#` v; two pieces. one heart. // TWINS AU. `

[elysianstars]

I can't wait for @fellfamilyweek to roll around, I'm having so much fun writing entries for it. And by 'having fun' I mean picking the most emotionally damaging interpretation possible for each prompt and watching my favourite characters rotate in the microwave. I hope other people are working on things for it, as well! (psst if you are then talk to me)

Anyway, here are the summaries of my current pieces, as a preview. Nil features in most of these too, because if we're not including him in the Fell Family then what are we even doing.

I. Nel is overjoyed when her younger twin returns from the battlefield, miraculously alive. Yet gradually, she realises this boy with Nil's face is not what he seems.

II. Once upon a time, Alear had many brothers and sisters, filling the void where a parent's love should have been. One by one, they were taken away from him, except for her.

III. A thousand years ago, a little boy who should have died managed to live. Now he guards the ruins of Lythos with his brother and sister, after the fall of the last Divine Dragon. Which one of them is destined to become the Fell Heir?

Canon divergent Xenologue AU, where Nil survives to adulthood, but everything else still goes wrong.

IV. To place one's dragonstone in another's hands is the greatest act of trust. Veyle holds the stone of her weary, broken-hearted brother, wondering if she will ever find him again. Rafal holds the stone of his sister, stained with her twin's dying blood.

V. Triumphant, Sombron drags the empty shells of his last two offspring into a new world, to continue waging war. When Alear's Emblem Ring is captured after a battle with Divine Dragons, he's shocked by a pair of familiar faces, and realises there's one last chance to save his little sister.

AU based on the bad ending, set in a third Elyos where Nel and her brothers were born as Divine, rather than Fell Dragons.

I've got a tentative (and less mean) idea for the sixth day's prompts, where Veyle is going around the other three and figuring out everyone's favourite foods for a group meal, or wanting photos of them all to put in a memory album. But I'd rather work on the existing fics before starting any more.

[krastbannert]

Tagged by @noexoozes

20 Questions for Fic Writers

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 69 (nice) on my main account, with 5 on another account. And then there's a few here and there I've deleted over the years.

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 188,387 words.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Tron: Legacy, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Dragon Prince, Mass Effect, Destiny, and Horizon (as in Horizon: Zero Dawn and Forbidden West). At one point I had a Halo fic but that's been deleted. And then I've got a few original works.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

to that loyal heart (you're forever sixteen) - Zuko and the 41st Division, and what it means to those who will never forget what Zuko did.

Twin Flames - Azula-centric, post redemption, where she meets her niece, Izumi, for the first time, and finds that they have something in common.

those stories written in your skin - Zuko and his various tattoos, and the story of a journey around the world.

Lonely - Fire Hazard Siblings-centric, a small, quiet moment on Ember Island where both, for the first time, feel safe.

Wash These Stones - sequel to to that loyal heart (you're forever sixteen), about Chit Sang, the 41st Division, the loss of a child, and the healing that comes years later.

5. Do you respond to comments? I try to respond to all of them, but I kinda...lost track and stopped around 8 or 9 months ago. I recently responded to a lot of them, finally.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? The multishipping discord kinda hated for Hey, Pretty Boy, my modern AU Yuekka oneshot told from Yue's perspective. They thought that was really angsty. And the Taangst Week pieces I did were, to the other Taang fans, pretty scaring (still waiting for Taangst Week II: Electric Boogaloo). But I think the angstiest fic I've ever written is either The Abyss or Escaping the Shells - both have no happiness, no comfort, no catharsis. They're just about what's left when the battle is over, and the hollow shells of people that the fighting leaves behind.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably Across That Glimmering Sea, the story I wrote for the Fire Nation Recovery Zine - about the world letting out its breath after the war, and learning to live again - or maybe Go For Broke, the true story of a real-life hero. If planned endings are counted, probably either Brave Soldier Girl or not with a whimper (but a roar like thunder).

8. Do you get hate on fics? Ehhhh depends on your definition of hate. I haven't gotten any of the classic hate comments that a lot of my friends have gotten, but Brave Soldier Girl has gotten some pretty heated negative comments on the last two chapters.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I have, but I've written so little that I don't really think I have a type, per say. I have written any in a while.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I have not written a crossover. Thought about it, years ago, but haven't.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I've been a beta reader, but that's it.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh honestly, I have no idea. I love a lot of ships for a lot of reasons, so it's really hard to pick.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? At this point? All of them. Realistically, tamehegane (my swordsmith!Azula AU) and hold you like a hand grenade (Azula & Ursa, companion to Brave Soldier Girl).

16. What are your writing strengths? Recurring motifs to represent characters and the story, and digging into the thoughts and feelings of characters so they feel real.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? The act of writing. Not kidding. I suck at actually sitting down and writing. Also, general confidence in my writing (hard to feel like you're actually a good writer when almost no one reads the majority of what you've written in the last two years). Those are probably linked together in a way I don't really feel like examining too closely.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I've tried it; something about it doesn't feel right, probably because I only speak English fluently.

19. First fandom you wrote for? The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Oh, man. Neither are finished, but probably Brave Soldier Girl or not with a whimper (but a roar like thunder). So much I have planned for both, so much research for both, so much work and emotion that I'm trying to put into each one. It's hard to say which one is realistically my favorite.

Tagging @authorjoydragon @thiscryptidischronicallyyours @mycomfortblanket @nyamadermont and whoever else wants to consider themselves tagged!

[hallowed-nebulae]

I am very curious about the worldbuilding you have around the Foretellers within Tempest-verse and silver drips from aching hands! What was the inspiration behind that? Any fun facts you can tell us about them?

i have calc hw and a forum for intro to film due so i may not be able to answer this the most thoroughly but i will do my best

okay so my initial thought for the foretellers were: "how can i make them people but Off". i don't remember the actual initial thought but like that's the vibes. they have only one body fluid that acts as blood, tears, etc etc. i figured, if we have creatures with only a heart (heartless, pureblood), a body and soul (greater nobodies/lesser nobodies) and a body and heart (corpses. a body without a soul is a corpse) i figured we should have something for a soul and a heart. thus we have the Foretellers technically being formless

uhhh lemme pull up my specbio real quick

they don't have organs! most organs at least. they've got a brain and such, but anything else isn't needed so their "bodies" don't have them. that said, if they can fit something in their mouth then they can eat it (since a Foreteller's body will just kinda absorb it until it's dust or such).

they're made of Only light and thus darkness sickens them and Nothingness outright kills them. the only way they can survive the nobody-ifying process is if they have a host they're latched onto (like luxu with braig's body).

in tempests verse (less sure of silver drips, been a hot sec), the master of masters made Foretellers in order to try and artificially create Reginae (a type of god who are born from dead beings that are reborn into their divinity). unfortunatelly you cannot make a reginae, it's up to Fate and Miracles (the two inherent forces within that reality), so MoM failed and that's why the Foretellers are kinda fucked up. too divine to be normal but not divine enough to be divine. their hearts feel all Off, and their keyblades feel that way too if you were to hold one. exceptions are if you're bequeathed a Foreteller's keyblade bc then it sorta fits into your heart's personal little resonance so that you're not discomforted by it.

(brain is an exception since, within tempests verse and silver drips, he's luxu's twin and thus their hearts' resonances are similar enough that No Name does not adjust. unfortunately this means brain does somewhat experience the Effects of holding a piece of a not-god in his heart, without that bit of filter to protect it. alas)

foretellers are INCREDIBLY possessive of what's theirs. they also tend to adopt. the unions were formed by the Foretellers just, adopting large droves of children who were yet-to-be-claimed. Foretellers also have a little heirarchy, so they'll fight Foretellers of an equal or lower standing in case of dispute over territory, but if a Foreteller of higher standing takes something then they won't do anything about it. i don't have this heirarchy worked out but it's within the larger divine heirarchy that exists, which will get elaborated on at some point

Foretellers are fun bc they're one of the first bits of alucinari i made, but now they tie in to a lot of my fun little interconnected multiverse of aus for various fandoms. so much lore on Miracles and gods and such is gonna be revealed in my crystal verse eventually (lore and rambles and stuff on my characters for that is located at @crystal-verse ; k'pheli himself is Miracles, aka the Shattered God, so there's lore there by necessity)

anyways this went off on a tangent but i hope it was at least entertaining to you! i don't know exactly how i got here but i am enjoying my worldbuilding. v fun.

(for those who know ffxiv: a Foreteller is more similar to a Lightwarden than an Ascian, but also more similar to a Reginae than a Lightwarden. Unlike Vauthry, a Foreteller could claim to be divine and be somewhat correct, rather than entirely uncorrect.)

[apocalypseraised]

@dcadrct

     ❝ -- I DON’T TRUST WALLS.  ❞    she folds her arm, turning half-way to glance at ericsons leader.   arms folded, hands tucked tightly in her pits to keep the chill from her skin .         ❝ --  soon enough. they all fall and we realise they’re just              stones and mud. ❞  

[marshmallowprotection]

Gladiolus.

Description: Jihyun Kim knew what he had to do to protect both Saeran and Saeyoung, but what happens when he realizes that he needs to help himself and change the course of his life to accomplish it? Will he have the strength to be the Dad that he needs to be for them in the face of his mistakes and victories?

Photographer Saeran AU

Word Count: 10500

Based on this idea and thanks to @dailysaeran​ for drawing baby Saeran!

[Read on AO3]

Jihyun had heard that the winds of change could come into your life and dismantle everything that you thought would last forever. Life wasn’t always a constant stream where the water would twist and turn around the rocks the same way. The weather would change, the temperature would change, the currents would change, and even the animals that lived in the water would change as the seasons passed. 

It had been something that he had gone through twice before, but this change wasn’t one that he ever expected to come. It had been a realization that had been a long time coming, but he hadn’t allowed himself to see just how much he needed to stop and reflect on the man that he became as his life shifted to much more mature adulthood. 

The first time things changed, he lost his dear mother and it changed the way that he believed in love. Her adoration and commitment to him had made him believe that he needed to care for the people he loved no matter what, without fail, even if it meant that he would sacrifice himself. In hindsight, now he was able to see how this extreme wasn’t the right way to handle his feelings towards others. 

His mother had always loved him and wanted the best for him. But, at that time,  he had been a stubborn young man who had layered issues with his mother. It wasn’t her fault that his father had taught him to feel complicated about his mother, and it certainly wasn’t her fault that V had come to realize too late that his father had manipulated him to believe in his lies. He had been so afraid as a child of his father seeing his true passion. 

His fears and insecurities forced him into pushing his mother away over and over again, but she kept believing in him and pushing for him to find his dream. Her sacrifice for him during the fire that claimed her life had been what changed Jihyun forever. He thought that to love someone, he had to give everything for the rest of his life, even if that meant trying to help someone by being too pushy. 

His mistake here had nearly cost him everything. 

It had almost destroyed him, in the same way, that his mother had been destroyed by her love and compassion for her son whom she loved dearly. He had learned the wrong lesson and it was only recently that he was able to understand that. 

The second time things changed, he had met Rika, and by extension, he would eventually come into contact with Saeyoung. His love life with Rika had always been intense, blinding as the sun as the two of them tangled their broken hearts looking for a savior to believe in. But, their love wasn’t right for one another at the end of the day, and the more they argued the less idyllic their reality became. 

He wanted to help Rika escape from her nightmares and trauma, but he had no idea how to help her in the way that she needed him to. He thought that allowing her to fixate on her darkest and scariest thoughts by subjecting him to them instead of herself, would help her to break free of the chain. She was a star that was on the brink of exploding when he met her, and every single day, he idealized this and found a muse within it. 

It hadn’t been a healthy relationship once their feelings became tangled with the fruits of poison but as that realization grew to a fever pitch, V couldn’t ignore the cycle that had been created. Even if they ignored it and tried to make things work, it was never going to work and they were needless in the way that they continued to subject themselves to something that would never make them feel the love that they deserved. 

Everyone thought that their love was perfect, but it was far from the truth. This was realized just as they began to help the twins. Saeyoung and Saeran Choi were two young boys who had been living in hell their entire lives, and they were trapped in a cycle of abuse that they could not get out of on their own. Rika had been taking care of Saeyoung for a while, gaining his trust through the church and trying to help him bring more food and clothes home to his sickly twin. 

She’d known him for quite some time before Jihyun met him. But, Rika had been upfront with him about the life that this young boy lived, and it didn’t take much consideration for him to so badly want to help. Saeyoung was willing to do anything, try something, or beg if it meant that his brother could be safe and sound away from harm. Their mother was using them to blackmail their father into getting whatever she wanted, and without them, she wouldn’t be able to assert that control. 

Rika, at first, wanted to simply remove the boys in the dead of night and run. V thought that wasn’t a bad idea, but when Saeyoung admitted the identity of his father, they both knew in their hearts that running wasn’t going to be a viable option. 

It was in their hunt to find a way to get the older twin an escape that V met someone from the agency. A fan of his that loved to buy up so many of his photographs happened to be working for an underground facility that took any intelligent young people under their wings. The man spun it to him like being an escape from reality, an action movie suddenly came to life that would give the budding Choi a place to learn how to use his skills to protect himself. 

As Saeyoung had proven to be quite skillful with programming, the books that he had been studying that had been given to him by Rika had come in handy. He was able to prove that his skill was worth the trouble it would take to train him properly to the man, and Jihyun was able to make a deal through that, giving Saeyoung safety within the confines of secret protection where his hacking skills could eventually help him hide everything about himself and his brother. 

For the time being, Saeyoung would have to let go of his twin to go into the agency to study and become what they wanted him to be. There was no telling how long he would owe the agency his life and skill, it could’ve been years or it could’ve lasted his entire life. But, the deal would give him time to figure out how to become the strongest person that he could be. It would allow him to protect his brother, which is all he wanted.

In making this deal with the agency, he made a second deal with V for it. Saeyoung was a very firm negotiator when he wanted to be. The promise was that as long as Saeyoung was in the care of the agency, V and/or Rika would have to care for his brother and keep him hidden. It was this large promise to make that meant that everything in their lives would change, but V took this deal because he knew it was the right thing to do. He wanted nothing more than to protect those boys with his entire heart. 

He had never been this committed to the idea of protecting children before, but he supposed that he saw his pain in their eyes. He never wanted to see another child hurt from whatever they lived through, no matter how deep the pain buried itself into their bodies. This deal was made and the older twin had to leave without warning. His heart ached to know that he couldn’t tell his twin where he was going. 

People in the agency weren’t allowed to have connections with family or loved ones. If they did, people would use them as collateral and the agency couldn’t have their members breaking down every time someone wound up kidnapped or used a prop. Saeyoung couldn’t stomach the idea of knowing that his brother would get hurt when this was to protect him, so when the day came and he had to leave? 

He hugged his brother tightly as he was still resting and apologized, leaving during the time before the sun rose with just the clothes on his back. Saeran would be okay, but he had to break his heart into pieces to do it. His little brother was everything to him and just knowing that he could taste some kind of freedom was all he needed to choose to leave. Saeyoung had tears in his eyes that day, but he never stopped smiling. 

Those words that Saeyoung spoke still haunted him somewhat, as the undaunted expression in his eyes grew; “Saeran will have a good life. I know he will. He’ll be free to look at the grounds and get any kind of ice cream that he wants after dinner from now on. He’ll get to experience all kinds of firsts… he can read, draw, and try all kinds of things with you, V. He’ll make friends, he’ll fall in love, he’ll have everything that he could ever want. Thank you.” 

That hung heavy on V’s shoulders as it was a tall order to fulfill. But, he took that promise and he kept it deeply interwoven inside of his heart. Even as his and Rika’s relationship came to an end in a matter of seconds. Rika realized after just a short time being around Saeran that his pain was too great compared to her own, and it reminded her too much of her mother and the pain that she had suffered. 

She wanted to protect Saeran, but this realization had given her the ugly truth. She couldn’t give him the love that he needed alongside V… because her heart was still wounded, and she wanted to heal herself in the right way before she tried to help someone in need in the way that he truly needed. His pain was like her own, and in seeing that, she knew that she needed to end things with V to be able to help herself. 

As they had been growing apart over some time, V understood why she chose to do this and he knew that it was coming no matter what happened. They had never been perfect for each other and trying to force themselves to stay together to take care of Saeran simply wasn’t going to help that child in need. 

Rika dedicated herself back to going to therapy consistently and decided to put all her energy into creating the RFA so she could help Saeran and other children like him that way, removed from the situation but still close enough to provide help.

She loved V but their love couldn’t ever be more than what it had always been, mere infatuation and trying to cover their wounds with a meager bandaid that couldn’t heal the problem. He cared for her greatly but at the end of the day, love could not bloom and prosper in a garden without a drop of water in the intense heat of the sun. 

V understood his failing in their relationship as well, and through her insistence, as well as the urging of Jumin, he decided that he needed to get help for himself as well. Even if getting help was such a taboo in his culture, he knew that he needed it. He knew that his heart was wounded and to be a better man, he had to acknowledge what he had gone through. After all, if he was to be Saeran’s father, he wanted to be worthy of the title. 

He wanted to be able to prove to not only himself but everyone around him that he could do the right thing. It wasn’t easy for him to face his demons but it was a process that he wanted to start for his heath. While that started and he and Rika separated, he slowly took the time to lure Saeran away from his mother’s grasp day by day. It started with Rika convincing the woman to let him come to the cathedral every so often. 

But, in due time, the longer that Saeran was gone, the less time that his mother was aware of her surroundings and the people around herself. 

She had been drinking often since Saeyoung had left and it left her out of her mind for lengthy periods. When she was too dazed to even process what her name was, much less where her child was, that’s when V and Rika snuck in during the dead of night when she was passed out and there was no sign of any watchful eyes from Saejoong Choi. 

Saeran was removed from her household and brought to V’s house in the secluded mountains, far from the city but just close enough that they wouldn’t have a lengthy drive if push came to shove and they needed something. 

That woman was left in her despair but her fate hung in the balance the minute that she was left alone. They took extreme measures to make it look like the boys hadn’t even lived there in the first place, but whatever Saejoong Choi decided to do with that woman… it would be the price of her sins to face alone now that she no longer could use the boys as puppets. Neither V nor Rika would look back or try to discern her true fate. 

It would be up to fate in that case and they would shield Saeran from that reality as much as they could. He might have cared for the idea of his mother as he craved a family where he was wanted and loved, but she wasn’t someone who truly loved her sons. They couldn’t be properly called her sons because she never treated them the way a mother should treat their child. She simply did not deserve that title. 

Regardless, with Saeran under his care, he was finally able to wake up one morning and know that he had a bed that couldn’t be taken away from him. He’d been given his bedroom with anything that he could desire. Saeyoung had told them about some of the things that he liked and it helped them figure out what to gift him to make him feel more at home. 

It was a lot for Saeran all at once, though. 

His eyes flooded with tears that day as he realized that he had a bed for the first time in his life. He looked back at V and asked him, “Is that mine?” The twins had slept on a mat on the floor with only a single blanket to share between them. Saeran often wound up wearing the blanket after he fell asleep because Saeyoung would refuse to take it. So, a bed was like the biggest gift this child had ever seen. 

Saeran’s eyes flooded with tears as he hugged V without thinking, looking at him with the most joyful expression in his eyes. V felt his heart jump when he did, and a lump grew in his throat as he ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled in return. This was what Saeyoung wanted, his twin to be able to have the very thing that they had been denied from their birth, a home with a family that would protect him.

He had been barely fourteen years old, but the way his donated clothes clung to his body and how short he was, he could’ve passed easily as a ten-year-old, at best. He was small and barely able to hold himself up most days but that had been a happy moment for him. Saeran had only let go of V to race to the bed, flopping onto the soft mattress and rolling onto his back, laughing and giggling with glee. 

His room was a paradise of pinks and blues, very gentle pastels that would cloak him with the sunshine that he had been denied. His room had a large window that he could open if he wanted to see the sky or feel the fresh breeze on his face once again. 

There was a view of the garden in the back and the massive trees that lead into the forest further behind that. He could see all of the things that he never could have locked away in his mother’s house.

There were plushies and toys carefully tucked into the room as well since Saeyoung had been firmly adamant that his twin loved to color and all the picture books that he had received made him long for toys and soft things to hold onto. 

There was one gift in that room that hadn’t been chosen by V… and it was a ginger tabby cat plushie, something that Saeyoung picked out for him after he snuck out to go shopping with V one day. 

If Saeran were to flip the tag around its neck, he would see his brother’s handwriting on the back plain as day. It didn’t say his brother’s name on it but it did say, “For Saeran,” and that would be the only clue his twin needed to understand that it was a gift from Saeyoung. He would discover it when V left him to acclimate to his new room by himself, eyes laced with happy tears as he’d realize his twin had given him a gift. 

It meant that his brother was alive and this was where he wanted him to be.

Saeran was hopeful after that, his eyes sparkling with relief and joy. V couldn’t tell him where his twin was or anything about him, but the gift was enough. It was a gesture that would be able to tide him over and keep his heart happy, knowing that he hadn’t been abandoned and his twin hadn’t been killed by their father. 

It was a simple gesture but it was the only thing that he could think of to bypass the agency before they even knew it was a problem. 

Of course, this opened up another can of worms that V had to deal with. The fact of the matter was, Saeran couldn’t keep his red hair. Even if he was hidden away from the rest of the world and safe with him, they couldn’t trust that his father wasn’t still looking. He would be hunting around for boys with red hair and golden eyes. 

V had to explain this to Saeran, who felt a little dejected about not being able to keep his hair but after he learned why he had to change it, he was okay with it. After all, he knew that he could be able to dye it back someday if he wanted. But, for the time being, he had to dye his hair to look like V’s did. This was for a very good reason and it worked with the backstory that he was going to tell people if they asked about him having a child. 

Through the false documentation that he was able to create thanks to the channel he had created with his informants, he was able to create an entire fabricated life for Saeran. It took a lot of time to look into his mother’s side, but he was able to make it seem as though Saeran was just a very distant cousin of his from the states that had no other family to turn to. It meant he wouldn’t be in the family registry since it was distant. 

It was close enough that a doctored birth certificate and some basic paperwork could give him a new identity overall. It took a lot of money to make it as perfect and legal as possible, but it was well worth the price he paid. To the South Korean government as far as they were concerned in the matter, Saeran would simply be known as Ray Kim, the adopted child of Jihyun Kim. It was as simple as that. 

Saeran had been adamant about the name since he got to pick what people would call him. He thought about it for a while until he stumbled upon an interesting idiom. He noticed that nice people were called a Ray of Sunshine. Saeran felt connected with that idea, he wanted so badly to be happy enough that people would never think he was lonely and pathetic. 

He wanted to be that person that looked so happy they glowed. 

If Saeyoung was watching over him now, he wanted his brother to know that he was happy. So, his new name should’ve been happy. V agreed and let him pick that name since he was giving up a lot to be able to have this freedom in the first place. He was a child that had been saved but he still had limitations on what he could do. Being able to choose his name was one of the small luxuries. 

Of course, as soon as the paperwork was ready, V had to dye his hair himself. It took a while to lighten his red locks to a color that would accept the mint dye, but Saeran was a good sport for the entire time that he had to sit there at the table, letting V do his hair in layers as everything started to process. It took a few hours but by the end of it, Saeran’s red was washed away and replaced with a color that was no different than V’s. 

The child looked into the mirror once his hair had dried out, blinking a few times at his reflection since he didn’t recognize it at first. His golden eyes stared back at him so he knew that it was his face in the mirror but it felt weird not to see his twin’s face reflected with his own. It wasn’t the same as it used to be, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t okay. 

It was okay. 

He knew it would be okay. 

In a quiet voice, he asked, “Do you think Saeyoung would be upset because I don’t look like him anymore?” 

“Saeyoung would be happy that you’re safe here,” V said. He rested his hand against Saeran’s shoulder and they looked back at their reflections together this time. “You’ll always look like your brother, even if you don’t have the same hair color. Nobody can ever take that connection away from you, Saeran. Never forget that.” 

“Okay.” 

“Do you want to try on the contacts, too? You don’t have to use them when we’re at home, but if we leave the house for something together, I’ll need you to wear them, okay? So, it’d be nice to try to practice getting them off and on your eyes.” 

“Are they this color, too?”

“I picked a few different colors out, Saeran. What would you like to try?” 

“Um, what about green? It’s like the grass!” 

“We can try that.” 

  —

  Saeran adjusted as best he could.

Everything changed so much for him after he finally felt secure. He had room to sleep in, he had a house that could leave whenever he wanted, and he had a new member of his family who liked to listen to him talk for hours about all of the new things that he was doing. V even said that once he felt like he was ready, he could start going to school and hang out with kids his age. 

That was a little scary for Saeran to think about. He wasn’t sure about going out in the open with people… he was still scared of being caught by his father and getting his brother into trouble. It was a sad reality that he faced but the decision was ultimately left in his hands if he wanted to go to school with other kids or he simply wanted V to hire him a proper tutor to come and visit the house every week. 

Saeran was curious about school… about kids his age. Back at the cathedral, he didn’t talk much to the other kids because he had felt too shy to approach them. He had spoken to some of the kids a few times during the playtime that they had whilst the parents were in the middle of their mass, but he always got too anxious to talk to them beyond a few quiet “hello”s. 

It was hard to imagine making friends. 

It was hard to imagine going to school, too. 

But, everything he saw on the television made it seem like it might be fun. What if Saeyoung was going to a school? Would he want him to go, too? He wasn’t so sure about it, but he could think about it and try to guess what it would be like. After all, V went to a school when he’d been a kid, so that meant that it was safe, right? 

Saeran was a gentle soul that liked to learn how to do everything… every meal was spent trying to show him how to do something. Cleaning up meant that he wanted to help V every step of the way, and for the time that he wasn’t trying to learn skills, he could be found outside in the garden that was growing stronger outside. The flowers and vegetables had caught his eye, again. 

He spent a lot of time learning about them at the cathedral but he didn’t have long to study the picture book that V got him when he was stuck with his mother. He liked learning about how they drew and what they meant when you shared them with other people. Saeran thought it was interesting that people could share secrets between petals and stems. 

They were all so pretty and he liked talking to them whenever he could. They were like his friends even if they couldn’t talk back to him. He never had someone who listened so much before so he liked that about them. His flowers were everything to him, and he felt like they could be what he needed to get by instead of school! 

Even if he was curious about what it felt like to have friends that could talk back to him. His flowers were good enough, right? 

V told him that flowers grow better when you talk to them, and he took that belief inside of his heart without question. Even though there was so much that he wanted to share with the flowers, he always ran out of time when the sunset. If he could’ve spent all his time in that little garden, he would have. Though, he was always sad on rainy days when couldn’t go outside and see his friends. 

He would curl up on the couch with his plushie and stare up at the ceiling for a while, letting his mind wander with thoughts that seemed endless. He was lonely, now, even if he had a family of flowers and V with him. Maybe V was right, he wondered, maybe it would be nice to have some friends that he could talk to just as much as he loved talking to his flower friends. What if he was allowed to have both? 

After a particularly stormy day and night that hadn’t let him go outside, Saeran practically leaped at the chance to go outside again. He didn’t even think to ask if V was going to come with him, his little legs just carried him through the house and out the backdoor as fast as they could. He found his way around the puddles and beamed, leaning over with his hands on his knees to inspect his friends. 

They looked like they had gotten a lot of water overnight but after how dry it had been, he wasn’t too scared for them. He just wished that he had a chance to see them even when it was raining badly. His flower friends made his day feel a little bit brighter so seeing them made them was always a good feeling he had. He just didn’t know how to see them if it was raining so much all the time!

That’s when Jihyun appeared beside him, crouching down in the dirt next to Saeran with his camera in hand. Saeran cocked his head and looked at him, unsure why he had come to this part of their garden right away. He lifted the viewfinder to his face and pointed it at one of the flowers that he had been admiring, then he lowered the device and showed the image to Saeran. 

With curious and amazing eyes, Saeran found himself staring at a reflection of the flower. He’d known that V took photos of things that were kind of like what he saw on the walls of their little house but those were all of the sky and stars. There weren’t photos of flowers in the house, there were a few paintings, but no flower pictures. 

He didn’t realize that pictures could be taken of things that were on Earth. Technology was still kind of a fickle thing for Saeran. He had a hard time understanding how things worked, trying to figure out how televisions made their picture happen, how phones could call people if they didn’t have a connection with a string, how cameras worked, how lights functioned to off and on, how a sink made water, and more. 

The house that he lived in with his brother didn’t have a lot of things. The kitchen they had was small and he wasn’t allowed in it. His brother would have to get him food and water, and if he’d ever walked into the kitchen without his mother dragging him in there, he would get hurt in the process. He never looked around. He always looked at his feet. 

It felt like he didn’t know how anything worked. He always tried to guess how they worked, but the only answer that he could come up with was magic. It made sense in the storybook that he’d read once. Magic seemed like a really good answer, but he couldn’t ever find the fairy or witch that was making it work! 

What made V’s camera work? 

He was utterly mystified by what he was seeing on the device. He liked the photos that V took of the sky but… he never thought that this was something he could do. V always had a lot of big cameras that he would take outside during the day and night to take longer photos. He said something about exposure, but Ray didn’t know what he meant. 

He just knew that whatever magic he did made those really pretty photos of the fluffy clouds come into their living room. V had hung the photo that Saeran liked the most in his room after he asked if he could look at the photo for a while. He thought that asking meant that V would let him look at his screen for a while, but he printed the photo out and put it up when he was asleep. It was a nice surprise! 

He spoke up without knowing what he said aloud, “You… you can take pictures of flowers, too? I thought your camera only worked the sky.” 

A small smile appeared on V’s face. He paused as if an idea came to mind, and then he leaned over and pressed the camera into Saeran’s hands. Saeran was surprised and looked down at the device in his hands. He didn’t know what to do with it. He was nervous he might drop it if V let him hold it, so he tried to hand it back, but V insisted with another gentle nudge towards him to keep it. 

“Lift the camera and look at the screen,” V tapped his finger against the top of the camera where he was staring. “Notice how it shows you what you already see in the garden? 

Saeran did as he said, and he noticed the world moved much as it did on television on that small screen. Oh, so, did the cameras that took pictures to take the videos, too? That seemed to make sense to him. He could see the Gladiolus reflected on the monitor. There were a lot of buttons that did things but he didn’t know what they did. 

Saeran pursed his lips and looked back at V, “How do you make it work like that? I mean, how do you take the picture?” 

“I’d be happy to show you. Can I?” 

“Uh-huh.” 

So, V adjusted Saeran’s hold on the camera. He helped him place one firm hand on the lens and another on the side of the camera. Then, he showed him how to focus the lens and how to clear up the picture. Saeran felt a little weird about it since this was his first time holding a camera but V was patient as his uncertainty slowly washed away. 

He looked at the flower outside of the lens at first, then he looked at the screen again. Saeran thought about it. Would the picture look the same as the real thing? Would someone who saw the photo know exactly what Saeran felt when he was looking at the flower? Or, would they guess as to what he felt? Would they feel that fluttering feeling, too?

“When you want to take a photo, you hit the button. Go ahead, give it a try.” 

Saeran hit the switch on the side of the camera and waited a few seconds for the image to show itself on the screen. A wide smile appeared on his face as soon as it did. He couldn’t believe it! He’d taken a photo and it looked just like his flower! Lowering the camera soon, he looked at V who was smiling, too. 

He wished that he could show Saeyoung! He never took a photo before and this one reminded him of his brother so much! He was happy, so happy that he had been able to try something new, that he didn’t even realize that he had begun to giggle, “I did it! Dad, I did it! I took the photo!” 

“You did a good job, Saeran. Would you like to keep trying?” 

V ruffled his hair once again, the mint locks growing messy around his eyes as it would always do whenever the man did that. The breeze was no different, further messing up his hair but he’d decided he didn’t care about that. His hair could be as messy as he wanted and nobody would get onto him for it. 

Saeran’s smile didn’t fade away this time. The prospect that he was allowed to try something more than just once was still a foreign feeling, but it was one that he wasn’t afraid of. “Do you mean it? I can take more photos? I don’t have to just take one of them? I can take anything I want?” 

“Of course, Saeran. I’d be happy to show you how to take pictures of anything you want. There is no limit to what you can take. Those flowers, those trees, the lake just beyond them, the sky, the clouds, you, me, anything you want! I remember you said that you wanted to be able to see your flowers even when it was rainy… and this way you can. You can take pictures of as many flowers as you want.” 

Saeran’s eyes sparkled with excitement. He turned away from V and began to look around the garden for anything that might catch his eye. He didn’t know where to start. He never expected to be able to do something like this! What kind of pictures would he like to see? Oh, could he take photos like V and surprise him the way that he did? 

There were so many ideas running through him and he knew that he wanted to try all of them as soon as he could. 

He was renewed with the idea that maybe, just maybe he would be able to send these photos to his brother somehow. Wouldn’t Saeyoung love to see them? He gripped the device tightly in his hands and set off into the garden leaving V as he went to take photos of everything. His eyes looking at the earth and the sky, taking photos of everything without feeling like he was being held down. 

If he could have photos with him whenever he went off what he loved, he wouldn’t be afraid to try new things anymore. It wouldn’t be scary because he wouldn’t be alone. He could have the stars, the sun, the clouds, the sky, the flowers, his house, V, himself, and anything else that he could think of with him anywhere. 

If it was printed or on this camera, he could have it any time he wanted it without having to make a fuss. He wouldn’t have to ask V if he could go outside first, he could sit at the table and see his things while he tried to do other things inside! The idea made him happy and the camera that was in his hand made him feel liberated. 

Saeran wondered as if V would let him borrow his camera all the time!

   —

 Seasons passed and life changed just as quickly as the tides could crash against the shore of your favorite beach. It had been a few years since V had adopted Ray and ever since then, his life had been on a path that was leading him upward to the stars instead of down below to where waters lay underneath his feet. 

Ray had been able to go to school and attend the same one that his dad had attended without trouble, and nobody once ever questioned him or thought twice about who he was. They all thought him to be Ray Kim, and nobody had any reason to think that he wasn’t who he said he was. They all assumed that he was who he said he was from the start and that had cleared up a lot of Ray’s fears. 

It couldn’t have worked out any better. Ray had been scared to try new things for such a long time but the reality was when V gave him his first camera… It was like a whole new world of opportunity was handed to him. V spent hours showing Ray how to use his camera and he was a faster learner, constantly taking notes and tinkering with ideas that he had just as quickly as he read on what to do.

The camera meant so much to Ray that V decided to give it to him. He had the money to afford a new one, anyway, so he wasn’t too worried about that. It meant more to him that Ray had this thing that made him happy. He loved taking pictures a lot. It reminded V of when he used to use all of his time as a child drawing and painting, and when he saw that passion in Ray’s eyes that he had once seen in himself? 

He realized what his mother had meant all those years ago. 

She hadn’t been trying to pry into his life or make him do something she wanted. She wanted him to follow his heart. Through therapy, he was able to focus on learning that fact. 

He wanted to show his mother that he could do what she did, or at least, what she tried to do. He wanted to support Ray’s dream to be an artist, to be a photographer, too. 

Ray’s photos were… breathtaking and he only got better with time and practice. His skill was astounding, he was capable of tricks and feats that had taken V years to figure out on his own so it meant everything to know that giving Ray a camera had been the right thing to do. Even as he got older and studied hard, he never let go of his passion with his camera. 

When he wasn’t doing his homework, or spending time with his gardening club, he was taking photos. 

His skills were well-admired. 

V knew that Ray had potential and he wanted to help him chase that dream even further, but he also knew that Ray’s face couldn’t be shown as the artist for now. It didn’t mean that he wasn’t worthy of a gallery with his name on it but he deserved something to prove how much his hard work meant. 

He was stubborn, polite, hard-working, and determined to pay people back for kindness. He never asked V very much if he could help it. Even Jumin had commented that his son was rather selfless time and time again, jesting that he had been spending too much time with his father. 

All and all, Ray had grown into an upstanding young man who had a bright future ahead of him, even if he couldn’t have everything. He had a family and friends that cared about him, and he was so very far from the little frightened boy that he had once been. Nobody would have ever believed that the boy with mint curls was once a redhead who lived in fear, clutching to his twin like he was a lifeline.

The RFA had prospered as well, though Ray wasn’t a member of the group. 

He was anxious around big parties and crowds so it was better for him to avoid that. But, he still spoke to the members that were in the group that his Dad belonged to. He liked talking to Jumin, as it turned out, they had a lot in common. Ray was polite and formal when he spoke, and Jumin’d been like that all his life. So, they hit it off great. 

There had been some trips V and Jumin took, bringing Ray along with them to the countryside since he couldn’t leave Korea for his safety. Ray often spent those days staring at everything he could find and asking Jumin about the history or background of the places they traveled. He loved to learn and listen, and Jumin loved to share that with someone. It humbled V to see his friend and son get along. 

Jaehee was courteous to Ray as he often was with her, though, he was the first person to ask Jumin to make fewer cat projects to quote, “not stress Miss Jaehee out.” Ray liked to talk to her because she’d always listen to whatever he was invested in. He would, in turn, listen to her talk about Zen for a while. Their friendship was built on having someone close by who knew what it felt like to want to be heard. 

Speaking of Zen, the actor spent a lot of time looking out for Ray… somehow even more so than Yoosung. It might have been because Ray was awfully small for his height and if someone tried to fight him, he’d probably lose before they breathed on him. Zen was always trying to give him advice about the world and Ray took it, but everyone would correct the advice if it turned into his dating advice.

Yoosung was the closest in age to him but they didn’t have a lot in common. They would share notes and study guides often if they shared a subject in school, even though they were going to the same school, but they talked now and again about other things. They surprisingly shared a lot of recipes together and would work to make them if the RFA was in the same place for an extended period. 

Rika was around, of course, and Ray didn’t mind her too much. They didn’t talk often but she always checked in on him whenever she got the chance. Her dedication to herself had done a lot of wonders for her, but she still struggled with the fear that she might hurt Ray without meaning to so she kept to a polite distance from him apart from this or that. 

V himself was trying his best to be a good father. He made mistakes now and again, but he was doing his best to be there for Ray when he needed someone. Ray had even started calling Dad a long time ago without thinking twice. It was an honor to be given that name, and he would be a liar if he said he didn’t cry that night after Ray went to bed. They spent a long time trying to be sure that bond was tried and true.

Ray had the life that his brother always wanted for him… with one exception to the very rule, he wasn’t in it. Saeyoung wasn’t in his life. He was trapped within the agency and the promise that he had made, but he still thought to this day that his promise was worth it. V couldn’t ever tell him anything about Ray the few fleeting times they got to talk about things on the phone, but he did know that the “cat” was doing better than ever. 

Life was different. 

But, at the same time, life was better than it had ever been. 

However, as he thought about how sad it was that the boys couldn’t see each other, the gears in his brain began to churn. He wanted the boys to have a chance for something, but to give them a chance, he would have to be careful about what he did. As he looked out the window of his kitchen to the backyard, he saw Ray taking photos again, laying in the glass as he stared at the sky once again. 

Could he give Ray and Saeyoung a gift at the same time? 

V would have to think deeply about this. 

 —

 Seven had received a simple invitation in the mail that wasn’t labeled and wasn’t decorated. It was a mint-colored letter that told him who it was from but wouldn’t reveal to Vanderwood, his handler, that it was a message from someone that he cared about. He had to wait a few days to open it because he had just moved into his new house and Vanderwood had to help him set up a lot of things. 

When he opened the letter, he’d been surprised to see that it was a decorated invitation to visit V’s upcoming art exhibition. He was supposedly showing off new works that he had done as well as the works of his new assistant that had just joined him. That didn’t strike him as odd at first, but what did stand out was the message that V penned at the bottom of the letter.

There was just one sentence. 

The cat will be there on display. — V

Seven was able to put two and two together. He realized that V was implying that his twin was going to be showing off art for the first time, underneath a pseudonym, of course, but he didn’t once think that his brother would be able to do something like that. He had no idea of the life his twin was living, what he did, what he loved, who he was now, or what it meant to be a part of his life the way that V was. 

That was just it… he wasn’t apart of Saeran’s life. He was just his brother that had to leave him, and that was it. He hadn’t seen him in years and a part of him wanted badly to know how he was doing and what he was doing with his life, and this alone should’ve been enough to make him be sure that Saeran was safe and happy. 

But, his stomach twisted in knots as he realized that he wanted to go. He wanted to go there and see Saeran in person if he could. It wasn’t a good idea, it was a dangerous idea, but the more he thought about his brother, the more he felt like he needed to see him. He didn’t want to risk any part of Saeran’s new life. 

He didn’t want to be the wrench that destroyed everything that Saeran had, because if V was able to do these kinds of things for him, then that meant he was happy. It meant that he had nice ways of living now, and that he had anything he could ever want. It seemed good to know that much, at the very least. He stared at that invitation for the longest time. 

He didn’t know what to do with himself because he was between wanting to go to see what he looked like all grown up and happy, but the other part of him warned that if he went, he would risk Saeran’s life all over again. Even if he was careful and lied about everything, it might still put a target on Saeran’s back.

Seven spent a long time thinking about it. 

The choice was his to make and V didn’t say that he had to go. He just made it an option that he could choose to come if he wanted. If he could come, anyway. V didn’t know certain things for his own protection. He only knew Seven’s new address for emergency reasons in case something went wrong with Saeran and they had to run through proper protocol. 

Should he go and risk it all? 

Or, should he stay and keep this letter as a token that Saeran was safe? 

It was a big choice to make and he didn’t know the right answer, and there was nobody to ask or talk to about the answer that he wanted to make. Nobody could make it for him and he had to do it on his own. That’s what he always had to do. He always had to decide things that were above his pay grade… it was the price of being the big brother, he always told himself. 

In the end, Seven decided to risk it.

He made a plan for it and worked himself into the ground for days ahead of time so he would have a day off. Those didn’t come very often and Vanderwood wouldn’t bother him as long as the work got done. If he didn’t, they would drop by and remind him what was at risk if they’d shirked off when they didn’t need to. When they weren’t supposed to. Their lives were on the line and that was the truth. 

The agency had never been like the movies. 

It was much, much worse.

This wasn't the kind of life or you could just hack something and get paid for it. They did expect him to be able to do things without a single question. He was expected to absorb information like a sponge and that was all he had to do. If he couldn't keep up with everything that they planned out for him, then it would just end poorly. It would end the same way that Vanderwood had been telling him… in his death. 

He didn't plan on dying anytime soon if he had anything to say about it. He was going to keep living because he needed to. There was no other choice in his heart. His brother needed him to be alive and that was the only way it had to be. It was the only way he was going to let it be. He was doing this so he could have the last bit of motivation in his heart to know that he was doing the right thing. 

He kept telling himself that if he saw Saeran just one more time… 

Just one more time. 

It would never happen again and he would never let it be that way. It was a selfish desire because he had already wasted a lot of time by waiting until late that morning with his brother all those years ago. He couldn't leave his brother in the middle of the night. His brother was afraid of being alone in the dark and he waited for sunrise because if he could do anything that day, it would be to leave his brother feeling hopeful instead of the gotten. 

He knew that it was going to take some time for them to be able to remove his twin brother from that place. It wasn't going to be easy and it wasn't going to be simple. He knew that it could take weeks for them to be able to remove him. 

To leave Saeran was to break his heart. The only thing that he could offer him that last day was the sunrise. He wanted to be able to wash it with him but if his twin knew that he was leaving, he would have tried to come along. He couldn't let that happen. He could have never told him no and that's why he left the way he did.

Seven disguised himself the day of the event. If there was one thing he learned in the agency, it was how to dress himself up and look so unlike himself that he could wander around without fearing people recognizing him. He did have a few favorite disguises that he liked to wear. Even though the agency had forced him to do this because he was young and young people were easy to blend in with the crowd, he had been able to learn that he actually really liked dressing up. He never would have known that before this.

There was just something very validating about being able to dress up. It made him feel good about himself which didn't happen very often. The fact that he had this skill was definitely a comfort because if he was going to break all of the rules, he wanted to make sure that he was going to be safe. Anything that would stop him from putting his brother in danger was going to be for the best.

The gallery show was being held at the same place that he met V. He knew exactly where it was and he knew how to get there. For him to be able to confront it, he decided that the best way for him to handle it was to drive halfway there, and then walk the rest of the distance and get a taxi if he needed it. He was already covering his appearance but he wasn't going to take any chances with someone tracking him. He could never leave any loose ends for himself. 

It took a little bit longer to get there, but he was able to get there in just the nick of time.

Seven allowed himself to catch his breath as he stood in the doorway and looked around the room. There was definitely a crowd that'd come to see the show, so it was hard to tell as to where everyone would be. He drew in this short breath and looked around again, trying to spot his brother in the sea of people. He felt dejected when he didn't see him, but he saw V after some scanning and found himself pausing to see what he would do. 

"Thank you all for coming today, I hope that you are able to enjoy the collections of work that has been displayed today. What I have been working on myself pales in comparison to my assistant, they prefer to remain out of sight for their privacy, of course, but they want you to enjoy their collection with an open mind. Every artist puts their heart and soul into what they capture, and the reflection on the canvas is just the feeling that you can define for yourself. Whatever you see is what is in front of you. The same feeling that the artist feels when they decide to convey their emotions." 

The crowd gave their gentle affirmation in response and cheered for his words. Though, Seven met his eyes and the man smiled back at him. It took away some of the anxiety that he was feeling. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to take the risk? 

As the crowds dispersed and began to look around, Seven decided he would do the same thing. After all, nobody would know him underneath this long wig and costume, and since he hadn't seen Saeran, he wanted to see his photos. He managed to find where they were located in the gallery after passing what he knew to be V's unmistakable photos of the sky. He always felt really good whenever he saw those photos of the Galaxy, but he wasn't looking for that today.

The photos shifted from the stars to something else entirely, something he didn't expect to see. The first photo he saw was of the sky… unlike the stars in V's hands, this was the clouds. It was the bluest sky he had ever seen. The clouds were arranged in a pattern that looked like fruits to him, like a strawberry. Saeran had always loved the blue sky… this had to be one of his photos. 

If he stepped some more forward, he would find a photo of all kinds of scenery. There were sprawling fields of flowers, beaches filled with shells, lakes and the lily pads that bathed them, even expansive gardens that looked ripe with love and care. It was overwhelming to see all of these photos because they were places that his brother had always wanted to see. It overwhelmed him to see it. Each one of those photographs was labeled with Assistant. It was all by Saeran's hand. 

His twin had been able to capture everything that he saw. It was like standing next to his brother as he was able to experience these things for the first time. He missed out on seeing his brother's face for the first time when he got to witness all of this, but seeing all of these photos gave him a chance to have that experience firsthand. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes.

When he came to the end of the hall, he found the last photo.

It was a photo of a single red flower. He leaned over to look at the caption to see what it was called, this one was named Gladiolus. He didn't know that word. Was it the flower? Did it stand for something? It was such an intense looking flower. It made him question the feeling that he was experiencing. 

"Gladiolus, named for the Latin gladius, meaning sword. In Rome, they stood for the gladiators that fought valiantly with their brothers in arms. They symbolize strength and integrity. In some cases, they can also mean remembering a Fallen Friend, or thinking of someone who meant everything to you," a humble voice spoke from the side as Seven stood there in front of the photograph. 

"Interesting," Seven said, as he turned his head to meet V's gaze. Couldn't alright say what he was thinking. "Does that mean that this…" 

V smiled. "Gladiolus grows often in my growing garden these days. My assistant cherishes them dearly because they’re a reminder of someone who he hasn't forgotten since the day he had to move on without them. There are plenty of portraits of flowers here, some of their meanings are listed underneath the photographs. Feel free to look at them all. I'd say this one is the most striking, though." 

This flower was dedicated to his older brother… It was a photograph meant to truly symbolize Saeyoung. Saeran hadn't forgotten about him. It had been his biggest fear that his brother would move on and forget about him. Even though he tried to live without thinking about his brother in the life he was living now, he selfishly wished that his brother would still think of him fondly, if not kindly, but at most fondly. 

Despite everything, his brother still thought of him after all these years. 

V silently stepped to the side and Seven looked beyond him to see what he had been blocking. Across from him and on the other side of the room stood his twin brother, his hair now dyed a minty shade, and green contacts obscured his golden eyes, but there was no mistake. His brother was smiling and laughing alongside those closest to V, those that were in the RFA that V had told him all about. 

Jumin Han and Jaehee Kang were conversing with Saeran, while Zen and Yoosung Kim had their hands on his shoulders, being the ones in the room who made him laugh. That was the thing he could see from his vantage point as the crowds were moving in and out of the way. But, there was no doubt about what he saw. 

It looked like a family. 

Seven felt his eyes welling up with thick tears for the first time in a very long time. He knew he was crying but he couldn't stop it. Saeran looked happy and free and it was all thanks to his Dad, V. He was speechless at that moment and he didn't know what to say. He rubbed furiously at his eyes but it did nothing to quell the tears.

This was all he ever wanted for his twin brother. 

"I bought this painting for you," V broke his train of thought by saying something. "This is yours, after all. I know that you can't have any more than this, but that doesn't mean that you can't have a piece of him with you. It's very common for the people that you know to collect, isn't it? Who's to say that you weren't interested in collecting? Think of it as my gift."

Seven wanted nothing more than to hug V at that moment. He couldn't make a scene or be recognizable in any way, but he felt like the man understood what he was trying to say and convey. "Thank you, V… thank you. I don't know what to say." 

Their time had run out as an alarm began to react on Seven's phone. V pressed his hand to his shoulder and nodded at him,  "Even if the rest of the world tries hard to keep my sons separated, I'll do everything in my power to make sure that they can have a piece of each other to hold onto no matter where they are in the world."

"Your assistant has a very bright future, foster his skills," he smiled back at him despite the pain. He watched as V headed back to the little group with their family. Saeran hugged V and said something that Seven couldn't hear, but the happiness on his face was telling enough. Laughter and all sorts of things spread between them. The group began to talk amongst themselves and by the time that V turned around to see where Seven was, the lonely hacker was gone again. 

Just as quickly as he had appeared. 

As was the photo of Gladiolus.

[bi-demon-ium]

daemon au beginning

okay so the basics: a daemon au, almost entirely centered around nicholas & milligan with a side of the twins backstory, but like, might do snippets of other characters as well because ouch.

the problem with daemon aus for me, mainly, is i hate choosing what their daemon would be because i always feel like there’s no right answer, nothing clicks, etc. it sucks. which is partly why i never finished this. because i really like the idea of a daemon au i just don’t want to think about what the daemons actually look like 😭

anyway lets get started. first of all i would like you to know the summary for my ao3 draft was

The man shows up at Nicholas's doorstep, hollow, devastated, and daemonless.

so you get an idea of where this is going don’t you >:)

the idea here was for whatever reason, whatever brainsweeping thing curtain does to the helpers—and by extension, milligan—does something to their daemons. whether they’re suspended (unable to like. manifest??? like they seem to be gone but they’re just suppressed—like their emotions and memories, they’ve been buried) or if you wanted to go an alternate route, they could be literally imprisoned (but meh)

so milligan doesn’t. have a great time. i mean, daemons are supposed to be your soul, so if you don’t have one… people assume things. assume you’re heartless, soulless, emotionless, less.

(and maybe—especially since unlike other helpers, he has support and someone helping him—he swears he catches flashes of her, like a ghost struggling to get through, or he almost remembers her but can never quite reach, hears the echo of a voice no one else does—she remembers, the soul never forgets, but she can never quite reach him to tell him—)

he gets phantom pains, sometimes, like there’s something missing. two puzzle pieces, perhaps.

(i never decided what daemon she was—i was thinking maybe hawk or german shepard, but i never made a final choice. i had hesitantly started calling her “kyra”, though.)

anyway, he already had enough trouble as a big scary dude with nowhere to go and a crazy story no one believed, but now people see him as a bad omen or even something monstrous, so like. milligan, again, has a Bad Time.

but then he meets nicholas, and nicholas takes him in without hesitation, and when milligan makes it through his story and then falteringly wonders aloud if, maybe, whatever happened took his daemon… nicholas falls asleep.

and then like, okay, let’s move on for a second, jump around. nicholas and his daemon—violet. (curtain’s is vermillion, by the way. yes i am very proud of this. both the matching--v and color names, and vermillion’s reputation for being thought of as green but actually being red so like deception ahaha, and also the extraordinary education refreence.) now i’m playing fast and loose with lore here because i haven’t read the golden compass in ages and i’m not so sure on the sort of agreed worldbuilding/tropes in fusion aus, but.

violet’s been unsettled for a long time now. nicholas knows it isn’t the same, when he meets the man without a daemon, but he knows what it’s like when people look at your daemon and judge you, look into your soul and find it wanting, and around strangers, violet remains in the same form. a cat, perhaps, fluffy and easy to sit in his lap but with claws.

(now what, exactly, being unsettled means when you’re that old, i’ve seen explained differently in some aus, so again, playing fast and loose—is it a fundamental crisis of identity, or a trauma? perhaps when they were young, violet and vermillion settled together, nearly identical, and then when they separated, when he was alone, violet shifted and never stayed again? and he’s left, heart in his throat and soul in his hands, wondering if vermillion has shifted, too, if his brother feels fractured, if part of them has broken and they’re no longer truly twins—)

(is curtain’s daemon unsettled, too? no idea. honestly i have no idea where i’m going with that part of this. but things to consider. i also considered giving him a snake daemon even though that’d be stereotypical as fuck literally just because he would make really pretentious paradise lost references or something and i thought it would be funny. also the idea of mr benedict having a little noodle and curtain’s being actually mean and bitey is pretty funny. ANYWAY.)

i have a lot of unwritten thoughts about a curtain v benedict confrontation with daemons involved, vermillion v violet, etc, that i’m just not quite certain how to put to words, and like. the idea of what they might be like?

like is violet more like curtain—mr benedict’s self preservation, trying to get him to take care of himself or be selfish for once? and vice versa, vermillion trying to get curtain to be kinder? does he purposefully serperate himself from her? i don’t think so and it’s not what i went with but it’s an interesting thought isn’t it dkfgjdfg

oh also worse but just a fun thought does his daemon intimidate the kid’s daemons? sq’s? hahaha ouch

anyway here’s where most of my snippets come in which is nicholas/milligan my beloved. although it’s not really focused on romance so much as a strong bond, so as of now it could easily be read as a QPR or strong friendship and that’s valid.

so i just have a lot of thoughts on nicholas (and by extension violet) being touch-starved as hell, the intimacy of touching someone else’s daemon and the amount of trust that takes, discussion of milligan’s lack of daemon and the potential implications, and that’s what all the snippets are about.

especially the touching someone’s daemon thing because that concept absolutely obliterates me. like. when milligan realizes violet is iniating that touch and practically begging for it and it occurs to him nicholas might be just as touch starved and like the implications of his daemon,,, reaching out for that,,, both in trust (that’s his SOUL!!! in milligan’s hands!!!) and in how much he’s starved for affection,,,, oof

bonus points for violet in some form that purrs bc oh,,,, oh….

and like, unsettled, violet shifts a lot—it’s more comfortable to keep shifting, even if there are some forms she comes back to (cat is convenient and comfy, bird can be useful, when the house is invaded part of her wants to turn into a little ladybug and hide and part of her wants to turn into a horse or a hippo and charge but she doesn’t want them to touch her—)

and like. lots of thoughts about the others too but if i start thinking too hard about broader implications i lose any motivation as it becomes way too intimidating but for the record while all my snippets focus on nicholas & milligan absolutely violet is just cuddling with number two and rhonda’s daemons so fast (once they’re comfortable with it, anyway) and she’ll let them pet her or touch her lightly because they trust them, and if number two—so cautious and strict—lets her daemon brush against nicholas, well. that’s their business. and rhonda, too, though she’s a little more open and casual about it, because, you know, they’re a family, and i’m crying.

also oh my god dad mr b and his daemon interaction with the kids’,,, oh,,,, ANYWAY again that’s not what i have written but it’s also worth considering

(not to mention how curtain might misuse and abuse things but it’s fine—how messengers might find odd side effects…)

i wonder if violet rarely speaks to people that aren’t mr benedict before milligan but had gotten in the habit of just speaking whenever because they were alone so long… see i also have lots of little angsty headcanons i haven’t written anything for yet ,

and like, thoughts on settling—when misunderstandings are healed and he feels safe and whole and maybe this is years and years post canon, finally realizing that everything wasn’t his fault, and he feels healed and okay and like he isn’t at war with himself and guilty all the time, and she settles. she settles, and it’s kind of a shock for everyone and she’s certainly getting used to not being able to just shift into anything, but they’re both more comfortable in their own skin…

(don’t ask me what she settles into and don’t offer me options please i live in anxiety soup)

also again just. so many thoughts on curtain/vermillion pov but like. that’s for another time i think. maybe i’ll write more of these snippet posts I don’t know.

as it is, though, know that they’re not all necessarily like, some of them might contradict each other because they’re all possibilities, even if they generally align with my idea of this AU. a bunch of jumbled ideas. yeah. anyway

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Day 2: Relationships / Matching

*Introducing the Perfect Pair Collection, featuring asymmetrical designs that match.* The oxymoron was not lost on her.

Time to switch to a completely different art style on day 2– 😣 Today’s prompt features the Pomefiore trio!

A harsh tug on his sleeve drew Jade to a halt. He glanced at Miss Raven, who clung to his side, pointing to a nearby shop window with her free hand. Jade followed her finger to what was on display—small boxes and racks, each displaying a glittering piece of jewelry.

“Oya, I do not believe we have baubles on the grocery list,” he tutted, teasingly wagging a finger. “To think that your interest would be so easily captured by mere shiny objects, Miss Raven... Corvids truly are simple-minded creatures. Perhaps you have more in common with the headmaster than I had initially thought.”

“I’m allowed to appreciate beauty, aren’t I?” Raven retorted, casting Jade a sideways glare. “Besides, you wear jewelry.”

“Ah, this?” He gently tapped at the earring dangling from his left earlobe. Three diamond-shaped scales cast a silvery-blue glow upon his skin. “I wouldn’t call it a piece of jewelry so much as a battle trophy.”

At this, Raven wrenched her face away from the glass display to stare at him. “Please don’t tell me you did something unsavory to get your hands on it.”

“You have such strange ideas, Miss Raven.” Jade chuckled as he slicked back his black stripe of hair behind his accessory-clad ear. “Fufu. There is nothing unsavory about victors claiming a prize for their triumph, correct? That is only the natural order of things.”

… I feel sorry for whoever the twins beat up.

She shook her head and returned her gaze to the display window--to the selection of earrings that were laid out upon velvet cloth. Introducing the Perfect Pair Collection, read a sign, featuring asymmetrical designs that match. (The oxymoron was not lost on her.)

Surrounding the sign were various pairs, as promised: a sun and a moon, a jar of jelly and another of peanut butter, a hand and a heart… but Raven felt herself drawn to earrings in the shape of a lock and a key. How peculiar that the head of the key curved into a heart and that its teeth were ribbed with pearls, and how slim yet stylish the lock was.

“My, are you interested in that pair? What an interesting choice.”

“N-No! I’m just admiring them,” Raven insisted. “You don’t normally see designs like this… I wonder how the jeweler was able to make objects so clunky and heavy into something wearable.”

“That is a fair point. The craftsmanship is indeed exquisite.” Jade’s sharp eyes carefully traced the shape of Raven’s ears--pointed, like the headmaster’s. “How unfortunate it is that you lack the piercings to wear them.”

Raven’s hands instinctively flew to her earlobes, as though trying to shield them from him. “I told you, I’m not interested in buying--” 

“Why, whoever said anything about you purchasing the earrings? I was keen to pick up a new pair for myself.” Jade provided a smile and a bow. “Now then, if you would excuse me for one moment…”

Before Raven could protest, he had already vanished inside the jewelry store, leaving her stranded on the street with a list of groceries to procure.

“... Fantastic.”

The bird sighed into her palms. From past experience, she knew that it would not be a wise idea to pursue Jade and attempt to drag him away. For as skilled as Raven was at weaving words, she often found that Jade’s natural charisma, paired with his silver tongue, often gave him the advantage in disagreements.

Best to just leave it for now.

Still, she warily eyed him through the store window as he conversed with a clerk. A few vague hand gestures, a practiced smile, a polite and controlled laugh. All motions Raven had familiarized herself with.

Entranced with her eel watching, Raven didn’t register the trio approaching her until one of the group called out to her.

“Mon petit oiseau! What a coincidence it is to be running into you today.”

“Oh!” She startled at the huntsman’s voice. “Rook…!! And… Vil-senpai and Epel-san. Hello…!”

Acutely aware of Vil’s sternness, Raven quickly lowered her head in deference. This earned a slight curl of the lips from him.

He was dressed as fashionably as ever--a white, frilly top with a V-neck, paired with sunglasses propped in his hair, sleek leggings, and glove boots. Several necklaces adorned Vil’s long, milky neck, and his face was expertly painted with a sheer wash of shimmering, nude makeup.

“Good day to you, Shetland potato,” Vil replied coolly. He passed a glance to Epel, who stood behind him, struggling to carry several rolls of fabric.

“G-Good day,” Epel managed, tugging at his collar. It appeared as though Vil had dressed him, too--for he was dressed in a lacey lilac blouse, and tied off with a black bow. Instead of leggings, Epel wore puffy shorts and striped socks.

“Such a treat it is to see you out of the attic and venturing out into the world!” Rook laughed, brushing back a wisp of his golden hair. He was without his trademark feathered hat, and had traded his dormitory robes for a button-down shirt--the sleeves rolled up and a few buttons undone, army green khakis, and boating shoes.

Compared to the Pomefiore trio, Raven looked like a spaghetti stain on a square of white fabric. She nervously dusted off her skirt, hoping that Vil wouldn’t harp on how she was wearing the same outfit yet again.

“What brings you to town?” Rook inquired, dropping the bags he had been carrying and excitedly grasping Raven’s hands instead.

“Just… groceries. Uncle is away for a conference, so I am to fend for myself in his absence,” she mumbled, gingerly prying her hands away. “Well… sort of. Jade has been mother henning me for the past few days.”

“Monsieur Mastermind? Ohoh. What a dynamic duo! Two halves of the same coin, trading bitter blows with their words… forever locked in verbal combat!”

“I… I guess?”

“I trust that he is looking after you well?” Rook’s smile widened. “If not... perhaps we should kidnap you away and stow you in Pomefiore until the headmaster’s return!”

“Absolutely not,” Vil snapped. “We have our hands far too full with play preparations to be hosting the Shetland potato--or anyone else, for that matter.”

… H-He didn’t object to Rook kidnapping people. Is that a normal thing for Rook to do? Should I be concerned? She shoved her question down to change the subject to something more comfortable. “Erm… Is that what the supplies are for?”

“Oui! Roi du Poison’s club is staging a performance in the winter. These materials are to make costumes.” The huntsman’s eyes suddenly lit up with a mischievous sparkle. “Fufu. Mon roi has thrown his heart and soul into direction. It is a treat to behold!”

“Congratulations, senpai.”

“Don’t congratulate me yet,” Vil commanded, holding up a hand. “We are still in the throes of auditions. Wait until you have witnessed the show for yourself before you cheer for it.”

“Oh, well… I hope you find suitable actors, then.”

Vil’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “Hm. Now that you mention it… Shetland potato!”

Raven jumped when he barked at her. “Y-Yes?! Look, I know I’ve been wearing the same outfit every time you see me, it’s just that Uncle fills my closet with nothing but duplicate clothes…!!”

“I think you would be fitting for one of the roles in my play,” Vil declared. “Report to Pomefiore at 8 am sharp tomorrow if you are interested in auditioning.”

“Huh?! Me, in one of your… I don’t think I’m…”

“Are you doubting my eyes?” His glare sharpened, turning into a pointed dagger.

“N-No, sir…”

“Good. Then I hope to see you then.” Vil spun around on his heel and waved a hand. “Rook! Epel! We’re going. Don’t dawdle, now.”

“Yes, Vil-senpai. I-I’m coming!”

Epel dashed after his Dorm Leader, Rook following suit--but not before he gave Raven one last glance over his shoulder, accompanied by a wave. Au revoir, he mouthed, the twinkle never parting from his emerald eyes.

She waved back absentmindedly, brought back from her daze only by the ringing of the jewelry store door swinging open again.

Jade emerged from within, bearing a small baby blue box with a white silk bow. “I have returned, Miss Raven. Fufu. I trust that you were not too lonely without me?”

She hastily hid her hands behind her back. “Of course not. You were only gone for a few minutes…!”

“So I was.” Jade’s eyes darted to the Pomefiore trio, whose figures were vanishing over the horizon. “Had I been absent a few moments longer, perhaps I would have had to wrangle you from the hands of an nosy huntsman.”

“As though forcing your way in and kidnapping me back would be any better!”

Jade stifled a laugh.

“In any case, I have procured the earrings I had my heart set on.” With deft fingers, he slid off the top, revealing a glittering lock and key tucked away inside. Jade plucked up the key by the head. “Miss Raven, do lend me your ear.”

“Those are yours…!”

“Correct--and therefore, I may do with these as I please.” He smiled pleasantly. “And I choose to lend you one to wear.”

“It’s not that simple! Have you forgotten already? I can’t wear it--don’t have piercings,” she protested. “You’re not going to jab it through my earlobes, are you?!”

“I will do no such thing.” Jade’s voice remained tranquil as he seized the raven by her chin and jerked her head to one side, yielding a clear opening for him to plant the earring. She squawked in surprise, flailing against him--but his grip was too strong, and she, too weak.

He sighed, continuing to speak as though he were describing the nice weather. “I assure you, this will not hurt one bit, fufufu. Now be a dear and hold still.”

It happened in an instant, despite the bird’s struggles. A slight pinch upon her earlobe, the kiss of the cool metal key on her skin, and it was over.

Jade straightened with a satisfied smirk, and patted Raven on the cheek. “There we are.”

“Eh? What? How did…” She cautiously poked at the earring. “There wasn’t a needle…?”

“I requested that the jeweler convert the key earring into a clip-on.”

“Wha…?! You… You tricked me again?!” Her face flared with a mixture of embarrassment and rage. “But why even bother with such a thing?”

“I wished to see how it would look on you. As I suspected, it is lovely on you.”

Raven gritted her teeth, praying that it would somehow help hide her flusteredness. “... And what do you plan to do with the lock earring? You didn’t also have that one converted, did you?”

“Certainly not.” Jade toyed with the lock in question, rolling it between his index finger and thumb. “I was thinking to wear it myself in lieu of my usual sturgeon scale earring, so that we may match.”

“Match?” Raven scoffed through her blush. “I didn’t know you cared so much about your accessories while grocery shopping.”

“I do not,” he confessed with a coy grin. “However, I would be remiss to pass up an opportunity to show to the world what a perfect pair we make.”

“You what--” Raven was interrupted by Jade grasping one of her hands and placing the lock earring into it.

“If you would do the honors,” he murmured, tilting his head to one side--and once more, slicking his black hair back. His tone was low and inviting, yet somehow she could hear him well and clear over the townspeople that bustled around them.

The scales suspended on his earring swung back and forth in a slow motion. Click, clack, against one another, in an almost hypnotic fashion.

His single, golden eye stared right at her. Waiting, pleading.

Raven swallowed hard. With trembling hands, she unfastened the sturgeon scale earring from his earlobe and secured the lock earring in its place. As soon as the deed was done, she rushed to wipe her hands off on her skirt.

Eel cooties, eel cooties, eel cooties…!!

“Thank you for your assistance, Miss Raven.”

“You’re… you’re welcome.” She pursed her lips, avoiding his eyes--but her traitorous gaze soon found itself lingering on the lock. “That suits you, in a way--like a lock, you guard many secrets, and it’s impossible to get you to open up.”

“Fufu. I am flattered to hear such kind words. If I may return the compliment, that key earring fits you like a glove.”

“Right. Because Uncle is adorned in keys, it would make sense for the motif to carry over to his relatives.”

“No, no, you misunderstand.” Jade held a finger to his lips, a twinkle of conspiracy in his golden eyes. “Come closer… and I shall impart one of my closely guarded secrets to you.”

“This isn’t another one of your tricks, is it?” she asked, her eyes forming suspicious slivers--but despite her curt words, the bird’s body instinctively leaned into his. She cursed her curiosity.

Jade chuckled and bent down, allowing his lips to hover by her ear. Time seemed to slow, but her heartbeat quickened. Face, hot--extremities, cold. Opposites, yet matching. One, unable to exist without the other.

And, at last, his answer came.

“It suits you well--for you hold the key to my heart, Miss Raven.”

[ellitx]

Hellp i have 2 brainrots going on rn

1 is the Vamp butler venti au getting cought either feeding on you or making love to you and he gets taken away que the picture from yesterday-- you were just a bit too loud and your moans alarmed one of the nearby gaurds so the entered unannounced..

2 is a modern twin au where the both pine for you but venti ends up winning your love first so you guys sneak to his house when nb isnt home and he steals his rnb cds so he could have nice music in the bg while you make love 😳 (this one was litterally crafted from one line of song lyrics " used to steal my brothers cds, slowjams with you wet like fiji" song is reminiscing ny vedo v good if u like rnb but its v lewd)

warning: angst and NSFW under the cut

Oh god, the second brainrot is just angst for me ajkssk

You know about the situation that nameless bard is in the hospital. It’s because his sickness got worsed and venti is currently alone in his house, that’s why you went there to check up on him.

Imagine venti wants your comfort and he’s already crying so much. he’s scared of losing him and he’s scared if his twin took you before he can.

His mouth slipped that he confesses his love for you, and you’re just... quiet while he buries his face on your shoulder. He thought you might reject him, cursing himself for saying that without thinking— especially at a wrong time.

“I...” Venti shifted his gaze and lowered his head in shame as he bit his lower lip. “Forget what I said, please...”

You held his hand and clutched it tightly against yours. You love both of them, you really do, but your heart says you wanted to be with venti.

Instead of confessing back to him, you lift his hands up and kiss the tip of his fingers. You’ll pull him back for a hug and lace your fingers together. Venti doesn’t know if you like him back or not but he understands that it’s not the time for him to expect an answer from you.

The most important thing he needs is consolation.

If im gonna write something like this i’ll prolly end it here but i feel bad for just leaving it here without an angst lovemaking

Now i dont know how to transition this to a make-out session but one of the reasons why both of you did was to take off relax him from all the stresses building up within him. He’s been stressed all night from school works to the sudden collapse of his twin.

Sorry if this seems far from the ideas you’ve given but my brain just wanted an angst here ^^;

I have an alternative idea, it’s still angst lol but instead of nb in the hospital, he’s at the university completing his duties. So after finishing all of them, he then goes home wanting to take a rest on his bed. He knows you and venti are home already so when he goes upstairs, he hears gasps and stifled moans from a certain room.

He follows the source and slowly took a peek behind the door. The sight of his twin fucking you made his heart shatter to pieces. Your face was buried on the sheets to quiet your moans as Venti thrusts his hips in and out of you from behind.

His twin was panting heavily, his hands holding your hips and arm tightly as sweat began to slid down his body the more he pushes himself in your dripping cunt. You wailed and moaned, chanting his name continuously and it just increases his pacing. The way his cock was buried deep inside you was so delicious that you wanted more. You kept on begging and crying to Venti to make you cum with his dick.

Nameless bard’s lips parted, utterly speechless and in disbelief seeing you two together. He feels his eyes swelling up with tears, yet why was he crying? It’s not like you and him were in a relationship from the start.

Is it because his younger brother kept this as a secret from him? Was he expecting you’ll end up with him instead of Venti?

The more he watches, the more it hurts him. So instead, he quietly walks away and left you two alone in the house.

[stories2you]

Mother’s Day

**Reposted from: @mayuarts​

So, @myubunziii​  and I decided to write this long fic for mother’s day. Which obviously came out waaaaaaay later than expected. 

Do note, in this AU, Kiro and Youran (MC) are siblings.

Note: mentions of attempts on suicide, illegitimate child, depression, PTSD. 

(A/N) - Actor’s Name (V/A) - Veteran Actress  *I can’t think of any names :’)  ** This has not been proofread, so I apologize for any grammatical and spelling errors. ***Song used: SNSD - Dear Mom.

Kiro was getting his hair styled in the waiting room. Not long after, a knock was heard on his door. His agent opened the door, revealing Gavin and the two teens. The girls smiled happily and rushed to him.

“Good morning, Uncle Chips~!” The sisters greeted. Kiro grinned and greeted them back as he ruffled their hair,

“Good morning, mini Chips!” The girls giggled at that old nickname that their uncle had given them during their childhood. Kiro didn’t waste any more time and shooed his nieces to the stylists waiting for them.

As the girls left, the blond turned to his brother-in-law, “Youran doesn’t know that you’re here, right?” Gavin nodded. He then shrugged, “She rushed out this morning before I finished breakfast.”

Kiro chuckled at those words. It’s to be expected of his twin sister. She was always on the run and rushing everywhere to attend to her duties. Much more after the sisters had enrolled into high school.

~ time skip ~

They only had light make up applied and their hair styled. Their hair was styled similarly, just that Alina only let her hair down whereas her sister had her hair tied up into a braid. Their outfits complemented the occasion and their hidden elegance.

When they went out of the dressing room, they caught the attention of their father and maternal uncle. Kiro’s jaw dropped as he saw how beautiful his nieces are. He smiled warmly as he noticed their natural beauty that they had inherited from their mother.

Gavin, on the other hand, became speechless. Not only their outfit shows their hidden elegance but their maturity as well. He realized how much his dear daughters had grown. 

The sisters blushed at the attention they got from them. Before they could speak, the door suddenly opened, revealing a panting Shaw. After he closed the door, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened, 

“Wow… You’re so beautiful. Just like your mother.” He said with his usual cheeky smile on his face.

 He placed the bag of presents under the dressing table and sat on the couch beside his brother. Gavin could only stare at him, “What happened?” 

Shaw’s smile suddenly became crooked, “She almost spotted me.”

“You idiot…” Gavin sighed. He then stood up and went to where his daughters were standing. He reached out and brushed their bangs gently, “You heard your uncle, you both are so beautiful.”

Alina and Aiyana giggled. Then Gavin pulled out two designed boxes. He opened both of them, revealing a shining golden gingko hairpin. Similar to the ones he presented to them when they were younger. The man pinned the hairpins onto the girls’ hair.

“Dad, did you input another tracker?” Aiyana asked with a cheeky smile on her face.

Gavin smirked and shrugged, “Well, keep it on if you wanna know.”

Just then, Kiki peeked into the waiting room, “Kiro, get ready, we’re starting in five.” Before she left, she waved to the sisters.

Kiro gave a thumbs up to the girls and quickly left to the set, leaving the girls and the Bai brothers. Not long after, Savin turns on the television connecting to the screen. Showing the starting of the talk show. The set was dimly lit, with only a shadowed figure standing at the center.

Suddenly a light shined onto Kiro’s figure. He showed his signature grin and started to perform one of his biggest hits. About five minutes later, he introduced himself,

“Hello everyone! It’s Kiro! It’s been quite a while, isn’t it? As for today, I’m the guest emcee for today’s talk show! Without further ado, let us invite our mother-child guests!”

All three pairs of mother-child celebrities came into the set, waving to the audience with bright smiles on their faces. They all took their places while Kiro stood at the side. Kiro then ushers them to introduce themselves. The first pair introduced themselves,

“Hello everyone, I am (A/N), the only child of veteran actress, (V/A). Thank you for inviting us and let us have a great time together!” The young man smiled and gave a short fanservice which made the fangirls swoon.

His mother smiled and nudged him playfully. Then the second pair introduced themselves as a pair of voice acting duo. The second mother-son said short lines from their recent anime which their roles are mother and son as well.

Lastly, the third pair of mother and daughter introduced themselves. The female rookie idol and the veteran sang a short duet.

After the introduction of the guests, Kiro started the segment of the day, Mother’s Day,

“As you have known, today’s talk is about appreciating our mothers. Are there any stories for the young celebrities to share about your mothers?” Kiro asked to the guests.

The first guest, (A/N), smiled and decided to share bits of his childhood, “My mother never forces anything on me. When I told her that I wanted to become an actor, she straight up sent me to an acting school. One of the downfalls I had was the pressure of memorizing the lines and acting it out. But my mother, she would continue to encourage me and help me fill the spots I missed while acting. That’s why… No matter how hard the roles I was given, I’m willing to act it out the best I can with my mother’s guidance.” The man then turned to look at his mother, he took a box underneath the table, presenting it to her, 

“Mom, I can never thank you enough for brining me into this world. Your love, care and guidance is what brings me here. I love you mom.” The (V/A) smiled and hugged her son tightly in her arms.

Sobs can be heard from the audience. Kiro smiled at the sight and decided to move on to the next guest, “How ‘bout you? Is there anything you would like to share to your fans?”

The male idol smiled sadly, “This may be triggering but I would like to share this anyway. To show how much one’s life really means to your mother. The strong woman who bore her children for 9 months.”

He paused for a moment and took a breath, “I was a suicidal individual. I was always harassed and bullied for being a bastard child. To clarify this, I am not a bastard child. I lost my father at a very young age. People not only call me a child out of wedlock, they also spread false rumors about my mother. When I was scouted, almost all trainees recognized me for being the son of a veteran voice actress. They started bullying me both physically and verbally. 

At one point, I couldn’t handle the pain and resorted to cutting and consume sleeping pills.” He sighed and cooled himself again, “One day, my mother saw all the pills and scars on my arms. She stopped me and showered all her love to me. She even begged me not to take away my own life. After that day, she brought me to a professional psychiatrist and always reminded me that I am loved. That I don’t need to satisfy others but myself.” 

The voice actor looked to the audience with bravery, “In life, there’s ups and downs. There’s no need to satisfy others. One does not need support from others. The main supporter of your life is your beloved ones, including your mother.” He looked towards his mother and took out a bouquet of flowers from the side of his seat, “Mom, I’m sorry. I worried you from my rash decisions. I promise that I’ll be a better son and thank you. Thank you for your endless love.”

The voice actress shed tears and took the bouquet from his hands, “Dear son, love yourself like how you love your fans and I.” 

More sobs and tears were shed. Youran, who had been standing beside Anna, shed tears at the story. She recently had nightmares of her youngest child taking her own life. She had always wanted to comfort her, but Aiyana would only smile and say she was okay. More worries filled in her heart and tears were suddenly released from her eyes. She watched the last guests telling her story of being a sick child,

“I spent most of my childhood in the hospital. I had complications on my heart, making me go through so many procedures. My mother was the sole breadwinner of my family. My father was falsely accused but was sent to the prison. Luckily, he was released from his charges a few days after I was discharged from the hospital. But I can never show my appreciation enough to my mother. She worked extra hard on producing her own songs and performing them on every music shows. She even took the task of producing songs for idol groups.”

 The young rookie took out a box of chocolates and handed it to her mother, “Mom, thank you for your hard work. Thank you for making your fans and I happy. You produce beautiful music and you gave me a chance to live from your music. I would’ve not survived without your love.” 

Her mother took the box of chocolates, and the rookie continued, “That box of chocolates are the ones you’ve always wanted to try. I hope you love it~” 

The soloist opened the box and ate a piece. She felt touched, knowing that the chocolates were not bought but were handmade by her own daughter. She then pulled her young daughter into a tight hug. She then said into her daughter’s ear, “I would trade anything for your life. As long as you are here, I’m happy.”

Kiro had a warm smile on his face as he listened to the stories. But a small part of him felt sad as he recalled the day his dear sister cried for her little one,

“Kiro… What should I do? No matter how much I try to comfort Aiyana, she would only smile and said that she’s okay. But I know she isn’t… Am I a bad mother? Am I always neglecting my children?”

The blond was heartbroken when he heard those words. He even talked to Gavin about this. The cop himself had the same questions in his mind,

“Am I not a good father? Have I gone away for too long?”

He mentally hyped up himself and gave a bright smile, “Now that everyone has shared their stories, let us continue appreciating our mothers and loving ourselves more. Now moving on to the last and surprise segment of the day, let us invite our special guest up on stage! Give a round of applause to our main producer, Youran!!”

The producer’s eyes widened and she tilted her head to the side in confusion. She looked to Anna beside her. The older lady only gave her a smile, “Go on. We’ll handle things here.”

She then takes Youran’s files from her hands. Before Youran could move forward, a familiar large hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Gavin smiling down at her, “Come on, Kiro’s waiting.”

He guided her up to the set. The audience and the guests awed at the sight of the couple. Kiro walked to the center and held his hand out to his sister. She took his hand and her husband walked out of the set.

“Kiro… What is this? This isn’t in the production plan!” She whispered to her brother.

Kiro only gave her his trademark smile, “You’ll see~”

He then faced the audience, “Now, now. That’s not the only surprise.” Suddenly the lights dimmed and a familiar song started playing. Kiro bend down slightly to his sister’s height, “Don’t turn around until the song ends.”

He slowly left his sister’s side. When he stood at his usual spot, he spotted Gavin bringing his daughters on the stage and the audience cheered for the girls’ appearance. Youran looked even more confused. But then her confusion faded away when she heard her daughters’ voices;

(Ai) For some reason, today feels difficult and exhausting (Al) For some reason it feels empty today The suddenly ringing phone surprises me I hear your voice, asking me if I ate today (Ai) Those words that annoyed me, feel different today And I remember all the forgotten promises I’ve made

I will become a warm hearted person I will become a person that puts others first I will fulfill the wishes of your love The person I share my dreams with The one who used to comb my hair I think of my mom

Youran could feel her tears weld up again in her eyes. She smiled at the lyrics as all the memories of her daughters replayed in her mind. They’d call for her every five minutes, wanting to come with her to her office, asking her to do their hair and more. She felt her heart tighten when she listened to the next verse.

(Al) Sometimes I hurt you because of my wrong decisions But you quietly watched over me from afar (Ai) Although I’m still a young and clumsy child, I think That now I understand the meaning of your silent prayers (Al) What should I do? My heart is still so small (Ai) If I let go of your hand, I’m not sure if I can make it I don’t think I’m ready yet, I’m scared

The mother could hear her daughters’ voice starting to quiver. She could feel their fear and guilt. How much they still needed her by their side.

I will become a wise daughter (Al: Give me courage) I will be a daughter you can be proud of (Ai: You’ve been there for me) I will fulfill the wishes of your love With all the love that you have shown me I will have a warm heart

She then felt two pairs of arms wrapping around her and her tears finally fell.

I was too shy to express it… Mom, I truly love you…

The sisters released their mother from their embrace. Youran turned around and saw her daughters smiling at her. Alina spoke up before she could, “Mom, I’m sorry for not answering your calls when I’m away for college. I promise to be a better daughter and I’ll do my best to follow your steps to become a good artist and producer!”

Aiyana wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, “Mom… I’m sorry for keeping my feelings to myself. I’m sorry for making you worry. I promise that I’ll let out my thoughts. Thank you for being there for me.”

Youran smiled with her tears still flowing. She brought her daughters into her embrace, “Thank you for this surprise, my dears. Mom loves you more than anything. I’ll never let go of your hands whenever and wherever you both will be.”

Gavin smiled at the scene right in front of him. He realized how much both he and his wife had come this far of raising these two troublemakers. He himself didn’t know that both Kiro and Shaw had planned this secretly with Minor and the rest behind both of his and Youran’s back.

When Kiro finally wrapped up the show, everyone left the set happily and the girls even get to take pictures with the guests. The two were even offered to collab with the rookie idol. Though the two of them can only smile and just gave the idol a neutral answer.

~ Time skip ~

After the show, the sisters quickly changed into their casual clothes. They went out to the exit of the studio and saw their parents talking. They decided to eavesdrop for a moment,

“Gavin, thank you. You and the girls surprised me more than enough.” Youran smiled as she looked up to her husband.

Gavin wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, “You should thank the girls and your brother for this. I only helped in the sidelines.”

The sisters looked at each other and grinned. They ran and gave a surprise back hug to their parents. “We’re happy to sing more songs for you, mom!” Aiyana smiled happily. Gavin had a playful pout on his face,

“Only for mom? What about dad?”

“We’ll record it for you to listen when you’re away~” Alina giggled. “Of course, we’ll never leave our hero out!”

The family of four had a wonderful ride back home. The girls shared stories of their school life and whatever their uncles are up to whenever they stayed over. The couple smiled and laughed along with them. Meanwhile in Youran’s mind, she couldn’t thank God for this wonderful and blessed day.

At home, they crashed on the couch together. Alina and Aiyana in between their parents. Gavin took out his phone and decided to order some take out. While he was on it, Alina stood up and took the paper bag that she received from Shaw earlier that day. She brought it over and handed it to her mother,

“Mom, open it.”

Youran opened the blue rectangular box. Her brown eyes shined as she saw the customized necklace which had her birthstone locket. She opened the pendant and saw the photo of her and her daughters at one side, the other had a photo of her and Gavin with the girls as an infant.

Alina put on the locket around her mother’s neck. Youran gave her a warm smile and opened up the purple box. Aiyana prepared her newly released novel. She had a tint of red on her cheeks, making her resemble her father. Youran picked up the book and read the summary, it was about a young teen who was struggling with PTSD since her childhood. She had ups and downs. The one who always held her hand, guiding her towards happiness, was her mother.

Youran had a bitter smile, knowing that this was based on their life story. Her smile brightens when she read the summary of the last volume, the girl found her happiness by achieving her dreams. It wasn’t a cliché story.

‘I’ll make this into a drama,’ Youran thought.

She then pulled her daughters into a tight hug, “Thank you dearies, I love it. Aiyana, I’ll read your novel and give you my opinions, okay? I’ll even make this into a drama!”

Aiyana blushed and giggled, “Alright~ It hasn’t been officially released yet… so you got the first batch.” Her mother had a bright smiled and caressed her hair, “I’m honored to be able to read this before others.”

She placed the novel set on the table and shooed her daughters away, “Now go and shower. The food will arrive soon.”

“Okay~!”

After they rushed off, Gavin already had a wrapped gift placed on his lap. Youran tilted her head and pointed at the gift, “And what would that be, dear?”

The officer shrugged and handed the gift to his wife, “See it for yourself.”

She unwrapped the gift and was greeted with the beautiful journal album. She opened the said album and the first page had a handwritten letter by her husband. She almost teared up when she read the words, “Thank you for being the mother of my children.”

The photos inside the album were placed like a timeline. Starting from Alina and Aiyana’s childhood days until their high school graduation. Youran had a nostalgic smile as she flipped through the album. She then placed the album on the table and pulled her husband into her arms.

They stayed like that for a moment. Youran pulled away and kissed him passionately. Her endless love conveyed in the kiss. Gavin pulled her tighter in his arms.

Unbeknownst to them, two mischievous girls had taken a video and a photo of them smooching. Usual sibling things.

 Thank you, mom.

We went overboard with this. I had to edit out some parts and plan a suitable scene. :’) 

I hope you enjoy. Requests are open, and I’ll do my best to post it as soon as possible!

[higuchimon]

[information]

I decided since my old 2021 Resolutions post was so horrifically out of date, that I should write a new pinned post. I recommend reading this for information about me.

First: no more writing resolutions. I'll write what I can, when I an.

Second: I am non-binary/agender. Pronouns are they/them, though I responded to she/her so long that I am not bothered by them. I'm also asexual & aromantic.

Third: I am nearly fifty. My fandoms of choice are, in no given order, are: Power Rangers (MMPR-PRLR, with occasional dips into later ones), Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Tamers, Digimon Frontier, Digimon Xros Wars/Hunters, Digimon Applimonsters, Digimon NEXT, YGO DM, YGO GX, YGO 5Ds, YGO Zexal, YGO Arc-V, YGO VRAINS, YGO Sevens, Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boubeiu Love & Love Love, Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boubei Happy Kiss, Kingdom Hearts, Pokemon, and Trollhunters. Digimon tri & Digimon Kizuna I might take small bits from but am not overly fond of them. Nothing more needs to be said on that front. YGO GX is the blood in my veins. I am unlikely to writee any given game for Pokemon.

Fourth: I have a large backlog of prompts for fics, both submitted by others and taken up for myself. If you wish to send in a prompt, the inbox is always open but it may take time for me to get to it, depending on my mood and what the prompt sparks. Please check "higuchimon prompts" for lists of prompts.

I warned you. All right. Here we go. You'll see some concepts and preferences pop up repeatedly. Tread with caution.

Digimon Adventure 02

Non-epilogue compliant: fics where the epilogue (and now that they exist, Tri and Kizuna) isn't going to happen. Non-canon ships (most often Ken x Daisuke & Taichi x Yamat0) abound. Fics seldom related to one another unless otherwise noted.

Loss, Gain, & Other Heartaches: A new enemy brainwashes a lot of human Chosen and their partners, after destroying the original twelve's patners, leading to the Digimon's data being merged with the Chosen's.

Division of Destiny: What if Vamdemon turned Sora into a vampire and from there defeated the Chosen? Well, he ended up turning Taichi, Jou, & Mimi into vampires as well, while imprisoning Hikari and giving Yamato, Takeru, and Koushiro to Piemon and the Dark Masters as slaves. A pesky rebellion formed of Daisuke, Iori, Miyako, Ken, Osamu, and various other charactes tries to fight them. Firm ships are currently just Ken x Daisuke.

When Blood Crosses: Oh, one of my favorites and probably my oldest AU altogether. What if humans and Digimon could have children together? And what if they did already? Seven out of twelve of the Chosen are part Digimon - or more. This is a full-blown multiverse. Stories don't always relate to one another, but the basic concepts tend to be the same. Ships can vary but for the most part are Taichi x Yamato, Jou x Koushiro, Mimi x Sora, Hikari x Miyako, Ken x Daisuke, and Takeru x Iori. Not averse to Piemon x Takeru, either.

Quiet Interlude: Little fluffy pieces featuring Taichi x Yamato in an establihsed relationship during 02 and beyond.

Adaptions: I don't have much written here but I have Such Plans. It will involve Things Happening to Taichi (in season 1) and Daisuke (season 2). It will probably end with Taichi x Yamato and Ken x Daisuke.

Take To The Skies: In this world, some people have wings and can fly. Daisuke is a Flier. The Digimon Kaiser thinks that makes him the perfect pet. But he will need training, of course. Kaiser x Daisuke. Other stories might involve the others who have wings.

Return of Old Enemies: Takeru is captured by two strange Digimon and collared so he can't speak. That's only the beginning of what's going on.

Fragmented Memory: Kaiser x Daisuke. Kaiser has wiped Daisuke's memory and convinced him that they're together. The other Chosen are not happy about this.

Broken Bonds: A soulmate AU featuring Piemon x Takeru. This is also a breeds AU. Piemon murders Patamon and takes Takeru.

Fight To Remember: Kaiser has lost his memory. So has Daisuke. Together, they need to learn who they were, who they are, and who they're going to be. Ken x Daisuke, obviously.

Services Rendeed: Daisuke gets poisoned and the cure lies within territory controlled by the Kaiser. The only way to save him is for the Kaiser to do it. His price - Daisuke himself. To be his until he gets bored with Daisuke. Sadly, the Kaiser isn't easily bored. Ken x Daisuke.

Stirring Shadows: Ken had a very naughty dream about being the Kaiser again and wanting to dominate Daisuke instead of the Digital World. Now, it was just a dream - right? Ken x Daisuke, older.

Scars of Victory: The Digimon Kaiser defeated the Chosen and took Daisuke as his trophy. For seven years he's ruled over the Digital World unopposed, having blocked the older Chosen from entering the Digital World. Now the barriers have dropped - and revenge is best served cold. Ken x Daisuke, brainwashing, off-screen death.

Course of Events: Set in a breeds AU: Vamdemon notices something unusual about Daisuke when he's in line to meet Tailmon and sends him to Piemon, who discovers who and what he is. How interesting. No current ships.

Walking The Edge: The Chosen have fought the Kaiser for years without knowing his true identity. Daisuke has also been dating Ichijouji Ken for years. So when the Kaiser finally reveals who he is - well, Daisuke has a choice to make. And the Kaiser will only allow one.

Dark Brotherhood: breeds AU. Ken, as Kaiser, has discovered that his half-brother is Yamato. Or rather, Anbumon. An alliance is offered. Ships: Yamato x Taichi & Ken x Daisuke.

Danger Zone: The Kaiser is very annoyed at Daisuke's continued existence as his enemy. So he decides to change where Daisuke's allegiance lies. Kaiser x Daisuke.

Hidden Truths: Miyako-centered breeds AU, also involving Jou and his dark side Fuseiimon. No ships centered, but light indicationss of Ken x Daisuke, Jou x Koushiro, and Taichi x Yamato.

Errors of Love: Aged up AU. Daisuke is dating the Kaiser. This is probably a very terrible mistake. KEn x Daisuke.

Magical Educations In Love: Magical school AU. Established ships: Ken x Daisuke, with possible Ken x Daisuke x Takeru.

Shadowed Soul: Piemon x Vamdemon x Takeru. is it love or just sex? Takeru wishes he knew. It's also a soulmate AU.

Melody of the Heart: A world of magic and magical creatures. Loosely a mirror of my breeds verse (and I do mean loosely). Established ships: Taichi x Yamato, Ken x Daisuke, Jou x Koushiro, Mimi x Sora. Others to come.

What He Wants: M rated/non-con, Kaiser x Daisuke. That's pretty much all there is to it. Just a couple of drabbles now but I'll expand it later.

Game of Life: breeds AU. The Kaiser's noticed something about some of the Chosen and wants to know what's going on. Undecided ships.

Bitter Bargains: The Chosen have fought the Kaiser for years. He's shown a rough attachment to Daisuke - kidnapping him on a regular basis. Then one day, Daisuke wakes up to find the Kaiser in his bedroom. Oh, dear. Non-con Kaiser x Daisuke.

Sanguine Bindings: Aged up AU - and Ken's a vampire, who mind-controlled Daisuke from episode 2 onward. Brainwashing/mind control/non-graphic non-con.

Purpose of Existence: Kaiser found out about Daisuke being a very special breed and claimed him for his own. Daisuke doesn't like this but something isn't right - he listens, whether he wants to or not. Aged up/breeds AU. Ken x Daisuke.

Buds and Blossoms: A romance between Hikari and Mimi. That's about it.

No Good Decisions: Daisuke accidently eats something he shouldn't have in the Digital World. It wouldn't be so bad - if the Kaiser hadn't found him and determined that someone needed to watch him. Ken x Daisuke.

Blood Of His Blood: Breed AU. Piemon wants to live again and will ensure that he does, through his oldest son.

For All Time: Taichi's been in an accident and Yamato's not sure when he will wake up. Taichi x Yamato.

Heart of Demon, Soul of Angel: AU where Taichi is an angel and Yamato is a demon. At least it starts off that way. A lot is going to change. Established ships: Taichi x Yamato & Ken x Daisuke.

Bonds & Bondage: Kaiser goes ahead and Rings V-mon. This affects Daisuke, unexpectedly. Now what will the Chosen do? Ken x Daisuke.

Fireblood: Breeds/Firestarter/Healer AU. Vamdemon bites Yamato and awakens his dark side - not good for anyone at all. Taichi x Yamato.

Flaming Ivy: The 02 Chosen are Healers and Firestarters and are working out what that means for them. Ken x Daisuke.

Digimon Tamers

Fair Wings: Some of the Tamers have wings, including Juri, Kenta, and Ruki. Adventunres and romance thereof. Established relationship: Juri x Takato.

Digimon Frontier

Consequences of Games: Just a set of fluffy post-canon fanfics featuring the Chosen playing games and what happens after the games. Firm ships include Kouji x Kouichi and Junpei x Izumi.

Heirs Apparent: Lucemon's spirit escaped confinement and was able to have an encounter with Kimura Tomoki, siring twin boys.

Godslave: So, Lucemon is the God-King of the world, ruling humans and Digimon alike. What he wants, he gets. And now he wants Kouji.

Tales of WInd and Water: Stories that cicle around Ranamon and Izumi.

Reflections of Dark Shadows: An AU where Kouji doesn't have a twin. What he does have is a reflection - and the reflection doesn't like his boyfriend. Established Takuya x Kouji, one-sided Kouichi x Kouji.

The Wind-child: A fantasy AU where Izumi is the daughter of AncientIrismon and has many adventures.

Yu-Gi-Oh Xros Wars/Hunters

Not Telling All: Yuu is a vampire with a taste for Tagiru. Tagiru doesn't know - at least not yet.

Hunting The Great Game: A rewrite of Xros Wars/Hunters. Set three years instead of one after the Xros Wars. Taiki finds himself back in the Digital World and that's where it all begins.

Digimon NEXT

Knight Tales: Fantasy AU. Kahara Shou's village is slaughtered and burned down and he's the only survivor. Taken in by Barbamon, he becomes the Demon Lord's devoted Knight.

Yu-Gi-Oh DM

Pleasures of Shadows: Yami no Malik has been revived as an incubus.

Crimeland: An AU where there are three Kaiba brothers (Seto, Seth, and Mokuba) and - many other differences I haven't gotten to writing yet. Only set 'ship is Seto x Kisara.

Uncertain Choices: A modern day AU, with Atemu and Yuugi as twin brothers. Only set ship right now is Atemu x Mahaado. If I ever finish the sequel I have in mind, I will add Seto x Yuugi.

Ways of Magic: a magical AU. Seto and Mokuba are dragons. Pegasus is a sorcerer. Mai is a pirate queen. Otogi is a djinn. A few scattered set pairings such as Otogi x Bakura Ryou.

Heart of Magic: a magical AU. This one involves a magical school where various characters are students or teachers. Established ships: Atemu x Mahaado.

Gifts of Power: A Superhero AU. A large chunk of people have powers. Established relationship: Isis x Mana.

Yu-Gi-Oh GX

Reversal AU: In canon, Juudai has the poewr of the Gentle Darkness. Here, in a world very like Dark World but with differences (such as a sun), he has the power of the Destructive Darkness - and he is pure evil, enjoys it, and has the overall goal of destroying all of creation. A small, plucky rebellion stands against him. Do they stand a chance? Time will tell. Be warned: non-consensual Juudai x Johan, as well as someone becoming a vampire, and many other twisted plot points. I love this AU.

Stronger Than Water: We don't know much about Johan's past. So what if he actually grew up in Dark World, as Brron's adopted son? And was sent to kill Juudai? Firm ships are Yubel x Juudai and maybe Yubel x Juudai x Johan. I havevn't gotten far enough to be sure.

Hell's Ice: What if Ryou were the one taken by Kagemaru and Amnael instead of Fubuki? Well, add in some elemental affinities and we have the Hell Kaiser of Ice - one of the Seven Stars. No set ships othe than Yubel x Juudai, though I am debating a few.

Itch To Scratch: Juudai and Yubel are demons. Johan's an angel - or he thinks he is, anyway. What he really is, he'll find out eventually. Firm ship is Yubel x Juudai x Johan.

Bridges: So, in this series, Juudai's power is that of the Light of Creation. Johan has the Gentle Darkness - and Juudai has been possessed by the Light of Ruin for seven thousand years.

Dead Weight: It's the zombie apocalypse! Ahhh! No set in stone ships yet.

King's Champion: When a late-night break-in goes very wrong, Yubel ends up taking Juudai to Dark World for his own safety. He ends up being raised by Brron. But taking him away from Earth has consequence, both good and bad. Yubel x Juudai. Not ruling out Yubel x Juudai x Johan in the future.

Shadow Demons: Juudai: King of Hell, with Yubel and Johan as his Consorts. Ryou, a demon prince. Fujiwara Yuusuke, a shadow mage with Honest as his guardian angel. Fubuki as an angel of love. Asuka slays evil vampires. And much, much more. Established ships: Ryou x Yuusuke and Yubel x Juudai x Johan.

Echoes: Rewrites of different parts of GX. Currently only the Haou arc, but others to come. Established ships: technically none but eventually Yubel x Juudai.

In The Shadows of the Fae: Juudai is the King of the Fae with Yubel and Johan as consorts, and Shou as his servant. A delicious AU that I enjoy. Established ships: Yubel x Juudai x Johan.

In Chains: Fantasy AU. Brron is gifted Shou as a slave, and Shou has to deal with that. Not easy. Established ships: Yubel x Juudai x Johan & Edo x Ryou x Saiou.

In Any World: A series of non-connected Yubel x Juudai AUs. Each is a one-shot and is in a different AU.

Past and Future: Yubel shows Juudai events that happened in their past lives together, as they forge a new future with one another. Yubel x Juudai.

Sky Stories: A lot of people have wings. Juudai didn't - until he fused with Yubel. Ryou has rusted metal wings - until Edo takes care of them. ANd many more stories. Established ships: Yubel x Juudai x Johan.

To Accept Fate's Will: A soulmate AU. Established ships: Yubel x Juudai, Edo x Saiou x Ryou. O'Brien x Sea God's Priestess.

Hole In Your Heart: Not fighting means that Shou's in danger. Especially when he gets captured and sold to one of Haou's servants. As if his third year wasn't already going downhill. No actual ships that I know of (probable future Yubel x Juudai)

In Space, In Light: Juudai sent Yubel into space to be healed by the Gentle Darkness. In canon, it failed. Here, it worked. Uh-oh. Yubel x Juudai.

Paladin's Quest: post ending series. Ryou dies of heart failure and is reborn as a duel spirit without his memories of his past. But that's going to change, because what he did in Dark World cannot be forgotten.

In Darkness We Find FIre: An AU of my own devising, that I call Healer/Firestarter. Healers can heal & communicate/grow plants, and Firestarters bun things. There are a lot more details than that but this tale is a retelling of canon through that lens. Established ship: Yubel x Juudai.

Politics of Ages: Asuka is a vampire queen with two consorts: Manjoume and Ryou. Lots of vampiric politics.

Infinite Love: A magical AU with soulmates. Features Ryou x Yuusuke, Camula x Ruthven (OC), and Edo x Saiou.

King's Knights: Post-canon series. Juudai offers Ryou, Fubuki, and Yuusuke as his Knights. But that's just the beginning. Johan has his own tale to tell.

Passion's Flight: Soul-wings universe. Established asexual/aromantic Asuka. Future Yubel x Juudai.

Prisoner of the Black Tower: Johan is trapped in a black tower by someone called Haou. He doesn't know who that is. And he wants to leave.

Apprentices: A mild alternate timeline, where Kyle and Nero from season 3 meet and become friends - while in Haou's dungeon.

World of Fusion: Brron fused all the dimensions and the world that results is so very different. Now Brron also has three sons: Juudai, Johan, and Rune (the Johan lookalike from season 3). Also, Ryou is a vampire. Established relationships: Yubel x Juudai.

Fate's Heart: Multiple tales of Yubel and Juudai as soulmates.

Power of Earth: Healer/Firestarter AU, featuring Jim and O'Brien.

Family Flowers: Healer/Firestarter AU, featuring Rick and Cobra.

Red Zinnias: Healer/FIrestarter AU, featuring Saiou and Edo

Destructive Flames: A merging of the Firestater/Healer AU and the Reversal AU. It's even less fun than the usual REvers - well, for values of fun.

Spirit Friends: People become friends with Duel Spirits aren't in their decks. Such as Wolf for Juudai and SQuall for Amon.

Bonds of Kinship: Exploring the relationship between Johan and the lookalike - his twin brother.

Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal

Order of the Outcasts: A fantasy AU loosely inspired by AD&D. The Order of the Outcasts is the Barians. Yuuma is a powerful healing mage and Astral is his fae companion. Much fun to be had! Co-written with SilvorMoon.

Committed To Her: Kotori is Queen Merag's slave, and devotedly loves her. Merag would like to return it, but it's not that easy. Obviously, a Merag x Kotori story, and an AU.

Cry of Vengeance: Vector wants revenge on Nasch for a long-ago offense, so he attacks Nasch's boyfriend Durbe. But that's not all he wants his revenge on and he has an interesting way to get it. Vampire/slight magic AU.

On Dragon's Wings: Mizael is a dragon. Vector is a prince who becomes a demon. And many other changes for a fantasy AU. Established ships are Vector x Mizael and Alit x Leo.

Inevitable Encounters: soulmate AU and how they deal with it. Established ships: Kaito x Yuuma, Durbe x Nasch, Kotoi x Merag/Rio, Vector x Mizael

Fae Whispers: Durbe x Chris. Chris is a Fae Prince who offers for Durbe to become a Fae Knight.

Different Numbers: Another soulmate AU. Features Durbe x Nasch, Vector x Mizael, V/Chris x Kaito, Gilag x Sanagi, & Alit x III/Michael x Yuuma.

Prison of the Prince: Vector wishes to keep Fae Prine Mizael as his prisoner. Mizael isn't so thrilled about that. Vecto x Mizael.

Hating Humanity: Durbe finds Nasch and Merag before the Astral Messenger arrive. Without Yuuma's influence, what will Nasch do? Durbe x Nasch.

Blurring: There are multiple ways to detect one's soulmate. Mizael has Vector's name on his right arm and Kaito's on his left - right arm is for the soulmate and left for the enemy.

Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V

Beat of Wings: Some characters have wings, including Yuuya, Yuuto, Yuugo, and Yuuri. And Shun. And others. No real ships (that I know of) and Yuuri is going to have fun!

Life With A Demon: Featuring Masumi x Yuzu, Asuka x Selena, and past Selena x Masumi. Demon AU, along with other creatures of magic.

Confusing: Yuuri has captured Shun and is training him to be a warrior of Fusion. Shun would rather not - but his mind is now Yuuri's plaything.

Angels, Demons, and Deciding Factors: Angel/demon AU. Yuuri is a demon, who encounters the angel Shun in his territory. Yuuri decides that he wants this angel for his own - mostly because Shun doesn't want that, nor does Yuuto. M rated/consent issues/brainwashing.

Collars and Keeping: Yuuri captured Shun early in the war and Shun escapes the first chance he gets. But Yuuri won't let him go - and there's a horrible punishment awaiting his pet.

Fae Song: Selena x Rin x Ruri x Yuzu. Selena is a Fae Princess and the others are her servants.

Deadly Daughter: Professor Leo Akaba decides he can't trust Yuuri and thus trains Selena to be his sgent to find and captue the other gils with her face. Selena's girlfriend, Asuka, helps - only seeing what happened in the war turns her away from Fusion. Undecided ships.

Dragon and Falcon: Yuuri's a dragon & Shun's a shapeshifting falcon. Yuuri claimed Shun as a part of his hoard and his servant. And it just seems that dragon saliva does something to shapeshifters. non-con/drugged Yuuri x Shun.

Soulwings: In this AU, when soulmates meet one another (or when one's true purpose is found), wings are developed. So when Kaito and Edo cross paths... Established Kaito x Edo and alluded to Yuuri x Shun.

Strike Hard, Strike Fast: Vampire AU. Sora, Yuuri, and Dennis are vampires. Ruri and Shun are vampire hunters. So when Shun crosses their paths, Yuuri decides to take him for his own.

Opposite Ends: Yuugo is brought to Shingo as his slave. Yuugo doesn't like Shingo. Oh, they're going to have a lot of fun.

Dragonflame and Nature's Spark: A HEaler/FIrestater rewrite of Arc-V, mostly featuring Ryou and Mizael, along with Yuuri and Vector. Ship: Ryou x Mizael, Durbe x Chris, and Shou x Michael.

Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS

A Model Life: Kogami Ryouken is a supermodel. You know, when he's not a cyber-terrorist.

Power Rangers

Flip Of a Coin: Tommy Oliver is Tommi Oliver here. Gender-switch from birth.

Soulborn: Soulmates from the Power Rangers. Established ship: Cassie x Phantom. Future ship: Kat x Tommy.

BKCBL

Burning Inscription: Soulmates have the most important words spoken to them by their soulmates written on their arms. On Kinshiro's: I am Battle Lover Epinard! Nonsense. Atsushi x Kinshiro.

Love of Spirits: Kinshiro is a spirit of the sun. Atsushi is a wind spirit. The others are also magical beings. Kinshiro x Atsushi.

Crossovers

Elemental Ties: YGO GX & Digimon Frontier. Juudai and Kouichi cross paths. But they're not the only ones who share elements.

Replacement Vampire: YGO GX & Digimon Adventure 02: Post his defeat in 02, Vamdemon awakens in his Perfect form again, in a new world, where he meets someone he never thought he would - a female vampire. Camula didn't think she'd ever see another vampire. He's not quite her species, but he's definitely her type. Firm ship: Camula x Vamdemon. Also, vampire Seven Star!Ryou.

Scorpion Strike: YGO GX & YGO Zexal: Ryou wakes up in the Barian World, and doesn't know his name or anything else. But he's a Barian now, so he works for the Barian World. Ryou x Mizael.

Those are all my current series. Here are the series that I have waiting in the wings:

Power Rangers

Unexpected Tales: A series of fics about ships I like: Rita x Zedd, Emily x Jason, and Tanya x Adam.

Yellow & Blue: A pair of fics involving Trini x Billy

Digimon Adventure 02

Blossoms of Death: Non epilogue compliant, where a new enemy attacks the Chosen and a lot of things happen including friendship between different Chosen and their partners.

In Our Veins: Breeds AU. Non epilogue compliant and the breeds slowly start to awaken to their powers. Known ships: Ken x Daisuke.

Far From The Tree: Breeds AU, rewrite of a very old story of mine. Starting in the Devimon arc, the Chosen begin to awaken.

Last Dark Master: Breeds AU, another rewrite of a very old story. Yamato attracts Piemon'os attention. No ships at this time.

To True Love: A series about Taichi x Yamato. Mild Ken x Daisuke also.

Heed The Call: The Kaiser discovered the breeds - especially Anbumon, the strongest of them all. Time for an alliance. Ken x Daisuke & Yamato x Taichi.

Digimon Tamers

After Tamers: Post-canon, the Tamers have even more adventures with their returned partners.

Burning Brightly: An alternate take on Ruki and Renamon meeting one another.

Yu-Gi-Oh GX

In Solitude Lies Strength: A slight divergence changes a great deal about Juudai's rule in Dark World.

Different Kind of Darkness: When Juudai encounters a vampire before his rule in Dark World begins, everything takes a dip to a deeper darkness.

After Academia: Graduating doesn't mean that their adventurs have ended. They're just different now. Yubel x Juudai.

Colors of Love: A different soulmate concept - those who have soulmates only see the colors of their soulmate's hair and eyes until they meet - at which point they see all colors, and sprout their wings. Edo x Saiou and Yubel x Juudai, with others to come.

Hi Kari Kouri E: Healer/Firestarter. Kagemaru wants a powerful Frostflame on his Seven Stars team, so sends people to recruit a six year old Marufuji Ryou. Future Yubel x Juudai and Ryou x Yuusuke.

Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V

Prey and Hunters: Yuuri captures Shun and has a good old time tormenting him. Rewrite of my original "Yuuri torments Shun" story. It will have a crossover with Mythology of Love by SilvorMoon eventually.

BKCBL

Seduction of Shadows: a realm with Io being human, Akoya being a demon, and Ryuu being an angel.

Crossovers

Love Is Out Of This World: BKCBL & Digimon Adventure 02. When the Digimon Kaiser drops into the Student Council Room, things become very interesting. Ken x Daisuke, Atsushi x Kinshiro.

Ties To Magic: Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Tamers, and YGO GX. A fantasy world where anyone can meet anyone at all.

From Shadows Within: Digimon Adventure, 02, Tamers, and Frontier. A new adventure for everyone! Ships: Ken x Daisuke.

I fully expect to develop more of these in the future. Time will tell! And I will update this when or if the time comes.

[your-world-with-nct]

— 2020 has been a wild year for all of us and let me start this off by saying well done to us all for simply making it through this crazy ride - if surviving this year was your biggest achievement, that’s completely okay, and i am so proud of you for being here today !! despite the many, let’s say, mishaps, that have occurred this year, both nct and nctzens have been key in my 2020 and i couldn’t be more grateful for them, so i decided to make a little appreciation post of my own before the year ends 🥰

— to my followers ;

my petals !! i can’t believe i started off this year with around 300 followers and i’m now nearing 600 🙈 this account has grown so much this year and it’s all thanks to you. if you’ve ever come across my blog, liked or reblogged a piece of mine, sent me an ask, or pressed that follow button, i want you to know that i am so grateful for you and thank you for enjoying my works 🥺 hopefully 2021 will carry the same positive energy here on your-world-with-nct as it has this year and i’m hoping that you’ll be seeing a lot more fics in the near future 👀 once again, i love you petals <3

— to my dearest mutuals ;

@emistoomultifandom

em bubs !!! i know i could easily do this on any other app or even irl but i just wanted to thank you for making my year 🥺 my lockdown wouldn’t have been the same without us constantly texting and fangirling and our ty track/bfc reunion on my birthday was elite. and obviously this new school year has been an adventure and a half so far, with all the lunch time shenanigans, revision sessions, and exam stress, but i can’t wait for the rest of it 🙈 i am so grateful that i had you by my side during 2020 and i am eternally thankful that i’ll be able to go into the new year with you by my side once again 🧡💚💜

@misfitneo

bella - my first mutual, my tumblr mum - it feels like just yesterday that you wrote a beomgyu blurb for me after seeing my pink theme; now you’ve finished college and i’m applying to colleges 🙈i know we haven’t been able to talk as much recently but that doesn’t mean i appreciate your presence any less - i’m so proud of you for getting into med school and pursuing your dream 🥺🥺 i hope that this year treated you well, and that 2021 treats you even better 💞

@nsheeteeish

loml, almost birthday-twin, fellow leo and xiaojaem stan, fave writer - what do these things have in common? they all apply to v, or, yeet anon, if you remember the days where i ranted to you about my crush and you were a baby stay 😪 not only have you delivered such amazing content on ur writing and gif blogs, but you have provided so much comfort and joy to me whenever we message with dilay �� i look forward to checking your blog every day for new posts and my twt and insta notifs in case you’ve sent me something or you’ve seen what i sent you 🙈 the fact that you think of me when you see certain things just warms my heart and you’re just such a caring person in general, thank you for being a part of my 2020 v, all the best wishes for your 2021 🖤

@cloudyangers

dilay !!! my resident yangqi and the person i think of straight away whenever i see yangyang 😚 i remember when you first requested that e2l chenle blurb back in 2019 and now the only chenle stan between us is v 😁 finding you on this app again after i forgot what ur skz blog’s url was, was just amazing and i don’t know what my tumblr experience would be like without me being able to reconnect with you 🥺 thank you for being able to make me laugh effortlessly with our lack of geography knowledge and our random antics, i will always look forward to seeing the username @cloudy_____ on my dash and screaming over renhyuckyang (+ sungchan 👀) with you for years to come 🤍

@nctsoftarchives

andi bb, my fellow dad!johnny stan 🥺 seeing you post a jaemin birthday blurb for me after your return to tumblr was so sweet and i can’t believe your first post after coming back was dedicated to me 🤧 i remember the day i first messaged you and you were gushing over how you were a big fan of mine and i said the same about you - we were just going back and forth about how much we love each other’s work 😌 you are such a talented writer and you are so full of love - wishing all the best for you in the coming new year babie 🥰

@jensungf

coming across leyna’s blog after reading that jsmr fic was the best decision, because not only have i befriended a brilliant writer, but also a jensung enthusiast who is just the kindest 🥺🥺 i think now would be a good time to tell you that despite jeno’s bias wrecking antics back in august, i actually bias jisung now 😃 i know we haven’t talked in a while, because of our busy schedules, but i hope you’re resting well and i hope that 2021 won’t be as hectic for you 💟

@doyoungcore

joyce, i know we only started talking recently but the serotonin boost both you and your works have given me this year is just incredible and i am so thankful for your warm personality on your blog and for your amazing fics 🤧 i started off as a silent reader who gushed about your writing in the tags but now i’m friends with such a talented writer and we just casually ramble about doie and jaems biases and writing struggles,,, wow 🤯 (btw took some of ur tips on editing headers 🙈) i hope that next year we can expand our friendship and that i can continue to give you the feedback you deserve 🥺💕

— favourite reads of the year ;

i have reblogged all of these to my main @/lovelycharm05 before, but i just wanted these masterpieces on here with everyone since these fics are so memorable and enjoyable to me <3 (beware there is lots of me gushing over how f&%#ing good all these writing techniques and plot devices are - can you tell i’m an eng lit nerd)

@nsheetee - moonlight café

obviously v released so many iconic pieces this year but this series was just *chef’s kiss* coffee shop au’s are the cutest to me because you can do so many different things with them, and you truly showcased that through each members’ part. although i am nahyuck biased (out of all the 00 liners), i have a soft spot for jeno’s part 🥺🤧 but that doesn’t mean i’m not obsessed with jealous jaems and cocky hyuck 🙈

@notnctu - to all the j’s i loved before

the very first work i ever read of yours, joyce 🥺🥺 i remember seeing an nct network reblog this and after reading through the summary of the series, i was enticed by the plot and i read most of your masterlist whilst waiting for the next parts 🤧 the main character’s relationship with each ‘j’ was unique to them and their interactions were just so sweet to read (except jaemin’s >:( why did my ult’s part have to be the angsty one 😤 jk jk i loved it anyways) special mention to ‘cupid’s arrow’, because that fic was an emotional rollercoaster and i loved that almost as much as i love bestfriend!jungwoo in the last part 😌

@misfitneo - lee haechan’s pride

it would be a sin if i didn’t include this in my top reads this year, pun intended 😌, especially since i have a weakness for mafia aus. i haven’t had the time to read mark or renjun’s parts yet, but from what i read in this fic, i’m sure theirs are just as good, if not better. the storybuilding and the development of the plot are so detailed and intricate and that is what i love in a fic. i already reviewed this on my main with a lengthy description of my favourite parts so i’m gonna keep this short and sweet - if you love haechan, mafia au’s, and enemies to lovers, you need to read this !!

@jensungf - passing clouds + only forever

these fics hit different now that i bias jisung 😭 ‘passing clouds’ was pure angst and as much as it hurt, it was written so beautifully and i loved it so much. ‘only forever’ healed the jisung shaped hole in my heart and made me fall in love with him all over again. the first love vibes he gives off is unbelievable and that innocence was presented perfectly in this 🤧 side note: never let jisung bake for you even if it’s as a peace offering 😖

@hyucksie - in the long run + second first kiss

although ‘sweet talk’ and ‘silent treatment’ are also contenders for some of my favourite fics of the year, these two have taken the cake 😌 the concept itself of time travel and mark and y/n seeing their future child was so creative and the mixed emotions that the characters experienced seeing their future were executed so well and the ending when their actual future selves remembered the day they time travelled 🥺🥺 not to mention the sequel doesn’t feel forced at all, the story flows well, and jealous mark is a cutie 🥰

@luvdsc - not clickbait

i’ve been following cat after i first read ‘i turned my best friend into an e-boy!! (and kissed him)’ and ever since then every piece of hers that i’ve read is simply breathtaking and so engaging. her style of writing is so unique and whenever i read anything of hers i feel so immersed in the fic. the dreamies as youtubers and tiktokers was such a cute concept to me and the little comment section at the end of each fic is probably my favourite part 😳 the way each member’s fic connects to the plot of another is perfect and their cameos in one another’s fic >>> (jisung telling y/n about the tiktok challenge in mark’s fic + cameraman jisung in chenle’s) i could keep talking abt this series for a lot longer but i’ll end it here, also i can’t wait for norensung’s parts 💞💞

@pwarkhans - the neo academy

i’ve probably mentioned my love for ‘the umbrella academy’ before but THIS !!! this series just made me love it even more 🙈 despite yangyang’s part being the only one that’s out, that and the prologue are interesting enough and seeing the 00 liners in this alternate universe is honestly amazing jxjwjxkw jaemin as three and hyuck as two is everything. the brothers’ relationship, especially in yangyang’s part, is so complicated yet so cute and i can’t wait for the rest of the members’ parts 💘

@yongtxt - vintage

when i first stumbled across this series, i was immediately intrigued by the plot, and not just because it was about rapper!mark and singer!y/n🧑‍🦯🧑‍🦯 the side characters (dreamies + doie and jisoo) were so funny and well-written and the plot >>>> i was so invested in the twists and turns of the story, the relief i felt when the conflict was finally resolved and we got our fav musician couple !!

@byunbaekby - apartment b23

i only found this series recently but wow am i invested in the plot already 😭😭 the conflict in the story is realistic and feels like something you could actually relate to. norenmin’s friendship/bond is so strong and evident through the story and the side characters are my babies (heejin, shuhua, lia - ily 🤧) i can’t wait for the rest of this series since i am a sucker for the perfect balance of angst, fluff, and crack in this 🥰

— favourite works of the year ;

unfortunately i haven’t had enough time to release any fics this year, and i’m hoping that that won’t be the case next year, but here are my top 5 favourite blurbs that i enjoyed writing and reading <3

1:48pm -> dad!johnny

one of the most popular blurbs on my blog to this day 🥺 honestly i get why, who doesn’t love dad!johnny? hyejoo is literally so adorable here and the family dynamics make me soft all over again whenever i reread this piece. also everyone’s reactions and replies to this are so heartwarming because everyone’s just whipped for the suh family 🙈

1:05pm -> soulmate!taeyong

i love soulmate au’s but something always irked me with the permanence of your soulmate like ,,, what if you end up falling out of love with them? then what? that inspired me to write my own take on soulmates, where they aren’t found, but made. taeyong’s character here is just so full of love and you know how much i love lovable boys 🤧 (ever wondered why i ult na jaemin...?)

12:13pm -> boyfriend!mark

7dream!!!! i don’t usually write domestic fluff even though it’s one of the genres i indulge in the most 😔 but when i do, i go all out because everyone needs to know how soft i am for my boys >:( mark’s love for the dreamies is so unique and i love their friendship so much, i had to write about it when i first heard about the 7dream announcement which i definitely did not cry at

11:40pm -> boyfriend!jeno

this was one of the first requests i ever got and i was just so touched than someone personally requested something from me AND it was jeno 🥺🥺 everytime i read the tags under this, everyone is just gushing over jeno and like,,, same 🙈 this type of fluff >>>

waking up with wayv -> wayv reaction

when em first requested this, i didn’t exactly know how to write something for each member without being too repetitive, but in the end, i loved the mini plots i wrote for them and it’s just one of my underappreciated faves 🥰

— favourite releases of the year ;

just a few of my favourite albums that got me through online school and revision sessions for offline school 🥲 ft. lots of nct + october albums bc that month was PACKED

nct 2020 - resonance pt1 + pt2

nct 127 - neozone: the final round

nct dream - ridin’

wayv - awaken the world

superm - super one

enhypen - border: day one

twice - eyes wide open

txt - minisode1: blue hour

seventeen - semicolon

stray kids - go live + in life

itzy - not shy

conan gray - kid krow

if you’ve managed to read all the way to the end, congrats for putting up with my lengthy and very sappy sentiment and sorry that you had to go through all of that 😭😭 thank you for being a part of my 2020, i hope that the new year allows us all to have a fresh start and brings us the opportunities we didn’t have this year. happiest new year to you all 🥳 (even tho it’s not 2021 yet when i’m posting this :))

[blooddrop-palace]

- Master Post of DMC fics by Rubixa Seraph -

(Come leave a comment, even a ❤️ comment will make my day!)

Series: Reignite the Flame

[Mostly canon-compliant series, with my take on who Nero’s mother is, and why she disappeared. At the same time, it looks like Dante had a daughter he didn’t know about, and she very much wishes to meet him.]

Hell Froze Over, and We Shall Reignite It - [Multi-chapter, ongoing]  Post DMC5, where Vergil, Dante, and Nero collectively find that their family is bigger than they thought. They find Nero’s mother down in Hell, and Nero finds a cousin. Yes, Dante, you do not have the high ground regarding the whole “you have a kid and didn’t know it??”

Could Have Been a Fever Dream - [One Shot, NSFW 🌶️] A little background on how Vergil met Sera, and that one spicy night they had together.

Edge of Infinity With You - [One Shot, NSFW 🌶️] A little background on how Dante met Kassy, and the whole night of fun they had.

FANART: Seraphina Valkyrie Character Design

Series: Fortune Favors the Bold

[Eva lives, and the twins grew up in Fortuna and are Holy Knights AU.]

Sons of Fortune - [Multi-chapter, ongoing] An AU where Eva, Vergil, and Dante collectively survived the attack from Mundus, and moved to Fortuna, where Vergil and Dante grow up in a more stable environment. The twins will get to have a place to call home, and even more people to love and make family with. Lots of family fluff, and I think this qualifies as a kid-fic. 

Practical Birthday Gifts -  [One Shot, NSFW 🌶️] “And there was only one bed!” trope. Dante x OC (Kassy) and a spicy night. Of course, this was indulgent smut. 

FANART: Holy Knight Vergil and Dante Sparda Plushie for Nero

Series:  This is Not an Office Rom-Com

[Office AU, no supernatural things, everyone is human. Slow burn drabbles of reader!insert working at the office and will slowly find themselves in a three-way relationship with Vergil and Dante.]

Crayon Rainbows After Rain - [One Shot] “Prequel” to the start of the series, as a bit of background to the AU and family setup of our cast.

I Owe You Lunch - [One Shot] Reader spills two whole lunch containers, that had a sticky note on it saying it belonged to Dante. Little did you know, just buying him lunch wasn’t the end of the scenario...

Espresso Sized Facts - [One Shot] Reader teaches Nero (who is on summer break and visiting the office) how to use the company’s espresso machine. You learn a bit more about drink and dessert preferences of the Sparda family. And you still don’t know who Nero’s and Vitale’s dad is.

Other Works and Series:

Scales, Feathers, and Eggshells -  [Multi-chapter, ongoing] 1k (roughly) word per chapter challenge! AU where Nero is 1/4 human, 3/4 devil, and 100% cute! The story of Vergil and his devilish mate raising a little hatchling.

Shattered Mirrors Repaired With Gold - [Series, WIP] This is the “What if Dante and Vergil’s positions were switched?” AU. Except I haven’t finished writing that part yet. Instead, you have two stories about Credo and Noel right now. Who is Noel? Not-actually-Nero... Dante’s daughter left in Fortuna. Yep.

The Danger of Doppelgängers - [Two-shot, WIP] The Noir AU DMC zine may not have made it to production stage, but I still have something to show for it. This was my piece, and I have a follow-up in due time.

Through the Lens of the Beholder -  [Multi-chapter, ongoing] Photographer!Reader, slight canon divergence (for reader's existence), following your photo-filled journey with the cast through DMC5. You will ogle all of the cast. All of them.

Kaleidoscope Worlds - Prompt Fills  All of my tumblr prompt requests go here. The first chapter has a table of contents detailing what prompts, with general tag-summaries. 

Checkmate Fate - [Series] Some indulgent canon-divergence, of what if Vergil and Nero’s mother reunited between the events of DMC3 and DMC1. Various flavors of family reunion fics. 

Blessings of Family - [Series] A “what-if” AU to my Reignite series, where Dante does get to know about Snow’s existence, and does his best to raise a happy family. A drabble-esque series outlining how much his family would mean to him, and how it affects how he welcomes Vergil back, post DMC5, among more family fluff.

Full Course - [Series, NSFW 🌶️] Don’t ask how we got here. Just know that this is where we are: Reader and Vergil acts on the idea of giving Nero a sibling. Nero has to process this news. Dadgil plus Spicy stuff. I blame tumblr for this one.

Hierarchy of Kings -  [Multi-chapter, ongoing]  I am prone to falling into multi-verse hell. This is an AU with Vergil meeting Roy King, an OC of mine. It’s a different flavor of world from Reignite, and is supposed to be all fluff-indulgent. Vergil needs a friend to have heart-to-hearts with, and if that friend becomes boyfriend, why not? 

Two Undergrads and a Cat - [One-Shot, 2020 Secret Santa Gift] A Reader x V “before established relationship” College AU fic. 

How to Ensure Survival When You Are Caught By the Most Dangerous Devils From Topside -  [One-Shot, NSFW 🌶️] A devil!reader insert story of getting some feral love in your favorite two devils’ nest. Absolute kink-fill. Please check tags for more details.

A Perfect Love is Not Picky and To Catch a Fleeting Presence - [One-Shots, NSFW 🌶️] My spicy contributions to the digital “after dark” Jackpot Dante zine!

DMCWeek 2020 - This links to a post of all 7 fics with their titles, themes, and summaries.

Headcannon Posts:

[I don’t do these often.]

🌶️ NSFW Alphabet J and V

🌶️ NSFW Alphabet X, D, and K

‘Useless’ Talent head canons

Sera and Vergil gift-giving thoughts

Kassy and Dante on hand-holding and declarations of love

[apocalypseraised]

@keptmanners

        ❝ –      you hunting with us later, ruby?   ❞     it was her time to make friends.   she was a little embarrassed to admit as such, as it was her and clementine helping aj do the exact thing previously... so.   it was her turn.

[seijorhi]

asks :)

i love the post fic bundle of asks 🥺

WHO WAS THE SOULMATE???? ASDFHFHJFKFLF DID YOU MENTION IT? DID I MISS IT? The rolling coaster of emotions was too much sooo I think I might have missed it????

but if it was not mentioned, i'd like to think that it might be iwa or the other guys or gahhh, what if it was a rival????? I believe nothing would push Tooru to the extremes than learning that you're tied to his rival... 😳

Good job again, Rhi! Honestly these soulmate aus are my favorite!!! 💕

ahhh thank you so much!!! 

and no, i didn’t actually mention who the reader’s soulmate was. i was initially going to write the fic a little more in line with what the asks said and have the reader overhear oikawa talking about it on the phone with iwa, and he’d say the name of her soulmate. it could have been anyone, but me being the whore that i am wanted it to be one of the characters, and considering that oikawa was never going to let the reader just wander off back to japan, i figured that the best possible choice for her to potentially meet her ‘soulmate’ would be when oikawa took him home with her back to japan for the olympics - and with the tight hold he has over her, the only people who could potentially come into contact with her, through iwa of course, would be the olympic team.

kags and ushiwaka were too obvious - plus the reader would have likely met them at some point during her life and while the bond wouldn’t have done anything too crazy, she might have felt something (plus i think oiks would have rubbed off on her a little too much - she wouldn’t hate them like he does, but romance? nah)

which then made me think, if you take those two out of the equation - who on the team would piss oikawa off the most to know was the reader’s soulmate... 

there’s just something about that setter pride, right? 

sorry for rambling 👀

I already knew I'd love ani soulmate au you write, but it still amazed me. It was wonderful! 😭🤧 

you guys are too nice to me!! i’m glad you liked it bby!  💕

I loved your Oikawa soulmate fic! Did Iwa lie about the name on Oikawa? Or are there mismatches with soulmates and she is Oikawa's soulmate, he's just not hers?

Wait so does that mean that oikawa has no name on his wrist, he met his soulmate but doesn't care for them, or he has our name on his wrist but it's not actually "our" name it's just somebody who shares our name? Sorry I'm way to slow on this

Love your latest story! But I’m confused if her name was on his skin or not?

i’m answering these three together because they’re all kinda similar. so the name on oikawa’s arm - his soulmate - is definitely the reader’s. it’s a mismatch. basically it was my kind of interpretation of a yandere’s obsessive love - for oikawa, she’s it, the only one he’ll ever truly love, the one person he can’t live without, but even before the reveal of her mark, he’s already very manipulative and controlling towards the reader. he isolates her from everybody else but him and his friends, makes her rely on him because he needs her, not the other way around. it’s not the worst thing in the world, but the power imbalance is huge. whereas the reader’s soulmate would be the one person who would let her shine - help her grow and love her for who she is without trying to steal her away from the world. it’s not that oikawa doesn’t love the reader, or that the reader doesn’t love him, but her soulmate is the one person who would love her the right way, if that makes sense?

NOOOOOO my heart is breaking into a million pieces and oikawa's not even my fav he doesn't even make top ten but holy FUCK this fic is for SURE in my alltime top ten. u just have a way of writing him that makes my heart ache like i still cant reread home like i read it when u first released it n i have not been able to reread it again bc i cant handle strong emotions but like...this fic is the opposite i cant STOP reading it thank u thank u thank u ily sm for gifting us this fic 🥺

bby!!! you are in fact the sweetest? i love you?? pls come collect your kisses??

home is one of my all time faves ngl, and this kinda has similar vibes i guess, but maybe in reverse - home is all about the anguish of falling for somebody who hurt you because of the things they’ve done, and always is about the pain of still loving somebody despite the fact that they’ve hurt you. anyway, thank you sm, this message honestly made my day!

Ahhhhhh! That Oikawa x blind reader! Oh my heart. Soft insecure Oikawa 😭😭😭

he’s awful in this, but dontcha just feel a little bad for the guy? (low key wanna give him a hug for treating him so meanly in this - but he does kinda deserve it too)

now that i see u on my feed, imma read ur fics again hihihihi LIEK I READ IT FOR 10x ALREADT

💕💕💕💕the sheer dedication?? ily anon

uh.. hello.. the chubby seijoh manager.. i.. love it so much is it rude to ask for more?

the full fic will be out... eventually 👀

how do miya twins from breaking point/meet the parents react to overprotective dad (or not even really that overprotective just actually a good parent lol)? I think it’s a really interesting dynamic and obstacle for yanderes because so often everyone else seems fooled or mia leaving the reader really vulnerable. Honestly I wish I could just talk to you all day about your fics beyond being HOT they are also so intriguing and you’re just an incredible story teller!!!!

first of all how dare you make me all soft and mushy?!!?! this was v sweet anon, thank you

BUT i honestly think they’d both kinda write the dad off. if they managed to bully the reader into being in a ‘relationship’ with them, osamu might try to get in his good graces, maybe offer to cook dinner or something just to smooth things over - because it is somewhat implied that even though he despises the twins, if his daughter wants them around, he’d bite his tongue for her sake. atsumu would be the ass that deliberately tries to rile him up, seeing just how far he can get away with touching you, how many sly innuendos can he slip past your dear old dad before he snaps.

but eventually, whether you gave into them or not, they’d try to push you away from your family, isolate you. for one, they don’t want anybody in your life telling you that they’re not good for you when they’re your soulmates. also because they really don’t want anyone else in your life period. why would you need anybody else when you have them?

[revasser-destiny]

Hello I am your lovely positive Mun anon! This is for you mun! I dare you to show which muns you love like friends or family! You can list as many people you love but for every one person you list, you must say what you feel about that mun.

@idv-ask-azrael ❥ You always make me smile and laugh with Azzy, or just with your amazing personality! I know I always worry you when I consume sweets (pls forgive me, mama), but I do love you very much as a mother figure. You're just the sweetest cupcake I met so far, and I hope everything goes well for you. Ily! ♡

@theunconcernedembalmer ❥Another mama figure I love and cherish. Her artsyle is a lovely dreamscape to escape into when you want to indulge in the world of her muses! She is very kind and smart (dont you dare say no, or give me the no u card), and I look up to her like a butterfly shaped cloud in the sky. Also CLLLLLLAUUUUDDDDEEEEE AAAAAAAAAAA

@ask-idv-embalmer ❥Papasop is a beautiful ray of stardust at night, who listens to you and tries to make you laugh. I love them very much, and I would give them a homemade cake in shape of a heart. Their art is like looking at a colorful meadow of personalities and gold itself in my opinion! They also know my weakness for dad jokes so that's bonus there ♡

@cezlovesart ❥SISTER! I really love Cezzu to the point she is family to me. If I could, I would happily give her my munies and cookies without hesitation. 100% would cuddle and boop this precious angel of a sibling ♡

@idv-mike-morton ❥CLOWN MUMMMMMMM! I remember the day I made a mistake and became your child. I still don't regret it, haha! You are the funniest and loveliest person I met so far, a goddess in my eyes if I may be honest. You always know how to make me laugh and smile, even make the days seem brighter than before. I hope everything goes well for you, and if not, I'll be praying that it'll get better! ♡

@ask-the-idv-magus IZUMUMMMM! She is the chaotically beautiful gf of my clown mum, and I cherish her like the sun (no pun intended) itself. She also knows how to make me laugh, and I enjoy talking with her about aus and story ideas in vc. I compare her to the gentle rain in spring, soothing and understanding, but also very beautiful and sweet as the flowers curl up in wonder.

@seer-is-here ❥Fellow Detective StalkerGay, aka Gayboi Starboi. She is the gayest owl person I know, and she's really funny that I tend to giggle a lot, especially in rank. Jaff is an uplifting angel to me, and she's so kind that often I cry.

@identityvarchives ❥We may have just met, but let me tell you are such a beautiful diamond in the gallery of AUs and storytelling. I look up to you a lot, but I also wish the best to come your way, Alice. Ily! ♡

@http-idv ❥Same with the lovely Alice here, I also look up to you as an inspiration. You're such a gorgeous emerald in the meadow of writing scenarios, and telling the story of your muse. Much love! ♡

@ask-prospector-v ❥BROSIS! *inhales* YOU ARE SUCH A PRECIOUS GREMLIN TWIN THAT I WOULD SACRIFICE EVERYTHING I HAVE SO YOU CAN BE SMILING AND HABBY! YOU MAKE ME LAUGH AND GO UWU, GOD ILY SO MUCH! QAQ♡

@flowwerpot ❥You always take my kokoro with your Flower AU, and for that, I love you. In all seriousness, their Flower AU is like a beautifully made cake decorated as the blossoming dawn. They're just the sweetest person I've met, and I am honored to even be called their child. Flower mama is OP ♡

@nootnotno ❥NOOT, ILY SO MUCH THAT I WANNA CUDDLE WITH YOU ALL DAY, NO HOMO! You're such a solicitous angel, and I'm so happy to have met you in my life. Thank you for being my friend, and I hope you continue being such a sweetheart penguin! ♡

@ask-victor-grantzcampbell ❥Kira Kuro is just,,,, an angel sent from the heavens and I cherish them plenty. Their artstyle and storytelling with Victor has me intrigued and wanting for more. They're such a sweetheart that I wonder sometimes that if meeting them was a wonderful dream.

@ask-thepuppeteer-idv ❥D,,,DIA! She has taken my kokoro many times as well, but I love her very much that I let it happen. Dia is a darling to have around, and an amazing friend to talk with. She makes me smile with her presence and ocs, even if I do cry when angst comes over at times (SOBBING NOISES). I would 100% hold her hand and call her the Queen of Beautiful Dahlias ♡

@idv-lunar-shine ❥Hello, may I hug the mun and the muses (if I can without dying) please? The AU with Alice and Lucie is a wondrous gem to view over and over again that it makes me cry often. The dark parts mixed with light moments is a beautiful bouquet to be shared with people who are interested, and I feel blessed being one of them. If I could, I would love to give yumi a gift but sadly like always, Im a shy birb

@theincessantmercenary ❥First off, I like to mention that I didn't expect a Naib to come in my inbox and make me cry two rivers for an hour. Second, Lucie is a delightful rose in spring and no one can change my mind whatsoever. Their version of Naib is an engaging performance to watch alongside with Alice's Eli and yumi's lunar shrine (how do i mention everyone without breaking the keyboard), and I can't wait to see more. Also Marpesia is precious and I will die for her, thanks for coming to my TedTalk 😔

@ask-idv-conartist ❥A beautiful person with an amazing muse and artstyle. Their introduction is just perfection, and I often reread it because holy shit, it's just exceptionally good. I love the amount of work and care put into Charlie (100% would smooch on forehead, and hold hands with), his story

@ask-cesarandamelia-idvoc ❥Okami is a talented person whose muses are on my must protecc list. They're just the most amiable person I know, and they deserve much love for their creativity. They've also made me cry because of their art and writing to which I say please give me back my heart pls

@ask-magnetboi-nortnort ❥Have I mention that your Norton is the funniest bastard I have ever met so far? Now you know how much I love your blog, interpretation of Norton, and lovely you! Please don't hesitate to take a break once, and take care of yourself! Love you, Cousin Nyeli! ♡

@stitchedstatic ❥Mama Static is an affable rose in the meadow, and I love her very much! Her storytelling is a wonderful experience as more pieces are revealed from the characters. I'm not just talking about Alec and Nikola (you can obviously infer that I love the two), it's also her reverse characters and Clarity that make me go doki doki about everything. Mama Static, I would give you all of my donut cakes without hesitation and carry you to victory ♡

@ask-idvgardener ❥Mama Gwitchy is a wonderful mama, and I love their protrayal of dear Gardener. I would protect them with all of my life because they deserve the best. 100% would smile at just their presence alone ♡

@idv-missionary ❥Hi, Mama Fluff! I would like to tell you that you are the most loveliest morning glory I have ever met, and I wish that happiness will come your way when you need it. Love you! ♡

@ask-vampire-hunter-naib ❥Woosh come back from the war, jk. I love your interpretation of a vampire hunter Naib (including the others as well~)! Makes me want to care him, but also punch him at the same time fhdhdhdh. Please know that you are a beloved jewel in my heart, and I hope that everything blooms better for you! ♡

@ask-chloenair ❥Briar, we need to talk about how importantly beautiful you are. The representation of your muses is beautifully done, and their backstories makes me want to do a chef kiss every time. Your artstyle is just the perfect dessert to go along with the main dish, and I honestly can't wait for more of your story to come soon. I love you, Briar! ♡

@asimplecherry ❥Ah yes, the Angst Demon. Queen of said subject herself. My inspiration for darker writings and art itself. She is also a singing queen, and that opinion cannot be changed. Her muses are blast to have around, especially gremlin Emma who thonks people in the face. I just love Cherry's work so far, and I pray that everything goes well for her.

@idv-askclaudedesaulnier ❥Number one criminal who has stolen my kokoro so many times I've lost count. Their version of Claude is a darker, yet mystifying fairytale - which I fell in love with and thus my love for Claude began. Their artstyle is a mesmerizing star at night that carries on a different story in each of their blogs. And Bee, you are the most marvelous person I met so far, and I love you for being you. Take care of yourself, okay? Love you ♡

@peachy-teacakes ❥Dal here is my wise big sister who can also be dumb at the same time. Doesn't stop me from loving her because of her golden heart. Did I mention that she's a very beautiful being on this planet to the point that I believe she is a Queen? 😔♡

@ask-sculptor ❥My egg sister who apparently thinks that Wick is a, um.... not going to continue that because I know a couple will be screaming soon after i post this (XD). Winter is a beloved snowflake (no pun intended) and she is chaotically funny at the same time. Charlie Gayboi is my tol big bro, and you cant change my mind. ♡

@hatsirsir ❥BIG BROTHER! CAN I JUST SAY I APPRECIATE YOUR EXISTENCE EVERYDAY BECAUSE YOU ARE THE SWEETEST AND MOST CONSIDERATE PERSON I HAVE EVER MET! I CANT DIE FOR YOU, BUT I WILL HAPPILY COMPLIMENT WITHOUT HESITATION! YOU MAKE ME SMILE AND CRY HAPPY TEARS EVERYDAY WITH YOUR LOVING COMMENTS! YOUR CHARACTERS MAKE ME SOFT (except for obvious rats) AND PUT ME IN A CUDDLY MOOD. ILY HAT QAQ! ♡

[spikemelikeavolleyball]

ii : rules ( part one ) ( high low )

high low ; miya atsumu x fem! reader

i. ii. iii. iv. v. [masterlist.]

───── ❝ high low ❞ ─────

[name] [surname] was off limits--

except miya atsumu finds himself

flirting with danger and becoming

rapidly addicted to the sparks between

them.

what osamu doesn’t know won’t

kill him. will it?

───── ❝ high low ❞ ─────

 tags; mafia au, sexual content,

violence, strong  language, blood,

gore.

this chapter: a time skip of about

four months, alcohol, mentions of

domestic abuse, strong language,

guns, a POV switch.

note: i decided to do the twins’ accent

how the southern us does; sometimes

they talk properly and without it, but

when they’re excited or angry, it flips

a switch.

───── ❝ high low ❞ ─────

two ; rules ( part one )

Miya Osamu had four rules that--at any given time--you had to follow as if your life depended on it. And sometimes, with the people he was around, or the people who visited him, it usually was. He had never given you a real reason why you should follow these rules, or why you were such a high risk case that you actually needed rules, but you knew he had a gun under his pillow, under the couch cushions, hidden in a drawer in the kitchen, even one in the bathroom.

He had pointed them out to you with a flat expression, that night he had taken you to his apartment after Akaashi and Kou had cleared you, and you weren’t able to argue or even ask why he was showing them to you. He had given you a very crude crash course in how to load and shoot it, but had forced you into bed right after, shoving you between him and his bedroom wall.

You didn’t ask what that was about, either.

The rules had been written down on a piece of paper that Osamu had ripped out of the back of a book. His handwriting was neat and printed, or as neat as it could be when he was writing it down like a man in a frenzy, and spelled out for numbers with four rules.

In your head, they sounded simple. Easy, even.

One: Don’t go out alone.

Easy, you thought, reciting the rule to him with a cracked voice.

Two: Keep a weapon on you at all times.

A switchblade was easy to hide, you had quipped jokingly, but he seemed to have taken you seriously.

Three: Always be aware of your surroundings,

You almost felt like he was drilling you in secret service rules. You even told him as much. He ignored you and shoved a plate of tuna onigiri in front of you.

His final, and most important rule, was what had left you stumped. Even four months later, you couldn’t understand why he was so adamant that you follow that rule down to the letter, even going as far as to warn you if you were at risk of breaking it.

Four: Never, ever let Miya Atsumu know you existed.

“A magazine spread is fine,” Osamu told you after you had gotten comfortable with your back against the wall, clutching his ridiculous onigiri plushie against your chest to hide the bruises on your collarbone. “But you can’t meet him in person. Please, [Name].”

“Okay,” you had promised. Your eyes were so heavy that you would have agreed to anything he had asked if you could just go to sleep. “I promise, ‘Samu.”

“Good.”

Now, as you sat at Osamu’s kitchen island, fork frozen halfway to your mouth and with arms that clearly weren’t Osamu’s wrapped around your waist, watching tattoo adorned fingers dance with the fabric of your shirt, you knew you had already broken that rule and it wasn’t even your fault.

It was Osamu’s.

🇾​🇪​🇸​🇹​🇪​🇷​🇩​🇦​🇾​…

“Congratulations.” Ushijima, Akana graced you with a wide smile as she closed the plastic binder on her desk, hiding the glossy full frontals from your wide eyes. Your name, printed neatly on the cover, was as foreboding as it was a blessing. “You’ve made it, [Name]. You’re now the official face of Wisteria’s lingerie line.”

“This is crazy,” you blurted, much to the older woman’s immense amusement. Four months ago, you wouldn’t have expected you would be here, much less as a model. “I mean, not that I’m not thankful for the opportunity, Ushijima-san, but--”

“You weren’t expecting it,” she finished, her red lipstick a dagger against the harsh white paint of her office walls. Akana nodded in understanding. “That’s alright. I know you weren’t. That’s why I chose you, out of all the other girls--for your humbleness. It helps that Wakatoshi likes working with you.”

Your face flushed red at the mention of the woman’s son. While Ushijima Wakatoshi was a good friend of yours, he didn’t really like modeling for his mother unless it was for volleyball. It didn’t stop her from wheedling him into a couple of shots with you one evening in Rio, while he was free from his volleyball career for a few weeks, while you were wearing close to nothing but scraps of lace. That had been embarrassing. His words, however, hadn’t been.

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed,” he had told you, hoisting you up onto his shoulder at his mother’s command. You had rested your hand on the opposite shoulder to keep your balance, Akana exclaiming that was the perfect pose and for you to be still. “I helped you train to get back into shape. You should be proud of it.”

Needless to say, the both of you had been plastered all over several different lingerie magazines and billboards, but it didn’t just stop there--the volleyball papers and fandoms were excited to have your face next to Ushijima’s too, and gushed about it for months afterwards. While it didn’t stop the fangirls from flooding your profile with jealousy ridden hate, his teammates loved to needle you for it endlessly, and tease Ushijima, although he didn’t really understand why it was so exciting that he was in another magazine.

“I just… After that whole scandal, I didn’t think I was even up for the position,” you admitted. Akana’s face softened, but only slightly.

“If it had escalated further, you might not have been,” she confessed, taking a sip of her coffee. “But that was then, and this is now. You have a couple of weeks of vacation before you have to fly to Paris for fashion week. I’d suggest you fly home to Japan, steal some moments with your friends, and take some time to relax.”

Your mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack.” Akana smiled. “Although, Wakatoshi did profess an interest in having you watch one of his games. It was one of the more larger motivators for me giving you so much time off.”

“Ushijima knows I like watching his games,” you laughed, recalling his blunt question as to why you were at all of his games when you were usually at work. “I might not know much about it, but I enjoy the excitement and tension in the air.”

Akana smiled, then, this time wider. “Then you better get going. Your flight leaves at six tomorrow.”

By six the next morning, you were on your way to Japan--but not before having Miya Osamu call you an hour before your flight, sounding winded and like he had run a couple blocks.

“You’re coming home?” he questioned, tone full of surprise and shock. “Yer not pullin’ my leg?”

You giggled at his accent slip, tossing your copious amounts of luggage onto the conveyor belt. “No, ‘Samu, I’m not pulling your leg. I really get to come home, although I was wanting to  keep it a surprise… Who told you?”

“Sayaka,” he said, as if that explained everything. And it did; after that night, it was like the two of them were best friends--best friends in having your back in everything you did, at least. Kuroo thought it was hilarious how they argued. “I’m glad ya get to come home.”

“Me too.” You smiled, even though he couldn’t see it. “So, how’s college going? You fell asleep before I could ask you last night.”

“It’s the same. Between opening the shop and studying for exams, I’ve been pretty busy.” He paused, then, and spoke to someone who was most likely standing beside him. “Yeah, yeah. Gotta go. Stay safe on yer flight.”

“Aye-aye captain,” you said, right before you were swarmed by paparazzi. You hung up your phone and sunk backwards behind your bodyguards, who held your purse and coat with them.

This was going to be a long, long flight.