#Aras feels him looking into his soul

[saccharinevampy]

Art trade with Honey! Sila and Aras meet to have tea often and Sila likes to have his favorite child close. This one though is... strange.

[azsazz]

Lavender Haze

Rhysand x Rhysand's Sister's Best Friend/Virgin!Reader

Summary: Having a crush on your best friends older brother isn't ideal. Especially when he has one back.

Warnings: Flirting, sexual taunting and begging.

Word Count: 3,065

Belongs to the timeline and predates Clandestine Love

_________________________________________

“Where’s Ara?” you ask your dinner mate as Einar places a steaming dish before you. The savory scents of the herbs he used on the fresh meat fill your senses, and your mouth waters at its deliciousness. Vegetables swim in a thick cream sauce that looks all too delectable, and the mound of cut potatoes doused in flavor has your jaw tingling. You simply cannot wait to dig in, only able to keep yourself from diving straight into your dinner as the family cook replenishes your half drank glass of sparkling fae wine. “Thank you, Einar.”

The chef dips his head in response then spins on his heel, quickly leaving the room. A bite of guilt pinches your stomach as you watch the green-skinned, normally bright-eyed fae stalk back to the kitchen to prepare dessert. It’s not like Rhysand is that much like his father. While his personality and aura tend to lean to the more arrogant side, it’s usually attributed to the fact that he is a young, confident male, eager to bask in all of the indulgences son of the High Lord is offered.

Said male sita across from you, pinning you to your seat with searing violet eyes. His spine is rigid and his fingers are curled tightly around his utensils as he watches your gaze follow the chef scurrying from the room.

He wants to fire him, no matter how delicious his food is.

Rhysand doesn’t have a right to feel this way. He doesn’t like the rage that coils his stomach, that lights his bones on fire when your soft eyes meet those of any other male in the court. Ever since you’d worked up the courage to kiss him all those months ago, it had ignited something inside of him even he couldn’t seem to make sense of. He shouldn’t be feeling this conflicted over his little sister's best friend of all people, but even he couldn’t ignore your otherworldly beauty, the musical laughter he always ached to hear, feel those gorgeous eyes roaming down his body while you thought his attention was elsewhere. 

The following months after that fateful night had been spent in the Illyrian camps, avoiding you. He’d tried occupying his mind with training or drinking with Azriel and Cassian until he couldn’t remember what it felt like to have your lips pressed against his own, your breasts pressed against his chest, and your scent burrowing so deeply into his soul he might never forget it. 

You couldn’t be drowned by any female nor male he fell into bed with since. Rhys, as sick as it might be to admit it, had resorted to imagingin his partners were you when he couldn’t seem to get off. Horrible, he knows, but you’ve planted that seed and his feelings are an overgrown slew of vines, constricting his inner being.

And now you’re here, across from him. And he’s here, alone with you. And Ara is not here like she should be and his mother isn’t here to form a buffer and his father is away doing Mother knows what and Cassian and Azriel aren’t here to tell him how horrible this idea is, or how if he’d only fuck you it would get these feelings out of his system, at least, the former of the two would say.

Rhysand is in a dangerous situation right now.

He forces his body to relax, slumping back in his seat with the vanity only the prince of Night can convey. Masking his face into something a little more open—a little more nice—he stalls, cutting into the meat on his own plate. Blood spurts as he takes his knife to it, and Rhysand has to force himself from imagining it to be a certain chef's blood instead. “Mother whisked her into the city for dinner.”

“So it’s only you and I?” you blush, stabbing a potato with your fork. It has been so long since you’d last seen Rhysand, and it seems the few months he’s been away have made him even more handsome than you remember, even if his skin looks a little paler from the blistering winters in the mountains and the drink he hasn’t let up on since.

“It seems so,” Rhys answers, chewing.

“And no one else,” you murmur, almost breathless as your heart begins to race in your chest at the thought of what you and him could be getting into all alone, if he hadn’t decided to run from you. 

Rhysand quirks a brow, looking down the table as if looking for someone else, and replies, “How did you come to that conclusion?”

Rolling your eyes, you mutter, “Asshole,” under your breath, and Rhys fails to bite back his smirk. Both of you fall silent as you eat, only the sounds of your hammering heart and utensils filling the void in the luxurious dining room. You’re not sure how the family doesn't feel lonely like this, eating at the table built for an army. You can’t even hear Einar shuffling about in the kitchen, no clanging of pans or low curses if he creates something his perfectionist self doesn’t deem a ‘creation of the Gods.’

You can’t help but to glance at Rhysand, drinking in the sight of him. His straight nose, the curve of his cupid’s bow as he places a spoonful of vegetables and cream sauce in his mouth. His thick lashes are dark, so dark it looks like he’s let Ara around him with some of her kohl again. They’re long as well, brushing the apples of his cheeks when he looks down at his plate, and you’re envious of them.

Too long you’ve gone without seeing him. The most dramatic male you’ve ever set your sights on, running from you after you’d finally worked up the courage after months of pining to kiss him. It was after Ara had fallen asleep and you found yourself on the balcony, gazing up at the stars, his company warm and welcoming.

It had been everything to you then, the confidence you felt, the rush of adrenaline as you caught him off guard, the feel of his lips against yours, soft still, even if they were wind-chapped from the long flight. He hadn’t reacted, you hadn’t given him the time to, yanking yourself back just as quickly as you leaned in and running off to Araphel’s room, your mind screaming at you that it had been a horrible idea.

But you couldn’t ignore the emotions spilled between the both of you, the times where his hand had brushed yours or his touch lingered too long when he’d muse your hair, stroking the shell of your ear. You couldn’t ignore the heated looks Rhys shot you every time you spoke to another male, nor the way he always found an excuse to interrupt you, guiding you away from them with a large hand on the small of your back.

And maybe it was your silly little heart for wanting him. For crushing on your best friend's older brother who exudes confidence and can have any female in the court he wants. Any female on the continent, even.

The silence is damning, though, and you wish you could be how you were the night you’d kissed him, sanguine and bright with the idea that this could be your true love's first kiss. Of course, the fleeting press of his lips was enough to solidify many things for you, but you’d been unsure about Rhysand’s feelings on the matter, and by the time you’d found the courage to talk to him about what had happened, he’d already fled back to the mountains.

You’d kissed plenty of males since then, dragging Ara for nights out at Rita’s because Rhysand and his friends always raved about it. A part of you thought that he might walk in and see you in another male's arms, tear you away like the warrior-prince he is, but sadly, it hadn’t happened. 

And you have to say that you’re more than a little confused. He’d been blatantly glaring at Einar while the chef served your food. Had he heard about the kiss you shared with the young chef when Donan hadn’t allowed Araphel permission to go out one night and you spent it with the staff the High Lord kept around the house? It was all for a silly drinking game, but the green-skinned fae’s cheeks had been bright pink after the both of you stumbled back from the pantry, lips bruised and eyes shining bright with liquor. Maybe he had overheard some of the handmaiden's gossipping about it after all these weeks? Or maybe, the darkness always knows.

Now, the both of you are here, alone, staring at each other over the delectable meals prepared by the chef you’ve tasted once before. It hadn’t been anything like the peck you’d shared with Rhysand. In that millisecond of the brushing of your lips your world had shifted, body set alight with shooting stars and setting free the wild butterflies in your stomach. 

He has that glint in his eyes, the same one he always gets when he’s watching you, the one that heats your very core. And as you chew the potatoes in your mouth, you muster that confidence into yourself once more.

You will it into the marrow of your bones, rolling your shoulders as you prepare yourself to get exactly what you want. If there is no one here to interrupt, then the stage is set.

“Whoops,” you feign, allowing a drip of cream sauce to slip off the end of your utensil on the way to your mouth. It lands on the bare skin between the plunging fabric of your dress, and you catch Rhysand tracking the movement as you reach for your napkin to dab at your skin. “Spilled a little.”

Rhysnad hums, “You should be more careful, darling. Wouldn’t want to ruin that pretty dress of yours, now would you?”

“No,” you agree, ever the dream of poised elegance. You pop a vegetable into your mouth, chewing for a moment, before continuing. “I wouldn’t want to ruin my dress at all. But, if it’s meant to be, I can always have another one made.”

In that moment, you know you’ve got him. The stars in his violet eyes wink out as darkness settles in, pinning you to your chair. His look sends a shiver up your spine and you know that he is no longer hungry for the food plated before him.

Rhysand flares his wings a little and bites back a curse. For too long he’s been living at the Illyrian camps. There’s no one here he has to compete with for your attention, no one he needs to show off his wingspan to, though, by the way that your half-lidded eyes trace across the membranous skin of them, perhaps he’ll flare them wide when you’re beneath him.

It’s a line that he hasn’t crossed with you yet, one that he promised himself that he wouldn’t. You’re his little sister’s best friend for Mother’s sake, not just another female simpering after him because of his familial ties. You’re…much more than that, and he shouldn’t be thinking about crawling across this fucking table and licking that cream off of your chest and burying his head between your breasts.

“Meant to be,” he echoes, and you hum, tilting your head back with the motion. The exposed skin of your neck calls to him, even more so when you swipe a finger, capturing the sauce and popping it into your mouth to suck on. Your cheeks hollow exaggeratedly, and his cock strains painfully in his pants. He growls your name, a tenor of darkness that curls through your body like the icey patches of snow on the way into the city.

“What was that Rhys?” you ask, batting your eyelashes now. The meal in front of you is long forgotten, your hunger for this male insatiable. The way Rhysand makes you feel, despite only sharing a whisper of a kiss, well, you think you could be mates someday. “Did you need something?”

“I need you to stop doing that before I come over there and make you stop myself.”

You moan a little, legs falling wide under the table. “I think I might like that, though.” 

Rhysand’s nostrils flare as he drinks in the scent of your arousal, thick between your thighs.

“You’re supposed to be a Lady, darling. Who taught you to speak like that?” he purrs, tapping a perfectly manicured nail against the table. You know that he’s only doing it to try and dispel the tension leaking from his body. You can scent it in the air, the raw, heady smell of him that threatens to send you right to your knees.

“You,” you moan in response. You can feel him creeping into your mind, watching. Waiting.

“And you always listen to your superiors, don’t you, darling?”

“Yes,” you hiss, squirming in your seat as those black claws of his rake gently across your mind. Your fingers curl around the arms of your chair, your spine arching at the soft caress. “Rhys, please…I need you to touch me.” 

It’s a simple request, one he’s always indulged you in.

In a moment he’s gone from his chair only to appear behind you, winnowing far faster than stalking around the edge of the table to reach your seat.

He looms over you like a touch of darkness crowding you in, and you revel in it. The hue of his eyes is a dangerous violet, set with lightning striking in the distance instead of stars. It lights you up, your breath turning faster, the beating of your heart thunderous in the silence of the dining room. 

You can see the war in his eyes when you tilt your head back, resting it on the back of your chair. You press your breasts out a little, and watch with rapt attention as his eyes flicker down the front of your dress before he rips them away, the line of his mouth tightening at your hidden tease of a smile.

In your head, late at night, you’ve touched him; a hand around his silky, long cock, mouth pressed to his desperately, too. He’s tasted your slick on his tongue, reveled in it, hardly able to hold himself back from crawling up your body and fucking you how he wanted.

But you’ve never had sex before, and as much as you want to, as much as you’ve tried, Rhysand has been holding back.

Maybe it’s because he’s nervous to cross that line with you. You’re his little sisters best friend for fucks sake, and he’s going to be High Lord someday. Sure, he’s slowly making his way through the camp girls, trying not to grunt your name when he fucks into them, because you’re never far from his mind. 

Maybe it’s because he’s scared, if his sister or father ever found out. Araphel might be happy for the both of you. It’s a thought he has less often than the opposite, if she’s upset that he’s stealing one of her only true friends, and he doesn’t want that. 

Maybe he’s afraid he won’t be able to hold himself back.

Your name is a growl on his lips. A warning, one you don’t have it in you to heed. So you go with your next best idea, taunting.

“I guess I’ll have to drag Ara down to the city when she gets back then,” you say with a sad sigh. You pick up your fork and force your eyes from Rhysand’s burning ones. You shrug a little, spearing vegetables with your fork. “Fuck whatever male I come across there.”

Rhysand is hardly able to hold himself back from baring his teeth. He won’t allow that, ever.

You can feel the tension roiling in his body as he stands at your back, his food long forgotten. You’re not faring much better with the ache pulsing between your legs and the dinner that’s turned to mush in your mouth. 

“I’ll turn any male that touches you to mist.”

“Are you planning on doing that to yourself, too?” you quirk a brow as you glance his way, faking your disinterest despite the way that your core goes molten at his words. 

Rhysands eyes darken in response, the muscle in his jaw ticking.

Your words are working, you can see it in the way that he holds himself back, body nearly shaking at every thought you’re planting in his mind. You know he’s on the verge of cracking, that he wants this just as badly as you do, so you continue.

“What if I told you that I wasn’t a virgin anymore. Would you fuck me then, Rhysand?” 

“What?” His voice takes on a dark tone, the stars winking out from his eyes.

“If I told you that chef Einar was the one to do it, to bend me over his worktop and fuck me, what would you say then, Rhys?” 

“I’d say you’re a liar. And that I’ll kill him either way.”

“If I spread my legs for him just like this,” you continue, leaning back in your seat and opening your thighs wide. His fingers ball into fists but he doesn’t move from his spot, still planted behind you, trying his best to ignore the way your scent hits him like a sword to the gut. “And let his hands roam down my body just like this—” You startle at the loud sound coming from the kitchen, pots falling to the floor in succession. It makes your hands that you’re dragging down your body falter, and before you can continue, your wrists are pinned in Rhysand’s harsh grip, his breath heavy against your throat.

“You should be very, very careful about what you’re going to say next, darling,” his growl sends your bones rattling, shivers wracking your spine. You wish it weren’t the harsh wood at your back but instead his warm body, holding you tight. 

“I want you to fuck me, Rhys,” you gasp, and it sounds like a desperate mewl. “I need you to fuck me.” 

Rhysand’s mouth is a whisper against your skin, a brand of night.

“If I’m going to fuck you, darling,” he purrs and your insides melt. “Everyone is going to know it.”

[pinkroseblooms]

Options

Arajin Tomoshibi/f!Reader/Marito Jin

Summary: A misunderstanding leads Arajin to realizing he's not quite over his crush on you; it's even harder ignoring his own feelings when you also manage to peak his volatile boyfriend's interest. A/N: This takes place in a AU without magic and honki people. Suggestive language, but no smut: part 2 coming soon! Enjoy! wc: 2.3k

“Let Arajin go!”

Marito felt something smack the back of his head, right dead center of his bun; he slowly turns enough to see you holding a ladle high above your head. You flinched, but held the utensil higher. Arajin shrugged off Marito’s arm; his soul might have ascended from his body, seeing you standing in the middle of the street.

“What are you doing?!”

“It’s okay; you start running, I’ll hold this jerk off!” Your knees shake, threatening to buckle under you at the glare Marito is casting your way. “Run!”

“Wa-wait! It’s not what you think!” Arajin sputters, hands raised as he gets between you and Marito. “What are you even doing here? Mom said you were on serving duty today; just go back to the restaurant-”

“Ara-teen, do you know this little beast?” Marito’s lips form a slow, cold smile. “That must be it; otherwise, I sure hope she has a good reason for attacking me so rudely on our date.”

“Date?” You blink, lowering the ladle to your chest. “Arajin, you…know this guy? So, he’s not bullying you?”

About ten minutes prior, you, a server at the Chu Chu Chinese Restaurant, had been tossing a couple of trash bags out in the dumpster when your eyes spied Arajin walking past with someone you didn’t know. The taller boy’s arm was slung over Arajin’s shoulders and he was talking animatedly, but your immediate assumption was that this stranger was shaking down Arajin for money or favors. You didn’t know at the time Marito Jin was in fact a gang leader, but currently you’re apologizing profusely for your “attack”; Arajin and Marito sat across from each other at an empty table as you explained to them what was going through your mind.

“I feel so dumb.” You bow your head in Marito’s direction specifically. “I really am sorry, I jumped to conclusions; I’ve been worried about Arajin having a tough time at school and I guess…I assumed the worst. I’m so sorry, Jin-san.”

“I’ll let it go this time.” Marito says coolly, barely glancing your way. “I wouldn’t normally let you live after such an offense, but for Ara-teen’s sake, I’ll excuse your rudeness.”

Arajin gulped: there’s no way he can tell you Marito is actually not only a juvenile delinquent but a dangerous psycho. No, it’s better you don’t get involved in any of this; Arajin’s known you most of his life. His mother and yours had been friends forever and when your mother passed, you had been all but adopted. You made ends meet working at Chu Chu; you were earnest and hard working but something of a worry wart, at least when it came to Arajin.

“You really don’t have to worry about me,” Arajin tries to sound casual and breezy as you set down two cups of hot tea. “Marito might seem scary but he is a…well, he’s very…he would never, uh…” 

Okay, maybe it’s dishonest to try and tell you Marito is a “good” person but Arajin really doesn’t want you to be concerned; if anything, he knows Marito is going to be the first person to throw down on his behalf should anyone even try to hurt him. Now, whether or not Marito will be inflicting any of that pain himself, that’s something Arajin can’t quite say for sure. 

“Is your head okay?” You look around Marito’s head; you lightly touch the spot you made contact with. “I can get you some ice.”

“Wow, you are wound up tight.” Marito slaps your hand away, but it’s more of a light swat than anything. “Ara-teen, tell her to calm down and bring us food; it’s bad enough our date got interrupted, I’m starving.” he whined as you left to fetch them some appetizers. “Also, you didn’t ask how my head was…”

“You said it didn’t hurt though,” Arajin grumbles under his breath, blowing on his tea. “I can’t believe this. What on earth was she thinking?”

“Is she your guard dog? A little beast like her couldn’t hurt a fly.” Marito snickers, teeth baring wolfishly. “Don’t tell me she thinks you need her to protect you.”

“It’s more like…she’d step in to help anyone.” Arajin smiles a little himself; he remembers how hard you were shaking, the real fear behind your bold glare. “She’s crazy, that girl.”

“Hey, who are we talking about here?” You come back to their table with two plates loaded up with food. “Arajin, so mean.”

“No, I didn’t mean it how it sounded!” Arajin scrambles to explain himself. “You were really cool back there actually.”

“Aw, come on, you and I both know I’m useless in a fight; that was all a bluff.” You address Marito. “Besides, he’s the one who looks cool. I really like your hair and piercings.”

“Flattery won’t get you on my good side.” 

“No, I’m serious.” You tell him with some surprise. “I’m sure you get this a lot, but you could be a model or something; of course, Arajin’s still the cutest. He’s off the charts when it comes to being a cutie pie.”

“Ugh, don’t make fun of me.” 

“Come on, no need to be modest in front of your date.” You tease. “He knows what I’m talking about, right Jin-san?”

“I’m an expert.” Marito agrees, fixing Arajin with a knowing look. “You should see how cute he looks when-”

“KNOCK IT OFF!”

“Soooo scary!” Marito cackles. “Is your face red from anger? Or something else?”

“You’re both awful.”

Arajin scoffs but inwardly he’s getting…tingly. It’s almost like both you and Marito are flirting with him, giving him all this attention. He has to remind himself you’re just being nice.

Marito takes a chicken skewer and tears a bite of juicy meat off with a satisfied hum. “Hm, these are different.”

“Oh that one is my recipe.” You grin. “Arajin, do you like it?”

“It’s delicious.” 

“Yay!”

Arajin feels his chest swell at the look of pride on your face; honestly he would happily swallow unseasoned glass shards by the spoonful if you asked him to. You were wrong: if anyone’s cute it’s you. God, he’s only been back for a few months; Arajin thought by now you wouldn’t have the same effect on him, especially now he’s seeing someone. To be fair, with Marito he wasn’t exactly given a choice, but still. 

“Feed me, Ara-teen!” Marito leans over the table and points to his open mouth. “I want a dumpling.”

“You have hands!” 

Arajin’s cheeks flush and he hopes you don’t notice. He uses his chopsticks to take a dumpling and pops it into his mouth, ignoring Marito’s whimper, but hunger wins out and he takes a dumpling for himself. 

“Here, don’t forget the sauce.” Arajin slides the bottle over to Marito. “You always eat too fast and forget to use it.”

“Aw, thanks honey~”

“Don’t. Call. Me. That.”

“Yum!” Marito licks his lips eagerly. “These really hit the spot.”

“I hope you like them; I still feel bad about earlier, so I doubled the portion.” You smile sweetly, hands clasped to your chest. “I made them with lots and lots of love, just for you two!”

Arajin almost chokes when your hands form a heart shape; Marito pauses mid bite as you shoot them with a “love beam” and giggle childishly. 

“Chu!” You blow them a kiss. “Please let me know if you want anything else; have fun on your date, Arajin-it was nice to meet you, Jin-san.”

Arajin can barely stop himself from staring as the skirt of your uniform flounces around your thighs and your hips sway with every step.

“I see how it is.” Marito leans over the table with a sly smile. “Ara-teen, bad boy. You’re practically family, aren’t ya? Does she know about your little crush? Or were you childhood sweethearts? Don’t say it’s so, I’ll be jealous.”

“No, no, no! We’re barely friends, my mom knew her mom, she’s just…”

But Arajin can tell Marito isn’t buying his excuses; of course he’s thought about you that way. 

“I liked her.” Arajin confesses quietly. “She’s cute and she's a good person: I admire her, that's all."

Cute, brave, sweet, and only the most perfect girl and Arajin knows he doesn’t have a chance in hell. Besides, you don’t see him that way; he might as well be your kid brother, the way you fuss and act so protectively. 

“I can see it now: two love birds who grew up together, getting married and running this place, a few kids maybe, real domestic. Blegh.” Marito rolls his eyes. “I bet your mom would be thrilled; is she planning the wedding? You're not just playing with me to pass the time, are ya?”

“You know mom likes you; you shocked her maybe, but she thinks you're funny and cool.” Arajin replies with a small smile. "Not that she wouldn't be happy with anyone as long as they treat me well. The only thing that would make the old hag happier is maybe if you and I and-”

“We all got together? You, me, and that little beast?” Marito picks up a dumpling, almost gingerly with his chopsticks, inspecting it with an odd half smile. “Nah, more like…a nervous little kitten who doesn’t know how to use her claws yet. She needs training.” 

Arajin watches Marito carefully; he’s been acting off all afternoon. More so, at least. 

"You heard what she said: besides, she hates fighting." Arajin remarks, passing Marito the whole plate of skewers. "Go on, these are your favorite right?"

"They're best when you make 'em though." Marito winks, basically salivating as he picks up another stick. "I bet you've had a lot of her cooking, huh?"

"Why do you keep bringing the conversation back to her?" Arajin sighs; his teas gone cold but he's too anxious to call you back over to bring more. "My mom teaches her and she has me for a guinea pig. Actually when she started cooking it was awful."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, always over salted or undercooked or burned, you name it." Arajin recalls various failed dishes he had been assigned to taste test. "She'd do it over and over again though. It was important to her. Mom would tell her food can be an expression of personality; I guess that's why she put so much effort into doing better."

Every time, you would go to him with a hopeful spark in your eyes; even now you're self conscious about how your food tastes. Arajin would say the practice paid off, but considering he would consume poison made with your painstaking care, maybe he's not the one you should've been going to for critiques.

"Her food tastes like her." Marito smacks his lips in satisfaction. "I taste it."

"The saying isn't really literal." Arajin smiles in exasperation. "What are you even tasting?"

Marito leans his chin on his hand; he has a much more subdued expression and the abrupt change on his demeanor isn't lost on Arajin. Marito is being serious.

"Filling warmth."

"Filling...warmth?"

"It's kinda like," Marito drawls. "There's heat in my belly; I already ate so much, I know I shouldn't eat more, but I can't get enough. Don't ya taste it?"

"Yeah, well," Arajin scratches his cheek. "I'd say it's comforting? Something like that."

“So, you do have a crush."

"Marito, lower your voice please!"

"Says the one squealing like a little girl; gotta say, I’m a bit disappointed in you, Ara-teen. All this time and you never tried to claim her? Normally you woulda been kissin' her ass and the ground she walks on, but you're holding back?” Marito asks, almost as if he’s genuinely curious. “You’re so odd: fiery and bold one minute and all shy and timid the next.”

“I mean, we’re…together now, so what does it matter? Come on, it's not funny, Marito. We're on a date but you keep trying to-to goad me into flirting or something.” Arajin glances around, but no one seems to be paying them any mind. “You act like you want me to make a move on her.”

“Maybe I do.”

Arajin watches, gaping as Marito sinks his teeth into the last dumpling; he’s staring towards where you’re speaking with his mother behind the bar counter. You’re nodding, looking fairly serious now, at the ready and eager to help. Arajin can feel his heart fluttering again and he jumps when Marito’s foot slides to tap his own under the table; Arajin looks up but Marito’s eyes are still on you, a strained smile playing on his lips, as if he's trying to not laugh. 

Although everything on the table has been devoured already, Arajin wouldn't know it from the hungry way Marito scans your face, the way his tongue darts out as if to savor any trace left of the meal you had brought them. He looks ready to lick the empty plate clean: except, his eyes are still on you.

Arajin squirms in his seat and at the same moment, you seem to have noticed them staring. You wave sweetly, smiling at them; Arajin could dissolve into a puddle as Marito reaches under the table to grasp at his knee.

"Hey, ya know what we oughta do? Let's adopt a kitten."

"What?!" Arajin gasps, words cut off as Marito slides his wandering hand further to his thigh. "Stop teasing, this really, really, isn't funny..."

“I thought you liked when I teased you?" Marito giggles maniacally. "Anyway, she did say with lots and lots of love for us. Or are you so worked up you can't remember?"

"I don't think she meant..I-I couldn't-"

"Please, Ara-teen? Pretty, pretty please?" Marito coos and simpers; there's a hint of pink rising in his pale cheeks. “I wanna play with that kitten.”

[thinking1bee]

You Haven't Failed Part 11

Requested by Anonymous

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Tags: Spidey!Reader, Venom!Reader, So Much Angst, Fluff, Established Relationship, Graphic Depictions of Injuries, Blood, Violence, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Smut

Everything Taglist: @ara-a-bird @alexawynters

From your head to your torso, Wanda watched in horror as the suit split down the middle. The ringing from the device in Tony’s hand sent ripples through its form. It changed as it stretched exceedingly away from you, the black becoming taut with only thin slivers of connecting flesh holding it together. It looked to be on the verge of tearing. Thrashing flesh formed a hollow head with a gaping maw full of razor-sharp teeth, and that head bellowed thunderously. As it pulled away from you in a desperate attempt to escape, it exposed your entire head, your arms, and chest as you screamed and writhed.

“STOP IT!” you screeched.

It was agony to tear a hand away from your ear, but you flung your arm towards Tony, the fibers of the sentient suit wrapping around your arm, traveling down the length of it to cover it in wiggling black that shot a gigantic barrage of tentacles in his direction. He couldn’t move fast enough. Tony tossed the device to Wanda before the tentacles wrapped tightly around his body. His suit groaned under the strength of your grip, the tentacles almost threatening to shatter the nanobots that formed it. You heaved, the tentacles undulating as you whipped him back before throwing him as far away as you could, his body twirling end over end as he fought to right himself in midair. You turned towards Wanda, tears streaming down your cheeks as you and the symbiote continued to suffer.

“Wands,” you choked out, your voice breaking as you hunched over. The tentacles collapsed heavily onto the street. The weight of them lurched you forward, and you shot out your other arm to catch yourself, to prevent from flopping onto the ground. You knew that you wouldn’t have the strength to get back up.

Wanda hated this. She hated it. You were in so much pain and she could feel it. She just wanted to hold you. She wanted to reassure you that everything was alright, but she had to separate you from that symbiote. Tears came to her eyes as you tried to reach for her. Even with her being so far away, you were crawling to her, cries of pain tearing your throat apart as the symbiote writhed and shrieked. Wanda just wanted to kiss you and make the pain stop.

But she had to do this. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

She turned the volume up and focused her magic on you. Red spilled from her hand, her eyes turning the same color, as magic wrapped around you and the symbiote. Even through bleary eyes that struggled to see through the pain, you could see the entity that had bonded to you. Days ago, it’d felt good. The strength that it gave you felt great. It was addicting, but as it screeched, the teeth snapping while saliva dripped from its unhinged jaw, you saw this thing for what it really was. Evil. You could feel it sucking the strength out of you rapidly. It was draining you to keep itself alive. You could feel it. You could also feel it’s intentions, and right now, it wanted Wanda dead.

She was right.

You were blinded by the strength it was giving you. The power that coursed through your veins enthralled you, and for the past several days, it was taking you over, changing you. A darkness had settled into your soul, but it hadn’t been born from this alien. No. It was simply unearthed. It brought to light the anger that you’d tried to snuff out. It saw that, and the grief, resentment, and helplessness you harbored, and used it all against you. It fed you lies and false hopes, and you had been too naïve to believe it. You were too blinded by your own shortcomings that you let it in even when Wanda voiced her concerns. Now here you were, an alien sucking the life from your body as it fought to get to Wanda. You put her in danger.

You failed her…again.

Your vision was swimming now, and you found it incredibly hard to breathe. It was like you were being suffocated, even as mouthfuls of oxygen inflated your lungs. The symbiote was dragging your weakened body, bit by bit, as it pulled you towards Wanda, and your head swam at the pain you felt. Red filled your vision, and you barely made out the magic that surrounded you. You looked up to see her, her eyes ablazed with red as she held her arm outstretched towards you. You felt a voice enter your mind, and this time, it was a voice that you love.

<I’m so, so sorry Y/n.>

You could hear the pain and regret in the words, and they echoed longingly inside of you. She was sorry…you chuckled at the prospect of your girlfriend saving your life, at the fact that she was apologizing to you that she was doing it. It was ludicrous. You were the one that was sorry, and you hated how it took you until now to see the error of your ways.

“Do it, Wands,” you whimpered weakly, knowing that she could hear you. You knew what her intentions were, and you nodded your head as you dug your hands and feet into the street. You actually broke the asphalt, your fingers burrowing deep into the concrete as you anchored yourself down. “Do it!”

The symbiote screeched, its head whirling around to face you with malice. Its jaw opened impossibly wider as it roared, and you watched as a long tongue snaked out of its mouth. Wanda reacted quickly when its attention was diverted. She wrapped her magic over you and it, and began to force you both apart. The agony that exploded to life inside of you was indescribable. It was like you were being pulled apart atom by atom. You cried out, and then coughed. A mouthful of blood left your lips, the world pulsating around you as you fought to keep yourself in place. The symbiote screeched louder, its body flailing uncontrollably as it tried to release itself from the grip of her magic. Wanda was putting her all into releasing you from it. She was actually struggling, and she had to relinquish the device to Tony once he rejoined her by her side. Her other hand started to glow, and she gritted her teeth, her arms flexing noticeably under her suit. There were a lot of things that she’d seen. There were many things that couldn’t surprise her anymore, but nothing prepared her for the voice she heard from the alien.

“I will kill your lover!” it snarled, its voice inhumanly deep and gravelly. “I will kill them before I kill you!”

Instantly, Wanda eased up on her pull and Tony looked at her with wide eyes.

“What are you doing??” he demanded. “You can’t stop now.”

She wasn’t stopping, only listening. She still had it in her hold even as the magic dwindled in intensity. The device had died a moment later, the ringing abruptly stopping. She could see you holding on for dear life, but she also could see the mouthfuls of blood you were spitting up. More blood dribbled down your nose, and she could see how pale and sickly you looked. Even just on your face, she could see the veins beneath your pallid skin turn black. It was like dark, inky spider webs marring your skin.

“Did you hear that, human?!” he demanded, but this time, at you. Its cloudy, white eyes stared at you with intense wrath. “I will devour her from the inside out.”

“No,” you whimpered. You felt the alien tug at you again, its desire to tear Wanda limb from limb a driving force behind its desperate actions.

“No!” you screamed again. You heard its words. You felt its bloodthirsty desires. It was one hundred percent serious on its threat and feeling that gave you the strength to rise to your feet.

Wanda watched as you shot two webs at it, the artificially silken ropes adhering to the top of its head, and with the reins in your grip, you pulled backwards with all your might. No. Not her. Not again. It roared as you dragged it backwards and Wanda watched in shock, your arms straining while more blood spilt from your nose. You would pull this thing apart before it could ever reach her.

“Give up!” it sneered as it struggled against you. “I will take her, or I will take you!”

“Then take me!” you yelled immediately.

“детка, no!”

“...take me,” you repeated again, your voice growing weaker. As you said it, you dropped the webs from your hands and met its eyes, the fight instantly bleeding from you as your arms hung limply by your sides. It paused for only a second, and you watched as Wanda started running towards you, tears streaming down her face as she tried to intervene in time.

Fuck. You were so damn tired. A soul deep kind of ache filled your bones as your body flared with pain sickeningly. You fucked up, and you had put Wanda and everyone else in danger, all because of your weakness. A small smile graced your lips as you shifted your gaze from the symbiote to the love of your life. She wasn’t going to get to you in time.

And that was okay.

<I love you.>

Wanda felt the words in her mind and something inside of her grew so desperate, she couldn’t think straight. Even as she tried to throw a wave of magic at the entity still connected to your body, it dodged her attack easily before it shot towards you. The last thing you saw before darkness completely enveloped you was Wanda and Tony fighting to get to you. The symbiote stretched its body wide, like it was casting a net, before it engulfed you. There was a moment where the pain inside of you went nuclear before there was nothing. Nothing existed anymore. Not even you.

***

A wriggling, gargantuan mass of black flesh enveloped you entirely. It was so thick that Wanda couldn’t even see an outline of your body beneath it. It was too late. She skidded to a stop as a sob left her lips, and she watched helplessly as the symbiote took you over. She watched as the mass began to shrink, to form a body, but it didn’t form the spider suit it dressed you in previously. No. Standing before her was a hulking entity. It was tall, overly muscular, and its face…it was horrific. It opened its mouth, and the same teeth she saw before greeted her. Large, white eyes, vaguely in the shape of the eyes on your spider suit, stared at her in victory. It roared right as it began to twitch, wet noises filled the air as the muscles on its back vibrated. Something beneath the surface was fighting to get out. Large, black wings exploded from its back, the appendages fluttering and flapping as they stretched. Breaths sawed in and out of Wanda as it stood up straight and unfurled its bat shaped wings to their full length.

“Y/n?” she whispered.

“We are not Y/n,” it spoke to her, the voice carrying an air of deep animosity. It regarded her with absolute hate, its hands flexing with strength as it took a step towards her.

“We.”

It took another step as it stood to its full height. It towered over Wanda and Tony both, its voice deep as it growled its words.

“Are.”

Wanda had to back away, her eyes and hands igniting red with magic as she prepared herself for a fight. She was going to get you back. Wanda loved you, and she wasn’t going to let you go.

“Venom.”

Part 12

[twoidiotwriters1]

Almighty (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Happy anniversary of The Daughter of Olympus! -Danny Words: 2,255 Series' Masterlist Book II // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Talking To Myself' -by Gatlin

I: Born to Say 'Fuck Off' Forced to Say 'Yes, Sir'

Ara can think of ten different things she could be doing outside of this musty old place that would make a difference in the world instead of this. I'm the daughter of Olympus, she sulks, giants fear me, monsters want me, but I can't get rid of Marcus from Spanish class.

First day of High School. She's looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, hyping herself up to survive the last three hours of the day. It would be less aggravating if Percy had qualified to attend his last year at Goode's, but apparently, disappearing in the middle of the school year gets you expelled, go figure.

Arae Jackson.

The girl gives a start and looks over her shoulder at the stools, where none other than Poseidon meets her eye. "My lord," Ara's voice trembles. "This is a girl's bathroom."

The god raises a brow as if silently asking if that's truly her main concern. "I'll be brief with this visit. My son needs you."

"Which one? Tyson?" That sentence immediately puts her on edge. "Percy? What happened?"

"Oh, nothing yet," the god sighs. "Percy must do a series of tasks and Zeus has forbidden me from aiding him, yet he never mentioned I couldn't bestow upon you the duty to ensure Percy's triumph."

She stares at him. "You mean a quest, sir?"

"As daughter of Olympus, you must do what the gods ask of you, I hope you haven't forgotten?" He crosses his arms.

"Of course not, my lord, but I'm a little lost," she raises a brow. "Why are you drafting Percy into this if I could do the tasks myself?"

Poseidon smiles but seems tense. "My son will explain everything to you. Goodbye, I expect good results."

The god leaves, and Ara turns to the mirror. "This is what you get for bitching."

When Ara gets home, she finds Grover at the door. "Hey, man," she musters a tired smile. "Came for dinner?"

"It's your first day of High School and Percy's senior year, of course I'd come," he grins. "How are you?"

Percy opens the door and welcomes them in. "Hey! I was wondering where you two were..."

"I brought strawberries." Grover shoves the basket in the boy's hands. "Is that tofu stir-fry?"

"Hello to you, too," Percy answers, throwing a bemused glance at Ara.

"I love tofu stir-fry!"

"Ara and Grover are here!" Her brother announces over his shoulder. "They brought strawberries!"

Sally comes out of the kitchen and takes the basket. "They smell wonderful! Perfect dessert!"

"Last crop of the summer," Grover informs them. "Now we have to get ready for gourd season. Don't get me wrong. I love decorative gourds, but they're not as tasty."

Sally pats his shoulder as she walks past. "We'll make sure these berries don't go to waste."

Ara stares at them. Everyone thought Leo would be back by the last week of August... She keeps smiling like his absence does not bug her much, partly because she doesn't want to be like those girls who whine about their boyfriends, and also because a General being sad about a boy is plain stupid, but it's more than that. Now that their curse is—presumably—broken, nothing assures her that he'll love her still, he didn't address her in the scroll he sent, after all.

He has a whole life ahead of him, and he might decide that even if they share soul lights, his calling is somewhere else, somewhere she doesn't fit in. He's free, but nothing has changed for Ara. Hercules warned her, and she didn't take it seriously at first, thinking she'd die before she could get a chance to see how that would play.

"Who's hungry?" Paul enters the room, and Ara feels slightly better.

While the family catches up, Percy shares his conundrum: He's been asked to get three recommendation letters from the gods by doing three separate quests. "Well then, we'll do these quests together!" Grover speaks before Percy can even finish.

Percy's shoulders relax. "Grover, you don't have to—"

"Are you kidding? A chance to do quests, just the four of us? Like old times? The Fantastic Four!"

"The Beatles," Annabeth smirks.

"The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," Percy adds.

"The Golden Girls," Ara finishes.

"I wanna be Betty White."

The teens laugh, and Paul raises his drink. "The monsters will never know what hit them. Just be careful, you four."

"Oh, it'll be fine," Grover brushes it off, but he's anxiously nibbling a napkin. "Besides, it always takes a while for word to get around among the gods. We've probably got weeks before the first request comes in!"

It did not take weeks.

The next day, Ara notices a guy seated next to Percy at their favorite smoothie bar, one that she knows. "Ganymede." Her smile is one of intrigue. "The hell are you doing here?"

Usually, she doesn't speak to godlings like that, but Ganymede's like the cousin you see once a year and with whom you sneak out of the family reunion to talk shit about your aunts and uncles, and heck, he talks. She met him during the winter and summer solstices that she attended as the daughter of Olympus.

"Oh, is my disguise worth nothing?" He huffs. "It doesn't matter. Dear Arae, I require aid. I would've come to you, but..." he makes a face. "Well, if I use you, the gods might find out about my problem."

"What problem?" Ara sits next to Percy, taking a sip from his smoothie.

"I have to be sure this is completely discreet," he leans forward. "You cannot tell anyone else. Is that understood?"

"Discreet is what we do," Grover says.

"How much do you know about my responsibilities on Mount Olympus?" Ganymede questions.

"You're the cupbearer of the gods," Annabeth replies.

"Must be a sweet job," Grover sighs. "Immortality, godly power, and you just have to serve drinks?"

"It's a horrible job."

"Permanent waiter position with no chances of promotion," Ara nods in understanding.

"When it was just at feasts," Ganymede continues, "that was one thing. But now ninety percent of my orders are deliveries. Ares wants his nectar delivered on the battlefield. Aphrodite wants her usual with extra crushed ice and two maraschino cherries delivered to a sauna in Helsinki in fifteen minutes or less. Hephaestus... Don't get me started on Hephaestus. This gig economy is killing me."

"Okay," Percy shrugs. "How can we help?"

"My most important symbol of office... Can you guess what it is?"

"Since you're cupbearer of the gods, I'm going to guess... a cup?"

"Not just any cup!" Ganymede hisses. "The chalice of the gods! The goblet of ultimate flavor! The only cup worthy of Zeus himself! And now..."

"Oh, it's missing, isn't it?" Annabeth guesses.

"Not missing. My cup has been stolen." He bursts into tears.

Percy looks at Ara, she gestures at him vaguely and he reacts stiffly. "There, there."

The waiter hands Ara her usual drink, then he notices the crying boy. "Is the smoothie not okay, sir? I can make you something else."

"No." Ganymede sniffs. "It's just... I can't stand seeing so many cups. It's too soon. Too soon."

Ara looks at the waiter and flashes him a smile. "Thank you, Steve. I'll make sure to tip fifteen percent." The guy seems satisfied with that and leaves them alone. 

Grover turns to the god. "You know, the kids at Camp Half-Blood make some great arts-and-crafts projects. They could probably fashion you a new goblet."

"It wouldn't be the same," Ganymede whines.

"Or you could look into single-serving cups made from recyclable material."

"Grover," Annabeth intervenes. "He wants his special cup."

"I'm just saying, single servings might be more hygienic. All those gods sipping from the same goblet—?"

"You said it was stolen," Percy moves on. "Do you know who took it?"

"I have some ideas," he glares at the table. "But first, you have to promise that this remains confidential. The goblet makes drinks taste good to the gods. But if a mortal got hold of it... one sip from it would grant them immortality." 

Ara and Percy make the same face. "If it's so powerful, why would you trust us to get it back?"

"I couldn't trust anyone else! You've already turned down immortality once, Percy Jackson."

"Yeah, what a weirdo." Ara retorts sarcastically.

Percy kicks her foot. "Okay. Totally confidential."

"And these others?" Ganymede looks at her friends. 

"These others know how to keep a secret," Annabeth smiles. "Loose lips are never a good strategy."

"Totally," Grover nods.

"We're all best friends," Percy says. "You can trust them as much as you can trust me."

"Yeah, besides, you and I come from way back," Ara states confidently.

"Fine," he sighs dramatically. "I suspect someone on Olympus is trying to embarrass me, make me look bad in front of Zeus. If he finds out I lost my cup... No. I have to recover it."

"You have enemies?" Percy asks.

"Oh, yes. Hera, for one. She's hated me since the day Zeus snatched me up to Olympus. Zeus was always complimenting me, you see—how handsome I was, how much I brightened up the palace. It's not my fault I have nicer legs than she does."

Ara wants to erase that sentence from her memory. Annabeth shivers. "Let's hope it's not Hera."

"No... Probably not. She would consider it beneath her." Ganymede mumbles. "But there are others—Everyone on Olympus hates me, really, because I'm a newcomer, an upstart kid made immortal. They call me a gold digger! Can you believe that?"

Percy and Ara share a look again, having a tough time not blurting out their silly thoughts. "You suspect anyone else in particular?"

"Before I was the cupbearer," he lowers his voice, "there were two other goddesses who had my job. First Hebe. Then Iris."

"Iris seems kind of chill to be stealing chalices," Grover replies.

"Perhaps." Ganymede pouts. "But Hebe..."

"The goddess of youth," Annabeth hums. "But, Ganymede, you're, like, eternally young and beautiful. Why would she want to embarrass you?"

"Oh, you don't know her," Ganymede scrunches up his nose. "In the early days, every time I would serve drinks at the feast table, she'd mutter Spill it, spill it as I walked past. She's so immature."

"Well, if she's the goddess of youth..." Grover starts.

"That's no excuse! She needs to grow up!" 

"Okay," Percy brushes it aside. "Do you have any proof she took it?"

"Proof? That's what I need you for. Don't you heroes dust for fingerprints, analyze DNA samples, that sort of thing?"

"You might be thinking of CSI. But okay, we'll start with Hebe. Then check Iris."

"Fine." Ganymede takes a sip of his drink. "Hmm. Not bad. Maybe when I get fired and turned back into a mortal, I could work here."

"You'd make a great himbo," Annabeth nods. "So how long has your chalice been missing?"

Ganymede squints. "A century?"

"A century?!" Percy squeaks.

"Or a week? I always get those time periods confused. Not long, anyway. So far, I've been able to fake it with my delivery orders. The other gods kind of expect to-go cups with those. But if I don't get my proper chalice back before the next in-person feast, everyone will notice. I'll be humiliated!"

"When is the next feast?" Grover inquires.

"I don't know! Zeus is unpredictable! He might schedule one in twenty years. Or it could be tomorrow. The point is, I need that goblet back before word gets out! Question those goddesses. See what they know. But don't offend them. And don't say I sent you. And don't give away that my cup was stolen."

"That'll make it hard to question them," Annabeth responds. "Any idea where these goddesses hang out?"

"They stay close to Mount Olympus. I mean Manhattan. They should be around here somewhere. Do this for me, Percy Jackson, and I will write you a letter!"

"This recommendation letter will be positive?" Percy lists. "And you'll actually sign it?"

Ganymede scoffs. "You drive a hard bargain, but very well! Now, away with you, before I am undone!"

The moment Ganymede is gone, Percy turns to Ara. "You're friends with that guy?"

Ara puffs out air through her mouth and leans back tiredly. "Dude, when you work part-time in Olympus, there aren't many options."

"Well..." He looks at the others with a little smile. "This should be fun. Any ideas where to start?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Grover pouts. "But let me finish my drink first. We're going to need our strength."

Compared to what they used to face when they were younger, this is easy, and they also have each other. It surprises her how easily her brain accepts this and moves on. For years she'd been part of this family and felt the same they did about most things, but being a daughter of Olympus was shifting her character in ways she couldn't even notice until it was too late. 

Ease up, sunshine—She can hear Leo's voice in her head, twisting the perspective so it looks like something fun instead of dangerous. Before meeting him, that voice was her own, but now... all things joyful are him—this will be such a cool story at parties.

Ara makes a beeline to her room and stops only when Percy calls after her. "Yes?"

"Wanna play?" He's showing her the PlayStation remote with a strange look in his eyes, almost holding his breath while waiting for an answer.

Ara replies awkwardly. "Ah—I've got camp stuff to review. Bunker, cabins..." Her feet are already moving forward. "Sorry..."

The girl enters their shared room and closes the door. On her side of the room, right above her bed, she spots the Polaroids Leo gifted her a few months ago, and her smile drops. Gods, she's dead worried. Ara presses her back against the door and steadies herself. You got this. Her hand dives into her pocket and closes around Almighty with a tight grip. She takes a few steps forward and collapses onto her bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh @ebony-reine-vibes

[definedareasofuncertainty]

like a flame rained upon

Summary: It was raining and there was no one waiting for him. Fëanáro had known the second part would be true, but he had not expected his first steps out of the Halls to be met with cleansing water. A final insult, perhaps, that it was not even a dreadful thunderstorm that shook the world with a warning of the peril that now walked freely through these blessed lands, but rather a quiet lament. A light drizzle that would take long to so much as soak his white clothes. He hated this, how clean he seemed clad in these soft robes. Gentle rain drops trickling down his arms, past his unfamiliar, uncalloused hands, and coming out clear. As if he had indeed washed away the blood that had long stained his skin, his soul. - [Or: Feanor comes out of the Halls and is slowly reunited with all of the people from his life]

----

Chapter Two: Arafinwë

“Have you come to seek justice in her name?” he asked, surprising himself to find that his heart did not feel any heavier. If this was what his brother wanted, he should have it.

But Ara blinked at him. “Justice? Pray tell me, brother, what would that justice look like?”

Brother. There was no bitterness to the word. No snarl, no need to add the word ‘half’ before it to diminish the connection.

“She cannot be at ease knowing that I walk the same lands as she does. As her family does.”

That's all he said, but the underlying suggestion that Ëarwen would find peace in his death did not go unnoticed, and Arafinwë’s features grew hard and his voice became quiet when he spoke.

“She does not forgive you, and neither do I. But bringing her your head on a silver platter would bring her no comfort.” A pause and a hint of a smile. “And I take pride in being the one son of Finwë who has not raised arms against a brother.”

Fëanáro ignored the jab best he could, though Arafinwë’s irreverence left a bitter taste in his mouth. “What then would you seek of me? For I have little to give you.”

[excelsi-or]

summoned (pt. 12)

In reality, this section is a continuation of the last part, but I didn't want part 11 to be like 4k+, so I split them. Posting the next part alongside this, so not long to wait. :)

pairing: woozi x fem!reader/fem!OC

w.c. 1.8k

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11

Hansol gets out of the car, holding his stomach as he stretches. "Mr. Demon, your car is dope and your driving skills are mental."

"Were those good things?" Jihoon asks as the two humans lead the way across the street.

"The highest praise from Hansol, really," Seokmin states. But the angel's focus in on the other human, who is now walking across the street without stopping for traffic. Hansol walks alongside her, unbothered.

"I already exorcised her," Jihoon says.

"That was a few days ago. You then brought her around more demons than she's probably ever exposed herself to." Seokmin shakes his head. He's about to say more, but the wilting flowers in the flower shop next door catch his attention. "I'm going to suggest to the florist that she close shop for the day. Just in case you..."

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Jihoon demands, his hand on the door to the convenience store.

"I don't know, but the less human casualties the better." Seokmin disappears into the flower shop, no doubt wearing his most charming smile. 

"What have you been doing back here, Mrs. Han?" Jihoon can hear her voice from the backroom. Hansol is standing in the doorway. Mrs. Han is nowhere to be seen, though Jihoon can guess where the angel is.

Hansol glances over his shoulder and motions with his head for Jihoon to join him.

Mrs. Han is sat in the desk chair. But Jihoon can't even fully process the scene, because his human is talking. Everything she's saying sounds a little bit more convincing. It's starting to sound like someone—or something—else entirely. Jihoon studies her figure closely, looking for any signs that his human isn't in there.

But as with most things about her, he's terribly unsure. Without knowing for sure if she had a soul in the first place, he isn't sure what's got her acting so different now.

"According to you, someone came to you a few months ago asking about nuclear war? Why you in particular, Mrs. Han?"

"Oh, dear, if I knew that, I would have outed them to Him already! But they were threatening Ara!"

Hansol stiffens next to Jihoon. The demon glances his way but says nothing.

"And I didn't want anything to happen to her!"

She squats down next to Mrs. Han, gazing up at the older woman. Even Jihoon would be near swayed by anything his human asked of him if she looked at him like that. "How were they asking you to do it?"

"I..."

Her hand reaches out for Mrs. Han's, holding them between hers. "We can't keep Ara safe if we don't know what they've asked you to do."

"You're going to try to stop it?" Mrs. Han asks. "Dear, I think it may be too late for that now!"

Jihoon and Hansol both don't know how she's not blown away by Mrs. Han's volume.

"So you do know what they are doing."

"I only know my part in it! And even that I don't understand! But can't you feel it in the air?"

They're practically standing in the black smoke at this point. Hansol keeps clearing his throat.

"Show me and maybe we can figure it out."

Seokmin appears then as the two women fiddle around on the computer.

"Ara's okay?" Jihoon asks.

Seokmin nods, surprised that Jihoon bothered to remember the name. "Yes, she is. I told her to go home. Maybe visit her parents in the countryside." He peers into the room. "What's going on here?"

"Unsure. The human is being weird again," Jihoon states, his voice low. 

Hansol glances between them when Seokmin doesn't defend her immediately. The angel looks concerned.

But whatever she's doing seems to get them results. She waves them over. "Mrs. Han, can you explain what is going on?"

Mrs. Han hesitates, her gaze shifting between the four young-looking beings in her presence. The silence in the room is broken when Hansol coughs. The older woman gives Hansol a once over and seems to feel some sort of pity, because she explains what's happening on the screen. 

Apparently, someone had come to her, threatening Ara if Mrs. Han didn't agree to do this 'simple' thing for them. "They said that it wouldn't be too hard! They said that I would have no direct role in what happened! I was just..." Mrs. Han tries to find the words, "making it easier!"

"Why did you agree to do a demon's bidding, Mrs. Han?" she asks.

"They were definitely not a demon!"

"Not a demon." She looks to the others from her squat on the floor. "Not an angel either, probably."

The older woman huffs. "If it were an angel, I would have gone straight to Him and told Him what sort of ridiculous plans are being conjured up!"

"So, whoever or whatever this entity is asked you to do what exactly?" Jihoon asks. He takes a step into the room to view the screen over Mrs. Han's shoulder. "What is this?"

The older woman shakes her head. "I don't really know! They installed this program on my computer, told me to go on it, and press certain buttons! According to them, the program would do its work!"

"The program would do work all by itself?" She studies the screen. Whatever it's doing is beyond her science degree. She recognizes a few things, but not enough to really parse through what she's reading.

"All they told me was that this would go on my computer, that I shouldn't feel too guilty because I wasn't doing anything, and that He would understand since Ara was being threatened! And not just by some sick human!"

"How did you know that? If they were not a demon or an angel, why would you think they could actually do anything to Ara?"

The angel pauses to think over her answer. "It was something about their... aura! I just knew!"

She nods. While the other three don't like that answer, she understands what it means. Sometimes, you just know in your gut. "Okay, well, what exactly did they ask you to do?"

"Once every few weeks, I had to click a little button on the screen!"

They all wait for more, but nothing comes.

Seokmin asks, "That's it?"

Mrs. Han nods.

They all watch the screen. There are different sections to look at, clearly monitoring different things. She has to search up most of the words on the screen.

"Based on these words, they all connect to nuclear power."

Seokmin hums. He points to the bars in the corner. "Then these bars must be temperature and radiation levels."

"Temperature is rising," Jihoon comments.

Hansol looks to Mrs. Han. "Do you know what the person... being... thing looked like? You kept saying "they", but I'm assuming one being."

Mrs. Han describes one being in a human form dressed all in white with white hair to match. They had green eyes. "Not just their irises, but what are normally the whites of people's eyes!"

"Like this?" Jihoon's eyes flick to their cat-eye form.

Mrs. Han tips her head. "I told you they weren't a demon, but it was similar! Eerie!" She shivers. "And permanent!"

"The temperature rising stopped," Hansol says. There is a red zone and the temperature has not quite reached that point yet.

"Mrs. Han," Seokmin draws out her name, "how many times have you done this?"

"I would say... 20 times! Potentially more!"

Seokmin had been doing his own searches. He shows the phone to Jihoon. There are 25 nuclear reactors in the country.

"Would you say closer to 25, Mrs. Han?" Hanosl asks when Seokmin shows him the phone.

"That seems right." Mrs. Han's voice softens, which catches everyone off guard. They'd all been braced for another shout. 

Jihoon's eyes widen. "Did, uh, this entity happen to tell you anything more? Did you ask about their plans?"

The angel doesn't notice how the others are staring at Jihoon in concern. She snaps at him instead. "I was a little too worried about what they would do to Ara!"

"Okay, Mrs. Han." She pats the older angel's hand. "It is alright. We are not accusing you of anything." Her voice is velvety smooth, wrapping around Mrs. Han's human-like emotions and soothing any burns.

Seokmin and Jihoon's eyes widen at the effect her voice has.

"But... did you happen to get any more information from this being?"

Mrs. Han tips her head, leans into her touch, and nods. "Yes, actually! They left the room, as if to answer a phone call! Not that I heard a phone ring! But they said something about it taking time! That they would then meet somewhere when everything was ready!"

"Do you have any idea where that somewhere could be?"

"'The first one' is what I heard!"

Silence falls on the group as they process this information. Seokmin moves to extract Mrs. Han from the human's grasp. "I sent Ara home." He helps the older angel to her feet. "Maybe you should watch over her. Make sure she doesn't come back to the shop. It's not..." He looks around the black billowing smoke around them. He's surprised he's been able to keep from coughing. "Not exactly safe."

"The smoke is really horrid, isn't it?" Mrs. Han sighs, following Seokmin's gaze. They watch Seokmin guide her out of the shop. He soothes any hurt feelings. The last thing they need is Him reigning down the angels if Mrs. Han decides to go to Him with her deeds.

She slips into Mrs. Han's seat and turns to Hansol and Jihoon. "Right, so, what do we do?"

Hansol looks to Jihoon.

"What do nuclear reactors do?" Jihoon asks.

"Create energy."

The demon waves his hand dismissively. "Not what I meant. I meant what can they do for the demons' cause?"

They sit in silence until Seokmin returns.

"What if," she starts, "if it is about bringing about the apocalypse...." She sits back in the seat and tips her head back to look up at the ceiling. Her voice changes, something the others are more familiar with. "They're just trying to pollute the world as much as possible." She'd noticed the temperature tipping up into the red. "A nuclear reactor meltdown would be devastating. Twenty-five of them? I don't know if we'd be able to recover."

"There's war in other countries. Political corruption, pollution, divisiveness," Seokmin agrees. "Whatever they've started, it won't take much more to tip it over. The Horsemen are probably already here."

"They're here?" Hansol demands. "I thought we were talking metaphorically."

"No, they're real," Jihoon hums. "What did Mrs. Han mean when she said 'the first one'?" He studies his human.

And what did Linnaeus mean when he said she may have a bigger role to play?

Seokmin shakes his head when the humans don't answer. "Mrs. Han isn't sure what it means either."

"I don't think we're going to learn much else here." She stands, her hand running over the keyboard. She makes a point of closing the program on the computer and then leads the way out.

part 13

[sisi-halloway]

You Have To Come Back

@id13vil

"Shu... Shu.. what's happening to me?"

Shuhei stood there like the ice they were knee-deep in, frozen. His wife looked up at him with helpless eyes. The brown was fading to grey.

"I.. I don't know... I.. I don't know..."

He frantically grabbed at his wife's frigid skin, cursing the sky, the moon, and the stars... after himself.

His wife's body was turning to stone and all he could think of crying out was-

"I don't know!"

Tears welled as he searched his usually clear mind for something to stop the nightmare from happening before his very eyes.

"Hold on Isabella... Just hold on. We're gonna be fine. We have to be fine."

This year was the only time in his life that he didn't know if they would be.

---

"I'm going to ara Sisi's, is that okay?"

Shuhei nodded. He watched his young daughter grab her favorite blue jacket and skip to their front door. How excited she was to see her aunt and uncle. He smiled at how small she was compared to the carved coat rack.

"You know the way?"

She gave him a thumbs up as she fastened her hood under her chin. Shuhei couldn't help the light feeling in his stomach. His little girl was his wife in disguise wearing the mask of his nose and brows.

"Okay, well go ahead before it gets dark," he called out to her from underneath their space heater.

He was tinkering in there to clear a blockage and replace a spare part, and with his wife's wishful thinking, that would be all it took to get it running again. He figured the sooner it was repaired, the better. The winter months were coming and his children tended to catch colds that weren't such an easy fix. Shuhei wanted to get it all handled before October when it was too cold to sleep with the windows open.

A bolt, clattering to the floor, stole Shuhei's attention away from his daughter for just a split second. Shuhei strained his neck to catch the last glimpse of her before she went out the door.

"I love you, Yara!"

She didn't hear him. All he saw was that bright blue disappear down the front walk.

He hated that blue. He despised that blue jacket. He loathed it. He grimaced at it while it was limp and unapologetic, clutched in the fingers of his grieving, screaming wife. That blue jacket was the only thing left of his daughter from that day, besides the red blood that stained it. He hated it because it wasn't enough.

He wanted his daughter back.

Over weeks they grieved. The feelings ebbed between numbness, anger, anguish, and back again. The cycle was unpredictable and volatile. The most difficult part was having the patience and empathy to explain to their oldest where his little sister had gone and why she wasn't coming back. Especially because they didn't have the answers.

Thiago asked them why they couldn't bring her back. Shuhei had wanted to scream at him. He'd wanted to scream that you can't just pull something you've lost out of thin air. You couldn't turn back time, no matter how much you wanted to. You couldn't gaze into the portal of the past and tell yourself to be more mindful, be more careful with the ones you love, and if you didn't they would be torn apart in the woods under your very nose and it would be all your fault.

He didn't say that.

He just cried and hugged his son.

"Daddy can't bring her back, Thiago."

But after agonizing about the possibility for so long...

Shuhei decided he would.

When he told his wife... she didn't know what to say.

"Shuhei- no.. we can't just-"

With tears smeared over his unshaven face, he asked her.

"What about Salice?"

A woman who was stolen from the land of the living by a plague of beetles was Shuhei's long-lost childhood friend. She died a horrible death so that maybe a few souls would be saved and live on because of her kind deeds. She had been a doctor then, just as she was now.

Shuhei would've never known her, not like he has, if it wasn't for Thomas and Isabella, resurrecting her from the dead.

All it took to transform a pile of scattered ashes into the woman they grieved was determination, a spell, and half a heart.

Shuhei had all of his heart to give if it meant he could hug his daughter one more time.

And tell her he's sorry.

So after many sleepless, speechless nights that they didn't think they'd make it through, Shuhei and his wife Isabella decided the pain was too much to bear.

They were going to resurrect Yara.

*tbc*

[harunayuuka2060]

Leona: When are you going to start?

MC: *wearing Vil's wig, doing their makeup, and spraying perfume onto themselves* Just wait! I need to at least look like Vil's foot!

Vil: ...My what?

Rook: Your foot, Roi du Poison.

Vil: I heard them the first time, Rook.

MC: Okay! I'm ready! *flips hair*

MC: Vil if he's in a dating sim. *tries to stand elegantly*

Vil: Your posture is wrong!

MC: I'm just a budget-friendly version of yourself so shut up!

Epel: *laughs a little bit too hard*

Vil: *whacks him*

MC: Okay. Again. Vil Schoenheit in a dating sim.

MC: *clears throat* *elegant aura* Ara? That lipstick. Have you used mine?

Rook: Oui!

Vil: ...

MC: *chuckles* I don't know you're that cheap, Rook. How does it feel receiving an indirect kiss from me?

Rook: *blushes* *then smirks* Exquisite.

Vil: *stunned*

MC: *breaks character* Ew, Rook! *laughs* *removing their Vil props*

Jack: Is it just me or is it getting wild?

Ace: Nah. It's entertaining. I wonder who's next?

Ortho: Let it be Idia.

Idia: Huh?!

Ortho: MC!

MC: Yes?

Ortho: Would you do Idia next? I want to see what he will be like if he's romantic.

Idia: H-Hey! No one would like to see that!

MC: ...

MC: I was about to do Leona, but okay. Let's do Idia first. Mwehehehe!

Idia: N-N-No! Please don't!

MC: *wears Idia's wig* *and applies blue lipstick on their lips* *adjusts their voice*

MC: *awkwardly* U-Um... I don't really know how to act when I'm with you. And I don't like how my heart is beating too fast right now...

MC: *shaky breath* I-I'm going to faint. Help!

Idia: *his soul went out of his body*

MC: Bruh— Was that too much?

Ortho: Thanks, MC! I've sent that to mother! And she just replied saying that she likes it!

Ortho: *carries Idia* Thank you!

MC: You're welcome, Ort!

MC: Now we have two remaining housewardens: Leona and Malleus!

The students: Whoo!

Sebek: HUMAN! YOU BETTER NOT DISGRACE WAKA-SAMA WITH YOUR ACTION!!!

Lilia: You're spoiling the fun, Sebek.

Silver: Malleus is not even here.

Leona: Hey, Herbivore. Do you want to borrow my clothes?

MC: Yeah! Gimme!

Leona: The heck? *laughs* *takes off his top and hands it to them*

MC: *takes a light sniff* Damn! Smells like salt, bruh! *throws it back to him*

Leona: You little—

MC: I'm starting. Just watch.

MC: Leona Kingscholar in a dating sim.

MC: ...

MC: *Leona's voice* Rawr~.

MC: ...

MC: *laughs at themselves still using Leona's voice*

Leona: This idiot.

MC: *once settled* *smirks* Ah... Just now, you think that's cute, didn't you?

The Savanaclaw students: *clapping* Yes! Very much!

Leona: *looking questionably at his students*

MC: Last but not the least! Malleus Draconia!

Lilia: Yay!

MC: Let me wear his wig first.

Malleus: What's going on here? *appears on stage*

MC: Um.

The students: Uh-oh... You're in trouble.

Malleus: You've said my name, child of man.

MC: Well... I'm impersonating housewardens and what I think they would be like if they are in a dating sim.

Malleus: And you're done with the rest of them except mine?

MC: Yep.

Malleus: ...

Malleus: *smiles* Humor me. I want to know what you think I'll be like, child of man.

MC: ...

MC: Okay. Guess I have to postpone yours. Bye! *quickly runs away*

Silver: What just happened?

Sebek: HUMAN! COME BACK! HOW DARE YOU SKIP THE BEST PART?!

Lilia: Malleus? What did you do?

Malleus: *smiling* Nothing.

Ace, Deuce, and Grim: *followed MC*

Ace: Hey! What happened?

Deuce: Why did you run?

Grim: Is it because you don't want to set your expectations on Hornton?

MC: Ugh! Shut up, Grim!

MC: Imagine the housewardens in a dating sim. *has prepared wigs to imitate them*

MC: I'll start first with Riddle because why not? *puts on the wig that is similar to Riddle's hair*

MC: *clears throat*

MC: *acts all shy and pouty* *tries to sound like Riddle* Wh-What are you looking at? H-Huh? Me? C-Cute? *blushes* You know than anyone else that you're cuter.

MC: ...

MC: *throws the wig to their audience*

Ace: *got hit by the wig* What the fuck?

MC: *shivers* Whew! Next housewarden!

Riddle: ...

Riddle: What was that about?

Trey and Cater: *laughing*

MC: *puts on Kalim's wig* Sorry, guys. I don't have Kalim's turban—

Kalim: *throws his turban at them*

MC: Eyy~ Thanks!

Kalim: *grins* *giving them a thumbs up*

MC: *clears throat* Mic test. Mic test. *changes to Kalim's voice*

MC: Oi~! Jamil! Do I sound like Kalim now??

Jamil: Yes. And that's annoying.

MC: Hehe!

MC: If Kalim is in a dating sim, he would be like this...

MC: ...

MC: *sunshine energy* You're the only one I love, Jamil!

Jamil: H-Hey!

Kalim: Yeah! I would definitely say that!

Scarabia students: *cheering* WOOOOOOHHHH!!!

Jamil: *blushing in embarrassment* Stop it, everyone!

MC: Thank you! Thank you! *throws Kalim's wig away*

MC: We're done with Riddle and Kalim... Oh! OH! AZUL! I'll do Azul next!

Azul: No! Don't you dare!

Floyd: Do it! Do it!

MC: *puts the wig on and his identical glasses*

MC: ...

MC: *clears throat* *then chuckles like Azul*

MC: You signed a contract with me.

MC: You're now mine.

MC: ...

Azul: ...

MC and Azul: *both cringes*

MC: *immediately removing their Azul props*

Jade and Floyd: *cackles*

Azul: I'm suing you!

[mnovenia]

OCTOBER = 3 more months to 2024

Welcoming october 1st with many messages from God. Of course my selfishness want to highlight the progress of my convo with GwangHui. However, God also find a way to purify my heart, to think from His perspective instead of mine, to not be too easy in making conclusion or to fall into Satan's trap that want to take benefit from this situation.

I think from the last update we're about 2-3 day being in communication. I was so busy and so he was. I was going to Ubud with the youth, met Dede & his fam, getting to know his fam/perspective, also with Reno & Yuni. I'm glad to be able to go to the dentist, fulfilling my duty with Dentist, meeting w Arian, Fanie, Levina (testify all God's work), showing with Tommy, in the meantime maintain communication with Pak Ferry, Pingkan, June, Ko Wilson n gank, Tere, etc. I was also glad to spend time with Pat&Yogi, share about expectation in leading smallgroup, also with Levina to see God's wisdom in their marriage and growth of their child, that encourage me to still believe that marriage can work too.

On the same week, GH told me about his chuseok activities, how he told his relatives regarding his plans, his thought and fear about working in Bali. However, in all steps that he makes, I have so much trust and believe that he is doing it prayerfully, righteously (even to not send a wrong signal on messages to me, he is being careful), I believe that God who protecting us both are giving us wisdom of what to do upon this journey. I believe He also equip and urge us to do His will while He keeps us being single ~ as the song says:

The Youth’s Prayer: Let me give thanks for all He gives me Let me choose the gospel over wealth Let me walk the way of truth than fame The holy youth of Jesus Let me rightly give up all blessing gained through unjust ways, Let me be a clean pot in His eyes Let me live for His glory, As he willed in sending me on this earth Even in my weakness, let my faith in you be strong, Let me not be discouraged by the great waves of the world, When my youth passed by Let my life have looked as my Lord willed A life worshiping of God A life proclaiming the gospel I pray that is the life I will live Let me lay down my name and lift His high Let me lay down my name and lift His high Let me be a light in a dark world Let my life be used in saving a precious soul Let me grow in likeness to Jesus

The more I pray for Gwuang Hui the more I feel the weight and fear and the giants he might face. I'm sure as we share this burden, it will feel lighter. For the first time in a while I feel someone's burden on my shoulder. I know that's its not my time to be a hero or rely on my power nor strength, however I understand from human's perspective of how obeying God's command can be scary too. So at this time, I'm trying to place myself in Gwanghui's shoes. I'm sorry that he will spend less time with his father, he must gives up his fav foods/places/activities/familiarities/church families that's been supporting him to a new one, his stable job and financial resources. He has to face all the unknown without people that used to support him all his life. Gwanghuiya, nunaga nomu ihaehae, na ddo ara, geundae gokjonghajima, da gwaenchana, hananimi issemyon, da halsuichi, nuna ddo neo gajok anichi? hehe..

I beg and ask God to reveal the message clearly to him, speak to him softly in peace and straightforwardly through sermon, songs, prayer, people, devotion, kakaotalk, his family, I pray for he will have courage to face the fear and security in God's prefect plan for His plan, I pray that he will obey and seek God's will first before his own comfort or what he can gain from the world's perspective, I pray that he will not get discouraged and can enjoy this walk of God's process, I pray that he will witness God's might through his weakneses, I pray that Kim Gwang Hui will stand firm in his faith, for nothing can withheld what God has prepared for Him, no power will snatch him out of God's hands. In the meantime, he will prepare wisely, seek Godly counsel and be earful to listen of what to do, he can still be attentive to his father and his family, his colleagues, peers, sun members and everyone around him. I pray that in days to come, things will fall into places according to God's will and it will be his testimony of how God provide to His obedient child, who is willing to be sent for the sake of the Gospel, to live the life of Youth that's pleasing God's heart, I pray God will provide financially and repay what he gives up in order to follow this new path. I pray that Gwuang Hui can also enjoy this given new way, embrace this as God's gift instead of sacrifice, something to enjoy not to endure, he will realize that this opportunity doesn't come for everyone, so as God trust in him, put in his heart, he should just accept and embrace it with open arms, he will see slowly see God's hand making a way for Him everywhere he goes, I pray that he knows that he is so loved by God to be given this privilege, I pray that he will enjoy sharing his experience and be a real witness of how God treasure His son. Feel the depth of God's love, who gives Gwang Hui grace upon grace on the cross, give him understanding of the gospel and reveal to him who He is, and how God wants Gwang Hui to share this precious love to those who never heard before, to help where God needs extra hand in faraway country (where the works are plenty). May he be encouraged knowing that: 'though he may be weak, but God knows ALL he needs, He believe that God is still working for him, fix his eyes to Him that's taking care of His son, personally, specificly, Kim Gwang Hui is the one that the world truly needs, you are the very one that the Father seeks, and there is nothing else Gwang Hwi seeks than the name of Jesus Christ' - Amen

Also I want to talk about today's semon and how God speak to me.

Coram Deo: SAME PAGE, you and I are on the same page. A man according to God's heart. #sampaiakhirhidupku #chongnyongido

Absolute Bartizan that comes from faith

Acts 27: 20-26

-don't let opportunity of sharing the gospel goes out of you, no regret, even if it risked your relationship.

-Paul was having a hard time as a prisoner to share the gospel in Rome. Plus there was unpredicted storm happened. However only Paul stay and act peaceful, why? Because he has the absolute bartizan.

Faith that overcome your understanding (Iman yang menguasai)

-they went as a team community who grow biblically together, but when the ship was wrecked and they're stuck in a storm, a lot of them were panic and anxious in the midst of crisis.

-but Paul said calm down, do not be afraid and have joy in the midst of it all. How? Because he has his own personal special relationship with God the Father. He can confidently said the message he got from God's angel, and he hold on to that only.

-this should happen in our lives as well, we can hold on to firman mimbar only and seek nothing else, don't stop praying when you're in the midst of the storm.

-how could our faith be increased? Is it by your own power? Jesus said John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

He is with us always, fear/anxiety will vanish when you're surrounded by our faith. And God love when things happen miraculously, not according to the world's cleverness.

2. Time to recall your calling that God has given (Jadwal untuk mengingat kembali akan amanat)

-God instructed Paul that he has to spread the gospel in Rome. This is the heavenly call for Paul that he cling unto, even in the midst of the storm.

-While you're still alive, you still have a purpose that you have to accomplish. Remember God's covenant and calling for you. Push other distractions that makes you lose focus on the goal God wants you to accomplish (Kristus, Kerajaan Allah, Kekuatan Roh kudus).

-be like Paul, just 1 person/individual but can bring out impact that so bright to allow us, not because that we're capable but because of God's command.

-God's power first that we need to prioritize then see where it leads. You're chosen by God alone, made suitable for your situation, with God's own reason and purpose. Don't lose the value that you have in Jesus. Amen.

[dailytafsirofquran]

Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Surah Al-A’raf Ayah 90-93

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

7:90 The chiefs of those who disbelieved among his people said (to their people): "If you follow Shu`ayb, be sure then you will be the losers!''  

7:91 So the earthquake seized them and they lay (dead), prostrate in their homes.

7:92 Those who belied Shu`ayb, became as if they had never dwelt there (in their homes).

Those who belied Shu`ayb, they were the losers.  

7:93 Then he (Shu`ayb) turned from them and said:

"O my people! I have indeed conveyed my Lord's Messages unto you and I have given you good advice. Then how can I grieve over people who are disbelievers.''

Allah tells,

The chiefs of those who disbelieved among his people said (to their people):

Allah describes the enormity of disbelief, rebellion, transgression and misguidance (of Shu`ayb's people) and the defiance of truth encrypted in their hearts. They vowed, saying,

"If you follow Shu`ayb, be sure then you will be the losers!''

Allah answered them,  

So the earthquake seized them and they lay (dead), prostrate in their homes.

Allah said that the earthquake shook them, as punishment for threatening to expel Shu`ayb and his followers.

Allah mentioned their end again in Surah Hud,

And when Our commandment came, We saved Shu`ayb and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us. And the Sayhah (loud cry) seized the wrongdoers, and they lay (dead) prostrate in their homes. (11:94)

This Ayah mentions the Sayhah (cry) that struck them after they mocked Shu`ayb, Does your Salah(saying (prayer) command you...11:87), so it was befitting to mention here the cry that made them silence.

In Surah Ash-Shu`ara, Allah said But they belied him, so the torment of the Day of Shadow (a gloomy cloud) seized them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day. (26:189) because they) ِchallenged Shu`ayb(" S o cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us, if you are of the truthful!)'' (26:187).

Therefore, Allah stated that each of these forms of punishment struck them on the Day of the Shadow.

First , So the torment of the Day of Shadow (a gloomy cloud) seized them (26:189), when a gloomy cloud came over them (containing) fire, flames and a tremendous light.

Next, a cry from the sky descended on them and a tremor shook them from beneath. Consequently, their souls were captured, their lives were taken and their bodies became idle, (and they lay (dead) , prostrate in their homes).

Allah said next,

Those who belied Shu`ayb, became as if they had never dwelt there (in their homes).

meaning, after the torment seized them, it looked as if they never dwelled in the land from which they wanted to expel their Messenger Shu`ayb and his followers.

Here, Allah refuted their earlier statement,

Those who belied Shu`ayb, they were the losers. Allah tells;  

Then he (Shu`ayb) turned from them and said:

Prophet Shu`ayb, peace be upon him, turned away from his people after the torment, punishment and destruction struck them, admonishing and censuring them by saying to them,

"O my people! I have indeed conveyed my Lord's Messages unto you and I have given you good advice.''

Shu`ayb said, I have conveyed to you what I was sent with, so I will not feel any sorrow for you since you disbelieved in what I brought you,

"Then how can I grieve over people who are disbelievers!''

[faeryarchives]

Imagine Octotrio with a Shenhe like reader.. Methinks that would be chaotic

LMAO TRUE IMAGINE THE AMOUNT OF CHAOS 😭

octavinelle with a shenhe-like fem!reader!

despite being born in a normal human family, they grew up as a disciple of an illuminated beast hidden in the mountains. their soul bounded by a red rope to train one's body and mind but this leads them having lack of human culture and emotion knowledge after being away from society for a long long time.

: ̗̀➛ azul ashengrotto

at first, hearing about a new student causing troubles in the ceremony is not at all rare so that is why when azul first met you he didn't pay mind to it at all

but he was proven dead wrong. very wrong

the octavinelle dorm leader was alone and talking to a student in the vip room

when all of the sudden the student became angry and was about to attack azul when all of the sudden you appear out of nowhere and grab him by the arm - looking at them with a hostile look.

"what the hell? a woman?! let go of me!"

"ara, it seems like we made it in time."

"what do you think you are doing?"

ever since then, you are probably one of the people he truly trusts. he could leave you alone in the room with all the sales of octavinelle all day and doesn't doubt you at all

azul is really surprised to learn that you are fairly new to human society that is why to pay you back for saving his life - azul is the one who introduced you to technology and internet

"azul?"

"yes, big sister (nickname)?"

"i put octavinelle as my pass-word and then it says here that it's too weak, can i fight them?"

"y-you made us your passw- wait no put your spear down!"

sometimes you are really have troubles in talking to random people

knowing how much you really want to fit in, azul and the tweels will try to help you as much as possible and they look so proud when you find true friends on your own

"azul~ azarashi, kani and saba got (name)-nee san into trouble again."

"...sigh."

he really cares for you no words can explain that but please as much as possible do not get in trouble, his heart wouldn't take it if you got into serious problem 😭

: ̗̀➛ jade leech

ever since the spelldrive investigation incident, jade is interested on how you quietly stood in front of the heartslabyul gang and tried intimidating him and floyd with an empty stare

not going to lie, he was taken aback by your silent yet strong personality despite being a woman of few words

he got to talk to you when he was about to go back to the lounge when the vice dorm leader saw you in front of grim being blocked by some 3rd year students trying to intimidate the two of you

"you are too arrogant, is it because you are being backed up by the headmaster?!"

"hey, don't touch my henchmen!"

"... get your hand off me or else."

"or else wha-" the student didn't get to finish his sentence when all of a sudden, everyone in the vicinity stopped after feeling a strong gust of cold wind passing by as you grab his arm and held it tightly. "i warned you."

"oh, its seems like i finally found you."

he really did waited until the last minute before stepping in 😭

after introducing you to the other two, you decided to help jade in 'cleaning' and carrying things which he is pretty grateful especially when floyd is out somewhere

your long silver hair really caught his eyes so at times he would offer to comb your hair and style it into different braids

"do you have silver hair since birth or did you dye it?"

"oh, i had black hair but due to some reasons it turned into silver."

"ooooh, it is in a pretty good condition though, don't mind if i do style your hair."

you were like a big sister at the same time a little sister to him and this leads him to spoil you with free foods in the lounge don't tell azul that its a secret its his money

sometimes though he needs to keep a double eye on you, grim and floyd because putting three hot headed together alone is not a really good idea

overall he really cares about you and really proud how much you really fit with people, and jade vows that he will always have your back no matter what

: ̗̀➛ floyd leech

you and floyd + grim?? scary trio fr fr 😭

knowing how you never like complicated problems, you were about to grab your spear and just clean the place but floyd came in and viola !! the problem is gone !! yay to floyd !!

"henchman do something!"

"okay..."

"hello azarashi and (name) nee- huh why do you have your spear out?!"

"because they are annoying us."

"but that doesn't mean you would go get your spear, here let me help~"

disclaimer: nobody was harmed because ace and deuce suddenly appeared and stopped the commotion

seeing how you never truly express your emotions and stay still some students couldn't help but mock you for being weak and emotionless

"(name)-nee chan?? weak?? she is a lot stronger than all of you fishes combined. you don't have the right to say that."

he really admires how you treasure your exorcism arts and the moment he heard people often mistook you as one of their gods, he really feel bad knowing you just want to be treated the same as the others.

floyd would try to involve you in playing games like volleyball or basketball and he is really having fun !!

always hugs you out of nowhere and it didn't fail to lighten your mood up 🥺

having the playful eel by your side is full of unexpected things from discovering how to play certain games to training with each other to know more about your abilities, everything is all and well 💙

I WAS ABT TO PUBLISH THIS A LITTLE EARLY BUT THEN MY TUMBLR PAGE GOT RELOADED AND I DIDNT GET TO SAVE UEUEUEUE 😭 ANYWAYS IM BACK BABY AHIHI HAPPY ONE YEAR TO LAZULIGHT !!

[uroborosymphony]

Ara has never been a social nor surrounded soul. From her youngest ages, in foster houses, juvie dentention centers and even college, being on her own, by her self became reassuring. There was no one else she had to rely on to survive, she liked that. Times have changes however, for the better, with him, with their found family, with the gang. It is only when she is back to being on her own, alone, isolated, punished for crimes she did not commit that she feels lost, enable to go back to her lonewolf instincts from back in the days. Vulnerable, she is. She stays and travels in her mind, often, all the time staring at the wall in her cell, in silence, in the middle of the night. Silence. No more cigars smoke and music echoing in the background at the Garage, no more high tension situations at the Octogon, no more chase down the streets with the force, no more drunken celebrations at the Black Cat and most importantly, no more evenings, nights, mornings with him. No more of his whispers. No more of his smile. No more of his touch. No more of his presence. No more of his arms around her. This silence, it is filled with these voices inside her head, voices she only kept quiet because he was there, by her side. Sometimes, she pictures herself banging her head against the concrete wall to make it stop, as a freeshadowing hallucination of hers. Is it now, that her head is finally winning, finally seizing her, finally proving that no matter how much she runs away from herself, she is doomed to become her mother : insane, locked up, alone. Step sounds stopping right in front of her cell interrupt her spiraling reveries ; a key is introduced, the door is pushed open. There is the shadow of a guard now looking at her. Ara remains on her spot, her eyes only observing his actions when he places a package down, giving one nod from the head to her, closing the door behind.

Her eyebrow arches, her eyes narrow. Private delivery services do Not exist in this facility, only letters are authorized and every inmate has to collect them by themselves every monday at 8pm sharp -well, when not being punished in solitary, which happens quite often to Ara. She stands up to bring it onto her bed. No second is lost as she opens it quickly, curious to see what is going on. The first thing she finds is a burner phone and then, her favorite cigarettes, her favorite candies and obviously, a rush of excitment invades her. Him. She just knows, it's from Him. The letter is the next she grabs, eager, unfolding it as her heart is beating fast, oh so fast, her grin can't be tamed either. Reading it isn't so easy as she goes too fast, one word comes at the same time as the other, she devours every single letter of his handwritting. Her entire being is starving for a piece of him - it is true, the prison have been difficult when letting him visit her, if she is the prime suspect in the Minister of Justice's assasination case, Taiyang is also under investigation : for accompliceship. Before she realizes, tears are running down her cheeks, tears of happiness, tears of extreme solitude and sadness, all together at the same time, as in, it is the first time since her arrival she allows herself to cry. Her hands are shaking a little, grabbing the phone and typing his number as fast as she can. The phone only rings once or twice before it's being picked up and he answers. A simple Yes, a simple Hello? From him, when he picks up, and the sound of his voice is enough to light up her entire being. "Taiyang? My Love?" Her voice is obviously shaking from the emotion but her smile can be heard as well as she quickly tries to wipe her tears with the back of her hand. Ara whispers of course, aware she might wake up her cellmate who is sleeping on the top of her bunker bed, and also that she could be heard by another guard when they change shifts. In her hands, the pictures of the cats are making her laugh a little. "I got your package. My King, my absolute Love. Did Moon had kittens?" Moon being one of their cats, the ginger one. "Jesus it's so crowded in there they're going to sleep in the cars - but I refuse to give away our babies so.. shouldn't we just get a bigger garage?" Ara asks with a chuckle through her tired voice. "We can do that when... When, I'm finally out... Because, I will be out, right? You're coming to get me... Yes?" Even though she tries to keep a positive tone not to worry him too much, it is showing in her trembling voice that her tears are still rolling down, that she can't truly calm herself down nor prevent herself from crying. "I feel lonely in here Taiyang, I ... I miss you so much. I don't know what to do, when you're not here with me. I think, I think I'm losing my mind. I really- really need to see you... I just.. -"

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: To the creator of the gifset I will never thank you enough -Danny Words: 2,241 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'The Wreck of Our Hearts' -by Sleeping Wolf

XXXVI: There's a HORSE Loose in the HOSPITAL

"So what's Frank's color? Does it match Hazel's?" Leo follows her around while Ara secures the ballistae. "Is he bright pink?"

"They're lavender, not pink," she has a vague smile on while she explains, not minding his interrogatory. "Percy and Annabeth are scarlet."

"What's ours?" He stands in her way. "You never told me."

Ara moves him out of the way and continues her chore. "It's golden."

His body lights up instantly. "Golden looks great on you! Do I look good?"

Ara laughs. "You could see it for yourself, you know?" 

"What? For real?" He gets excited. "How?"

"Light yourself on fire, it won't be that different."

"Funny. Seriously, I bet we all look god-like in your eyes," Leo's smile dies. "Do gods have soul lights?"

Ara's never thought of that before. "I don't know, they glow all the time regardless of how they feel. I don't even know if gods have souls, they're entities, right? Their bodies aren't vessels, just a form they take."

Leo hums, tinkering with the object he's been making since the night prior. "What about Chiron? And the nymphs and—"

"Mythical creatures don't have soul lights. I don't know why," she frowns. "They experience life differently."

"Can't wait to tell Jason you can see when he's horny," he snickers.

"Ew!" Ara makes a face. "First of all, I don't see sexual attraction, if anything, I only see when he's fawning over Piper."

"Same thing," Leo rolls his eyes. "If you're in love you want the person in every way."

Ara tries not to think of what that implies about his relationship with her. "There are people that don't feel romantic attraction—Or aren't interested in sexual stuff. Soul lights tell you about a person's interests, and what they love most in the world. In other words—"

"Weaknesses. You called them that, I think that's not accurate, but whatever," Leo leans against the ballista smiling at her adoringly. "I still love you even when you're wrong."

Ara stares at him with amusement and annoyance. He treats their situation like it makes him the luckiest guy in the world, which is insane. Leo jokes about being crazy, and she jokes about it too, but there are limits to how delulu you can pretend to be before it gets dangerous.

She hasn't been able to forget the way he freaked out at first, and she wants to ask him if he also conveniently forgot that thing about being an ill match after knowing about their soul lights, or if he's pretending to be happy for her sake.

"Done," Ara sighs, patting the ballista.

"Why are you securing them?" The boy asks. "They don't need maintenance."

"So they don't go off if we crash against them."

Leo frowns. "Crash?"

Ara whistles and Nico jumps from the topmast, landing next to her quietly and swiftly. The girl turns Almighty into a sword. "It's normal to lose your footing while training."

Leo steps back in alarm, eyes widening and darting between Nico and her. "You're training here? Near my valuables?"

Nico snorts. "I can't fight Ara, we can't afford to lose any limbs at the moment."

The girl tosses the sword at Leo and he catches it on instinct. "You got this, Firecracker." 

Nico unsheathes his sword and Leo looks over his shoulder nervously, eyes on the stairs. Ara clicks her tongue. 

"You can't outrun us and you know it. C'mon, stand your ground!"

"I don't like swords!" He complains. "And why are you teaming up all of a sudden?"

"He's doing me a favor."

"I think it'll be funny to watch you panic until you get it right," Nico admits with a smirk.

"Hazel!" Leo shouts. "Zhang!"

Ara raises a brow. "Both of them want you to train as much as I do. And Frank won't save you."

"For all the wrong reasons," Nico nods. 

Leo tries to appeal to her by being cute. "Doll, c'mon, I forge you weapons—"

"Oh, right!" Ara presses the hair tie around her wrist and once it becomes a shield she tosses it to Leo, who struggles to catch it now that he's holding her sword. "Now you're ready!"

"Where did you get that?" Nico eyes the shield with interest.

"Leo made it! It was my birthday present."

"I can make one to match your killer aesthetic, man," Leo offers. "Just put the blade of eternal damnation down..."

Nico ponders, worrying Ara for a second, then he shakes his head and lifts his sword slashing the air. "Nah."

He vaults at Leo, and the boy yelps and jumps out of his way, his dark curls burst into flames. "Jason, help!"

"No one's going to help you!" Ara raises her voice. "We all want you to get better! Who knows what my prophecy could bring? You want to help, right?"

He glares at her while Nico corners him against the mast. "Not fair, Ara!"

She shrugs, not even remotely sorry. "Neither is the curse."

Nico tries to hit Leo's head with the butt of his sword and Leo dodges him, but Nico trips him and Leo falls, dropping the shield and her sword.

"Fast reflexes, weak stance," Nico lowers his sword and offers a hand to pick him up.

"Fine," Leo makes a face, taking Nico's hand and getting up. He picks up the sword and the shield. "Just stay away from my fingers, I need them."

"Make sure I don't get close then," Nico replies, jabbing at him effortlessly.

Leo does his best to stop him with Ara's shield and strikes back, though poorly. It makes her proud anyway, he's trying and it brings her hope.

When Jason almost falls to his death while handling a hoard of Venti, he asks them to hold a meeting. He recounts his vision of Lily, Grover, and Rachel talking to Octavian and Reyna about the note Annabeth sent them.

"She's alive," Leo's arms are covered in the cuts he got during training. He's in no pain, Ara mended each wound with special care, and the boy loved every second of it. "Thank the gods and pass the hot sauce."

"What does that mean?" Frank makes a face.

"It means pass the hot sauce, Zhang. I'm still hungry." Leo rolls his eyes, shirt full of crumbs.

"I can't believe Reyna would try to find us," Frank continues, handing over the bottle to Leo. "It's taboo, coming to the ancient lands. She'll be stripped of her praetorship."

"If she lives," Hazel adds. "It was hard enough for us to make it this far with seven demigods, the daughter of Olympus, and a warship."

"And me." Hedge says proudly. "Don't forget, cupcake, you got the satyr advantage."

"How's Lily?" Ara asks.

Jason gives her a look. "She was close to stabbing Octavian, but Rachel kept her at a proper distance—apart from that she looks okay."

Ara watches Leo and cleans the corner of his lips with her thumb. "Lily hates being in charge..." she sighs heavily. "I've failed her."

"C'mon, Ara, you're doing all you can," Piper soothes her.

"It's not enough!" She complains. Leo clears his throat and Ara corrects herself. "Lily can't work like that, the closer she is to the action, the harder it is to see the whole picture. Reyna will have it worse, though, Romans work in teams exclusively and to be forced to travel alone..."

"Crossing the Atlantic is a hard journey, no doubt," Jason agrees. "But I'd never bet against Reyna. If anyone can make it, she will."

"Well, I'd love to see Reyna again," Piper says politely. "But how is she supposed to find us?"

"Can't you just send her an Iris-message?" Frank suggests.

"They're not working very well," Hedge sighs. "Horrible reception. Every night, I swear, I could kick that rainbow goddess..."

Everyone falls silent. Leo's voice turns playful. "Coach? Who have you been calling every night, you old goat?"

"No one! Nothing! I just meant—"

"He means we've already tried," Hazel interrupts him. Ara remembers Coach used to have a girlfriend back home, a nymph they met during their first quest. "Some magic is interfering... maybe Gaea. Contacting the Romans is even harder. I think they're shielding themselves."

"I don't suppose Reyna has a cell phone...? Nah. Never mind. She'd probably have bad reception on a pegasus flying over the Atlantic." Frank grumbles.

"She'll find us," Jason assures them. "She mentioned something in the dream—she's expecting me to go to a certain place on our way to the House of Hades. I—I'd forgotten about it, actually, but she's right. It's a place I need to visit."

"And where is this place?" Piper asks.

Jason's soul light suddenly flashes across the table, a dark blue that envelops his body and grows in intensity the more he looks at Piper. "A... uh, a town called Split."

Ara elbows Leo discretely but with urgency, he looks up in confusion and she gestures at Jason, a look of amusement on her face as she does. Leo watches the blond boy for a moment and snorts, understanding what she's exposing.

"Um, yeah." Jason blinks, trying to gather his thoughts. "In fact, we should be getting close. Leo?"

Leo nods with a shit-eating grin still on his face, then he presses the intercom. "How's it going up there, buddy?" Festus responds with a couple of clicks. "He says maybe ten minutes to the harbor—Though I still don't get why you want to go to Croatia, especially a town called Split. I mean, you name your city Split, you gotta figure it's a warning to, you know, split. Kind of like naming your city Get Out!"

"It could be called Care Bear Island and I would still not feel safe," she brushes the crumbs off his shirt. "And slow down with the chips, dude, look at yourself..."

"Wait," Hazel frowns. "Why are we going to Croatia?"

"Well, technically we've been in Croatian territory for the past day or so," Leo leans closer to Ara while she fixes his appearance. "All that coastline we've been sailing past is it, but I guess back in the Roman times it was called... what'd you say, Jason? Bodacious?"

"Dalmatia," Nico corrects him and Jason gives a start. Ara has a hard time not laughing and Nico tries just as hard not to make eye contact with her. "Croatia used to be Dalmatia, a major Roman province. You want to visit Diocletian's Palace, don't you?"

"Whose palace?" Hedge asks with alarm. "And is Dalmatia where those Dalmatian dogs come from? That 101 Dalmatians movie—I still have nightmares."

"Why would you have nightmares about that?" Frank questions.

"Nico is right," Jason interrupts before Hedge can respond. "I need to go to Diocletian's Palace. It's where Reyna will go first, because she knows I would go there."

"And why would Reyna think that? Because you've always had a mad fascination with Croatian culture?" Piper questions.

"Reyna and I used to talk about Diocletian," he explains. "We both kind of idolized the guy as a leader. We talked about how we'd like to visit Diocletian's Palace. Of course we knew that was impossible. No one could travel to the ancient lands. But still, we made this pact that if we ever did, that's where we'd go."

"Diocletian..." Leo tilts his head. "I got nothing. Why was he so important?"

"He was the last great pagan emperor!" Frank exclaims.

"Why am I not surprised you know that, Zhang?"

"Why wouldn't I? He was the last one who worshipped the Olympian gods, before Constantine came along and adopted Christianity."

"I remember something about that," Hazel ponders. "The nuns at St. Agnes taught us that Diocletian was a huge villain, right along with Nero and Caligula." She scowls at Jason. "Why would you idolize him?"

"He wasn't a total villain," Jason replies. "Yeah, he persecuted Christians, but otherwise he was a good ruler. He worked his way up from nothing by joining the legion. His parents were former slaves... or at least his mom was. Demigods know he was a son of Jupiter—the last demigod to rule Rome. He was also the first emperor ever to retire, like, peacefully, and give up his power. He was from Dalmatia, so he moved back there and built a retirement palace. The town of Split grew up around..."

Jason's gaze locks on Leo, who's pretending to write on his palm. "Go on, Professor Grace! I wanna get an A on the test."

"Shut up, Leo."

Ara laughs and Leo smiles at her reaction proudly, dragging his chair closer to her. He has been flirting at every opportunity and in front of everyone like he hasn't done in months, and she can tell he's overdoing it to make her forget their problem. She tries to resist it, but as usual, it's no use.

Piper brings them back to the subject. "So why is Diocletian's Palace so special?"

Nico grabs a grape and pops it in his mouth. "It's said to be haunted by the ghost of Diocletian."

"Who was a son of Jupiter, like me," Jason nods. "His tomb was destroyed centuries ago, but Reyna and I used to wonder if we could find Diocletian's ghost and ask where he was buried... well, according to the legends, his scepter was buried with him."

Nico smiles slightly. "Ah... that legend."

"What legend?" Hazel questions.

"Supposedly Diocletian's scepter could summon the ghosts of the Roman legions, any of them who worshipped the old gods."

"Okay, now I'm interested," Leo whistles lowly, his eyebrows raised. "Be nice to have a booty-kicking army of pagan zombies on our side when we enter the House of Hades."

"Not sure I would've put it that way," Jason sighs, "but yeah."

"We don't have much time," Frank reminds them. "It's already July ninth. We have to get to Epirus, close the Doors of Death—"

"Which are guarded," Hazel points out, "by a smoky giant and a sorceress who wants... Well, I'm not sure. But according to Pluto, she plans to 'rebuild her domain.' Whatever that means, it's bad enough that my dad felt like warning me personally."

"And if we survive all that, we still have to find out where the giants are waking Gaea and get there before the first of August," Frank groans. "Besides, the longer Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus—"

"I know," Jason eases him. "We won't take long in Split. But looking for the scepter is worth a try. While we're at the palace, I can leave a message for Reyna, letting her know the route we're taking for Epirus."

"The scepter of Diocletian could make a huge difference," Nico concedes. "You'll need my help."

"Hey, sounds fun," Piper tries to step in. "I'll go, too."

"You can't, Piper," Nico reasons. "It should only be Jason and me. Diocletian's ghost might appear for a son of Jupiter, but any other demigods would most likely... ah, spook him. And I'm the only one who can talk to his spirit. Even Hazel won't be able to do that."

Something scalding pokes Ara in the back, like the red-hot pointy end of a spear, and she bolts forward. Her palms slam down on the table and everyone looks at her.

"Ara?" Hazel eyes her with concern. "All good?"

There is a presence in the room, and it wants her to join Jason and Nico. "I'm going with the boys."

Nico frowns. "Ara, I just said—"

"I know," the presence isn't talking but it feels like it's pushing down on, bending her back. "I'm not saying I'm a modern version of the Emperors but I'm the daughter of Olympus, so—"

"You're the leader of both camps," Jason finishes for her, understanding her point right away. "Greeks and Romans answer to you, yeah I see what you mean."

"So far that hasn't helped much," Nico mentions.

Ara glares at him."I think I hear hooves."

His face shifts, that's what they used to say to let each other know they were being heard. Usually, the code was used while talking about Connor and Lily, and the hooves referred to satyrs and nymphs, they like gossip a bit too much. Or Chiron, so they could run away before he could catch them in one of their childish competitions.

Festus rings the ship's bell and speaks through the loudspeaker in his usual machine language, distracting everyone from the weird stuff Ara just said.

"We've arrived," Leo announces. "Time to Split."

Frank makes a noise of annoyance and looks at Ara. "Can we leave Valdez in Croatia?"

"No," she smiles, getting up from her seat.

"'Cause you can't live without me?" Leo catches her wrist before she can go away and kisses her hand.

"You already know the answer."

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh @ebony-reine-vibes

[sleeping-sirens]

08| Luminescence (Diamond)

Masterlist

Intro - One - Two -Three - Four - Five - Six - Seven - Eight

a/n: I am so proud of this chapter! If you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it please show some support! 🤍

-

Idle mornings never existed in a house where Baekhyun was around. His presence was heavy and prominent, awakening all of Ara's senses.

His voice has always been the last thing lulling her to sleep and the first thing waking her up in the morning. Whether it was hearing him humming calmly while focusing on a random task, listening to music and diving into his world, singing her sleep or just talking on the phone and laughing out loud with no worry in the whole world.

Smelling food burning from the kitchen where he knew he didn't belong but never halted from trying to cook something for her, especially in the mornings now since he'd been very busy with back to back schedules before enlisting to the military. Or catching his perfume in every inch of her body and every corner of the house, marking every nook and crevice around her with the scent of him and only him until the only thing she had ever known was him.

Tasting his sweet and spicy flavored kisses whenever she desired because he'd give her his all until he couldn't breathe and he would feel euphoric to even give her his last breath, never once regretting it. Baekhyun would give his life for her, pushing the thought that she can't live in a world where he didn't exist to the farthest bits of his head.

But Ara would always remind him that he was her soul and he would always find a way to outsmart her with his skillful mouth.

"You're my shining star Baekhyun, you know that? I'm just a dark and cold sky without you. I would never exist if you aren't existing, Baekhyun." She told him one day while they were stargazing. Without any introductions or going around in circles, she just blurted this sentence with no intentions of getting an answer back.

She was in her feels and her emotions overflowed the rims of her heart. Nothing helped her state, neither the fact that she was feeling free and safe inside Baekhyun's arms, just them merging into one human being, living and breathing the same air at the same time. Nor the fact that her head was resting on the left side of his chest where she could hear the steady and calm beating of his heart, swearing that her heart could melt right inside her chest and she wouldn't even notice because her body and Baekhyun's were one, whole, complete with one functioning heart.

She didn't know how she even managed to talk when all she wanted to do was to stay silent amid her wild thoughts and emotions. She could feel the electricity circling her and Baekhyun and hear their quietest whispers of love. They were in the forms of stolen gazes, lingering thoughts, comfortable hums, little smiles, and soft finger grazes over burning skins.

Baekhyun didn't want to answer her at first, just because he didn't know if he was alive or in the highest heavens. He could never decipher the difference between his dreams and reality when he was with her, because if this was real life, he would never have to close an eye again, afraid of a fleeting moment or a wasted hazy second, blurred away by a new brand day.

If he could stop the time, goddamn it, he would, without hesitation or second guesses. His time with her was placed over everything in this world, even if it meant it not being in real life. He would choose her, over and over again, in his dreams and reality.

"But Ara, love," he started, rolling his lower lip under his sharp tongue before biting on its plush edge. "Have you ever seen a star without a sky?" He asked before looking at her. "A sky can exist without stars but a star can never exist if there wasn't a sky to embrace her, to give her a place of comfort and welcome her with arms open wide."

"But an empty and starless sky would be so awful to look at," she winced, conjuring a cute grimace on her face. "Imagine us now looking at an empty sky..." her words stopped because she didn't know what else to add besides the look of wonderments on her face. "What would happen if the sky had no stars?"

"We would still be looking at it, wondering what lies within and what goes beyond our vision. Wondering if one day we would be able to reach a limit and smile in victory. Just looking at it and driving our minds to the bottomless abyss of our deepest thoughts and random questionings."

Hand in hand they let their eyes swim through their lingering emotions. Baekhyun could catch the obvious glossy layer coating Ara's lower lash line and he smiled like a child, bringing her closer to him and kissing her as deeply as his thoughts, as widely as the sky, as passionately as his love. With his hands roaming all over her body, reaching for the hidden dark spots and the glowing cracks and the beautiful heart of hers that he cherished more than he could ever imagine.

She tasted him and his smirk, she tasted his sweet love and spicy mischieve, despite them being in a public area, she gave in to her lust and got drunk on his dirty words and sinful sounds, drunk on his skillful mouth and heart and mind. She gave into him until all that'd been ringing inside her mind at that moment was Baekhyun.

She would never forget the way he kissed her or how he slowly made love to her on that hill in UN Village overlooking Hannam-dong, which was exceptionally shining just for them that night. The stars and the city lights witnessed the story of two shining diamonds painting their skins with their unconditional love that outshined their luminescence.

If they could, the stars and the city lights would've sparked to death just to let Ara and Baekhyun show the world the sparkle of their love.

As Ara went over all the things that Baekhyun showed her and made her feel, she couldn't help but realize that his existence was inevitable and that made her scared to the point of losing her breath. She couldn't picture her life without him. She never prepared to get separated from him one day, sure they each had a life of their own outside of the relationship but they always managed to find their way back to each other.

Slowly, she rose from her bed with her head full of thoughts about him. Striding into the kitchen, his shirtless broad back caught her eyes. His skin glowed under the sun's golden streaks. Baekhyun was attractive, she couldn't deny it. Even after all this time, she still drowns under his appearance.

Without uttering a word, she took tiny steps forward until she arrived at his back, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her movements didn't phase him as he was focused on scrambling the eggs for them to have breakfast together. Ara placed a small kiss on his back before resting her cheek on his warm skin.

"Morning, love." He said and Ara couldn't miss the image of him smiling gently, even without seeing his face. That only showed how deep he inhabited her mind.

She closed her eyes and basked in the calm moment shared between them. "Any crazy schedules today?"

"The album is dropping today at 6," he started as he moved away from the stove to get the plates from the cupboard and she kept clinging onto him like a fingerprint. "So I'll go live today at around 5 pm. I don't have anything to do before that so today is pretty much rest day for me."

Baekhyun kept moving around with Ara sticking to his back and conversing back and forth with no worries. He let her enjoy his presence as much as she could. Even before his enlistment was close, sometimes Ara just wanted to forget about everything but his existence.

She sighed in contentment as she released her hold from him. Baekhyun turned around to face her.

He cast his gaze down on her and they savored the sweet and a slow moment. His smile grew gently as he kept his eyes anchored on her, just roaming all over her features. Baekhyun leaned down gently to give Ara a slow and sensual kiss on the lips before pulling slightly away, lips just mere inches away from each other, both of them refusing to open their eyes. Not getting enough of her, he added another gentle peck on her lips followed by a teasing bite, making her yelp and laugh.

She helped him set the plates on the table before they sat facing each other.

"I'll meet your mom today."

"Really? Where are you guys going?"

"Just the mall. We'll do some shopping. Will you be needing anything?"

"No, love. Just have fun stealing my mom away from me, I guess." Baekhyun laughed and booped her nose which made her roll her eyes jokingly.

"I'll make sure to tell her you said hi. She knows you're busy with your schedules that's why she doesn't like to bother you."

"I understand." Baekhyun nodded knowingly, a fond smile growing on his face at the mention of his mother. "You guys have fun. I'll see you before the live, make sure to come back home safely." He stood from the table, taking his plate and silverware to the kitchen before returning to the dining table.

Baekhyun leaned down to kiss Ara deeply on the lips, smiling through it as he heard her produce the tiniest hums of pleasure.

"Try not to miss me too much, okay love?" He smiled gently, pinching her right cheek which made her return the smile.

"Key word: try." She sighed before standing as well, giving Baekhyun a tight hug before each one of them went on with their day.

[youamongthemelissas]

hi mwah <3

may i have a scenario with zoro being a brat who doesn't want to go down on his girl, but she just puts in his place by sitting on his face? 👀

ara ara, it seems that the fifteen hours I've been sleeping have made me reap the rewards uwu

well, I really hope you like the result and that those 3,3k words make up for the delay in my writer's block. i've only reviewed it a few times because i'm really really sleepy right now, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes! :(

warning: oral sex (giving and receiving), fingering, face sitting, etc. only for +18. smut everywhere

Zoro and I had known each other for almost two years, but he changed his position from hookup to boyfriend two months ago. Our chaotic relationship started at a horrible party. Everything that night was horrible, except when the handsome guy approached me offering his help when some ramshackle human being spilled water on my shirt. To complete my disaster, the outfit I wore was white and cotton, so it marked the contours of my breasts just right. Damn day I decided to leave my house without wearing a bra. Too embarrassed, I just crawled into the bathroom – which didn't even have a lock – and waited for the crowd to dwindle or for my shirt to dry so I could get out of that unhealthy place. But fate didn't have the best plans for me, as I saw the bathroom door open and a man enter that cubicle.

"This is the ladies' wc, you know?" I informed the guy angrily.

“I know,” he replied simply. "I saw the whole scene, so I decided to come make sure you're okay."

I arched my brow and stared at him with half-closed eyes. Was he feeling okay? I looked for signs of drunkenness in him, but his voice was steady and he looked too sober.

“Very nice of you, but you can't just lock yourself together with a strange woman in a cubicle. You know, I can interpret this as sexual harassment!” I snapped.

“Oh, fine. I was going to lend you my shirt so you could wear it and wouldn’t have to wait for yours to dry, but I see you don't need my help. Bye and sorry for the inconvenience,” and so he left, not giving me a chance to respond.

I cursed the Universe, but then I stopped myself because a tarot reader had informed me that a situation like this could happen throughout the week and I didn't listen. In the end, it was my fault for being a stubborn and skeptical one.

I really couldn't tell how long I was locked in that fetid cubicle, but when my t-shirt dried enough not to leave me practically naked from the waist up, I walked out and saw the same guy as before, he was talking to a red haired girl, actually it looked more like an argument was going on between them by his annoyed expression and her restless gestures. Would she be his girlfriend? Was the discussion focused on me and the bathroom incident? Well, I wouldn't stay there to find out and risk getting hit by the girl for something that wasn't my fault. He was the one who entered the ladies' room with an unknown woman!

And my disastrous night ended when I lay in my bed and turned off the light to finally sleep and erase all memories of the party from my head. But that boy's face has not left my mind.

The days followed normally, and when I was already forgetting the cool guy, I saw him for the second time in a bakery. He wore the same shirt that day of the party and sweatpants. His sleepy face gave away that he had just woken up and had just left the house to go buy bread for breakfast. He saw me but pretended not to. I got the feeling I should have apologized for the misunderstanding, but he was already making the request. Luckily, we were assisted together as soon a second attendant appeared who assisted me as well.

As soon as we paid the bill, we silently left the place and I got a chance to talk to him as we were heading in the same direction.

“Hey,” I called him, being ignored. "Boy, wait a minute"

“What is it, girl?”, he snapped at me sharply.

“I wanted to apologize for the misunderstanding… Seriously, I was just freaked out by a guy walking me into the bathroom…”, I was sincere.

"It's all right. Go on with your life in peace.”

“And you had a girlfriend, right? Like, you were still wrong in the end…” I couldn't hold my mouth before needling him.

This time he stopped abruptly and turned to me, making me smack my face into his chest.

"Girlfriend? First you accuse me of sexual harassment and now besides being a harasser you think I'm a traitor?”

“I didn't accuse you of anything! Except the girlfriend part. You and that red haired girl seemed to be fighting really bad, like boyfriends do,” I clarified.

“Redhead girl?” he seemed to search his memory for what I was referring to. “Nami? God forbid me dating that devil woman! She's not my girlfriend, and we were fighting because…”, he stopped mid-explanation. “This is none of your business, girl. But she's not my girlfriend,” he ended the pseudo-argument.

I nodded and went on my way.

“How long will you follow me? Now I can interpret that you're a deranged stalker”, he told me right after we turned down the same street, after walking close for a few meters.

“I'm not following you, my house is on this way”, I replied.

And that's how I found out that we lived in the same condominium.

Although I clearly remember the first two times we met, I can't say when exactly we started to change our cat-and-mouse relationship and elevate it to a more intimate one. Maybe it was when he fucked me for the first time in the laundry room in the building. I was taking my clothes out of the machine while he put his clothes in another one, and then we looked at each other and as if we had the same idea, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up to put me sitting on top of the machine he had just finished stuffing with his own clothes, putting it to work and taking me in a kiss while taking off my panties. When he entered me, I moaned loudly, but the sound was drowned out by the shrill noise of that old machine. Zoro confessed to me later that he chose precisely that one so my moans could not be heard. I think it was the most insane thing I did, because at any moment someone could come and catch us, but luckily for us that only happened after Zoro had cum on my thighs and taken me off that old thing. It was weird walking with my legs sticking together because of his cum, but I didn't have time to clean up, just lift my panties and straighten my skirt before passing the newcomer, who didn't seem to have noticed our presence.

After our first sex, we didn't get apart anymore. We couldn't be alone as we caught fire and had sex wherever we were.

As time went by, we calmed down and our meetings became more spaced, but our chemistry didn't extinguish even a little bit during these almost two years, on the contrary, it only earned us the beginning of dating. And we became more than just hookups, we became friends too, those who know about each other's lives and I got to know Nami, the red-haired friend he was fighting that night at the party. I came to discover that they could never be boyfriends, because she loved money and women.

Everything with Zoro was almost perfect. He was a good boyfriend, and even though we're two hotheads, we never fought. There are always dialogues in our relationship and this helps a lot to avoid unnecessary fights. Besides, sex is wonderful, everything just right, except for one small thing that bothers me. We combine a lot in bed, I always try to please him and give him pleasure at all times. I've lost count of how many blowjobs I gave him and how many times I let him cum in my mouth, but the problem is that he never even gave me oral sex. And that makes me a little frustrated and scared. Was the problem with me? I took good care of myself, but he always shifted position when I tried to get him down on me.

One day, while I watched him playing his favorite game, I stroked his hair.

“Babe?”, I called him.

“Hm?” he mutters, not moving an inch.

“Do I disgust you?” I asked bluntly.

"What? Where did you get this ideia?”, he turns abruptly to face me, doing something wrong in the game because soon there are some curses directed at him in the chat.

“It's just a question.” I shrugged.

“It can't be just a question. For you to ask me that, there's definitely a reason behind it,” he replied, no longer looking at the TV screen, and not realizing that he was being offended by the other players. Damn virgins.

“Nevermind…”, I hesitated, unable to let myself be affected by the comments, which weren't even for me. "Your game friends are very angry with you."

"Fuck them, the issue here is you.", he held my face with both hands, making me look at him. “Tell me what made you think about it,” he looks deep into my eyes, almost reading my soul and I immediately regret opening my mouth. But it was too late, lying was out of the question, because he knows very well when I lie, so I had no choice but to tell the truth.

“You never gave me an oral. So I deduced that the problem is with me”, I said at last and he let me go.

It was his turn to shift the focus to another corner.

“It's nothing to you, it's me who is the problem. I've never done that to any women, and in the movies I see them “squirt”, what if that happens?” He looked a little frustrated and embarrassed.

I got up from my seat and stopped standing in front of him, making him glare at me.

“You have to stop thinking real life is a big porn movie, Roronoa,” I said, putting my index finger on his forehead. “I really admire you knowing how to fuck without looking like a caveman”, I said that last sentence more to myself.

“Hey!” he heard and seemed offended. "It hurts, okay?"

“Sorry, but that is nothing but the truth”, I rolled my eyes.

Even though he didn't suck me when we had sex later, the seed of doubt was already planted in his head.

I know this, because days later he was more committed to making me cum. Before he seemed to care only about his pleasure, but after our conversation, he even put his fingers to work on my clit – which were presented by me –, as he moved in and out of me, until I came on his fingers. It felt good, but I wanted to feel his tongue down there, and wanted to see his head between my legs. I wanted so badly to squirm in pleasure beneath him as he sucked everything I had to offer him.

When the dream day finally arrived, all my thoughts turned opaque as I felt him hug me from behind and lean his body against mine as his lips found the skin of my neck.

“Do you know how hot you look wearing my shirt?” he asked huskily, pressing me closer to his body, making my ass fit into his crotch. And I already felt it was hard. "Even more so I know you're not wearing anything under it."

I couldn't hold back the moan as I felt his fingers travel up my waist until they reached my breasts under the fabric. He squeezed it first and then circled the nipple with his finger, making it hard. He knew how sensitive I was in that area. And to my delight, he lowered his other hand to between my legs, and slid it to find my sex, which was already starting to get wet.

When I was in his apartment, I liked to have just one piece of clothing. Walking around his house half-naked was one of the most satisfying things for me, because I knew that anytime we were going to get laid and being too undressed would get in the way of the process. So I opted to wear just a pair of panties or a T-shirt with nothing underneath, as was the case now.

He removed his hand from my body and pulled me away, but only to pick me up and take me to his bed, where he laid me down and leaned over me and started kissing me.

His kiss tasted like the whiskey he drank a few minutes ago. I ran my hands over his body and scratched him lightly on his back, inside his shirt. He ended the kiss and rolled off of me, but only to undress. I watched the scene intently, looking at each piece of skin that was revealed to me little by little. When he took off his underwear and his cock popped out, I felt my mouth water. He was there in front of me, completely naked.

I got rid of his t-shirt I was wearing and crawled until I was close to his body, took his hard member in my hands and started masturbating before putting it in my mouth. Unconsciously, I reared my hips up, and ran my tongue over the glans, tasting the pre-cum. Without waiting, I felt him lean over to smack my ass, and it made his cock almost hit my throat, making me gasp. I pulled it out of my mouth, gasping for air, but went back to sucking on it. When I relaxed, I put him in one piece and this time I got used to that intruder so deep, and I heard him grunt. He loved when I swallowed him like that, but before I could make him cum, he gently withdrew from my mouth and lay down on the bed, turning me to stand beside him.

He kissed me again and wrapped his hands around my waist and slid them to my ass, where he slapped my ass, making me moan into his mouth.

We made out until he was on top of me, making me feel his hard cock on my thigh as he kissed my neck and played with my nipples.

I was already throbbing with lust, and it got worse when he slid his fingers to my clit and touched his fingertip to that sensitive spot, making me arch into him. But he did nothing but tease me, and I wanted him to use his tongue this time to bring me to orgasm. For that reason, I forced his head down and he got the message, surprisingly trailing kisses down my body, but before he got there he stopped and returned the kisses to where they were before, leaving me frustrated.

I sighed in annoyance, and shifted our positions, getting on top of him. I positioned myself right on top of his cock, and I fit my pussy there, not to slide him inside, but to rub myself there. He liked my boldness a lot, but I abruptly left the place until I was positioned right in his mouth. I felt him startle under me, but it was too late because I was already sitting pretty well in his face, with my cunt snug in the place where I always wished it was. He showed no resistance, just ran the tip of his tongue over my clit and I closed my eyes, sighing.

At first, he was stuck and a little lost, but little by little he got used to it and now his whole tongue passed through my intimacy, sometimes sucking painfully. It was good for me and it was good for him too, because I felt him grip my thighs tightly, holding me in place as he penetrated me with his tongue. I saw stars. When he smeared the entire place and when my body showed signs of the first orgasm, nimbly and using a little force he took me off him and put me back on the bed, with my back to the mattress. I thought he had given up, but he again slid down my body and positioned himself between my legs, giving me that wonderful sight. Again he pressed his tongue against my clit.

Seeing him there, with his head buried in the place I'd always dreamed of, made a fire burn in my stomach, and my brain worked tirelessly on the new sensations his mouth was gaving me me.

And he looked very committed and thirsty. He was like someone who had gone days without even a drop of liquid and who had just found an inexhaustible source of pure water. And I was that source. And just the thought of having him thirsty for me was enough to give my boner more ammo and make my hips start working nimbly, looking for more contact. Zoro shaved every day, but there were already two that he didn't shave, so the growing hairs scraped the inside of my thighs when I moved my hips, leaving goose bumps.

His tongue explored every corner of my intimacy and his arms closed tightly around my legs as he brought one hand to one of my breasts and rested it there, squeezing every now and then as my body showed signs of orgasm.

He didn't let go of me when I came for the first time or when I screamed for the second. Instead, he circled my waist with his arms and held me immobile in place as he sipped every drop that dared escape from me. He showed no signs of satiating even when I scratched his shoulders or slapped him in the arms to get him to let go. In fact, it felt like it was just an extra boost for him when I was on the verge of madness, writhing in his mouth and thrashing around aimlessly for support and control of the spasms in my body.

He was both a sadist and a masochist at the same time, which is why I was so attracted to him.

When he released me, I was almost voiceless and completely shaky. I wouldn't be able to form an intelligible word, and his playful smile, which I saw blurred due to the tears pooling in the corners of my eyes, gave away his satisfaction at seeing me in that state.

When I finally composed myself and my heart stopped beating in my chest, pulse, and throat, I took a deep breath and stared at him. He was lying beside me, looking at me and running his hand down my face, lovingly.

“You look beautiful when you're coming”, was the first thing he said.

“You look handsome between my legs”, I returned the answer in the same tone.

He smiled and massaged his jaw, as if in pain.

“Too bad it takes so long to cum, my chin hurts”, he complained and I rolled my eyes.

“You didn't leave me after my first orgasm,” I accused. “For those who were afraid of giving me oral sex, you seemed to enjoy it a lot”, I continued, with a pout.

“I had no idea you were that tasty,” he said, smiling slightly. “Now you better get ready, because your taste has gone straight to the top of my favorite flavors”, he assured me, as he pulled me by the waist to glue my body to his.

I kissed his lips softly, and touched our foreheads, and he kissed me again, obscenely. It didn't take me long to be on my knees for him, determined to reward him for the multiple organs he gave me.

Seeing him from above, with his eyes closed and his expression filled with pure delight, made me want to feel his cock in the back of my throat to the point of gasping for air. But he refused to cum inside my mouth. He lifted me up and positioned me on all fours on the bed and placed the condom on his cock.

When he sank into me, I moaned loudly, too happy that my sex life with my boyfriend was perfect.