| He ran to survive. Now, he must remember to live. | Stephen Swan was only five years old when he was taken. One moment, he was playing outside with his best friends, Jacob, Quil, and Embry. The next, he was gone - stolen away into the hands of an experiment that would change him forever. In the Maze, he became Thomas. A Runner. A survivor. A leader. He fought to escape, only to lose everything - including the person he loved most. Newt died in his arms, and with him, the last piece of Thomas's heart. Now, after years of running, he's been found. Rescued. Returned to a father who never stopped searching and a home he no longer remembers. But Thomas isn't the same boy who was taken. The carefree child is gone, replaced by someone colder, quieter - someone who doesn't know how to live outside of survival. But while Thomas may not remember his old life, there are those who remember him. Jacob, Quil, and especially Embry. The quiet one. The one who watches him like he's waiting for something. As Thomas struggles to piece together who he is and who he's supposed to be, he begins to realize that escaping the Maze was only the beginning. Because some bonds are unbreakable, some pasts refuse to stay buried, and some destinies were always meant to find him - no matter how lost he's become. ~ Started: 01/04/25 Finished:

This story begins with Conrad in California, detached and disciplined, carrying the familiar weight of being the responsible one-the son who absorbed pressure, grief, and expectation until love felt indistinguishable from obligation. He is older now, sharper, angrier, and more self-aware, but still haunted by his past: his mother's death, his father's failures, and the wreckage left behind with Belly and Jeremiah. Everything fractures the night he meets Valeriya-brilliant, commanding, emotionally guarded, and immediately unreadable. Their connection is instant and volatile, built on challenge rather than comfort. Valeriya doesn't soften Conrad; she exposes him. She calls him out, refuses to be managed, and meets his intensity with her own. What starts as mutual fascination quickly spirals into something obsessive, physical, and deeply binding. Their relationship becomes the emotional center of the story: fierce loyalty, constant proximity, and an intimacy that is not gentle but deliberate. They move fast-not recklessly, but with certainty-building a shared life that feels private and impenetrable. Sex becomes routine, grounding, and expressive rather than impulsive; domesticity becomes just as charged as conflict. Conrad finds himself choosing her again and again-not out of duty, but desire. But as their bond deepens, the past fights back.

What would have happened if Shannon hadn't interrupted them in the dark room during 'Maddy Cool'? The relationship Rhydian and Maddy could have had. This will have multiple chapters but can be read as a one shot.

jegulus fanfic, full of heart ache love and affection:) sorry in advance if this ruins your mental health

Eboni Ames grew up in The Quarters-a tiny, but historic, Black settlement just outside Whitman, Arizona. Her classmate, Ahn Ji-Yeong, grew up in the only Asian family in Whitman and harbored a secret crush on Eboni. Eventually, they both left their hometown to follow their dreams. Eboni's vision of a being a celebrity chef faded in California, where the foodie scene was flooded with thousands of other wannabes, and her family soul food recipes weren't enough to catch the eye of foodies seeking flashier fare. Meanwhile, AJ became a K-pop and K-drama megastar, sitting at the top of the Billboard charts and the Netflix top ten. When Eboni is forced to return home and take a day job while trying to get her soul food catering business off the ground, she finds that AJ has come home too. The bright spotlights of the K-pop industry cast a very dark shadow, and AJ needs a break. Still carrying a torch for his childhood love, AJ offers his Korean fried chicken recipe to help draw attention to Eboni's business. As their lives become more and more intertwined, the heat turns up outside of the kitchen as well. But when their pasts come back to haunt them, Eboni and AJ will have to make tough choices about what they are and want to be to each other. Season 1 of My Seoul Man WARNING: This story contains depictions of racism and mental health crises and references to suicide that may not be suitable for some readers.