redroses

wassup im Rose! im minor so keep that in mind :)

reqs are open! (my blog is strictly sfw.)

library now playing... works (coming soon!)

I'm the sugar honey ice tea and you know it ~~~ I want to see the whole world 도장 찍어, 나의 passport

Question is

in which you knew how much trouble there would be when u dated Jack, but nothing could have prepared you for this.

warning: strong language, mention of death, memory loss, HEAVVYYY angst. all characters are 21+!!! (sorry for my mcu fans out there)

authors note: if anyone even reads this i'm going to scream. THis one came out of the archives so bear with me.

now playing: the 30th - Billie Eilish

You always knew dating Jack Traven would be difficult. And somehow… it worked.

Even when everyone said you were crazy for being with a cop. Even when his colleagues whispered that you weren’t his type, too soft, too careful. Even when your friends warned you that he was reckless, that one day he’d be the death of you.

God, if you knew they were right… would that change how you felt? You didn’t know.

Regardless, you and Jack were a perfect couple. You kept him from dying, he kept you from boredom with your job.

You were fun.

That morning, you and Annie grabbed a bus. Her car had broken down, your least favorite situation. Neither of you liked public transport. You hated being pinned to schedules; Annie hated being around people. But you convinced her—just this once—to ride together. Together. Nothing could go wrong, right?

If only you knew what was waiting.

“Annie! Come on!” Jack’s voice cut through the chaos as he guided your friend onto another bus. The safe bus.

When the doors closed and it was just you and him, his tone dropped into that low, steady cadence that made your heart race. “Princess, we’re gonna have to do this differently.”

“Differently?” You swallowed, uneasy. “What do you mean… differently?”

Before you could react, Jack opened a hatch in the floor. On a moving bus.

“Jack! What the fuck?!” Your voice hitched. Your heart pounded against your ribs. “Why would you—on a moving bus—open a fucking floor?!”

“Princess, breathe,” he said, hands steady on your shoulders, grounding you. You stared into his brown eyes—familiar, steady, burning with calm in the middle of chaos. “In… out.” His own breath guided you. Slowly, your racing chest began to settle, or at least enough to think.

“That’s my girl.” He pressed a quick kiss to your temple. “We’re gonna lay down on this, and—”

He explained the plan. It sounded insane. Yet somehow… plausible.

You stepped onto the wood panel, sparks flying where it scraped the pavement. The rope and 2x4 held, barely. Jack took one last look ahead.

Then the wing of a small jet slammed through the windshield, slicing through the side of the bus. Time slowed.

Jack dove through the gaping hole, crouching on the sled. You clung to him, the world a shower of fire and sparks around you.

You remembered the weight of him pressed against you, the deafening roar, the smell of burnt rubber and gasoline. And then… the ground came up. Maybe grass. Maybe concrete. Maybe neither. You couldn’t tell.

Jack’s voice… calling your name? You weren’t sure.

All you knew was the warm press of his body was gone. Something cold, thick, and liquid pooled beneath you. Blood.

And then… black.

Three months passed.

Jack never stopped feeling guilty. Not after he killed Howard Payne. Not after he saved the entire city. Not even when he got his morning coffee, like some absurd normalcy could erase it all.

Ever since that day, he had been sitting beside your hospital bed.

The doctors told him you were in a coma. That it would be alright. And for a moment… he almost believed them.

You lay there like you were simply asleep. But it didn’t feel right. It never felt right. He was the reason you were here. He hadn’t protected you. Not enough.

His hand rubbed yours unconsciously, as if that touch alone could coax you back. “You’re going to be okay,” he whispered. And he didn’t know if it was meant for you… or for himself.

A soft knock at the door drew him out of his spiral.

Annie appeared slowly, hesitating like she knew the fragility of this space. “Hey,” she greeted, her voice gentle.

Jack looked up and managed a small, tired smile. “Any updates?” he asked.

The last three months had brought him and Annie closer—by necessity, by shared trauma, by silent understanding. Yet somehow, the one thing they couldn’t talk about remained unspoken: you.

They fell into the easy rhythm of chatter, skirting around the real topic, sharing small updates and meaningless jokes. The conversation was a fragile wall between them and the storm of emotions they refused to face.

Another month passed.

Annie finally convinced Jack to step back into the real world. To stop sitting beside your bed like a caged animal guarding something already lost.

So he left.

Which meant you were alone.

Not that you noticed.

Until you did.

Your eyes fluttered open.

At first, everything was light. Too bright. Too white. The world came back in fragments—soft orange lamps against sterile walls, the faint hum of machines, the steady beep of something keeping rhythm for you.

You were in a hospital bed.

Two braids rested over your shoulders. A white T-shirt swallowed your frame. Your hands felt foreign when you lifted them.

And your mind—

Blank.

Not your name. Not how you got here. Not who brought the flowers sitting in the corner.

Nothing.

Panic crept in slowly, then all at once.

What happened? Why were you alone?

A soft knock echoed from the door.

Someone said a name.

Was it yours?

You weren’t sure.

“Yes?” Your voice scraped out of your throat. Hoarse. Dry. Fragile, like it hadn’t been used in months.

The door opened.

“You’re awake.” The nurse hurried to your side. “We saw your heart rate spike.”

She had dark brown eyes.

They felt… familiar.

I love you, you idiot.

The voice came from nowhere.

Male. Low. Familiar.

Your breath hitched.

The nurse repeated your name. “Are you okay?” she asked gently, resting a hand on your arm.

You stared at her.

Silence stretched between you.

“What happened?” you asked. “How did I get here? Who brought those flowers?”

Her smile faltered—just for a second.

“You don’t remember?”

You shook your head. Panic sharpened. “Why don’t I remember?”

“You were in an accident,” she said carefully.

Carefully.

Like she was choosing which parts of the truth to hand you.

“And the flowers are from your friends. Annie… and someone named Jack.”

Jack.

Annie.

The names sparked faintly, like distant lightning behind clouds.

“I can call them, if you’d like.”

You nodded slowly. “What about my family?” Your voice trembled. “I have a family, right?”

The nurse let out a soft, reassuring laugh. “They’ve been kept updated. They’re still traveling across Europe, but they’ll be notified immediately.”

Europe.

Family.

It should have meant something.

“Okay,” you managed.

You leaned back against the pillow and released a shaky breath.

The world felt too big. Your body felt too small.

Jack never drove reckless. At least, he stopped doing it after the bus-incident.

But now he had to.

You were awake.

‘Ey, Jack!’ Annie snapped the man out of his trans.  ‘I would like to arrive at the hospital alive?’

‘Right, sorry.’ Jack combed his hand through his hair. ‘I just I- She awake, Annie.’

‘Yeah,’ She smiled. ‘I know.’ 

By the time they arrived at the hospital, you were already calling your family.

They were all taken aback by the fact that your concussion was so serious that you didn’t remember anything.

Yes, the doctors said you would remember in time.

But it would feel like reading a book only you started in the middle.

Before you knew, your door flew open.

A figure stood by the door.

Male. Tall, broad shoulder. Brown hair and brown eyes. Some bruises here and there.

Next to him stood a female. She also had brown hair, only hers was longer.

‘Princess.’ The male said.

The nickname rolled of his mouth like it belonged there. It didn’t feel foreign.

It felt like a reminder.

Before you knew it, both engulfed you in a hug.

You stiffened hard.

Which caused the man to let go.

‘What’s wrong?’ He asked.

But before you could answer, the nurse already walked in.

‘Mr. Traven, Miss Porter,’ She started. ‘Could I talk to you in the hallway?’

Annie looked confused. ‘I – sure.’

She grabbed Jack lightly by his arm – who was still looking at you like you broke his heart.

You saw the conversation happen in the hallway.

You could hear the gasp from Annie. And Jack, Oh poor Jack.

A tear fell down his face.

When the nurse finished talking, both nodded shortly.

The door opened again slowly.

This time only Annie.

‘Where’s Jack?’ It surprised you that you said that name.

Annie blinked. ‘You know that’ She pointed to the door. ‘That was Jack?’

‘Well, I might’ve lost my memory but I’m not stupid.’ I shrugged my shoulders. ‘Pieced it together.’

Annie let out a small laugh. ‘Yeah, still you.’ She mumbled.

You closed your eyes for a second. ‘I’m sorry.’ You whispered.

Annie’s eyes widened. ‘No. No, don’t you dare feel guilty.’ Her eyes were watering now. ‘It’s not your fault some psycho did that.’ Her voice cracked lightly.

You arched an eyebrow.

Annie looked at you for a moment. Then it clicked.

‘Oh, right you don’t remember.’ She chuckled. ‘Long story or short?’ She asked as she sat down on a chair next to your bed.

‘Let’s start with short.’ You answered.

‘Uh, some psychotic dick attached a bomb to our bus. If our speed dropped lower than 50 we would explode.’

‘And’ You tried to figure it out. ‘We exploded?’

‘Oh, no god no.’ She said. ‘Jack came and figured out a plan. A whole while later, we all escaped. You and Jack were the last, and’ She looked at her hands, fidgeting with a loose thread.

‘And that went wrong.’ You exhaled. ‘Thanks for telling me, Annie.’ You spoke.

But she flinched. Barely, but visibly.

You let out a small gasp. ‘Oh god that is your name, right?’ You felt terribly stupid.

‘Oh, yes, it is, you just used to call me different.’ She spoke.

‘Like what?’ You asked. ‘Come on, I want to know as much as I can about myself.’

“Well,” she laughed gently. “Usually, it’s just Ann. But right after we saw that movie, you started calling me ‘orphan’ in this ridiculously stubborn British accent, just to tease me. You barely ever called me Annie.”

You let that sink in, a small smile tugging at your lips. Pieces of the past—strange, fragmented, but familiar—were beginning to click into place.

The day after that conversation with Annie, you were allowed to leave.

Annie brought you home. It was a small apartment, well not small, but it also wasn’t a mansion.

Big enough for two people, too small for a family. It was decorated cozy with warm colors.

It almost seemed abandoned. almost.

It almost wasn’t noticeable, but you did see it.

There was a shirt. Not yours, you could tell. It was a manly shirt, with a note on top of it.

Just keep it next time, idiot

It was probably Jack’s. You wanted to talk him, you really did, but it seemed Jack disappeared, neither of you knew why.

Two weeks later

You didn’t know why you sat here.

It just felt right.

Familiar.

The rooftop stretched beneath you in cool metal panels, still holding onto the last warmth of the day. The city buzzed far below—distant traffic, the faint echo of a siren, the murmur of life continuing whether you remembered it or not.

The sky was painted in molten orange and soft rose, bleeding slowly into violet and deepening blue. Brick buildings stood shoulder to shoulder around you, chimneys cutting dark shapes into the horizon. Windows flickered on one by one as the sun dipped lower.

It was beautiful.

It felt like a memory.

Soft footsteps approached behind you.

You didn’t turn.

You already knew.

“Didn’t think you’d climb up here without nearly killing yourself,” his voice said quietly.

Low. Rough. Careful.

You glanced over your shoulder.

Jack.

The sunset caught in his brown hair, softened the bruises still fading along his jaw. He looked tired. Like someone who hadn’t been sleeping well for months.

“I didn’t fall,” you replied lightly. “So I guess I’m improving.”

A small breath left him—almost a laugh.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “You always liked proving me wrong.”

He stepped closer but didn’t sit. Like he wasn’t sure he had the right.

You studied him for a long moment.

“You used to come up here with me?” you asked.

“Yeah,” he said. No hesitation. “You said it was the only place the city shut up for a while.”

You nodded slowly.

The silence between you wasn’t awkward.

Just… heavy.

You turned back to the skyline. The last sliver of sun slipped lower.

“You look like someone I would’ve loved,” you said quietly.

Jack stilled.

You didn’t mean it cruelly. You weren’t teasing. You were just… observing.

“I don’t remember it, all I know is that,” you continued, almost thoughtful. “I’m still not who you want me to be.”

A tiny shrug. “I know, but who you are doesn’t matter.” Jack replied.

I took a deep sigh. “I bet we were fun.”

OMG YES OFCOURSE WHO ISN'T

don't come for me but im new to tvd so bear with me

u followed me so I had to become my yapper alter ego

nooo worries girl <3

MY MOTHER BOUGHT HOO FOR ME

in which, when you have low iron, but still need to train in 90-degree heat, how will you survive?

warning: none. Pure fluff. Reader has low iron and is child of Apollo. Kind of based on a tiktok sound, no use of YN. not proofread so brace yourself.

authors note: guess who made a fic with a mc based on her😛😛. The hot weather is absolute hell guys :(

Being a child of Apollo usually means you love the sun. And you do, you love the sun.

Just not the heat that came with it. And today, the temperature hit 90 before breakfast even ended.

Sweat dripped down the back of your neck as you adjusted your grip on your sword. Across the arena, campers clashed and laughed like the heat didn’t exist.

Personally, you were seconds away from evaporating.

Annabeth nudged your shoulder. “You alive?”

“Yeah,” You said, trying to sound upbeat. The truth was far from it. The heat was killing you, trying adding to it was hell. And since you woke up this morning, the world seemed fuzzy. Every time you stood up, a loud ring always erupted in your ears and your vision would turn black. You knew that it was your low iron, but these couple days it was worse than usual.

Leo circled you lazily, bronze sword resting against his shoulder while you tried very hard not to melt into the dirt.

“Dude, you look pale.”

You rolled your eyes and swung at him. He blocked it with an annoying amount of ease.

“I’m literally always pale.”

“No, like, Victorian orphan pale.”

“God forbid a girl doesn’t tan.”

Your blades clanged together again.

“You’re a child of Apollo,” Leo argued, pushing against your sword.

“And?”

“You’re basically solar-powered.”

“Shut up.”

But Leo was right. You were pale. And gods, you felt it.

Your head pounded with every heartbeat, and the arena blurred slightly whenever you moved too quickly. Maybe you sho—

Your foot slipped.

One second you were standing, and the next you hit the ground with a loud thud, dust puffing around you.

Before you could recover, the tip of Leo’s sword rested lightly against your neck.

“Beat you,” he smirked.

You rolled your eyes.  “MHm. I was distracted.”

“Right.” He answered sarcastically as he extended his hand to help you up and you gladly took it.

But you stood up way too fast.

Instantly, the ringing returned to your ears. Loud. Sharp. Your vision went black around the edges, swallowing the arena piece by piece until you couldn’t see anything at all.

Your legs turned to jelly beneath you, and a tingling numbness spread through your hands.

Leo’s grip tightened around yours, hand wrapping aroud your waist.

“Whoa— hey, hey—”

His voice sounded far away.

You tried to answer, but your mouth wouldn’t work properly.

Then your head hit the ground.

BAM.

~*~*~

The first thing you felt was something cold in your neck. Ice. The second thing you noticed was that you were laying on the ground. The burning sand of the arena against your legs.

And finally, you saw three concerned faces.

Leo, Annabeth and Piper.

You slowly blinked. “What.” Was the first thing that came out of your mouth.

“You fainted.” A deep male voice was heard. Mr. D. “Not very smart if you ask me.”

You groaned softly and covered your eyes with the back of your hand. “Good morning to you too, Mr. D.”

“It’s afternoon,” he replied dryly.

“That makes this worse.”

Piper snorted beside you while Leo crouched nearby, still looking far more concerned than he was trying to let on.

“You scared the absolute life out of me, Sunshine.”

“I was unconscious for, like, a minute.”

“and a half,” Annabeth corrected automatically.

“You counted?”

“I thought you cracked your skull open.”

You blinked at her. “Aw. You care.”

Annabeth pointed at you. “Don’t make this weird.”

A shadow suddenly fell over the group.

“Move.”

Everyone shifted immediately as Will Solace dropped to his knees beside you, medical bag in hand.

You sighed dramatically. “Great. The medic’s here.”

“And the patient is conscious. Unfortunately,” Will said brightly.

He pressed two fingers against your wrist while squinting at you like you personally offended him.

“You trained in ninety-degree weather with low iron?”

“…Maybe.”

“That wasn’t a yes or no answer.”

“That usually means yes,” Leo offered helpfully.

You shot him a betrayed look.

Will clicked his tongue. “How long have you been dizzy?”

“Not long.”

Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

“Define ‘long,’” Piper added.

“Okay, traitors, all of you.”

Will stared at you for another second before letting out a deep sigh.

“You’re dehydrated, overheated, exhausted, and your iron levels are obviously terrible right now.”

“Wow,” you muttered. “You make me sound super attractive.”

“You passed out face-first in the arena.”

Leo winced. “There was a really concerning bam noise.”

“LEO.”

Piper immediately buried her face in her hands, laughing. Even Annabeth looked dangerously close to smiling. Will, however, remained entirely unimpressed.

“You are not training for the rest of the day.”

Your eyes widened. “What?!”

“Doctor’s orders.”

“You’re not even a real doctor yet.”

“And you’re not even a real functioning human right now.”

You scoffed, but gave in. You felt terrible after all.

Will walked you back towards your cabin, although you convinced him to go towards the beach to ‘cool off’.

He agreed, luckily. If you went back to your cabin right now, your sibling wouldn’t let you hear the end of it. He did say that we had to jump by real that because ‘if we would want to cool off, we need proper swimming suits.’

So, you quickly rushed in, changed clothes and snook out. Fortunately without anyone noticing.

But unfortunately, someone else was already at the beach.

Percy.

Oh boy.

He was sitting at right at the shore in a namaste pose like he was about to summon demons. Will and I cleared our throat, causing Percy to jump a little.

“Oh, hey guys. Didn’t see you there.”

“No kidding.” You said sarcastically. You quickly pushed off your shoes and went into the water.

It wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t cold enough either. Almost perfect temperature. You quickly dipped your head in, immediately cooling off.

“Careful,” Will warned as you resurfaced. “You literally passed out an hour ago.”

“I’m aware,” you replied, wiping water from your eyes.

Percy hummed from the shore. “Personally, I think collapsing in the arena is a little dramatic.”

You splashed water at him immediately.

“Says the guy who falls unconscious at least twice a summer.”

“That was different.”

“How?”

Percy opened his mouth.

Then closed it again.

“Okay, fair point.”

Will laughed quietly beside you, sitting down near the edge of the water. For a moment, nobody spoke. The only sounds were waves rolling onto the shore and distant yelling from the cabins further up camp.

The cool water helped.

The pounding in your head had faded, and the awful dizzy feeling finally started to settle.

You let out a small sigh. “I really didn’t think it was that bad.”

Will gave you a look. “You hit the ground hard enough for everyone in the arena to hear it.”

Percy nodded solemnly. “It echoed.”

“I hate both of you.”

“No you don’t,” Percy said easily.

…Unfortunately, he was right.

You leaned back onto your hands, letting the sun warm your skin while the ocean cooled your legs.

The peace was disturbed by Piper and Leo, who had a basket full of sweets. She sat down beside Will and started to unpack. All sorts of different candies came by.

But your mind stopped progression as soon as you saw the chocolate and strawberries appear. Immediately you got out of the water and sat down beside your friends. As expected, the chocolate was already half melted.

Eagerly, you grabbed a strawberry and dipped it in the chocolate.

“Right, now you’re suddenly okay.” Leo said sarcastically. “You just used us for snacks.”

“Mhm, maybe.”  You answered as you swallowed the strawberry. The sweetness sure helping with your headache.

Maybe having a low iron isn’t that bad at all.

・❥・books - pjo BAM! - pjo ~ in which, when you have low iron, but still need to train in 90-degree heat, how will you survive?

・❥・ movies / tv shows - narnia - checkmate - Edmund Pevensie ~in which, you gifted your boyfriend a chess set, not knowing how good he is at playing the game. - more coming soon!

*my fav

・❥・books

percy jackson and the olympians* heroes of olympus harry potter narnia*

・❥・ movies / tv shows

f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

once upon a time

marvel cinematic universe (mcu)****

the rookie*

charmed (1998)*

The Artful Dodger

Hangover (1.,2,3)

Oceans Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen

・❥・currently watching—

NCIS

tvd

the rookie (s6)*

ghost whisperer*

・❥・ music/kpop

cortis (martin biased/ james&jju wrecker )*

baby glitt (wonhee biased/moka wrecker)*

baby fearnot (Yunjin biased/chaewon wrecker)

katseye (megan biased/manon&daniela&yoonchae wrecker)*

yena (yes)- casuel listener

bibi - casual listener

arctic monkeys

oasis - casual listener!

the weeknd

cigarettes after sx

the neighbourhood

hozier

chase atlantic

slight taylor swift

slight olivia rodrigo

slight sabrina carpenter

abba*

・❥・ musicals

hamilton *

newsies*

SIX*

slight death becomes her

Checkmate – Edmund Pevensie

warning: Idk if I miss any please do tell!! !!No use of Y/N!!

now playing: The Night We Met

The four siblings scouted the area. Where could’ve they ended?

“Who’d think lived here?” Lucy asked.

Susan picked up an old piece of a chess set. “I think we did.” She mumbled.

In this time, Edmund saw the piece in his sister’s hand and immediately recognized it.

“Hey! That’s mine.” He snatched the piece out of her hand. “From my chess set that she gave to me.” He looked at it up closely. This piece had lots of memories to the boy.

“Which chess set?” Peter asked.

“Well, I don’t exactly have a girlfriend in Finchley who gave me a solid golden chess set, did I?” He asked.

Edmund’s fingers traced the carved edges of the piece, the smooth wood worn in all the right places.

~*~*~

You were able to see your boyfriend finally after such a long day.

He was in a dimly lit room, rain drumming against the window,

“Happy Birthday, Ed.” holding out a wooden box. It was small, elegant, and almost regal, the warm wood polished to a gentle shine. Delicate golden filigree curled around each corner, like ivy climbing a miniature castle. A tiny, ornate latch gleamed in the lamplight, promising secrets held within. In the center of the lid, a carved tree stretched its branches gracefully, intricate and alive, as though it had grown from the box itself.

Edmund looked taken aback, breath catching. “My love… you didn’t—”

“Oh yes I did,” you cut him off, eyes twinkling. “I know how much you love chess. And how good you are.”

“Thank you,” He said placing a soft kiss on your forehead and pulled you into a hug.

~*~*~

In no time, the whole court knew how good the Just King was in chess.

It started with small competitions with his siblings. Then some of the staff decided to take on the challenge.  Soon, people from town ended up playing chess with the King.

So daily, some Lords and Ladies came by – just test their skills. And yet again, they had no success.

And every single time, no one won.

The four siblings didn’t mind it, of course. Yes, Peter would irritate sometimes. But then again Susan – being smart as ever – told him that this could result into alliances.

By the end of the season, almost everyone had played chess. Almost everyone.

You never did.

Some whispered that you were intimidated. Others assumed you simply weren’t interested. A few believed you were too kind to embarrass yourself in front of his court.

But the truth was much simpler.

~*~*~

It had started on a quiet evening in Cair Paravel. The torches flickered along the stone walls, and the great hall had finally emptied. Edmund sat at the long table, a smug sort of satisfaction lingering in his posture after yet another effortless victory.

“Another one defeated,” he muttered, stacking the pieces neatly back into formation. “Honestly, I expected more of a challenge.”

You leaned against one of the pillars, arms crossed, watching him with an unreadable expression.

“Oh?” you asked softly.

He glanced up. “Don’t tell me you’re impressed.”

You pushed yourself off the pillar and walked toward him, slow and deliberate. “I’m surprised.”

His brow lifted. “Surprised?”

“That you haven’t been beaten yet.”

A small smirk tugged at his lips. “And who exactly would manage that?”

You stopped at the opposite side of the board. Your fingers rested lightly on the white queen.

“Me.”

Peter, who had lingered near the doorway, let out an incredulous laugh. “You?”

Susan’s eyes sparkled with sudden interest. Lucy gasped dramatically.

Edmund leaned back in his chair, studying you. There was no mockery in his gaze—only curiosity. And something softer.

“Sit,” he said.

~*~*~

The match lasted longer than any before it.

No teasing courtiers. No polite applause. No smug commentary from Peter.

Just the two of you.

The board between you.

Every move calculated. Every sacrifice is intentional. Knights fell. Bishops vanished. Pawns were claimed without mercy.

Edmund’s confidence didn’t falter—at first.

But then…

His jaw tightened.

You had seen it. The opening. The smallest weakness in his defense. The same flaw he’d had since Finchley. The same one he’d never noticed you noticing.

You moved your queen.

Silence filled the hall.

Edmund stared at the board.

Once. Twice.

Then he looked up at you slowly.

“…You didn’t.”

Your lips curved gently.

“Checkmate.”

Lucy squealed. Peter choked on air. Susan looked downright delighted.

But Edmund—

He laughed.

Not bitter. Not annoyed.

Proud.

Because he knew.

You had been able to beat him since the very beginning. Since rainy afternoons in the castle. Since the wooden box with golden filigree and the carved tree on the lid.

“You let me win,” he realized quietly.

You tilted your head. “Maybe.”

His expression softened in a way only you ever saw.

“You’re insufferable,” he murmured.