#'oh i was just minding my own business and you just kidnapped my heart without asking me first '

[help-im-a-gay-fish]

Kidnap my heart

Happy anniversary to the Greek gods, au!!! 3rd anniversary woah...I love this au so much! It's so nice to draw with the new designs.

Hope you are all having a good day. When this que posts, I'll be at work, lol.

Original Dream and Nightmare by jokublog

Greek gods au by me!

[bvidzsoo]

Heavy is the head that wears the crown

Author: bvidzsoo

Warnings: slight cursing, mentions of human trafficking

Pairing: Jung Wooyoung x female reader

Word count: 24,9k

Summary: Jung Wooyoung was a prince. Raised to be a King one day. Except that nobody asked him if he wanted to become one, it was his duty. Wooyoung thought he'd be able to travel the world, sail out and go on adventures, however that is just not how his story was written. So, one day, when he was only thirteen years old, he decided to take the pen in his own hands and change his own story. He became a Pirate. You, you were also a princess, soon to become Queen. Your groom disappeared when the two of you were thirteen and you figured you wouldn't get married now, so there was no reason to stay at your castle and live a boring life. You ran away, living quietly and humbly. That is, until Wooyoung came stumbling through your living room door. (Reader is called Oh Haneul in the following oneshots.)

A/N: Buckle up my friends, this one is a longer one; but it became my absolute favorite one lol. This oneshot now definitely has a special place in my heart. Next part won't be up too soon as I'm busy with things, I hope y'all can understand, I can't wait to write my pookie Mingi's part lol. I hope you'll find it as funny as I do and don't shy away, leave feedback! Enjoy now!

Taglist: @pingyu-in-wonderland @marievllr-abg @lelaleleb @loveforred @horanghae8 @jeonghanscarat7 @orshii @mundayoonimnida @m3tavita @silentcry329 @icarusignite @cooljuni @sharksandminhos @mountiiny

Series Masterlist ↭ Previous Part

           The life of a princess was lavishing and comfortable. The people around you always had everything you needed and would deliver it to you before you could even ask for it. It was as if they could read your mind, anticipate your thoughts and actions. Princesses were supposed to be beautiful and humble, respectful, with a smile always on their faces. They were supposed to hide their mouths when they laughed, never too loudly, of course, and they weren’t supposed to keep eye contact for too long with a man. Princesses were supposed to be well mannered and studious, and able to hold a conversation about any topic. Princesses were supposed to speak softly and slowly so that everyone could understand them, yet they shouldn’t speak up first, unasked. Princesses were supposed to hold their chins up high and stand with their backs straight, almost gliding when they walked, never allowed to run. Or to skip their beauty sleep, meaning they always had to go to bed early. Of course, they weren’t allowed to be seen with any man, other than their betrothed, and they weren’t allowed to sneak around. Princesses weren’t allowed to talk back to their parents and they had to accept whatever future they built for them. Princesses couldn’t say no to ruling if they were next in line to the throne and they also weren’t allowed to choose their own lovers. Not when they were supposed to marry the prince in the neighboring kingdom who was the same age as them, their marriage unifying two powerful forces: The Sun Rise Kingdom and The South Kingdom. But what was a princess supposed to do if their betrothed disappeared one day without a trace? If he got kidnapped by pirates and then never returned to his parents? To his Kingdom? To fulfill his duties as a monarch and man? What was a princess supposed to do then? I still haven’t figured out that part yet, but for once, I decided to take the reins in my owns hands and write my own future. If my betrothed could disappear off the surface of Earth, then I could do it too. And that is exactly what I did when I turned twenty. I waited for my mother to fall asleep and then quickly packed everything I deemed precious and important for my journey into a briefcase, then dressed in my maid’s clothes and made sure to conceal my face. I had to be swift with my escape and if anyone recognized me, I knew my mother would never let me out of her sight. I wanted to live a free life, to see what I would become if I was stripped of my title. Would I still live comfortably? Would people be finally genuine with me? And not pretend to like me for the sake of a title I inherited by being born into the royal Oh family? I wanted to see if I could fend for myself. But most importantly, I wanted to get away from my mother’s scrutinizing glares and sharp words reminding me daily of who I was. Princess Oh Y/N, next in line to the throne, still waiting for her betrothed to return. At some point I had given up on the fantasy of ever seeing him again. But my mother, however, vehemently believed that my prince would return soon and fix all of his wrongdoings. To be fair, I only remembered his family name at this point, Jung, and barely the shape of his eyes and their color back when he was eleven. We’ve met once in our lives, when we were eleven, and then never again. Because three days later, he was gone. Apparently captured and taken by pirates. Many believed he was dead, many believed he joined those pirates willingly. His family shut down those silly rumors quickly and reassured my mother that he would return and then we’d finally get married.

But I didn’t want to wait for him anymore. It was useless. I didn’t even love him or want him. I didn’t want a total stranger as my King. And as I ran as far away from the castle, heart thumping wildly and feet aching from such strenuous activity for my sheltered body, I realized I didn’t even want to become a Queen anymore. Why would I even want that? To become like my mother? Rigid and vengeful, always having to watch my steps because someone was out for my head? Her own husband tried to kill my mother, my own father, did I truly want that life? For my King to abandon me and wish harm upon me? I did not regret escaping the safety of my castle, of my nation, of my Kingdom. The sailor ship I snuck on was nasty and dirty, filled with drunken sailors as they screamed their lungs out, too wrapped up in their songs to notice a woman struggling to pull her briefcase over the railing. They either didn’t care, or I just hid too well, because they never even bothered looking for me the following days. They never came towards the supply room I was hiding in, and if they did, they quickly grabbed the rum off the shelves and then left the room, whistling loudly. I counted the days, somewhere around five, by the time we decked down. I had no idea where I was as I made a run for it, knocking a few sailors off their feet as I got off the ship, panting and struggling to carry my briefcase. Their shouts were loud but they never bothered chasing after me. I had no idea in which Kingdom I was in, perhaps it was still the Sun Rise, just a smaller island of it. I hoped that wasn’t the case, because I would be back home in no time if anyone recognized me. But in the three years I’ve been living on my own, my identity remained a secret to the people around me, nobody ever recognized me or suspected me of being royalty. Perhaps it was because I lived on one of the Nordic island’s from the South Kingdom, perhaps it was because people never looked for too long at you. They rarely questioned your origins or your life story. Here, everyone seemed to be busy with their own lives and problems. People also weren’t as nice and friendly as back home, but I found it refreshing. For once in my life, I felt like I was truly invisible, left alone and unbothered. Nobody pried for something which didn’t concern them and nobody forced their kindness on you, expecting you to return it one day. If someone here did something for you, it was because they wanted to and not because they secretly wished for you to do the same for them.

I found it easier to live here, the town I settled down in was well off and progressive. Women here were allowed to do as they wished, and so, they opened an institute for the younglings, where governesses would teach them everything they had to know about our world. Girls and boys alike were welcomed, poor and rich, their differences placed aside. The institute is where I found myself working, as a smaller governess, someone who taught the children etiquette. It was a sudden thought I had one night, as I was wondering how I would earn my own money since the one I brought with myself from the castle wouldn’t last me forever, and I realized that for once in my life I could use all of those years of living as a princess to my advantage. Everyone loved well-mannered, well-spoken and studious people, I found myself perfect to do such a job. So, the next day I walked to the institute and proposed to teach said subject and everyone was thrilled by the idea. I didn’t demand for a high pay, the cottage I was living in was fairly cheap when I bought it, and food here seemed to be a lot more accessible than back at my own kingdom. The only pricey items were my canvas, brushes, and colors. I loved to paint and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. Whenever I had free time, which I had lots at the castle, I would sit in the gardens and paint whatever I felt inspired by. Here, in the town, I had less free time, but I managed to balance my attention onto everything. The young mothers seemed to adore me and often brought cookies and delicious meals for me at the institute as a show of gratitude for the work I put in with their children, I often found myself not having to cook anything at home. Living here for the past three years has truly been liberating, however, I couldn’t deny it, I did find myself missing the posh lifestyle from time to time. Sometimes I would wake up in the morning and unconsciously reach for the bell to ring for my maids to come open the curtains and window for me. Or sometimes I would find myself sitting at my stand, painting, and if I forgot something I needed, I would scream the name of my most trusted maid, only to realize she wouldn’t be coming around. There were evenings when I was so tired I wanted someone to warm up the water in the bathtub for me and cook me a chicken noodle soup, but unfortunately, I now had to do all that by myself. I couldn’t complain, unless my body was aching from having a strenuous day, which happened less often lately. It was a comforting thought. It means that I was finally becoming familiar with the chosen lifestyle.

I had just finished up my lessons at the institution and after locking up, I walked to the market to see if I could buy some vegetables. It was late in the evening, but some vendors stayed out until the sun was setting. My favorite vendor was still there by the time I walked through the square and I quickly approached her, greeting her with a warm smile.

“Oh, dear,” She smiled back brightly, her hair a light gray color, “I had a feeling you would come by today, I waited for you.”

“You shouldn’t have, Mrs. Chwe.” I picked up two carrots and three potatoes, placing them in my handbag once Mrs. Chwe saw them, “Let me walk you back home, then. The sun will be soon gone, you shouldn’t walk alone.”

“Do not worry about me, dear.” Mrs. Chwe chuckled and handed me two tomatoes with a wink, “I know my way around here better than you do. Nobody casts a second glance at an old dame, unlike you—a beautiful young lady. You better head back quickly.”

I chuckled and grabbed ten pennies from my pouch, “I insist, Mrs. Chwe.”

“And I insist too.” She was a stubborn old lady, “You had a long day, I heard you stayed at the institute all day long. The headmistress stopped by not long ago.”

“Of course,” I chuckled and handed Mrs. Chwe the pennies. The headmistress loved to gossip and talk nonsense, it didn’t surprise me she was quick to let everyone know of my packed day. She was a lady I didn’t quite like, “Are you sure you don’t want me to wait until you pack up at least?”

“No, no.” Mrs. Chwe shook her head and ushered me away with her hand, “Go home and cook something tasty.”

“Alright, have a good night, Mrs. Chwe!” I bowed with a polite smile and the old lady waved briefly before she turned around with a sigh and started packing away the remained vegetables. I turned around and walked the way I have come, until the main road came to an end and I turned to the left, walking down the deserted street. People were getting inside their houses and getting ready for the evening, the squeals and laughter of little children in the gardens the only sounds besides my footsteps. I sighed and stared up at the sky for a brief moment, taking in the tranquility of the evening. I liked it when nobody was around after a long day. It allowed me time to shake off the stress and plan what I had to do the next day. I turned to the right, walking down a dirt path, small cottages on both sides. A few of my neighbors were out in the gardens or standing in their doorway, conversing with each other. My little cottage was second to last on our street and I walked up to the short stone covered path which lead to the back of the house, greeting my neighbor in the process as he was sipping his tea, holding a book to his face. The entrance was at the back of the house, and I didn’t mind. It was actually what convinced me to buy it. I liked the intimacy it offered. No one could see when I came and went, I knew a few mothers on our street liked to monitor everyone’s steps. I placed the handbag on the ground and reached for the key in my pouch, feeling around for it until I found it. As I pushed the key into the keyhole, I realized my door was unlocked. My eyebrows furrowed and I stared down at my hand, wondering whether I have locked it this morning or not. Did I not lock it? How could I forget such important thing? I scoffed and gently pushed the door open, grabbing the handbag off the ground and stepping inside. Dusk settled upon and it wasn’t bright anymore outside, or in the house, but you could still see well without a light source. As I closed the door behind me and looked ahead, I froze. There, an unknown man, was standing across from me in the room. His back was turned to me and his hands were behind his back as he seemed to be staring up at the wall. At my paintings. I stopped breathing, fearing that he could hear me. He probably heard me enter, yet he hasn’t moved. I carefully placed the handbag on the ground as I kept my eyes on the man, slowly and silently reaching for the vase standing on a stand to the left of the door. It was heavy and old, I brought it with myself from the castle. It was my great-grandmothers. It could also serve as a weapon if necessary. I took in the attire of the man and realized he wasn’t a lieutenant or soldier from the Navy, so he couldn’t have been sent by my mother. But then…who was he? His black cotton pants looked loose around his frame and I could see a white collar peeking out from underneath the heavy coat he was wearing. The jacket looked odd, old and patched up in multiple places, different fabrics stitched to the original one. I didn’t dare assume who this man was, but he looked like he wasn’t exactly a good guy. The second he hummed I knew I had to proceed, so I threw the vase towards him, aiming for his head, but before it could touch him, he jumped away. The vase crashed into the wall and shattered into million pieces, making me frown at the destroyed relic. My mother would kill me right now if she were here with me. The unknown man sharply whirled around, his face morphed into shock as he gasped loudly, dramatically.

“That could’ve been my head!” The man’s voice was squeaky as he pointed at the wall, which the vase initially hit. My eyebrows furrowed at the man’s words and I scoffed, eyes falling onto the pillows I had on the sofa. I didn’t dwell much on the thought just jumped on the couch and grabbed two bigger pillows as I hauled them in his direction. The man screeched as one hit him in the stomach and he suddenly took off towards me, face red.

“Stop right there!” I commanded, heart thumping wildly as I held another pillow out threateningly. The man suddenly froze and he eyed the pillow with narrowed eyes, scoffing when he looked back at me. His face was chiseled and sun-kissed, his jawline sharp. His full lips were cherry colored and his nose big and fitting for his face shape. His eyes weren’t too sharp and held friendliness in them despite the situation we found ourselves in, a mole stood proudly underneath his left eye.

“So, will you throw that one too?” He raised an eyebrow, taunting. His voice was smooth, sounded nothing like the screech he let out mere minutes ago. I gulped and glanced at the pillow I was holding before looking back at the stranger, a handsome one. Without saying anything I threw the pillow at him and he caught it easily, lips pulling up in a lopsided smirk. I quickly took the other two pillows, the last ones, and stood up, staring him down. He dropped the pillow and raised both hands in a motion of peace, but that moved his long coat, the handle of a sword glinting. I gulped before I looked back into his eyes.

“You don’t have to be so aggressive; I didn’t even do anything.” The man said with a tentative smile and my eyebrows furrowed.

“You broke into my home!” I answered incredulously and suddenly realized how smart it was to have soldiers littered around your castle. There was someone who’d be able to protect you from intruders, yet here I was, forced to defend myself on my own. I had to run away while I still could. I had no idea who this man was and what he wanted from me.

“Not my smoothest move, I admit—” The man cleared his throat, still holding his arms up, “But all of your windows were locked.”

“Of course, they were!” I exclaimed, irritated with the man, “So that they keep people like you out.”

The man chuckled and lowered his arms to cross them in front of his chest, “Yeah, and look where that got you—”

I threw one pillow forcefully, managing to knock it into the man’s face. I bit my lower lip to keep myself from laughing as his eyebrows were furrowed and he looked appalled, “Right as I was about to tell you how pretty those paintings are…”

I glanced briefly at my paintings, but took a step back when the man took one towards me, “Thank you, I made them myself. Will you kindly walk out of my house so that I don’t have to scream for my neighbors to call for the constable?”

“Would you not report me if I left now?” The man asked with both of his eyebrows raised and I smiled, remembering all those hours at the castle where I had to learn how to hide my own emotions and how to be persuasive.

“If you don’t harm me, I won’t.” I said softly and the man narrowed his eyes at me, leaning a bit forward, as if he was trying to get a better look at my face. I kept my face neutral and looked him back in the eyes, trying to read his emotions. But his face was a mask of blankness, just like mine, that is until he smirked smugly, stood up straight, and ran both hands through his jelled back black hair.

“I’m not here to harm you, princess.” I couldn’t help the involuntary flinch of my body at the mention of the title, but quickly covered it by starting to fidget around as if I was feeling nervous all of a sudden. The man watched me closely, same smirk still on his lips, “I’m not a savage like that, you know?”

“Then what do you want?” I asked quietly, feigning fear as I quickly made up my route of escape. I throw the pillow at his head again and dash for the door. Then I run down to my neighbor’s house and ask for help. Certainly this man wouldn’t follow through with his plans if I wasn’t alone anymore.

“Money, lots of it.” His answer sounded strangely genuine and I gulped.

“I don’t have much, but I can give it to you—”

“Here you don’t have much, princess.” The glint in his eyes suddenly made me nervous and I tensed, wondering whether that truly was just a nickname or he knew about my true identity. I let out a quiet breath and took the tiniest step towards the door, ready to proceed with my plan, “You wouldn’t have been able to bring much alone, right? Princess Oh Y/N?”

I gasped and gaped at him for a few seconds, millions of questions running through my mind. Who was he? Who sent him? How did he know? What did he want? But as he started looking smug again, I quickly jumped into action and threw the pillow at him, dashing for the door. I successfully flung it open and as I went to run away, a strong arm wrapped around my middle and yanked me back inside the house. I was pressed up against a hard chest and before I could scream, a foul-smelling handkerchief was pressed against my nose and mouth, the man forcing me to inhale it. I tried to wriggle out of his firm grip, but it was useless as suddenly the world started spinning around me, darkness wrapping around my mind before my body went numb, kidnapped by a dreamless sleep.

            The first thing that bothered me was the overwhelming smell of cologne. It reeked of men in here as I blinked my eyes open, only to jump up from my sprawled-out position in the unknown bed. The room rocked from left to right violently and for a second I thought my head was spinning, but then I looked out the small circle window, eyes widening when a huge wave crashed against it. I whipped my head around, a horrible realization dawning up on me. I was in a room on a ship! My heart started thumping wildly as I jumped off the bed and stared with my mouth open at the two opened briefcases on the floor, filled with my belongings. Blank canvas and different colored acrylics were scattered around on the floor, and I looked down at my body, realizing that I was wearing my long black coat. That man! He kidnapped me! I wanted to throw something against the wall as I started pacing up and down in the room, realizing that whoever he was, his intentions couldn’t be pure. If we were still close to the shore, I could jump off the ship, and swim back to the beach. But if we were out in the open sea…I was doomed. Was he really here to take me back to my mother? I groaned as I ran my fingers through my hair, glancing at the door. Could it be unlocked? He wouldn’t be so clumsy to leave the door open, right? I hoped he was, because then I could try and escape. I took a deep breath and decided to try my luck as I walked up to the door and grabbed the doorknob. I counted to five before turning it and pushing the door open, making it horribly creak open. I grimaced and hoped nobody was in the corridor to hear it as I realized nobody stood in front of the door. My little moment of happiness was soon crushed as I went to take off towards the right but crashed into a firm chest, a gasp leaving my lips as I recoiled from the body. The sight of the same man who kidnapped me brought little comfort as he raised his eyebrows at me, hands placed on his hips, an almost scolding look on his face. I sighed and knew there wasn’t much I could do now, and as if he read my mind, he took a step towards me, making me take a step backwards.

“Escaping already, princess?” He asked with a chuckle, “I heard you’re good at that.”

My mother would’ve had a fit if she saw me rolling my eyes at the man. He took another step forward and I took another one backwards, back inside the room, “I don’t know who told you that I’m a princess, but they were wrong.”

The man’s face morphed into a fake pout, “I wonder how you made enough money in three years to buy that cottage then.”

“Sold the goods I owned.” My lie was too quick and simple. Nobody would believe it. He took another step towards me, making me back further inside the room.

“Sure you did, princess.” He scoffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, “There’s no use to lying, I can smell a princess from miles away when I see one.”

“Disgusting.” I scrunched my nose, making the man’s eyes widen.

“Not like that!” He defended himself quickly before he sighed, “You know…there’s a large sum promised to the one who brings you back to your kingdom.”

I gulped and took another step back when the man proceeded to walk closer, “I figured I should try my luck and try and find you. It was a lot easier than I expected, I bet your mother misses you like crazy.”

“Well, I don’t miss her.” I snapped and jumped backwards when the man reached out for me, “And I don’t want to return, so I demand you free me. I can still pay you lots of pennies and even gold—”

“Ah, ah.” The man smirked and I stumbled onto the bed when he took another step, too close for my liking, “I want the royal gold, not second hand one.”

“It wouldn’t be second hand!” My voice rose a few octaves, outraged by his assumption, “What do you take me for?!”

“A spoiled princess who thought she could get away until the end of times by hiding away in a painfully small village, way too close to her own kingdom.” I opened my mouth and was quickly left speechless as the man leaned down; head too close to mine for comfort. I tensed and leaned my head back a bit, looking up into his eyes. There was a playful twinkle in them and he licked his lips, chuckling, “I must admit, you look nothing like you were described.”

I gasped in offence, leaning back into the man’s face as I glared at him, “You are one to talk you—ogre!”

Indeed, I admit my insult was weak and didn’t even make sense. The worst thing was the shrill, high-pitched, almost crazy sounding laughter which left the man’s mouth, head thrown back as he started hysterically laughing. My cheeks flushed a deep shade of red as I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms in front of my chest, averting my eyes as the man started to calm down as he wiped away tears from the corner of his eyes, eyes falling on my face. I knew he could read the embarrassment on my face; it was futile to try and hide it now, “That’s the funniest thing anyone has ever called me.”

I huffed and refused to look at him, that is until I felt his soft hands wrap around my wrists. His hands felt cold as I glanced down at them and then back into his eyes. He had amusement still written all over his face, lips pulled up into a grin. I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out what he was about to do.

“You truly are a princess, princess.” He chuckled, his hands moving mine away from my chest, “You can’t even curse me out normally.”

“Oh, I can.” I smirked at him, making him raise an eyebrow, “I just choose not to, my genius is above that.”

“What a well-educated and well-mannered princess.” The man whispered and I gulped as I got lost in his warm brown eyes. His hands didn’t feel too cold anymore, however I felt something foreign against the skin of my wrist, something harsh. By the time I looked down my right wrist was yanked towards the headboard of the bed by a rope around it.

“What are you doing?!” I exclaimed as I tried to free my other wrist from his grasp, but he was quick as he overpowered me and pulled my wrist next to my other one, the rope already binding them together. My mouth fell open as I tried to free myself, moving as much as I could so that he wouldn’t tie me against the bed, but it did nothing as the man made an intricate knot and huffed as if it was the hardest mission of his life to tie me up, “You—you monster!”

The man stood back with his hands on his hips, looking very unimpressed. He squinted his eyes at me and then smiled fakely, “I’m not a monster nor an ogre, princess, I’m a pirate.”

“That’s even worse.” I sighed out as I moved my wrists, checking to see if there were any chances I could free myself. The man chuckled and stepped back, looking down at my belongings.

“You’ll have to clean up this mess at one point, I hate it when a place gets messy—”

“You do it, then.” I cut him off with a glare, tugging on the rope to no avail.

“I’m not your servant, princess.”

“Stop calling me princess.” I snapped, eyebrows furrowed as a grin stretched onto his lips, “I have a name, you know.”

“And so do I, princess, but I don’t hear you calling me that.” I groaned as I threw my head back, wondering whether he was doing this on purpose. Trying to annoy me.

“Because I don’t know your name, pirate, that’s why.” For a second the man looked surprised and then he scoffed, acting as if he hadn’t forgotten he never told me his name.

“It’s Wooyoung.” The man, Wooyoung, said and I looked at him, his name oddly familiar. Perhaps I have met someone with the same name before.

“Thank you, pirate, now I’ll know exactly who the royal guard will have to catch..” Wooyoung suddenly became serious as he threw an unimpressed glare my way, before wordlessly walking away. I stared at him wide eyed as he left the room, grabbing the doorknob as he stopped in the doorway and glanced back. Was he about to leave me alone? Tied against the bed?!

“What are you doing?! Where are you going?!” But Wooyoung didn’t answer as he smirked and closed the door, which creaked very loudly once again, and then walked away while whistling loudly, leaving me annoyed and frustrated as I tried to free myself form the bounds, but the rope burned my skin the more I tried. I stopped and groaned loudly, kicking my feet, making a mess of the blanket which was underneath me. This couldn’t get worse, right?

            Two days of pure anguish passed by way too slowly, my arms sore and wrists burning from being bound to the bed for so long. No matter how much I asked Wooyoung to release me at least when I was eating, he would act like he was thinking about the idea, and then he’d smirk and draw out a no, then walk out of the room and leave me on my own, struggling to even grab the fork to eat my meal. The food was rather good, but I would never tell Wooyoung; I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I appreciated at least one thing he did for me, which was as simple as bringing me food. In order to keep me alive, because eating is a necessity every human has. Even a princess. But to make matters worse, he’d leave the door slightly ajar, taunting me even more by how I couldn’t get to it. He made me want to conjure up all the swear words I knew and hurl them at him, curse him out like a sailor as if there was no tomorrow. Wooyoung was a very frustrating person. He would come and try and have a civil conversation with me, genuinely curious about the way I lived on my own for three years, and then suddenly, like a switch was flipped inside of him, he’d start grinning like a Cheshire cat, and the teasing that followed was relentless and sometimes even offensive. He loved pointing out the fact that I was a princess, and how I had everything always handed to me, acting as if I didn’t live on my own for three years without anyone’s acknowledgement of my true identity. He loved to blabber on about whatever he was supposed to do on deck, something about adjusting the sails accordingly to Jongho’s instructions, whoever that was. And then, as any regular man, he loved to show off his skills and talents. Yesterday while struggling to eat my dinner, he randomly pulled out his sword from his sheathe and took a step back in order to be able to show off his swordplay, shouting at nothing and stabbing the air as if his enemy stood there. I couldn’t help but gape at him, rice almost falling out of my mouth, which was very not princess like, until Wooyoung looked at me with the proudest expression on his face, making me burst out laughing. It was loud and so very unlike the way I would usually laugh, the feeling freeing, the shrillness of my squeals foreign even to myself. In my chaotic laughing fit I even managed to almost choke on the unchewed food in my mouth. Realizing what I was doing, I quickly covered my mouth with my hand and tried to quiet down, but one look at Wooyoung’s face made me burst out in laughter once again, tummy aching, as he looked at me with utmost confusion, eyebrows furrowed, and one hand on his hip as his other held the sword.

“Why are you laughing?” He had genuinely sounded offended, and I hiccupped as I forced myself to gulp down the food.

“Because—” I had to take a deep breath before continuing, “what are you doing, Wooyoung? Is this what pirates do? Fling their swords around in the air at nothing?”

“I’m not flinging my sword at nothing!” Aggravation filled his voice as he stared at me wide eyed, “I’m—I’m practicing this new technique San showed me.”

He didn’t sound very convinced, and I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him amused, “Is that it? Are you sure you aren’t trying to impress the princess?”

“As if!” Wooyoung scoffed appalled, and placed his sword back in its sheathe, “That’s least of my concerns.”

I grinned as I tried to lift the fork to my mouth to eat some more, “Yeah, well, I grew up around Navy soldiers, pirate, a weapon doesn’t impresses me anymore.”

“I wasn’t trying to impress you.” Wooyoung quickly defended himself, raising his chin high, the front strands of his hair falling back. His hair was relatively long, it framed over his face. I hated to admit it, but it looked really good. It suited him. I didn’t realize I had started staring until Wooyoung’s eyes snapped onto me, quirking an eyebrow as a smirk slowly etched onto his lips. I sighed loudly before averting my eyes, pretending that I wasn’t openly admiring him, just staring at him in disdain. I ignored the flush of my cheeks, knowing well that if I acknowledged it, then I would become embarrassed and blush even more. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he could make me blush. I dug around in my food, hissing when the rope cut into the skin of my wrist, unable to grab the last pieces of my rice, slowly becoming frustrated. I didn’t notice Wooyoung creeping closer, smirk still present on his face, clearly enjoying my struggle. I really hated being tied up. There was no logic behind it. Where would I run? Up on deck and then do what? Jump into the sea? I wasn’t suicidal, but it seems like Wooyoung didn’t want to understand that I had no intentions of running away. Because I had nowhere to run to. I hadn’t accepted my fate yet; I wasn’t going back to my Kingdom and to my castle, to my mother, to be locked up for an eternity while I wait for my long-lost betrothed. I didn’t want to rule. I didn’t even want to see my mother. I had asked Wooyoung to release me twice already, but he just shook his head and walked off whistling, a pleased look on his irritating face, annoying me like there was no tomorrow. I groaned quietly when I realized I wouldn’t be able to eat the last bite of my dinner, and clumsily threw the fork onto the plate, creating a loud clattering sound. I wonder how these porcelain silverware don’t break on a, sometimes, violently rocking ship. I raised my head with a loud sigh and my eyes widened when I found Wooyoung barely inches away from my face. He raised his eyebrows as I flinched back, putting distance between our faces, his breath fanned over my cheeks. I did not want him that close to myself. When he wouldn’t move away, I glared and placed the plate on the bed next to me, balling up my hands into fists, ready to fight if he tried anything. I didn’t know him and despite him looking harmless he was still a man, and a pirate. All the tales I have heard about them were horrible, and suddenly I felt unsettled as all emotion disappeared from Wooyoung’s face and he looked all over my face, as if he was trying to memorize my features. I gulped, suddenly flustered, my own eyes running over his handsome face. I always thought pirates would be ugly and old. Nobody has ever told tales of young and handsome pirates who returned princesses to their kingdoms. Wasn’t there a price on their heads? What horrible things has Wooyoung done? Suddenly, Wooyoung tsked, and I watched as his eyebrows furrowed.

“I swear,” He mumbled, rubbing his chin, leaning uncomfortably close, “I feel like I have seen you before.”

My heart somersaulted in my chest for an unknown reason, and my eyes briefly glanced at his plush lips, before I looked back into his eyes. I hoped he hadn’t seen my slip up, because I had a feeling he would definitely mock me for it later. Wooyoung, however, didn’t look familiar to me. I was positive I have never seen him before; his name, on the other hand, sounded peculiarly familiar.

“Of course, you have seen me before, idiot.” I snapped, trying to ignore the rapid beats of my heart, “I’m a princess. There’s portraits of me, you know?”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes, and finally, stepped back, but still not far enough. Our knees were touching as I sat by the edge of the bed, looking up at him as he huffed loudly, “I’m not talking about the portraits, silly.”

“Are you saying we have seen each other in person before, then?” I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this peculiar thought of his. Where and how could we have seen each other before? It’s not like a pirate was often invited to join the socialite parties organized by the Queen herself. Unless Wooyoung wasn’t a pirate all his life. That thought made me gasp silently, and I allowed myself to look all over him again, eyes taking in his attire. Everything about his clothes screamed expensive and they looked fairly new. Not a speck of dust dirtied his outfit, and everything else looked exactly just like that on him, perfect. His buttons were all done, shirt tucked carefully inside his pants, and even the belt seemed to hang around his hips at a perfect angle. His hair, too, was styled and it seemed that he gelled it back in order to keep it out of his eyes. No dirt was smeared on his face nor clothes, and his stance seemed strong, shoulders pulled back, back painfully straight. I haven’t seen a pirate before, but this certainly wasn’t the way they looked. No matter how gentleman like they were.

“I doubt a princess like you roams places like the ones I do, so no, that’s impossible.” Wooyoung retorted, giving me a look which made it obvious that he thought I was dumb. My jaw clenched at his very subtle jab, but I just smiled at him sweetly, too sweetly.

“Unless you weren’t a pirate your whole life, Wooyoung, we might have crossed paths before then.” My sentence should’ve been laughed at, the thought quite out of place and nonsensical. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to be a pirate willingly. But the way Wooyoung’s body seemed to suddenly tense and eyebrows furrow was a reaction I did not expect. My eyes narrowed at him as he suddenly cleared his throat and stepped back, snatching the plate off the bed, “Do I happen to be right?”

Wooyoung didn’t answer straight away, just threw a glare my way before he grabbed the handle of his sword tightly. I eyed it as he scoffed, trying to play off the tense air around him, “A princess like you knows nothing, Y/N, stop being silly and shut up.”

“And a pirate like you wouldn’t be so defensive all of a sudden if I wasn’t right—”

“Ah, really, now.” Wooyoung cut me off with a smirk on his lips, again, leaning down to be eye level with me, “You just had to get mouthy when I was starting to debate whether to release you or not.”

My eyes widened as Wooyoung chuckled and ran for the door, just as my mouth opened, “Wooyoung! You nasty pirate, release me, right now!”

He was out the door before I could stop screaming at him, but he had the audacity to poke his head back inside with an amused look on his face, “You can’t command me around, I’m not one of your servants.”

“Yet you bring me everything I need, like a servant.” I fired back at it, a grin pulling onto my lips, the sudden anger disappearing for a few seconds, until Wooyoung slammed the door shut behind him without saying anything else. I let out a frustrated scream and trashed my legs around, until I registered the pain coming from my wrists, realizing I was straining the rope against the already damaged skin. My mother would kill me for turning up bruised after three years of not seeing me.

And I wished Wooyoung’s teasing stopped there, but it didn’t. The following day each time he came inside the room, he would somehow manage to pretend that he was going to release me, only to run away cackling as I just fell back against the hard mattress, biting my lip and blinking away the frustrated tears which threatened to fall. I did not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. It wasn’t worth it. In four more days I would be released, perhaps I could survive that much. Hopefully the rope wouldn’t create an actual wound against my fragile skin. It was somewhere around late evening, the light coming through the small window barely strong enough to light up the room I was held in. I figured it was Wooyoung’s room when he came to retrieve fresh clothes this morning, of course mocking me for not having escaped yet. Perhaps if the bounds weren’t so tight I might’ve done just that. I was sitting on the bed, back pressed against the wooden wall, sighing as I played with the pencil in my hand. I somehow convinced Wooyoung to hand me my sketchbook and a pencil, desperate to do something since I couldn’t sleep and stare out the small window all day long. But the light wasn’t enough anymore for me to see the lines I was creating, and my wrist was aching from drawing all day long. Suddenly, the door was slammed open and I jumped, tensing as I thought it was someone other than Wooyoung, but it was him. He was holding a lantern in his hand as he strutted inside while whistling, looking awfully happy and smug, as he cast me a glance from the corner of his eyes. I scoffed and stared up at the ceiling, refusing to look at him after he pretended to cut the ropes while I was eating lunch today. I did not appreciate his humorless jokes. Especially since he was mocking me with them.

“Enjoying the sunset, princess?” Hearing the title roll of his tongue so smoothly only irritated me furthermore, and I refused to answer as he placed the lantern on the desk. He brought that in just for me, actually. But I’d rather sit in darkness than be tied up. Wooyoung paused and placed his hands on his hips, looking at me expectantly.

“Not in the mood to talk? That’s new, you always have something to say.” I had to steel myself from rolling my eyes at him as he jutted his lips out in a disgusting pout. How was this man a pirate? Even if he were to threaten me with taking my life, I wouldn’t be able to take him seriously anymore.

“I see you’ve been drawing today.” He muttered, more to himself, as he approached the bed. He leaned one knee against the hard mattress and leaned forward, grabbing my sketchbook. I wanted to swat his hand away, but I didn’t react as I kept ignoring him. Perhaps he’d get bored of teasing me if I didn’t react any way and he’d go away.

“Oh,” Wooyoung’s eyebrows rose as he glanced at me, “have you seen our ship before?”

We made eye contact but I didn’t answer him as Wooyoung raised his eyebrows even more, waiting for my answer. But I remained unresponsive and he rolled his eyes, “Fine, don’t talk then. The drawing looks eerily similar to our ship, princess. That’s why I asked.”

He was quite dumb if he thought a princess like myself has seen a pirate ship before, let alone this one. Wooyoung dropped the sketchbook into my lap, lips pulled in a straight line as he remained leaning close to me.

“I was in a good mood before I came to visit you, what a pity.” Wooyoung sighed dramatically, eyebrows furrowing and mocking my voice suddenly, “I really thought of releasing you, but—your attitude needs some fixing so I’m giving you a lesson by not setting you free, understand?”

That was the last straw. The tone of his voice, the mocking and malice laced into it made my blood boil as my head whipped forward, face scrunched into a scowl. Before Wooyoung could even react, his proximity allowed for my left hand to smack against his cheek. Despite it being the back of my hand, the slap was strong and loud as Wooyoung jumped back with a loud cry, holding his reddening cheek. His eyes were rounded as he stared at me in shock, and I was breathing hard, glaring at him furiously. Nobody moved or said anything for a few seconds, and suddenly I heard hurried footsteps barreling down the hallway, headed our way. Thanks to Wooyoung leaving the door open, I watched as two men tumbled inside the room, eyes wide and hands on the handle of their swords as they looked around, assessing the situation. They both were tall, but the one on the left was taller, and his black hair was wavy. The man next to him had sharper features and his long hair was pulled into a half ponytail, his corset showing off his delicate curves. My mouth slightly dropped open at the sight, hardly believing that these two handsome men were pirates. But suddenly, the taller one looked at Wooyoung and burst out into loud laughter as Wooyoung whined with a childlike frown.

“Seonghwa!” He exclaimed like a little kid, making me look at him with wide eyes. Why did Wooyoung sound like he was about to tell on me to his mother?

“What are you two—” The taller man’s laughter boomed around us, it brought a smile on my own face, and Seonghwa, the ethereal looking man, seemed to throw him a subtle glare as he had to raise his voice in order to be heard. But Wooyoung left him no chance to speak.

“The princess whacked me—”

“You keep teasing me—”

“Because you’re entitled—”

“I’ve been living on my own for three years, for Heaven’s sake, how am I entitled—”

“You’re still a princess and you keep commanding me around—”

“So you keep mocking me that you’ll release me only to walk away?!” Wooyoung and I were screaming over each other at this point, silencing the taller man’s laughter too, and making Seonghwa look at us puzzled, “It hurts! My wrists are sore and I can’t feel my arms, Wooyoung!”

“Well—well—” Wooyoung went to scream back something, but all he did was open and close his mouth, eyebrows furrowed as he started rubbing his cheek. The tall man snorted loudly, but one look from Seonghwa quickly silenced him. He pinched the bridge of his nose before he cast me a glance, eyes softening for a second, only to turn into a glare as he looked back at Wooyoung.

“Wooyoung,” He started, voice steady and soft, “Why is the princess tied up?”

My head whipped back to Wooyoung as I waited for his answer, glare burning into his forehead as Wooyoung seemed to be avoiding looking at me. He gulped, but said nothing. The taller man had to bite his lower lip as his body started trembling, on the verge of another fit of laughter.

“Yunho.” Seonghwa snapped, “Stop it.”

“Sorry.” The man mumbled, barely, as he rubbed his stomach and jaw, eyebrows furrowing in a funny way.

“Wooyoung, I asked you a question.” Seonghwa said with a sigh and Wooyoung suddenly crossed his arms, looking like a child.

“I tied her up, because—” Wooyoung shrugged, licking his lips as he rolled his eyes, “I wanted to.”

“You bastard!” I snapped, glaring at him, making Yunho snicker until Seonghwa elbowed him in the stomach harshly.

“Untie her, now.” Seonghwa said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, looking at Wooyoung unimpressed. He looked like a parent who was scolding their mischievous child. Definitely didn’t fit the image I had of pirates in my head. But perhaps Seonghwa was a leaderlike figure, because Wooyoung grumbled quietly to himself, but grabbed a dagger from his boots, and looked at me with a glare. If it weren’t for already knowing Wooyoung, I perhaps would have been scared to have a pirate look at me like that with a weapon pointed my way, but all I could do was smirk at him. Wooyoung scoffed as he very slowly approached me, drawing out the action on purpose, taking his time in cutting the ropes as Seonghwa and Yunho watched. The later more amused as he kept giggling, making Seonghwa sigh until he had enough and pushed Yunho outside. I let out a sigh of contentment when the ropes were finally gone from my skin and stared at my bruised skin, hissing as I touched it. This would certain require some time to heal and it also wouldn’t be as painless as I had hoped, but at least I was free. Wooyoung said nothing as he stormed off, punching Yunho’s shoulder in the process when he walked past him, making the taller man burst out into laughter again as he followed after his fellow mate.

“I’m sorry for the discomfort caused, princess, but I had no idea Wooyoung was treating you like that.” Seonghwa’s voice was oddly soft and friendly as he stepped further inside, grabbing the rope and gathering it up in his hands. His words made it sound like Wooyoung was doing something very horrible to me and I had the sudden urge to clarify the situation.

“He didn’t hurt me,” I spoke up, looking at Seonghwa warily as he shook his head slightly, “and he fed me regularly, it’s just that—I was rather frustrated by his constant teasing. Hence why I reacted the way I did, I know it wasn’t particularly nice.”

Seonghwa suddenly chuckled and looked at me with an amused twinkle in his eyes, “You’re rather protective of your kidnapper and captor’s actions, princess.”

“I am not!” My response was too quick, it made Seonghwa chuckle. I looked away embarrassed, and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

“Well, then…” He cleared his throat and stepped back, pocketing the rope, “You’re free to do whatever you want while you’re on the ship, except jump into the water. I can assure you that we will not save you by sacrificing one of our own. Your mother wants you back safe and sound, princess, we’re not here to harm you, we’re here to collect the copious amount of payment.”

“You mean Wooyoung is? Since he was the one to find me…” My voice got small as Seonghwa hummed and headed towards the door.

“Indeed, Wooyoung is, but he’s nice enough to share it with his brothers.” Seonghwa grabbed the doorknob as he stepped outside, “I wish you a pleasant evening, princess.”

“You too, pirate.” I bowed my head as Seonghwa bowed his, and then he closed the door behind himself. I quickly jumped out of bed and stretched my legs and back, moaning at the pleasant feeling of my bones finally popping, and my muscles pulling. Wooyoung could’ve avoided all of this ruckus if he were nicer.

            I couldn’t have been more excited to finally breathe in fresh air, so, after breakfast I was already up on my feet and changing into a baby blue silk dress, one of my favorites’, which I had brought with myself from the castle. It screamed richness as the collar was decorated with royal opal stones and it missed its matching headpiece, my tiara. I didn’t have the heart to bring that with myself when I left, scared that it would be a giveaway of my origins. After all, the royal opal was a significant gemstone of the Oh family and of the Sun Rise Kingdom. Seonghwa had been kind enough to show me where the washroom was, a small chamber with a barrel inside, which served as a bathtub; it was rather horrifying, until I reminded myself that I was currently on a pirate ship. I couldn’t wrap my mind around having to live like this. Wooyoung, for once, seemed to be avoiding me as he brought me breakfast and left wordlessly or without even glancing my way. I was ready to put our little shenanigans past us and greet him a good morning, but he barely stepped inside and placed the tray of food on the end of the bed before he was already gone, shutting the door after himself roughly. If it wasn’t for Seonghwa coming to check up on me thirty minutes later, I perhaps would’ve burst out crying from having to sit all dirty and coped up in this annoying pirate’s room, which still smelled strongly of cologne. This was also peculiar, because when I started walking down the corridors, all kinds of smells invaded my nose, making me feel nauseous. For a pirate, Wooyoung oddly smelled like a prince. Gripping the skirt of my dress, I slightly lifted it so that I could climb up the stairs, headed towards the blinding sunlight. The salty air felt refreshing as I arrived onto the deck, the wind slightly stronger than it usually would be on the beach back in the village I lived at. The sky was crystal clear, no clouds decorating it, and the vast sea was a beautiful deep blue, glistening and foaming as the ship sailed smoothly. I had approached the railing and looked over it, marveling at the beauty around myself, never having seen such sight before. When I escaped from my kingdom I was forced to hide under the deck the whole ride, I didn’t have the opportunity to look at the sea. There was something very calming and beautiful about it, I loved sitting on the beach in the evenings and watching the sunset. Suddenly, my heart clenched when I realized I would no longer be able to do that, the city where the royal Oh family resided was a four-hour long carriage ride away from the beach, my mother would never allow me to travel back and forth.

“Careful, you might fall over.” A very deep voice suddenly spoke up next to me and I was startled as I stepped back from the railing, looking to my right. A friendly looking man stood next to me; his lips pulled into a small smile. His angelic features didn’t match his low voice at all. I smiled at him and bowed my head slightly.

“Seonghwa told me you wouldn’t rescue me if that happened.” I said with a chuckle and the man’s eyebrows furrowed.

“That is quite incorrect, we don’t leave one of our own behind.” The man said with conviction and glanced past me, eyes slightly narrowing. I followed his gaze and my eyes settled on Seonghwa, who was gripping the wheel and holding a binocular to his eye as he gazed out towards horizon.

“Perhaps he was trying to scare me, then.” I chuckled and looked back at Yeosang, offering him my hand, “My name is Y/N.”

“My name is Yeosang.” He took my hand, and to my surprise, swiftly pressed a kiss against it, slightly curtsying, “Pleasure to meet you, Princess Y/N.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I pulled my hand back, having not been treated with such respect in the past three years. The feeling was foreign, yet it felt right. I didn’t miss it, but for the first time I felt like someone on this ship truly respected me. Unlike with Wooyoung, I could see myself becoming fond of Yeosang. And then, suddenly, there was a quiet squeak behind him, and he slightly turned his head, a fond smile appearing on Yeosang’s lips as he looked down. My eyebrows furrowed, and I tried to look over his shoulder to see what he was looking at. Then his lips moved, but his voice was low and the crashing of waves completely overrode his words. I stood watching curiously as Yeosang nodded, and suddenly, a head popped out from behind his shoulder. My eyes instantly widened as I looked at the young girl, her sharp eyes wide with wonder and admiration as her eyes quickly stopped on my dress.

“This is Hana.” Yeosang’s hand suddenly gripped the girl’s, their fingers intertwined. She looked so small next to him, she was smaller than even myself, and I wasn’t a very tall woman, “She’s shy, but she wanted me to tell you that she adores your dress.”

My lips pulled up into a wide smile as I beamed at her, gripping the fabric of my dress, “Thank you, Hana! It is my favorite dress, actually.”

“You’re pretty too, Princess.” Hana’s voice was velvety and quiet, but I heard her. I bowed my head and her eyes widened as she quickly bowed back, seemingly not knowing how to react. She was wearing clothes like the rest of the pirates, albeit the shirt seemed too big for her frame, and a belt held the pants against her narrow hips. She looked a bit malnourished, but her cheeks were full of color despite her pale complexion.

“Thank you, Hana, you’re very lovely yourself.” Hana’s lips pulled up into a huge smile and her head turned quickly as she beamed up at Yeosang. The man’s attention seemed to be on her only, his ears-tinged red, as he nodded at Hana, a proud glint in his eyes. Hana’s cheeks were pink and she hid herself behind Yeosang, completely disappearing. It was endearing watching the two, watching how Yeosang’s built frame offered the girl protection, shielding her from unwanted eyes and any harm.

“She’s still learning how to accept compliments.” Yeosang explained and I nodded, not wanting to probe for a reason, nevertheless still curious. Yeosang placed his hands in his pockets and slightly bowed his head, “We’ll be on our way, Princess, we’re quite busy today. Taeri and I have collected some new herbs, and I’m excited to make a new tea I have learned not so long ago.”

Taeri. So there was one more woman on this ship besides Hana. It felt nice knowing that I wasn’t the only female surrounded by slimy pirates, although they proved to be quite the opposite of slimy. Yeosang’s comment caught my attention, however, people who knew how to use herbs to make teas were usually healers, “Excuse me, Yeosang, do you happen to be a healer?”

“I’m a doctor, actually.” He corrected and I let out a sigh of relief before I slightly pulled the sleeve of my dress up on my left arm. Yeosang’s eyes fell onto my wrist, eyebrows furrowing when he saw the red skin and dark bruises, “That isn’t good. It hurts, right?”

I nodded wordlessly and noticed Hana just barely poking her head over Yeosang’s shoulder, standing on her tip toes, but she quickly cringed away when she saw the bruises. They didn’t even look that bad, but perhaps she had a reason why she reacted that way.

“I will stop by after lunch with some ointment and a tea, you’re staying in Wooyoung’s room, right?” Yeosang asked with a smile and I nodded with a long sigh, making Yeosang chuckle, “Well, then you’re never bored.”

“I wish I was.” I muttered as Yeosang and Hana passed by me, Hana slightly waving at me before hiding her face in Yeosang’s back. I chuckled and smiled after them, the scent of freesias’ strong as they passed by. I watched the two as they disappeared below deck, Hana bouncing off the stairs more freely when it was just the two of them. I couldn’t help but feel happy that nice people were present on this ship and that I felt like I was welcomed here. As I looked around, I noticed Seonghwa had abandoned his post and was leaning against the railing of the quarterdeck, nodding his head in acknowledgment as we made eye contact. Another man had taken his place at the wheel, significantly shorter than Seonghwa, and with eyes sharper, and an aura which screamed dominance. His hair was blonde and the back strands had reached his shoulders, a black cloth was wrapped around tightly over his shirt on his right bicep. It didn’t take long to realize he was the Captain. I sighed, and turned around, realizing that I still didn’t have much to do. I was free, but still captive in some way and since I was a princess on a pirate ship, I really couldn’t do anything else than stay in Wooyoung’s room all day long and come up on deck for some fresh air from time to time. And perhaps that was the smartest choice, because as I decided to head downstairs, I caught the eyes of some older looking pirates, which looked just like I had imagined them. They were leaning against some barrels, sharpening their knives and daggers as their eyes followed every movement of mine. I gulped and hugged myself around my middle as I straightened my back; a princess never shows weakness. The pirates chuckled, seemingly amused by my actions, and I held my chin higher as I went to take off, only for my upper arm to be gripped and slightly pulled back. The stench hit me first, before I could even turn around, and I yelped once I came face to face with a very old pirate who looked like, and smelled like, he hadn’t had a bath in years. One of his eye was fully white and his beard awfully outgrown, clothes ragged, and a stain on his cheek which I could only hope was some sort of oil.

“Royal flesh on the ship—” The pirate spat on the floor and I gasped, taking a step back but his grip on me didn’t allow for me to go too far, “Flaunting ye wealth while we rot away. Shark food is what ye are, rat. I might push ye over—”

“Easy, mate,” I never heard him approaching us, let alone unsheathing his sword, but it was pressing against the old pirate’s Adam’s Apple in a blink, “Don’t play with something that isn’t yours. Release her, now.”

“Claimed her as yers, eh?” The old pirate grinned sickly and a few of his teeth were missing, eyes twinkling as he looked Wooyoung in the eyes. I tugged on my arm, but the man’s grip wasn’t easing up just yet.

“The Princess is mine, mate, and I don’t like it when someone touches what’s mine.” Wooyoung’s voice dropped dangerously low and my eyes widened as I looked at him, his glare on the man menacing. The old pirate just laughed, a throaty and hoarse sound, before suddenly his grip was gone as Wooyoung’s sword was swiftly raised in the air, coming down towards the man’s wrist. The old pirate yelled and jumped backwards, clutching his unharmed wrist to his chest, eyes crazed and wide as he stared at Wooyoung, “Go tell your old little friends that if anyone touches the Princess their hands won’t be no more. Both hands.”

“The Captain will hear about this—”

“And he’ll do nothing about it,” Wooyoung smirked smugly as he pressed the sword against the wooden floor, leaning his weight against it as his hands rested on top of the handle, “I’m sharing the prize with him, do you think he won’t side with me?”

“Royal scum.” The old pirate spat and wobbled off, his comment making Wooyoung laugh as he placed his sword back onto its sheathe. I watched as the old man joined the pirates who had been previously eyeing me hungrily and spoke furiously to them, probably recounting what happened just seconds ago. Wooyoung looked at me for the first time today, and I couldn’t help but let out a shuddered breath. I wasn’t so safe on this ship, after all, and not all pirates were like Wooyoung. Or like Seonghwa, Yunho, and Yeosang. I subconsciously rubbed my wrist, wincing at the pain; I had forgotten they were bruised. Wooyoung’s eyes followed my actions and he gulped when I showed signs of pain, but didn’t speak up.

“Thank you for that.” I said quietly, suddenly feeling shy as I looked away. Wooyoung hummed and rubbed the back of his head, patting his sleeveless tank top down. His clothes seemed to be fresh once again. How did a pirate constantly wear a new set of clothes, wardrobe never seeming to empty out? Did they even have that much money? Why did the pirate say royal scum? Did he refer to me? Then why did he say it to Wooyoung? My eyebrows furrowed as I looked back at Wooyoung, who seemed rather modest despite helping me out. I thought he’d be smugger about it.

“No need to thank me, it’s the least I could do.” He shrugged and cleared his throat, “Uh, you’re—you’re not mine, I just had to make sure that man wouldn’t bother you anymore. Pirates tend to be…more possessive of what’s theirs so, uhm, by saying you’re mine I made it clear that if he touched you he’d be facing punishment.”

I could’ve sworn Wooyoung was blushing, but he turned his head around, pretending to be looking for someone as his eyes searched the deck. I appreciated his explanation, but for some weird reason I didn’t find it infuriating that he pretended to claim me. By no means was I an object to be claimed, but the way he said it…it felt different. Like it meant more than just a simple claim. Before my thoughts could steal me away from reality, a man called out for Wooyoung.

“Stop flirting with the Princess and bring your ass over here!” It was Yunho, and he was standing next to a man I hadn’t met yet, but he was glaring at the arm Yunho had slung over his shoulders before he went and brushed it off, “Jongho is upset again, you overslept and didn’t do your duties.”

Wooyoung groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose as he glanced back at me, “Sorry, princess, but I have to tend to my real duties now.”

I couldn’t help but allow a smirk to sneak onto my lips, “So, you do admit that the other day you were just trying to impress me if whatever you’re about to do is your real purpose on this ship.”

“Yeah, I—what?!” Wooyoung exclaimed appalled and his eyebrows furrowed, “I wasn’t trying to impress you, stop making things seem like something they aren’t!”

“But you just almost confessed to it.” I smiled sneakily and Wooyoung groaned.

“Go have a beauty sleep, princess, you look like you need one.” I gasped, but before I could throw an insult back at Wooyoung, he ran off to Yunho and Jongho, I assume, getting tackled into a headlock by the man I wasn’t familiar with yet. I held my chin high and turned around, storming down the stairs and towards Wooyoung’s room, knowing that he stored a mirror in one of his drawers, eager to see whatever he was talking about. There was no way I didn’t look spectacular today, I made sure there were no signs that I barely got a wink of sleep since I had gotten onto the ship. Outrageous. Wooyoung was so annoying.

            Another day had gone by fast without much happening on the ship. Wooyoung was busy with that Jongho pirate, apparently he had been slacking off lately and the Captain had summoned him this morning, asking for an explanation. When Wooyoung didn’t show up with breakfast, I thought about wandering around in search for the kitchen, but Seonghwa beat me to it as he brought me breakfast and let me know that I might be seeing less of Wooyoung the following days. I didn’t mind, in fact, I was grateful that he wouldn’t chew off my ears anymore; at least now I had a little bit of peace of mind before we reached my Kingdom and castle. It gave me time to figure out a plan which would help me escape my mother once again. I knew she’d hate me and probably exile me from the Kingdom, but it’s exactly what I wanted. To get rid of my royal duties as next in line to the throne. I didn’t want to rule in a place which felt like a prison, in a place which wasn’t complete without its King, and in a place where I would never be taken seriously. All of my mother’s advisors dislike me, and had always been against me inheriting the throne, always encouraging my mother to try for another baby in hopes of it being a boy so that he’d bear the crown. But my mother didn’t want another child as her labor was difficult with me and she almost lost her life in the process of giving birth. I was her only hope, and despite that, all I kept doing was disappoint her. I should’ve felt bad about it, but I stopped caring when she started becoming more and more demanding and pressuring. Perhaps if I could somehow convince her that I was back for good and intended on staying, that I have matured and grown to regret my decision, I would earn her trust again, after all I am her only child, then perhaps she’ll crown me and unknowingly fall into my trap. She’d willingly and legally hand over all the fortune which I would run away with later, once I have ruled for enough time to get everyone off my back. But for that…I need someone on my side, someone who would help me. But who would be that person? I didn’t know many people who would do that for me, let alone whom I trusted enough to tell the plan to. Perhaps…would a pirate be interested in playing along with me if I promised enough gold in return for their services?

That was a question I didn’t know the answer to, and I sighed as I glanced back up at the horizon, sky coated in dark shades of pink mixed with purple and a little bit of orange. The sun was setting, creating a beautiful landscape as the ship swayed gently side to side. A few clouds decorated the sky here and there, promising a storm free night. The breeze was gentle as I sat by the railing, feet pushed through the gaps and dangling off the side of the ship as I swayed my legs from time to time, trying to avoid numbness in them. My right hand held my sketchbook as I held a dark blue crayon in my left hand, drawing out the waves onto my drawing. A few more colored crayons sat carefully by my thigh as I made sure they wouldn’t roll away; my heart would break if I lost any colors. I couldn’t live without painting or drawing; it was the one thing I couldn’t leave behind alongside with my title.

The setting was peaceful, and I enjoyed the fresh air and solitude for as long as I could, no pirate in sight as the deck was empty. I thought they never left the deck unsupervised, but perhaps so far out in the sea there were no dangers of other people showing up. Or perhaps these pirates were just confident about their combat skills and they didn’t have to be on the lookout at all time. However, the girl sitting next to me was so quiet, that I completely forgot about her existence if it weren’t for her sneezing, making me jump. My eyes widened as I turned my head and looked at the petite girl, her cheeks rosy as she looked away embarrassed. She has been sitting by my side for the past hour, not saying a word, just watching my drawing. She looked curious as her wide eyes watched carefully each swipe of my hand, her fingers sometimes itching as she reached out, only to sit back and place her hands underneath her thighs. I didn’t know if she whether wanted to be acknowledged or not, so I remained silent, and allowed her the choice to speak up or remain silent. She seemed content in my presence, and it made me smile to myself as she gasped when I created ripples in the water on my sketchbook, leaning forward on her hands as she pocked her head closer.

“Are you feeling cold, Hana?” I asked as I stopped drawing, looking at the younger girl. She jumped and quickly leaned back; cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Her nose was red and she had started sniffing as she sneezed again. When Hana realized I wouldn’t continue drawing until she gave me an answer, she quickly shook her head no. I nodded, but decided to take off my shawl from around my shoulders, and hand it over to her. Hana eyed the piece of clothing curiously, reluctantly taking it, “You keep sneezing, wear it, so you don’t catch a flu.”

“Oh, Princess—” Her eyes widened as she bowed her head deeply, her hands clenched, “I really shouldn’t—”

“You most certainly should, Hana,” I chuckled and placed the shawl on her lap, “I insist. Besides, I’m sure Yeosang would be rather worried if you suddenly were to become sick.”

“I’d rather not have him worried about me again…” Hana whispered and quickly wrapped the shawl around her shoulders, the orange fabric complementing her skin tone. I hummed and went back to drawing, the late evening breeze was colder, and it made goosebumps erupt on my skin. I should follow my own advice, and head back to Wooyoung’s room soon, get ready for bed and dinner. It wouldn’t be long until he’d bring me dinner, perhaps I still had time to quickly wash up. I watched from the corner of my eyes as Hana followed each movement of my hands with her eyes, lips opened in awe, looking like she was trying to memorize each line I was drawing.

“Tell me, Hana,” I spoke up as I grabbed the orange crayon, “Do you happen to enjoy drawing?”

Her eyes widened and she nodded eagerly, her lips pulled into a wide smile, “I do, Princess! I have made a few sketches myself ever since Yeosang gifted me some canvas and pencils.”

“I actually prefer to paint, but I think the pirates would’ve been outraged if I brought my whole equipment up here.” I rolled my eyes and Hana chuckled, hiding her blush with the shawl.

“Some of them are actually really nice, and Taeri is very helpful and attentive—” Hana abruptly looked away, it looked like she was about to cry, “they take good care of you here, it’s weird. I bet you expected them to be barbarians, Princess, and yet sometimes these men act like little children.”

I laughed quietly and nodded, thoughts straying to Wooyoung. He definitely didn’t act like a pirate, his antics resembling that of a spoiled little child. Taeri I have met earlier today, when she came to Wooyoung’s room, asking if I needed anything or if Wooyoung was bothering me in any way. She had a very motherly aura as we conversed, and I was surprised to find out that she had been living on the ship for ten years now, a pirate herself. Before our conversation could stray to the reason why I ran away from home, Yunho came looking for her, boyish grin on his lips as Taeri told him she’d be joining him in a second. Apparently, they had to check out the supply room, making sure we had enough of everything until we reached land. As I went to close the door after Taeri and Yunho’s departure, I caught a glimpse of Yunho pressing his lips against Taeri’s neck, pushing her down the corner as they disappeared from sight. I closed the door with a shake of my head, wondering if Wooyoung had anyone like Taeri in his life. The thought was sudden and surprising, and before I could dwell more on it, I quickly shook my head and went to dig through my briefcases, searching for something which would keep me warm if I went up on the deck.

“They certainly left an impression on me,” I said with a chuckle, making Hana nod, “but I can’t help feel resignment towards them, especially Wooyoung. He’s the one who captured me, and he is the reason why I’ll be seeing my mother in just a few days—”

“But being a princess must be so nice, I can’t find a reason why I would run away if I was in your place, Princess.” Hana cut me off, words tumbling out of her mouth eagerly, as her eyebrows were furrowed. I hummed and looked off in the distance, eyes unfocused as my grip loosened on my sketchbook. Yes, perhaps, this is how outsiders think of a privileged life. They don’t really have a chance to find out about our hardships, and even then, are we allowed to whine and complain? Are we allowed to wallow in desperation when other people have it so much harder? When other people barely have anything, and are fighting to survive day to day, meanwhile I cry myself to sleep because my mother wouldn’t allow me to paint unless I have attended my etiquette class? As I turned to look at the girl next to me, I couldn’t help but wonder about what her life was like. Wonder what her biggest worries and fears were, anything which would take my head out of the gutter and ground me back to reality. Here I was, on the verge of throwing a fit about not wanting to return home, when the girl next to me seemed to jump at any loud sounds, seemed to become smaller when a man came into sight, seemed to hesitate every time she spoke up, seemed to have scars peeking out from underneath her long sleeves. She was pure and innocent yet the look in her eyes made her look older, tired, and horrified of the world around her, as if she’s seen horrors nobody else has. I didn’t have it in me to tell her the reason why I didn’t want to return home, it felt like I would be making fun of her, taunting her even, so, instead I dodged her question as best as I could.

“Please, call me just Y/N,” I smiled at her and watched as her cheeks turned pink, “I haven’t been a proper princess for three years, it doesn’t feel right.”

“Oh, alright, I shall do that—” Hana seemed to struggle for a second until she ducked her head and whispered, “Y/N.”

I smiled fondly at her and nodded, looking down at my almost finished drawing. The sun had almost disappeared and the air has turned cold, making me shiver. I grabbed a purple crayon and quickly finished the sketch, bringing it up to my eyes, making sure it was finished. I could see Hana lean closer, wide eyes filled with curiosity as I turned towards her and handed her the sketchbook. She looked surprised, but eager as she took it from my hands, staring at the sketch in awe. Her small fingers delicately traced the same lines I had done minutes ago, eyebrows furrowed as she examined my technique.

“It’s for you, Hana, you can keep the drawing.” I found myself saying, taken aback when Hana looked at me with tearful eyes. She was smiling still, but she looked overwhelmed. I didn’t know what to do or say, taken aback by her reaction, so I settled for, “It’s a gift, so you can’t refuse it.”

It made Hana cry and my eyes widened as I panicked, thinking that I have said something wrong, but she quickly clutched the sketchbook to her chest, and smiled so widely her cheeks must have hurt, “Nobody has ever given me a gift so beautiful!”

I felt my heart warm at her words and I chuckled, leaning forward to wipe a tear off her cheek, “Don’t cry, Hana, your eyes will be puffy in the morning.”

She giggled and wiped her tears away quickly, bowing her head in thankfulness, “Thank you, Princess Y/N.”

“You said you only had pencils?” I raised my eyebrows as I grabbed the crayons from next to me. Hana nodded as she carefully ripped the page I have gifted to her out of the sketchbook before she handed it back to me. I took the sketchbook and grabbed her wrist, turning her palm, “Take the crayons too. The world would be so grim without colors, I’m sure your drawings will look even prettier with them.”

I placed the crayons in her palm and Hana gasped, gaping at me as I stood up and dusted off the skirt of my dress, bringing my arms around myself in order to try and warm up. Hana scrambled to her feet, and having noticed that I was feeling cold, she went to hand back the shawl, but I stopped her with a raise of my hand, “Keep it, I have plenty of shawls like that one.”

“Oh, Princess—” She brought a hand to her mouth as her lower lip trembled and I just chuckled, feeling slightly concerned. What has happened to this girl before that she was reacting in such way? I’ve never seen anyone so overwhelmed at the simple action such as receiving gifts, “I am so grateful! Thank you so much! I don’t—I don’t even know how to repay you—actually! Come join us for dinner tonight…Ara will sing for us, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Her voice is so pretty, and she’ll be so happy to sing for a Princess like you, Y/N.”

“There’s another girl on the ship?” I asked surprised, eyebrows raising as Hana grabbed my arm softly, and started pulling me towards the stairs.

“Yes, but she rarely leaves her room. She’s—” Hana stiffened for a second, I wouldn’t have caught it if she didn’t stop walking, “San doesn’t like letting her out of his sight, he’s—Would you like to meet Ara before dinner?”

I listened to Hana with furrowed eyebrows, taking in the new information, slightly confused about who San was. Wooyoung mentioned him once briefly, something about learning something from him, but I haven’t seen the man yet. I hadn’t even known there was another woman on the ship, nobody ever talked about her, it was peculiar. But Hana seemed very eager, and so I nodded, not wanting to ruin her good mood as she pulled me after herself, leading us underneath deck. She turned to the left and walked down the corridor, we passed by four doors, until she suddenly stopped walking. I almost ran into her, but noticed in time. Hana was suddenly tense, and I looked down at her, eyebrows raised, but she quickly let go of me and pressed herself up against the wall.

“Her room is the last on the left—” A loud crashing sound echoed down the corridor and Hana sucked in a deep breath, “I—I can’t go closer, I’m sorry, I should walk you there, but I—”

“It’s fine, Hana.” I stopped her rambling, offering her a comforting smile. Hana gulped loudly and nodded, looking down at the floor, “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

She nodded quietly and slipped past me, figure tense, “I’ll see you at dinner then, Y/N. Thank you for the gifts.”

“Of course, I’ll see you later then.” I bowed my head back as Hana curtsied, and turned back towards the end of the corridor, wondering why Hana wouldn’t walk me to Ara’s door. I thought she would like to see the girl, but perhaps I was wrong. I sighed and took off again, but the closer I got, the louder the voices were from one room. As I came face to face with the door Hana told me about, the mentioned voices seemed to come from inside, loud and angry. It was mainly a male voice, shouting about something he didn’t care about as he claimed that it was his job and nobody could stop him from doing it, and then, a shrill feminine voice shouting back that he couldn’t do this, that he was hurting people and ruining lives. I gulped and was about to walk away when the feminine voice shouted for the man to get out, and suddenly, the door was ripped open and I found myself face to face with a fuming man, who’s sharp eyes looked like they could kill anyone if he stared at them long enough. His chest was heaving, jaw clenched as he took me in. I glanced behind him and found a shorter girl, crying, as her big brown eyes stared back at me. Why were all the girls crying here? Suddenly, the man hissed, and I straightened my back, giving him a glare.

“What do you want?” He snapped, glaring me down.

“Is that Ara?” I asked as I glanced at the girl again, who was quick to wipe her tears away and pat her short hair down.

“What do you want from her?” The man now blocked my path, chest puffed out and stare pinning me to my place. But that wouldn’t work on me, I have been facing scarier looking men compared to him since a young age.

“I would like to talk to her—”

“No, walk along now—” The man didn’t even let me finish my sentence as he cut me off, nose flaring as he became angrier. Perhaps this person was San, Hana did say he never let Ara out of his sight.

“I am here,” I was the one to cut off his words now, taking a step closer as we stared each other down, “to talk to Ara. Whether you like that or not, it will happen, pirate. Step aside.”

The man scoffed and narrowed his eyes at me, sneering, “We aren’t in your fucking palace, Princess, you won’t command me around. Do you even know who I am?”

I chuckled, crossing my arms in front of my chest, “Do I have to know? Clearly, you are a very overbearing person who’s getting on my nerves right now. You should do what I ask while I’m being nice, pirate.”

“Listen here, spoiled brat—”

“That is not how you talk to a Princess!” Ara shrieked and before the man or I could react, she was by his side, pulling him away from me. I watched the two with narrowed eyes, glaring at the man as he scoffed, but looked at Ara when she grabbed his bicep, “San, treat her with respect, she’s royalty. The next Queen.”

“I don’t give a fuck about who she is.” He chuckled, but it was humorless. Ara bit her lower lip and spare me a quick glance before she took a deep breath.

“San, please—”

“I said no, Ara, you’re not going with her.” San snapped, and shook Ara’s grip off himself, “So that she can feed more bullshit into your head?! Like Taeri has? No, Ara. Get lost, Princess.”

San’s eyes snapped onto me, glaring as he went to slam the door in my face, but before I could react, Ara was stood in front of him, standing in the doorway, and not allowing him to close it. I watched with furrowed eyebrows as Ara grabbed San’s cheeks and brought their foreheads together. San’s body grew tense and his jaw clenched as the girl clung onto him.

“Please,” Ara’s voice was barely over a whisper, I strained my ears to hear her words, “I—I will stop. Everything. San, please, let me walk with her. No more Taeri, I will never talk to her again, I promise just—let me talk to the Princess. It’s my only chance to be around royalty, you know that.”

San swiftly grabbed Ara’s nape, leaning slightly down so that they would be eye to eye. He raised his right hand and pointed his forefinger at the woman, “You better keep your word, angel, or else you will regret it.”

Ara nodded wordlessly and after an uncomfortable moment of silence, San released her and stepped back, sharp eyes falling on me. His demeanor seemed to change, he almost looked calm, almost. He pointed his finger at me, “You have twenty minutes with her.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes as I grabbed Ara and pulled her out of the room, slamming the door after ourselves. My blood was boiling as I took a deep breath, trying to assess the situation and the relationship these two seemed to have. Ara was an anxious mess next to me as she fidgeted with her fingers and when I glanced at her, she gasped.

“I am so sorry, Princess, he shouldn’t have treated you like that nor spoken to you like that! San has issues controlling his temper, I can assure you that he didn’t mean any of that—” I placed a hand over Ara’s shoulder, she quickly averted her eyes.

“Do not apologize for him, Ara, and do not defend him when he behaves like that with you. He meant everything he said, no need to try and turn his words around.” I couldn’t help but feel aggravated as Ara chewed on her lower lip, suddenly bowing deeply.

“I apologize profusely, Princess, this is certainly not the way I hoped to see you for the first time—” She suddenly sniffed and my heart clenched, “I am so embarrassed right now, I can’t even put it into words.”

I sighed and grabbed Ara’s hand, making her stand up straight. I offered her a small soft smile, raising her chin up as her eyes were filled with tears, “Your actions are admirable as many would’ve cowered in front of him. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Let us walk then…”

Ara forced a smile onto her face as she stood next to me, and we took down the corridor. I had no idea where we could walk to, but perhaps going to Wooyoung’s room for starters was a good idea. If she didn’t leave her room often, I didn’t know if bringing her on the deck was too smart, maybe it would make San leash out on her again, and I didn’t want that to happen.

“My name is Y/N, Hana told me you would be singing after dinner tonight?” I spoke up when the air was filled with tension. Ara’s shoulders were suddenly pulled back, her demeanor changing scarily fast, as a very charming smile appeared on her lips.

“Yes, Princess Y/N, I shall be your entertainer tonight, my name is Im Ara.” She curtsied quickly and I chuckled, intrigued by her change of character.

“Have you entertained aristocrats or royalty before?” I asked curiously, her attitude way too professional. It certainly didn’t seem like this would be her first time speaking to important people.

“You would be the first one, Princess Y/N.” Ara bowed her head slightly and I looked at her surprised as we reached Wooyoung’s room. It was on the other end of the corridor from San’s room.

“What is an entertainer and a beautiful lady like you doing on a pirate ship?” I asked, genuinely curious, as I pushed Wooyoung’s door open, the room empty. He was always absent before dinner, I wondered where he disappeared to every day. Ara seemed to tense because of my question as I led her inside, suddenly embarrassed about the mess in the room. My things were thrown all around the room, dresses falling out of the briefcases messily, and my paintings were laying around on the floor. Ara took in the sight surprised, but when we made eye contact she quickly masked it with a pleasant smile and placed her hands behind her back.

“I was kidnapped by San.” The look on her face didn’t match her words, and my eyebrows furrowed as I stared at Ara, waiting for her to tell me the real reason. But when she just continued staring at me with an emotionless smile on her face, my stomach dropped.

“He—you what?” I asked shocked, and Ara’s smile fell as her face turned solemn.

“I was walking home from the Inn I worked at one night. My boss warned me that Ateez were in town, but I thought I was safe, that nothing would happen to me. That’s when San kidnapped me to sell me off to a wealthy man, but as you can see…I had the misfortune of staying with him—”

“This is horrible!” I gasped as I placed a hand over my mouth, watching her in horror as Ara seemed unaffected by whatever she was saying. Like she had accepted her fate.

“I begged him to let me stay with him, I wanted this,” She sighed, her shoulders slouching forward, “Trust me, Princess, staying here and living with him is a lot better than whatever fate was waiting for me once I was sold.”

I shuddered just at the thought of getting sold off by someone, “Does he do this often?”

Ara chuckled humorlessly, “It’s one of the many businesses he gets by, we were just arguing about it earlier before you came. I don’t understand why I bother to try to change his mind, it’s fruitless. But I—I can’t just stand by and watch as he ruins so many lives—not when I went through that. Not when I know the kind of thoughts which cross your mind during those moments, the dread which fills your body, the despair and uncertainty of what will happen to you. I have to stop him, Princess, I’m trying so hard, but he’s—too strong. He holds too much power, and he doesn’t care at all about the consequences of his actions.”

“He seems to care, since he gave in so quickly to you.” I muttered and Ara shook her head sadly.

“He only gave in because he got something out of it.” I gulped at Ara’s words, feeling the weight of them.

“Will you—stop? What you were doing before, whatever that is?” I inquired quietly, and suddenly there was a glint in Ara’s eyes, but she quickly masked it as she frowned, looking around with fake sadness etched onto her face.

“It’s best if I don’t bother a Princess with such topics, isn’t it?” I smiled, understanding the hidden message in her words, and hummed, looking around, eyes falling on my gowns. I looked back at Ara, noticing her gaze on the gowns too. I smiled and walked up to the briefcase, picking up a beige colored cotton gown, glittering golden like stripes decorating the long sleeves of it. Ara’s eyes widened as she stared at it longingly. I let my eyes run over her form before I looked down at the gown, mentally comparing her frame to my gown. She was slightly taller than me, but seemed to be around the same dimensions as myself, so, with a big smile I extended the gown towards her. Ara’s eyes widened as she looked at me, taking a step back taken aback.

“What—what are you doing, Princess?” She asked alarmed. I chuckled and approached her, pulling her hands from behind her back.

“The entertainer must look stellar when on stage, especially if they have a Princess in their audience.” Ara’s eyes widened as she grabbed the gown, hugging it to her chest, “I think it will fit you nicely, Ara.”

“Thank you, my Princess,” Ara bowed her head deeply, beaming with happiness, “I will forever be grateful and indebted to you.”

“Oh, well,” I chuckled and waved her words off, “you could start by simply calling me Y/N, and I suppose your debt would instantly disappear.”

“I could never do that, Princess!” She gasped and watched me as if I had two heads, “You deserve respect and to be properly addressed to.”

I chuckled and pretended to think, “Well in that case, keep the gown. It’ll show just how grateful you are.”

Ara’s eyes widened and she bowed again, making me bow back, alarming her as she quickly pushed me to stand up straight. I giggled and Ara huffed, as if I had been a disobedient child antagonizing her. She seemed lovely and very well mannered.

“I shall go and get ready, I look forward to seeing you later, Princess.” Ara curtsied and I nodded with a smile, waving at her as she left the room. As I went to close the door after her, I heard a high-pitched squeal echo down the corridor, making me chuckle to myself as I debated whether I should wear or not a representative dress of the Oh family to make Ara even happier.

            I didn’t want to out dress Ara as I had given one of my most beautiful gowns to her, but I knew she would absolutely love seeing me in the Oh family’s colors, therefore I chose to wear a dress which has been passed down for generations. It was a cotton dress, dark blue with silver highlights and a belt decorated with royal opals. The dress was heavy and different from the gowns in our times, but it always had a special place in my heart. I couldn’t leave it at the castle, secretly hoping that I would have a reason to wear it at least once. And Ara offered me just that chance, making me feel excited as I pulled the front strands of my hair back and tied them into a braid. The dress was warm and I was thankful as I had been feeling rather cold since coming back downstairs, the fabric sitting snugly against my body. Once I was ready, I left the room and searched for the kitchen a little confused, each room’s door was closed on this corridor and no loud chatter came from the insides. Pirates wouldn’t be so quiet at dinner, right? And then, just as I was about to give up, I remembered the corner Taeri and Yunho rounded yesterday, and I headed towards it, finding a new set of stairs leading downstairs. I grabbed the skirt of the dress and raised it above my ankles as I carefully made my way downstairs, finding less doors on this hallway. And just as I took off towards the right, the louder chatter I expected echoed down the hallway, a cacophony of sounds as I couldn’t make out one comprehensible word. The door was closed, yet it wouldn’t make much difference if it wasn’t, in my opinion. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, pulling my shoulders back as I exhaled. I knew everyone would be staring at me, especially when I was wearing such a dress screaming of my origins and wealth. I had to remind myself that I was doing this for Ara, that thought would stop me from running back to Wooyoung’s room. The woman seemed so sad and tired, I felt like this was the least I could do to cheer her up. She held so much respect and admiration for me as we talked, my heart would break if I were to disappoint her. So, masking all emotions from my face, I placed my hands in front of me and straightened my back as I pushed the door open, pretending that I was walking inside the throne room during one of my mother’s extravagant balls. You don’t look at anyone, you don’t make any faces. You can’t hear and you can’t see. You focus on how you walk and hold your chin high, shoulders pulled back. Your one and only mission is to reach your chair next to your mother. These were the words I was taught in etiquette class, I never thought I would have to actually remind them to myself. Especially not on a ship infested with pirates.

As I stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind me, startling me, but I didn’t react. The chatter continued for another split second, until the vast kitchen went completely silent, all eyes on me. My blood froze over and suddenly I started sweating as all the pirates stared at me, some openly gawking. I didn’t know where to sit. I didn’t even know if I was welcomed here. The older pirates watched me as if I were a prize, something they could play with until they got bored of. It made my skin crawl as I stepped further inside, eyes sweeping over the long table. There weren’t many vacant places, and I noticed Wooyoung’s absence from it. Where was he if he wasn’t having dinner? Seonghwa had a pleasant smile on his lips as he nodded briefly in acknowledgment, however, the cat-like eyed man next to him didn’t look too pleased as he took in my attire. He was the Captain. Hana was nestled close into Yeosang’s side as she sat in between him and Taeri, who’s lips were pulled into a huge smile as she stared at my dress. Yunho was grinning as he nudged the man sitting next to himself, who’s mouth had fallen open at the sight of me, and I could see the rice he still hadn’t chewed, making me scrunch up my nose in disgust. He quickly closed his mouth and looked away embarrassed, pressing a ring clad hand against his face in an attempt to hide himself from my eyes. I almost chuckled as Yunho started whispering something to him, making the man’s eyebrows furrow as he elbowed him. I noticed San wasn’t here, nor was Ara. Would she not sing tonight? Did I mess up by interfering with their fight and by giving her the gown? My heart beat picked up as anxiety coursed through my veins; perhaps coming here was a mistake. And then, suddenly, I heard dishes clanking loudly, and suddenly, Wooyoung’s head popped into view as he gaped at me blatantly. He threw his hands out and gesticulated towards my body, face scrunched up in shock and mild disgust.

“What are you wearing?!” He asked alarmed, eyes taking in the ancient piece of clothing, “What if food gets on it?! That’s anci—”

My eyebrows furrowed as Wooyoung sharply sucked in a breath, cutting himself off. He seemed dumbfounded by his own reaction as he gulped loudly, adjusting his shirt all of a sudden as he averted his eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him and stepped closer, his words replaying in my mind. Did he just recognize my dress? Of course, it wasn’t hard to recognize when it screamed of royalty status, but those who weren’t in close contact with the royal families wouldn’t know the real meaning of it, or the ancestry of it. Royalty were taught about each other’s emblems and relics, family heirlooms, and anything which was representative of their family’s name. Unless Wooyoung was seriously invested with royal families stories, he had no reason knowing about the origins of my dress. He couldn’t have so easily recognized it as if it was burned into his memory. Suddenly, someone from the table cleared their throat and spoke up.

“Wooyoung, your food will get cold, come sit and eat,” It was Seonghwa, voice pleasant as he gestured towards the empty seat from across him, “You too, Princess.”

“Thank you, Seonghwa.” I bowed my head and he smiled pleasantly as he glanced around the table, throwing a glare at the pirates who haven’t stop staring, making them quickly avert their eyes. The Captain just sighed loudly and shook his head, grabbing his cup and drinking from it. He almost looked fed up. I looked at Wooyoung, whose face was expressionless as he turned around and walked to his spot, looking back at me lazily.

“Wouldn’t a princess want to sit down while eating?” He raised one eyebrow, making me squint at him, “I bet your fragile legs wouldn’t last for long if you were to stand on your two feet the whole night.”

I huffed as a few pirates snickered, but didn’t let my irritation show as I walked up to Wooyoung, pushing him over to make space for myself. He gasped as he almost fell into the pirate who Yunho had teased earlier. Wooyoung whipped his head around and glared at me flabbergasted. I grinned as I graciously sat down where Wooyoung was supposed to sit, nodding at the pirate next to me who was taken aback by my presence. The man quickly scrambled to pour some wine into my own cup and I chuckled as I quietly thanked him. Wooyoung scoffed loudly and wriggled himself in between myself and the taller pirate next to Yunho, glaring at my profile as I carefully took a sip of the wine, expecting it to taste awful, but it didn’t. It was actually very tasty and almost sweet. I haven’t had wine like this before.

“Of course,” Wooyoung grumbled as he pulled his plate towards himself and away from me, “you came here to show off, didn’t you? Do you enjoy the attention everyone is suddenly giving you? Of course you are, you are a spoiled princess after all.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to look at Wooyoung with a fake smile on my lips, “I love how you answer your own questions, Wooyoung, it’s like you’re talking to yourself.”

The man on Wooyoung’s left suddenly snickered, hiding his face when Wooyoung’s head snapped towards him to glare at him. I chuckled and thanked Yeosang as he handed me a clean plate for dinner. I looked around the table, finding a lot more food than I was expecting. Perhaps the cook made a special dinner since Ara would sing for us tonight. I placed a bit of chicken meat on my plate and a few vegetables which looked very tasty, thanking Hana when she eagerly pushed some rice onto my plate. She looked away shyly when I complimented her lovely outfit. She wore a white dress with floral imprints on it, the orange shawl I have gifted her earlier wrapped around her shoulders tightly. She seemed to be leaning into Yeosang’s side completely, and as the man was finished with his dinner and sipping on his wine, I noticed the protective arm he had around her hips. Hana seemed happy as she ate her dinner, paying attention to the conversation Yeosang was having with the Captain. I quietly enjoyed my dinner, completely impressed by the cook’s talent as rich flavors exploded in my mouth. Everything was so tasty. It seemed even better than the previous days Wooyoung had brought me food. I took a sip of my wine to wash down the meat, and hummed contently. Wooyoung was quiet for once as he carefully ate his dinner, and I couldn’t help but stare at him. He was holding the silverware correctly as he carefully cut up his meat into equal pieces, and he never rushed as he ate, never putting too much food into his mouth. He chewed slowly and would pat his mouth from time to time with a handkerchief, only grabbing for his cup of wine when he was finished with his food. My eyes narrowed as my thoughts started wandering, thinking of how much etiquette Wooyoung seemed to be aware of. I even dared to think that he was acting like a prince would at the dinner table with his family. When Wooyoung’s eyes fell on me, I quickly averted my eyes and took another gulp of my wine, embarrassed that he caught me staring.

“I didn’t choke despite you wishing for me to do so.” Wooyoung mocked, yet I never wished for that to happen to him, however, I didn’t tell him that.

“Pity,” I muttered over the cup before clearing my throat, “I wonder who the cook is. I’ve been intending to tell them how tasty the food is. You pirates are lucky to have him, otherwise you’d be long dead without him. Especially you, Wooyoung. I bet you’d be the first one to starve to death—”

I couldn’t even finish my sentence before the man next to Wooyoung moaned loudly, barely gulping the food down in his stuffed mouth, “Mate—Wooyoung, you really outdid yourself tonight. I haven’t eaten anything this good like—ever!”

“Thank you, Mingi.” Wooyoung smirked smugly as his eyes fell on me, one eyebrow raised. My mouth fell open, I couldn’t help myself even if it wasn’t princess like. Wooyoung was the cook? And I just accidentally complimented him while also insulting him? I hated how quickly my face flamed up, but I acted as if I didn’t feel it, staring Wooyoung down as he looked at me challengingly.

“And you were saying, princess…” He clicked his tongue loudly and I huffed as I looked away, licking my lips in frustration. I would certainly never hear the end of this, “I’m glad you enjoyed your dinner, the cook, myself, is rather flattered at the moment.”

I would’ve rolled my eyes if it wasn’t for Wooyoung’s sudden proximity. His strong cologne invaded my nostrils as I felt his breath hit my ear, his warmth engulfing my slightly tingling body. I haven’t drank alcohol in long, and it was hot inside the kitchen, it was slightly getting to my head. But I gulped and sat up straighter, turning to glare at Wooyoung. However, I found myself speechless as I was face to face with him, his skin flawless from so close. My eyes fell onto the mole underneath his left eye and I gulped, looking back up into his eyes. Wooyoung watched me curiously, and I felt his fingers sneaking towards my wrist, feeling the fabric of my dress. I looked down the same time he did, my heart racing in my chest. Why was I reacting in this way?

“Why would you wear this to dinner?” He asked in a whisper, looking back up into my eyes. I gulped as I stared into his eyes, suddenly mesmerized by the color of them. Wooyoung had really pretty eyes.

“I promised Ara I would come watch her perform,” I whispered, feeling like a cocoon fell over the two of us as the pirates loud chatter downed out our quiet voices, “I figured wearing something specific for my family would make her even happier. She seemed rather taken by me.”

“Her life purpose was to sing for the royal families and aristocrats,” Wooyoung’s lips pulled into a small smile, I felt his finger graze against my skin, where my bruises were already fading, “She’ll appreciate your gesture, Y/N.”

The breath caught in my throat. Wooyoung has never called me by my name before. As I fought the smile off my face, hating how badly I was blushing, Wooyoung seemed to realize his slip up and he quickly cleared his throat, withdrawing, and looking away. I gulped and reached for my cup of wine quickly, catching Taeri and Yunho’s knowing glances, my body shuddering at whatever those two were trying to imply by the simple look on their faces. Wooyoung was insufferable, there was no way I was starting to take a liking to him. Before I could dwell more on my mixed feelings for Wooyoung, the kitchen door opened, and Ara walked inside. The gown fit her perfectly, accentuating her curves and complementing her skin. Flowers were placed in her short hair and there was a slight red blush to her cheeks, unnatural. Her lips were redder than before and she threw a beaming smile our way. Nobody would be able to tell how she truly felt, her eyes were empty of any emotion and her face was a mask of calmness. My lips instantly pulled up into a huge smile and as Ara’s eyes fell on me, they widened, and she placed her hands over her heart. The gown had a sweetheart neckline, a simple pearl necklace sat around her neck snugly.

“Good evening, lovely ladies and gentlemen—” Ara extended her hand, pointed towards me, “my Princess, Oh Y/N, from the Sun Rise Kingdom.”

She curtsied and I bowed my head, smiling at Ara’s adorableness. She would’ve been so beloved if she would’ve been able to follow her dreams. My mother would’ve certainly loved her for her adequate manners and deep respect.

“Tonight, I, Im Ara, will be your entertainer.” She bowed slightly and the pirates started clapping furiously, everyone seemingly liking the lovely girl. Ara waited patiently for the room to quiet down, I couldn’t help but join in on the clapping, “After my opening act you are all welcomed to requests songs and join me on the dance floor.”

The pirates roared again and I chuckled, looking around impressed. I would’ve never thought I would witness such things one day.

             As the night progressed, the atmosphere seemed to get livelier and livelier as the drunk pirates enjoyed themselves. If anyone would’ve told me a week ago, that I would be sitting on a ship full of dangerous pirates, who gather around in the kitchen and sing their hearts out as they drink their sorrows away, I would’ve probably laughed in their face. Ara was like a bright star in the late hours of the night, guiding you through the darkness. She laughed and twirled around, her beautiful voice carrying through the vast room, allowing the pirates to pull her into their arms as they danced around. She was glowing, and when I decided to join the dancing circle, her face lit up even more and her voice rose a few octaves, her song turning even livelier as she sung about a hidden treasure, about a lost woman finding herself while on the hunt for it, and about a rather dumb man who fell head over heels for her, worshipping her as if she were the last woman in the four seas and four kingdoms. The pirates seemed to love this little tale as they joined Ara, their manly voices booming over hers, making me laugh as I was suddenly pulled into a hard chest. My eyes widened when I realized it was the Captain, but the displeased look was gone from his face and his eyes weren’t as sharp as before, his cheeks flushed from the alcohol. I chuckled as he made a comment about my dress, before twirling me around until my head was spinning and I had to excuse myself, stumbling into the wall near the exit. As I caught my breath, I noticed movement from the corner of my eyes, head still spinning, and I turned to see who was standing in the doorway. It was rather surprising as San and I made eye contact, his eyes narrowed as he threw me a warning glare, probably telling me to shut up. I didn’t say anything as his eyes fell back onto Ara, who was in the arms of Mingi, giggling and helping him stand up straight as he has had too much wine. If it weren’t for San’s clenched fists, I wouldn’t have been able to tell that he was bothered by that simple gesture. His face remained emotionless until he sucked in a harsh breath and stormed off, body rigid. Before I could dwell more on the man’s actions, Taeri was gripping my hands and asking me to join her in a dance as the pirates took over with a sailor’s song, Ara just laughing as she continued struggling to dance with Mingi. However, I had to refuse Taeri as my legs were aching, not having danced this much before. The stuffiness of the room was also getting to me as it was making my head spin more, the hotness of the room bringing a flush to my cheeks. When I thought nobody was watching, I made sure to look around, I slipped outside the kitchen and took a deep breath as cool air instantly hit my face. I raised the skirt of the dress above my ankles and carefully padded down the corridor, headed for the stairs. I sighed as my feet felt heavy as I climbed them, yearning for some fresh air. Instead of going to Wooyoung’s room, I went up on deck, raveling in the tranquility around me. The breeze was slow and small, the cool air felt refreshing against my flushed skin. I walked towards the railing and gripped it, staring up at the clear sky. The moon was beautifully reflected in the seawater, ripples disturbing the image as a wave would crash occasionally. I have missed this. Gazing up at the stars as the world was quiet around me.

The soles of my feet felt sore and I stepped out of the high heels I have found nestled underneath my dresses in one of the briefcases. Wooyoung, surprisingly, has packed a lot of my things. Things which I wouldn’t have even considered bringing with myself if I were to come willingly. My thoughts seemed to fixate on Wooyoung as the image of his eyes and that one mole underneath it plagued my mind suddenly, making me sigh as I allowed my head to fall back. My eyes fell on the Evening Star, and I couldn’t help but compare it to Ara. It was bright, beautiful, and so far away. Ara seemed to be a sweet person, but whatever was happening to her because of San was dimming her light. It made me feel helpless that I couldn’t help her in any way, it made my blood boil. How could someone be as horrible as San? Did he not have a mother? A sister? Did he have no respect for women? My throat closed in on me as I forced my thoughts to stop spiraling more about the mistreatment Ara must go through because of that horrible man, and instead, I found myself feeling grateful that the only thing Wooyoung seemed to be doing to me was to annoy me. He fed me since the beginning and even tried to hold a civil conversation at times; there was an attempt at trying to get to know me better. Besides the fact that he was a pirate, who quite frequently dodged his duties, and cooked for his crew, I didn’t know much about him. I wondered where he was from and why he was living this life. He stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the crew, something about the way he held himself and spoke set him apart from the other men. Seonghwa was an elegant man, but his façade would slip frequently, and you could see that he was simply just a man, raised by probably someone very savage. The Captain couldn’t even be compared to Wooyoung, his exterior and behavior were rough. The only person who came close to Wooyoung was Mingi, who’s steps were light and posture always straight, as if it had been grilled into his mind that was the adequate way to carry himself. And yet, Wooyoung dressed in expensive clothes, smelled expensive, and more often than not acted like someone who was raised in posh conditions. His skin was flawless and hands soft, despite handling a sword, no bruises decorated his palms. He spoke freely yet was careful with his words, and I have never heard him cursing. His gaze was intense when he watched you, attentive and analytic, yet never intrusive. Even tonight, I could feel his gaze on me almost at all times. I supposed he was keeping an eye on me since the older pirates were there with us and would look at me like I was a piece of meat. Perhaps Wooyoung’s warning hasn’t been harsh enough.

The wood cracked behind me and I flinched, head whipping around quickly, praying that it wasn’t any of those awful pirates. I probably wasn’t powerful enough to overpower them and with the fiesta happening downstairs, nobody would hear my pleas for help. And to my fortune, it wasn’t a scary pirate. It was just Wooyoung. Which made my heart beat fast all of a sudden, the cool air doing nothing against the flush of my cheeks. He came closer, eyes watching me carefully before a small smile appeared on his lips. I didn’t say anything, but I returned the smile, a bit reluctantly, as he came to a stop next to me. He left little distance between our bodies as he leaned against the railing, looking off in the distance. His gaze seemed unfocused as he took a deep breath, closing his eyes lightly. The soft breeze brushed against his dark hair, and I noticed he let it sit freely for once against his face, framing it. It made his features seem sharper, and I gulped as I looked away, blaming the alcohol for all the things I was noticing about him. We remained silent and the silence was comfortable around us, pleasant even. Wooyoung’s hand rested close to mine against the railing, if I were to extend my pinky finger, it would poke his. My eyebrows furrowed at the thought and I cleared my throat just as Wooyoung turned his head to look at me. I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for some reason, so I continued gazing out towards the dark sea.

“Are you feeling alright, Princess?” Wooyoung asked quietly, as if to not disturb our serene surroundings. I looked at him slightly surprised and nodded wordlessly, chewing on my lower lip.

“It felt too packed inside the kitchen, I needed some fresh air.” I explained and Wooyoung hummed, his eyes never leaving mine. I couldn’t help but gaze back into his, taken by the glimmer in them. His features were soft, for the first time, he didn’t look like he’d say anything malicious.

“The dress Ara is wearing tonight…you have that to her, didn’t you?” Wooyoung asked quietly and I nodded with a small smile, “And the orange shawl on Hana, is that yours too?”

“Yes, I gifted them to the girls.” I said nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulders, “I also gave Hana my crayons. Once I’m back in my kingdom I’ll be able to purchase tons of them—unless my mother bans me from drawing or painting ever again, of course.”

My voice turned a bit sour and I averted my eyes when Wooyoung looked at me with confusion, “Did you know Hana loves to draw?”

I knew he wanted to ask about my mother, but I didn’t allow him as I quickly changed the subject. Wooyoung seemed to be thinking for a second before he quickly shook his head no. I smiled and stared at the moon’s reflection in the sea, “All of the ladies living on the ship seem to be lovely. However, Ara—you should take more care of her. Forbid San from going close to her.”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that, princess,” Wooyoung’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked away when my heated gaze fell on him, “We don’t meddle with each other’s businesses. Whatever San and Ara do is between the two of them—”

“What if one day you all wake up to find Ara dead?” My voice hardened and Wooyoung’s jaw clenched.

“Then she’ll have a funeral and people who’d mourn her.” I scoffed at Wooyoung’s harsh words, taken aback. His eyebrows were furrowed as he turned to look at me, face pulled into an irritated grimace, “We’re on the sea, princess. You’re surrounded by pirates. You’re on Ateez’ ship, we’re known to be merciless and dangerous. The laws from your kingdom don’t apply the same way here on the sea, on this ship.”

“You should treat people more decently, at least.” I snapped and Wooyoung rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Tell me, princess, were you not treated decently while traveling with us?” I bit my tongue, unable to deny his question. I was treated well, a lot better than I expected, but what about all the other people who weren’t? Who died by their swords? Who were tortured and taken away from their familiar lives? What about them?

“This isn’t about me.” I whispered, gulping when Wooyoung shook his head, seemingly annoyed.

“Then who is it about?” He pressed; voice laced with annoyance.

 “Everyone else who suffered a fate worse than mine.”

“Quit acting like a kind soul who’s worried for everyone around them.” Wooyoung’s voice hardened and my eyes widened at his next words, “You abandoned your people. You ran away from home, because anything is allowed for a princess. Because you got bored one day of the comfortable life you were living and ran away, proving my point that you’re a spoiled brat. You think anyone can just do that? Leave everything behind and build a new life without consequences? Live comfortably despite having nothing?”

My blood boiled at the hear of his words and my jaw clenched as I took a step closer to him, shoulders squared back as I glared at Wooyoung, “You sure know how to judge and hold a speech about someone who you don’t even know, pirate. I couldn’t care less about what you think of me, but when you make such outrageous claims about me I won’t remain quiet. Not when—someone who’s hiding his true identity preaches to me about what’s right and wrong. I know you’re not a pirate Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung’s lips parted in surprise and his eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at me, just a few inches between the two of us. My heart stuttered in my chest, but I paid it no mind as my cheeks flared from anger, glare hardening the longer Wooyoung remained silent. It only further proved my theory. He wasn’t a pirate. I had caught onto his poor façade.

“You’re right,” He cleared his throat, lips pulling into a tight smile, “I am not a pirate.”

“Then who are you?” I quickly questioned, anticipating his answer. My skin suddenly tingled for I was right. I saw through his little act and now he was about to confess his true identity to me. I shouldn’t have felt so victorious over such a small thing, but I couldn’t help myself as my glare disappeared and my eyebrows raised in urgency the more Wooyoung stalled with his answer.

“Jung Wooyoung,” He breathed out, looking uncomfortable as the next words left his mouth, “Crown prince of the South Kingdom. I ran away when I was thirteen on a whim, and joined Hongjoong’s crew. I never wanted to rule, my parents forced me into taking a decision. Be the crown prince or be forever locked away in a castle far from any humans. I craved a life full of adventure and freedom, far from my controlling and ruthless parents.”

My eyebrows were furrowed as I listened to Wooyoung’s story, heartbeat picking up again as I looked at him confused. He was Jung Wooyoung? The next in line of the South Kingdom? He was…he was the thirteen years old Wooyoung I have met all those years ago? A pang, which felt like a dagger to my heart, traveled through my body as I gasped and took a step back, staring Wooyoung down. My eyes ran over him, and suddenly all the repressed memories of the little boy came rushing back. The pretty eyes, the mole underneath his left eye. His loud laughter, which was ear piercing and irritating. His put together attire despite him constantly running and hiding in impossible places. His mischievous nature and his snarky comments. The whispered promise before we parted ways of us conquering the world together, of fighting our hardships together, of a love which would be eternal. And then…not even a week later, the news of the little prince going missing. The many letters his parents sent apologizing and promising to find him, promising to wed us as soon as he’d be found. Jung Wooyoung, the missing little prince, presumed to be dead, yet never quite forgotten.

My lips quivered at the discovery and I shook my head as Wooyoung watched me with a confused expression, reaching out, but I slapped his hand away, “No. You—you’re here preaching to me about what’s right and wrong—about running away when you did the same thing! When you abandoned your duties, when you—when you left a little girl worrying and waiting for your return for her whole life! You made her life miserable with your departure, and you never even considered the repercussions of your actions! You don’t get to talk to me like that, Wooyoung, leave me alone. I don’t need you bringing me meals anymore, I know where the kitchen is. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

I stormed off with an aching heart, tears streaming down my face. My betrothed had been right by my side all this time, almost making me second guess everything I had done in the past three years.

            Wooyoung respected my request, for the past two days he hasn’t come near me. I haven’t seen him during breakfast, lunch, nor dinner. I didn’t know where he went when I was in the kitchen, and I wasn’t curious. I was beyond hurt and mad at him. I couldn’t believe the prince I was supposed to marry was the one who’d return me to my mother, make me a prisoner of a life I didn’t want anymore, meanwhile he would return to the life of a pirate where he had no care in the world, no commitments, and no troubles. The thought didn’t sit right with me, it made my blood boil. I couldn’t let that happen; I couldn’t allow Wooyoung slip through my fingers unpunished. But if I wasn’t smart about it, then the both of us would be doomed for a lifetime. Therefore, the plan I had been twisting and turning in my mind, found its perfect side character. Jung Wooyoung, the man who would pretend to be in love with me, get married to me, and then…run away with me. If I were to follow my heart, I would leave him behind, but he could easily find out about my whereabouts and then all my efforts would be in vain. I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t have much time, the sun was close to setting, anchor already settled as we have reached the coasts of the Sun Rise Kingdom. I was nervous as I paced up and down the hallway in front of Wooyoung’s room. I left the door open when I left, that’s how I knew he was inside. There was no better time than right now to rope Wooyoung up into my plan. There was no time left. I had to act now. So, I pushed the door open and closed it behind me quickly, turning to march up to Wooyoung all confident, back straight and chin held high. But the sight in front of me halted me in my steps, making Wooyoung cry out as his wide eyes fell on me. The pants he wore hung low on his waist, undone, and a black tank top was clutched in his right hand. My strong façade broke as my eyes traveled down his bare torso, skin tan and smooth, muscles hard and worked. His stomach wasn’t lacking either as a six-pack stared back at me. Staring so blatantly was very much so not princess like, but it wasn’t often a man stood half naked in front of me. Let alone a handsome man like Wooyoung.

“Hey!” Wooyoung yelped, suddenly snapping out of his initial shock as he clumsily covered himself with his hands, “Stop staring at me! Just because I’m a man doesn’t mean I don’t deserve privacy! This—this is outrageous and unacceptable! Get out, princess—”

“Stop fussing, and shut up.” I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms in front of my chest, “You wouldn’t be exposed anymore if you used your brain and put on that tank top you’re holding.”

Wooyoung opened his mouth to fire something back, but realized I was right, and he quickly whirled around as he dressed himself, doing the lace of his pants as I rolled my eyes at his childishness, “What do you want? I thought you said you didn’t want to see me ever again.”

“I changed my mind,” I snapped, watching as Wooyoung faced me again, his cheeks tinted pink from embarrassment, “You’re not allowed to say no to what I’m about to tell you. And you need to keep your mouth shut about it too, can you do that for me, Prince Jung Wooyoung?”

“Don’t call me that, I haven’t been a prince for—” Wooyoung’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed and he looked appalled, “You can’t command me around, Princess Oh Y/N, I won’t listen to you or do whatever you want me to do.”

“We’ll see about that later,” I muttered with a smirk as I walked closer to Wooyoung, raising an eyebrow at him, “What’s my name?”

Wooyoung looked at me like I grew two heads all of a sudden, “Are you dumb or something—”

“Say my name.” I snapped, glaring at him when he didn’t want to do what I told him to. Wooyoung scoffed and placed his hands on his hips, looking irritated.

“Princess Oh Y/N.” He finally said, making it sound like it was forced out of him, it might as well been.

“And you’re Prince Jung Wooyoung.” I said firmly, making Wooyoung look at me confused. Uncomfortable silence fell around us as I kept staring at him, hoping that he’d realize by himself, but apparently Wooyoung was too daft for that, “Didn’t you have a betrothed, prince? From the Sun Rise Kingdom?”

“Yeah, I did,” Wooyoung rolled his eyes, “But it was ages ago, I don’t even remember what she looked like, except for her name which stuck with me, because she loved gazing at the stars at night and her name meant sky. Princess Oh—”

A wide grin spread onto my lips as Wooyoung’s eyes widened, mouth dropping open. He shakily raised a finger and pointed it at me, making me chuckle amused, “That’s right, Wooyoung. It’s me, I’m that girl. I’m your betrothed. I don’t understand how you didn’t figure it out straight away, you’re quite daft, have you been told that before?”

“I am not, I—” Wooyoung seemed speechless as he exclaimed, huffing loudly, “I just…didn’t make the connection because I made sure to forget everything about my life before I became a pirate.”

I licked my lips, heart clenching weirdly at the knowledge of Wooyoung purposefully wanting to forget about me, “Well now you know. And you’re going to help me out. I don’t want to rule either, not when I know my mother’s men will make my life a living hell. All I want to do is paint and live by the sea, gaze up at the stars at night, and perhaps teach etiquette to little children. And for that to happen, I need your help, Wooyoung.”

The prince’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked very repulsed by the idea of mingling into the life of a royal, but as he was about to refuse me, he looked me in the eyes and paused. I was grinning at him, skin tingling just at the mere thought of my plan working out, of having Wooyoung by my side in the process. Something in his demeanor changed as a light glimmer appeared in his eyes, the mischievous boy I remembered suddenly stood right in front of me.

“What’s the plan, Princess?”

            For a second all I could hear was the loud pounding of my heart as my mother’s scrutinizing gaze rooted me to my spot. Nothing really changed around here. The Throne Room was still decorated the same, still as cold as it had always been. If it weren’t for the presence next to me, for the warm hand gripping my hand back tightly, I probably would’ve fainted on the spot from my nerves. I was sweating, I was feeling hot and cold at the same time, and my head was thumping wilder than my heart. This was the day everything would change. I heard Wooyoung suck in a quiet breath next to me as my mother and her most precious advisor took off, headed towards us. Wooyoung and I stood in the middle of the Throne Room, their trek strenuous and nerve-wrecking as they took careful and slow steps towards us, almost as if they couldn’t believe the Princess was back. I couldn’t imagine how Wooyoung felt after so many years of evading his Kingdom and origins to be standing in a Throne Room, about to utter some crazy words. I felt like I couldn’t breathe for a second as my mother stopped a few steps away, her advisor standing behind her, glaring harshly at me and at my joined hand with Wooyoung. His palm was sweaty, but our intertwined hands would never allow the other’s hand to slip away.

“Child,” My mother’s voice was hard as it boomed around us, and I gulped drily, “you have returned, I see.”

Wooyoung and I acted at the same time, my body folding in two as I bowed in front of my mother, in front of the Queen. Wooyoung got down on one knee, bowing his head deeply, showing her the utmost respect. After a few seconds of not moving, I dared raise my head and peek at my mother. She watched us shocked and as she cleared her throat she spoke, “Stand up, you fools.”

Ah, yes, her affection never ceased to impress me. I tried to keep off the sour grimace from my face as I stood up straight, shoulders pulled back, and Wooyoung got back to his feet, averting eye contact as he stared at the red carpet we stood on.

“Princess Y/N, how pleasant your presence is,” The advisor spoke up, making my jaw clench, “Almost as if you haven’t been gone for three years. Did you enjoy yourself?”

The insult was on the tip of my tongue, but Wooyoung’s slight tug on my hand stopped me from saying anything to the blatant mocking of the insufferable man. My mother hissed in his direction and raised her hand, that was a first. She adored listening to that monkey of hers.

“I want to hear what this is, right now.” She gestured to Wooyoung and I, glare falling on our joined hands. I allowed a small smile to slip onto my lips, everything carefully planned out last night. The spotlight was on Wooyoung now, he better be a good actor.

“Your Majesty, Queen Oh,” He bowed his head again, bringing his free hand up to his heart, “My name is Jung Wooyoung, the South Kingdom’s crown prince.”

He paused for dramatic effect and I almost rolled my eyes, his words made the advisor gasp as my mother’s eyebrows furrowed, “I know my return is sudden and unexpected, but after the pirates kidnapped me I was lost. I was merely a child, I couldn’t tell wrong from right, I thought their lifestyle was something to envy. That is until I realized my mistake and ran away from them, going into hiding out of fear that they would find me and kill me for good this time as I had stolen gold from them to fend for myself. I lived in a humble town for years, alone and scared most of the time, until…until your daughter, Your Majesty, showed up and reminded me the joys of life and—love. Until she showed me what it felt like to feel loved, to be in love. I am in love with Princess Y/N, Your Majesty.”

My heart fluttered at Wooyoung’s words and I could only hope it had a similar effect on my mother and her advisor, “I—I regret running away, mama, but if I didn’t do it—I would’ve never found the Prince, mama. I love him and I want to marry him. We’ve been sheltering our love for the past three years, scared of returning because we didn’t know what was awaiting for us. We were scared to face your wrath and his parents wrath, scared that you would separate us despite us being betrothed at an early age. I realized how much my people mean to me; and Prince Wooyoung and I want to rule together, we want to join the Kingdoms and become the next King and Queen under your blessings, mama.”

I watched my mother’s strong façade waver for a second as her eyes filled with tears, a reaction I would’ve never expected from her. She didn’t even cry at her own husband’s funeral. She glanced behind her, at her advisor, and I quickly nudged Wooyoung as they weren’t paying attention to us.

“Your Majesty, we—” He looked down sheepishly, cheeks flushed, making me wonder how he made himself blush so easily, “We would like to get married this week, if possible and allowed. I do not wish to separate from the Princess, therefore may I ask for a letter to be sent to my parents?”

“Oh, what a shocking change of events!” My mother exclaimed, pressing a hand over her mouth, the advisor not looking happy at all, “I thought I lost you, my child, forever, and here you are! Doing the right thing! I am so proud of you!”

Of course, she was only proud of me because I was doing what she wanted, not what made me happy. I almost scoffed, but Wooyoung’s quiet sigh grounded me, making me focus on the task at hand.

“I give my blessings for the weeding to happen this week, but your parents also have a say in it, Prince Wooyoung, they haven’t seen you in too long, they might not be as lenient as myself.” My mother’s eyebrows were furrowed as she placed her hands in front of her. Of course, she was only lenient because I came back with my betrothed wanting to get married and take over the throne. Pathetic.  

“I am sure Your Majesty will be able to work things out with them, they have always had a spot for you, my Queen.” Wooyoung, always the sweet talker and charmer, smiled at my mother with a dashing smile on his face, my eyes staying on his face for a second too long. He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes and I quickly averted my gaze, suddenly turning red as a tomato. Why was I blushing so hard?

“Very well, Hugo, go prepare a parchment and my pen, this is an urgent matter!” My mother clapped her hands together, and I couldn’t help but allow a victorious smile stretch onto my lips as Wooyoung squeezed my hand once, biting his lower lip to stop himself from smiling too hard.

“Yes, my Queen.” The advisor muttered with distaste and after a nasty look sent our way, he stormed off. My mother was smiling expectantly at us and I gulped, realizing that we weren’t exactly displaying any joy at the outcome of the events. So, I quickly took action as I turned towards Wooyoung, letting go of his hand and cupping his cheeks as he faced me instinctively.

“Oh, Wooyoung!” I let out a dreamy sigh, faking that I was on the verge of crying, “The world will finally know about love. I’ll be finally your wife—”

“And my Queen.” Wooyoung cut me off, mesmerizing eyes boring into mine. My breath caught in my throat as I gulped nervously.

“And you shall be my King.” For a second, nothing happened, but then Wooyoung’s eyes fell onto my lips and my heart started beating fast again, breath faltering as he leaned in closer. I knew we had to do this because my mother was watching, waiting for us to slip up despite her acts of kindness. So, I closed my eyes when Wooyoung’s lips brushed against mine barely, my whole body flaming as I pushed my head forward, connecting our lips firmly. My mind blanked for a moment and I didn’t dare move, as I felt Wooyoung’s hands on my waist, pulling me closer. My hands on his cheeks tightened and I almost gasped as he suddenly moved his lips, capturing my lower lip in between his as I returned his kiss. His lips were soft and warm, they fit perfectly against mine as we found a rhythm comfortable for the both of us, the feeling of kissing foreign. My skin tingled as the kisses were slow, until I forgot about the presence of my mother and I found myself pressing into Wooyoung’s body, breathing in his strong cologne as his lips picked up their pace, more urgent than before, and my head was suddenly spinning. My fingers dug into his cheeks painfully as Wooyoung’s grip tightened on me as well, lungs screaming for air, yet I couldn’t pull away just yet. Something felt addictive about his lips, about his kisses, about his warmth and his cologne. Wooyoung was the first to break the kiss, much to my dismay, and as I gasped in a deep breath of air, a short but deep kiss was pressed against my lips once again, our eyes slowly opening at the same time. I was breathing hard as we stared into each other’s eyes, Wooyoung’s chest rising and falling rapidly, his hot breath hitting my face in quick puffs. I chuckled, biting my lower lip at the absurdity of the situation. Wooyoung’s eyes quickly looked to the side, but my mother was gone. It was just the two of us. I don’t know when she walked away and I didn’t care. As Wooyoung looked back at me again, my eyes fell on the mole underneath his eye and I had the sudden urge to press a kiss against it, but I willed myself not to. I shouldn’t give in to some absurd urges so early on. His lips seemed slightly plumper and redder than before; I supposed mine looked similar.

“I have to admit you might be a genius, Princess.” Wooyoung whispered and I couldn’t help but grin at him.

“And you might just be the partner in crime I needed, my Prince.” Wooyoung’s lip twitched up into a handsome smirk and I stepped back embarrassed, our hands finding each other again as our fingers intertwined.

My fate might’ve turned out to be even better than I could’ve ever dreamed of. With a Prince like Wooyoung by my side, I knew success would follow. And perhaps a lifetime of adventure, danger, and mischief. And maybe…an abiding love as well.

Next part (divider)

[freakyformula]

Wolf in sheep's clothing

Summary: Reader is a mafia boss and Lando is her rival.

Writers comment: Just posting this here, is anyone even interested in a part two?

Warnings: Swearing, explicit details about dying, guns and shit, not proofread

Word count: 1,6k

"Make him talk. If he doesn't, kill him." She tells her right-hand man, Florian.

As she walks out of the room she hears multiple crackling noises followed by screams.

You see, she was notorious for making her rivals suffer once she got her hands on them. This is a trait she'd inherited from her father, the most ruthless Don in the whole country. He had connections to every branch of business, meaning he did as he pleased… When he pleased. No one was safe from his wrath.

Her father's heart was once soft and warm. That was until a particularly cruel rival killed her mother. Her father met her when he was only 15 years old. She made him a better person. But she couldn't save him from his own nature. He was born to be violent and yet he never raised a hand on your mother. But anyone that dared to cross his path, was as good as dead.

His mind was still plagued with guilt. His carelessness killed her mother, according to him. He shouldn't have let her off alone in that car. Their only daughter was 5 at the time.

He didn't even have the heart to tell her the truth about what happened to her mother.

He missed her smile, her light, her scent.

She saw it in his face every day.

And now, he was gone.

All she knew at the moment was that someone broke into the house and kidnapped her beloved father.

She couldn't help thinking back on those fond memories of her parents. Even though her father was a Don, he still took his fatherly obligations very seriously. He would read her a book every night he was home. He would lift her up on his shoulders and pretend to be a raging stallion. She never felt unsafe growing up. Even when her mother died, her fathers embrace gave her the comfort she needed.

She walks along the hallways of her fathers home rapidly. When she walks up the stairs to the first floor of the large house, she notices a plethora of her father's lifeguards around the kitchen island. They're clearly planning something. She walks up behind them, her heels clicking on the marble floor, silencing the guards.

She'd already killed off the poor excuses of lifeguards that, in her eyes, betrayed her father by not keeping him safe.

"Miss." The man in charge addresses her. "We're planning an attack on the Norris family. We think the son, Lando, is behind the kidnapping."

Her and Lando had history. Oh well, not them per se, but rather their fathers. Back in the day, they were business partners. Lando and her had never met. For some reason, their friendship turned sour and they became sworn rivals.

Why, she didn't know and she never bothered asking.

However, now she could've used that information.

She exits the kitchen without a word and go searching for Mario, her father's friend and former bodyguard.

"Mario, I need to ask you something." She says as he kisses her forehead and smiles down at her smaller figure.

"Go ahead, little one."

"What happened between my father and the Norris family?" She asks as he leads her out through his old-fashioned room and out on his own balcony. The scenery on his balcony was fantastic, he had a view over the vineyard and could end the day with a glass of red wine and watch the sun set.

"Your father... After your mother died, he went into what I'd call manic episode. He'd kill everyone in his path in order to find the killer of your mother. Turns out... The signs were there all along, and one day, he cracked the code. He was convinced that the Don of the Norris family, Adam, killed your mother. He sent one of his men after her as she was driving down to the village on her own and rammed her car off a cliff."

She was speechless. No words came to mind.

Mario continues, "So, in revenge, your father killed Adam's whole family. Except for their youngest son, Lando. He managed to escape."

She stood there with her mouth shut, grinding her teeth. She could feel the anger bubbling in her stomach.

"Thank you for your valuable information, Mario."

She walks past her old girl room, struggling to find her old black cargo pants and bulletproof vest. After some diggling she finds what she needs and quickly switches into the more fitting attire.

She bumps into Florian and demands an update on her way back to the kitchen.

"We'll get rid of the body later." Florian simply comments on the man she'd met earlier.

"So he didn't talk.?" She asks of him.

"Not a word." Florian sighs.

The bodyguards are already getting ready when the duo comes into the kitchen. The room is buzzling and guns are thrown and loaded all over. The men look ready for battle with their straight faces.

"George, Max, you're staying here with Miss Y/N just in case." The man in charge orders.

"With all due respect, I'm coming with you." She exclaims, slamming her fist into the counter, making the whole room freeze. The men look at each other.

"I'll keep her safe." Florian fills in.

"All right. You're on your own." The man concludes and turns around, loading bullets into clips.

The team goes through the plan; sneak into the premises without making a sound, bug out the alarm system, take out the guards and find a way into the house. Should be pretty easy, concidering the amount of men stood in the kitchen.

As the day turns into dusk and the men load the cars with all of the guns and equipment needed for the invation, she waits in the car with Florian behind the steering wheel.

The way there was dark and melancoly, not sunny and happy like the road to her childhood home.

When they get close to their destination, they park the cars and sneak closer to the house. One of the men bug out the alarms, as intended, while five others kill off the guards pacing around the house with precision.

She walks behind the leader of the group, and as they get to the door of the house, it barges open.

Clearly, not all alarms were bugged out, because the guards completely overwhelm the group and they struggle to take the advantage again. The bullets whining were loud, and she saw her father's men pierced with bullets next to her. She was used to fighting but this was new. As the men struggled before they took their last breath, she could only look at them before she kept shooting at the enemy. Not a dignified death, this, she thought.

One after another dies off beside her and she looks around for options. The door was still open. Without thinking, Florian grabs her hand and runs inside with her close behind.

They look at each other, out of breath, clueless.

When the sound of footsteps reach their ears, they quickly sneak behind a half-wall and crouch down. Whoever it was, passes them.

She hears some struggling outside on the yard, sounds like the leader of the group is injured. Where were the others, are they all dead?

"Who sent you?" The unknown man asks, followed by a thud and her man grunting.

"Fuck you." He swears.

And then, a single shot. The sound startles her so much the Florian grabs her mouth in order to silence her.

"Come, this way, we need to find safety." Florian says as he grabs her hand.

They navigate their way through the house in order to find a place to lie low. The place was eerily quiet, it almost felt like a ghost house. When they've sneaked their way to the other side of the house, the last obstacle was getting past the main hall.

"Go, go!" Florian whispers as he urges her in the right direction. She runs lightly to the other side of the room and hides behind a glass wall. She could see the door to freedom in front of her as she stood with her back against the glass.

Then, a sharp noice. You peek behind the glass, and see Florian in a pool of blood.

"R-run!" Is the last thing he manages to say before he draws his last breath.

The sight of her dead friend induces a rage in her, and she draws her gun and starts shooting towards the shadow stood in the doorway on the other side of the room. Before she knows it, she's all out of bullets.

"Fuck, fuck." She whispers to herself. The stairs up to the second floor are located on her side. She runs up as fast as she can and quickly accesses her surroundings before she hears a pair of footsteps behind her. Hiding wasn't ideal but concidering she was out of bullets and alone didn't really leave any options.

Quickly, she draws her hunting knife from her right boot and crouches down behind a wall.

She patiently waits for her prey, like a predatory animal.

When she sees the man behind the corner, she's baffled. He's handsome, and rugged.

He looks around and turns his back to her, listening for clues of her whereabouts.

She takes the chance and jumps on him, with her knife against his throat. He roars out and throws her over him. She lands on the floor infront of him and as she's about to get up he grabs her hair. She hears a noice which could only be the noice of a knife being drawn, and feels it against her pulse point.

"Hello, sweetheart." Lando introduces himself.

[hwasoup]

Of Liquor and Speakeasies

🌵| cowboy miguel x reader

| summary: day one of being on the road

| content warning: suggestive content, implied manipulation, brief mention of kidnapping, emotional tension.

| word count: 2.9k words

| author’s notes: the way i had to tone it down because of how freaky it was getting. anyways enjoy the chapter and happy birthday to Miguel!!

Chapter 2

A cough echoed in Mr. Suarez’s study, the older man immersed in his paperwork, tallying the month’s sales to keep his business afloat. He adjusted his glasses, scrutinizing the numbers, when a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. His assistant entered quietly. “Mr. Suarez, sir, a telegram has arrived from Mr. Prescott.” Mr. Suarez’s face brightened at the mention of Prescott. News from him could only mean updates about his beloved daughter. “Well, don’t just stand there—bring it to me,” he ordered, a sense of urgency in his voice.

Sitting up straight, his shoulders squared. Mr. Suarez felt a burst of energy, as if anticipating good news. As he took the telegram, his fingers shook slightly, excitement bubbling in his chest. “Let’s see how she’s doing Maritza,” he whispered, remembering his late lover as he carefully opened the paper.

His eyes scanned the words quickly:

To: Mr. Suarez

New York City

STOP.

Y/N SUAREZ HAS NOT ARRIVED IN LOS ANGELES AS SCHEDULED STOP PREVIOUS TRAIN CONFIRMED ARRIVAL WITHOUT HER STOP ANY INFORMATION ON HER WHEREABOUTS IS REQUESTED IMMEDIATELY STOP WE HAVE BUSINESS TO DISCUSS STOP

DREW PRESCOTT

The telegram slipped from his trembling hands and fell onto the desk. His daughter, gone? It couldn’t be. He had watched her board the ship to New Orleans with his own eyes. Disbelief gripped him. No. This can’t be right. She was supposed to be safe… His chest tightened, panic creeping in. How could she have vanished, Where had she gone? He stumbled to his feet, pushing past the haze of dread clouding his mind. There was only one thought now—finding her.

With urgency, he stormed out of his study, his footsteps heavy, and headed toward his bedroom to find the document that might offer some help. The air in the mansion felt thick, every corner suddenly filled with the echo of his racing heart. As he entered the bedroom, he immediately went to his side of the bed, rifling through his things, desperate to find the specific document he needed.

His wife, lounging on the bed with her nightgown, looked at him with a knowing, enticing smile. “Whats wrong, my dear? You look like you need a break,” she purred her eyes lingering on him. “Let me help you… you know I’m always at your disposal.” Mr. Suarez, distracted and singularly focused, barely registered her words. “Not now dear!” He muttered, his hands still frantically searching. “I have to find this document…” His wife, clearly displeased with his lack of attention, rose from the bed and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “Oh, please, my love…it’s been a while, and I wish to have another baby.” Her voice dropped to a sultry whisper “Don’t you want to make a baby with me?”

His frustration boiled over as he shoved her hands off. “NO! NOT NOW!” He turned to face her, his voice trembling with fear and anger. “Y/N is missing. She never arrived in Los Angeles!” Her eyes widened, more from shock at his tone than concern for Y/N. The bastard is missing? Perfect. The little runt is doing the job for her by disappearing. Inside, she felt a dark sense of satisfaction, but outwardly, she masked her true emotions with a display of faux sympathy.

“Oh no… darling, I’m so sorry,” she said, stepping towards him, feigning concern. She places a hand on his arm, squeezing gently. “You must be beside yourself with worry. Don’t worry… she’s a resourceful girl. She’ll turn up, I’m sure.” Mr. Suarez pulled away from her touch, unable to hear her words through the storm in his mind. “I need to think,” he muttered. “There’s no time for this.” He turned back to his frantic search, his wife watching him with an unreadable expression, her thoughts swirling behind her placid smile.

————————————————

Flatonia, Tx…

The morning rays beamed through the window, waking y/n up after somehow sleeping quite nicely. She sat up in bed, stretching her arms with a soft yawn, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.As she glanced around the room her gaze landed on Miguel—and her breath caught in her throat. There he was, standing by the dresser, shirtless, pulling a fresh shirt over his broad shoulders. The early light highlighted every contour of his sun-kissed skin, the defined muscles of his arms flexing as he moved. Her eyes wandered to the small bullet scars scattered across his torso, each one telling a story. Her heart raced as her eyes lingered a little too long on the trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath his pants. She shook her head, forcing herself to look away. No. She couldn’t let herself get distracted by him. Miguel was trouble, Dangerous trouble. The last thing she needed was to get caught up in his charm. Although she couldn’t help but to take one more peek.

Y/N snapped out of it, her face flushing bright red as Miguel caught her staring. His lips curled into a teasing smirk, clearly enjoying the attention. “Like what you’re lookin’ at darlin’?” He drawled, his voice dripping in amusement. Y/N’s heart races, her face burning with embarrassment. She quickly tore her eyes away, looking anywhere but him. “I-I wasn’t—“ she stammered, flustered. “I wasn’t looking at anything! Don’t flatter yourself.” Miguel chuckled as he tugged his shirt down, stepping closer to the bed, clearly entertained by her flustered state. “Sure didn’t seem like nothin’” He teased, a grin tugging at his lips. “Can’t blame you though. Happens all the time.

Y/N glared at him, her embarrassment quickly turning into indignation. “Oh, please. I’ve seen better,” she shot back with a lie, crossing her arms in an attempt to regain her composure. Miguel’s smirk widened, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Uh-huh. Keep tellin’ yourself that,” he said, leaning down slightly to meet her gaze. “Ain’t no shame in admiring a little, no need to be so uptight about it.” Y/N huffed, her heart pounding as she tried to ignore the fluttering feeling in her stomach. “You’re insufferable, you know that?” Miguel laughed softly, clearly unaffected by her words. “Ain’t the first time I’ve heard that,” he said, straightening up and finishing with the buttons on his shirt. “But I gotta admit, it’s kinda cute seein’ you all flustered like that.” Y/N’s mouth opened to retort, but she was at a loss for words.The way he teased her so effortlessly made it hard to stay mad. Instead, she grabbed her blanket and pulled it up, hiding her reddened face behind it. “Just get dressed already!” She mumbled

Miguel chuckled once more, shaking his head as he finished getting ready. “Well you better get dressed too, darlin’,” he said grabbing his belt and fastening it around his waist. “We’re headin’ out soon. Gotta make it to Cowtown, and its a long ride.” Y/N peeked over the blanket, curiosity flickering in her eyes. “Cowtown?” She asked confused at the terminology. Miguel sighed “Hell’s Half Acre?” Y/N blinked at him completely confused “Cowtown? Hell’s Half Acre? You really expect me to know what that means?” Miguel smirked “Guess you got a lot to learn darlin’. Don’t worry I’ll teach you.” Y/N frowned, annoyed at how out of place she felt. This world was foreign to her—unlike the balls and galas she’d grown up with—but she wasn’t about to let Miguel think that she couldn’t handle it.

“Fort Worth” Miguel suddenly says “Ohh Okk” Y/N says, her tone a bit more composed. “What’s there?” Miguel shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “Home. Or at least, one of ‘em,” he said casually.Y/N raised an eyebrow. What kind of man had more than one home? Miguel seemed perfectly at ease with the idea, as if drifting between lives was normal for him. The more she learned about him, the more mysterious he became.“You’ll see soon enough.”Miguel left and walked out leaving Y/N to get dressed.

After getting ready, Y/N joined the rest of the group as they prepared to leave Flatonia. The journey was long, but it was clear that Miguel knew exactly where they were headed. He discussed route plans, the terrain, hell he was even looking at a map while communicating with his men. Finally after a while, it was time to go. Miguel helped her mount his horse and got on immediately right after her. Y/N glanced at Miguel, still feeling the heat of their earlier interaction. She was determined to at least ease off some of the awkward tension. The two rode on the horse with each other. With the rest of the group trailing behind. The horses’ hooves clopped steadily against the hard packed dirt of the road. The sun climbing higher in the sky, the early morning chill had now faded, now replaced with the dry heat that radiated from the earth below. As they rode, the vast Texan landscape stretched out in every direction. Rolling fields of yellow brown grass, dotted with patches of wildflowers that swayed lazily in the breeze, as well as the occasional mesquite tree or cactus that broke the horizon. In the distance, the jagged hills rose and fell like the backs of sleeping giants, while the open sky above seemed endless, an expanse of blue littered with a few drifting clouds. Every once in a while, a hawk would circle overhead, scanning the plains in search for prey. The air smelled of warmed dirt and the faint scent of the horse’s sweat.

Y/N’s gaze traveled over the landscape. She had never been in such a place that felt so untouched. It was a stark contrast with the busy streets and towering buildings of New York. Although, she felt out of place, another part of her was captivated by the raw beauty the plains had offered her. After hours of silence, with nothing but the occasional rustling of the wind through the grasses. Y/N finally broke the silence. “So what exactly is in Fort Worth?” She asked, her voice carrying just enough curiosity to hide her discomfort at the foreign environment. Miguel glanced at her, the faintest hint of a smirk from his lips “The Stockyards. One of the biggest cattle markets in the country. Ranchers, cowboys, saloons, the true Wild West.” Y/N wrinkled her nose slightly. “Sounds….rustic,” she says trying not to sound judgmental. Miguel’s smirk widened. “Rustic? Guess you could call it that. But its a hell lot more free than any fancy ballroom in New York.” Y/N shot him a glance from the corner of her eye “You don’t even know the first thing about me if you believe that I prance around ballrooms,” she said defensively. Miguel’s eyes glinted with mischief. “Oh, but I do, Miss Transatlantic,” he teased, imitating her refined accent in an exaggerated way. “With that posh way of talkin’, you sound like you came straight from a debutante ball.”

Her eyes narrowed at him, annoyed that he was mocking her speech. “It’s not a ‘posh’ accent. It’s how I was raised.” Miguel shrugged, clearly amused by her irritation. “Well, it’s a bit annoyin’,” he said, his tone light but teasing. “Sounds too stiff. Loosen up. You’re in Texas now darlin’. Ain’t nobody gonna care about them fancy accents here.” Y/N huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, as much as she could manage while balancing herself on the horse. “Excuse me for having proper diction.” Miguel let out a chuckle, his voice rumbling against her back through his chest. “Oh I got proper diction, just don’t feel like using it” he said, his drawl thick.

As the sun began to sink lower in the sky, painting the horizon in hues of orange and pink, they finally spotted the outline of a small town in the distance. The buildings cast long shadows across the dry ground, and a sign spelled out “Bastrop.” “We’ll stop here for a bit,” Miguel announced, pulling on the reins to slow his horse. Dust picked up around them as they came to a halt in front of a general store. Y/N looked at the store, confused, then back at Miguel. He dismounted and helped her down from the horse. “Need to get you somethin’ practical to wear,” he mumbled. Y/N blinked, glancing down at her current outfit—old, outdated, 1910s attire she’d been wearing since she left New York. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” she asked defensively.

Miguel’s eyes quickly scanned her dress, noting how it clung to her form. The dress might have been outdates, but there was something about the way she carried herself that caught his attention. A fleeting thought crossed his mind about how the fabric accentuated her figure, but it was just a flash—nothing he lingered on. He forced himself to look away, his throat tightening for a second, then he cleared it. “Darlin’, you can’t be ridin’ horses and walkin’ through the stockyards dressed like that. You need some proper southern clothes.”

“Southern clothes?” she repeated hesitantly. However, Miguel didn’t bother explaining further, grabbing her wrist and leading her into the store.

Inside, the dusty wooden floor creaked beneath their boots. The storekeeper nodded at Miguel in recognition. Miguel quickly scanned the shelves, gesturing towards the women’s riding clothes. “Pick somethin’ that’ll actually let you move around,” he instructed. “You’re gonna need it where we’re goin’”. Y/N huffed, clearly not thrilled by the idea but moved towards the racks of clothing anyway. Miguel leaned against the counter, arms folded, watching her with half-focused eyes. He wasn’t particularly concerned about what she wore, but he observed her with a mix of curiosity and something else he couldn’t quite place. There was an air of elegance about her, even in this setting. It wasn’t just how she looked, but the way she navigated unfamiliar territory— determined yet hesitant, with a certain grace.

He liked that about her.

He shifted his weight, shaking down the thought away. What am I doing? He questioned himself. He didn’t expect this, the growing curiosity, the way she kept drawing him in. She was meant to be a complication, someone he had to drag along for the sake of the job, but the more time he spent with her, the more he began to see beyond her stiff upper-class facade. Y/N picked up a pair of riding pants and a blouse, inspecting them with mild disdain. “I don’t know why I’m bothering to even put this on,” she muttered under her breath. “It’s not like I’m planning to become a cowgirl.” Miguel smirked, pushing off the counter and stepping toward her. “Never know darlin’,” he said, his voice softer. “Might suit you more than you think.”

Y/N shot him a glare, her cheeks flushing slightly. She turned her attention back to the clothing, and Miguel found himself thinking about how different she was from the women who usually threw themselves at him. Y/N wasn’t doing that. She was independent, stubborn, and had a sharp with that clashed with his own. It was that fire in her personality that stirred something deeper inside him—not just physical attraction, but a real interest.

He crossed his arms back again, shaking his head slightly. Was it worth it? He thought back to the decision he’d made to kidnap her, knowing that it had complicated things further more than what he’d anticipated. Now, standing in this dusty old store, watching her sift through clothes with a determined frown, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d made a mistake. What was he doing, dragging her into his chaotic world? It wasn’t just about the plan anymore. It wasn’t just about her father or the job. Somewhere among the line, things had gotten personal, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

Just as he was lost in thought, the door to the fitting room creaked open. Y/N stepped out, adjusting the waistband of the riding pants and blouse as she walked towards him. The clothes fit her well, and although Miguel noticed how they highlighted her figure, it was the way she carried herself that made him pause. There was a quiet strength in her, even as she stood there looking slightly uncomfortable. He admired that, even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud.

“Well?” she asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty. “How do I look?”

Miguel hesitated, his mind still clouded with his inner thoughts. For a moment, he was tempted to tease her, to throw out some quip about her new look. But instead, he found himself saying something else, something softer. “You look… good. Practical for ridin’, like I said.” Y/N raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting something more, but when he didn’t offer further comment, she turned back to adjust her blouse again. Miguel exhaled quietly, watching her with a mix of confusion and something he didn’t fully understand yet. The plan had been simple—grab the girl, finish the job, and move on. But now, he wasn’t sure where the lines between job and something else had started to blur. He glanced at her again, feeling that tug of curiosity. What am I getting myself into? He thought, crossing his arms tighter as Y/N headed back into the fitting room.

comment down below if you’d like to be tagged and plz have ur age in bio!!

Taglist: @darwhite-blog, @deputy-videogamer, @cupcakeinat0r

[mymoodwriting]

Request for Anon (sequel to Psycho!Jun) 3.4k, yandere, kidnapping, manipulation, mind control, amnesia, drugs, electrocution, collars, experimentation, blood, implied murder (@starillusion13)

“You can’t run away. Not again.”

You were surrounded by darkness, running endlessly through a void. Your heart was pounding in your chest, and it was all you could hear. All you knew was that you had to keep moving, but in your panic you wound up tripping over yourself and collapsing to the ground. Before you could get up you felt someone on top of you, pinning you down. A hand grabbed your head and then you truly opened your eyes.

You gasped awake, jumping up and panting as you tried to regain your breath. You felt a hand on your shoulder and screamed, but it was just Jun. He had woken up when you got up, worried about your current state. You were still freaking out, but he pulled you into his arms, rubbing your back and doing his best to sooth you. At some point the tears started to fall and you cried into Jun’s chest. You were safe in his arms, you knew that, but in the moment you were so scared. You couldn’t make out his words, but they were calming you down and slowly you began to relax. He held you in his arms, humming and rocking you gently in his arms.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here y/n, everything is okay.”

“I’m scared…”

“You don’t have to be. I’ll always protect you.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.” Jun kissed your head. “You think you can go back to sleep? Or should I sing to you.”

“I want you to sing.”

“Of course.”

Jun kept you in his arms as he laid back down with you, keeping you close. When he sang his voice became soft and gentle in a way you couldn’t describe, but it was so relaxing. You were safe in his embrace, and soon enough returned to sleep, getting through the rest of the night without issue.

🖤

By morning you were in a better state of mind, the nightmare already behind you. As you were about to get out of bed Jun pulled you back into his arms, pressing lazy kisses to your cheek.

“And where do you think you’re going, hm?”

“It’s morning.”

“So?”

“It’s a new day, and I want to make my baby breakfast in bed.”

“Oh, sounds yummy.”

“I have to make it first, silly.”

“You can be my breakfast.”

“It’s too early for that.”

“Says who?”

“Me.”

“Boo, are you really going to be like that?”

“I want to be cute this morning.”

“You’d look very cute with my-”

“Junhui don’t finish that sentence!”

Jun chuckled. “You’re so cute. Go on then, make breakfast. I’ll be waiting.”

“Okay.” You placed a peck on his cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Mornings were always wonderful, whether you got up together or stayed in. Sometimes you’d make breakfast, other times he would take on the challenge. Loved making him breakfast in bed, happy to see the smile on his face at all times. After breakfast you got to do your house chores. Dishes, laundry, regular cleaning, you were never bored as there was always something to do, and when you were done nothing beat lounging around and watching TV. Jun was busy with his own things but he always made time for you.

“Y/n, can you come here for a moment.”

“Coming!” 

You met up with Jun by the front door, running into his arms and getting a tight hug followed by a kiss on your head. He pulled back and cupped your cheeks, making you smile.

“Baby, I’m heading out, so that means you are not allowed to leave the house while I’m gone.”

“Unless it’s an emergency.”

“Correct. I’ll be back soon. Call me if you need anything, love you.”

“Love you too.”

Jun kissed you before heading out. Once he was gone you just continued with your day. As you were preparing a snack you made note that it was about time to go grocery shopping and made a list. So when Jun got back you told him and he said you could go out tomorrow. If you ever needed to go somewhere, he always accompanied you. He didn’t like the idea of you being on your own. Unless you were in the house. You always enjoyed your outings together, no matter what they were.

“Should we get snacks?” You wondered. “You didn’t let me get any last time.”

“Cause you ate everything in like two days.”

“I won’t do it again.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty please.”

“That wasn’t an answer.”

“Please, Junnie, please.”

“Alright, fine, but you better not eat them all so fast.”

“Promise.”

You happily placed your snack in the shopping cart when you heard a loud crashing noise and some yelling. You and Jun both looked around, trying to find the source. You went down the aisle to see what was going on when you suddenly felt a hand on your shoulder. You were yanked back, an arm wrapped around your chest, keeping your arms pinned down. Then you felt something cold against your throat, making you go still. Your initial scream had caught Jun’s attention, and he was not happy with the scene, but it still caused him to laugh.

“Lower the knife.” Jun stated. “I know you won’t kill her.”

“Your power doesn’t work on me. Now come quietly.”

“You underestimate me. I may not be able to manipulate you, but everyone else is fair game.”

“What?”

There were suddenly people on the person holding you hostage, pulling their arm with the knife away from you, and helping you get free from their grasp. You ran over to Jun, hugging him tightly, letting the tears flow. He tried to sooth you and took you back home, letting you cry. You were shaking, still processing what had happened.

“Jun…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, you’re safe.”

“Wa… what happened… what was that?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“But-”

“Sh, sh, just go to sleep love.” Jun cooed. “Everything’s going to be alright in the morning.”

“Jun…”

“Sh, just take a deep breath. Everything’s okay.”

It was probably from all the crying that you began to feel tired, slowly calming down and leaning against Jun. Your eyelids grew heavy and you drifted off to sleep. Jun kept you in his arms, rocking you gently as you slept. He had gotten careless as of late, and today’s incident was proof of that. He needed to be more cautious with you going forward. The last thing he wanted was for you to get hurt. Once you were asleep he took you up to the bedroom, laying you down. He was gonna need to find a new place to go grocery shopping now.

🖤

You found yourself waking up randomly in the middle of the night, a strange drowsiness present in your mind. You looked over to see Jun still asleep next to you, and you didn’t want to wake him. You quietly got out of bed and made your way downstairs, wanting to get some water. You stared out the window into the back yard, seeing the moonlight over the garden. You suddenly heard the wood creak and looked back to see Jun coming into the kitchen while he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“What are you doing down here, love?”

“Hm? I just wanted some water.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“That’s so mean, why would I when you looked so cute.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t want you getting out of bed. Come on, let’s go back to sleep.”

You put the glass down in the sink and walked over to Jun when you heard a loud bang sound. You were startled by the sudden sound, and then registered a pain in your back. You looked up at Jun just as you felt a powerful shock course through your body. You yelled and collapsed to the floor.

“Y/n!”

Jun rushed over to you just as he felt something hit his chest. He only had a moment to register what it was before he was electrocuted, collapsing to the ground near you. He heard loud noises, his vision a blur as he saw shadowy figures moving around him. He felt arms grab him, followed by a needle in his neck and a collar around his throat. He tried to look for you, but you were gone from his field of view, and soon enough everything went dark.

🖤

“Welcome back, subject 074.”

Jun awoke to a hauntingly similar white room, the lights hurting his eyes. Once his vision adjusted he could see all the equipment around, and realized he was restrained to the chair he was in. He tried to use his powers, but nothing was working.

“The collar blocks your powers, all of them this time, and before you get any ideas, we do have that girl of yours.”

“She had nothing to-”

“How else will you behave? Any wrong move from you, and she’ll pay the consequences, understood?”

“What do you want from me?”

“Tsk, well, you’ve proven to be quite the success. Of course someone like you isn’t ideal, but we can learn a lot by studying you. The goal is to replicate this success in a more suitable candidate. I’d say prepare yourself, but I rather hear your screams of anguish than that maniacal laugh of yours.”

“Then let me make a promise. I will get out of here again, and I won’t let any of you live this time.”

“I’m not scared.”

“You will be.”

🖤

You whimpered as you regained consciousness, finding yourself in a very unfamiliar place. The walls were white and padded, and you had been dressed in white clothes as well. You were laying atop a mattress, and you could see that the room was very small. Before you could register anything more a bit of the wall moved, two people dressed in white uniforms stepping in. You pulled your knees up to your chest.

“Where’s Jun…?”

“He’s fine.” One of the two spoke. “You really care for him, don’t you?”

“Huh?”

“He did quite a number on you, didn’t he?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You hated that guy. Had him arrested and thrown in prison. To be fair, he certainly deserved it.”

“What are you talking about? I would never-”

“But you did.” The other mentioned. “You don’t remember any of that do you? He just made you forget. He is quite powerful.”

“No, no Jun loves me, he’d never-”

“We’re not here to argue. So just cooperate or else.”

“Wa… what does that mean?”

“We don’t need to explain everything to you, but it’ll be easier if you behave.”

You couldn’t say much else as the two grabbed you and dragged you out of the room. You were placed in a wheelchair and restrained, taken somewhere else. The halls you passed through were all white, rows of doors on either side of you, with no windows to see in. You kept your mouth shut, not sure of what to do in this situation. After what felt like forever you came into what you could only describe as a lab. The chair was locked down next to a table, and you noticed a lady at a desk. The two who brought you went over to her.

“So, what are you gonna do?” One asked. “I think we could get good results out of her.”

“Perhaps.” The lady spoke. “She does show potential, but given that subject 074 completely rewrote her memories and personality, it’d be more beneficial to study her.”

“I’m not some guinea pig! Jun didn’t do anything to me!”

“See what I mean.”

You struggled against your restraints, but you were tied down tightly. A moment later that same lady came over and pressed your head back against the headrest, strapping you down further so you couldn’t move your head. This whole chair seemed to be designed to allow external movement while keeping someone contained. The armrest was pulled up and out, forcing your arm to stretch out. A needle was placed in your arm and blood was drawn. That was only the beginning. This person ran all kinds of tests with you, giving you a full examination. She’d ask questions too, which you didn’t want to answer, but she kept a small electric baton near her to threaten you with.

You had no power here, and no means of finding Jun. No one would tell you anything, just speak about you if you weren’t there. They kept saying ridiculous things about you and Jun, but you just wanted to know where he was, if he was okay. The only way to do that was to behave. As long as you did what you were told, no matter how awful it was, you could potentially get some answers. For the most part you went about a routine. You’d get taken to the lab everyday where the doctor would run all kinds of tests on you. For food you were given this sort of slush, and then you were tossed back into that tiny room. Since you weren’t trouble the guards didn’t restrain you anymore, and they figured someone like you couldn’t do anything.

This whole situation was terrifying and confusing, but you just wanted Jun. While being led around one day you came across your savior. Without thinking you ran up to the glass, seeing Jun on the other side. You banged your fists against the glass, screaming his name, but he didn’t react. The guard soon came up to you and let you know he couldn’t hear you, and that you weren’t going to get the chance to see him. You did not take that well, deciding this was your chance. You freed yourself from that guard’s grasp and took the gun from his holster. The sudden rush of adrenaline gave you the strength to pull the trigger. You didn’t know if the guard was dead or not, but you didn’t care. You turned around and fired at the glass. It was slightly bulletproof, but you managed to break it after using all the rounds.

“Jun!”

You broke as much glass as possible before jumping over the window, running over to Jun. You hugged him tight, tears blurring your vision.

“Y/n.”

“Jun, I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know where we are. What is this? What-”

“Sh, sh, it’s okay, it’s okay. I’m gonna get us out of here.”

“How?”

“For starters, I need to get this collar off.”

“The collar?”

“It dampens my powers and-”

“Powers? What powers? What-”

“Easy, just trust me, okay?”

“Okay.”

You reached up to the collar, examining it to see if there was a way to get it off. There seemed to be a latch that locked it into place and when you tried to pull it open you wound up getting electrocuted. Jun felt it too and you both collapsed to the floor.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Jun assured. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but what are we supposed to do?”

“We-”

Jun was interrupted as the collar went off. He screamed and thrashed on the floor, and you were desperate to help him.

“What a nice reunion.”

You saw another person in a white coat approach, two guards on either side. You could see a small remote in his hand, realizing he was the one hurting Jun.

“Stop it! Stop hurting him!”

“You really care for him. Fascinating.”

“Just stop! What do you want from us!”

“You’re just the assurance that subject 074 behaves, you’re of no interest to me.”

“Please.”

“Remove her.”

“No!”

You didn’t want to lose Jun again, knowing very well they’d lock you up with tighter security this time. There wasn’t much you could do anymore, but you had to help Jun. You grabbed the collar again, doing your best to resist the shocks and break it off. To your own surprise you managed, collapsing to the floor as your body continued to shake. You were starting to settle down, but you had no idea what Jun was doing. His laughter rang in your ears, followed by screams. The lights began to flash red, and you could vaguely make out the sounds of sirens. That was all drowned out when a sudden rush of images flooded your mind.

“Don’t cry my love, I’m just doing what’s best for you.”

“No one will find us here, we’ll be okay, and we’ll be together, that’s all that matters.”

“If you don’t love me anymore, then I can’t let you love another! It’s only me!”

“You’re mine, and only mine!”

You screamed as all these memories and emotions mixed together. Your thoughts clashing with one another as you tried to understand the situation you were in. You still had no idea where you were but your biggest concern was Jun. The happy memories of a life together with Jun were sliced up as you remembered the past. The things he did, the fear he cause, the monster he had become. It was all terrifyingly clear as you saw Jun covered in blood, attacking anyone who came near. Once the initial shock passed your scrambled back, stumbling to your feet and intending to run when you felt yourself get pulled back. Your feet were off the ground and then you were in Jun’s embrace. You immediately shut your eyes not wanting to look at him, but he had other things running through his mind.

“Don’t be scared, love, this will all just be a bad dream when it’s over.”

“… you… you’re a monster…”

“Hm? That’s not the response I expected.”

“Let me go!” You got out of Jun’s grasp. “Don’t touch me! Just… just leave me alone…”

“What’s wrong, love? I-”

“Don’t call me that! You… you manipulated me… and… you took me away from everyone!”

“Ah… how do you have those memories back? I thought I got rid of them.”

“Got rid of them! You think you could just make me forget that I hate you.”

“Now you’re the one who’s lying.”

“Stay away.”

“You remember the last few months don’t you, how happy-”

“You tricked me! That’s not love! That’s-”

“I beg to differ.”

Jun pulled you close once again, except this time he had a hand wrapped around your throat. He wasn’t squeezing tightly, but you could feel a fog in your head, knowing he was doing something again.

“Stop!”

“I guess that electric shock rattled your brain. I’ll keep note of that for the future.”

“If you think I-”

“No, no, no, baby, I do all the thinking around here. Once I rid the world of this hellish place no one will ever find us again!”

“Jun, please… I don’t want to do this again…”

“Sh, sh, you won’t even remember any of this.”

“Don’t… you can’t just-”

“I am merely fixing us! Fixing you!”

“Jun-”

“All I ever wanted was to keep you safe. I have the means to do that now, and no one, not even you, will prevent me from doing just that.”

“This isn’t right! All these people-”

“They’re not innocent. Don’t tell me they haven’t been poking and prodding you with needles and all kinds of other things. I’m honestly a little surprised they didn’t do to you what they did to me. Maybe a bit disappointed too.”

“…”

“No matter. Once I’m done here we’ll leave, and everything will go back to normal.”

Jun released you and you collapsed onto your hands and knees. You gasped for air but then Jun knelt down and grabbed your chin, forcing your eyes to meet. You could feel that fog in your head growing thicker, making it hard to keep your own thoughts.

“No more looking over our shoulders, no more fear of being separated again. We can start fresh, build a proper life together, maybe even a family.”

“Family? With you? I-”

“I know, I know, a discussion for later, for now, I just need you to take a deep breath and relax.” Jun smiled and kissed your head. “You’re having a bad dream, love, and you won’t remember in the morning, okay?”

“I… I’m…” Your head was getting fuzzy. “… bad dream…”

“Yes, a bad dream. So be a good girl and stay here. You’ll wake up soon enough, I promise.”

“… I’m dreaming…”

“You are my love, but I’m right here. Everything’s going to be alright. You trust me, don’t you?”

“… I trust you…”

“And you love me?”

“… I do…”

“We’re made for each other.” Jun kissed your head. “Love you.”

“… love you too…”

[stabbyfoxandrew]

vampdrew please :)

WIP Wednesday (11/13) | Vampire Andrew AU (Part 198)

"Well, we won't let you go under." Nicky says with a semi-convincing smile before going to get in the car. The others are already in their spots.

"Not without concrete shoes." Neil mutters under his breath. It's just the two of them now. Andrew flicks his cigarette towards the bushes.

"After you, drowning man," Andrew says, gesturing to the backseat. He thinks— no, he knows— he can handle sitting next to Neil tonight.

"I'm sitting between you?" Neil asks stupidly.

"Unless you'd rather be stuffed in the trunk." Andrew says, thoughtfully. "You know, I think you'd fit rather nicely. Want to try?"

"While it would probably be more comfortable, I get trunk-sick." Oh, he’s funny tonight.

"Then get in," Andrew tells him. "We haven't got all night. The place closes at two."

Neil looks a little like he wants to make a break for it.

"You know Neil, I already told these clowns about your secret stash and they took it pretty well all things considered. How do you think the upperclassmen will take it?" Andrew muses. "I think they'd probably demand to know what the money's for. At the very least, they'd be disturbed by the Kevin shrine. I know I was."

"It's not a shrine." Neil says, looking down at his feet.

"Is it not? There were dozens of photos of him in there. Should I go upstairs and get it to show the others?"

"If you break into my room again I’ll kill you." Neil hisses so low the others won’t hear. Oh, so funny. Andrew grins.

"Alright then. Let's go." Andrew once again waves a hand at the car but Neil refuses to budge. And now Andrew's about to lose his patience. "Neil, you're getting on my nerves."

"Well, you're kidnapping me so I think we're square."

"It's not kidnapping. You agreed to this."

"I was blackmailed into it."

"Potato, tomato." Andrew shrugs.

"That doesn't even make sense." Aaron says from the backseat, leaning to look at them. ‘Get him in the car already, Andrew.’

"$101,398." Andrew says, making Neil go still. "Lenses in the color ‘dark chocolate’. L'Oreal Ultimate Black #1. Twenty-eight photos of Kevin, nineteen including Riko because they were attached at the hip. All of this I could sort of understand. But what are the numbers, Neil?"

"What numbers?"

Andrew begins to recite the digits on Neil's coded page and all the blood drains out of Neil's face. Andrew only gets to the second line before he manages, "What the fuck?"

"Yes, that's what I'm wondering.” Andrew asks softly, just for Neil. “Is it a coded message? Was it written by you or for you? It didn't look like your handwriting, now did it? No, too feminine. So it was a woman, hm?” 

Neil's heart is stumbling over itself so Andrew has definitely hit a nerve. He pulls out a jackhammer and continues prodding, hoping to break him.

“But what was she writing? Instructions? A love letter? A poem about a strange man covering up his natural looks? We'll never know unless you tell us, Neil. Let us in on your secrets and maybe I'll let you stay here and hide in your dorm. What's it going to be?"

Neil just stands there, pale in the face with a rabbit’s heart.

“Guys, come on. Let’s gooooo,” Nicky whines.

"Tick-tock, Neil.” Andrew says, moving a finger to and fro like a metronome. "You're going to make us late. I hate being late."

“You know what? I don’t care. And my binder is none of your business so fucking bite me." Neil spits out. And everyone in the car turns to look at them with horror. Neil's got his back to them, but Andrew grins.

"Careful what you wish for, Neil." He says gravely. "Now get in the goddamn car before I put you in it."

Neil doesn't say anything more. Defeated, he climbs into the backseat. Andrew gets in beside him and finally, they start for Columbia. Andre keeps his face tucked into his shoulder and stares out the window, trying to ignore the warmth of Neil's thigh pressed against his own. Stupid weirdo human with his stupid warm blood and his stupid locked-up mind.

[sleepingdeath-light]

yandere s/o hcs ; clotted cream cookie

requested by ; anonymous (30/07/22)

fandom(s) ; cookie run

fandom masterlist(s) ; hub | specific

character(s) ; clotted cream cookie

outline ; “oh my god someone tht writes yan reader 🙏BLESS🙏

may i request hcs for clotted cream cookie x yan!reader that has a similair position/reputation as him in the creme republic?

by the way, i love youre writing! keep up the good work ^_^”

warning(s) ; yandere reader, obsessive behaviour, stalking, referenced plans to murder, referenced plans to kidnap

you first met clotted cream cookie when you were welcomed into service under the council of elders, with him accepting you into the group with a warm smile and open arms (and plenty of advice, of course, from someone who you’d be working alongside for the rest of your career)

he was so charming, so naturally charismatic and personable, that you couldn’t help but hang off of his every word — completely enraptured by whatever he was saying (however mundane it truly was as he made everything sound so fantastical) and enamoured by his voice to the extent that you spent the better part of the after party clinging to his side and trying to keep the conversation going

hell, you barely even spoke to your new employers beyond the standard ‘thank you’s and ‘it’s an honour’s — far too caught up in your new colleague to care about anything else, and he was too caught up in the ego boost you provided to even consider dismissing you

that was when the obsession began — the need to have all of his attention on you, to be the focus of his day, to have the rest of the world drowned out by his wonderful voice and his charming demeanour (and oh his smile, you could speak of it for hours)

but you knew you couldn’t reasonably spend all day in his office with him or following him around like a lost cake-hound (not without losing your job, and thus him, in the process) — so you instead placated yourself by memorising his schedule off by heart and ensuring that you’d run into him ‘by accident’ at least twice a day at work

and that was enough, for a while at least

then you started wanting more

you started following him outside of work, staying just out of view and blending expertly into the busy streets of the republic so that neither he nor his bodyguard would spot you — a voyeur to his daily routines that he didn’t even know was around

you created a scrapbook dedicated to him — several, in fact — and kept detailed notes, pictures and samples of his favourite things (pictures and names of his favourite foods, the contact details and schedules of his favourite restaurants, spare threads from his clothes and fallen hairs from his head, etc.)

you even kept note of everything you heard him say and memorised the intricacies of his schedule — keeping track of every change and altering your own routines and interests to best match his own

you’d even followed him home a few times, but you never got too close as you feared getting caught by financier cookie (who, whilst undoubtedly and admirably loyal and kind when you’d spoken to her at work, was dedicated to protecting clotted cream cookie and someone who you had no chance of beating in battle)

and over time you started to put that new information to good use — visiting the markets and stores he frequented for months (establishing a presence that nobody would question) before finally showing up when you knew he’d be there just to have an excuse to talk, bringing too much of his favourite fruits into work and offering some as you simply ‘couldn’t eat all of it’ just to have an excuse to visit his office, sneaking references of his favourite books into passing conversations with others when he’s nearby to plant the idea of common interest in his mind for the next time you speak, even altering your appearance ever so slightly to start wearing items of clothing in styles you knew he loved (searching for hours in second hand shops just to avoid suspicion)

you became the perfect person for him and it all paid off once he started to approach you for conversation — seeking you out at the market and at work and being noticeably disappointed when you were absent, turning down advances from men and women who he’d have happily entertained only a few weeks prior, faltering whenever a colleague (who’s name you didn’t care to remember because they weren’t clotted cream cookie) mentioned interest in you

it was all going according to plan — he was going to be yours and yours alone

well, he had been yours for a long time, he just didn’t know it then — so you’d forgive him for being a bit unfaithful in the beginning

after all, he’d accepted you without you even needing to go through with your plan b, which you hadn’t really wanted to do in the first place as it would be a lot of hassle — killing financier would be quite the task in and of itself given her strength, but to have a high ranking official go missing at the same time would have been a nightmare to handle (even if the wealth and resources provided by your position in the republic would have made it at least mostly possible)

but it’s best not to dwell on the ‘what if’s and instead you chose to focus on the bright future ahead of you and your husband to be (oh you’d have to bite your tongue on that once he finally asks you out, don’t want to frighten him away after all the effort you’d put in)

[sandrockianblues]

Heyyy you have any hcs about Andy? Esp with the builder and/or Logan? Always love readin ur hcs btw :3c

Andy? You mean my child? The one I kidnapped expressed adopted without the paperwork? My lil ray of sassy sunshine, Andy? Bold of you to assume I would waste my time creating some headcan-

🦸🏼‍♂️Andy🦸🏼‍♂️

-what a smart adorable little cookie. I mean, look at his adorable freckles and tired eyes!

-this isn’t his first life. You can just tell by how he views the world and dispels random bits of wisdom that no preteen should be capable of doing.

-he’s a big lover of animals and treats most with kindness if they’re friendly and passive. Those that aren’t and that he can just refer to as monsters or mutants or beasts? He still likes to observe them from a safe distance

-you’d think his favorite monster would be a rockyenaroll or a boxing Jack, but nope. It’s a pensky and he’ll take that secret to his grave.

-fastest little thing you’ll ever witness if you manage to not blink. He’s impossible to catch up to or wrangle and he knows it too. He gives Jasmine a run for her money. Because of it, they always have random little races and make bets on them.

-he’s very loyal to Logan and Haru, especially Logan. How can he not be? They’re his dads! He never expected for there to be more room in his heart and life for another person.

-oh but hey, that builder. Hm.

-even after being such a little shit to them in the beginning, he can’t deny that they still treat him with a certain kindness he’s been missing from someone like them.

-ok ok, so what if he kidnapped expressed adopted another parental unit? What if he’s trying to push them towards Logan? What if he’s secretly planning the wedding between the two and seeking covert help for it? Like, mind your own business pls and thanks

-he’s getting better with his manners but sometimes forgets them in his excitement or in a moment of distraction. But he makes up for it when he has his sudden bursts of recollection like: “can you help me tie this?” And soon after you begin- “dang, I forgot to say please. Can you please help me tie this?” Orrr you give him something and he takes off after maybe shouting “awesome!” Or “you’re the best!”, and that’s fine. He’s a kid. But then he’ll either reappear just as fast (kid is like the Flash, remember) or he’ll stop by your door hours later and like “I forgot to say thank you earlier. Sorry ‘bout that. Thanks for earlier!”

-big big big fan of affection from the adults he trusts the most. As soon as he realizes the builder cares for him and loves him? He doesn’t care how tall or old he is even as time progresses, he’ll go from hugging their hips and pressing his cheek to their waist at a fireside meeting, to hanging off them when he’s as tall as Logan, he’ll hang off them.

-not this boy being a long and threatening shadow and- oh. No. It’s just him draping himself across the builder’s back and complaining about his homework again.

-once he realizes how human Logan is and vulnerable at times, he tries to read the man better and keep him from any pain. Even at a young age. He does whatever he can to prevent Logan from enduring any more hurt than before.

-Qi actually likes him! Everyone including the two themselves are surprised about it. Qi was ready to talk this kid’s ear off as a lesson for knocking on his lab’s doors when Andy suddenly told him he wanted to know his thoughts on space exploration for a paper he was writing. Kid actually nabbed the scientist’s heart and now he’s got someone to obsess over space and the stars with. Qi won’t admit it, but he always has time for Andy even when he’s busy.

-family dinners are a must!!! Everyone’s gotta be there. The builder, Logan, Haru, Nemo, grandma Vivi, Rambo, Jasmine. It makes Andy happy seeing some of his found family together.

-he becomes the town’s errand boy for a few years and he actually enjoys it. It keeps him active, healthy, in shape, and expends the energy that used to drive him up a wall! He doesn’t mind running here and there. But he does believe in breaks! They’re important and he’ll chew a person a new one if they tell him to take his break later.

-please please please let the builder ask Andy to help with some commissions. He’s a smart kid! He knows how to read instructions! Lmao what is this? Swedish IKEA furniture? He’s got an active mind and loves when his hard work and efforts are recognized. Plus, he loves the builder and wants to help them. It’s literally a win in his book.

-Jensen thinks Andy likes trains, but really, Andy is just curious about the mechanics and inner workings of them. He won’t break his heart tho so

-Andy often finds himself lounging on a work table of the builder’s when he’s got a free moment and doesn’t have any responsibilities to get to.

-the builder’s home is a second home for Andy. If allowed to come at any time, any day, he’ll take them up on the offer. Bonus points if Nemo has been adopted by the builder too.

-Andy’s got his own throw blanket in their living room. His own toothbrush if he spends the night. His favorite spot to sit. His own books at the bottom of their book shelf. Even his own preferred dishes and silverware.

-Andy’s got a great intelligence and is made for activity and being tasked with things, but for the life of him, he cannot focus on homework if he doesn’t have the right conditions and hasn’t expelled his energy. The builder has gotten used to unlocking their door to find Andy sitting on the floor with his throw blanket over his shoulders, Nemo in his lap, and the child hunched over the coffee table with homework spread across the surface. This even carries on when he gets older.

-Andy likes to let Logan, Haru and the builder know he needs them, even when he doesn’t. So sometimes he’ll request their help with things he’s capable of doing by himself. Or he’ll take on more challenging tasks and ask them for assistance if he knows they can do it. It’s his wordless gesture that he sees their value and reminds them of their importance in his life.

-Andy demands Haru be made a teacher for math and science. He doesn’t have anything against his current one, but the boy has lived with Haru long enough to know how he works and what he has to offer for Andy’s education.

-the builder is the one Andy goes to when he wants to confide in someone. Logan doesn’t really mind it considering he’s the more apparent father figure in his life and he knows how Andy sees him, but he also knows how hard it is to be emotional at times and the builder is someone both of them can trust to take care of his feelings and insecurities.

-if Logan and the builder are together,

-Logan’s gotta accept the fact Andy really loves affection from his S/O, especially if they’re f!builder because of that missing maternal bond he lacks and they make up for. He’s fine with it, just jealous bc now he’s gotta sit on the opposite end of the couch when the two of them are all the way over there, cuddled and bonding. He’s fine.

-it really feels like a family with both his express adoptive parents under one roof with him and their pet (he’ll riot if it’s not Nemo. Literally.) Nothing makes him happier than having them together

-Andy won’t call Logan or the builder “dad” and “mom”- though, he has slipped before and did so, but that’s a story for another time. But he views them as such and treats them like they are. To strangers, he’ll refer to the two of them as his parents or mother/father. He’ll brag about them too because how many other kids can say their dad was an infamous bandit? Or that their parent saved a dying town? That’s right. No one. He’s literally the coolest kid around.

-lmao but if Andy doesn’t get his way with Logan or the builder, he’ll sassily go “whatever, I’ll just ask my other dad.” Before heading to go see Haru

-it never fails to amuse Andy when Logan tries to help his builder in his free time with their commissions only to end up breaking a part they needed because of his brute strength or it just being too tiny in his hands. The boy will be in tears and carve another notch (with builder’s permission) into the side of their work table for amount of times Logan has accidentally destroyed something.

-Andy loves walking Nemo around town to get the pup’s exercise in. He especially loves it when Logan decides to join him and how they could talk about everything and nothing until it’s time to head back.

-and the builder is always there too, waiting for them both with more love and adoration in their eyes than they both think they’re worth.

[kmoplq]

‘Is it really you..?’

Captain Price x ‘Hostage’ & FEM!Reader

(Special thanks to @overthetopobsessed for the idea!!!)

Warnings: HEAVY Angst, Mentions of kidnapping, Mentions of torture, Mentions of drugging, slight signs of insanity, but teeth rotting fluff as my apology with tears☹️☹️, also me being goofy in parentheses 🥳

WC: 2.1k

All you remember is spending time with your crush before anything.

You couldn’t even remember anything after that, the only thing stuck in your mind was John Price.

It was your senior year of high school. He had just told you that he was planning on going in the military.

You didn’t like the idea of him going out there. The Price you knew wasn’t always hard and demanding.

He was a average guy. He was the guy to enjoy a nice movie, nothing to scary, or boring. Just a nice comedy.

“Your really thinking about it, aren’t you?” He looked ashamed. It wasn’t a painfully obvious look, he tried hard to hide it but you’ve known him long enough.

“I just.. I don’t know! I know the risks and the training will be hard to take, but thats the whole point.

(Innit?) Isn’t it?”

You sighed. When John had something in his mind, he wouldn’t let it rest until he found out what to do with it.

“I just want you to be safe, I don’t wanna lose you, too.”

“Why? Do you think I’ll die that easily? Y/N, You know that if I died before I saw you again, I’d come back just to say goodbye.”

“Thats what im afraid of! I don’t want you to say goodbye! I don’t want to see your mother in tears on my porch!”

“Do not bring my mother into this.”

“Why? Is it because you know she’ll care? Honestly, isn’t it enough to know that you have actual family that will keep and touch with you and will actually sort things out?!”

“I know thing are hard for you right now-“

“No, you don’t get it. You don’t get it, not even in the slightest. I can barley have you come over without my parents yelling at each other over the phone or at me. Hell, my mom even whopped my ass in front of you! Is that not enough proof for you?”

At this point he was speechless. He didn’t know who to respond. So he left. Didn’t call, Didn’t show up at school, Didn’t even send a letter.

You trace 3 soft knocks at the light pale blue door in front of you. You had on John’s hoodie. You were giving it back, but you just wanted to make sure he was ok.

“Oh! Hello dear! Come in, come in!” You stepped in to see the dining table set up so perfectly. Nothing out of place or mismatched. All perfect.

“Uh, Ms.Price?” “Yes, dear?” “Where’s John?”

Her faced pulled a frown from her normally bright smile.

“He left, and I thought you’d be the first he’d tell. That stubborn boy.”

You looked like you had just witnessed the most gruesome thing imaginable.

“W-What do you mean ‘He left’?”

“To the military. Did he really not tell you, dear?”

Your heart dropped, you stopped breathing. Tears wound up on the edge of your eyes. You lost all feeling in your body and went limp.

This. This was all your fault. That stupid argument. That stupid comment. If you had kept you big ass mouth shut, you probably would have gotten a call.

You started weeping into Ms.Price. You didn’t understand why you were crying. Ms.Price should be in your place right now, seeking you for closure. Knowing that her son, her only child has left her.

“Its ok, dear. I get that it hurts, but at some point you gotta let them go.”

Letting go. Letting go sounded to sweet for your ears. You pulled away after some time, seeing that you had completely ruined Ms.Price’s shirt.

“Im sorry Ms. Price.”

“Please dear, call me Hazel.”

“Ok, Ms.Hazel.”

She let out a chuckle. So sweet and soft, almost lulling you to sleep.

“Dear, you don’t have to add the Ms, Its completely fine, I pinky promise.”

She held out her pinky, looking at you like you were her own child. You held out your pinky and intertwined them.

TIMESKIP!

It had been 19 years since that whole shit show. You barley remembered it.

You walk around your decent sized apartment, finding something to keep you busy with.

You still had John’s hoodie on. It still being to big for you.

Your cat, Mews, purrs against your leg. You look down to see a pretty orange-brown, coat of fur.

“Look at my little chaos baby. Alright, time to feed you.”

You had found Mews at a animal shelter that was obviously wasn’t in the right condition.

You and the feline had bonded instantly with the look of an eye. She was a very friendly cat in general, but she was especially cuddly with you.

And thats why you instantly got her.

You heard a knock at the door. Turning around from the window, you walked towards the door

You open the door, looking around before closing the door.

As you turn around, a man in all black takes hold of your mouth and throws you against the previously opened door.

Your muffled curses hitting the gloved palm of the shadowed man.

You think as fast and smart as you can. Coming up with a solution, you throw all your weight onto the man, sending you both tumbling to the ground.

I guess the martial arts class paid off after all. Maybe your mother was finally right. Sure, she wasn’t right about you being a whore, but that martial arts really did teach you something.

You get up quickly, getting into a fighting stance. The man groaned and massaged the back of his neck.

“And what are you going to do little girl? You don’t know anything.”

The heavy russian accent flows through the wind, the broken english made it even clearer somehow.

“Come here and I’ll show you?”

He pulled out a knife, which made you flinch a bit.

He came running towards you, knife at the ready to stab or slice some part of you.

You dodge and hit him in his throat and he falls to the floor. You thought he was the only one.

Hell maybe he was a robber. But you were mistaken when you felt a sharp pain in the side of your neck.

You left hand quickly held that spot the pain was erupting with. You turn around to see another masked man, holding a syringe with liquid in it.

You’ve been drugged. You cant do anything. Your visions goes blurry, colors flashing around and polkadots painting a picture in your vision.

Everything goes black quickly. Your woken up by a harsh slap. It definitely hurts more then it’s supposed to. You’d know.

Your voice hoarse, you try speaking but all that brings you is pain.

“What..What do you want?”

“You have information that can help us.”

You looked at them, almost laughing. It was a scary moment, but hell all you could do was laugh.

“Me? Having some sort of sensitive information? Your fucking crazy.”

“You know a ‘Price’ , yes?”

That made you shut up instantly. You almost wanted to blame Price for this, but you know that it can’t be helped.

“Whats it to you?”

“Thats none of your concern.”

“For fuck sake. How am I gonna give you information if your not even gonna tell me-“

Another harsh slap to face. But this time, instead of it hurting more than normal, It hurt like a fucking bitch.

It felt like someone had sliced your cheek open,

but it hit you. If you were slapped, just a normal slap to the face, it would sting. So why the hell is your face bleeding?

“Did you just slit my cheek?” “No, I kissed your cheek.” “Oh wow, you have jokes.”

The man pulled you by your collar, making you jerk forward.

“Listen, just give me the information about Price, and we can let you go.”

“Well kill me then cause im not giving you shit.”

“Didn’t think i’d have to do this the hard way. What a shame.”

He let go of your collar while walking over to a counter that held shit that you’d see in movies.

Your heart sunk to your stomach. You had thought this whole thing was just a fucking dream.

But your life is at stake here.

It had been weeks. You had started keeping track of the days, but had slowly lost count.

The stab wounds, scars, burns, and everything else had just became numb.

Is this where I die? I’m m not ready to die. I can’t t die. Please.

You cant feel anything. Not anymore. So is there even a point to cry anymore?

You feel yourself go crazy, seeing thoughts. Until you heard a loud bang. Your head shot up like you were just fighting sleep.

I mean, you’re not wrong, are you? You hear gunshots, you don’t know what else to do besides stare at the iron door.

Feeling absolutely nothing knowing that you’d be dead by time anybody got to you.

“Is there anybody in there?” You heard a all too familiar voice behind the door.

“Hello.” You barely even heard yourself and was even more surprised when that familiar voice came back to you.

“Step away from the door, Im coming in!”

You crawled away from the door, unfazed by the loud banging ans just stared into the dents being made into the cold metal.

Once there was a big enough hole, a tall man stepped through scanning the room before he landed on you.

Price. This bastard is Price.

You sat up on your knees looking up at the man. Admiring his physique and his bearded face.

‘Is it really you..?” You felt all the emotions flood back too fast and started letting out tears.

He thought you were delusional. He can’t blame you though since you’ve been trapped here for who knows how long.

“I’m sorry miss, but I’m not the one your looking for.”

Your heart broke into billions of fucking pieces.

“No, no no no no.. You have to remember me theres no godamn you can’t. John please.”

He was shocked when he heard his name come out of your mouth. He didn’t know how to react. He saw you eyes widen, your eyes behind him.

“What-“

“Get down!”

You pulled him to the ground with you and you heard a strangled cough right after.

(gunshot. gunshot to the head. he’s dead 🤯)

“Oh, um, thank you.”

“Your welcome, Sir.”

Now he was really fucking confused. First you were calling him by his name and now your calling him sir?

“We’ve swept the floor, Cap.”

“Alright, let’s head out then.”

He offers his hand for you to hold for support and you feel yourself fumbling over your feet.

“Woah, careful there.”

Then he notices the one thing he forgot. His hoodie.

You both began to walk as the new proclaimed man, Gaz, leaded you both outside. Checking every corner.

“Hey, I had the same hoodie in high school. Where’d you get yours?”

“Just a friend. What’s it to you?”

“When’d they give it to you?”

“2 days before he left for the army. We went out to the skating rink. The fucker didn’t know how to skate at all, had to help him regain his balance every time. He even fell on his ass, I think.”

You let a gruff giggle, but to him it sounded angelic.

Then he realized. He finally fucking realized.

“Y/N?”

You stopped admittedly, your breath hitched so hard you started coughing.

He started laughing and patted your back with the right amount of pressure.

Gaz noticed and stopped to turn around.

“Are you two seriously flirting? You guys just met like, 10 minutes ago.”

“Gaz, I’ve known her since birth.”

“WHAT.”

You started coughing more with the tiniest hint of laughter.

“His mom basically took me as her daughter.”

“Speaking on my mother, how is she?”

You glared at Price.

“I don’t know Price let me think… Oh wait, i’ve been locked up for weeks!”

You playfully hit his shoulder. He playfully hit you back.

“Your not supposed to hit a woman, Price.”

“But your not any woman, your my girlfriend.”

You looked at him, taking a second to register what he had just said.

“What did you just call me?”

“I don’t know what your talking about.”

“John.”

“Am I technically wrong though?”

“Yes!”

“How?”

“Because you didn’t let me say yes yet.”

“What-“

You cut Price off by pulling him into a passionate kiss.

“But yes, I am your girlfriend. For now at least.”

“Now what’s that mean?”

“You’ll know when I show you.”

“You guys suck at flirting and im going to throw u both off a cliff.”

“Gaz, your just mad you don’t have anybody.”

“I DO! I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND TOO(HINT HINT 🤭).”

“Whatever, loser.”

I actually don’t like this a wee bit ngl, but i hope u guys liked this ☹️🫶

[grizzlybearsarecool]

I appreciate the likes, and thanks for following me btw! My words won't explain anything about my happiness I am so happy that my eye started 'sWeAtInG' (SHUT THE HELL U- Silence darling it's my time to shine..) and ya'll all are goddesses for liking and following MUCH APPRECIATED,

My hearts trying to break free...

Warning - spelling mistakes, fluff, a confused Todoroki

It's just Todoroki tryna figure out why he gets sick around you but still it feels good and feel like sometimes when you do something affectionately why he feels like someone's attacking him in his stomach (poor lil boy) 🥹

•you don't get rejected always, keep on trying•

You were making your way to school while listening to your favourite song it always made you feel like the main character I mean who doesn't like being the main character?

You successfully made it inside the school building without getting kidnapped, murdered, getting hit by a car, getting lost etc...

You walked down the busy hallway as you saw people giving love letters to thier crushes.. people with sad faces because of getting rejected by their dream man/women... You were wondering why all this confessions were happening you went pass the school auditorium to see the entrance decorated with hearts and flowers and with the letters cut my glitter paper 'HAPPY VALENTINES 1 more day before valentine's and 4 more days to our valentine's dance!'...

That's when you start to realize you have a very big crush on todoroki but he just runs away from you like your presence is literally his death 💀..

You went to your locker, thinking about todoroki and taking your textbooks out for Chemistry and when you were making your way to chemistry you saw mina, deku, and ochako surrounded around todoroki u didn't want to annoy them so you just minded your business and went for Chemistry..

Todoroni pov:

"Guys y/n has a secret quirk.." Todo Boi

Said in an calm and concerned voice

"what do you mean todoro-" mina got cut off by the sweet cinnamon roll Izuku "WHAT! Y/n has a secret quirk how- why would she not say anything about it to me? What's it like todoroki? *Mummer mummer mummer* "

"ignore that Todo continue what you were saying.." mina said in curiosity.

"whenever, she looks at me I get nervous and sometimes when she does stuff I get hearts attacks that feel good and I feel like someones punching my stomach sometimes and it-" todoroni got cut off by the girls laughter "oh todoroki, your in looooveee!" Mina said in a teasing way.

"oh yes that's exactly how I feel around izuk-" 'I can float' slapped her mouth close with both her hands "mummer- hmm? Did anyone say my name?" Cinnamon roll asked in curiosity "NO IZUKU! NO ONE EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR NAME" ochako said panickingly. "Well I expected for me to get satisfied by you both accepting each other but.. back to you Todoroki!..." Mina said as the word sarcastic wrote itself on her words "How do I get rid of them?" Shoto asked innocently asked. "Well, you gotta confess or there is no way you can get rid of em no... It stays for ever if she accepts you I mean Todo you can feel like that forever" Uraraka said to todoroki hesitantly. " Sometimes, try taking your own advice ochako, now Todo you should go confess to y/n" mina said excitingly. "K," he ran off to find his beloved. "MINA Do you think he's gonna say I love you or SOMETHING ELSE?!? what ... What IF HE GETS REJECTED?!?" Ochako said scaredly "oh oh..."

(YALL, they should add more shades of letter colours bcz ochako and mina are both pink but I'm sorry mina I turned your text to minata and jiro color 😭")

POV OF THE BEAUTIFUL TODO'S PRINCESS Y/N L/N - (omg so beautiful 😭)

You were listening to more music peacefully copying down some notes you missed, sitting near a beautiful tree. You saw todoroki running towards you like he have some very serious news.. you got up bcz u felt like you should.

He reached you and started panting like a dog (kinda ho- no no gurl no NO!)

He calmed down and said "y/n everytime I see you my hot side cheek started to feel warm and what's weird is the same happens to my cold side cheek, and when you compliment me when I win a training fight I feel like someone punches my stomach and when you do something like a simple thing like talking to me I get heart attacks and it's like it my hearts trying to break free" he said I love you in a big speech but It wasn't and I love you for you the way he described it made it sound like he hates you.

"....you hate me that much?... what did I even do to you?" Y/n said brokenly.

"you make me sick everytime I see you- why are you crying?" Todo said worriedly

"do you have anything else to say? I friggin hate you.." you said and started running away from him as you cried yourself untill you got home..

He picked up your note book that you left near the tree and tried giving it back to you but you were already gone from his sight. He felt a little guilty for making you cry he has no idea what happened.

He took your note book home with him and set it down his table and went through it. He found his name and poems for him written all over the note book with hearts written all over, he remembered a romance movie he was forced to watch by mina.. there was a girl like who liked a boy, and she just wrote his name all over her books. Then he got it... 'she likes me too,... "maybe it was the way I said it" he repeated to the words you said to Siri and Siri replied to him saying

'that's really rude of you'

He felt bad. He wanted to make it up to you he researched about how to confess to girls how to make girls feel better etc, he called your friends to find out about every detail of you he worked on his y/n project whole night.

SATURDAY 5.30 P.M.

You were lying on your bed rolled up in your aesthetic comfy blanket with a squish mellow next to you as you were watching a movie that was not evolved to any type of Romance cause you were doing all this to feel better from yesterday's todoroki hates me speech. "that's really dum-" you heard a knock on your door your father and mother were out so you got a little scared you looked outside through your opened window hesitantly to see pokéball themed hair, and a big (when I say big ITS BIG DARLING) bouquet of your favourite flowers as you looked closer you realized it was todoroki "TODOROKI?!?" you slapped your mouth and hoped that he didn't hear you sudden vomit of words. He looked up at you as you blushed slightly "would you care to come down please, and accept these flowers and chocolates as a gift of my apologies to you?" He said charmingly "why the hell would I do that you hate me don't you do you think a bunch a flowers are gonna make me forgive you?!" You said loudly so he can hear "please, it's just a few words please ..." He asked in such a cute way. Your enemybor (your enemy neighbor) looked at you madly through their window, you felt a little awkward feeling and came to the thought of taking Todo inside. You ran downstairs and opened the door for todoroki "I'm not letting you in cause I feel bad for you it's because of the neighbors stares." You said sternly. "Look y/n-" he got cut off "oh, shut up please.." you said angrily "please y/n" he pleaded with innocent poppy dog eyes. "fine, better be a good explain" you rolled you eyes. He took a deep breath in "I meant to say how I feel around you but it came out wrong the guy punching my stomach was meant to be called butterflies I just described them in my sense I'm really sorry" he bowed to you and bent in his knees and said " please, y/n I need you in my life I'd rather die without you please all I meant to say is I love you" he handed you the big bouquet of expensive flowers. "Are you for real I'm so happy! I love you soo much todo-kun I'm really sorry too!" You said happily taking the flowers from him. "that's great, do you want to go to the dance? I don't like the crowd that much but If you want to go we should go." he charmingly smiled at you with pink dusted on his cheeks. "No we should watch a movie and stay in our home comfort wrapped in a blanket enjoying each other's presence while others suffer in itchy uncomfy costumes in the dance!" You confessed you idea and todoroki happily agreed and then you sat next to each other and talked about you lives

As you were feeding yourselves the chocolate todoroki brought shoto got reminded of something important "by the way, here's your notebook you left it in school I went through it, you spelled my name wrong in the 3rd sentence of your poem." he said while hiding his face away from you and rubbing his neck "Have your mom not told you to no to go through people stuff?!?" You said embarrassed while forming into the cutest beetroot "no but, my mom thought me how dangerous and hot a kettle can be besides you my girl friend now." He said innocently "oh, you sweetheart Todo" you said while petting his head "oh no... It's happening again y/n.... it's doing it again." he said as concern was all over his face "why?!? Are you good?" You said worriedly "my hearts trying to break free.."

I don't wanna fix more errors my hands are litterely broken y I'm sorry I hope you enjoy this and feel free to tap double times and give me a like if you like this as always if you think I need to improve feel free to give me a piece of advice have a great day and stay beautiful!

[joysofescapism]

Book Review: Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight

Ryder, Garrett, Kenzo, and Diesel—The Vipers. They run this town and everyone in it. Their deals are as sordid as their business, and their reputation is enough to bring a grown man to his knees, forcing him to beg for mercy. They are not people you mess with, yet my dad did. The old man ran up a debt with them and then sold me to cover his losses. Yes, sold me. They own me now. I’m theirs in every sense of the word. But I’ve never been meek and compliant. These men, they look at me with longing. Their scarred, blood-stained hands holding me tight. They want everything I am, everything I have to give, and won’t stop until they get just that. They can own my body, but they will never have my heart. The Vipers? I’m going to make them regret the day they took me. This girl? She bites too.

Read my full review below the cut.

Trigger Warning: violence, graphic torture, death, gore, graphic mutilation, domestic abuse, kidnapping, self-harm, sexual abuse, blood play, gunplay, knife play, sexual violence.

I will start by saying that this book was one of those hate-to-love kinds. I really cannot believe that I enjoyed it despite the numerous groans and frustrated screams I did.

Was it the smut? Was it the mind-numbing scenes I couldn’t believe I was reading? Because it sure as hell was not the plot nor the characters.

Each time I read dark romance, I always prepare myself for a ton of suspension of disbelief. I would also remind myself what I was getting into. But, oh boy, Den of Vipers still made my eyebrow twitch despite all that.

When I first read it, I loved it. It was the time when I was binge-reading dark and mafia romance so that might be the reason. Since I was already in that headspace, I only got to compare it to the similar tropes I was already reading. But, for the second and third time, I was confused about why I loved it.

Characters

Roxy. The take-no-shit heroine, always angry and swore to fight her kidnappers, but would also jump their bones without hesitation, so there is that.

I did not like her character. She was a typical one in these kinds of books which made me sad. I wanted more strong and angry heroines but, not the one who loses their backbone when a hot guy comes. I do not mind body-betrayal tropes, but that was not executed well in this book.

She was flip-flopping a lot. If she was consistent with what she was saying and (sometimes) thinking then I might like her. But there was none of that.

Ryder. The boss man. The one who needs to always be cold and in control. His character isn’t complex, just a typical alphahole trope.

Maybe I would have liked him if he kept to his role and not said cringey things that would pull me out of my immersion.

Kenzo. The pretty boy. The least crazy among the men. I was actually quite intrigued by him, he was what I hoped was one of the complex characters.

He was the resident charmer with a few hints of insanity which he showed by… switching his facial expressions quickly. I really had too high of expectations from him.

Garrett. The big guy. He was the enforcer and the one who could crush your skull with his bare hands. He was also the hero who hated the heroine (at first, of course).

Man, I also have a lot of expectations from Garrett. If only he did not constantly call Roxy “baby” even during his breakdowns. It did not make me swoon, nope. It was out of place.

Diesel. The crazy guy. No, really, he’s absolutely sick in the head. When I read about his character I actually exclaimed “Yes! Thank f*ck!” I loved him. He was the perfect character to open the story for me.

Alright, disclaimer, just because I love me some crazy man it does not mean I want one in real life. This is fiction. Let’s be mature with critical thinking skills here. Okay? Okay.

Anyway, he was the most complex character among the four and the bar is low. He enjoyed torturing and killing people. But, he would also be holding and caring for Roxy when it was just the two of them. On the other end of that, each time they come together (heh, you got what I mean? No? Okay…) he would also sexually torture her with literal physical torture. Going at it while there was still a fresh dead body beside you was nothing new for me. I was already desensitized by it. I was shocked to see myself reading through all that.

He was all over the place and I loved it. That made me feel icky for liking a character like him. He made me question my morals, goddamn.

When Roxy said something about riding the crazy train I completely agreed.

Nevertheless, these men did not feel like authoritative figures at all. Sure, they would always say that “they run this city” but how they talk does not show that. They felt immature like those bully high school romances with gangs in them. They do not feel like mob bosses. Perhaps it’s because their power was more told to us than shown.

It was my fault for having too high of expectations since I always incorporate powerful people with silence. Which, are not these guys. They talk a lot.

One thing I like most about first-person POVs is that I can see the character’s thought process. However, the characters (especially the men) here might be distinct from each other and each had their own voice but, the supposed maturity they should have did not shine through. Again, I felt like I was reading a bully romance with edgy teenagers more than anything.

Plot

There really is not much to talk about the plot. I don’t think the people who enjoyed this book will talk about the plot at all.

I was intrigued yes. And the smut was one of those “is it legal to like this one?” kind of smut.

It was not amazingly written but the shock value upped the ante, both the smut and the plot points. It pushed my limits and it made me take a peek at my dark side.

Ending

Again, nothing to really talk about. It was the best ending the book could offer. I’m sorry. I really do not have anything to say about the whole plot of this book. It was nothing special.

Rating

When I first read Den of Vipers, I gave it 5 stars. But for the second and third time, I finally saw what I was blinded to see initially and gave it a 3-star.

The only category in my CAWPILE system that had a high score was Intrigue and Enjoyment. Which I gave enjoyment a 10. Everything else was either a meh or a fail.

Despite that, I need to give credit where credit is due. This book stayed in my head for so long. Each time I read a mafia romance after, I would compare it to this. Each time I would encounter obsessive, insane, completely unhinged alphaholes, I would compare it to this. Its craziness stuck in my head, and I consider that impressive since I read a lot. If a book does that to me, then, they did a good job.

Final Thoughts

Do I want a sequel for this series? Hard pass.

Do I recommend this to others? Two words for you. Gore and Porn. If you’re into that, then go for it.

Was this a heavy read? It is heavy on the dark side. Please read with caution and heed the trigger warnings.

Will I read this again? Nope. Not again.

GoodReads | Storygraph | Instagram

[nefkyo]

It's 2 in the morning and I'm thinking. <- That means I'm about to write about them

(what, you thought I could only write about ONE couple of "friend-rivals" where one is British, one is American and one has wings and one doesn't AND THEY PLAY MINECRAFT? You thought wrong.)

It all happened so fast. Scar was getting back from a very successful fishing trip - for Jellie's lunch, at least: he didn't find a single book! - and ran into Grian, who looked in a real hurry. He asked him what was going on and instead was rushed to hide into the bushes nearby.

"Don't move." Grian shushes him, trying to squint behind the foliage. He can't even shift in place without crunching the sticks and leaves beneath his feet, so Scar just tries his best to as stay as still as possible while his stomach can feel Grian's heart racing. He hears the same thing he does: Bdubs LOUDY leading a mob of Hermitcrafters - despite clearly not knowing where he's headed - in his search. "GET ME THAT CHICKEN!" he shouts, to which nobody in the party directly responds, but they all seem to agree on wanting to get their hands on him. Scar waits patiently until the last person has gone by, while also admiring the way the light shines through the leaves and frames the features of his... Kidnapper? He'd probably say that if he didn't have his hand on his mouth.

They stand by for an extra 10 seconds before Grian lets Scar's face go with a sigh. "Well, this is going to be a pain to solve." Grian says, scratching at his head as he looks out. "What'd you do this time?" Scar asks with a sly smile. "Nothing!" He scoffs in response "I set up some traps around my base and they triggered them. No big deal."

Scar recognizes the way he folds his arms as a half-lie more than a half-truth. "'No big deal'?" he pries, squeezing at his sides to make him look up. "It uhm, it-it backfired. Just a little bit." Grian spills, pinching his index and his thumb together. "Grian, I just saw an entire search party armed and ready to roast you on a spit!" Scar points out with more curiosity than actual alarm, shaking Grian gently in the process. "Well, ok-- I had to test if they worked, so I started advertising a fake shop in my front yard." "Uh-huh..." "I was hoping it would make a few people come over, instead a lot of people did... And the traps worked so well Iskall lost all his stuff in a hole... Then Etho.... Then Bdubs..." "Grian!" Scar exclaims "You blew all their stuff up??" "I predicted one or two people would've gone flying, but I thought they'd have sturdier armor!" "I don't know if I'm more upset from you not stealing all their stuff and trying to resell it or by the fact I absolutely would've done that in your place." "Scar!" "What??"

They burst out laughing at that, Grian covering his own mouth and nudging Scar to do the same. "Scar, I'm in so much trouble, shut up!" he tries to add in between the giggles. "You are evil, just a villain I tell you!" Scar shakes his head in faux disappointment, when really he's thinking of how he missed the whole thing to go fishing.

The back and forth soon starts as they keep standing there, sort-of-hugging-but-not-really in the bushes. "Well, now you're an accomplice!" Grian says sort of proudly, to which Scar snaps "Oh no, I am NOT your accomplice, I have my Jellie to go back home to! Also, as far as I know you are kidnapping me. I am just another victim." "I just moved you out of the path of the mob!" "I was out walking, minding my own business, and then you dragged me into the bushes with you! This is a kidnapping!" "Scar, you are literally holding me! I can't kidnap you if you're the buffer one!" "Y'know what, I don't care anyway, I don't want anything to do with you and this mess!"

"Fine, I'll be off then." Grian sighs with a smile. Scar looks back at him in time to have a soft pair of lips meet his quickly, then flutter away. "I'll be seeing you when I've got this all under control, yeah?" The shorter one mutters after he untangles from his arms. Scar is too stunned to do anything more than just nod and watch him run out of the bushes and take off into the opposite direction. He wishes he could stay. They both do. "GOOD LUCK!" he manages to put together, receiving just a wave as a response.

(there's just inches in between us i want you to give in, i want you to give in)

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 188

Devil May Care/The Angels Take Manhattan

“Devil May Care”

Plot Description: Dean shocks Sam when he opens the Impala’s trunk to reveal he’s kidnapped the King of Hell. Meanwhile, Abaddon rises with plans to take over his role.

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: oh, we START with Dean dragging in a corpse, but it doesn’t seem like anyone else is dying

I really hope she has even ONE episode where she doesn’t get brutalized…

Ok maybe it wasn’t Dean dragging in a corpse, just some shmuck recruited by Abaddon. Love that ❤️ she’s back

I don’t like whatever’s going on in this bunker now. You don’t get to keep both Kevin AND Crowley there

Honestly, yeah. That’s probably the best way to torture Crowley: leave him alone in a dark room with no one to make snide quips to

I would 100% accept her as queen. She’s as cruel as she is beautiful

Abaddon is having so much fun and I love that for her

I can’t believe Kevin 1) chose Solo as his fake last name (I actually can) and 2) basically blackmailed the military officer

ABADDON HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG EVER. Everything she’s done is completely right

Nooo…honestly, it was inevitable, but you shouldn’t have left Kevin and Crowley alone in the bunker. He’s just a KID, and Crowley’s a centuries old demon. I can’t even blame him if he gets manipulated into freeing Crowley

PLEASE. I’m begging. Just ONE episode. A little holy water splash is fine but she’s already been through so much at the Winchesters’ hands

I……….she could possess me any day. I wouldn’t want to actually do the things she’s threatening to make Dean do should she possess him, but the way she talks about it 🥰🥰🥰 I’m very normal about her

I still don’t trust Ezekiel.

Fuuuuck. It does look like…oh, Crowley’s still here. But where’s Kevin??

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, he’s gonna think that this is Dean only needing him because he’s useful…..omg, ok, so turns out if Kevin cries, I cry. He’s needed cuz he’s FAMILY. Eat your heart out, Fast and Furious franchise

Godddd, when will the secrets STOP?!

“The Angels Take Manhattan”

Plot Description: the Angels are back, and this time they’re taking over Manhattan

This little girl’s got no business playing peekaboo with a Weeping Angel. The fuck

Wait. That’s not how they work. You disappear from your timeline…you don’t…you don’t make it back to your same timeline, do you?? And meet your old self? But…I guess…wibbly wobbly timey wimey

I’ve been to that rock they’re sitting on.

Oh. Oh Rory. Oh dear, sweet Rory who has apparently never been on the internet????? “Only [the Doctor] could fancy someone in a book”??? Good thing ao3 is down. It’s completely blow his mind to bits. Then again, just send him to any character tag here and same difference

And I had my picture taken at that fountain

Of course the protagonist of the book is actually River. (I remembered the author even now but I forgot the main character was River)

That giggling though. Creepy

Omg. Okay, I like all the weird time travely stuff. It’s one thing to go to one destination but it’s another to get a book from the past and then influence that book by going even further into the past. Just. Delightful

Ohhhhhhh the Doctor’s freak out about saying goodbye to Amy…telling River to get out of the Angel’s grasp without breaking her own wrist, to change the future that’s already been written. AND SHE WANTED TO LET HIM BELIEVE SHE HAD 😭😭😭

I can’t believe Amy just had to watch Rory die again…this time as an old man

Amy’s love for Rory is so beautiful and endearing, and it’s so dumb they ever made us doubt it

OMG YOU CANNOT MAKE HER WATCH HIM DIE AGAIN. TWICE?? IN ONE EPISODE??

I know this is supposed to be an emotional moment but the music is killing the mood

Except now we’re back in that graveyard……and I know what’s gonna happen and I hate it

It was the right thing but it doesn’t make it less heartbreaking. She’ll take any chance to see Rory again. Every time

Donna🤝Amy: gingers who tell the Doctor to not travel alone

[syllvane]

graphology- kaz brekker x reader

a/n: here it is, my entry to @lxncelot ‘s writing challenge!! i chose to write kaz x reader with the prompt leaving letters/notes in each other’s pockets! hope you guys enjoy!

Kaz’s pockets are almost never empty, but he’s always aware of exactly what he has in his pockets- something as simple as that could mean life or death in the Barrel, whether or not he happens to be carrying a knife or a stone of a particular weight.

That’s where he found your grocery list, in his coat pocket, somewhere between his lockpick and a small stone.

Well, he didn’t know that it was yours, not by the contents of the list alone.

But there was the irrefutable fact that it was written in your handwriting, in the handwriting that Kaz had spent hours memorizing should the need to identify it arise.

He had always imagined that this skill would be used in the unfortunate event of your kidnapping, that he would use it to discern whether or not they were forging any communication or if they were making you write it yourself.

Or maybe he just wanted an excuse to memorize your handwriting.

In any case, there was also the fact that you were the only one at the Slat who would be bold enough to wear his jacket.

Standing in the middle of the street, Kaz Brekker smiled to himself, folding the grocery list neatly and tucking it back into his pocket.

He doesn’t return it to you directly.

You find it neatly folded on your nightstand when you return from your shift at the Crow Club, with no clue to how it got there.

You try to carry nothing valuable in your coat pockets, not as adept as Kaz at detecting when someone is trying to pickpocket you.

You keep a lockpick and a couple of stray knives in your pockets and a small roll of gauze, having nicked yourself on the knives on more than a couple of occasions.

You don’t usually keep stray pieces of paper, so when you feel one in your pocket, you figure that it must be one that you left in there accidentally.

When you pull the neatly folded paper out, it’s not your handwriting on it, but familiar handwriting nonetheless.

The paper is mostly blank, with only ten words written on the entirety of the page.

‘Why do you have so many knives in your pockets?’

You know it’s him by the way he writes the letter ‘k’- the rest of the words could be written by someone else for all you know, but you know that Kaz Brekker wrote that one letter.

You ran your finger gently over the words, feeling the imprints of the letters from the other side of the paper.

You held the paper in your hand and walked back to the Slat and into Kaz’s office.

“You know,” He started without looking up. “Some people have the courtesy to knock.”

He looked up at you, his blue eyes piercing yours before dropping to the piece of paper that you held in your hand.

An amused look flashed in his eyes.

“I could just give you a holster for your knives.”

“I like having the knives in my pockets- they’re easily accessible and-”

“They stab people trying to put notes into your pocket?” He finished, his eyes sparkling.

You smiled at him, your eyes sparkling as well.

“Yeah, something like that,” You said, setting the piece of paper down in front of him before turning towards the door. “Oh, and Kaz?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for giving my grocery list back.”

He fights the urge to say that he didn’t take it from you in the first place, that you left it in his coat pocket. He knows that he should tell you not to use his jacket anymore and that next time you leave something, he won’t be as kind, but he doesn’t.

After all, Kaz Brekker doesn’t make threats if he doesn’t intend to keep them.

He settles for shaking his head, a smile tugging at his lips.

The next time he puts on his coat, he really doesn’t expect another scrap of paper in his pockets.

Once was a mistake, something that could be easily overlooked.

Twice was a pattern.

He opened up the crumpled piece of paper, expecting maybe another errant grocery list.

Scrawled in your handwriting: ‘Stay safe, boss’

His heart skipped a beat as he read the piece of paper and he felt himself blush slightly- thankfully for the cold weather, the note didn’t make his cheeks any more red then they would be otherwise.

He was going to have to address this.

For now though, he tucked the piece of paper in a pocket on the inside of his coat, near his chest, shaking his head at how sentimental he had become.

‘Stop stealing my coat.’

That’s the message you found in Kaz’s own coat pocket and you couldn’t say that it was entirely unwarranted.

And it’s the message that Kaz sees again later when he’s wearing his own coat, though underneath his original message, you had added a single word.

‘No.’

Maybe he should’ve been furious at your defiance, at the very least annoyed that you were going to continue wearing his coat after he explicitly told you not to.

Instead, he looked at the note on his desk with a strange smile appearing on his face, feeling something dangerously close to happiness.

The third piece of paper that you leave in Kaz’s coat, much like the first, is completely by accident.

Only this time, it’s not a grocery list that you’ve left in his coat, but poetry.

And if that wasn’t mortifying enough in itself, of course the words had been written in his name, though it hadn’t been addressed directly to him. It may as well have been though, having been left in his coat pocket.

All of this left only one option- you had to get it back before he could read it.

When you opened the door to his office, you were surprised to see Kaz sitting there, though not as surprised as he was to see you in his doorway.

His expression twisted into something unfamiliar but before you could place it, he coughed and his gaze became steely once again.

“You still haven’t learned to knock,” He said pointedly and you looked around the office sheepishly before stepping back into the hallway, closing the door in front of you.

You knocked.

“No one’s home,” He said, his voice muffled from the other side of the door and you rolled your eyes before opening the door again.

“Liar,” You mumbled, though not loud enough for him to hear. “I need your coat.”

He blinked.

“Last time I checked, you had one.”

“It’s not as warm,” You said and although that was true, it was not the reason you wanted it.

He stared at you, as if sensing that you were withholding information, but he didn’t push you on that.

“Why do you insist on stealing my coat?”

“It’s not stealing. I always give it back.”

“Stealing, borrowing without permission, what is the difference really, when I would never allow it of anyone else.”

You didn’t say anything to that, didn’t know what to say.

It wasn’t new information, but there was an unspoken agreement between the two of you that it wouldn’t be spoken aloud. You would steal his coat and Kaz would be annoyed, as if this was something all the Dregs did. You would give it back at the end of the day or whenever you were done wearing it and he would simply shake his head, a small smile playing on his lips and he would tell you not to do it again.

There was never any threat of reprisal, never any threats at all. It was probably better that way- he was known for making good on his word and he would have never lifted a finger against you.

You trusted him absolutely and it had scared all of your common sense right out of you.

“I am going to go to the Crow Club for business,” He said, interrupting your thoughts. “I am going to leave my coat here. Don’t take it.”

You wanted to ask him Why don’t you just give it to me?, but you stopped yourself- you already knew the answer.

Giving it to you would be crossing a line in his mind, a line that he probably couldn’t come back from. It was one thing to leave it here, knowing that you would probably take it against his direct orders and another to give it to you, to watch you put it on.

You watched as he shrugged the coat off, setting it down on his chair. He walked over to the door, his hand on the doorknob.

“If you leave it here, I’m going to put it on.”

He stopped, lowering his head slightly before turning the doorknob and opening the door.

“I wouldn’t leave it here if I thought you wouldn’t,” He said before walking out, closing the door behind him.

You stood there with his words for a little bit before walking over to where he had set his coat down.

You put it on gingerly, as if Kaz might walk back in at any moment and change his mind.

You slipped your hand into the coat pockets and ran through the list of familiar items: lockpick, a couple of stones, a pocket knife, and a wallet that he had taken from a tourist earlier today.

Also there, a scrap of paper.

You unfolded it to see that part of the poem had been ripped away, leaving the very last lines of the poem in your hand.

‘You are home and there is nowhere I would rather be but in your arms.’

Underneath the last words, in neat handwriting that you had come to know as Kaz’s: ‘I don’t think I could’ve said it better myself.’

[batmanrogues-scenarios]

How would my Dork Squad react to their child going missing? — also maybe their kid was found by Batman

- 🦋

Oh boy.

Riddler

He was in middle of writing something even though S/O asked him to look out for kid, he thought they would just find something to do

After he makes a break he goes to the salon to see how kid doing to see they're not there

Huh

Calls for them and looks around the house but they're not here

Starts seriously panicking and he runs down the stairs to see where they went, asks people around while doing it

Just runs around local places like headless chicken

Eventually starts yelling and having a panic attack

How could he lose his kid?! Where are they!? Were they kidnapped?! Were they-!?

His mind refuses to go into that territory

Goes back home and starts getting dressed in costume to use his methods to find them when Batman lands on his balcony

He tells him he doesn't have time, he has something important-

"Dad!"

He stops whatever he was doing and sees his kid in Batman arms

Runs towards them with open arms and kid jumps into his arms

Just hugs them like they would run away again

Batman just let himself smile before saying to kid to don't go on their own into city before going away

Riddler asks million of questions; Where were they, Are they hurt?

Kid just wanted to go to park but since Eddie was busy they went themselves and got lost

Edward says to never to that again and he's heart is pulsing so much, he never thought he would ever be grateful to Batman

Scarecrow

He was waiting for kid to come back from school but bus didn't came so he calls the school

They say that kid said they would meet with dad not far from school

This absolutely wasn't the case and he starts yelling at them for letting them go without confirmation

Goes into car with fear toxin, in case, and drives to the school looking out for them

He goes towards other side when he doesn't saw them

Starts cursing under his breath and stops car when he sees their bracelet

Starts hyperventilating and runs around looking for them

That's when Batman shows up and Crane threatens him with toxin

That is until his kids goes from behind of Dark Knight cape

Tells them to get there fast and goes before them to shield them while giving Batnan a look

Batman just tells the kid to not go without permission and goes away

He immediately kneeling to the kid making sure they're not hurt, asking why they told teacher that he will be waiting for them

That's when he sees plants his kid has with them and recognizes them as his fear toxin ingredient

Kid saw them on one of trips and wanted to suprise him, they say sorry with tears in their eye

He just let's out a sigh and hugs them, taking them to car

Mad Hatter

Man was on heist and left kid not far away to pick them later

After he is done he comes for them but they're nowhere to be found

Looks around calling for kid but they don't show up

While smiling he thinks 'My kid is gone'

Realization hits. "MY KID IS GONE!"

Starts running through streets with his stolen things not carring about being caught and screams their name

Batman barred his way

"Mad Hatter what is-?"

"Good that you're here! C/N is gone! I give these back if you find them!"

Batman is taken back but he won't say no to finding a kid

So he drops Tetch by the police and goes looking for kid

When he comes back Jervis immediately jumps to the kid and starts kissing their face and hugging asking where they were

Kid was just bored and decided to go on a walk

Jervis will remember to leave them with someone next time

They will go to S/O in police car to car to drop kid before taking him to Arkham

Batman has mixed feelings but at least kid is safe

[anonymous-dentist]

Dawn breaks just as Roier gets body slammed onto the sidewalk by the police officer he vaguely remembers to be Cellbit’s sister. Honestly? Respect! He’d been running and hiding for almost 12 hours straight, and she hadn’t abandoned the chase once.

Still annoying to get arrested, though.

Roier grunts as his arms are roughly pulled behind his back.

“You have the right to remain silent-” the officer says, out of breath and exhausted and Roier empathizes because, wow, he’s tired. What the fuck. Is being stubborn a family thing??

Roier cuts her off with a breathy laugh. “I know. Just be gentle with the handcuffs, I have sensitive skin.”

He winces as the officer’s knee digs into his back. Ouch!

“Sure,” she sarcastically says. “I’ll be super careful.”

Apparently being an asshole is a family thing, too. That hasn’t changed between timelines; Roier is still annoyed about her kicking him and Cellbit out of her apartment back when this whole Thing started.

Being arrested sucks. But, hey! At least police officers in this time period don’t, like, delete your entire existence over a parking violation. That’s good, at least.

Roier is nearly knocked off-balance as the officer finishes cuffing him and drags him to his feet. Fuck, he’s tired. What he wouldn’t give to still be in bed with Cellbit right now…

“Hey! Careful, man!” he protests as the officer pushes him forwards.

“Walk,” she orders.

And so Roier walks. But he refuses to walk in silence, even if it will get him in trouble later on. Sue him, he hates quiet. Makes his brain too loud.

“What am I in trouble for?” he asks, because he kinda actually doesn’t know. Harboring a fugitive? Child endangerment-slash-kidnapping? Some other Past Crime he committed without realizing?

“You know what you did.”

“Noooo, I really don’t.”

The officer gives him an unconvinced look. “Then why did you run from me?”

Roier shrugs. “You were sus, man. Real-” (What do people say in the past?) “Amongus, y’know? We don’t get a lot of new people in our area, you freaked me out. Like, what if you were in a gang or something?”

She almost looks offended at that. “Do I look like I’m in a gang?”

“Nobody actually looks like they’re in a gang. It’s all about the vibes. Your vibes were off.”

“Do you ran for eleven hours straight?”

He smiles at her. “What can I say? I’m good at running.”

He ran 1,000 years in the past, even. That’s gotta be a record.

Her lips twitch into an almost smile. “I’ve heard.”

His own smile freezes. “What?”

“You’re a thief, right? You have to be good at running if you’ve gotten away with it for this long.”

He laughs nervously. “What? A thief? Me? No way!”

“You can argue with me,” she says, “but I’m not the one you need to worry about. Once I hand you over, it’ll be up to them to deal with you. Save your arguments.”

Oh. Oh no.

Roier feels his heart start to race. No. No no no- no! Not now! He’s so close! The device is almost fixed, it’s so close! Bobby-!

His eyes widen. Cellbit. If they figure out he isn’t dead- which they will as soon as they do even a little bit of research in the police station they’re probably hanging out in- they’ll go back and erase him for good. Fucking serial killer, why did Past Cellbit have to be such a dick? Did he have to kill people??

His mind races. He has to get back to Cellbit and the device. They can run. Another city, maybe, probably. Finish fixing the device there. Save Bobby. Save Cellbit. Go home to Jaiden and Foolish and the rest of the family and live happily-ever-after.

But…

Roier tests his handcuffs. They might not be the laser technology he’s used to, but they’re still strong. Too strong for him to break out of. That leaves…

He glances to the side at the officer.

“Do you know what I stole?” he asks.

“No,” she responds. “None of my business.”

What, so she just took a deal with some random strangers claiming that Roier is a thief? Without asking any questions? She and Cellbit have to be related, they’re both stupid.

“Well,” he says, deciding to test his luck. “I’ll tell you. I stole a time machine. Those guys you’re working with? Time Cops. They’re going to kill me.”

She laughs. “Sure, a time machine. Right.”

“No, it’s true! My…” he sucks in a breath and lets it out. “My son died. In the future, 1,000 years from now. We were in… an accident, but I could go back and stop it from happening! But the Time Cops wouldn’t let me because of the ‘laws of time’, but they’re wrong! I could fix it! So I took one of their devices, and now I’m stuck here with-”

“They told me you’d be crazy, but this is crazy. Time travel, really?”

He swallows. Huge risk, but worth it if his guess is right.

“And now,” he repeats, voice low, “I’m stuck here with Cellbit. He got caught up in all this, and-”

He yelps in pain as he’s roughly pushed up against the side of a building.

The officer grabs him by the collar and leans in with narrowed eyes and a scowl.

“Who told you that name?” she demands.

He shouts, “Fuck, nobody! I know him! He’s your brother, but he disappeared in this timeline when you were both kids. You haven’t seen him since, but he’s seen you. A couple of weeks ago, you were at work when this random guy called you your name and tried explaining you’re his sister, but you didn’t recognize him. That’s fine, we can fix that.”

Her eyes widen.

Sensing an opportunity, Roier continues with a smile and a, “His name is Cellbit. He likes worms and solving puzzles in the newspaper. He eats too much candy, and he should probably see a dentist, but he can’t afford it anymore. He wanted to be a police officer as a kid, but then he disappeared and ended up all traumatized and stuff and now he’s kind of a serial killer, but he really isn’t. He’s kind of an asshole, but he’s pretty cool when he isn’t acting all pretentious and shit, and can you please un-handcuff me so I can take you to him?”

The gears in her head seem to turn, then:

“You know where he is?”

Oh, hope at last!

Roier nods eagerly! “Yes! We live together! Those other guys might have promised a way to get him back, but I can bring you to his house. How does that sound, eh?”

Cellbit’s gonna be pissed, but it’s better he’s pissed off than dead, right?

The officer thinks.

And then:

AU in which Cellbit is a crime scene photographer who gets dragged to his twin sister’s girlfriend’s birthday party and he drinks waaaayyy too much wine and ends up stumbling out of the party to get some fresh air

That’s when he sees a guy getting harassed by a cop, and Cellbit hates cops. (Sorry, Bagi)

And so Drunk Cellbit punches the cop, knocks the cop out, and then he immediately goes green and throws up half the alcohol in his system… all over the cop

(Cellbit is too drunk to realize that this “cop” isn’t a cop at all and that this random guy definitely doesn’t seem to be from around here. But he’ll figure this out eventually.)

“Holy shit,” says the man. He looks at Cellbit with wide, glittery eyes. “My hero.”

Cellbit blinks at him, and then he proceeds to pass out, his brain absolutely Done for the night

And that’s how Cellbit meets Roier, a Perfectly Normal Guy. And that’s how Roier meets Cellbit, aka the Federation’s Most Wanted for 900 years standing.

Or: the Time Travel AU