Haruka Tomatsu Courage

As panic sweeps through the city and everyday streets collapse into chaos, Ciprian is driven by one unshakable instinct: protect Adam at all costs. When an unexplained catastrophe turns the urban landscape into a pressure cooker of fear and survival, nothing matters more than keeping his best friend alive. In this fast-paced short story, a sudden crisis forces two friends to confront more than danger. As tension rises and the city descends into disorder, buried emotions, unspoken attraction, and complicated feelings come to the surface. What begins as survival quickly becomes something deeper, binding their fates together in ways neither of them expected. Set against a backdrop of urban collapse, panic, and uncertainty, this emotional short fiction explores friendship, loyalty, and love under pressure. Perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven stories, disaster scenarios, slow-burn emotion, LGBTQ+ themes, and intimate moments set during world-altering events. A gripping short story about connection, courage, and the fragile line between friendship and something more—meant to be read in one sitting, but felt long after.

Crimson widened her eyes as the tall sturdy figure stepped an inch close to her. With her face staring at his chest that was broad and looked like that of an athlete, she dared not look him in the face due to the mess she has created. " Kevin we can talk about this in private, I've really toyed with your name this much please don't sue my company, they had nothing to do with this, it was me who claimed that on my own, i'm very sorry." Crimson apologised to the cold looking man as she bowed continuesly. "Why should you be sorry? I didn't know untill today that I had a fiancee. Grandfather is asking when the marriages would be hold." Kevin snapped coldly, Crimson summoned up courage to look up at his face as she didn't want to miss the smirk that was plastered on his face. "You heard me right.. you've claimed me yourself why do you look like a chicken?" Kevin mocked as Crimson scratched her head in frustration.

{Warning: R-18} "No, please don't do this to me," she whispered, her voice trembling with fear. "Have I ever shown mercy to anyone, my dear Mate? Why should you be an exception?" he retorted, his voice oozing with malice. "Please, I beg you, don't do this to me," she pleaded, her words barely audible amidst her sobs,"Why are you doing this? It's so painful. I hate you. Please stop." "How dare you try to escape from me? Do you think you have the courage to defy me?" he snarled, his voice dripping with venomous rage. "I'm sorry, please, I promise I won't repeat this mistake. Please, have mercy," she pleaded, her words forming a desperate melody. "Your begging is like sweet music to my ears, Angel," he taunted, his voice filled with sadistic pleasure,"You dared to run away from our marriage. Today, I am going to show you the extent of my power." "Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!"

When Isabella Romano's flawless younger sister calls off her engagement just days before the wedding, the Romano family is thrown into chaos. But there's a twist: the groom, the powerful and enigmatic Aristide Moretti, isn’t heartbroken—in fact, he's relieved. To save their families’ reputation and the alliance between them, Isabella steps in as the new bride. Shy, bookish, and always in the shadow of her sister’s beauty, Isabella has secretly loved Aristide for years. She never imagined she'd be the one walking down the aisle to him. What she doesn’t know is that Aristide has always preferred Isabella. He sees her kindness, her strength, and her quiet fire—and he’s more than ready to claim her as his own. But can Isabella believe she’s truly wanted? Or will insecurities, secrets, and her sister changing her mind, threaten their chance at happiness? A heartwarming, slow-burn romance about love in unexpected places, second choices that turn out to be first picks, and the courage it takes to believe you’re worthy of being loved.

When a shy and selfless Sophia Carter agrees to a contract marriage with Alexander Blackwood, her father’s friend's son and ruthless billionaire,she affirms that she is laying her freedom for her family's survival.. However, the arrangement became a web of deception and betrayal. Sophia discovered that Alexander not only married her to secure his inheritance but also to gain control of her late father's company. Sophia faces constant humiliation from Alexander’s manipulative ex-fiancée, Victoria Hastings, and his estranged cousin, Julian Cole who has developed affection for her for so long, seeks to destroy Alex. Despite her initial weakness, Sophia begins to change, seeking the truth about her father’s business downfall and challenging the forces that seek to break her. During the challenging times, Sophia and Alexander suffered with their relationship through different schemes of betrayal from Julian and Victoria that threatened to set them apart. When Sophia becomes the target of Julian’s final, dangerous scheme, her courage and recent strength turn the tide. Alexander admits his own flaws and fights to win Sophia's life and affection.

Torn between the man she loves, and the man who loves her.... Cordia Pike has always been strong-willed, but she knows her family expects her to accept the hand of her childhood friend, Jaris Adams, in marriage. As the conflict between the states continues to escalate, Cordia hopes it will last long enough for her to find a way to free herself without breaking her friend’s heart. On the eve of war, as the men prepare to ride off to battle, Cordia meets a mysterious newcomer. There’s just something about Will Tucker that she finds both intriguing and dangerous. Under the guise of caring for his sister, she makes a plan to write to him. Perhaps by the time the war is over, Will’s feelings for Cordia will have blossomed into the love she is starting to feel for the Union soldier. But war is evil and complex, and by the time it begins to wind its way through Southwest Missouri, one of these men will be dead, and Cordia will find herself betrothed to a man she loathes. Will she have the courage to follow her heart and stand up for what she believes in like so many others, or will she do as she is told and acquiesce to a loveless marriage to a heartless traitor?

Yasmin has survived five years of Cole Martinez’s cruelty—his icy contempt, his mother’s vicious words, and the humiliation of watching him parade his mistress around town. She’s learned to stay quiet, stay small, and never fight back. But two pink lines on a pregnancy test change everything. Cole made it clear he never wants children. If he finds out about the baby, Yasmin knows exactly what he’ll demand. Yet for the first time in years, she feels something stirring inside her that’s stronger than fear—a fierce, desperate love for the tiny life growing within her. Now she faces an impossible choice: stay silent and risk everything when her secret shows, or find the courage to run from the only life she’s known. In Cole’s world, defiance comes with a price. But some things are worth fighting for, even if it means losing everything else. Can Yasmin break free before it’s too late, or will her secret become the final chain that binds her forever?

PASSION IN THE OFFICE One shot of vodka + a dare + one steamy kiss = LOVE? Willing to prove she really can ‘live a little, Navy Remington accepts to play truth or dare in a cool nightclub. She chooses dare… After one shot of vodka, enough to help her build up some courage, Navy goes straight to a gorgeous man at the bar, puts her arms around his neck, and gives him a passionate, steamy kiss. What Navy doesn’t know is that the man she just made out with in the nightclub, is mogul and playboy extraordinaire Victor Hook. Furthermore… he's going to become her boss... real soon. Even so, Navy won’t let anything get in the way of her ambition. And she’s determined to be taken seriously as she begins her career, and not give in to the heat that’s constantly driving her to distraction. Still, the more Navy and Victor ignore the fire between them, the stronger it gets. But she’s not going to end up in her boss’s bed, because saying yes to Victor won’t just be Navy’s wickedest fantasies come to life... it will be the end of her dreams.

I met Oleg in junior school, and we clicked right away. Despite our fathers being rival mafia bosses, we never fell apart. But my feelings for Oleg changed with age. I felt frightened because I was torn between the comforts of friendship and the thrill of something more. My dad was very homophobic, so it was even more difficult to express how I felt. I was faced with wanting to be truthful but endangering our families’ fragile peace So, my feelings stayed hidden, and I was just happy to be with Oleg. Yet I couldn’t help but hope that Oleg would feel the same. Perhaps he was too scared to say anything. That hint of hope was what gave me the courage to take action. And I did but things went terribly wrong. our worlds collided and exploded. It left us with nothing but hatred and resentment between our families. If I could turn back time, I would be content with the friendship we once shared, not the hurt and anger which we now have. We parted ways with hatred in our hearts,a wound that never healed,years later,our path crossed again......

Though she was taken in by the Lynds as an orphan, Tina Lynd is constantly bullied and harassed—her elder sister stole her boyfriend, her younger sister framed her for crimes she didn’t commit, and her adopted parents are marrying her off to a fifty-year-old man!Nonetheless, since things couldn't get any worse, Tina used her last shred of courage to provoke the most feared man in the imperial capital: Samuel Langford. Soon, the entire city knows that the Langfords are welcoming the arrival of a new daughter-in-law, who is pampered by Mr. Langford to the ends of the earth!Tina’s scumbag former flame is left bawling while her family is left regretting their life choices, even as Samuel proceeds to destroy every living being who has bullied Tina…Months later, Tina tries to run away while heavily pregnant, only to be repeatedly captured by Mr. Langford.Overbearing as ever, he wrapped his arms around her waist as he whispered, “Tina Lynd! You’re not getting away for the rest of your life—not after you got under my skin!”(Sweet Love 1v1)