment building. her steps hurried down the street and climbed the stairs in record time, fingers trembling and shaking as she fumbled with her keys. a curse slipped past her lips when she almost dropped them, before finally slotting the key in its place and slamming the door shut.
only to find herself taking a step back when she crashed into a warm, solid chest. her mind, still frazzled from the cold, instinctively whipped her bag onto the assailant and defend herself. but they were much quicker and caught her wrist before she could do any damage. non mc's eyes flitted upwards and met the familiar purple-pink eyes of her...
"rafayel?" she breathed out, shoulders dropping in relief, body easing from its tightly wound tension after sensing there was no danger. "you scared me."
"i find that hard to believe," rafayel supplies after a few seconds of silence, his heart rattling inside his chest the moment she crashed into him. he studied the woman in front of him, pale and shivering. in a span of few seconds, he carefully tucks away the little details that's been bothering him: noting the way she hadn't stopped sniffling, the tips of her nose and corners of her eyes reddened from either the cold wind outside or from rubbing them raw, nor the way her hands hadn't stopped shaking that she couldn't unbutton her own coat. "where have you been?" he asked, slapping her hands away and unbuttoning her coat himself.
the way she looked at him in confusion twisted the metaphorical blade in his heart-- as if she didn't expect him to care, not this much. "i was... in a meeting. they caught me when i was logging out."
"why didn't you call?" why didn't you say no?
"it seemed urgent," she rubbed her hands together, and rafayel took those nimble fingers into his own and blew warmth into it as gently as he could. it seemed to work, as a healthier flush colors her face. non mc's gentle orbs looked at him softly, adoringly, trying to appeal to his softer side. "i didn't expect it would take longer, honestly, but i was their only consultant for that part of the project. i'm sorry, baby."
rafayel's lips twitched, and non mc knew she won him over.
truthfully... as easy and as natural as it was to call rafayel with whatever affectionate pet name she has (and she has several), it remained unclear whether what they truly are to each other. sure, they've been practically glued to the hip since they met, they've bailed each other out of sticky situations, got drunk and shitfaced, cooked together, cuddled, hugged and kissed... everything was easy to describe what they are.
naming it? that was difficult.
"i waited for hours." i was lonely.
"traffic was terrible." i missed you too.
"the soup's cold." you were gone too long.
"we'll heat it up and stuff ourselves full while we watch a movie. how's that?" i'm here now, don't worry.
rafayel rolled his eyes and pulled her to his chest, finally dragging her away from the door. "i expect nothing less."
still, non mc thought, as she watched rafayel walk around her own apartment as if he owns it, and hover around to take care of her, she'd rather face another day of unclear-mixed signals filled with rafayel, than survive a day without him.
does it ever cross your mind that Caleb is definitely the type of person who would still find you when you want to disappear just so you wouldn't feel like the world is caving in on itself, and quietly ground you with his presence. he doesn't speak, he doesn't pry, just sits there quietly rearranging his books on the table as he sits at the opposite chair, letting you feel or think whatever it was bothering you but before it gets too much, he's already moving his chair beside yours and softly maneuvering your head to rest on his shoulder as his arms wrap around yours comfortingly. the moment he does, the tears you've been holding back suddenly bursts free like a damn, and you're burying your face to his neck as you try to muffle your cries. it breaks his heart every time it happens and crushes his soul that he can't do anything to fix it, but best believe he's already sworn to the skies that he'll never let you go through anything alone
and then he "dies" in the explosion and breaks his promise and has to live with the pain of knowing he did it "voluntarily"
Hi! I hope you don't find the feedback but the cute colouring you used in your fic for the names made it kinda hard to read. Just my two cents, if you want to keep doing it you totally should! Have a great day β₯
"I dunno what you're talking about, Pips. I'm just here, walking with my best friends, eating my super duper extra chocolate-y last piece of mochi because someoneβ hey!"
"You snooze, you lose, you absolute ninny!"
"Absolute ninny?!"
"Please stop. We're literally in the middle of the road."
"He started itβ"
"She's the one whoβ"
This was... She watched it all quietly unfold. For the first time, in a long while, she realized how deeply integrated her two friends are to one another. Even with the presence of a third and fourth person, there exists a certain something that lay between them. Something unspoken, unapproachable. This orbiting around each other, moving in sync unconsciously, it... fascinated her.
(Even if it is rather isolating, at times)
"Zayne! You saw how he was taunting me! I'm completely innocent!"
"Innocent? You? I bought that pastry fair and square and you stoleβyou stoleβ my pastry."
"It wasn't even that tasty."
"You hear that Zayne? It 'wasn't even tasty,' HAH! I say, revoke her sweet rights."
"Wait, no, I take that backβ!"
He can't be unaware of it, non mc's sure. He's the smartest dumb person she'd ever met. In his eyes, the two of them probably slot together in place. Naturally. Undeniably. And as she watched him grip her shoulder to pull her to the inner side of the road, away from the cars, the truth can't be any more glaring than it already was.
Had she been blind to all this?
"There will be no revoking of any rights (Ha! Take that!), but any more squabbles and I will freeze off every treat you have before you can eat them."
That certainly quieted the two down, nodding to Zayne and shooting him a thumbs up with how he handled the two. What she hadn't expect, however, was for her arm to be held hostage nor be assaulted with big, fat shiny tears and a wobbly pout.
"Peaches! They're ganging up on me. All I wanted was a piece of choco mochi but big, fat Caleb just had to be mean about it!"
The big, fat Caleb in question bore his gaze down the two of you, quirking a brow when her eyes locked with his, silently asking what exactly was she going to do about it. In retaliation, she looped her arm around MC's shoulder and tugged her protectively at her side. "Don't worry, Ems, I'll drop kick him for you so bad he'd never do it again!"
MC blew a raspberry towards Caleb's direction and smiled in arrogance. "I knew it. Glad to know someone is on my side! Unlike someone who is so annoying." Caleb turned to Zayne with a look on his face that clearly screams 'Can you believe this?' Zayne, out of self-preservation or simply being done with the situation, wisely chose not to reply (but she swore she saw him spare them a quick side glance!)
They were a few steps ahead of the two boys when it felt appropriate to utter the next words. Oh, she's going to sulk big time. "Butβ"
A scandalized gasp escaped her lips. MC's bob cut almost cut her face with how quick she turned towards her. "No!" she half-whispered, "Peaches?!"
"Pumpkin," she said gently, and took the handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the chocolate dust on the girl's lips, "it is kind of his money."
"But he was such a jerk."
"Oh, definitely. A ninny, though? That's him through and through." MC's lips twitched at the reminder, and she rubbed the girl's arm in comfort. "I will still drop kick him for you, sweets, but you know Caleb's just riling you up. He's like the God of Ragebait or something."
"... I know, I just hate that I fall for it every time."
"Right? He's so smug about it too. I can't think fast enough to be witty."
"I think Zayne's the only one immune to him."
"And that's why Zayne is my hero."
MC was silent for a few seconds. Then quietly, "Can you do it now while I get it on camera?"
"With pleasure."
The sound of bright laughter pealed through the afternoon air, followed by an indignant shout of protest. MC chased after them, still laughing, still recording on her phone, while Zayne quietly kept his pace and carried the girls' dropped bags. She knew she couldn't catch Caleb fast enough (curse his height and athletic ability) to actually drop kick him, but the thrill of the chase was big enough to satisfy her and MC's hearts. He was humoring them, as he skipped and hopped out of her (flaily) attempts but remained within reach.
Ugh, how emotionally repressed of him.
Caleb was the most stubborn guy she'd ever met. In class, she heard he'd been voted class president in spite of it. While most would view this trait negatively, Caleb makes it work. He's intelligent and observant; his decisions have sound logic. It also doesn't help that he proves himself right every time and slowly erases the doubt in anyone's mind before it festers. Most of the time, it was as if all roads are laid down in smooth pavement with the decisions he made.
Though it hardly happens, there'd only been one or two or three instances where it's this stubbornness that landed him in the guidance counselor's office. She'd never seen it happen, but the one time she did, it had been... messy. Until now, she'd only heard snippets and hearsay from onlookers and snooping students, and none from the actual people involved. A fight broke out between the senior and junior students in the basketball court, and Caleb had been the one that threw the first punch. Insults and curses bounced off the walls and carried them all the way to the fourth floor where she and MC were. Zayne zipped through the court in a blur and pulled Caleb off the senior student. There'd been pointing and angry hissing between the two groups. Whatever they were fighting about that day had to be an important topic or a sore one, if it got under Caleb's multi-layered patience.
Zayne's too.
Caleb never apologized for what happened and got suspended for two weeks. When he got back, and the nosy classmates tried to smooch the details off him, he steered the topic off direction until everyone got the hint he wasn't ever going to talk about it.
Back then, she'd admired him for keeping mum about what happened. It wasn't anyone else's business to know what happened but his. She respected that boundary he drew and never crossed it, even if she'd been dying inside to know what it was so she could help with whatever emotional baggage that that had caused.
Now, as she finally caught him after flouncing around, she can't help but be irked about it. Why couldn't he just apologize instead of doing all of this running around, roundabout way of saying he's sorry? Keeping and suppressing feelings instead of acknowledging them or voicing them out loud was bound to backfire him one day. She kneed the back of his knees and watched Caleb go down like cards.
MC's loud whoop brought a smile to her face. She belatedly realized that her eyes were closed as her head rested between Caleb's shoulders; her arms are still looped around his neck from when she caught him. As her heart thudded crazily across her ribcage, she felt even Zayne could hear, she'd lightly swatted his shoulder and slowly lifted her head to make it less... awkward. "Ugh, my legs feel like jello. This is all on you."
Caleb laughed. "So, it's my fault again? And what did I do this time, your Royal Peaches? Hmmm?"
Fuck him. "If you must know, your Royal Pain," she hissed as the heat tickled up her spine and to her face. If her cheeks weren't flushed red from all the running, she's sure that one would make it so. By the mirth swimming in his amethyst eyes, it was an answer she refused to confirm. "If you'd just let me kick you from the start, we'd never had to run around two blocks playing cat and mouse!"
"Aww, but I gotta make it fun for you guys."
"You call chasing you and getting all sweaty and tired, fun?"
"Who else is gonna keep you entertained when I'm not around?"
"I am never helping you and MC make up ever again."
He rose his brow.
"I have serious pull on MC. Don't you try me," she warned him, arms crossed across her chest and tilted her head up to show she meant serious business.
Caleb chuckled and shook his head. He looked at her in contemplation; a small smile hidden at the corner of his lips. "Sure you won't," he said, going along. "That's on me. Now come on, I wanna get home before my show starts and Gran needs help in the kitchen."
With a roll of her eyes, she gripped his shoulder to push herself up, only to find Caleb securing his arms around her legs and under her knees, pulling her close to him. "Caleb? What are you doing?"
"You said you were tired, right?" Caleb doesn't give her any other warning as he suddenly stood. Quickly, she wrapped her arms tight around his neck when her body felt like it fell off its axis. "Chokingβ choking!"
"Then give a girl a warning next time! I just said that earlier to make you feel guilty?"
"You're asking me? 'Sides, like I said, I gotta get home before Gran needs help in the kitchen."
"... I can still walk, .
"MC! Zayne! Come on, let's go. Her Royal Peaches awaits!"
A series of voices overlapped one anotherβ
("You absolute ninnyβ"
"You're staying over, right, Peaches? I can't wait toβ"
"We're literally right here. You didn't have to shout.")
β and conversations filled the afternoon air once more. However, one girl's mind ran through a series of mental gymnastics of processing what exactly transpired a few minutes ago.
Caleb was a naturally helpful person. Fact. He'd always lent his strength to anyone who's in need of it. Heavy books to carry? He's got it. Jammed door needed to be opened? He'll push it free, no worries. Somebody's injured? He's already by their side. This is not any different than those scenarios at all. She'd complained, he helped. Simple.
And yet, her traitorous heart couldn't help but feel giddy. This was Caleb, for god's sake, and he never really held her close. Sure, they gave each other high fives, and he'd certainly grabbed her arm before to steer her in the right direction. But that was it. All fleeting barely there touchesβand she loved them. She was a very physical person, and loved being in contact with her loved ones when she can. It's why she and MC clicked so quickly. They were already linking arms around each other before they even knew it. She got the impression that Caleb doesn't initiate physical contact unless absolutely necessary, so she'd always turn to him last after giving MC and Zayne what physical affection she'd done that day; to give him an out without it being awkward. She'd convinced herself she didn't need it from him that whatever he could scrape by and allow would be enough.
God, she was so wrong. She laid her cheek against his nape and felt the warmth of his back radiate through her clothes and seep deep into her skin. His arms carried her as though she weighed nothing. His grip and cadence never faltered. It was ridiculous, even if her lips were continuously pulled in a smile, tension leaving her small body. She never really noticed how wide his shoulders are becoming; only that whenever she's looking at his back, she knew she'd be safe. She knew she could trust him to have her back or pull her out of harm's way.
This may be the first and last time he'd ever indulge her like this. Probably the first and last taste of this intimate closeness they'll ever share. Deep inside her heart, she'd always known. She'd long accepted that he'll keep her at arm's lengthβalways near, never closeβso she makes do with being in his life. Even if she knows that he likes his food savory than spicy, his drinks ice cold than hot, and baking was just to spite his childhood friend but ended up becoming really good at it. Even if she wanted to be the one to wipe the sweat of his face for every training, to cheer him loudest at every single game, to be the one he walks home every day. She'd lost count to how many constellations she'd connected and made up from the freckles on his face and longed to tell him how the stars must have loved him so, to delicately plot their love into his skin and make it known to the world. But, he'd never see her in the way she wanted him to. Because whatever thisβsheβwas, right now, was just a moment. What does a moment contend to against a lifetime? Not when with one look, one word, he'd bend forwards and backwards to make her wishes true. Not when his top priority was always her. The moment she was in his field of vision, his whole world locked in on her. That's a fact.
So, maybeβjust a tiny, bitty, miniscule maybeβit would be all right to just enjoy this moment. A moment for her to keep and remember by in the days to come, that hopefully she'd look back to fondly if she moves on her silly, little crush on Caleb. If she fell asleep on his back, while watching her best friends laugh and converse under the soft orange sky, she hoped he'd let her. If she buried her face and tightened her arms around his shoulder... if he was aware of it, she hoped he wouldn't mind and continue to indulge her.
β an excerpt and a study of non-mc living life with mc and zayne, while being in love with caleb.
based from the summer love drabble | wc: 2.3k (holy crap i zonked)
a/n: this is just pure brain blah, but i wanted to wite something and this consumed me. i feel like i want to continue this, and give it a proper arc, toc and whatnot. there's just something so angsty about non-mc being in love with caleb for so long and knowing caleb "will never" feel the same, only to realize when the pov switched caleb does in fact feel something for non-mc and wondering if he'd ever have a chance if he tried.
please let me know what you think about this! should i write shorter? past tense? present tense? would you prefer to read in second pov if it's a self/reader insert? if reader was an oc, would that still be acceptable? let me know anything!
IM BACK WITH A QUICKXAVIER POST BC WHY AM I CRYING at the thought of royal guard!xavier, realizing that what he feels for knight non!mc is more than just camaraderie in the middle of the war, and when the fight is over he is rushing over to where non!mc is and grabbing non!mc by the arms, frantically looking over for any life threatening wounds or cuts or slashes and your eyes are glimmering in tears but they're looking at him and theyre bruised, sweaty, dirty but so warm, so alive and the words are bubbling up his throat and at the tip of his tongue and he wants to kiss you until theyre breathless but he is pulled to attention because someone, another knighy, HIS team (lower rank, good at team play), is reporting him about a new wave of wanderers hitting the south camp and they nEED him to be there to guide them to victory and he's trying to pry his arm out of their grip, calling for you but you just smile and nod your head as if you already know before pushing him towards the knight and why wont you let him tell you he loves you
sylus and his draconic traits coming out at the most randomest times but you only notice one day after a heavily make out session and you're all kisses and tongue and teeth and breath, hair pulling, waist grabbing, dry humping and he's nipping at your neck, trying to leave a mark on your skin and canines elongates as he accidentally bit the skin too hard it bleeds and he laps at the trickling blood like a kitten with milk. when you pull his hair back, his eyes are startlingly different. the aether in his eye is glowing blood-red, pupils dilated and the other has it narrowed into slits both are solely focused on you, tracking your breath, greedily tracing the details of your face
you know what. nerd!xavier. nerd!xavier attending a con. nerd!xavier attending comic con because his favorite game is having a panel session for days 2 and 3 so he buys the weekend pass using sylus' credit card.
nerd!xavier becoming giddy and excited on d-day that sylus has to lead him by scruff of his neck because xavier's 10000% not paying attention to where he's going as he yaps away about how cool it is that the developers of the game are visiting, and voice actors will be sharing their thoughts and AND AND
nerd!xavier having the time of his life wandering around the con alone. after years (three minutes) of convincing sylus to leave him be and meeting him at the food court, he goes areound taking pictures with various cosplayers, going back and forth in the artist alley and buying all kinds of art in support, and lingering along the game's official booth until their panel starts.
nerd!xavier crashing out in the middle of the hall when he spots one sided academic rival!non mc in a cosplay ofβnot just someone in his favorite game but his favorite character. non mc has a scarily accurate and quality cosplay and props that there's a LINE beside her of fans waiting to be photographed with her.
cosplayer!non mc spotting him from the corner of her eye and instead of sneering at him like she usually does, she flips it and SMILES bedazzlingly at him before turning to pose for the camera and fellow fan. (he swears his heart is not beating fast and it's not jealousy he feels why would he feel jealous of his fellow fan taking a picture with her he's totally fine he's never felt jealous his entire life ever!! oh GOD IS HE JEALOUS??????)
nerd!xavier blushing right to the tips of his ears, and fleeing the scene bc wtf wTF WTFFFFFF SHE'S SO PRETTY?? HOW IS THAT HUMANLY POSSIBLE WHEN SHE'S A MENACE SHE'S A DEMON SHE YANKS HIM BY HIS HOODIE FOR GOD'S SAKE AND DOESN'T LET HIM SLEEP how can she smile at him like that?? did she always have such a lovely smile?? and he's hiding his face behind his hands through this whole revelation he almost misses his game's panel time.
meanwhile sylus, jeremiah and mc is on the second floor exchanging fist bumps and high fives seeing all of this unfold because fINALLY THE MENACE HAS RECEIVED A TASTE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE
aaaaa thank u so much @whmnx for enjoying nerd!xavier. π he's so cute to conceptualize for THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS he's high key down bad but SOOOOO in deniaaaaaal
hi everyone. because i won at life (secured ghibli concert tickets) i finally got to write out an abandoned plot of mine: the one that got away starring rafayel, who keeps thinking about the possibility of what could've been if non mc just stayed a little longer.
idol!rafayel shooting content with a lucky fan and manager thomas strictly tells him to not forget. zayne calls him an hour before the shoot to remind him, and if he hadn't gotten off the phone with thomas, he would've blocked the guy for a week.
arriving at the location, idol!rafayel notices the lack of close up cameras and handheld cams and questions what was he supposed to do again? thomas drags his hand down his face as he explains to him for the nth time about the shoot's content.
idol!rafayel soon gets to interact with fangirl!non mc and at first it was just smiles and fan services for the content, but after spending a few more minutes with you, his body slowly releases the tight tension on his shoulders.
it's an up again-down again situation that drives him MENTAL bc why is he allowing a deeply, private part of him be REVEALED, in front of the camera (which he'll make sure to review post-production process and get it cut) and more importantly, YOU? You, who's been a stranger for all his life up until thirty-five minutes ago?
idol!rafayel who is good at blurring the line between idol self and rafayel that people watching and observing him cannot distinguish whether it's the reel him or the real him. but it's actually him tired of his life and doning a mask as there's no reason for him to be "him" when no one's there to care for it.
idol!rafayel who is more puppet than human, more fiction than reality.
fangirl!non mc making idol!rafayel laugh so hard, he chokes on the fruit tea they bought off the stand. he learns that she's shy about a lot of things, and hesitant about 88% of everything, but would fully 100% lock in when it comes to him. ("i'd punch whoever badmouths your name and make sure their head is screwed on tight!" "ok calm down") she's no one special, she says, just another worker at a business, scraping by paycheck after paycheck to live another day. her boss that is sometimes an ass, and rent is absolutely abysmal, but she's got friends, she's got hobbies. she's surrounded herself with her own version of love that her reality has become everything she might ever need and thrive and bloom wherever she goes.
so when she meets idol!rafayel she thanks him for his courage to live another day, the happiness he gives his fans, the sacrifices he's made and prays for the choices he'll make will only bring him happiness. she shares with him how she lived a life unappreciative of the things she had that life became dull and monotone, until he came along and dragged all the greys and burned it to ashes. that through his perseverance and earnest desire to win, it lit an eternal flame of hope and wonder inside her again that her life changed for the better.
("and now that you're here, i think i can say thank you for completing the colors in my dull life. you are everyone's shining star and i've shared you with millions and millions of people wanting to bask in your light; i'm honored that i get a moment to be the only one you're shining for")
idol!rafayel doesn't bat an eye to these types of declarations, having been at the receiving end of it from multiple fansigns, fan calls, interviews after x years of being an idol
but somehow, in front of non mc without anyone watching (minus the cameras), with no performance he needs to jump into, no stadiums, no music, no fan service, just walking down the road lit by moonlight, sharing the silence between two strangers... he feels shy. seen. it feels sacred.
when the shoot ended and content posted, he half-expects the production team to milk more from their interaction. but non mc and rafayel doesn't meet each other ever again. it was a one-time thing. something on the checklist, soon to be forgotten by the millions of things he needs to do. he doesn't find you. not even in the comment section of his video (that he regularly checks) where his fans had already poured in all their support for him and this lucky fan. (he doesn't know what your profile will be but he's certain that he will know when you do.)
he keeps an eye out during concerts and public schedules for even a glimpse of your familiar hair and face, and gets irritably disappointed at himself for expecting too much (it breaks his heart wondering where could you be) zayne reprimands him for obsessing a little too much, and caleb sneaks a little quip here and there about how he must have dreamed the whole thing. they can say what they want, but the photo in his wallet is proof that he and you existed together for a moment in time.
that day changed everything; it was a turning point. not only for fangirl!non mc no. non mc's life changed in the way the dawn rises. you carried yourself more now; more confident, more secure. youve accepted life is what you make most of it and thank the stars for meeting rafayel to have given you the courage to do so.
rafayel's life changed in a thunderous storm. it rumbled in the background, looming but far, uncertain when the landfall begins and ends. suddenly, rafayel is caught in the middle of the storm, remembering you in the minuest details. the way your lips curve, the way your lashes flutter, the tone of your voice when you get flustered, the moment you stood fiercely in front of him with undeniable and unshaken faith that dug up the corpse of his humanity and injected life into it again.
and idol!rafayel is at his wit's end because he can no longer find you, no longer see you. yet everywhere is marked by traces of you.
βγ €these photos were edited for my drabbles! lads photos are from the official wallpapers from infold's website , and the rest were taken from pinterest. credits to the owners.
seriously feeling like crying ;; w ;; i've finally gone back to tumblr to try my pace at writing again and this means so much to me. thank you to everyone who've read my silly drabbles about the lads boys. i appreciate you all so much!!
you know what. nerd!xavier. nerd!xavier attending a con. nerd!xavier attending comic con because his favorite game is having a panel session for days 2 and 3 so he buys the weekend pass using sylus' credit card.
nerd!xavier becoming giddy and excited on d-day that sylus has to lead him by scruff of his neck because xavier's 10000% not paying attention to where he's going as he yaps away about how cool it is that the developers of the game are visiting, and voice actors will be sharing their thoughts and AND AND
nerd!xavier having the time of his life wandering around the con alone. after years (three minutes) of convincing sylus to leave him be and meeting him at the food court, he goes areound taking pictures with various cosplayers, going back and forth in the artist alley and buying all kinds of art in support, and lingering along the game's official booth until their panel starts.
nerd!xavier crashing out in the middle of the hall when he spots one sided academic rival!non mc in a cosplay ofβnot just someone in his favorite game but his favorite character. non mc has a scarily accurate and quality cosplay and props that there's a LINE beside her of fans waiting to be photographed with her.
cosplayer!non mc spotting him from the corner of her eye and instead of sneering at him like she usually does, she flips it and SMILES bedazzlingly at him before turning to pose for the camera and fellow fan. (he swears his heart is not beating fast and it's not jealousy he feels why would he feel jealous of his fellow fan taking a picture with her he's totally fine he's never felt jealous his entire life ever!! oh GOD IS HE JEALOUS??????)
nerd!xavier blushing right to the tips of his ears, and fleeing the scene bc wtf wTF WTFFFFFF SHE'S SO PRETTY?? HOW IS THAT HUMANLY POSSIBLE WHEN SHE'S A MENACE SHE'S A DEMON SHE YANKS HIM BY HIS HOODIE FOR GOD'S SAKE AND DOESN'T LET HIM SLEEP how can she smile at him like that?? did she always have such a lovely smile?? and he's hiding his face behind his hands through this whole revelation he almost misses his game's panel time.
meanwhile sylus, jeremiah and mc is on the second floor exchanging fist bumps and high fives seeing all of this unfold because fINALLY THE MENACE HAS RECEIVED A TASTE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE
i didn't know you could do pinned posts on tumblr !! :O this is so cool im so glad i misclicked xD i never would've known otherwise hahaha from ombre texts to pinned posts i am rediscovering my original cave !!! mewehehe
we've all heard about the perpetually calm and princely xavier. HOWEVER I PROPOSE AND KNEEL IN FRONT OF YOU
non-mc becoming classmates with nerd!xavier in their second year, and becoming increasingly pissed because how the fuck is this nerd who does nothing but sleeps through the classes or talks all about swords and different kinds of sword play in existence, pass the quarterly exam with flying colors??? non-mc studied the shit out of those notes and color coded them neatly in highlighters and sticky notes... and you're telling me xAVIER PASSED WITH A 4 POINT DIFFERENCE HIGHER??? yOU'VE NEVER PICKED A PEN TO WRITE NOTES IN YOUR LIFE HOW ARE YOU SCORING HIGHER THAN ME /!!??!?!
one-sided rivalry with unintentional ragebaiter xavier and rage baited non-mc. with special appearances: jeremiah and mc as non-mc's best friend and sylus as nerd!xavier's older brother
