#“hEr vOiCe sOuNDeD EVIL aFtEr She cOntActeD tHe dEmon” Evil? No. I’d say she sounds more pained than anything.

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

I wonder how many so-called accounts of “demonic possession” are actually some undiagnosed mental illness that people fail to recognize just because the sufferer happened to be into spiritism at the time?

Like, if someone is mentally ill already, they may be more interested in religion and angels and demons; and by delving into those things even further (in a “scary” way), it can exacerbate their preexisting condition to the point where it develops into something worse. That makes more sense than possession.

[angelictaehyun]

PAIRING: richboy!kang taehyun x fem!reader

SYNOPSIS: He’s been a pain in your ass since you began working at the club. He’s arrogant and insanely wealthy, and you’re struggling to simply pay tuition. Needless to say, it’s not quite the match made in heaven… or so it seems. 

WC. 11,200+

GENRE: rich kid au, country club au, e2l au, crack, fluff

WARNINGS: mild language, illegal activity, y/n’s an actual dumbass, and taehyun’s kind of a dick lol

.

You repeatedly tapped your pen against your sticky, worn checkbook, awaiting a response from the refined, old lady sitting comfortably under a patio umbrella. You, on the other hand, felt the scorching heat of the summer sun against your back, making you sweat uncontrollably—you could only hope you didn’t resemble a drenched pig. The woman eyed you, a bit too judgmentally for your liking, before pointing her perfectly manicured nail at the menu in her hand, “I want this pasta, but make it gluten-free. Throw in another iced tea, too… extra lemon, of course!”

You winced at her shrill voice. 

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, all of our pasta is made from flour,” you explained patiently. Her right eye twitched. You were an obstacle in her way of getting what she desired, she was angry. Lovely. However, above all, she was confused, “Just tell the chef to make it without flour, let him know it’s a special request. I don’t see the issue.”

“Ma’am, I’m telling you… there’s no way to make it without flour, we just don’t have the type of noodle you want in house.”

She drummed her hand on the table, absolutely fuming. She glanced at you like you kicked a puppy, it was absolutely infuriating. She grasped for nothing as her brain formulated any response, “This is outrageous! I want to speak with a manager. Now!”

You sighed, “Gladly.”

It was astounding, truly, the lack of self-awareness and consideration some people had... or, didn’t have. You wished, so badly, to tell them off, but you desperately needed the cash. After all, college wouldn’t pay for itself and the bills piling on your coffee table wouldn’t just magically disappear. You swiftly turned around and trudged away, scanning the vast garden for your manager, Yeonjun, but unsurprisingly, he was nowhere to be found. You’d known him long enough to assume he was hiding in the manager’s office, his poor attempt to flee from the overbearing, entitled crowd. How he scammed his way into a managerial position, a position of authority… that was beyond you. 

You were halfway across the floor, pushing past another server when you felt an intense stare land on you. You halted in place, knowing exactly who the gaze belonged to. You glanced at the table stationed in the far corner of the garden, instantly meeting his piercing stare. He eyed you shamelessly, a signature habit of his, before throwing you a smug grin. You weren’t going to kid yourself, he wore the smirk well. 

Too bad he was a pompous ass. 

Kang Taehyun. You hated saying his name, it humanized him and he was anything but human. Rather, he was an evil, irritating demon spawn simply disguising himself as human. And the cherry on top? He was the absolute bane of your existence. 

There was a hint of mischief in his eyes and something else you couldn’t quite pinpoint, but you didn’t necessarily want to. He opened his mouth to call you over, but much to your dismay, decided against it and instead rose from his seat to saunter over to you. You tried fleeing the scene the millisecond he stood up, but the elderly lady directly in front of you shuffled quite slowly, blocking your exit and trapping you in place. You tapped your foot impatiently as he approached you. 

“You look… sweaty,” he observed, chuckling at your less-than-appealing state. Truth be told, though he didn’t like admitting it to himself, he thought you looked beautiful. 

“Taehy—” he forcibly cut you off by landing his slender finger on your lips. You ignored the spark you felt from the small contact. He let his gaze travel to your Cupid’s bow momentarily, a part of him wanting to kiss your frown away. 

“Ah, not Taehyun,” he reminded you smoothly. You considered biting his finger off, but you prided yourself on your outstanding professionalism. Granted, it significantly dwindled every time you spoke to him.

“Gosh, I’m so sorry,” you mumbled monotonously. “Mr. Kang… if you don’t remove your hand from my mouth, I will shove a menu so far up your ass, you’ll choke,” you snapped, a pretty smile adorning your face.

“Oh, Y/N. Your customer service and approachable personality never fail to amaze me,” he stated, drawing his finger away from you. He continued despite the growing, fiery rage in your eyes, “I’d like another fork, mine’s a bit dirty.”

“That’s your problem. I’m not your waitress, I have my own customers to deal with, so if you don’t mind…”

He completely disregarded your subtle plea for him to leave. “For your information, I’d much rather prefer you as a server and not him,” he admitted, throwing a spare glance at his server—Hyunjin, if you were guessing from the blond hair. 

“That’s too bad…” you trailed as you mustered up the fakest sympathetic pout you could. You continued, “Anyways, I really hate to cut this short, but I’d better get going. I’m sure you’ll survive with your fork. You probably won’t get tetanus, but fingers crossed.”

“Yeah, best of luck with Cinderella’s stepmom,” he mumbled, gesturing to your awaiting customer. He flashed you a confident wink before whirling around and returning to his seat. You scoffed, your lips tilting downward into an ugly grimace. The snapping sound from a couple of feet away brought you out of your disgusted daze. The lady you had spoken to was repeatedly snapping her fingers in an attempt to grab your attention. You were met with an expectant gaze when you directed your focus back on her. She was poised, her spine in perfect posture and hands folded properly across her lap; her body language exhibited no sign of emotion until you reached her watchful glare, clearly telling you to hurry along. You inhaled sharply before plastering on a fake smile. You resumed your hunt for Yeonjun, but once again, you felt the weight of a cocky stare land on your back. 

He was challenging you, silently. You knew it. Unfortunately for him, you had no interest in playing his silly, childish game, so you clenched your jaw and walked away. 

· ──────────────────── ·

As odd as it was, you and your best friend had a favorite bench. It sat a block from the country club and in the middle of a hidden, rugged park, but it was your safe space; it’d been your favorite place since you both found it in fourth grade. After every grueling shift, Kai would meet you on the bench with dinner. The food was almost always inedible, but you weren’t there for his cooking, rather his company. He was already perched on the bench, kicking at a pebble beneath his feet. He heard you approach but kept his focus on the fascinating rock.

“God, took you long enough, I’ve been here forever. I started to think you ditched me for one of those rich boys,” he complained. When you didn’t retort with a snarky comeback like you normally would’ve, he turned from his spot and glanced at your disheveled figure, immediately letting out an obnoxious laugh.

You looked like shit.

Your hair was a disaster, the wisps of hair framing your face no longer considered stylish, but rather unkempt and as Kai liked to put it, “homeless-like.” Not only did you look bad, you felt unclean. The sweat behind your knees was quickly becoming uncomfortably sticky and your mascara was rubbing off, making you look like a rabid raccoon. 

Despite all that, you were happy to see Kai, his bubbly personality never failed to cheer you up—but you’d never let him be privy to that. 

You shot him the nastiest glare you could muster, but that proved difficult considering the little energy you had left.

“Aw, Y/N…”

“I’m going to quit, I swear to God. If I have to hear one more soccer mom complain about her salmon being too fishy, I’m going to have to start perfecting my mugshot pose,” you grumbled through clenched teeth. He made a noise of disagreement, “Let’s not throw your ass in jail just yet. Orange makes you look like a traffic cone.”

You shot him an indignant glare, “Thanks.”

“That’s what I’m here for. Anyways, I made us some hamburgers and managed to grab some extra soda cans before leaving home. So bone app the teeth or whatever.”

You snorted. He always brightened your mood, just a simple sentence could lift your sad spirit. You had to give it to him, the burger looked pretty appetizing… but you’d learned that with his cooking, much like anything else, appearances can be quite deceiving. Despite this, you inhaled your burger, ignoring the fact that the meat was undercooked and the mayonnaise was likely expired. You paid no attention to the fact that your soda was lukewarm and flat—you sipped on it regardless. Your mind was elsewhere, easily drowning out whatever Kai was ranting about. 

“... I know you probably had a bad day ‘cause of your boy,” he observed quietly.

You snapped your focus back, “My boy?”

“Yeah, your boy. The one you think is a self-righteous prick, but secretly think is really hot. Hm, what was it… Terry? Tyler? Taeyong?... Oh, I got it. Trash can.”

You scoffed, “Taehyun, most certainly, is not my boy. I can’t stand him. His head is so far up his flat ass, I’m surprised he’s still breathing.”

Kai nodded in feigned understanding. He tilted an eyebrow quizzically before opening his mouth, but you beat him to it.

“And I don’t think he’s cute!” 

“... And I’m Beyoncé.” 

You didn’t respond, too tired to argue with him. Instead, you let out a small noise of disagreement before resting your head on his broad shoulder, contently sipping on your warm soda. He knew how tired you were; everyday he watched you wear yourself down to practically nothing, it hurt him. He leaned his head against your own, placing a hand atop your thigh and squeezing reassuringly. You allowed yourself to relax, breathing in the humid, summer air. You stayed like that until he let out a small laugh. 

“Let’s rob him,” Kai suddenly suggested. He was joking, obviously, but you still perked at the idea. You turned to face him expectantly, straw loosely hanging from your mouth. He visibly retracted, “Jeez, Y/N, I was kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“… I’m not robbing someone.” He threw you a cautious glare before aggressively taking a large bite of his burger and chugging his flat soda. You were losing your mind, he was sure of it. You poked curiously, “So I’m assuming your stance on graffitiing is the same.”

He pressed his lips into a thin line before letting out an exasperated sigh, “Obviously.”

You turned away, sulking, and he couldn’t help but snicker. You were his best friend and had been since second grade, but if he said he didn’t think you were a dumbass, he'd be lying. 

“Come on, it’s time to get you home, you have an early shift tomorrow,” he reminded suddenly, mouth still full. You smacked his arm, disgusted by his lack of basic manners. He opened his mouth to showcase all his unchewed food. 

You gagged. 

“You’re disgusting!” you screeched, shuffling away from him. He chased after you, catching you almost immediately. His long legs made it easy. He effortlessly tossed you over his shoulder, ignoring your squirming, and carried you to his car, “Hush, I know you love me.”

“Gross. Never.”

He slapped the back of your calf and you squeaked, “Kai! Put me down! Now!”

“No, not until you say it. Make it believable, too.”

He wasn’t joking, you knew that. Eleven years of friendship and he was still as shameless as the day you met him. More so, if anything. Yes, his eight-year-old self was quite the charmer. You grumbled monotonously, “Kai, what can I say… you’re the light of my life, my hero, my best friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Probably die. I love you, I guess.”

“Too sarcastic, but it’ll do,” he conceded. He set you down and held in a laugh. Your hair looked even worse than before. He slung an arm around your shoulder, “Okay, get in the car. Hurry. I’d rather not listen to you complain about your lack of beauty sleep… again.”

· ──────────────────── ·

You mindlessly typed in a complicated order as Yeonjun watched your gaze drift over to the garden. 

“You’ve pressed that button so much, the console’s probably broken. Cool it,” he reprimanded gently. Your attention snapped back to the screen which was littered with incorrect orders.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what has me so distracted today,” you mumbled sheepishly. He chuckled and gave you a comforting nudge on the shoulder, “I think I know exactly why.”

Your gaze followed his and instantly landed on Taehyun. As much as you hated to admit, he looked good. Great, even. It looked like he’d just walked out of a rager, especially with his tie undone and shirt untucked, which he pulled off beautifully. His hair was slightly disheveled and you suddenly had the strongest urge to run a hand through it. 

Your eyes widened at the sudden thought and you aggressively shoved it to the back of your mind. “I don’t like him!” 

“I never said you did.” he argued, suppressing a mirthful grin. Yeonjun reminded you of Kai, especially with his insistence on your attraction to Taehyun, or as you believed, lack thereof. He continued, “Just a reminder, though. The line between love and hate is so, so thin.”

Rather than responding and saying something that would surely get you fired, you huffed and turned your focus back on the order, unaware of your aggressive punching on the console’s screen. You were already having a rough day, but everyday spent at the country club was considered less-than-stellar. Yeonjun gave you a reassuring smile before sulking off to deal with another whiny, overbearing customer. You unconsciously let your gaze travel back over to Taehyun and was instantly met with a genuine smile, just not one directed to you. He laughed at a joke, oblivious to your longing and thank God, if he caught you staring, you’d never hear the end of it. His smile was just so pretty, you couldn’t help but feel giddy. Sure, you hated him—that’s what you told yourself—but you could appreciate a handsome face. As if on cue, Taehyun turned in your general direction and you quickly scrambled out of sight. As you turned, Hyunjin scrambled by you, the heavy tray resting on his shoulder nearly beheading you. His long, wavy blond hair, which was in a nice, neat half-ponytail at the beginning of his shift, was now splaying in every direction—he was beyond stressed. If the messy hair wasn’t enough, his hooded eyes were getting darker. You approached him as he grabbed a checkbook, “Hyun, you look like a mess.”

“Hey, Y/N! Yeah, I just have a lot of floor to cover, and they’re all extra demanding today,” he explained, short of breath. He groaned as he watched another set of people sit in his section and continued, “God, please cover me. I’ll owe you one. I’m already overwhelmed with my current table number.”

You laughed understandingly, “Of course.”

“You’re the best, it’s table thirty.” He squinted to get a good look, “Oh! I know that customer, he’s a great tipper. You should be just fine.”

You shifted your attention to the table in question, immediately deflating as you saw Taehyun sitting with a friend. You turned around to protest, but Hyunjin was already gone. 

You internally screamed before trudging over to his table, gathering all of your dignity... kissing his arrogant ass wasn’t necessarily on your agenda for today. When Taehyun saw you approach his table, he did little to hide his pleased smirk. You undid your balled fist. 

“Hi. My name is Y/N, I’ll be your server today,” you monotonously stated, an unenthusiastic but convincing smile plastering your face. To any other guest, it would’ve been believable, but Taehyun knew better; your server persona didn’t fool him.

“Y/N. What a pretty name,” his friend observed, a bit too flirtatiously for your liking. Taehyun noticed too, judging from the way he narrowed his eyes and tongued his cheek. And also the way he obviously kicked his friend’s leg under the table. You mustered a sweet smile, hoping to mask your disgust, “Thank you! That’s so… nice. Anyway, what would you like to drink? We got in a new Italian wine, just delivered today.”

“That’s alright, just water.”

“Water.”

Cheap. Especially for a pair of chaebol children. 

“Alright! I’ll be back momentarily,” you informed, smile dropping the instant you turned away. As you trailed back to the kitchen, you heard Taehyun give his friend a hushed reprimanding making you smirk. You passed Yeonjun, noticing he looked as if he was about to lose his sanity. You gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder—for someone so young, he managed well. Of course, he used his handsome face and charm as often as possible; his attractiveness and charisma was dangerous. He managed to grasp the attention of everyone and it aided him greatly. You pressed quizzically, “Jun, you don’t seem good.”

“Says you. You’re lover boy’s server. What a shocking, juicy turn of events. I’m on my toes,” he teased impishly. You stared at him vacantly. Yeonjun continued to poke fun, enjoying the lack of response you gave as you procrastinated to avoid returning to Taehyun’s table, but sadly, there was only so long it could take to fill a glass with water. Yeonjun pouted sympathetically, “Good luck.”

You didn’t need luck. No. To spend a precious hour or more, waiting on a privileged, disgustingly wealthy teenage boy, specifically Kang Taehyun, you needed patience, self-control, and temper management. You reminded yourself of just that as you approached him, placing his water near his plate, “Gentlemen, are you ready to order?”

You jotted down his friend’s order, ignoring the growing complexity as he piled on request after request, no sign of stopping. “... And I need it lukewarm. Not room temperature, but lukewarm.”

You diligently suppressed the eye roll that nearly bubbled up. Honestly, you’d dealt with far worse, Taehyun’s friend didn’t even scratch the surface. 

You had to wonder though, did people like this ever feel shame? 

You faced the cocky redhead, “And for you… Mr. Kang?”

You cringed. He didn’t miss the nearly imperceptible flash of disgust that crossed your expression. He grinned, “Just the lasagna. While you’re at it, I’d like another glass of water.”

“You already have a full glass,” you seethed, glancing at the glass you had just set down. He enjoyed this: testing you, pushing you, slowly dwindling your sanity until you snapped. He wanted to get a reaction from you, anything other than the bored, disinterested expression you gave him every single day. He smiled innocently, “What can I say… I like staying hydrated.”

His amusement was irritating. Unsurprisingly, his torment was based on the stupid, outdated notion that a boy has to show interest by picking on his crush, but you weren’t privy to his inner thought process. You suppressed another eye roll as you turned to grab a pitcher from Hyunjin, the boy sprinting behind you with a full tray. You felt bad for him, at least, until you remembered he pawned Taehyun’s table onto you and your pity became short lived. You filled an empty glass, increasingly aware of Taehyun’s piercing stare. Your emotionless expression would’ve given him no indication as to how nervous you felt if it weren’t for the slight blush that painted your face.  

He smirked victoriously. You hated it.

A breath of relief escaped you as his attention turned to his friend. He leaned back in his seat and lifted a hand to rest behind his head, accidentally smacking the pitcher, causing you to spill the cold water onto his lap. He flinched at the sudden icy contact. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” you gasped, fishing a stray napkin from your apron. Normally, he would’ve brushed it off, considering it was his fault, but he felt pressured under the expectant gaze of his snobbish peer. Plus, he gained the reaction he wanted from you... something other than disgust. He feigned offense as he dramatically pushed his seat back and stood up, easily towering over you, “Next time, try not sucking at your job!”

He immediately regretted his outburst but he showed no sign of remorse, not when he had a reputation to uphold. God forbid, he could actually be a considerate person. 

More importantly, though, he pushed too far this time and there wasn’t much turning back. You winced at his tone, withering back from his harsh statement, though you quickly replaced your hurt with unadulterated rage. Your blood boiled as your vision went red, steam practically fuming from your ears. Your pained expression broke his heart and he nearly dropped his act, but before he could do or process anything, his silk shirt was sticking uncomfortably to his body as ice water seeped through. His slacks were drenched and his designer loafers were completely ruined. He didn’t pay much attention to that, though... not when you were an inch from his face, holding an empty water pitcher over his head.

“I quit,” you lowly hissed. You firmly shoved the pitcher into his hand and scoffed as he stumbled back from the force. All eyes were on you as you stalked off, hastily tossing your apron into the nearest trash can. Yeonjun gave you a quick nod, his subtle way of telling you he was proud. 

He’d get your resignation letter another day.

Taehyun helplessly called after you but it was useless. You were too far gone to care. 

· ──────────────────── ·

You slammed your car door shut, absolutely fuming. You blankly stared at the frog keychain hanging from your rearview mirror. Normally, you would’ve smiled at the small figurine, but in the moment, you wanted to punt it into another timezone. It’s cheeriness pissed you off to no end. You quickly fished your phone out to dial Kai’s number, the line ringing thrice before he picked up, groaning, “I’m trying to sleep.”

His voice seemed muffled, likely from the thirty plushies he insisted on sleeping with. 

“It’s dinner time.”

“It’s called a nap, genius.”

“Alright, well, I just quit my job… and I might have dumped a pitcher of water onto Taehyun’s stupid, privileged ass.”

The line fell silent. You wouldn’t have been surprised had he hung up on you—your tendency to act impulsively drove him up the wall and he was nearing his limit. You patiently awaited his response, likely a reprimanding scold. 

“Y/N, what the fuck.”

“He had it coming, I swear,” you promised. In detail, you explained your biased side of the story, ignoring the obvious judgement emanating from the opposite line. The minute you finished, you spotted Taehyun’s panicked figure run into the full parking lot, frantically searching for you; you ducked behind your steering wheel, praying he didn’t see you. You squeaked, cutting off Kai’s tangent, “Oh my God! Oh my God! He followed me!”

He sighed. “If you dumped ice water on me, I’d be chasing after you too.”

You peeked curiously from your spot, seeing he had yet to find you. The cogs in your mind churned slowly, mixing in with your rage, “What if we graffitied his house?”

“You’re an idiot.”

“I’m serious, I want to do it! He can’t just get away with humiliating me in front of the entire club, waitstaff, and my manager. And graffitiing isn’t illegal… ish.”

You could practically picture his narrowed gaze, “It’s definitely, most certainly, illegal. Sunshine, I understand your anger, hell, I’d be outraged, but revenge isn’t always the answer. And graffiti isn’t the most… sound idea.”

You crossed your arms defensively, “It’s a genius idea.”

“It really isn’t.”

“I’m going to do it, regardless of if it’s a good idea or not. You’re either in or out.”

Once more, the line fell quiet. His mind churned, concluding there wasn’t a chance in hell you’d follow through—you were simply too chicken. He laughed, “Fine. I’m in.”

“Great! Find his address, I’ll be over soon.”

You hung up and regained your composure. Taehyun spotted your car as you buckled in your seatbelt, making direct eye contact with your enraged figure. You were surprised, he didn’t seem angry, rather regretful. Almost apologetic. 

But you didn’t care. 

You sped off the lot without sparing him a final glance. 

· ──────────────────── ·

“Have faith in me! Finding his address isn’t going to be hard. You know, I’m a tech whiz, it runs in the family.”

You snickered, “Beomgyu getting accepted into the computer science program at his university doesn’t mean you got the tech gene. You’re the worst with technology, you can’t even remember your laptop login half the time.”

He eyed you challengingly, before cracking his knuckles and typing furiously. Only a single minute had passed before he was yelling, “Jackpot! I found it!”

You were thrown for a loop. He was quite technologically inept, he couldn’t even open a browser without some trouble, let alone find an address. You stared at him quizzically, a smidge of doubt crossing your mind. He deflated, avoiding your hard gaze, “Okay… maybe, just maybe, I called Gyu before you arrived and had him help.”

You snorted. “Yeah, that tracks.”

You sighed and tossed yourself back on his plush bed, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars plastered on his ceiling. You laughed quietly, you remembered putting them up there—it was really only a year ago. See, Kai had this whole star-sticker-related schtick or as he liked to put it, “Inability to have them as a child which subsequently caused emotional damage.”

You had just returned from a grueling shift and you were exhausted, weak, and insanely pissed—reason being Taehyun, of course.

It was always Taehyun.

In a frivolous attempt to cheer you up, Kai suggested pasting the stickers onto his ceiling. Honestly, it was more stressful than fun. He constantly wobbled around the bed, nearly dropping you several times as you sat perched on his broad shoulders and stuck them up. It kept you busy though, and thus, kept your mind off of Taehyun. 

It was funny, honestly. For someone that swore they hated him, you sure thought about him a lot. He took residence in your mind and you felt like the landlord trying to evict him. 

Even at that moment, you couldn’t stop thinking about him. Of course, you were in denial. You told yourself it was natural to be thinking about him; after all, you were going to destroy his property. There was absolutely no other reason as to why he ran free in your mind… none at all. 

Kai knew you were overthinking. It wasn’t hard to tell, especially since your forehead usually tended to crease in the ugliest manner when you did. He tried reeling you out of your daze, “So, we’re going to commit a crime.”

“Yep.”

“... There’s no turning back.”

“I know. I’m not going to chicken out.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, of course you’d chicken out. You always did. He didn’t see any harm in indulging you with your idiotic plan, so he found the address. No harm, no foul. Right?

· ──────────────────── ·

You anxiously picked at the leather seating beneath you, nearly tearing a hole in the worn fabric. 

“Yo, cool it. Jihyo is already pretty fucked up,” Kai warned. Oh, Jihyo. You still couldn’t believe he named his old, rickety car—let alone after his ex. His car looked as if it had a mile left in it before it ultimately broke down, but you had to put some blind trust in Jihyo. After all, she was your getaway car if everything went south. You’d been sitting in Kai’s passenger seat for half an hour, coming up with nearly every excuse not to proceed with the crime.

“We really don’t have to do this. Not to mention, I don’t want to do this,” he grumbled. 

“Then why are you here?”

Imagine his surprise when you showed up at his door, decked out in all-black, stealthy gear, hope and adrenaline coursing through your body. He truly believed you would’ve backed down by now, and a small part of him hoped you still would, but the odds weren’t looking in his favor. 

“I’m not letting you go to jail! I can’t get through the school year without you, especially now that Jihyo—human Jihyo—is starting to spread her stupid, little personal agenda against me. Like, yeah, I broke up with you and that’s rough, but maybe next time, try not being manipulative… or a cheater,” he rambled. You flashed him a sympathetic smile; he said he was over it but you knew better. You patted his arm comfortingly and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, a flustered, shy smile replacing his pout. 

“Guess what? I think I know exactly what’ll make you feel better,” you whispered sweetly. 

His smile instantly turned down into an exasperated frown, “Mhm, let me guess… robbing the rich boy you have a crush on.”

“I don’t have a crush on him! Why would I like him? He yelled at me in front of the entire club! And we’re not robbing him, we’re simply… graffitiing his house. Tastefully. 

“So you admit, you had a crush on him.”

“No! I’m just saying!”

He pointedly rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the castle-like house across the street, not wanting to have that conversation with you. He mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like idiot but you let it slide, instead choosing to focus on the task at hand. 

“Okay, so the gate code is probably something stupid like his birthday, his mom is probably sentimental like that,” you mumbled to yourself. You tapped your foot anxiously as you tried to formulate a coherent plan. You slowly continued, “The only problem is the crazy amount of security cameras around his house. Like, who needs that many cameras? People are dying.”

“God, I hate you,” Kai grumbled.

You ignored him, “There has to be a blind spot, somewhere a camera won’t cover. Hm…” you studied the perimeter, searching for that camera-free sweet spot. At that moment, you found a tiny patch of grass, hidden under a massive oak tree. 

Bingo. 

You shook Kai’s arm aggressively, “Look! Right there, that’s the spot. That tree has to cover the camera.”

He rested his head against the steering wheel, “Let’s get this over with.”

As you both climbed out of his car, you couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place. The street was littered with fancy, expensive cars while Jihyo looked like she belonged in the dump, making you even angrier. Kai crept over to the sidewalk, insisting on creeping in the shadows like a vigilante. You, on the other hand, struggled to carry your duffel bag full of equipment, constantly getting slowed down by the exceptional weight. That was your fault though, you packed it full of necessary, outstandingly heavy equipment (necessary being a loose term). Alongside the many cans of paint sat a bag of Goldfish, three juice boxes (because Kai is a massive baby), a faulty navigation system, a not-at-all threatening ski mask, and a broken hammer. 

You didn’t remember packing that hammer. 

You settled in front of Taehyun’s gate, hoping your birthday theory was correct. Of course, simply because it was you and your luck was awful, it wasn’t. You began pressing random keys, hoping something would work but it was fruitless. Nothing worked, not even the basic combinations. You huffed, “I guess we’re going to have to climb our way in.”

You mentally prepared yourself as Kai sent a couple of prayers out for good measure. He eyed your duffel bag curiously before opening it, instantly met with a multitude of spray paint in all shades. He narrowed his eyes and scoffed, “Jesus, Y/N! Where the hell did you get all this shit?”

“... Craigslist.”

“Bullshit, you were kicked off Craigslist years ago.”

You winced, insulted by his easy remark—he knew how sensitive you were about that. You kicked a pebble sheepishly, mumbling softly, “Fine, I bought the paint from Soobin…”

His eyes widened comically as his heart practically ripped out of his chest, “Soobin?! Choi Soobin?! You can’t be serious. No, there’s no way you bought from the school drug dealer! He’s a criminal! He probably tried to toss in some of that devil’s lettuce with your purchase, huh? Or worse… crack!”

You rolled your eyes and tossed your head back, he was always so dramatic. “Kai, he’s not a criminal. He’ll occasionally sell an edible or two, but that’s it! He didn’t try to sell me anything. Actually, he gave me a pretty good deal on this stuff.”

“Lovely, a modern-day businessman,” he grumbled sarcastically. 

“Whatever, just help me climb the wall,” you huffed, zipping up your bag before tossing it over the blockade. Hesitantly, he got on one knee, muttering something you couldn’t quite hear—not that you wanted to anyways. You delicately stood on his knee as he pushed on your thighs in an attempt to boost you over. 

Honestly, you struggled. Your weak muscles did little to aid in your quest, but Kai’s strength helped. 

“God, take your sweet time, it’s not like your flat, piece of plywood ass is dangling in front of my face or anything. I’m about to throw up,” he gagged. 

You scoffed, “Yeah, yeah, complain all you want but this is the most action you’ll ever see.”

“... I won’t hesitate to drop you on your face.”

However, before he could follow on his threat, you managed to hoist yourself over the brick wall. You offered a hand to Kai but instead of accepting, he eyed it mockingly, knowing you weren’t strong enough to lift him. He stretched his legs before taking a step back, giving him a running start, and surprising you both when he successfully lifted himself.

You placed your hand over his mouth, “Shh.. whisper. We’re in enemy territory now.”

He licked your palm, nearly making you screech, “Gross!”

He childishly stuck his tongue out. You shook your head and began scrounging the duffel bag for the perfect paint color. Of course, you wanted to create a masterpiece worthy of Kang Taehyun... you even considered tagging it. Kai silently sat on the grass, aimlessly picking at the freshly-cut blades as he watched you happily paint. 

You were pleased to say that in the half an hour you’d been painting, nothing had gone awry... yet.

“The fuck is that supposed to be?” he questioned curiously, leaning closer to inspect the vulgar work. 

“Taehyun,” you said easily.

“Really? ‘Cause it looks like a dick.”

“It’s called symbolism, Kai.” You stepped back to admire your work as if it were hung in the Louvre whilst Kai scrunched his nose, clearly offended by the unpleasant art.

“You know, it’s funny how you have the biggest crush on this dic—” Before he could further elaborate, he was interrupted by an awfully familiar voice. 

“What the hell are you doing on my front lawn?”

You cringed. You’d been caught red-handed. 

Kai turned slowly, surrendering with his hands up. You, however, kept your back turned, considering just going to hell with it and continuing your tasteful artwork. He glanced at you anxiously, silently pleading for you to put down the paint can. 

Only because Kai looked a second away from fainting, you huffed and turned around, mimicking his pose, the only difference being the bored expression plastered on your face. 

Taehyun stood in front of you, his arms crossed and irritation painted all over his body language, but as much as he tried to hide it, there was a glint of amusement behind his eyes. You hated how his obnoxious, stop sign hair managed to look amazing under the glow of the moonlight—it was beyond irritating. Arguably, his entire being was irritating. You held his gaze, silently challenging his presence. Kai, on the other hand, was sweating profusely and dramatically hyperventilating. He clutched onto your shoulder, failing to catch an actual breath, “Oh my God! I feel like my heart is pumping out lukewarm sewer water.”

He placed his hands on his knees as he hunched over and continued, “Please, Taehyun. Please, don’t hit me with your Lamborghini. I’m begging you.”

Taehyung blankly stared at the younger, completely forgetting he was even there. You rubbed your temple and hissed, “Will you shut the fuck up? You’re making this worse.”

“I don’t want to go to jail! My face is too pretty for jail, they’d murder me on sight for being the most gorgeous boy they’ve ever seen. God, please don’t call the cops… I’ll do anything,” Kai shamelessly begged. You were so close to punting him into the Pacific Ocean. Taehyun’s annoyingly gorgeous lips twisted into a smug grin as he directed his attention back on you, “Hm, and what about you, Princess? I don’t see you begging.”

You scoffed, “I’d rather eat Kai’s shoe.”

He simply hummed, “That’s too bad. You know, I have a family friend who’s a cop… I’ll convince him to go easy on you in jail.”

“The wealthy wielding control over the justice system… how unexpected.”

“Oh my God! Y/N’s kidding, she’ll do anything,” Kai blurted quickly, shooting you a death glare. Taehyun’s eyebrow lifted curiously, a satisfied smirk settling comfortably, “Is that true?”

“What the hell do you want?” you questioned hesitantly. 

“A date.”

You briefly considered his words before shoving Kai forward, “Yeah, go nuts. He’s all yours.”

“... With you.”

You threw your head back and let out an inappropriate, hearty laugh. Even Kai let out a small snicker before replacing it with a fake cough, but Taehyun didn’t seem amused. He watched you expectantly, awaiting an answer. 

“So this is the only way Kang Taehyun can score a date… by blackmailing them. You know, that actually makes sense,” you theorized to no one in particular. You simmered in silence for a short moment before Kai cleared his throat, hinting at his obvious discomfort. Taehyun was enjoying this, you just knew it. 

That broken hammer never looked better...

“Fine,” you conceded. You glared at him, biting your tongue to prevent you from going off on his pompous ass. Taehyun’s eyes lit up with hope. 

Kai let out a breath of relief before mumbling an apology and dragging you off the lawn. His grip on you tightened as you turned around one last time to shoot daggers at Taehyun. He stood comfortably in the middle of his manicured lawn, the porch lights behind him highlighting his pleased smirk, yet all you saw was red.

· ──────────────────── ·

Kai splayed across your bed, mindlessly picking at a random throw pillow while you spritzed a hint of perfume on your forearm. His gaze trailed over your figure curiously, “You’re quite dressed up for someone who’d rather sleep in a dumpster than go on this date.”

“Well I’m not about to walk into high society wearing a stained sweatshirt and joggers.”

He snorted, “Right, that’s the only reason.” You smoothed your shirt and gave yourself a once over, feeling quite confident in your choice of clothing. Kai wasn’t blind, he thought you looked nice, but he’d let pigs fly before he told you that. He continued, “You don’t look… that ugly.”

You rolled your eyes, knowing that was the closest you’d ever get to a compliment from him, “Thanks.”

“Do you know where he’s taking you?” 

“Nope.”

If you were being honest, you didn’t care where he took you; you didn’t set any conscious expectations. 

“Oh! Before I forget…” Kai smirked as he dug around his backpack. He tossed you a small, blue bottle of mouthwash. He winked cheekily, “You never know… mayhaps you’ll kiss him.”

You nearly threw up, “I most certainly will not be kissing anyone tonight, especially not his pretentious ass. Besides, you know about my rule.”

He groaned. He definitely knew about your rule, it was all you talked about after getting dumped by your last ex. After your last failed relationship (or four) you created a no-kiss policy for your first three dates. You wanted to make sure your kisses weren’t in vain, and honestly, it was fun just watching them work for it. 

“The rule is dumb,” he reminded. 

“... You’re dumb.”

You were busy dodging a pillow when your doorbell rang, signaling Taehyun’s arrival. You were shocked he didn’t just notify his presence by honking his horn—for a pompous ass such as himself, you wouldn’t have been surprised. 

“It’s time,” you mumbled somberly. 

“He isn’t the Grim Reaper. This is a date, it’s supposed to be a happy thing!” he tried encouraging sweetly as you stalked down the staircase, but to no avail, your mood didn’t lighten in the slightest. 

You aggressively swung open your front door, nearly knocking Kai unconscious. Taehyun dressed simple but pleasant; his expensive, black sweater was expertly tucked into a nice set of slacks and the Cartier bracelet that adorned his wrist, perfectly accentuated his veins. His bright, red hair was styled messily and his cheeks were flushed, beautifully highlighting his angled nose and sharp jawline. Your mouth gaped, just slightly, as you drank him in—while he was always attractive, this specific look had you stunned. He held a single rose against his chest and it only made him look more ethereal, if that was even possible. When you looked up, you instantly noted the hint of panic in his eyes, which made you feel at ease. 

“Taehyun,” you blankly addressed.

“Y/N! You look amazing, so beautiful…” he trailed as he handed you the rose. You grabbed it and immediately shoved it into Kai’s chest.

“Let’s get this over with,” you grumbled, pushing past him and harshly hitting his shoulder.

“... Right.”

“Hey, try not to murder him, I can’t afford bail. I make minimum wage,” Kai reminded, flashing Taehyun a sympathetic smile as the older trailed closely behind you. You were about to open his car door when he came rushing by, insisting on opening it for you. In return, you sent him a nasty glare, “I’m capable of opening my own door.”

“I’m just trying to be a gentleman.”

“A gentleman doesn’t go off on someone in the middle of a public space,” you reminded.”

He sighed. A mere five minutes into the date and he already felt defeated. He wished he could form a proper apology, but it would be futile—you’d just shut him down. So he decided to express his apology in the form of something he knew you’d accept; needless to say, he had a trick or two up his Gucci sleeve. 

You kept your gaze focused on anything but him. Your arms were folded across your chest, the evident frown on your face doing very little to hide your irritation. Despite that, he still thought you looked beautiful… granted, every single time he spoke to you, you wore a frown so this wasn’t new to him. 

“You look so pretty,” he complimented as he slid into the driver’s seat.

“I know.”

Of course he deserved every ounce of your cold, unwelcoming demeanor, but it still hurt. He was flushed but you didn’t notice since you made an obvious effort to scoot as far away from him as possible, practically pressing yourself up against the car door. However, the painful silence quickly overwhelmed you, so you hesitantly threw him a bone, “Where are you taking me?”

“It’s a surprise but I know you’ll like it. It’s my way of apologizing.”

“This better be a hell of an apology.”

“I promise you it is.”

You noticed his sincerity. His usual cockiness was replaced with shyness and a twinge of guilt, and you found it endearing. You stayed quiet for the remainder of the car ride, only a small sound of confusion as he pulled into a half-empty parking lot of a local carnival. A young employee approached the car and gave Taehyun a permitting nod, making you suspicious. He drove past the entrance gate and straight into a private space, parking next to a dinky, old ice cream truck. The space was close to a nearby forest, a bit too secluded for your taste.

“So you’re going to kill me,” you observed, scanning the dark environment around you.

He rolled his eyes. “No.”

“That’s what a murderer would say,” you mumbled.

You were so stubborn, he knew that, yet he still let out an exasperated sigh. He frowned and climbed out of his car, shuffling to your side, only to find you were already halfway out. You didn’t say anything, choosing to send another hard glare his way instead.

He headed in the direction of the carnival—not the forest—and gestured you to follow him. You trailed behind, ignoring the damp mud that stuck to the bottom of your cheap shoes. You felt a bit overdressed, but when you glanced at Taehyun, you felt better. However, the more you thought about it, his outfit likely cost more than your college tuition, putting a slight dent in your ego. You focused your attention on the glowing moon instead of him, and when he turned to look at you, he was in awe. You seemed peaceful, or at least, not as pissed. 

It was nice.

He led you down to the middle of the fair where you saw a crowd gathered around a massive dunk tank. He seemed antsy, constantly shifting his weight and picked at the hem of his costly shirt. He momentarily abandoned your side and walked to the dunk tank operator, speaking briefly before grabbing a bucket filled of unknown stuff. 

When he walked back, you stared curiously at the bucket which was full of heavy baseballs. “This is my apology.”

Vague. 

As if he read your mind, he gently placed his hand on your shoulder and turned you to face the tank, pointing directly at the chair above the pool. “I’m going to be sitting on that chair. Your job is to throw them,” he gestured over to the bullseye, “at the target, until I’m submerged.”

You couldn’t suppress your smile. He was right, this was an apology you’d accept, an apology in the form of embarrassment. Smart boy. 

He didn’t necessarily look forward to ruining his cashmere sweater, but he would’ve done anything to make it up to you, and your bright smile told him he was on the right path. You let out a light laugh, picking up a baseball and tossing it carelessly. 

He spared you a final glance before shuffling off to his fate. He seemed to garner a lot of attention, the crowd had grown significantly larger since you first arrived. You held the ball in your hand as he climbed onto the chair—you were arguably a little too excited to send him into the cold, cold water. He seemed shaky, but you didn’t care. You threw the ball with no hesitation. 

Strike one. You missed by a long shot.

He suppressed a laugh. You shook your body, ridding yourself of any anxiousness before trying once more. 

Strike two. You were closer. Barely.

You had an unlimited amount of attempts, but the longer you failed, the more embarrassed you felt. He now seemed comfortable... prideful, even. Your face was flushed red from humiliation, but you tried to keep it from affecting you as you threw once more, this time, significantly more aggressive. 

Strike three. This was outright shameful.

“C’mon, you can do better than that…” he baited. He couldn’t help but tease, it didn’t matter that you were on a date. The crowd let out a collective laugh. You scoffed indignantly, cracking your neck and back, your stare darkening. You were about to hit the winning shot, he knew it. He loosened his grip on the chair and leaned forward.

“I’m sorry,” he mouthed. 

The longing, heartfelt expression in his eyes had you flustered. You nodded understandingly, reeling in his genuine apology, and flashing him a sympathetic, sincere smile before throwing the baseball straight at the bullseye, sending him (and his expensive outfit) straight into the tank. 

You pumped a fist in the air as the crowd cheered. He emerged from the stale water, completely drenched. He shook hair away from his eyes before climbing from the tank and into a changing room, but not before finding your figure in the crowd. You wore a gentle, soft smile; for the first time, you looked at him with something other than hatred. 

It gave him hope. 

After changing, he appeared by your side as the crowd slowly dispersed, dressed a lot more comfortably. He changed into a pair of fitted (and designer, you just knew it) joggers and a clean, simple sweatshirt, pulled together with a silver chain hanging from his neck. He went from runway to streetwear yet he managed to look absolutely fantastic and it irked you. He seemed expectant yet nervous, constantly shifting his feet and biting his bottom lip. He needed reassurance and suddenly, you weren’t hesitant to provide it. 

After a minute of painful silence, you conceded. “I forgive you.”

A deep sigh of relief escaped him. He’d practically been holding his breath since that day and all of a sudden, this weight had been lifted off his chest. A wave of solace washed over him, “Thank god. I didn’t know what I would’ve done if that didn’t work.”

You giggled softly. He short-circuited for a mere second; being the cause of your melodious laugh had him speechless. It was all new to him. Your laugh was so sweet, soft, and a drastic contrast from the person he was used to. He yearned to hear it again. 

You peered up at him without saying a word.

He coughed awkwardly. “Right, uh, that didn’t take long at all. Let’s get you home, this was a waste of your time, I’m so sorry,” he rambled, turning in the direction of his car. You tilted your head questioningly. The night was still young and you had no interest in going back home. You were pleasantly surprised, all it took was a simple apology for your hidden, buried feelings to surface, though you knew how hard it was for him to apologize. Maybe that’s why you were so easy to forgive. You reached for his sleeve and gently tugged him back, “You asked me out on a date, so let’s do it.”

Going on an actual date was the last thing he expected. His plan for the night was to pick you up, try his best not to offend you more than he already had, and get dunked into some dirty, stale water. Of course he couldn’t refuse, seeing as his heart nearly soared from his chest. He nodded eagerly, “Y-yeah! Yeah! Okay, let’s have a date. Okay, uh, this is a carnival, right? I have to win you a plushie then, that’s just basic, carnival date knowledge. That’s the rule.”

You snorted. “Can’t break the rules then.”

He led you on over to the strength machine, eager to showcase his brawn—he hoped to impress you. His boyish mentality made you laugh, as endearing as it was, you couldn’t help but find it primitive and a bit childish. Nonetheless, you indulged him. He fished change from his wallet and you couldn’t help but notice the shiny, heavy, black card sitting comfortable in his wallet’s compartment; you suppressed an instinctual eye roll. He held the massive hammer in hand, attempting to hide the fact that it slightly weighed him down, despite his muscular build. He flashed you a confident wink before raining the hammer down on the target, sending the marker less than halfway up the pole. You coughed in an attempt to hide your laughter, you didn’t want to embarrass him, he’d already been dunked into a tank of mucky water. 

He stood dumbfounded, “Okay, this is rigged.”

“Mhm, right.”

“Fine, hotshot. Give it a whirl then,” he challenged. You raised an eyebrow cockily, yanking the hammer from his hand. It was simple, all you had to do was send the marker higher than his. You smugly grinned before trying your luck, the marker barely rising an inch. 

He slapped his knee and cackled. You were offended.

“This is rigged,” you mumbled. 

“S’ok, love. There’s plenty of other stuff to do that isn’t rigged,” he encouraged, throwing a side eye at the gamer operator who simply shrugged in return. He slung an arm around your shoulder, choosing not to dwell on the way his heartbeat sped, “Let’s go get you a prize.”

· ──────────────────── ·

For him to win you a singular prize, it took a game of whack-a-mole, a shared slice of pizza, a tuft of cotton candy, a vigorous pep talk, and sprinkle of beginner’s luck. It was a cheap, funky-looking ring, but you wore it with the utmost pride. 

You both talked excessively, really getting to know each other, and with each new detail, he fell harder. Your shy smile, adorable laugh, witty sense of humor… they were all just a bonus. Normally, you weren’t one to fall, if at all, but you found yourself going against your instinct and doing just that. In hindsight, though, it’d been a long time coming. He was hesitant to initiate any sort of skinship, considering you’d forgiven him an hour prior, but you proved opposite after you mindlessly reached for his hand the second you spotted your favorite ride.

“The spinning teacup! That’s a must!” You both felt the spark from the contact, it was unmistakable, but you both chose not to say anything. He let you drag him over, despite his aversion to the particular ride; he just couldn’t say no. 

“Fine, but promise me you won’t spin fast.”

“Pinky promise.”

As the cup turned, albeit at snail pace, he admired the light wind that flowed delicately through your hair. You had a certain aura, he couldn’t help but notice. It was enchanting. The moonlight kissed your skin beautifully, it had him watching in infatuated awe. 

“You’re staring.”

“Pssh, I’m not staring.” You eyed him and he crinkled his nose, “Fine, I was staring. I can’t help it, you’re beautiful.”

He didn’t know where the sudden confidence came from, perhaps it was just the motion sickness, but he didn’t regret it. You turned away from him, clearly flustered, and it made him smile. The ride ended quicker than he expected, but it was a welcomed relief, considering his well-being. The second he stepped from the cup, he fell to the floor. 

“I barely spun the cup! It turned, like, a mile an hour!”

“I’m sensitive! I get sick easily.” He lifted himself off the ground, just slightly, continuing with a corny joke. “Look at me on the floor, I guess some might say… I fell for you.”

You snorted, not at the cheesy line, but the aggressive finger-gun that accompanied it. He tried to wink but failed, immediately hunching over from the queasy feeling in his stomach, “Oh my God, I’m going to die.”

He made an ugly, inhuman noise. 

“Jesus Christ. Are you okay?”

“No, it’s fine, I’m great. I just think it’s my time to go.”

He reminded you a lot of Kai—both of them had an affinity for being overly dramatic.

You rubbed his back soothingly. He felt so embarrassed, but the feeling was overshadowed by the sickly feeling. You continued caressing, making sure to glare at anyone that dared judge him. You crouched down until you were eye level and brushed his hair from his forehead, giving him a small smile. At that moment, he could’ve sworn you were an angel of some sort. He felt better instantly. 

“I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine,” he insisted, waving his hand carelessly, telling you not to worry.

“Let’s just head home. I’ll have Kai pick us up, he’ll definitely do it.” You paused, crinkling your forehead in thought, “Scratch that, he just got his license and ran over a cone yesterday.” 

He stood up slowly, waving his hand once more. “In the recipe for a perfect carnival date, the ferris wheel is a must.”

You didn’t like where he was going with that. 

“You’re going to hurl if we go on that. For real, this time.”

He rested his hand atop his heart. “I won’t! I swear.”

“I don’t know...”

He laced his hand with your own and pulled you to the carnival’s main attraction. He fiddled with the ring on your finger, proudly glancing at it every once in a while.

Just your luck, a slightly younger couple was paired with you on the ferris wheel. The ride operator shoved the four of you into the cramped, tiny compartment, ignoring the silent plea Taehyun sent her way. The other couple sat hesitantly with a noticeable distance between them, awkwardly shifting every now and then. The young men—one blond, one with raven black hair—stayed quiet and you couldn’t help but think they were also on their first date. They often glanced at each other but didn’t talk and Taehyun had to hide his amusement. All four of you simmered in uncomfortable silence for a good portion of the ride. 

Taehyun unconsciously threw an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close as you laid your head on his shoulder. It was a subtle display of affection that made you blush, but he didn’t notice. Out of the corner of his eyes, Taehyun watched the blond boy copy his movement, just significantly clumsier—the poor boy accidentally smacked his boyfriend square on the nose. It took a lot for Taehyun (and you) to suppress an amused laugh.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry,” whispered the blond. His boyfriend let out a small, nervous laugh, “It’s okay.”

The black-haired boy gently rubbed his nose before reaching for his boyfriend’s hand—a simple compromise. The blond avoided eye contact with you and Taehyun, choosing to shift his gaze to the carnival below. The black-haired boy spoke first, “We’re kind of… new to dating.”

The blond cringed, still looking at the fair, before nodding in agreement. You giggled at the obvious tension, quickly comforting, “It’s cute! You two seem like an adorable couple.”

The couple smiled fondly at each other. The blond squeezed his boyfriend’s hand reassuringly and it made you smile. They seemed so in love, you were swooning. The remainder of the ride was silent and the couple chose to get off the ride after the first go-around. The blond meekly nodded his head in Taehyun’s direction and your boy gently returned the gesture with a shy, caring smile. 

As soon as they were out of earshot, you both broke into a fit of laughter, “Oh my God! He was totally copying you, that’s adorable!”

Taehyun gushed, “They both were so flustered! Too cute.”

You both spent the next go-around giggling, conversing about nothing, and sharing sweet, longing gazes. The carnival beneath you slowly began shutting down, each area turning their lighting off one by one. You kept your hand laced with his and while you glanced down the dying fair, he lovingly gazed at you. 

“I guess that’s our cue to leave.” You gestured below. He trained his gaze to the lack of vivid lighting around the carnival and sighed, “Yeah, I guess so.”

He squeezed your hand tighter. You didn’t want to part from him so soon and he shared your exact sentiment. 

· ──────────────────── ·

As Taehyun pulled into your driveway, you instantly spotted Kai’s silhouette lurking in your bedroom window.

“Jesus Christ,” you grumbled.

Kai had spent his night waiting for you to come home, eager to hear your nightmarish tale. He planned to head to his house and simply wait for your inevitable call, but when he left to grab takeout, he found himself straying back to your house. Your mother must’ve let him in, granted he was also gifted a key and he used it regularly. Your mind suddenly short-circuited by the feeling of Taehyun’s hand atop your own. If you noticed his tremble and clamminess, you didn’t mention it. 

He cleared his throat, “Let me walk you to your door.”

You sheepishly nodded, anxious to speak. If yesterday, someone had told you you would be this shy at the end of the night, you would’ve laughed in their face. He rushed to open your door and you let him, much to his surprise, without any snarky remark. The short distance to your front door didn’t stop him from holding your hand, leaving you a giggly, flustered mess.

You could practically feel Kai’s smirk. 

Taehyun stood awkwardly, frequently shifting his weight, while you nervously picked at your fingernail, both waiting for the other to break the silence. He took the first leap of faith, “I had a great time tonight, I hope you did too.”

You were too focused on his calloused thumb tracing soothing circles along the back of your hand, making you lose your train of thought, “Yeah! Yes! So fun!”

You winced at your overly enthusiastic response. The luminous light, hanging haphazardly above you did little to hide your anxiousness. He chuckled softly, glad he wasn’t the only nervous one, “That’s good to hear.”

“I’m sorry you nearly threw up.” You both cringed at the recent memory. He squeezed your hand reassuringly, “Don’t worry. Weirdly, that’s not the worst thing to happen to me on a date.”

You tilted your head curiously, you wished to hear his story. Frankly, you found yourself wishing to hear everything about him, but before anything, you needed to get some stuff off your own chest. “I’m also sorry about other stuff. I have more to apologize than you, even before the incident, I was always so abrasive and mean, and I want to apologize for that. And, I, uh, also kind of broke into your house… so obviously I’m sorry about that too. Not to mention, I thin—” 

He placed his hand on your cheek and caressed softly, making you quiet. “It’s water under the bridge.”

You shyly smiled, looking away from his adoring gaze. He tried mustering up a cheesy line but he found himself losing focus, his eyes constantly straying to your lips; he couldn’t help it, he really wanted to kiss you. He sucked in a deep breath, gathering the courage to just do it, even though he knew you’d likely reject his advance. After all, it was just the first date and you only forgave him three hours ago.

Not to mention, Kai stole your phone to get Taehyun’s number just to inform him of your strict no-kiss policy.

He hesitantly brushed your hair behind your ear before leaning in slowly, his plush, attractive lips easily tempting you. Unfortunately for him, you kept to your rule. You splayed your hand across his chest before pushing him back gently, “Nice try, Romeo.”

He wasn’t surprised, it was a long shot anyways. He’d just regret it if he didn’t try. He nodded understandingly before leaning in once more, this time to place a gentle kiss to your forehead. You couldn’t hide the obvious blush that dusted your cheeks, making him grin. Maybe you weren’t as tough as you liked to seem. 

He felt hopeful.

“So for our next date, I was thinking mini golf,” he said enthusiastically. His eyes sparkled with excitement; he seemed thrilled, you couldn’t help but giggle, “Easy there tiger, I don’t recall ever saying anything about a second date.”

He leaned in to plant a kiss on your cheek, pulling away only slightly to whisper, “I think I’ll be getting another date.”

He was right. He was definitely getting another date… and maybe, just maybe, you’d break your no-kiss rule.

[lunar-wandering]

impersonate - chapter 3

welcome back to the Doppelganger AU everyone.

(a bit of a short chapter, but we needed to get through this before we could get to the Funner Parts)

Word Count: 1k

Read on Ao3

It happened the next morning.

After hearing about Lady Bone Demon's forces being in the general area, Sandy had moved the ship slightly to the left from their original location. (Had to keep their enemies on their toes after all.)

Macaque, personally, really didn't think he'd moved it far enough, and spent most of the night focused on carefully listening to any sound that could indicate an upcoming attack.

As such, he was the first one to hear something thump onto the deck of the ship.

He was not the first one up there though, no, that honor went to Mei, who, by the time Macaque reached the deck, had the cloaked intruder held at sword-point.

"What are you doing here, Macaque." She hissed, and Macaque froze for a moment, panic that his cover had been blown starting to set in-

But then the intruder lowered the hood of their cloak, revealing.....

"Macaque?" MK said, confusion in his voice as he glanced between the disguised Macaque he knew was standing beside him, and then back at the Macaque being held at sword point. It took far longer than it should've for realization to finally appear on his face. "Oh, it's M-"

Macaque kept MK from finishing that sentence by stepping on his foot, making MK nearly bite his tongue to keep from yelping. Macaque, however, never took his eyes off the disguised Wukong.

He was free from the Lady Bone Demon, so why would he continue to disguise himself as Macaque?

Wukong, having heard MK start speaking, looked away from Mei and over in their direction, locking eyes with Macaque. Macaque winced and hurriedly broke eye contact.

"Oh. Oh! So that's how we're doing this?" Wukong said, standing up from his crouched position, ignoring the threat of Mei's sword. "Well then, allow me to formally re-introduce myself. I'm Macaque, the Six-Eared Macaque, and I'm Sun Wukong's worst nightmare-"

"Yeah, we already know who you are." Mei said, pressing the sword closer to Wukong's neck. "I asked why you're here, not for an introduction."

"Ah, well, you see, the Lady Bone Demon ever so happened to steal my stage, and my audience." Wukong said, gesturing over to where MK and Macaque stood. "Really, she's a horrible understudy, stealing the show like that. So, I decided, since my audience couldn't come to the show, I'd bring the show to the audience!"

".....What?" Mei asked, confusion visible on her face. Macaque gave an irritated sigh, marching over and grabbing Wukong by the back of his scarf.

"It's fine, Mei, I'll deal with this." He said, giving her his best Wukong Smile (TM) as he walked past her, dragging Wukong away. Wukong, for his part, did an evil laugh as he was dragged off which, Macaque had to admit, wasn't half bad. (Could use a bit more resonance, but- no, he was not going to give Wukong lessons on how to act evil, why would he even think about that-)

Macaque pushed those thoughts out of his mind as MK quickly caught up to them in a darkened corner of the ship. He let go of Wukong's scarf just in time for MK to tackle the Monkey King to the ground.

"Monkey King! You're okay!" MK said, hugging Wukong as though he would disappear again. Wukong awkwardly patted MK's back.

"Hey, kid." Wukong said, slowly sitting back up. "I see you know about the switcheroo then?"

"Macaque isn't as good at pretending to be you as he thinks he is." MK said, and Macaque whacked him on the back of the head in response.

"You didn't figure out shit, I had to tell you." Macaque said, before muttering under his breath. "Still haven't figured out why I told you...."

"I did so figure it out! You only told me because I confronted you about it!" MK argued.

"You confronted me because you thought something was wrong with Wukong, that doesn't count as finding out." Macaque said.

"I'm siding with MK on this one." Wukong said, swinging an arm around MK's shoulders. "It totally counts as MK figuring it out."

"You don't get a say in this!" Macaque hissed.

"Why not? It does, technically, involve me." Wukong said, expression indicating that he was definitely trying to annoy Macaque on purpose.

"I- you-" Macaque stumbled over his words, trying to think of an effective counter-argument. Wukong smiled wider, and Macaque promptly gave up on that. "Just. Moving on- how are we going to handle this?"

"What do you mean?" MK asked.

"Well, Wukong is here now." Macaque said, "So, really, I don't need to continue to pretend to be him-"

"No, no, no-" Wukong said, interrupting Macaque mid-sentence. "We're going to commit to this."

"....What do you mean?" Macaque asked.

"You're going to keep pretending to be me." Wukong said, "And I'll pretend to be you."

"......Why?" MK asked, putting his head in his hands as he instantly recognized how much chaos was going to ensue from this.

"Because why not?" Wukong said, shrugging. "It keeps us from having to awkwardly explain things."

"....If we're going with this." Macaque said, slowly, "Then you should know that Sandy also knows."

"The tea guy? How'd he find out?" Wukong asked, and MK and Macaque paused, glancing at each other.

Wukong doesn't know that Sandy is Wujing?

....Should we tell him?

Maybe we should wait until later.

"He ended up seeing Macaque while he was asleep, without his glamor." MK offered as an explanation, and Wukong accepted it immediately.

The rest of the impromptu 'Monkey Meeting' consisted of them getting their stories right, making sure that everyone knew what was important, and that there would be no mishaps.

"Hey, Monkey King?" MK asked.

"Yeah, what's up kid?"

"Seriously, why do you want to keep up the charade anyways?" MK asked, and Wukong froze for a moment.

"No reason other than what I've already said." Wukong hurriedly said. "Also because it'll be....fun. Yeah, fun."

MK considered this for a moment, then decided that yeah, that felt pretty in character for Wukong, and moved on.

Macaque, on the other hand, regarded the nervous smirk on Wukong's face with a healthy dose of suspicion.

But he didn't bring it up, instead choosing to elbow Wukong in the side.

"Get rid of that smirk." Macaque muttered, "It's out of place on my face."

[the-wolf-who-kissed-the-moon]

• Lady Dimitrescu x female reader 💋

• Warnings: mild horror elements, threatening with a weapon, mentions of blood.

glass angel, part X.

Ghostly whispers lulled you to sleep as a pair of strong arms carried you through the maze of corridors. The sound of insect wings closed in, and you could almost feel them crawling on your body. But with Alcina’s heart beating so close to your own, you strangely felt safe. Unbeknownst to you, the tall mistress left a trail of your fresh blood to drip on her pristine floors, which was immediately devoured by the swarm of demons. With your cheek pressed to her plentiful bosom, none of those nightmares could reach you; in your dreams, you only saw her.

“Dormi, draga mea…”

The familiar bed embraced you, and when you opened your eyes again, the room was glowing with the bright light of day.

You took in a deep breath as you basked beneath the winter sun's pallid rays. But as you moved your limbs, a dull ache throbbed at the base of your neck and between your legs. You drew your tongue over your parched lips, and as you swallowed the taste of copper, the previous night’s events came back to you all at once. The bedsheets pooled on the floor when you suddenly stood to your feeble feet. Again, you found yourself fully clothed and tended to; your body washed and the gaping wound on your throat was dressed. However, your memories were vivid and fresh, unlike those vague scenes you only thought you’ve dreamt.

Alcina.

The thought of her alone sent chills through your spine, all the way to the tips of your toes and fingers.

Alcina…

What devil had possessed you that made you long for her so terribly? She was a cruel, evil tyrant who brought you to her castle only to feed upon your innocence. And yet you shamefully quivered as you remembered her gaze on your nude body, her skilled tongue on your chest, her masterful fingers between your legs-

Dammit! You thought as you gently slapped your cheek in hopes to regain your common sense. There was noise on the other side of the bedroom door, thus you took the chance to distract yourself for the moment. You instantly froze as you opened the door and immediately made eye-contact with the doctor. Not sure what to say, you bit your tongue and watched her attentively. She stood.

“Good morning. How are we?”

You took a moment to consider your answer.

“I’ve had a good sleep, thank you.” Your voice was barely audible and hoarse, perhaps due to your damaged throat. You had proof now, real teeth marks on your flesh, yet you were afraid to mention anything, thinking she would sedate you again. Carefully, you made a move to walk around her, but you halted when she raised her arm. As you glanced at her, you noticed a questioning look behind her glasses.

“I need to… see the lady…” Meekly, you tried to explain, but it seemed as if your words went right over her head.

“You’re in no condition to walk.” She protested.

“If I weren’t… I’d not be standing here, right?”

“…”

“Please step aside, it’s an urgent, personal matter.”

The woman grabbed your arm then, attempting to force you back to bed. Miraculously, there was enough strength in you to push her away and make for the dining table. You armed yourself with a butter knife and threateningly held it out towards her. She stood beneath the threshold, petrified.

“Child…” She gasped, her arms raised. “You don’t know what you’re doing… you need to get back in bed, to get bett-"

“YOU don’t get to decide that!” You momentarily raised your voice as anger clouded your judgement.

“…”

“You… you know nothing about me. And I don’t even know who you are. Now… stay away.”

The old woman did as she was told, and you slowly backed out of the room. As you leaned against the wall and struggled to walk, you heard her yell for you to go back, but nothing could’ve stopped you from seeing Lady Dimitrescu then. You needed to speak with her. This needed to end.

Silence settled around you. Those haunting corridors still had a powerful hold on you, easily implanting a worry in your heart which almost made you turn back. But you pushed forward, breathing heavily as you held the cutlery tight in your hand. The old floorboards creaked softly beneath your lithe footfalls, and aside from your pulse ringing loudly in your ears, you heard no other sound. Fearfully, you glanced about the tapestry on the walls and the Persian rugs beneath your feet, as if you were expecting some horrible monster to ambush you.

“... joacă-te cu noi…”

You heard a distant murmur, and although your legs felt like lead, you sprinted all the way to the top of the spiraling stairs. Lady Dimitrescu was no longer seated on the sofa where you had your midnight rendezvous; the gramophone was silent, and the room smelled of burnt wood. You were ashamed at how fast your heart raced, yet you couldn’t deny that uncontrollable longing for her.

Alcina…

With trembling limbs, you descended the flight of marble stairs, holding tight onto the banister. At the bottom of the stairs, you saw a familiar face watching you attentively; it was the old servant who’d been looking after you. Elated, you quickly made your way to her and simply collapsed into her arms. You found sweet comfort and protection in her embrace. She gently caressed your hair as you wept on her shoulder and told her everything you’ve felt, seen, and even dreamt since you were brought here.

“That doctor, she… she sedated me! She forced me to stay in bed, to stay in that cursed room!” You spoke through heavy sobs. The old woman held your trembling hand between her warm palms, listening.

“I think you should speak to The Mistress…” She suggested with a sympathetic look. Your heart was relieved at those words and you quickly nodded as you dried your tears.

“Come, I’ll take you to her.”

“And… the doctor? She’ll be looking for me…” You whimpered softly as the servant took the knife from your hand and put it away. She looked into your eyes with a reassuring nod.

“I’ll make sure she stays away from you.”

-          To be continued…

*part XI.

[peach-the-owl]

Hello! Can I request a Vox machina and Mighty Nein child reader where the reader gets killed and revived? Thank you!!

Hi! Thank you so so much for the suggestion, not gonna lie it was a bit tricky to write because it’s a tough subject to nail… also I may have cried a little making this, but after looking through the tears at the results I’d say it turned out pretty good 😁

No, I will not apologize for the length… Enjoy!

Dancing with Death

Vox Machina, Mighty Nein & Child!Reader

Warnings: Death (I mean it’s in the ask and title so it should be obvious, I guess), may get a slight bit graphic

Vox Machina

Go in, investigate, kill some demons, get out. That’s what you were supposed to do, sure you knew it wasn’t going to be the easiest task but you didn’t expect to see Vecna himself make an appearance. The twisted archlich taunted the party as you all fight off the demons as best as possible while simultaneously thinking of a way to escape. Too focused on not getting hit you didn’t see the devious look that crossed his features when his sights set on you. You fight off enemies as best as your abilities would let you until you find yourself face to face with Vecna, a icy chill running through you as he stared you down. That icy chill becomes more literal when he grabs you by the neck and lifts you into the air, you gasp in shock as you dangle helplessly, still struggling to free yourself, his grip only getting tighter, slowly cutting off your air intake. Everything was going hazing from your lack of oxygen, you felt the cold touch of his hand around your neck, the pain increasing from said cold, you heard what sounded like distant screams or maybe cries of your name, you weren’t entirely sure, there was a sudden pop in your neck alongside a brief second of sharp pain then… nothing.

You find yourself sitting somewhere dark, legs brought up to your chest as you hug them closer to you. Looking around this darkness stretched on and on, with no end in sight. Where were you? What just happened? You felt very confused until you saw the only other figure with you in this dark void. A tall, slender feminine figure stands before you, a dark cloak flowing down her shoulders and a simple porcelain mask covering her face, a hauntingly beautiful sight to say the least. You tilt your head to the side as you stare up at her, trying to wrap your head around what was going on and why she seemed familiar. To your surprise she copies you and tilts her own head to the side, although hers was more subtle, you then tilt your head to the other side and again she copies you, earning a small giggle out of you.

"Wow, you’re really pretty." You, finally finding words, say without much thought, you mind still not fully grasping the situation at hand. She lets out a soft hum of acknowledgment and gives a small bow to you before straightening herself upright again. At this point it’s starting to click why she was familiar, your eyes widening in realization at just who you were talking to. "Wait… you’re the Raven Queen. Does-does that mean I’m dead?" You stare up at her for some sort of confirmation, but the porcelain mask she wore didn’t really help give you any clues.

"Life can be so short and unfair, never caring if they be young, old, good or evil when facing the reality that is death." You blink at her words, it felt like there was some meaning to them but you couldn’t place your finger on what.

"Is-is that a yes?" You ask hoping for a more straightforward answer. She lets out another hum and reaches down to pick you up in a fluid motion, shifting to help smooth back some of your hair the second you were secure in her arms. Her touch was cold yet oddly calming to you as she begins to glide her way across the empty landscape that surrounded you both, you wonder if she was taking you to the afterlife, then she stops. You look at her confused but something else quickly captures your attention, a bright light cutting through the darkness. You couldn’t make direct eye contact but you tried your best to, hearing faint voices emitting through it, you couldn’t make out any words but the voices sounded desperate, pleading. You look up at the Raven Queen and, even through the mask, you could feel her own gaze set on you. You stare at her with curious eyes and once again tilt your head to the side in an almost silent question, as before she copies your action and traces the side of your face, tucking back any loose hair you may have had.

"Sweet little bird," she starts making you perk up, that was what Vax and Keyleth would call you as a nickname. "It is not your time quite yet, you have much more to accomplish in this life and foes whose souls shall be brought to me by your hand." You couldn’t tell if she was trying to be uplifting or something, but you did find some encouragement in her words. She leans closer to you and the cool feeling of her mask presses against your forehead as if in a gentle kiss before your vision turns white…

You open your eyes staring up at the ceiling of your room in Greyskull Keep, you just sit there staring into space for a while until you adjust yourself to sit up. Strangely enough you feel something wrapped in one of your hands, slowly opening it to find a single ravens feather resting in your palm, you examine it a moment before breaking into a cough, a strange sensation in your neck like there was a hand still around it. The sound of your door opening makes you look over to see Pike enter the room and hurry over to you, she helps steady you to your feet, giving a little extra healing to make the feeling in your neck go away and hugs you tightly, you happily return the hug, stashing the feather into your pocket. The two of you make your way around the keep to the dining room where the others were waiting, the instant they all see you you're swept up into hugs and apologies from all of them.

"(Y/n)! You’re awake!" "How are you feeling?" "I’m so sorry we couldn’t get to you in time." "We were so scared, we thought we might not be able to save you." These alongside many other comments were sent your way as you just happily snuggle into each one of their individual embraces. Keyleth and Vex both clung to you tightly doing very little to hold back their tears of joy. Grog easily scooped you up into his arms, being careful not to crush you and just happy to see that you were back on your feet, even if he protested to being worried. Percy and Scanlan both played it neutral, giving you pats on the shoulder or back, Scanlan making a comment that he knew everything would be alright because Pike was amazing at her job, but you could see the relief in their eyes for your well being. Then there was Vax, like the others he was very much happy and relieved that you were alright, wrapping you up in a tight embrace but there was also this faint look of knowing in his eyes when he stared at you. You offer all of them a bright smile before looking back up at the rouge, pulling out the feather to show him. He looks at it a moment, his expression softening a little more as gently weaves it into your hair. You’re about to say something when Percy speaks up, suggesting everyone goes out for the evening to finally unwind and celebrate your recovery. Quick and happy to agree you all head out to Emon, because there was only one thing on your mind now… you were absolutely famished.

Mighty Nein

Being in a group of adventurers was a risky bet to take, one you took with a smile. It would be fun they said, you’ll get to see new places they said, nothing could possibly go wrong you thought. For the most part it was true, but facing off against a coven of sea hags wasn’t proving to be the most fun to you. Well in fashion for the Nein, it would seem, things only got worse before they’d get better, one of the hags activating an orb-like object summoning a water elemental to the battle. The water elemental lunges at you, sweeping you up in its torrent to keep you from escaping, you only had enough time to take in a quick gasp of air before you’re trapped in the creature. You try to flail your arms to break free of the creatures hold to no avail, it’s not long before you start to have a hard time holding your breath. In a desperate last attempt you try reaching out to grab hold of anything nearby that you could use to pull yourself free, it was a futile attempt, your arms not even breaking past the creatures watery body. Your lungs begged for air and without meaning to you release your breath and take in a water, it burned your throat and lungs when you tried to cough it out only taking more in. Everything around you started to fade away, it was like the elemental itself didn’t exist either, only you and this moment, you couldn't escape and you didn’t know where everyone else was. It was lonely and you were terrified… then the pain disappeared, your vision was still dark but it didn’t hurt to breathe anymore.

You weren’t too sure what was going on, you couldn’t move or at very least you chose not to move and looked every which direction to see if there was anything or anyone else with you. Finding nothing you shakily rise to your feet and slowly move forward in this dark abyss.

"Hello! Is anyone there? Caduceus? Jester? Anyone?" You call out into the darkness hoping for an answer… no response. You keep calling for anyone from the Nein in hopes that someone would answer you, though it felt as though your voice was just swallowed up and reaching nowhere. "Is anyone there?" You repeat feebly. "Please, I don’t wanna be alone." You sniffle and tremble a little, tears pricking the corners of your eyes. A soft light breaks the darkness around you and a feminine figure appears before you. Her hair long and wild, cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall well complimented by the vines and flowers growing among it, a warm motherly smile upon her face.

A comforting breeze, feeling like that of a warm hug, blows around you and words, unspoken aloud but still heard form in your mind. "My sweet child, do not fear, you have never been alone." The words were soft and gentle, easing away your fear and bringing a sense of comfort to you as you stare up at the woman. She gently lifts you into her arms, moving so fluidly you almost don’t realize it until you’re face to face with the deity. Curiously you reach a hand out and touch the various flowers in her hair, a small giggle coming from you at the feeling.

"Your hair's really soft and the flowers a very pretty." You compliment, she hums in response, taking one of the flowers out of her hair and tucking it behind your ear. You carefully place a hand on the flower and smile at her, all the fear you held earlier finally disappearing.

"It is not quite yet your time to rejoin the earth," once again you don’t quite see her lips move but hear a voice carried in the soft breeze she emits. "Your family still needs you, my child. Go. Learn. Grow." Her words brought comfort but you had no idea what she was saying, honestly you still weren’t quite sure what had happened or who she was. She parts her lips and blows air into you, your vision turning white for a moment before you find yourself coughing up some water, feeling some pain in your chest as a result.

"Easy, easy. It’s alright, you’re gonna be okay." You rub your eyes before peeking them open to see Caduceus staring down at you with a relived smile. That’s when it clicked into your head what happened, but before you can make a comment another voice jumps in.

"Oh my gosh, (y/n)! We were so scared when we saw you in that nasty water guy." Jester effortlessly scoops you up into her arms and twirls around, a few tears having fallen at her relief.

"I wouldn’t say I was scared, just… worried." Beau comments, though her voice wavered slightly. Jester places you down and you’re immediately tackled into another hug by Nott. No comment from her, just being held in a tight embrace only a mother could give. When she finally lets go Fjord kneels down to your height and gently rubs your back, having been in a similar experience before he knows how you felt and almost looked guilty for it. You place a hand on his cheek and offer him a closed eye smile, he returns the smile before standing up again. Yasha now kneeling down and taking her turn to wrap you in her arms. You could feel the slight tremble in her body as she held you close, whispering something so quiet you wondered if she was even speaking at all.

Something soft butting at your leg pulled you from your thoughts, looking down at Frumpkin the cat gently butts it’s head against your leg again before rubbing his body against it with a soft purr. You pick up the cat, cuddling him a bit before looking around for his owner, spotting Caleb leaning against the wall his hands covering his face as he draws in deep breaths. You walk over to him and tug at his coat until he looks at you, you then hold up Frumpkin for him. He bends down and takes the cat from you, letting the fey rest on his shoulders then reaches over and gives you a pat on the head. It wasn’t much but you gave him A for effort.

"Alright, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m done standing around in here." Beau speaks up again, making you realize you were still in the creepy sea cave where the coven once resided.

"I second that!" You say, it coming out more hoarse then you’d like. A few more voices of agreement later and your all making your way back out of the cave and towards your ship.

[not-playable-character]

Edit: new link https://archiveofourown.org/works/32099263

ITS DONE!!!!  Finally, the RE8 meets RE7 fic is finished and posted!  so for everyone wondering and if you didn't figure it out already. The image I posted earlier is the seating arrangement of the gang as they play the game.  As always its posted on AO3 and under the cut.  I hope you enjoy @ibest14 I never actually played RE7 but I watched a walkthrough to write this.

It was a normal Saturday afternoon when the Winters family got a very strange package.  It was addressed to the whole family and had no return address.

“What the heck is this?” Rose wondered aloud carrying the small package inside, “Hey mom! Did you order something online?”

“Not that I remember, why?” Mia asked curious why her daughter was asking about the mail, “Who is it addressed to? Maybe your dad ordered something.” She went and stood next to Rose to look at the package.

“Hmm, I think we should wait for dad to get home to open it, I mean it is addressed to all of us.” Mia agreed with her daughter and went to continue making dinner.

Ethan got home a few hours later and was greeted by his daughter with a warm hug, “Haha, hey there kid how was your day?” He asked returning the hug and picking Rose up.

“It was good! We got a weird package in the mail, mom and I decided to wait for you before opening it.” Rose said leading him into the kitchen after he put her down.

“Welcome home, Hon! How was work?” Mia asked kissing Ethan on the cheek.

“Ugh, Williams was an absolute pain again.  He somehow unplugged all of his equipment and disconnected his computer from the ethernet cable again.” Ethan complained sitting down at the dinner table next to Rose. “Chris somehow changed his computer to Arabic and Sal’s computer was changed to have wingdings as the default language and it bricked the whole thing, he said it was an accident, but I think it was one of the dicks that keep harassing him.  I told Chris and he’s looking into it.” Ethan picked up the package and looked at the outside.

“Ugh why can’t these douchebags see that Sal is way better than them.  Probably just jealous of him.” Rose said frustrated at the harassment her uncle was receiving.

“We should invite him over for dinner sometime, lift his spirits some!” Mia suggested placing a glass of juice down for Ethan.  He agreed and thanked her for the juice.

Ethan handed the package back to Rose who tore into the packaging.  Inside was a video game box, “Resident Evil? Isn’t that a game from the nineties?” Rose asked confused.

Ethan leaned over to get a better look, “Yeah it is, I played almost all of them, but I’ve never seen that one.  It looks like its supposed to be the seventh one, but they only made six that I know of.” Ethan became confused taking the box from Rose studying it, it strangely didn’t have a back cover.

“Weird, maybe they are rebooting the series, but why wouldn’t there be a lot of news about it?” Rose asked.  Ethan’s face lit up at the possibility of a reboot of his favorite childhood series.

“Man, I hope so, I always loved Craig Bluemarsh and Leo C. Harrison.  They were the best!  The whole M.O.O.N.S squad from Badger City.  Special Ops turned paranormal investigators was the twist of the decade! And the whole thing with Egbert Walberk and how he possessed himself with countless demons to become basically a god.” Ethan sighs as he reminisces.

“You clearly have bad taste honey because Julie Easter was the best character in the series.  The ace of the M.O.O.N.S squad, the one that Walberk kidnapped to force demons into her with a mind control amulet.  Oh, and don’t forget Chloe Bluemarsh, college kid turned aid worker for those affected by the demons.” Mia added as she chopped vegetables for dinner.

“Ahh yes, how could I forget! Anyway, this looks like a cheap bootleg or fake.  Probably just a prank from Dani or Angie.”  Ethan said tossing the case further on the table looking upset.

“Aw man…. That’s lame dad.” Rose says dramatically throwing herself over the back of the chair.  “I’m keeping it anyway; the box looks cool.”

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A month after the whole package incident, Rose bursts into the house beaming.  “Dad, Uncle Chris just told me that we are having a meeting with the whole gang! We should totally bring that janky game we got and show it off!”

“Whoa, slow down Rose! You’re gonna hurt yourself running around like that.” Ethan says watching his daughter bounce in place.  “Why do you think we should bring that thing anyway? I doubt there will be anytime to just sit around and play a game, if it’s even real.”  Rose rolls her eyes at him.

“Dad, I’m sure Uncle Chris can pull some strings so we can have a little get together.  We never get to see each other all at once!” Rose states, putting on her best puppy dog eyes, “Don’t you want to see the gang, Dad. It would be so much fun.  You know how much I miss them all.” She begs.

Ethan can physically feel his resolve crumbling at his begging daughter, always caving into her once she pulls out the puppy eyes, “Fine, I’ll talk with Chris and we can bring the game with us, but you are responsible for the PlayStation and if it gets damaged or broken you have to buy the new one.” He says in his dad voice, trying to be stern.  Rose squeals and jumps into his arms hugging him.

“You’re the best dad ever!” She says running off to prepare for their long weekend at Blue Umbrella.

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“Ok, is everyone comfy, I’m about to start the game!” Rose said excitedly setting up the PS4 in the Blue Umbrella lounge room.  Everyone was present, Rose even convinced Miranda and Elena to join them after Milena was put to bed.

“I am unsure of what we are even doing sweet thing.” Alcina said settling into her chair near Donna.

“Well, I’m gonna play this weird game I got, maybe Dani can take over if I get tired.  We are just gonna check it out, if its good, Great! If not, we can make fun of how bad it is!” Rose explained sitting down on the couch wedged between Daniela, Angie, and Heisenberg with Bela and Cassandra on the floor in front of them.  Alcina wasn’t convinced that it would be fun, but she couldn’t deny Rose’s request considering how excited she looked.  She sighed and pulled out her reading glasses seeing the small text on the screen.

“Psh, what are you a grandma?” Heisenberg teased. Alcina growled at him.

“Oh, please grow up you child.” She replied trying to de-escalate the situation knowing Rose and her daughters hated when they argued.

“I see making your head bigger didn’t help your eyesight.” He continued to tease sensing her anger.

“I grew proportionally you ignoramus, becoming larger would not fix my farsightedness.” She growled out becoming angrier.

“Guys….” Rose said sadly at the two arguing.  Heisenberg immediately stopped his next sentence and turned to give Rose a side hug.

“Sorry kiddo, I forgot you hate it when we fight.  I’ll stop, I promise.”  He says sincerely as Alcina nods looking guilty, Rose smiles accepting their apologies.

“No more sappiness get to the action I’m getting bored!” Angie cried out from Daniela’s lap.  Rose rolls her eyes at the doll’s bratty attitude and begins the game.

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The game begins with a very familiar video to Ethan and Mia and the sight of Mia recording her warning message on the ship.

“What the…. How is this happening?  It showed the recording from my eyes, but I never recorded that…” Mia says stunned.

The next scene starts with the sound of a phone ringing and the overhead video of a car driving down a highway.  Ethan begins to speak to and unknown man in the voice over explaining how he was contacted by Mia and that she wants him to come and get her.

“This has to be a sick prank!  How did these people get that phone call!” Ethan shouts getting more and more upset as the clip plays. Mia places a hand on his arm to comfort him.

“Maybe there will be an explanation later.  There has to be….” Mia says trying to calm Ethan.

Rose pauses the game as it shifts to Ethan’s perspective in the car, “We don’t have to keep playing if this is making you guys uncomfortable.” She says to her parents.

Ethan takes a deep breath, “No, no… it’s fine, you were really excited for this.  I was just shocked.  I’m okay to keep going, as long as you are okay too Mia.”  She nods in agreement with her husband clearly rattled but pushing through.  Rose nods continuing the game as she walks Ethan through the thick Louisiana swamp towards the Baker house.

The first obstacle they encounter is a locked gate.  She moves him down a path leading to a trashed car with camera equipment scattered around it.  Looking in they find a scrip proposal for Sewer Gators Ep. 17.

They then come across a broken gate with a sign that says, “Accept Her Gift”, “Oh yeah definitely just walk through that incredibly ominous gate into the disgusting swamp.” Heisenberg says gesturing towards the screen, “I’d just say, ‘sorry lady I’m not that desperate for a wife’ and dip.”

“He has a point dad, I mean really its been three years.  Just move on.” Rose says to her father.

Ethan blushes, “Hey you can’t judge a man in love.  I had to know what happened.”

“Nah man, just accept the death bro.  Totally not worth it.” Daniela says interjecting.

“I’m right her you know.” Mia says scolding them.  Rose giggles and continues on.  They come across the remains of a fire with Mia’s purse laying there.  They then enter the Guest house finding it to be disgusting and in disrepair.

“God, I forgot how gross this place was.” Ethan says wrinkling his nose.

Rose looks around the living room area, finding a hidden chain that opens a hidden room they go through. Exploring further leads them into a flooded basement they are forced to crawl through.

“Oh, please Ethan, I know you are insanely stubborn but the corpse in the flooded basement should have been an indicator to leave immediately.” Alcina says as the dead body floats up in front of them.

“Ok, Ok I get it I’m a crazy person for going on, but can we please stop commenting on it.  I’m aware of the insanity.” Ethan replies as Rose comes up into a basement room with a jail cell containing Mia as well as other information on people who were listed as turned or dead.  They pick up the bolt cutters and break open Mia’s cell.  While they are being reunited Mia acts strangely warning him of the dangers and of Daddy.

“Pft, seriously? Daddy?” Dani snickers at Mia.

“Don’t start.  I was possessed by a child obsessed with family.” Mia says glaring at Dani.

Rose follows Mia through the basement where she and Ethan stop to talk about the last three years.

“Come on! This is a life or death situation, get a move on!” Cassandra yells out at the screen.

Rose continues to creep through the basement following Mia as Ethan learning more about her capture as they walk.  They come across a living room type area where Mia starts to act strangely, talking about family and when Ethan leaves, they hear her crash through the wall revealing a staircase to the house.  They move through the house looking for Mia.  They hear crashing coming from the stairs they came from and return to find Mia on all fours crawling up the stairs.  She attacks Ethan looking monstrous as she throws him back up with superhuman strength. She then attacks him with a knife stabbing him through the hand.  After a struggle she regains control rambling about a strange her as she slams her head against the wall.

“Jesus man, that is hard core…” Heisenberg says in awe. Mia grimaces at the memory.  Rose continues on wandering before they are attacked by Mia once again.  They fight her off with an axe.  “Ethan, my friend, you always have to double check that your enemy is dead.  She is definitely gonna get up again, classic horror trope.” Heisenberg says wisely.

“Karl, this actually happened.  I wasn’t thinking about ‘horror tropes’.  I was focusing on surviving.” Ethan says to him.

“Also, of course I’m going to get up, I’m sitting right here.  I’m clearly not dead.” Mia says exasperated.

Rose moves on with the game ignoring them and answers the phone that had begun to ring.  “Dad why did you answer the phone? Just leave.” She says as Zoe gives her warning to Ethan.  “Oh yeah let’s listen to the random phone lady and not just break a window.” She says rolling her eyes.

They move on solving the puzzle for the stairs catching a glimpse of the not at all dead Mia.  Replacing the fuse, they are jumped by Mia again who attacks him with a screwdriver pinning him to the wall before chopping his had off with a chainsaw.

“My god man! How did you keep going!” Sal exclaims looking at Ethan who just shrugs.

They find a pistol in one of the rooms and use it to take care of the attacking Mia as she rants crazily. Finally taking her down, they are ambushed by Jack Baker who punches him in the face.

“See I told you that you should have moved faster, now ‘Daddy’ caught you.” Cass says as Ethan falls over and is stomped on by Jack.  They see him being dragged and Mia being carried by Jack, the scene changes to Ethan strapped to a chair with Zoe staples his hand back on.  He finally fully awakes to a disgusting family dinner with the whole Baker family.

“Ugh, I miss Momma’s cooking so much.” Mia says reminiscing happily.  Everyone stares at her as they see the disgusting meal on the table in game.  She blushes, “Before she went fully crazy, she was an amazing cook.  Her gumbo was to die for, oh and Daddy’s fried chicken, mmm.”  She explains to them.  No one seems convinced as the scene continues with Lucas throwing food at him and Marguerite tries to get Ethan to eat, and Jack cuts off Lucas’ hand. Jack comes over and forces the rancid food into Ethan’s face as Marguerite rants and leaves angrily, Jack then cuts Ethan’s face before being interrupted by the doorbell.  They escape and flee through the house trying to find an exit. They find a key and are chased by Jack before escaping to the crawlspace.

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They explore the house before a police officer tries to ask Ethan questions.

“Man, that officer is kind of a dick…” Heisenberg says realizing how rude and unprofessional the officer is.

“He was a massive dick.” Ethan says frustrated at the memory of their interactions.  They make the way to the garage to meet the rude officer who refuses to take the situation seriously which leads to his death and Ethan’s continued entrapment.  “See, massive dick, we could have escaped, but noooo.” He says.

Rose nods in agreement as she avoids Jack in the garage and tries to defeat him with the car.  The car crashes and catches fire revealing an on fire Jack who is knocked down by the resulting explosion.  They collect the items in the room before climbing up the revealed ladder. Jack stops Ethan and shoots himself in the head with Ethan’s gun.

“I’ll say it again, he ain’t dead.  He’s coming back sooner or later.” Heisenberg says again.

“Yeah, no shit Sherlock. This game’s been full of tropes so far.” Cassandra responds to him rolling her eyes.

Rose continues on solving puzzles and making their way through the labyrinthine house avoiding the obviously not dead Jack and the molded that are scattered around the house. They see Jack mumbling to himself about being “her” and talking about how he is going to kill Ethan.

“God he’s so cool.” Dani says as he leaves the room getting looks from the others, “What? He’s a cool villain.”

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The fight with Jack was a bit of a struggle for Rose, but she made it through with Heisenberg, Dani, and Cass cheering her on.

When he finally exploded, both Heisenberg and Dani called out in joy, “Now that’s how you kill a villain!” Heisenberg shouted out with a laugh and high fived Dani over Rose’s head. As they make their way through the house again completing puzzles and finding Grandma in random places.

“She is the one who caused all this.” Alcina says pointing at Grandma.  Ethan and Mia looks shocked.

“How did you know that?” Mia asks. Alcina scoffs as if it is obvious.

“She hasn’t had the focus at all, yet she appears at random seemingly following Ethan, who we know is the next victim in mind.  She is clearly Eveline.”  She says smugly to everyone’s shocked faces.

Rose moved on ignoring the gloating.  She came across a trailer in the yard, exploring it revealed that it was Zoe’s home containing some useful items that she ignored moving to leave as the phone rang. Zoe explained about the mold and how to progress.

“Why are you so trusting of this woman, you don’t know her, and she has admitted that she is a part of the family trying to kill you?” Bela asked turning to face Ethan.  He opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out, he paused thinking and shrugged.  Bela rolled her eyes at him, “Typical man thing.” She mumbled out returning to her original position.

They move on to the old house and Marguerite just as Zoe instructed. Coming across baby dolls strung up from the rafters of the bridge.  “Whoever made those should be killed.” Donna said quietly.  Everyone looked at her confused.  “The look like such poor quality dolls, anyone who cares would never let them fall apart so easily.  Cheap plastic is the worst fate a doll can experience.” She explains confident.

“You aren’t upset at the fact that they are strung up, just that they suck?” Rose asks her.

“Of course, you can do what you like with them, but the craft must be respected.  These cheap factory made ones are a disgrace.”  Donna explains upset at the virtual dolls.  Rose mumbles an ok before moving on into the bug infested old house.  They make their way through the house avoiding mutant bugs and solving puzzles.

“Gotta say girls, these things really remind me of you three.” Heisenberg says as Rose burns her way through the nests of bugs.

“How dare you compare my girls to these disgusting things!  They are clearly superior in every way.” Alcina says angrily defending her girls.

“Thank you, mother, but he has a bit of a point.” Bela says to her mother with Cassandra nodding in agreement.

“Momma has a point though too! We are better than those things!” Dani says beaming at her mother. Cass mumbles suck up under her breath and is smacked by Dani.

Soon after they find Mia in game again, she explains her amnesia and is taken away by Lucas.  Not being able to help they continue on through the house again.  Eventually they are found by Marguerite who begins to stalk them through the house attacking them with her swarm of insects, insane rants, and vulgar obscenities.

“This lady is something else…” Heisenberg says cringing at Marguerite.

“For once we agree on something Karl.” Alcina agrees cringing as well.  The others nod in agreement with them.

They make their way through a secret passageway revealed by the spider shadow puzzle.  The wall space was infested which had everyone cringing at the writhing masses of centipedes.  They collect the crank and the crow key and try to enter Marguerite’s room before she throws him down the stairs and through the floor.  After a short encounter, she falls into the hole and melts into black goo. They collect information on the D series pieces and Zoe calls again, and she mentions they only need the arm piece as she has the D series head.  They return to the hole to see the goo gone and a long spindly arm take the lantern needed to progress.  They follow the monstrosity to well in front of the old house returning to Zoe’s trailer. They return to a new section of the old house where they are attacked by a mutated spider like Marguerite.

They run around the house, avoiding her swarms and attacks while burning her with the flamethrower and peppering her with shotgun shots to the disgusting nest on her lower half.

“I take it back; you girls are way more similar to the bug lady.” Heisenberg says once she finally dies. Alcina slaps the back of his head and growls at him.

“Momma can we mutate like that too!” Dani says excitedly as Bela and Cass cringe.

“Absolutely not.  Do not even think about trying.” Alcina scolds while Heisenberg and Rose chuckle at them.

“Why would anyone want to have a gross bug vagina?”  Cassandra turns around asking her sister.

Dani shrugs, “I don’t know, I just think it would be neat.” Rose shoves the controller into Dani’s hands and takes Angie from her.

“No more bug talk, you play, I’m getting tired.” Rose says stretching.

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They find their way into Eveline’s secret room and collect the arm.  They go to meet Zoe in her trailer only to find that no one is there.  They answer a call from Lucas where he tells Ethan that he has both Zoe and Mia, and that Ethan needs to play his game to save them and get the head.  They make their way back to the main house’s dissection room where they pull the snake key out of the dead deputy’s neck hole.  Lucas’ voice come out through a speaker explaining they need to find two keycards so they can meet.

“Ohhh, I love this guy! I’m getting so many ideas for new games, hehehe!” Angie says excitedly bouncing in Rose’s lap.  Donna glares at the doll chastising her through their mental link.  Angie pouts at the scolding.

They make their way through the increasingly molded main house solving Lucas’ puzzles and dodging the molded shambling around.  They find the blue keycard and make their way down into a secret room containing the red keycard.  Lucas calls again at the phone in the main hall, leading Ethan to a party in the barn.

They enter the barn to thumping music and glowing paint under a black light.  They come across a room with a television showing Lucas ranting and waving the D series head around, ranting about how he doesn’t want to give up his gift and that they can only get the serum from him before the television explodes.  They make their way through the barn avoiding trip mines and coming up to a locked gate with a passcode.  Lucas makes an appearance taunting Ethan and giving him incorrect passwords before a trap springs and a secret door opens up.

They wind through the barn avoiding the traps and taking out the molded arriving at Lucas’ arena where they fight off a giant molded.  After the fight they find the correct passcode to enter the birthday room.  They solve his puzzles and escape through the hole created by the dynamite.  They see a television with Zoe and Mia, Zoe explains where they are before Lucas cuts the camera to himself ranting about nothing.  They collect the D series head and leave the barn making their way to Zoe and Mia.  They release Zoe and Mia before collecting the completed serum.  Just after they are ambushed by a fully mutated Jack.

“Wait he isn’t dead?! I can’t believe I didn’t call it!” Heisenberg calls out as Dani fights Jack.

After a long grueling fight, taking out Jacks many swollen eyes and using one of the two serums to calcify him at Zoe’s request.  Walking down the pier they are faced with a choice to cure either Zoe or Mia.

“Well clearly we are supposed to cure mom. Its what dad did in real life.” Rose says.

“True, I did.  I did feel bad though, Chris ended up saving Zoe and her uncle, so it all ended up good.” Ethan says.

“Yeah, sure choosing Mia is what really happened but what if we chose Zoe?” Dani asks hovering over Zoe in game.

“No! We can do it later right now we are choosing mom.” Rose says sternly.

“Fiiiiinnnnnee.” Dani whines out giving Mia the serum.  They take the raft down the river listening to Ethan and Mia talk about the situation before they come across the wrecked boat Mia and Eveline arrived on.  They are attacked by the mold, and they switch to Mia’s perspective as they hear Eveline speak to her through their mental connection.

“Well, this is going to be interesting, I’ve never seen this before.” Ethan says as they move into the ship. They find an unconscious Ethan who is taken by the mold deeper into the ship.  They move through the mold infested ship as Mia, getting flashbacks as they move on.  They follow the phantom Eveline to a room containing a television where they watch a video tape that blends into them playing through the situation leading to the crash of the ship and the infection of the Baker family.

They see Mia’s partner Alan who explains he is the reason Eveline escaped he explains that she needs to fix his mess and they begin to track Eveline through the ship.  They finally come across Eveline in the engine room before she runs off again.  They find Alan again in the room next to the one where they started the video tape. As he explains that Eveline is deteriorating, he insults her, and she overtakes him with the mold.  The mold then spreads to Mia infecting her.  They then see Mia recording the warning video from the beginning of the game.  The section ends with Mia being blown off the ship and floating unconscious in the water, before returning to the present with Mia and the Phantom Eveline talking. Making their way to the bridge they use the surveillance cameras to find Ethan trapped in mold in the engine room. On the way there they are impeded by the phantom Eveline and the remaining molded.

As Mia finds Ethan, the perspective swaps back to Ethan’s mind as he speaks to a sane Jack.  He explains that Eveline is the cause of all the murders and kidnappings.  He says that they were infected when He rescued her from the crashed tanker.  Jack also explains that stopping Eveline will stop the mold.  Before Ethan awakens to Eveline and Mia arguing.  Mia rips him free from the mold prison and gives him the tissue sample before locking him out of the engine room urging him to kill Eveline.  They continue through the bayou to a salt mine near the Baker house.  They hear a military broadcast explaining a team was sent in to take down Eveline. They traverse the salt mines finding an underground lab with information on Eveline and the E series mold.  They use Eveline’s tissue samples to make the E- Necrotoxin that is used to kill her permanently. As they exit the mine, Ethan sees flashes of Eveline as she sends the molded to kill him. They exit the mine into the original room Ethan found Mia in where he has a vision of Mia panicking.  He continues to see visions of Mia’s attack on him and Eveline controlling her.  They stab Eveline with the serum, and she reveals her true form as Grandma before melting away and mutating into a large monstrosity.

As Dani fights the massive face of Eveline, Miranda mumbles to herself, “Absolutely fascinating.  How she responds to different stimuli and the delayed injection of the Necrotoxin.” Rose and Dani scream forgetting that Miranda was sitting behind them.

“Jesus Christ! What is wrong with you! You scared the living hell out of us!” Rose yells at her turning to face Miranda who has a notebook open in her lap.  “What are you even doing?”

Miranda blushes at being caught, “I was taking notes on how E-001 reacted and how the family responded to the infection.  It is incredibly fascinating that the whole Baker family mutated without becoming one of the shambling molded.”

“Trust me she was about to run off and work more before I stopped her.” Elena interjects into Miranda’s rambling.  “Don’t worry, I won’t let her work on the Eveline project outside of simply watching videos.” Miranda’s blush deepens and she looks embarrassed at being called out by her lab assistant.

“Good, no more mind control children allowed.” Dani says rudely turning back to the screen continuing the final fight.

Ethan is thrown from the house and sees helicopters arriving at the house as he is attacked by Eveline. He uses an unknown gun to shoot Eveline calcifying and crumbling her finally.  After the battle, Ethan and Mia are rescued by Chris.  The final shots of the game are Ethan speaking over clips of marshlands and the reveal of the Blue Umbrella helicopter.

“Well that certainly was something….” Ethan says as the credits roll.  Mia wide eyed and shocked nods in agreement.

“So, all that actually happened?” Rose asks her parents, they both nod. “Ok well that doesn’t explain how the heck this got made or why we were sent it or by who!” Rose rants.

“Who cares, it was awesome!” Dani exclaims high fiving Angie who cheers with her.

“Can we leave now? My back is beginning to hurt.” Bela complains standing up and stretching.

Rose boos her, “Fine be boring.  What did everyone else think?” She asks everyone left in the room.

“Amazing! Fantastic! Ten out of ten!” Dani exclaims clinging onto Rose.

“It was interesting, very cinematic.  A bit tropey at times but it works in its favor.  Especially since this technically happened.  The villains were enjoyable and empathetic at the same time.” Heisenberg critiques.

“Yeah, whatever it was fine.” Cass says getting up and leaving the room.

“I had quite a nice time, I’m glad you suggested this, Rose.” Alcina says picking up the sleeping Donna. “I’m sure Donna will apologize for falling asleep tomorrow morning.  Have a good night.”  She kisses the top of Rose and Dani’s heads and leave the room.

“It was quite informative, thank you for inviting me, Rose.  I truly appreciate it.  Now I must go and review my notes.” Miranda says looking at her notebook as she slowly leaves the room.

“We are actually going to bed, but thanks for inviting us, Rose.  We’ll have to do it again soon!” Elena says grabbing Miranda’s arm and taking her notebook.

“I think your mom and I have some talking to do, but you guys have a good night sweetie.” Ethan says getting up before kissing Rose on the head.

“Yeah, outside of the horrifying content of this ‘game’ it was fun.  Have a good night honey.” Mia says following her husband to their room.

“Alright seems like the party is dying down and someone has to get Sal to his room.  Seems like he and Donna can’t stay up late like us cool kids.” Heisenberg laughs out shaking Sal awake.  Sal stands up groggily and leans ion Heisenberg as they leave to their respective rooms.

“Lame everyone left. You want to stay up or are you hitting the sack too?” Dani asks Rose.

“I think I’m going to bed too.  I have a lot to think about.” Rose says hugging Dani, “See you in the morning Dan.”  Dani decides to follow Rose and they head to bed.

In his assigned quarters, the Duke watches the group scatter to their rooms for bed, “I’m glad they enjoyed my little gift.  Hopefully, it answers some questions for them.” The Duke says to himself chuckling.

[luxekook]

THE SEVEN || prologue

⇥ pairing: ot7 x reader

⇥ genre: supernatural au with action, angst, smut, and (trace amounts of) fluff

⇥ summary: a series in which the reader fights to survive, attracts a powerful group of demons, and causes general mayhem in a post-apocalyptic new world

⇥ word count: 1.5k

⇥ warnings: nc17, *this fic has scenes of graphic violence*, demons, bloodshed, anarchy, general apocalyptic things, cursing, eventual poly relationship, a made-up language, hints of desire to own, brief mention of abuse, an attempt at world-building

⇥ beta reader: heathy @shadowsremedy​​ - thank u so much!!! i was holding off on beginning this fic for so long, and you really helped me move forward! uwu<3

Prologue

The world has completely gone to shit, I think to myself as my blade slices right through my opponent’s eye. The responding roar of the crowd reinforces that thought as the lifeless body slumps to the ground.

Removing my bloodied knife from the man at my feet, I stand, exhaustion kicking in after yet another adrenaline-fueled fight. Gazing out at the surrounding crowd of humans and demons, I narrow my sights on tonight’s guests of honor – the seven demons who would decide if my performance was deemed worthy enough of payment.

Raising my chin in defiance, my eyes meet those of the pompous greed demon of the Ahgase Seven. Lim Jaebeom lounges on a provisional throne flanked by his six brothers. Their combined beauty is ethereal but leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. 

How is it that creatures so prone to evil can be so lovely to look at?

After glancing briefly at each brother, I finally make eye contact with Jackson Wang, the Ahgase’s pride demon. He inclines his head with a satisfied smirk, simultaneously permitting my payment and ordering my swift dismissal.

The callous disregard of my efforts never fails to ignite a familiar burn of fury within me. I fight to the death to earn a week’s worth of food and shelter, and all I get is a fucking nod in response? Complete and utter bullshit if you ask me.

My teeth grind together as I give the slightest and stiffest bow possible in the Ahgase Seven’s general vicinity and stalk out of the Pit. Reminding myself that I actively choose this fate never really helps, given that the alternatives are equally as shit – if not more-so.

Basically, since the planet lost three-fourths of its population in the Reaping, the old capitalistic way of the world is no longer. Now, the main ways to survive deal with what you have to offer as a resource – your body, your skill, your labor, your loyalty. I choose to fight because, for me, it’s the soundest option.

My prior life had been sketchy at best. I had taught Krav Maga, a form of aggressive self-defense and reflexive fighting, to teens and young adults. I also had used Krav Maga (and other more nefarious methods) on abusive parents or guardians, bullies, or romantic partners - the very reasons my students came to my classes.

My resulting ambiguously gray background probably had influenced heaven and hell’s decisions to leave me behind. Still, killing hadn’t come easy for me in the beginning, but now it seems like second nature. In this new era, there are no rules, no moral codes, no winners, no losers. There are only survivors.

And I’ll be damned if I am not one of them.

Last year, the Reaping left us all in chaos and confusion. The supernatural had become natural. Heaven took those deemed worthy and let Hell deal with the rest. But, as it turns out, Hell was just as picky.

For a few days, demons ruthlessly reaped millions of humans and dragged them below the earth. And then the reaping stopped. The humans that remained were left with burned cities, abandoned homes and a complete absence of law. They were a ruthless bunch with questionable backgrounds and ambiguous morals. It honestly made sense that they were left behind – myself included.

The short period after the Reaping brought with it a general mayhem which resulted in looting, fires, and general destruction. The remainder of society was bare-boned, with only the richest areas having luxuries like running water and electricity. I referred to this time period – the lull before the demon Sevens took over – as the pseudo-Hunger Games. I legit had to pull a full Katniss Everdeen in order to stay alive during those two weeks.

Then, finally, the demons rose again.

The demons that rose were power-hungry and desperate to prove themselves worthy to rule over the New Earth. They looked human until you got too close and felt the negative energy that emanated from them. It's almost a built-in warning for those lower on the metaphorical food-chain not to get close to a source of potential harm.

By possessing a demon of each sin category, Sevens were able to bond together and max out their powers. Often, Sevens took on courts and consorts to siphon additional power, but my intel on demons was mostly built on speculation and rumors. The general consensus seemed to be that humans joined demon factions because of the promise of protection, food, and other resources. However, no one usually survived leaving a faction led by a Seven once they had declared fealty.

I vowed to never willingly enter into a Seven’s territory. My freedom and independence were the only things I had left to hold onto. And that was how I ended up in my current situation as a fighter in the Pit, the rough, man-made arena where fighters battle to the death for winnings while the audience bets furiously on their selected victor. No one had bet on me at first, but they learned quickly.

The Pit’s existence sprung out of desperation for distraction. Humans and demons alike needed some form of entertainment away from the monotony and death embedded within everyday life. Located within the Neutral Zone, the Pit provided humans the ability to earn a living and to make a name for themselves. Those that fought in the Pit were only lower on the human totem pole to the Pit Master and to the merchants in the Neutral Zone. Below the fighters were the scavengers, the workers, the peasants, and the lost.

Marching towards the exit gate, I nod to the next competitor to enter the arena – it might be the last I’d see of them. Pit Master Agra greets me as I step through the gate’s threshold and finally out of the public eye.

“Good work,” she forces a smile that only looks like she’s in pain, “But, next time make sure there’s more blood.”

I say nothing.

Agra takes my silence as acceptance and jerks her head at the empty hallway, indicating my second dismissal of the day. “You have one week until your next fight,” she predictably calls as I make my way down the tunnel towards my makeshift room located in the fighters’ dorms.

I wave a hand carelessly behind me in a sign of recognition. Damn, what I wouldn’t give to challenge her in the Pit.

Pausing outside my room, I struggle to unhook my necklace that held my key. The blood on my fingers still has not fully dried, and I grow increasingly frustrated. I just want to bathe, goddamnit.

“Allow me,” a deep voice purrs from behind me. I shudder as two hands suddenly brush my own away from their hold on the necklace. Warm fingers brush the nape of my neck as the sound of a slight inhale meets my ears.

Fuck, I hope this person isn’t smelling me because I am almost certain the combination of sweat and dried blood is extremely unpleasant.

“There,” the voice rasps, “All done.”

My necklace is gone from my neck, and I turn to retrieve it from whoever just assisted me.

“Oh, fuck,” I hiss, taking in the demon before me. His teal hair is wild and reminiscent of a blue flame. His black eyes are large and slanted, fixed on me with a peculiar expression I just cannot place. His clothes are expensive. I peer closer, inspecting the intricate details on his patterned top. Was that Versace? 

In this economy?

His arm extends to mine. My necklace dangles from one finger carelessly. “Here, mì shaìà (my pet).”

“My name is (y/n),” I grab the necklace and shudder when our fingers brush for a split second, “Not Mishaeya.”

The demon smiles. It’s large and boxy and completely predatory. “(Y/n). Mì shaìà. It doesn’t make a difference.”

Am I missing something? 

“Listen, demon-dude, I just killed someone like five minutes ago. Can you stop being cryptic and just tell me why you’re lurking outside my room?”

“Ah, yes,” he stalks closer to me. My back hits the door to my room. He licks his lips, “I was watching you. You are quite the fighter, little one.”

“Little?” I glance down at my thick and well-muscled self, “Mhm, okay.”

“Are you not scared of me, mì shaìà?” His hand cups my chin, thumb darting out to wipe some blood from the shallow cut across my cheek.

“Should I be?” I front like my heart isn’t beating out of my chest.

“Yes,” he smiles before sucking the droplets of my blood from his thumb. “Surely someone as exquisite as you should need protecting. I’m surprised no one owns you yet, (y/n).”

My back straightens, “No one owns me. No one ever will.”

The demon’s head tilts as he silently studies me for a few moments. He looks like he almost wants to say something before he steps back and bows. “Sleep well, mì shaìà. I will be seeing you again.”

I gape as he walks away from me. A thought strikes me. “Hey!” I call after him, “What’s your name?”

He answers without looking back or breaking his stride, “V.”

a/n: i made up Deìthi, the language that the demons use in this story. i will keep a running list of translations at the bottom of each chapter as well as putting initial translations in parentheses following the first usage of the word.

Deìthi (The Language of Demons) Translation List:

Mì shaìà - My pet

© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

[bitchfitch]

A Nice Chat In The Park

[complete]

Cherry trudged with her hood up and her hands shoved into the pockets of her pants. She felt like a traitor just for considering this, but her options were so limited that she really didn't have a choice. 

Haze, the demon that had been terrorizing her city for years now, was sat in his human disguise on a blanket in the local park. Exactly where he was every Wednesday around noon during the off season for the local soccer team. He liked to watch them struggle, and to feel their frustration when he sent them sliding on patches of mud that weren't there a moment before while he waited for his husband's lunch break to roll around.

She sat beside him without saying a word as he snickered after sending two players crashing into each other. Really, now would be a great time to test out the enchanted switch blade he'd given her last Christmas.

"Cherry darling, So nice of you to pay me a visit. Will the rest of The Bed-Fort Club be joining us soon?" he asked with a light voice. Cherry wished she hated Haze as much as the rest of her team, she really should, but he was the only one who called her by the right name. She never even told him it. He just started using it and her knew pronouns the day after she had had her realization without needing to be told them.

No one else knew yet, so she didn't blame them for not using the right name, but something about Haze just going with it without any questions or awful comments made him a bit more ok in her book. 

"No," she huffed, "I needed to ask a for a favor," 

"As your nemesis I think I'm obligated to say no, but I'll still hear you out," he adjusted the sunglasses that hid his coal black eyes from the world before continuing in a slightly less cocky tone, "I have something to ask of you too, so maybe we could make a trade?" 

"Maybe," she swallowed hard and took a deep breath, "I want you to take me prom dress shopping. I have the money I'm just… I just don't want to go alone,"

"You wouldn't want one of your friends to take you?" he sounded genuine, but Cherry still grit her teeth. 

"No, because like, most of my friends are cool, but... remember when you wore that dress to my uncle's party?" 

"Yeah? The blue one right? If you want to borrow it you can you know. No deal needed because I can't exactly wear it again after all the fuss Mr.Denver made over it," he rubbed his face, "Did you know that he tried to get Mr. Hopsworth to fire Aleistar over that? Said I was- you know what? I don't actually feel comfortable repeating what he said to a child," he tried to laugh it off but Cherry could see the tinge of hurt in the way the tips of his barely pointed ears drooped. 

"Yeah, I don't think I could pull that one off. But, uhm, Uncle Jerry wasn't the only one making comments about the whole man in a dress thing. Most of the- please don't take this out on them we were just being stupid and I'm sorry- but, The Bed-fort Club was being just as awful about it." she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them to try and feel a little more comfortable after that confession.

Haze sighed, "Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry that happened. That must have been so rough for you to have to sit through," his voice was soft as he put a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. Cherry hated how nice Haze was sometimes. How in these brief little moments he was more friend than enemy even though he stayed the same demon between them.

"You're not mad?" She didn't like how weak her own voice sounded.

"Not at you or your friends. I've gotten used to that sort of... joking," he shrugfed as pulled his hand away from her, "At least you lot weren't saying it to my or Aleistar's faces. I think that was the biggest fight we've had yet, when he got home after that meeting…" Haze trails off, "But that's the past now. I'll take you dress shopping, no problem," 

Cherry felt a pang of guilt that nearly overshadowed her worry. She remembered how mad her uncle had been, and she remembered being the one to suggest he tried talking to Hopsworth about it. Not to get Aleistar fired, but to make him consider that maybe keeping a demon around wasn't great for him. But now hearing that it might have almost actually worked, she felt her gut twist up with regret.

"And what are you going to ask in return?" she tried to swallow down her guilt, he didn't need to know that that had been her fault.

"Would you consider talking to your friends about leaving Aleistar out of this?" He asked frankly "He's getting older, and his heart isn't great anymore. So I don't want you all stressing him out so much,"

"You care about his heart health?" Cherry had to stop herself from snorting, "Isn't him dying sooner better for you because you'd get his soul faster?"

"Fuck you." Haze didn't stop himself from cussing at her, "Seriously, Fuck you. I'm offering to help you get a stupid dress. Ive been nothing but a good nemesis for you. and I've Never hurt you or anyone you love in the entire time you and your lackies have been chasing me down." The sudden 180 snap in his attitude from where they had been a moment before nearly sent Cherry running.

"You're a demon-" she tried to start justifying her words but he steam rolled on.

"Cherry, you dont fucking get it do you?" he was practically snarling as he stood to loom over her, "You think you have always just been one step behind me right? One step too weak to destroy me for good?"

"What are you-"

"You've never come close. Every time you think you have is because I let you. I could level this city in seconds, I could destroy everything you have ever loved with a snap of my fingers. That's my nature you know? To cause mayhem and suffering," he gestured aroumd them, not really paying attention as the grass he stood on began to wilt.

"And thats why we wont Let you-"

"Shut Up. You and The Bed-Fort Club have Never been what's stopping me from doing that. You've been a fun distraction to play with when I'm bored. Can you fucking Guess who I'm actually stopping myself for?"

"Him, because if you didn't he'd banish you and you wouldn't get his soul," she snapped back, "I know how this works,"

"No, you fucking Don't," he wipes at his eyes, and only then did she realize he'd started to cry behind his sunglasses "Your parents, everyone at that stupid company, everyone who sees Aleistar and I out on a date, they think I just want his money. That I'm just a gold digger. And the thing is? I don’t care, because he knows that I don't need his money,

"But every time you or Sammy, or who ever else who's in the know looks at us, they think I just want his soul. And I'm so fucking scared that one of these days he's going to listen to one of you. That he's going to Believe you over me. And that just like that, the happiest thing that has Ever happened to me will just be Poof! Gone! Sayonara happy house husband life, time to back to Actual Hell," he grit his teeth which had turned to fangs at some point during his rant as his skin tinted a bruise purple and his navy hair fluffed up to look more like his namesake. He crossed his arms and hugged himself tightly as he tried to calm down.

"And you know what Cherry? Had it Ever occurred to you that Maybe, just Maybe, I'm with him because I love him? That I ignore my nature because I just want him to be happy?" He never yelled through his entire rant, but the drop in volume, and the change from rage to desperate hurt in his tone was enough to make her wish he had just been yelling.

Cherry looks up at him in shocked silence for a moment. The only other time she'd seen Haze have any sort of out burst like this was when Aleistar was in the hospital last year and he and Sammy had gotten into a huge fight in the waiting room. 

"That's the truth?" she asked, not really knowing why but also not really knowing what else to say.

"Yeah, and nothing but the truth," He sighed wiping his hands over his face one last time as he forced his disguise back into order, "I shouldn't have snapped at you, I'm sorry. I'll just... I'll still take you dress shopping if you want me to, and I would still like it if you could talk to your crew about leaving Aleistar out of this, but I'd understand if you've changed your mind," 

"No, I uh... I think I'd still like you to take me. And, uhm..." she trailed off for a moment, "I'm sorry too, I guess I just never really thought about you and him actually being a couple," 

"Yeah, you and everyone else," he sighed one last time as he pulled out his phone at typed something before pressing send. A moment later Cherry's phone beeped, "There, you have my number now. I'm... I think I'm going to go interrupt whatever Aleistar is doing. Have a nice day and succumb to the forces of evil or whatever," he walked off without giving her time to reply. 

When she checked her messages to set up his contact in her phone she found the one from him, 

"Tell Sammy to stop mailing my husband exorcism books, we're running out of both room and oragami ideas for them

-XOXO Uncle Haze."

She groaned a little at his signature.

[drazzilder]

A Hellish Encounter

By Drazzilder

Chapter 32: The Offer

“Alright ladies and gentlemen, it’s the moment we have been waiting for: an interview with Hellboy!”

The audience cheers and claps as the camera pans out.

“Good morning, it’s nice to be here.”

“Hellboy, I’m just going to get right to it: what’s it like having a demon inside of you?”

“Well, at first it was really rough but once you get to know him, he pretty chill. He did try to take over my body but after we got to know each other we became friends. I don’t know what I would do without him.”

“So, your saying he isn’t evil?”

“I wouldn’t put myself under that category.”

“Oh! Good morning, Zaheer! About (Y/N), what’s it like being inside of him?”

“I’m not really sure how to answer that. I guess it’s like a room that I can change as I want and I can influence (Y/N) but other than that, not much really. I do enjoy being with him and I’m proud of him.”

“Interesting. What about that new ability where you can come outside of Hellboy?”

“It’s nothing new but it takes a lot of energy to use, that’s why I’m staying in right now.”

“That’s alright. Now… the viewing audience really wants to know one thing, what is it like dating Endeavor!?” The audience makes a collective ‘oooooOOOOoooo!!’ In excitement at this question.

“Well, no one has ever made me feel the way he does. I really do love him. I never thought I would ever find happiness, let alone from the number 2 hero. We do have our ups and downs but we always make sure to communicate and never go to bed angry.”

“That sounds sweet, and is it true you meet at the crossing bombing?”

“Yes, I passed out after I stopped the bomb and he saved me. Since then, my life has only gotten better.” The audience awws.

“When did you start dating?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Oh, come on, tell me. You can tell me anything. I already know everything about you.”

“Wait, what?” You look up then see what’s wrong. The woman has been replaced with the smiling man. You stand up in shock and try to walk back but are stopped by a wall that appeared behind you. The audience is gone, it’s just you two now.

“I know your power. I created you, raised you.”

“YOU TORTURED ME FOR YEARS! How is that raising me?!”

“I gave you power, showed you your true potential.”

“You took everything from me! You Bastard!”

“I didn’t take anything from you that you needed. Family just holds you back.”

“But I love Enji, I love the children.”

“And they fear you. They don’t love you; they only want to think they love you so you don’t kill them. He knows how many you killed, how many lives you took. Just imagine if his children find out who you really are.”

“SHUT UP! Just shut up!!!” You begin to go on your knees, clenching your head to drown out his voice.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)!” Enji starts shaking you to try to wake you from your nightmare. Not even his quirk is able to appease the dark visions. You are startled awake and see Enji’s face, inches from yours with concern all over it. He sees your eyes are glowing red and you try to speak but you cover your mouth and bolt to the bathroom. You open the toilet and start violently vomiting a glowing red liquid. “Damn it.” is all you say while getting sick.

“(Y/N), which one was it this time?” Enji says coming to the room with a bottle of water and a sympathetic look on his face.

“The interview….” you say between gags, gasping for breath. You manage to take a few sips of water from the bottle and you slump down against the tub, staring at the floor.

“Are you ok?”

“I think so…”

“I don’t think you are. This is the fourth time this month. Did your therapist say anything about this?” Coming to your side, he gently lifts you to your feet.

“He didn’t say much.”

“What do you think?”

“Zaheer says it might be a sign of trouble…. maybe something my mind is trying to warn me about.” You say as Enji lowers you to sit on the bed.

“Do you think he is out there looking for you.”

“I really hope he isn’t. I don’t know if I can handle losing you.”

“I’m never going to let anyone take you. Neither is Zaheer. Can we try to go back to bed? I don’t like seeing you like this and I don’t want you to be too tired going to UA in the morning.”

“Ok, just please do one thing for me.”

“Hmmm?” Enji wonders tilting his head.

You hug him tight and start to tear up a bit. He doesn’t have to think hard to realize what you are asking. He wraps his large arms around you and starts to heat up and whispers “Prominence Burn.” You sink into his embrace and calm down enough to fall asleep in arms. He just sighs and places you in bed and goes to bed himself.

In the morning, you are walking to AU. You are 36 and Enji will be turning 45 this year. It’s April now, a year before Shoto should be attending the school. Enji really is pushing the school to accept him but that’s not why you are going there today. Nezu asked to talk to both of you, but he didn’t say why. Enji says that’s just how he is normally but it still worries you what he is going to do.

As you enter the school grounds, students begin to stare with varying emotions on their faces. You don’t know which of you is causing it: the number 2 hero, the giant red demon, or you. Either way, it’s funny seeing the crowds of students in the hallways parting to let you move past. You see Midnight and she can’t help herself and hug you. She is the reason Enji was able to finally show his feelings for you, so you’re always happy to appease any of her actions. It takes a few minutes to get to the private office of Nezu, where you find him drinking tea patiently waiting for you.

(Y/N): “Sorry to keep you waiting, Enji thought he remembered where your office was.

E: “It was over 20 years ago, I thought I remembered. I do apologize for tardiness.”

N: “Don’t worry about it. I was just sitting here enjoying some tea. Would you like a cup?”

(Y/N): “As nice as that sounds, I just want to get straight to the point of why you called us here. I know it is not about Shoto, he can’t attend till next year.”

N: “Always so forward with you.”

Z: “He learned that from me.”

N: “Well then, I’ll just right to it. I have a proposal for you Hellboy. I wanted you to become a tutor.”

E: “I don’t mean to be rude to (Y/N) but he has no experience in this.”

N: “Let me explain. He has the ability to control people and their quirks.”

Z: “What does that have to do with tutoring?”

N: “Some of our students have a hard time reaching their true potential. Sometimes its mental, sometimes physical. When I saw you control Shoto at the festival and break him free of the demon’s control, I had an idea. What if you used that power to help students control their quirks?”

(Y/N): “I never thought of that. Honestly, I just did it in the moment, I didn’t even know I could control someone so completely. I thought it was only because of the spiritual energetic of the day. I can still do it but I need to make physical contact to gain that much control.”

E: “I don’t know about this. (Y/N) loses control sometimes and I have to be there to stop it.”

Z: “I can stop it too, but we need Enji’s quirk to stop him if things get too intense. Not even Eraser Head can’t stop him.”

N: “I have prepared all of the necessary steps to make this happen. I even have a room that can replicated the heat from Endeavor’s quirk to calm you down if needed.”

(Y/N): “I don’t know.”

N: “Why don’t we try a test run today. Try with one of the teachers. You have a connection with Midnight already, why not try with her.”

E: “I would feel more comfortable about that.”

(Y/N): “I’ll try, but if I don’t like this, I’m not doing it, got it?”

N: “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

After Nezu finishes the rest of his tea, you all head to a training room. Midnight meets you there and you both sit in the center of the room while the others stand against the wall. After a few moments, you both close your eyes and hold hands. After what feels like forever for Enji, Midnight’s eyes open. Her one eye is replaced with one of your black and red ones.

(Y/N): “I’m good.” You say from inside of Midnight

E: “Ok, that makes me uncomfortable.”

N: “Excellent. Try using her quirk. You can try it on Zaheer”

Z: “I didn’t agree to this.”

N: “We need a test subject and you’re the best one right now. Normally her quirk never works on you so maybe (Y/N) can make it work.”

(Y/N): “I don’t want to hurt her but I will try. Enji be ready if something goes wrong”

E: “Right” he says as his hands catch fire.

That moment you begin to pull at. Midnight’s suit to reveal some of her skin. A pink cloud starts to form from her skin and starts to pool around Zaheer’s face. He doesn’t look phased as he sneezes. That’s when you try to use her quirk more and start to push it. Blood starts to come from her nose as your concentration reaches its limit. The cloud starts to become more intense when Zaheer starts to look different. He starts to wobble a bit then suddenly hits the ground. You relinquish your hold on Midnight and return fully to your body. You rush to Zaheer who starts to come to as you put a hand to his face.

(Y/N): “Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to make you hit the floor that hard.”

Z: “It’s alright. I know you were doing it for a reason and it did work.”

M: “Gosh, the energy flowing through me felt great, made me feel all warm and tingly!”

(Y/N): “I’m sorry I pushed your body that far.”

M: “Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I’m glad it worked.”

E: “Do you think this is a good idea to push students that hard. It might be too much.”

N: “With some tweaking we should be able to make it less of a burden on students’ bodies.”

(Y/N): “Can you at least give me a few days to think about it.”

N: “Just let me know your answer by the end of the week.”

E: “Thank you. We will be going now. You must be busy running the school.”

N: “You’re right about that, I have another meeting in a few minutes. Thank you for coming.”

All three of you leave and walk down the street together. Your patrol doesn’t technically start for another hour but you might as well get started now.

“What was it like inside of Midnight.” Enji asked with concern in his voice.

“It was strange, not crazy but strange. Not because it was her but being inside of another body, or at least control it. I can see and feel everything she does. I can read some of her thoughts but only what’s happening at the moment. It kind of feels like I’m dreaming.”

Z: “It sounds like the first time I was with you. But the more I fused with you, the more natural it felt and I could access your memories.”

E: “I don’t know if I like that. Does that mean the more you control someone, the more you possess them?”

(Y/N): “When you say it like that, I really don’t want to do this. I just like what I am doing now. The problem is that I think it is a good idea to help people. I don’t think doing one or two times with student is a bad thing but if I did it multiple times, I can see problems happening.”

E: “Let’s just think about it for the rest of the week, ok? I don’t want you to do something that makes you uncomfortable or puts others at risk.”

(Y/N): “Ok, now that that settled, can we go get something to eat. I can here Zaheer’s stomach from over here.”

Z: “Sorry, breakfast just wasn’t enough today.”

E: “You two are going to break the bank with how much you eat.”

You all laugh as you go save the day again. Nothing much happens the rest of the day but it feels good to help people. You still keep that offer in the back of your head as the day goes on, questioning if it is something that you should do.

Next Chapter 

[currentfandomkick]

Marinette did not sign up for this part 10: Mari plots plotting

So long time no post. I live. Ish. Also finally figured out readmore on mobile, so yay. Will take forever to edit posts now though. Explanation at the bottom First part here previous part here. Ao3 here

Marinette wanted to go on record that Mandeliev did not, in fact, give her an extra day or so to study for the test. Why? Instead, she was told she may do a paper on the application of physics in gymnastics and principles of evasion in urban areas and how to combine the two to maximize one’s ability to run away from akumas and other dangers.

Or as Nino put it: “I am tormenting you into running better, the eight page essay.”

Alya dubbed it the “Run Better Paper.”

Aurore said it should include more formulas when Marinette showed her the draft. (as Adrien would complain about lack of theories and how she should have used this advanced formula she’d never heard of instead and then Marinette would have to forcibly stop him from taking over her paper. Again.)

Kim had taken to keeping her in his hoodie, escorting her to the bakery and didn’t leave her alone until Adrien said it was his “Marinette Anxiety Watch” shift.

Which she would like to go on record, is just plain mean to say. She has Liar 100% under control when world ending things and metaphorical bomb drops aren’t happening to her constantly.

—-

Bruce tried to contact Diana and Arthur again. Hal was off world, and therefore useless.

Why?

As his missing son hadn’t contacted them yet. Was still in the Miraculous team’s custody. And he saw the footage of Robin—Damian—being hunted by a lving shadow, an element casting swordswoman, and a strategist that seemed to know exactly what to do to keep Robin cornered in battle. The living shadows—Chat Noir—tried to kill his son with Cataclysm.

That was when they were in public, and had Hal watching over them.

He didn’t want to think about what the kids might do unsupervised to someone that tried to kill Ladybug, openly stalked her civilian self, and apparently tried stalk her again, in broad daylight. And possibly may have revealed her secret identity…

From the comments, it seemed that the Parisians hadn’t connected his sons aliases to the pair, writing it off as “Copy-cat Vigilantes” thankfully. And none of them were revealing more than “so the Fashion Disaster tried to go after Chat and Ryuko’s civvie… Not A Smart CopyBird” was the most he was able to get.

His children, on the other hand…

——

“I Fucking KNEW IT!” Tim yelled. “I knew it was her!”

“But,” Jason smirked. “You didn’t tell us.”

“Soup girl, baby bat!” Cass said gleefully.

“Wait, we both talked to her—and you didn’t say you thought it was her either Cass!”

“So what I’m hearing, if my ears don’t deceive me,” Jason continued. “Is that you all lost too.”

“What—“

“Wait a minute!”

“No way—”

Cass shrugged. She was the least invested in winning. She got to meet soup girl, who is very nice and her parents are safe for Baby Bat.

“We don’t have proof,” Dick pointed out. “Didn’t you say something about her being a mouse?”

“I—”

“Well—”

“Yes.” Cass cut through Tim and Stephanie’s waffling. “She is.”

Dick rubbed his forehead. “How many secrets can one kid have?”

“Five?” Jason said without much thought. “Limit is definitely five.”

—-

“Let me get this straight,” Miss Sting began, watching Ladybug very, very carefully. Rena and Carapace were busy that night and couldn’t act as the team’s Common Sense Filter in person. and texts only went so far.

So the job fell to Aurore. To talk (probably Marinette) Ladybug out of a Very, Stupendously, Inconceivably Bad Idea.

“You want to trust Robin—the kid who tried to kill you—to contact his mother—an assassin—to talk strategy about how to take down Hawkmoth’s civilian life’s business, not kill him, and trust that they won’t kill you?”

“…I’m bringing Chat with me.”

“Ladybug.”

“What, do you want me to use a Lucky Charm to prove this is our best bet?”

“You know what?” Miss Sting threw her hands up. “Yes, yes I do.”

“Fine.” Ladybug threw her yoyo skyward. “Lucky Charm!”

A red, spotted ball with an 8 on it came down.

“… you have got to be kidding me.”

Ladybug shrugged. “Uh, Magic Eightball, is it okay to trust Robin with this?”

One shake later and the floating die window read “Without a Doubt.”

“Give me that.” Miss Sting scowled, shaking as she asked. “Should she bring someone besides Chat and Robin—like someone from our team or Wonder Woman or Aquaman?”

The ball answered “Outlook not so good.”

Miss Sting glared at the magic eight ball. “I can’t believe this!”

Ladybug shrugged. “Lucky Charms are Lucky Charms—and I gotta go.”

Miss Sting checked her beeping spinning top. Someone was just akumatized.

“Re-charge first!” Miss Sting yelled before swinging ahead.

—-

“Oh, hey, when’s Demon Spawn going to contact us?” Jason asked as other bats calmed down.

“He’s not answering his communicator.” Bruce growled. “Hal took it earlier.”

The bats paused at that.

“Well then. Trackers?”

“Disabled—what? We didn’t need anyone crashing the apology and he ran off before I could stop him,” Dick defended. He is not Damian’s keeper. Just his Batman (as yes Bruce, he is Damian’s Batman and Damian is his Robin. Current masks not-withstanding).

“Then how are we supposed to find him?” Stephanie asked as the room grew uneasy.

No one answered that.

“How’s this,” Tim began. “Me, Steph and Cass agreed on who Hawkmoth probably is, each of us has a different set of evidence for it—and I’m counting breaking into his evil Liar and the cameras catching him mid-act a few minutes ago as absolute proof.”

“I’m sorry, you did what!” Stephanie leaned over Tim’s shoulder to see. “Oh shit. Isn’t that guy—”

“One of her friends? According to their private Instagram accounts, more like partner in crime and possible Chat Noir. I mean, he’s the one that calls her his “everyday Ladybug” and voices Chat Noir in everything." Tim answered idly. “My money’s on him not knowing at all.”

Bruce twitched. Then began to add ‘stalking social media feeds’ to his to-do list tonight.

“So,” Tim stepped forward. “I suggest we send this to the Wonder Woman and ask for Robin’s comm to be returned, and failing that, I bugged the video so anything they play it on, we get access to its IP and can find where they are.”

“Have Oracle go over the bug, just in case,” Bruce told them. “In the mean time, the rest of you suit up for the night. Gotham needs its vigilantes.”

—-

Marinette wanted to go on the record that her plan (to keep the bats away) was going well. Deciding what to do with Mu—R—Damian. Damian. Damian and his offer, was a challenge.

For obvious reasons, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Aquaman were against her asking a bunch of assassins for their help. Chat has more than a few reservations. Carapace, Rena and Miss Sting gave her looks for that plan.

But.

But it would work. She needs more information on how to make the plan burning in the back of her mind work. It’s a lot of chaos (and she may thrive in chaotic battles but this wasn’t her usual battlefield, and her team didn’t know who they were going up against for once). And Marinette? She needs to know its not just her doing this when its so out of her depths.

So despite literally everyone and their disagreements she had Chat on her right side with Damian on her left, meeting up with his Crazy, Semi-Immortal mother. And possibly his Immortal, former Black Cat candidate, grandfather.

Why?

As Marinette isn’t trusting the likely cult that makes up the Gotham Ghost Gang (Batfam if you like them) when she can get real advice and vague directions to immortal and allied (loyal and terrifying) assassins.

And yes, she wasn’t sure if Liar was wrong or right when they said it was a bad idea too.

But fuckit she’s already got Kaalki at her shoulder, looking a bit bored at the deserted rooftop that Kaalki chose for their meeting.

“داميان*,” the woman smiled at her son. “It’s good to see you.”

“Mother,” Robin greeted. “This is Ladybug and Chat Noir. Ladybug wished to speak to you about potential strategies to take down an enemy outside of battle without violence,” Damian stressed.

“I am well-aware of the Kwami and their Chosen, اِبْن.**” The woman spoke calmly. “The League of Assassins formed to act as the Black Cat to restore the world to balance and un-burden the Order with its maintenance.” The woman offer Ladybug her hand. “I am Talia al Ghul, and I am at your service, with or without violence Ladybug.”

Marinette took her hand. “Thank you Talia. Our target being directly exposed like I planned would have…” Ladybug trailed off, thinking over the ramifications not only to Adrien, but to the whole of Gabriel’s brand, workers and all that worked with them. “Some intense ramifications I’d rather avoid.”

Talia nodded her head, waiting for more information.

“I believe its possible to topple them without affecting their employees by uncoupling them from their business, but doing so is, well, stocks and economics isn’t my strongest point.” Ladybug admitted a bit sheepishly.

“I would suggest,” Talia began, “to create a bit of chaos in the stock market. Perhaps a rumor here and there, let investors pull out and grab the abandoned stocks quickly. Consolidate them under one owner and become the company’s owner.”

Marinette twitched a bit at that. “That… sounds complicated.”

“Oh, but it isn’t. My son knows just how to that, or did you forget our lessons?” Talia asked coolly.

Damian twitched at Marinette’s side. “I did not.”

“You know,” Chat chimed in. “I do know a few things about those things. If its general chaos, well…” Chat’s face twisted in a way Marinette forgot he could do after that Chat Blanc episode.

“… I will take that into consideration.”

“Anything else?” Talia asked, watching Ladybug and her son. Specifically, how her son seemed glued to the girl’s side. “I am certain my son is able to take out your target, if all else fails.”

Damian scowled at Marinette’s side.

“However, I do believe that whatever is happening, whatever has you active, might require a more… experience hand.”

Damian brushed against her side. Code for ‘Possible Danger.’

“Thank you for the offer,” Chat moved in front of Marinette. “But mi’lady and the Guardians have that much handled.”

Talia’s eyes shifted from Chat to Ladybug, staying on her. “Is that so?”

“Yes. I merely needed more information on how to execute this type of plan, that’s all!” Ladybug almost, almost slipped into Marinette while Liar, while silenced for the moment, prodded the back of her mind. “I want to minimize collateral damage as much as I can, to everyone. The kwami already said they get to chose the target’s punishment.”

“Ah, I see.” Talia relaxed then. “You are following the kwami’s wishes. I will respect their wishes as well, Chosen.”

Marinette categorized this interaction as one of the “not too horrible, but will avoid a repeat” once they left.

—

*Damian in arabic

**son

so we have Talia now as a Player, sort of. she plays by her word pretty well so hopefully its a cameo more than anything else.

any ideas on how JL will handle the video, and if Miraculous Team should see it and freak out or only LB and keep on the dl while JL assissts in her Chaos Plot?

End of update. Will have to repost from ao3 on my phone now as desktop tumblr is being exceptionally rude. Tags always open, just takes me a bit to do—sorry to vixen for vanishing from tags

TAGS:  @heldtogetherbysafetypins @laurcad123 @raisuke06 @chaosace @jeminiikrystal @toodaloo-kangaroo @kris-pines04 @bisha43rbs @izang @dreamykitty25 @emu-lumberjack @vixen-uchiha

[hannah-deactivated20220725]

Lyrical Short: Angel (Kyle Eisenhower)

Here is a Theory of a Deadman song, Angel. The story is a romance about Kyle and Jarred.

Words: 1,840 (without lyrics), 2,027 with lyrics

Characters: Kyle & [Jarred]

Genre: Tragic romance??? Hurt/comfort???

Kyle peeps: @amandahoyle @jade-island-lives @bathingindirtyteacups @magic-is-something-we-create​

bold & italicized = song lyrics or Dana talking to Kyle

just italicized = Kyle’s thoughts

I'm in love with an angel, heaven forbid; [he] made me a believer with the touch of her his skin

I stare at the wall. My roommate is passed out. Of course I got trapped with one of the only humans in the whole school, tickling my nose with the scent of his blood pumping through his veins with every deafening heartbeat.

I plug my ears, growling. I can’t take this. I’m used to killing when I want to kill, to feeding when I want to feed. Since when did I give two shits about controlling my urges, my instincts? Hell, I needed the meat in order to survive. Or at least in order to stay healthy.

I stare at the sleeping body, sprawled out on his bed, clueless to the spinning in my head, the fact that I’m fighting just to keep him alive.

Why?

Why do I care?

But then his face flashes across my mind. His smile. His eyes. His laughter echoes in my head. You love him and it’s disgusting. He’ll never reciprocate, Dana’s voice urges to me, making the pounding in my head worsen at the negativity swirling around my head.

She scoffs. You’re in love with someone who could never understand you. How can he love someone like you? You’re evil, Kyle. Just Like me. Evil to the core. I growl out loud, throwing my face into my knees, trembling with the effort not to lash out, and even moreso with my effort not to devour the sleeping-

My eyes snap up to stare at the guy, but to my surprise he’s sitting up now, staring at me.

Jarred is an absolute angel... how could he ever love you?

I'd go to hell and back with you, stay lost in what we found. Worlds apart, we were the same until we hit the ground.

I haven’t always been like this. To say that my life has been a struggle is an understatement. Perhaps the biggest one I’ve ever entertained in my life.

I was once sweet. I once smiled a lot and was outgoing and friendly. I made many friends at the orphanage. Though there was one that I let closer than anyone. I once was able to let a man into my heart in a way I’d never experienced before. I once loved without feeling like a fool for having the feelings I had.

I once had a heart.

But now...

Now I was this. Trauma, a life of grief and hardship. That has caused me to become this hardened, antisocial shut in I am now. I hardly speak, unless it is to Dana, and even then it’s not really speaking because our conversations are all in my head.

She likes to chide me, to tell me what a fool I am. She likes to point out to me what I want is impossible, that I am a fool for wanting it at all. That she is all I need.

I can’t silence her and after a while, even my inner voice - outside of her - repeats the same sentiment.

Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm weak. Maybe I'm blinded by what I see. You wanted a soldier but it wasn't me, 'cause I could never set you free. So fly on your own. It's time I let you go, go go!

I’m up late at night after Jarred and I have started getting closer. However, no matter how much I wish I could change for him, I’m a demon’s puppet, basically. No... I am no one’s puppet, but I cannot stop her from doing what she wishes some of the time. If I lose myself, then I lose myself to her temporarily. She does things that I no longer condone, but she doesn’t care. She wants what she wants and it doesn’t matter if it’s my body - she will have it.

The harder I fight her, the harder it is when I come back to my body. She does what she wants to do and I’m the one that deals with the consequences. What kind of life would this be for him? I should never have wooed him. I... think I’m in love with him...

... but what does that matter if I am unable to be the man that he wants and deserves to have?

I'm in love with an angel who's afraid of the light. Her His halo is broken but there's fight in her his eyes.

It’s early in the morning, before sunset. Jarred is calling, which he never does. When I answer, he sounds desperate and asks to meet up with me. He asks to meet me where we met and shared our first kiss. I’m quiet at first.

We’re supposed to be broken up. Why is he trying to meet me? I try to reject his request, but his voice sounds more desperate as he pleads me. I tense. This is unlike him.

“Alright. I’ll go.” About 20 minutes later, I’m dressed and teleport to the place where he requested we meet up.

His face is bright red like he’s been crying as he’s sitting on the top of a jungle gym. He quickly and effortlessly leaps off of it when he sees me and hurries to me.

“Kyle-” He begins but I put a hand up.

“This couldn’t have waited until school hours?” I ask, tone harsher than I intend. He looks hurt at the question but his jaw also locks stubbornly.

“No. Kyle...” He moves a little closer. I can smell him so sharply. That familiar scent that brought me so much comfort so many times in the past-

I tense further and take a quick step back.

“What is this?” I ask, eyes narrowed cautiously.

Kyle, I-” he begins, but quickly stops, seeing the intensity of my eyes. He seems uneasy and surprised. “What happened? Why did you-I didn’t want to-” he stammers, trying to force his thoughts to his tongue, but his mouth seems to betray his effort and we stand rigidly for a moment.

“I’m not what you need, Jarred. I’m not-” I cut myself short. I’m not sure what I’m trying to say. But I am. I know that he deserves someone who’ll bring him the light that he can’t have physically. He deserves for his world inside not to echo the cold darkness that he is forced into physically. He deserves a warm embrace that’ll bring him peace, love... joy.

I find myself welling up with feelings like I’d never felt before.

You fool... Dana scolds in my head, but for once, I’m not even hearing her. I’m too lost in his eyes, his sad, miserable eyes. They’re pleading for me to return to him, for me to take him into my arms. But then he flinches and I come to realize the sun is already beginning to rise.

“Jarred, go back to your room,” I say firmly but softly. He will die if he remains out here. Yes, it’ll hurt me too but I won’t die-

But he shakes his head. He isn’t ready to let this go. He steps toward me again but I step back, stumbling slightly.

“You’ll perish,” I try to reason, but he sees right through me.

“Don’t run from me, Kyle. Please.” I hesitate then shake my head.

“Go,” I repeat. He looks hurt but determined.

“No. I know you feel this too. I see it in the way you looked at me when you got here.” I pause then shake my head once more.

“No I don’t.”

“Liar.” Fuck. He sees right through me. The damned fool...

He isn’t the only fool here...

Walls are built to keep us safe until they're crashing down. Worlds apart, we were the same until you hit the ground.

That morning, all the way up until it’s time to get ready for class, I’m staring at the ceiling, or closing my eyes, and thinking about when we met. It’s been such a short amount of time for how much our whole relationship has changed.

He’s made me smile - laugh, even - when no one else can do anything like that to me. He’s made me shiver with just a touch and I’ve gotten lost in his lips more times than I can count.

I’ve had my indestructible walls up so long that I’ve forgotten how good it feels to let someone in. But... it used to feel good. Now it just brings fear. My heart is thundering in my chest and my breath is inhaling and releasing so rapidly I feel like I might pass out.

I tightly close my eyes, trying to will the memories out of my head.

He’s going to hurt you, Dana warns me. I shake my head.

For once... it isn’t me I’m scared of being hurt, I return, knowing what she’s trying to do. She’s never liked the idea of me getting close to anyone. I remember how she was when I met Michael, Jesse, Caleb and Elspeth. She tried to drive me away from them as well.

In the end, she won, but I felt so alone for so long after they disappeared from my life.

I refuse to admit that it scares me to feel that way again. But...

I do feel that again. Even though I still see him... it almost feels worse to see him, because every time I see him, it’s a reminder of what I’m losing, of what I’m pushing away...

... of what you’re saving, you idiot.

Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm weak, maybe I'm blinded by what I see. You wanted a soldier but it wasn't me, 'cause I could never set you free.

Jarred stops contacting me altogether and starts to avoid me completely. It’s clear that I’ve hurt him by continuing to reject him. He is obviously as miserable without me as I am without him.

I didn’t realize what I meant to him.

Yes you did, Dana argues, cutting off my thought. You knew it but you were too selfish to care. I try to shut her voice out, but as always, she is too vivid and loud for me to succeed in doing so. He isn’t the one for you, Kyle, she says, voice getting louder. There’s something in her voice, a tone I’m not used to hearing.

It’s almost distressed. She sounds like she’s trying to prevent something from happening.

Kyle- shut. The fuck. Up, my head growls back and I turn over onto my stomach and bury my face into my pillow. I’ve been alive over 2 millennia... I’ve had so many terrible experiences. I’ve lost loves, family... I’ve had my own parents try to kill me... but none of it has ever compared to this feeling... I want him. He wants me and I want him.

But you can’t be together - I KNOW.

Maybe I'm crazy, maybe I'm weak, maybe I'm blinded by what I see. You wanted a soldier but it wasn't me, 'cause I could never set you free.

I try to fight my urges to take him back. I see the glances across the room in classes we share, in spite him trying to keep his eyes off of me. I feel a pang in my chest every time our eyes accidentally meet. I can’t take it anymore.

In the hallway one day, I snap. I can’t keep playing this game.

People bustle all around us to put their things away and head to the cafeteria to eat. I grab his wrist. He tries to escape, to pull out of my grip but I hold firm.

“Jare.” He freezes at the familiar nickname, though he refuses to look at me.

I am not good enough... my head is spinning with discouraging thoughts, thoughts that have been on repeat in my head since the day we broke up. I’m not what you need... you don’t know who I truly am... I’m not the one for you... I’m not-

When his eyes meet mine, all of my thoughts die away.

All of them except one:

I’m not good enough... but I want to be - and one day I will be.

[zootopiathingz]

We’re Okay

(A/N I can’t believe I didn’t post this here. Ugh anyway, here’s the aftermath of YBOS)

The past two days almost didn't seem real. Not to Luz, not to Eda, not to anyone. So much happened that when they were all finally able to sit down and think about it, they were at a loss for words. The important thing was they were safe and sound again, this time accompanied by Lilith, who was now sharing the curse with Eda.

Since Lilith betrayed the emperor, it was needless to say she wasn't in his coven anymore, and now had nowhere else to go. In return for everything she did this night, Eda allowed her to stay at the Owl House for now until she could sort things out on her own. Especially now they both lost their magic, it wasn't safe to be anywhere else.

She, Eda, Luz, and King sat in their own spots in the living room, speaking no words yet all mentally sharing the same thoughts. The only sound filling the air was the ticking clock and Hooty's small snores. Lilith continuously twisted a strand of her hair, the streak that was now greyed due to the curse. She noticed her sister now having a whiter stripe in hers, but it seemed Eda wasn't focused on her appearance at all. The owl lady didn't bother looking at herself in the mirror, or even glancing down at her blackened gem. Her eyes were focused elsewhere, occasionally averting over to her teen apprentice sitting on the floor.

Luz shifted every few seconds, finding herself uncomfortable in any position she was in for too long. She and King were exhausted, bags noticeable beneath their eyes. But they felt as if Eda and Lilith would disappear if they fell asleep, so they forced themselves not to close their eyes.

After what felt like an eternity of silence and comprehension, Eda decided she was sick of the tension in the atmosphere. She hated being in a room full of people when no one was talking, and she was fine with everyone processing the events of tonight. But now she was too uncomfortable with it, and if someone needed to speak now, it would be her.

She slapped her knees before standing up, now catching everyone's attention. "Well, I'll go get some blankets for ya, Lilith." She said. "You don't mind crashing on the couch, do you?"

Lilith shrugged quietly, still not being able to give verbal responses yet. Eda didn't care, though, and walked over to the closet to grab a heavy blanket and pillow she had spared. Luz stood up and lazily treaded to the kitchen, since she hadn't eaten in over a day and her stomach was practically begging for food.

King and Lilith made brief eye contact, but their eyes quickly retreated. "Well, this has been fun." The king of demons said as he stood up on his hind legs. "But I'm gonna go hit the hay."

As he trotted up the stairs, Eda returned to the living room and set the linens on the sofa. "Do you need some pajamas?" She asked her sister, who seemed to flinch when hearing someone talk to her.

"Oh, um, I'm fine." Lilith declined awkwardly.

"Really? You're just gonna sleep in that?" The younger witch asked, putting her hand to her hip. "You can say 'yes' when I offer you something, you know. My pajamas aren't that horrendous."

While Lilith appreciated her trying to use humor to lighten the mood, she couldn't shake away the weighing guilt in her chest. "Edalyn, I should probably tell you something."

Eda sighed, "Look, Lilith, I really don't want to talk about what happened right now. It's late and I just wanna—"

"No, please. I need to say this or I'll never be able to sleep." The eldest witch said, standing up to properly face her sister. "I-I know there is nothing I can say that will make up for the hell I've put you through. I was selfish, naive, and dare I say..evil. I was so blinded by my dream, our dream, that I hurt you and I'll never be able to live with myself." She carefully took Eda's hand, staring down at the floor. "I will spend the rest of my life with this mistake, and even if I can't forgive myself, I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me someday."

Eda stared at their hands, taking in her sister's words. While it was going to be a tough path to forgiveness, she was willing to go through it. Lilith was her family, she could never truly hate her, especially after what happened tonight. "I will, someday." She nodded, patting Lilith's hand. "It'll take some time. But hey, you sharing the curse with me is a good start." She smiled assuringly, "And you can stay here as long as you'd like. As long as you promise to never hurt my kid again."

Even though Eda was being dead serious, Lilith chuckled, awkwardly. "I promise I won't. I can see why she admires you, and seeing as how she escaped the emperor, you must've taught her pretty well."

"She's the best student I could've asked for." Eda smiled, then turned her head around toward the kitchen, "Speaking of, I should check on her."

"May I borrow your nightwear then?" Lilith asked.

"Knock yourself out. There's an extra pair upstairs in my closet." The younger witch said before she walked away. Lilith smiled, already feeling at home. It was nice to be under the same roof as her sister again, it almost felt like old times.

Eda peered into the kitchen, spotting the teen girl standing by the table with a glass of milk and a plate of cookies. "Ah, I see King told you about my secret stash." She said, stepping into the room.

Luz side-glanced the witch, not saying anything in response. She mindlessly dunked a cookie into her beverage before eating it, staring off out the window. Eda sighed as she approached the human, putting her hand to her shoulder. "Hey, don't give me the silent treatment. Let me hear your voice when you're not screaming at guards to let me go." She said playfully, once again using comedy to soften the tension.

But once again, it didn't work. In fact, it might've caused more damage. Luz sniffled, feeling herself on the verge of tears. It didn't help when she glanced up at Eda again, this time getting a better look at her mentor's appearance. Her greyed left eye, her white hair streak, her dark gem—it was like she was a different person now. Sure, Luz preferred this over the owl beast form, but it still hurt to see the witch in such a weak condition. Eda lost her magic, she would never truly be the same anymore.

Noticing the moisture in the girl's eyes, Eda frowned and opened her arms. Luz immediately made way into her embrace and clung onto her tightly, sobbing against her chest. "I'm sorry, Eda." She murmured, "I-I just..keep thinking about what would've happened if I— if you..."

"Shh, hey, hey. Don't talk like that." Eda said softly, brushing her fingers through her apprentice's short hair. "Don't think about it, okay? I'm fine, you're fine. We're all fine." She gently pressed Luz's head closer to her chest so that she could listen to her heartbeat. "You hear that? I'm still alive, and it's all because of you."

Luz nodded, gripping the back of her dress. "I was so scared, Eda." She sniffed, her lip trembling as she spoke. "I acted tough, but I was so scared..."

"I know, kid. I know. I was scared, too." The owl lady confessed, hiding her face against Luz's head.

Luz briefly opened her eyes in shock. The idea of Eda, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, being scared was just baffling to her. "Y-you were?"

"Of course I was." She shrugged, "I was scared something was gonna happen to you, that Belos was gonna hurt you." She unconsciously tightened her grasp on her apprentice at just the thought of anyone hurting her. "I-I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

The girl didn't blame Eda for being afraid, as the feeling was mutual. I'm never letting anything happen to you again. She thought, quickly wiping away a couple tears. "Eda? Can you promise me something?"

It took a second for Eda to response, since now she was beginning to cry as well. She hated crying, especially in front of others. But she knew Luz wouldn't hold it against her. That was one of the best things about having this sweet, funny, creative little human as her apprentice; she could be herself around her. "Sure, what is it?" She asked, holding back her tears.

Luz lifted her head to look up at the witch, their watery eyes finally meeting. "Promise we'll never be separated like that again."

Eda frowned, those words striking her like lightning. She didn't know if she could keep this promise, seeing as how Belos was probably going to plan something against them now that they escaped. But even without her magic, even as a cursed, wild witch, Eda was never going to step down from a fight. She nodded, letting her tears fall onto her face. I'm never letting anything happen to you again.

She kissed Luz's head and pulled her in for another hug, keeping her as close as possible. "I promise."

[fogsrollingin]

Title: you broke me first Author: fogsrollingin Fandom: Supernatural Story details: Sam & Dean, rated PG-13, 1.2k words. Summary: Sam won't stop going after Lilith.  My next entry for @whumptober2020! Prompts filled are No 12. “Broken Down” and No 13. “Oxygen Mask.”  Available on AO3

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ you broke me first ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Dean approached the hospital bed Sam was sitting on. While he'd been futzing around in a crypt to neutralize the vengeful spirit, Sam had done everything in his power to get the inhabitants of the apartment building out before it was razed to the ground. He'd mostly succeeded. About ten other stupid, stubborn but alive people were being treated here with him. They'd all been carted to the town's tiny emergency clinic while Dean was driving over after having finished up salting and burning the remains.

There was one doctor and three nurses, all running around setting up oxygen and treating burns.

"Hey man, you okay?" He asked casually, coming up to his brother. Normally he'd be a little more solicitous, maybe put an arm around him. He was hunched over doing that thing he did to seem small, his face dark and grimy with soot, his suit fried, holding an oxygen mask to his face. But Dean didn't come that close, didn't make contact with him, because as pathetic as he looked Sam was still managing to glare at him.

"What?"

Sam scoffed and looked away, shaking his head.

Okay, so Dean knew "what." A lead on Lilith had fallen into their laps just when they had rolled into town and Sam had wanted to follow up on it immediately. Dean had pulled rank when he found out it'd been Ruby to give them the tip. So Sam sulked their whole way through the case.

It had been a pretty straightforward case. They hadn't hit a single snag except for the more recalcitrant apartment-dwellers. At every barrier they typically hit but didn't this time, it reminded them how Sam had argued this was an excellent case for beginners they should be outsourcing to other hunters even if they didn't have the tip on Lilith. It'd made Sam brood even more.

Dean sighed. "Look, we can go check out the Lilith thing now, okay?"

Sam scowled, eyes slitted with contempt with the slightest hint of despair.

"It's too late," Dean surmised. Sam nodded, looked at the floor. He pulled the end of his already-loosened tie and took it off. He still kept the oxygen mask on.

"It's not like that was our last shot, Sam. We'll get other tips on Lilith, more information. And from reliable sources this time," he added lowly.

Sam looked furious and huffed into the oxygen mask.

"Demons aren't reliable, Sam. If we'd gone and it'd been a trap we'd have no one to blame but ourselves for trusting Ruby's intel."

Sam pulled the oxygen mask down just the slightest bit. "She's different," he gritted out.

Dean shook his head, hands on his hips. “She’s not. She’s a demon. And your powers? They don't stem from some inexplicable, amoral source. You can't use power from that and think it'll lead to good."

"Killing Lilith is good," Sam wheezed, his eyes blazing.

"Yeah, but... Sam let's figure out a way to kill her that still keeps you human. Stop talking to Ruby. She's... corruptive, toxic. The more you train with her..." Dean trailed off. "She's breaking you."

Sam breathed heavily, emotions getting the better of him as Dean talked. Sam ripped the oxygen mask off and pushed his finger into Dean's chest.

“You broke me first,” Sam spat, his eyes blazing. There were tears in them too though.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nevermind," Sam replied caustically, putting the mask back on. Dean blinked at him, stunned but then regained his footing, his own temper flaring now.

"No, I wanna hear this. I broke you first? How'd I do that, huh Sam? How are you gonna blame me for this? I really gotta know."

“You made the deal in the first place, you died and went to hell." Sam paused and put the oxygen mask on to catch his breath. He breathed deeply.

"Exactly what kind of life did you expect I could lead after that? When I knew-"

"Same way I managed after Dad."

"No. We didn't know. And you still had me. It was different."

Dean pressed his lips together, skeptical.

"Did you know I begged a demon to go to hell?" Dean flinched with disgust at the notion. Sam nodded. "Yeah. In exchange for you. I'd go to hell, you'd come back. No ten years together like that demon offered you after Dad, just a straight trade."

"Sammy that is the stupidest thing you could've ever done," Dean whispered heatedly.

"Yes, it was," Sam nodded, calm again. "In the same way, I wasn't worth you going to hell. You weren't worth it when Dad went either."

Dean felt Sam's words like a punch.

"And that's because no one is worth stopping a soul making it peacefully up to heaven. So... fuck you,” Sam finished, voice scratchy and angry but eyes shining with emotion.

"Sam," Dean started but then the doctor came over. She startled them both. They coughed, wiped eyes, tried to act normal.

Harried, she didn't pick up on the tension between them and just barreled through a quick triage assessment and eventually gave Sam the clear to leave.

The brothers were quiet getting into the car, both stewing over what they'd said to each other. Dean couldn't stop thinking about Sam saying his father's and his trips to hell weren't worth it. Sam ruminated over Dean's point that his powers stemmed from pure evil.

Dean pulled up to their motel room. Neither made a move to go in.

"I don't get it," Dean said softly, almost to himself but it was obviously for Sam. "If our trips to hell weren't worth it, then in the same way why are you risking it now? Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Sam breathed, tried to relax despite what he was about to admit. "If Ruby takes me to hell on a road of good intentions, so be it." He was a little surprised when a tear slid down his cheek. He wiped it off. "Dad went there, you went there..." He nodded with resolve, looking out the window at the cheesy cursive lettering of their motel sign at dusk. "I belong there too," he whispered.

"Sam, no-"

"Yes," Sam interrupted. He twisted to face his brother. "Dean, the day your body was torn apart by hellhounds was the day I lost whatever part of me you're looking for now."

"No. Ruby-"

"Ruby's not the issue!" Sam shot back, exasperated. "Now that I know I have powers, evil corruptive demonic powers though they may be, they can kill Lilith. And even if it means dying and going to hell, Ruby or no Ruby, I am going to pursue that."

Dean shrank in the driver's seat, defeated.

"Don't look like that," Sam snarled. "You and Dad made it clear this family's souls are cheaper than what I'm selling mine for, Dean. You both condemned yourselves for just one other soul. I'm just risking mine, and it's for you and billions of others. That's my consolation. It should be yours too."

They fell to silence. The impala ticked cool. Sam had spent so much energy trying to get his point across that he'd gotten dizzy. He shored up his reserves for whatever Dean was going to say next though.

"I hear you, Sammy," Dean breathed. He had a lot to think about so it was all he could give him. "I hear you."

Sam sighed, relieved. "I'm gonna need your help into the room," he confessed, opening the door.

Dean uttered something that sounded like "yeah" and came around to help. 

As they staggered in the dark, a line of warm contact between them, they weren't good but they were together. 

Fin

A/N: The angst really just punched outta me with this one (not altogether unaided by listening to the song You Broke Me First by Tate McRae), lol. Boy do I have Sam's back during season 4, sheesh 😂 If ye liked it, you might like this meta post I wrote about it too.

Thank you so much for reading, please kudos+comment+reblog+what-have-ye if you enjoyed! 💛🤗

[marshmallow-phd]

Midnight Hours

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Wolf!AU

Pairing: Sehun x Reader

Summary: For you, being a good witch was easier said than done. Something dark was lurking inside of you and the others knew it. When you’re forced to tag along with Soomi and help a local wolfpack face a coming evil, you’re sent on a path that breaks into a crossroads. While you struggle with your inner demons, could the wolf Sehun be the key to your ultimate fate?

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14 I 15 I 16 I 17 I Final

**

It’d been a week since you were first forced to come here and… well, it hadn’t actually been that bad, to be perfectly honest. Yes, the house shook whenever a wolf or two decided they needed to run through the rooms or down the hall and quiet meals were nonexistent, but you got used to it after a while. The constant chatter and music in the house became background noise that lulled you to sleep.

The other note – whether a high one or a low one, you were still debating – was the fact that you’d successfully been able to avoid the orange haired wolf named Sehun. Meal times seemed to be the only interaction you got – if it could even be called that. The two of you were in the same room, but sat far away from each other, usually on opposite sides of the table. Sometimes, he wouldn’t sit down at the table at all, instead opting for the rarely used island seats.

Occasionally, eye contact would be made between the two of you before both of you swiftly looked away and pretended the incident never took place. As elated as you were to not have to converse with the insufferable wolf, you had an odd feeling that it wasn’t completely one sided. You couldn’t help but notice how quickly he left the room and how he seemed to disappear for hours at a time, sometimes not coming home until well after dinner. There wasn’t much to do around here and as far as you knew, the wolves preferred to keep to themselves, so you didn’t think he would be hanging out with people from town. Your curiosity too strong to ignore, you decided to ask one of the others where he was going.

“Who knows,” Baekhyun shrugged, never losing focus on the video game in front of him. “He’s always disappearing these days and he never really answers us when we ask.”

“I’m getting worried about him,” Tao said from where he was lounging on the couch. It was one of the rare moments that you didn’t see Lottie with him as well, so you figured she must have had work or something else that kept her away from the farmhouse.

Resting your elbows on the back on the couch, you leaned forward and asked, “Why’s that?”

“He’s the only one who’s not mated.”

You jumped at the additional voice, not needing to turn around to see who’d emerged from their room.

Kris somewhat intimidated you. If his height wasn’t imposing enough, his deep voice – especially when he was scolding another member of the pack – added heavily to the mixture. The only times you’d seen him soften was when he was with his daughter or Evie. Whenever they came around, the hardness visibly melted away.

“Wish he’d hurry up and get mated,” Baekhyun muttered. He starting hitting the buttons on the controller with a little too much force. “Maybe then he’d stop giving everyone else crap.”

Kris smirked. “From what I hear, you deserve it, considering all the crap you gave Minseok and Yixing.”

“It was out of love,” the gamer insisted.

“Sure, it was. Keep it down, okay? I just got Mei down for a nap.”

Baekhyun sent him a mock salute. “You got it, daddy-o.”

Kris shook his head, keeping whatever comment was brewing in his head to himself as he ascended the stairs.

So was that what Sehun’s problem was? You should’ve concluded earlier that he was the only one left given that everyone else seemed to be paired off, but there were so many bodies here at any given time, they had a tendency to blur together. That didn’t mean that he needed to take it out on you, though.

He did apologize.

Kind of, you argued with yourself. It was a lame apology, but it was there nonetheless.

Blowing out air from between your lips, you pushed off the couch and headed up the stairs. You weren’t entirely sure where your feet were headed, only that you were letting them take you wherever they saw fit. And for some odd reason, they decided it would be a nice day to go outside. The air wasn’t too bad, if a little musty from an oncoming storm developing in the distance. You weren’t sure if it would make it this far, but you were sure the rain would be beautiful among the trees if it did.

Out of the corner of your eye you spot the side door to the garage wide open. Muttered curses and clanking metal escaped from inside. Your two options were to either continue on into the forest outstretched before you or investigate the source of the noise. Without thinking twice, you opted for door number two, quietly sneaking into the garage with as little noise as possible.

One of the fancier cars was sitting up on a pair of black plastic ramps. From underneath, a pair of long legs dressed in tattered skinny jeans with grease stains stuck out on the dirty concrete floor. Whoever was muttering under the engine hadn’t realized that they were no longer alone. You stood there awkwardly for a minute or two before making you presence know. “Do you need any help?”

Bang! “Ow!”

You flinched, knowing full well that that was your fault. “Oops. Sorry.”

The mechanic squirmed their way out from under the car and sat up, finally giving you a view of their face. Oh, great.

Sehun massaged the spot on his forehead that had connected with metal as he squinted up at you. “What are you doing here?”

You could have asked him the same thing. Wasn’t he supposed to be out running around on four paws avoiding the house and its occupants? Biting back the sarcastic answer, you decided to be a bit more civil this time around and shrugged. “I was bored and the door was open.”

Sehun shook his head and went back under the car. “Well, why don’t you go have a vision somewhere and leave me alone?”

“They don’t work like that,” you spat. Looking around, you saw that this place was any car enthusiast’s dream. The vehicles lined up ranged anywhere from vintage classics to shiny luxury brands. Shiny tools and gas canisters that suspiciously looked like NOS were scattered around the outer edges. How were they able to afford all this?

“Then how do they work?” he asked, pulling you from your observation. You blinked. Was he actually going to have a conversation with you? A civilized one, at that?

Interested in seeing where this would go, you leaned up against the tool bench, the sharp edge of the counter digging into your back. You crossed your arms and replied, “I’m not entirely sure. They just kind of come when they want to. A bit annoying, actually.”

The tinkering sounds of a wrench stopped. “So, you really have no control over them?”

“No, I don’t,” you confirmed. “I wish I did. Then I’d just make them stop.”

“So, you don’t like knowing what’s going to happen?” Sehun continued on with whatever he was working.

“It hasn’t exactly been showing me the future, not how most people would expect, anyway.” You were surprised by how easy it was to talk about this, especially with Sehun, a werewolf that you hardly knew. Then again, you’d never really needed to explain how the visions work before. While the power wasn’t exactly common among witches, it wasn’t entirely unheard of either, so most knew the basics of how they worked. “Sometimes, it’s a scene - a short one with zero context – or it’s a feeling. That’s how they started out. Most of the time, I can’t make heads or tails of what I’m seeing.”

“That… really sucks,” Sehun said sympathetically. It took you by surprise. You figured he’d throw another sarcastic fastball at you like that night in the kitchen.

Staring down at the ground, you muttered, “Yeah, it does.”

“So,” Sehun said after a long pause, “besides the blood moon and the blonde woman, have you seen anything else in these visions?”

You don’t know why, but your cheeks suddenly burned at the question. The only thing you had seen was the wolf. However, thinking back on it, the moment felt so intimate, you didn’t want to share. Was it one of these wolves you’d been with? You cleared your throat and answered somewhat honestly, “Yeah, there was a white wolf at one point.”

The clanging of the wrench hitting the floor echoed off the steel walls of the garage. What was that about?

“Do any of you have white fur?” you asked cautiously.

“Yeah,” Sehun replied quietly. “Me and Luhan.”

Luhan. The one with the hunter mate – er, ex-hunter mate. You had a strong feeling that it wasn’t him. Which only left…. “Oh.”

“Was the wolf… doing anything?”

“No,” you said a little too quickly. “No, he was just… there. Just sitting there. Only him. No one- Nothing else.” Way to play it cool.

Pushing himself out from his spot, Sehun sat up and looked at you. “Do you like white wolves?”

“What?” you scoffed. “W-why would I like white wolves? Why would I like wolves in general? Technically, our species are enemies.”

Sehun raised a challenging eyebrow. “And yet, who created who? Kind of hypocritical, wouldn’t you say?”

Honestly, you’d never really thought about it. Not in too much detail, anyway. The animosity was just something you’d accepted. “You… have point.”

“It’s kind of like the monster Frankenstein,” he continued. “A witch made werewolves, but then the witch turned around and was scared of what she’d made.”

You ignored the second part of his statement to keep from starting a fight. The history between wolves and witches was long and tangled, each side having a slightly different story than the other. You’d never really paid attention to that part of class, though. History wasn’t exactly your favorite subject. Literature on the other hand…. “Technically, Frankenstein was the doctor. The monster never had a name.”

Sehun stared at you for the longest with an unreadable expression. He didn’t seem angry or annoyed at your correction. The way his brow crinkled gave you the impression that he was thinking hard about something and you hardly doubted that it was his memory over the original sci-fi thriller.

With a soft grunt, he pushed himself off the floor and stalked towards you, coming closer until there were mere centimeters between you. Heat radiated from him. You could feel it flow through both his black t-shirt and your own blouse, warming you up to the point you thought you would break out in a sweat. His eyes stayed trained on you. The dark brown irises flickered back and forth as if searching for something hidden in your face. Your heart was beating erratically in your chest and you prayed that even with his sensitive hearing that he wouldn’t be able to pick up on it. That quivering feeling in your stomach that you’d gotten back in the kitchen that first night was back, stronger and more forceful than ever. Why was your body reacting to him like this?

Sehun leaned in farther, causing you to lean back as well to keep the safe distance between you. He had you trapped in a cage made of his arms, steadfastly planted on either side of you. There was nowhere to run. You couldn’t go any farther, but you didn’t want to. You could feel his breath against your skin and his face had blurred in your vision from the closeness.

In a soft voice that you had to strain to pick up on, he questioned, “Who’s to say the doctor wasn’t the real monster?”

You couldn’t answer him. All airflow in your throat had stopped. He came in more and your eyes slowly began to close, though only slightly. Only a millimeter more and your lips would brush. How would he taste? Would he be sweet like the forbidden fruit? Could a witch and a wolf-

In a second he was gone, snatching a screwdriver off the counter behind you and walking back cockily to his spot on the floor. Breath refilled your lungs. But there was no way in hell you were even going to acknowledge the stunt he’d just pulled.

Clearing your throat, you half scoffed, half coughed as you said, “You’re really going to use the cliché argument that’s discussed in English classes all over the country?”

Sehun lazily rose one shoulder and dropped it. “Got me an A at the time.”

You snorted. “In what? Your second year of high school?”

Just as he opened his mouth to give you an escalated retort, a soft voice called out for you.

“(y/n)? Are you in here?” Soomi cautiously stepped in through the door as if she wasn’t allowed in this building. Her worried expression evolved into a smile once she caught sight of you. Thank goodness she hadn’t shown up only a minute or two prior. “There you are. I thought we might go ahead and squeeze in a lesson today.” She looked over to see that you weren’t alone. “Oh, hello, Sehun.”

Sehun waved at her with the screw driver. “Hey, Soomi.”

You jutted out your jaw, annoyed. He was always so much nicer to her. Yes, technically, he’d known her longer, but she was a witch, too. If you were going to hold some hostility towards a group a people, shouldn’t it at least be equal?

“Let’s go,” you grumbled and you walked out of there passed Soomi. As soon as your feet hit grass, however, you skidded to a stop.

A new car you hadn’t seen before pulled into the front yard before cutting the endgine. The driver’s side door opened and a girl with tanned skin wavy chocolate hair stepped out.

“Kita!”

Junmyeon burst out through the front door and practically jumped off the porch as he ran to the girl who’d just arrive – so this was his mate.

Soomi was frozen beside you as Junmyeon picked his mate up and twirled her around. Happiness, complete unadulterated joy, was evident all over his face. The girl – Kita – was just as ecstatic as she pulled him in for a quick kiss.

Grabbing Soomi’s arm, you tried to pull her away from the scene as you whispered, “Come on. Let’s go.”

But it was too late. You were spotted by Junmyeon before you could escape. If it was any consolation prize, the tiniest bit of guilt was written on his face at the display of affection that just took place. “Soomi, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

Plastering on the fakest smile you’d ever seen her wear, Soomi waved a hand frantically. “No, no, don’t be sorry! It’s good see you’re back, Kita. (y/n) and I were just going inside to have a lesson, don’t mind us.”

“Well, that sounds interesting,” Kita said sincerely. You kind of wished she didn’t seem so sweet so you could actually dislike her. Logic was stopping you from that as well. She had no choice in matter either, so why be mad at her.

“Welp, we’ll see you guys later!” With a firmer grip, you tugged Soomi away, practically dragging her up the steps and inside the house. You didn’t let go until the two of you were seated at the kitchen table. For once the eating area was completely empty and you were grateful. Studying her face for any hint of a lie, you asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she insisted.

You didn’t believe her. “I still think we should have stayed somewhere else. It’s never too late, you know.”

Okay, so you were also trying to convince her not only for the sake of her own heart, but for yourself as well.

After that encounter in the garage, you were worried about things… escalating. You were finding that you had very little self-control when it came to Sehun. If anyone else had dared come that close to you, they would have been walking away with a black eye. Yet, you were so close to touching his lips. You were afraid that next time neither of you would pull away. And you refused to be the wolf’s fun chew toy.

Soomi shook her head as she opened to botany book she’d been carrying. “Why do you want to leave so badly?”

“Why don’t you?” you whispered harshly. “You don’t have to put yourself through this.”

In a rare show of frustration, Soomi slammed her hand down on the table. “I’m not putting myself through anything, (y/n). I am not hung up on something that never even happened in the first place. Now, please, drop it and let’s get into your lesson.”

You’d never seen her upset like that. Soomi was always able to keep her calm no matter what. You had really touched a nerve by pushing and you were regretting it immensely. “Okay. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she somewhat smiled at you. “I know it’s because you care and I’m thankful for that.” Dropping the subject completely, she turned to the chapter she’d opened the book to and started explaining what wonderfully boring plant she’d be talking about today. Usually you spaced out or thought about other things while she talked, but today you stayed concentrated, actively engaging in conversation to make her happy.

Over the course of the next hour, the kitchen slowly began to fill with people. A few of the wolves, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol mostly, began working on dinner while a couple of curious mates sat at the table with you, listening intently to Soomi’s lesson. She answered every question they threw at her and it was obvious by her face that she enjoyed having attentive ears around her. When Junmyeon and Kita came in from the back door, you noticed Soomi barely looked in their direction. Sehun entered at some point as well, sniffing the air as if that was what brought him in here in the first place.

Just as the lesson finished up and the book was closed, one of the quieter mates – Dana – came running into the kitchen from the living room.

“We have a problem,” she announced through heavy breaths. Kyungsoo was by her side in a second.

“What is it?” He searched all over to make sure that she wasn’t injured in any way.

“I’m fine,” she said, gently pushing his hands away. “But I just got off the phone. Mina’s coming.”

“Mina’s coming?” Kyungsoo frowned. “What do you mean she’s coming?”

“Here. I mean she’s coming here. To town.” Dana ran a hand through her hair, worried. “She’s coming to visit me.”

The wolves and mates in the room exchanged troubled glances. Everyone else seemed to understand why this was such a big deal, but you were at an utter loss. So, you asked the first question that came to your mind, hoping to get a few answers.

“Who the hell is Mina?”

[alecmagnuslwb]

Summer Vacation

Writer’s Month 2020 Day Twenty-Six

Read on AO3

“Fourteen days, that’s all we wanted and we couldn’t even get halfway through it!” Zatanna shouts in anger knocking another bot sporting sharp silver teeth back with a high kick as she flings out another blast of magic at a line of them creeping up on John.

“I told you joining the Justice League would bite us in the arse!” he shouts conjuring up a handful of fire pushing the flames directly into the chest of a bot in front of him.

Zatanna flips a bot over her shoulder blasting it with a burst of magic as it lands on the soft sand.

“I told you joining the Justice League would bite us in the arse,” she says in a bad impression of John her voice going down in octaves and then up.

“I heard that!” he shouts back as a bot slashes out at him, John jumps back in time but the bot still makes contact leaving a barely there scratch against his bare chest.

Zatanna knocks the bot back from him with a blast of magic before focusing back on the line in front of her.

“Good,” she says as she picks up the beach towel crumpled at her feet. She wraps it around the bot’s head and punches it in the face hard once before blasting it back. “You were supposed to.”

It’s not like things like this didn’t happen to them before the Justice League, it’s just become a little more frequent lately.

This is not the summer vacation they were hoping for. In the year since Zatanna convinced John to join up with her on the Justice League they’ve helped stop at least a dozen near apocalypses, three alone of which have been within the past month. These two weeks were supposed to be a break away from it all, just her, John, a few beaches and some dive bars that reminded them of when they first met.

And for five blissful days that’s what it had been. Until today when somewhere between threatening to throw John in the ocean if he suggested they have sex on this very public beach one more time and a sip of her drink a scream had broken out at the other end of the beach.

Zatanna had never wished that someone was just lightly drowning so badly in her life. That of course would have been too easy of a fix. Instead a line of bots were rising up from the water attacking the innocent beachgoers.

Zatanna and John had just looked at each other disappointedly and within seconds they were in all-out battle against dozens of evil water bots. Water bots that look a lot like the handiwork of Black Manta, meaning this really should be Aquaman territory. His vacations don’t seem to get interrupted though, lucky fish bastard.

Another bot swipes out a hand at her back nearly catching on the straps of her Ouija board printed bikini. For a brief second she wonders how some of the more scantily clad villains and heroes she knows fight like this.

Another wave of bots pull up from the water as she knocks what she thought was the last one down.

“That’s it, we’re finishing this,” she says through frustrated gritted teeth. She rolls her neck then runs over to John’s side as he finishes off the last of his bots.

He looks out at the ocean seeing the line she’s watching storm the beach.

“Son of a bitch,” he says brushing off his hands.

“You remember Malta?” she says already drawing on the power in her core.

John smirks tilting his head in her direction. “Malta ’01 or ’14?”

Zatanna smiles a wicked little smile her eyes already glowing with magic. “It’s Manta tech so it needs water, right?” she says building a barrier between the new bots and the line of civilians still cowering behind a nearby wall. “So I’d say ’01.”

Malta ’01 had been a beautiful blissful five days of nudity for the pair. It had also been the site of a massive magical sea succubus that they’d had to deal with for the sake of the locals. To this day it’s considered an act of apocalyptic proportions that the Chadwick Lakes ran dry suddenly a massive monster washing up out of them.

John chuckles. “I love the way you think,” he says pressing a hand to one of the magic sigils on his chest. “How long you think we’ll need to hold it?”

“Couple minutes should do, not quite as dramatic as ’01,” she says holding out her hand palm up for John to take. He does, entwining their fingers together. They both close their eyes a string of Latin said in unison as John draws on the sigil on his chest and Zatanna pulls pure raw power from her core.

“Maybe we can have a repeat of the rest of Malta when we’re done here,” John suggests with a squeeze of her hand his tone far too suggestive.

Zatanna likes the sound of it.

“I love the way you think,” she says parroting his words from before.

One second the bots are advancing on them, the water rushing around them and the next every drop of water is whisking away back up into the sky and receding out. They open their eyes focusing their power on the water and watch as the bots seize up, crumpling in on themselves. A few stragglers attempt to run back into the ocean, but Zatanna focuses on it pushing the water back further and further away from the bot’s reach.

It takes less than two minutes for all the bots to crumple up, scattered powerless on the beach. Zatanna and John meet each other’s eyes and break their hold. Just like that the water rushes back in and down from the sky in a single giant rainfall of sorts. The fish that had been gasping for air moments ago sink back under where they belong.

She hopes there were no fish casualties in this or she’ll never hear the end of it from Aquaman.

A burst of cheers from the civilians breaks out once they realize the beach day from hell is over and Zatanna stomps away back over to the space she and John had been occupying before all hell had broken loose.

“Stob eb dehsinab ot a drayparcs,” she says waving a hand at the beach as she goes. She throws herself down into the sand on her back, her towel long gone somewhere, with a frustrated huff. She looks around watching as the civilians mingle back to their spots on the beach, completely over the events of the past twenty minutes.

She’ll never stop being astounded about how desensitized people have become to superheroes, magic, aliens and everything in between.

She shifts looking up at the bright blue sky. Eventually the leg of John’s swim trunks that sport the colors of the bisexual flag come into view. She moves her head a little and notices the plain black leg have a scorched hole in them now.

“You alright, luv?” he asks settling down into the sand at her side his forearms resting on his knees. Zatanna just nods lifting herself up from the sand to sit up beside him. She feels the gritty sand sticking to her back and frowns.

John reaches out brushing it off of her best he can. Zatanna grabs his arm when he starts to pull it back and lays her head on his shoulder.

“You said something about having a repeat of the rest of Malta?” she says rubbing her cheek against his warm shoulder.

“I did,” he replies placing a quick kiss on her hair. “I’m thinkin’ if we don’t leave a bedroom there’s no way anymore mass evil assaults can find us.”

Zatanna snorts. “An army of demons has literally portalled into our bedroom before John,” she says thinking of at least three separate occasions that that statement applies to.

“Okay, well I can’t argue with that,” John concedes. “It’s still more fun that fighting robots on a beach though.”

Zatanna sighs looking out at the ocean that’s still a little choppy from their magic.

“Plus,” John adds after a moment. “No doubt fish boy will come looking for us to talk about this incident soon enough and if we’re holed away on some real nice dry land he’ll never be able to track us down.”

Zatanna pulls back and meets his eyes.

“We haven’t been to Vegas in a while,” she smiles already conjuring up a portal and pulling John up from the sand determined to get a peaceful rest of their vacation.

[solynaceawrites]

Promise Me Forever [4]

Fandom: Devil May Cry Characters: Dante, Lirael Thorne (OC) Tags: Slow Burn, Romance, Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe, First Time, Friends to Lovers Chapters: 3/14 co-written by @lickitysplitfic​ Summary: An old, long-forgotten promise between gods comes back to haunt Dante when it deposits an unfamiliar woman on his door. Claiming to be the descendant of Ler, she says that they’re meant to fulfill the oath made by Sparda centuries ago, and all he can do is watch as she turns his life upside down. Yet when her parents come knocking, demanding the oath be fulfilled, he’s forced to choose: return to the bachelor ways he loved so much, or give in to the emotions brewing between him.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

It turns out to be another sleepless night for Dante. At first, he simply cannot get comfortable; blaming it on the humidity caused by a storm rolling in, he opens the windows and strips himself nude, and kicks the covers to the foot of the bed. Then comes the restlessness he knows all too well, the kind that can usually be solved with a nice little round of masturbation. Yet the second his hand touches his cock, the image of Lir comes to mind, and he releases it with a curse. He might be an asshole, but he's not that kind of asshole.

All of that serves to leave him irritable and more than a little wound up the next morning, and he spends a long time in the shower, trying to get himself under control. If he doesn't, he'll snap at her sooner or later, or worse, and she doesn't deserve that. Dante is careful not to drip too much water on the floors as he dries off, and then he dresses and heads down into the shop.

“—will be alright," he hears Lir say. Pausing, he leans over the railing, his brows going up at the sight of her sitting on the couch with a woman sobbing into a tissue. "Dante will be able to take care of it."

Her position lets him drink in her figure, the braid of her hair exposing the elegant sweep of her neck. He swallows thickly, listening to the conversation unfold. "Are you sure?" the woman sniffles.

"Yes. He's very good at this. I've seen it," Lir reassures her. "I know you must be feeling hopeless, but he can help you."

"Help with what?" he calls as he takes the stairs two at a time.

Lir stands and gestures him over. "You have a new client," she says, beaming with pride. 

Dante remembers the fuss she made over him killing the demons last night, and he clears his throat uncomfortably as he sits at his desk. "What's the situation?" he asks.

The woman sniffles as she describes what sounds like a very basic haunting: Demons have taken over her garage, nasty little devils that are eating the stray cats. "My poor babies," she sobs, blowing her nose. "I leave food out for all the neighborhood cats. I tried to keep them safe, but they've been devoured, one by one!"

"That must have been very upsetting," Lir says sympathetically.

She nods as Lir pats her shoulder. "Misty had a litter two days ago, and I know they'll be next. Please, you have to help me!"

Lir looks at him expectantly. It's obvious she wants him to say something comforting, but he frowns. "Why are you feeding all the vermin anyway?" he asks. "Stray cats are a nuisance."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, he knows his mistake. Lir's eyes go wide as the woman leans forward and hisses viciously, "Listen, you, those are God's creatures you're talking about, and those evil, disgusting demons need to go straight back to hell where they belong!"

Dante holds up his hands to defend himself, but Lir quickly interrupts, "What Dante meant is that you should feed them elsewhere until he can take care of the demons for you. Didn't you, Dante?" she finishes, giving him a pointed look.

". . . Yeah." The woman deflates, her tears returning, and he feels a brief stab of irritation he tries to ignore. "It sounds easy enough. You and your . . ." Lir shakes her head subtly. "You and your friends should find a place to stay for a few days, until the job is done."

Watery eyes fix on his own. "You'll be careful, won't you? Those . . . those things have caused enough damage."

He does his best to hold in a sharp retort, though his voice is clipped when he replies, "I'll do what I can."

"Come on," Lir says gently, helping the woman to her feet. "Let me make you a cup of tea, and then we can work on getting your contact information, okay?"

She leads her away, Dante tracking the sway of her hips. It's only been two days since she arrived, bringing another mess for him to sort through, yet he's finding himself more and more adjusted to her presence, more at ease with having her around. And it helps that she's pretty to look at, even if that train of thought is likely to lead him to other, less polite ones. 

After Lir serves tea she produces a contract for her to sign, which the woman does as she rambles on about her cats. Dante tunes out Lir's polite questions after the felines to wonder how she had found them—hell, after Morrison had given him a stack of boilerplates years ago, he stuffed them in a drawer and forgot about them. Did she clean his desk too?

The woman leaves and Lir makes sure the door is firmly shut before bursting into giggles. "That was a strange one!" she remarks, walking over to his desk and handing him the contract. "Are all your cases so interesting?"

"Yeah. Hey, how did you do that?" he asks.

Lir blinks at him, her arm still extended, holding out the paper for him to take. "Do what?"

"That. With that client. She left . . ." Dante grasps for the word. "Happy?"

Her brows furrow, and he's filled with the sudden, ridiculous urge to kiss the indent between them to smooth it away. "Do your clients tend to leave unhappy?"

"Maybe. I dunno." He takes the contract from her and leans back in his chair to get a little more space before he does something she'll regret. "They certainly aren't saying thank you, or smiling."

"I . . . I was just nice to her. That's all." Lir tugs at the hem of her shirt, her fingers worrying the fabric. "I was taught how to be a good hostess, in case I ever needed to be, so I just . . . talked to her?"

"Talk to her," he muses, opening a drawer in the desk. "I'll have to try that some time.”

He looks down and frowns again, spying hanging file folders neatly labeled and lined in order. When did she have time to do all this?

"Are you hungry?" Lir asks. "I didn't get much done with the client here so early, but I did manage to bake some muffins and brew some fresh coffee."

"Come here," he says, pushing the drawer closed with his foot. She does as he's asked, stepping around the desk until she's next to him, and there's the same nervous energy from the other night, when he'd cornered her in the laundry room. Slowly, he stands, leaning down to study her face. "You sleep at all?"

"What? Yes, of course." She looks up at him, a faint rosy hue to her cheeks. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wonderin'. You got a lot done over the past few days."

Lir chuckles. "I've never been one to need a lot of sleep. Besides, I've been training my whole life to take care of a son of Sparda. And I . . . like it." The last part is almost a whisper, and she blushes and looks away. "You've been very kind to me, letting me stay here. It's the least I could do."

"Show me these muffins," he says, and Lir gives him another smile that leaves him a bit hot under the collar.

He is on his third when the phone rings back in the office. "I'll get it," Lir says, breezing out of the kitchen.

Her voice filters in with, "Devil May Cry, how can I help you?" as he looks over the remaining muffins, when Lir calls, "Dante! It's Lady!"

"Alright!" he calls back. Snagging a blueberry muffin and popping as much of it as he can into his mouth, he saunters back to his desk, swallowing as he grabs the receiver. "'Bout time you called."

"Yeah, yeah." Her voice is a bit crackly. "Almost thought I had the wrong shop for a minute. When'd you let her start answering calls?"

Dante glances over to Lir, who is carefully sweeping the rug by the door. "I don't let her do anything. She chooses to. I just don't stop her."

"Well, aren't you getting soft?" Lady laughs. Ignoring his sputtered protests, she continues, "I found her home. It's a town called Llyrlen, about three hours away from Fortuna by car. Pretty self-contained, too."

"Llyrlen, huh?"

"Yeah. Seems they take this god thing pretty seriously." She sighs. "But, from what I could gather, it's all true. Sparda and this Ler met and made a promise, and Lir, as the god's direct descendant and the only of her sisters eligible to marry, was sent to fulfill it."

He rubs his lips. "What happens if she doesn't?"

"From what I heard, exactly what she said. She'll be an outcast, stripped of everything and sent to work in the archives for the rest of her life. Kind of like a nun, only less pleasant."

"Okay." He glances at Lir, who watches him expectantly. Can he really let that happen? "Thanks for doing this. I'll see you when you get back."

"Yeah. Don't let Lir leave, okay? I'm going to make a quick stop but I'll be there in a few days. Then I'll help her figure out what to do."

Dante feels a bit of a burn in his throat at the implication that he wouldn't bother doing the same. "Yeah. I won't. And, hey, listen, they didn't know you were there, right? Lir's family?"

"What do you take me for? I'm a professional."

With that the line goes dead, and he sighs as he hangs up the receiver. "What did she say?" Lir asks tightly.

Dante shrugs. "You were right. We're supposed to get married."

He waits for the accusatory response, but instead she looks at him, her eyes more hesitant than he'd like. "What do you want to do?" The question startles him; shouldn't he be asking her that? "Should I pack my things?"

"No! No, you're not goin' anywhere." He runs a hand through his hair, leaning heavily against his desk. "I don't think marriage is in the cards and, after you seein' what I'm really like, I'd be surprised if you still wanted to. But you can . . . Having you around is nice. If you want to stay, you can." 

Dante expects her to respond with her usual enthusiasm, but instead, she seems to deflate. "I can't impose on you like that."

"Sure you can," he says. "I don't mind."

Lir shakes her head. "It's not . . . you're the son of Sparda, and—"

"Would you lay off that son of Sparda stuff?" Dante snaps. 

"Well! It's the truth!" she fires back, taking him by surprise. "And I can't stay here if we're not married. It's not proper."

Her expression is furious, but Dante bursts into laughter. "Proper? Like marrying a stranger is proper?"

She folds her arms in a huff. "That's different."

"How?"

"Because it was . . . It was . . . It just is!"

"I'll pay you," he chuckles, trying not to focus on how cute she is when she's mad, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright, trying not to wonder if she'd look like that after he kissed her. It's not the time, it's not the place, and he's got no right to think those things about her. "You stay here, work the phones, greet clients, and I'll pay you in room and board."

"Forty percent," she says.

"What!" he exclaims. "No way. That's robbery."

Lir shrugs. "Fine. Thirty."

"Ten."

"Twenty-five."

Dante growls. "Twenty and I'll take you to the aquarium and the zoo."

"Deal!" She sticks her hand out with a grin. "See how good I am at negotiating?"

"Damn near ruthless," he agrees, clasping her fingers between his own. Yet he finds it harder than he'd like to let go; blaming it on whatever it is that's making him so horny, he forces himself to drop her hand. "Well, looks like we've got the rest of the day to ourselves. Anything you want to do?"

Lir taps her chin. "I need to see what I can cook for dinner tonight, but, before that, I'd like to finish cleaning upstairs. If that's okay?"

"Be my guest."

She smiles at him. "Okay. I'll make a fresh pot of coffee. Oh! And you need to start getting ready for that job, right?"

"Right. Cat lady." Lir gives him a look and he rolls his eyes. "Fine, fine. Sooner I get that done the better." He walks around his desk and grabs the guitar case, slinging it over his back. "You'll be okay for a few hours?"

"Yup!" she says. Then Lir smiles shyly. "You'll be safe, won't you?

That makes him pause. When was the last time anyone had been worried for his safety? Usually everyone assumed he would be fine, and he always was, but something about having her ask makes him feel warm in a way he doesn't quite understand. "Don't worry that pretty head too much. I doubt I'll need more than the girls to handle this." Seeing her confusion, he amends, "The guns."

"Oh! I see. Well, then. Hm." Dante waits to hear whatever it is she's trying to say, but what he's not expecting is for her to brace her hands on his shoulders and lean up to press the briefest of kisses to his cheek. "For luck."

His skin burns with her kiss, and Dante quickly spins, giving a weak salute as he heads out the door. Suddenly filled with way, way too much energy, he decides to head to the job on foot, whistling to himself as he moves through the city.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

Dante practically crawls back to the Devil May Cry, sighing with relief when he turns the knob of the front door. 

He winces, his fingers and hands covered in scratches that leave tracks all the way up his arms and over his chest. They don't hurt terribly bad, but the sheer amount of scrapes all combined cause him to ache every time he moves. The rest of him hadn't fared much better, his clothes splattered with now-dried blood, sweat and dirt making his cuts sting.

All he wants is a beer and a nap, maybe in that order. But the second he steps inside the shop and smells the cleaning products and fails to trip over some stuff on the floor, he remembers he's not alone anymore.

"Dante! You're back!" Lir calls excitedly over from the couch. He turns around and gingerly takes off his coat, hanging it on the door as her voice gets closer. "I was starting to worry. I didn't make anything but I can heat up—oh my goodness! You're hurt!"

Her hands are on his arms, pushing up his sleeves as she chews on her lip. "Nah, I'm fine," he says.

Lir gives him a sharp look, making him feel scolded. "What happened?" she demands.

"Those damn cats," Dante growls. "The demons were no problem, but the cats didn't like me much."

"Oh," she breathes. "I'm sorry, I didn't even think to . . . Of course they'd be aggressive towards you. Cats can sense demons, and one was attacking them. Sit here." She tugs him to the couch, and he allows her to guide him, sinking onto the cushions with a sigh. "I'll be right back. I think I saw a first aid kit in the bathroom."

Dante waits until she's gone to lean his head back, and it isn't long until he's dozing. The sensation of cool hands against his skin rouses him a bit. He cracks open his eyes to find Lir kneeling between his legs, her hair tucked behind her ears as she carefully dabs antiseptic over his scrapes, a bottle of beer sitting next to her on the floor. He lifts a hand to graze his fingers over her cheek, and her eyes flick to his face, a soft smile curling her lips.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she says quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," he chuckles. "But I'm good."

Lir gives him a shy smile. Then she shifts to lean over him, brushing his hair back so she can swab his forehead. "These don't look too bad, you know. They'll be healed in a few days."

"Sooner than that," he murmurs.

Dante can feel his healing working already, but some part of him wishes it wouldn't, so she can still keep working on him. Lir searches his face before going back to checking his arms, and he uses the opportunity to just gaze at her.

It's not the first time he's studied her, but it is the first that he's been this close while doing it. Her brows and lashes are darker than her hair, an ashy gray, and they almost seem to glow with the pale amber of her eyes. There are no freckles or other markings on her creamy skin, though a faint scar tracks along her temple, and, with her straight nose and full lips, she's gorgeous. Dante brushes a few strands of hair from her face, his heart thudding uncomfortably when she leans into the touch after a second's hesitation.

When she looks up again, they are close, close enough that he can feel her breath fan on his lips. His own part and her eyes dart down, and Dante feels his heart thudding as her mouth curves up into a smile. "I think you're going to live," she murmurs.

"Lucky me," he replies.

Lir licks her lips. The gesture makes something inside him tighten, but then she eases away, leaning over to clean up her supplies. "I was thinking of doing a delivery order," she says, her back to him. "Now that I'm staying I can get more groceries in. There are also some items that I can use to make different oils and potions you can use."

"Potions?" murmurs Dante, his eyes sliding along her spine.

She peeks at him over her shoulder with a grin. "Yeah. Like for when you come back from fighting some stray cats covered in cuts and bruises?"

"As long as you're the one putting it on me." She stiffens for a moment before laughing quietly, and he decides that he likes the sound of it almost as much as he does the sound of her talking to him. "You know, I gotta ask. Pretty girl, good head on her shoulders, and her family sends her off to marry someone she's never met? How'd you wind up with this gig?"

Lir hums, latching the kit. "I have three older sisters. One of them is married, and the other two are betrothed. I was next in line. That's all."

"Three sisters?"

"Older sisters," she corrects. "There's a younger one, as well."

"That's a . . . lot." He chuckles, the sound cutting off when she stands.

Lir shrugs. "I guess they figured they needed enough daughters in case one of you showed up."

"And what if I didn't?" Dante puts his arms up on the back of the couch, the soreness already faded. "How did you even find me?"

"Fortuna," she answers. "Kind of hard not to notice you."

Dante huffs a laugh as he shakes his head. "Yeah, that was a fuck-up in every way. But suppose I hadn't been there. We wouldn't have ever met."

It isn't a question so much as a realization, and he ends up frowning as she nods in agreement. "I probably would have been married off. If my sisters and I did not marry the son of Sparda, then we would be tasked with creating the next generation of brides."

She offers him a smile before carrying the first aid kit away, her steps soft on the steps. Dante scratches his head, thinking on what she told him. Honestly, it was creepy as hell.

"The next generation of brides," he mumbles. "What the hell did you do, you old bastard?"

Not wanting to get anywhere close to that conversation topic again—at least, not now—he grabs the remote from the coffee table and turns on the television, flicking through until he finds Netflix. Patty had set it up for him and given him one of the slots on her account, but he's never really used it; but maybe there will be something Lir will like. Though why that matters, he doesn't know.

She comes back as he's scrolling through different horror movies, and he hears her gasp and looks up to find her covering her mouth with her hand. "What . . . What is that?"

"This? It's . . . Oh. Shit, I'm sorry." Cursing, he flicks back up to something far less gory. "It's called Netflix. All sorts of movies and shows to watch. Thought you might want to pick something for tonight, if you're up to it?"

Lir plops down on the couch next to him, one leg tucked under her, but he notes how she still sits very straight, as if it is practiced. "I don't know," she says very matter-of-factly, turning to look at him. "What kind of entertainment do you like?"

"Uh . . . I guess action? Or maybe a scary movie?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing scary, please. But action would be okay."

Dante nods and scrolls to the right screen. He chooses a movie about aliens invading, the world sending its best fighters to fight, the hero's girl trapped and needing rescuing. Lir had brought him back a plate with some reheated lasagna, which he tucks into as she relaxes just a bit, her eyes on the screen.

But his eyes drift to her again and again, gauging her reactions. At first he tells himself because he wants to see if it's too intense, or if she understood a joke, but eventually he realizes because he just likes watching her. It's almost like reliving it through her, and when she shouts at a lame jumpscare he chuckles. Lir leans in towards him a bit, her eyes glued to the screen, and Dante decides to experiment, pretending to yawn as he reaches his arm up and around her back.

She looks at him, a mixture of concern and confusion playing across her features. "Am I crowding you?" she whispers. "I'm sorry, I'll move."

"No, no, I thought . . ." He yanks his arm back and places it next to him. "Nevermind."

Lir gives him a curious look before turning back to the television. Dante clears his throat, shifting a bit, but now way too distracted by his crash and burn.

It occurs to him briefly that Lir might not know he is trying to flirt a bit, so he decides to take a more direct approach. "Hey, Lir," he murmurs, tilting his head towards her. "Did you know—"

"Sh," she hisses, her eyes glued to the screen.

He sinks back into his seat, steadfastly keeping his own gaze focused on the movie. This no longer seems like a good idea; between her semi-ignorance of the things outside of her home and his inner turmoil growing the longer she's around, being on this couch with her is probably the worst way to be, and it's all made worse by the dull, insistent ache in his groin. Not that it's her fault. Well, maybe it is. Lir readjusts next to him, and her thigh feels like a brand when it brushes his own. 

What he needs is a magazine, a bit of lotion, and a bit of time to himself.

"This is really fun!" Lir exclaims, flashing him a grin.

"Yeah," Dante sighs, stretching his legs out and propping them up on the table. "It's swell."