#BUT DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES

[paige1722]

Silent Night

Summary: It is Christmas time in your village. The weather has taken a drastic turn, and everyone fears that the blizzard will never end. The people become desperate and willing to take any measures necessary to save themselves, even if it means sacrificing one of their own to a once-forgotten demon. 

Pairing: Krampus!Konig x GN!Reader

Warnings: Krampus, death, google translated German, violence. 

Merry Christmas!!! If you want to read an alternative version where the reader gets revenge, it’s here.

The village you call home resides in the middle of the forest, a few day's journey from the nearest town. This usually means nothing really exciting ever happens here; everyone knew one another, and nothing stayed a secret for long. This year, things had been different. The weather grew colder earlier than normal, the fields did not produce much food, and the hunting expeditions proved to be unsuccessful, with only being able to get small game, such as rabbits and squirrels.

The blizzard that came to the town a week ago did not seem to be lessening in strength; in fact, you even believe that it was getting worse with every passing day.  As you looked out of the window of your small cottage near the center of town, where you would usually be able to see your neighbors, the bakery, and the church in the middle of the town. But with the blizzard, you could barely even see your small garden in front of your doorstep that is now destroying your precious plants, and all the hard work you put into it over the spring and summer. The harsh wind caused the window panes to groan, and the snow kept piling up more and more. You wager that pretty soon, it will be impossible to leave your cottage. 

If it wasn’t for the small fireplace keeping your cottage cozy and warm all this time you are sure you would have already frozen to death in this horrible winter. A knock on your door pulls you from your thoughts. Wondering who would be at your door so early in the morning, especially in this weather. Making your way to the front door, you open it to see Philip, the assistant to the village leader; opening the door more, he quickly makes his way inside after kicking off the snow from his boots. Once inside, he makes his way towards your fireplace placing his hand in front of the fire, trying to gain some feeling back into his joints. 

“Philip, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” you asked, closing the door behind him and moving to stand in the middle of your living room. 

He turns around, placing his hands around his back to keep them in front of the fire; you are now able to get a better look at him. He looks thin, sickly almost. The food shortage must really be taking a toll on him, his face is unshaven, and his once nice thick animal fur coat has seen better days as it looks to have been ripped apart in some places and hastily sewn back together, surely a child you have done a better job fixing his jacket. 

“Yes, I have been tasked with letting everyone know that at noon today, there will be an emergency village meeting in the church. It is mandatory for everyone to be in attendance.” 

You feel your eyebrows shoot up in surprise. There had not been an emergency meeting called ever since you were a little child, and there had been a huge wildfire that nearly destroyed the entire village; a lot of lives were lost that day. “Oh, okay. By any chance, do you know what the meeting will be about?” 

At your innocent question, Philip squints his eye, looking at you up and down suspiciously, clenching his jaw and taking quick steps towards you. He points an accusatory finger in your face, causing you to step back at his fast approach. “It does not matter what the meeting is about. You are required to be in attendance, understand?” 

Your back hit the wall separating the living room from the kitchen; setting your hands flat against the wall to your back, you nod your head in shock, confused as to why he is acting this way. Philip was usually a kind man, not quick to anger. This was a different side of him you had never seen before and did not want to see again. “Yes, I will be there,” you reply in a shaky voice, startled by the sudden mood shift. 

Suddenly, like the drop of a hat, he steps back from you, smoothing down his jacket and giving you one of his signature smiles. Chuckling, Philip walks back toward the front door, his hand on the door handle when he looks back over his shoulder over at you, where you are still pressed up against the wall. “I look forward to seeing you at the meeting then,” he winks as he opens the door, letting himself out back into the cold. 

Once the door shuts, you let out the breath you had been holding, unsure why he was acting so strange. What does it matter if you were not going to attend the meeting? Though with his reaction at the thought that you were not going had him acting like that, you fear to think of what he would actually do if you failed to make an appearance. Not to mention, you are very curious as to the details of this emergency meeting; perhaps it was about food rations or the never-ending blizzard. You walk into your kitchen, planning to fix yourself a small breakfast, as you retrieve what little bread you had left from the bakery and some jam; this would have to do you until supper time after the meeting. The rations you were given earlier in the week dwindling faster than you would have liked. Sitting at the small table in the kitchen, you enjoy your breakfast, again thinking about the strange encounter with Philip and his sudden change in attitude and demeanor. After finishing your bread with jam, you decide to do some chores around your house to waste time until noon.  

—----

You glance at the small hand-carved clock on your wall. Seeing that it is a quarter past eleven, you make your way to your front door, putting on the thickest coat you own, your gloves, and winter boots. Opening the door and closing it behind you, you wrap your coat tightly around you, pulling up the collar to cover the bottom half of your face as you venture down the snow-covered stone path that leads throughout the village. You see your neighbors already making their way inside the church. Two men stand outside wrapped in thick fur jackets and hats, each holding lanterns to light the path to the church, a way to help people see through the thick snow falling from the sky. You trudge through the thick snow, carefully walking up the ice-covered steps to the entrance. The two men, who you now recognize as Simon and Johnny, who are the town’s butchers, open the massive doors. You mumble a quick thank you to the men and make your way inside the warm church. Not noticing the sympathetic look they send your way as you walk past them.

Looking around the massive sanctuary, a long line of lit candles operas on either side of the pew give the room an almost eerie glow. You realize you are one of the last villagers to arrive, seeing as most of the pews are already filled to the brim with people waiting for the meeting to start. You decide to sit in the back where there is still a little bit of space left, sitting next to one of your more elderly neighbors, you give a small smile in greeting, not having interacted with them much before. You take off your thick jacket and hang it on the back of the pew you were sitting on, and continue looking around the room. At the front, standing in front of the pulpit, stands Philip Graves, talking in hushed tones to the village leader, Shepherd. They look to be arguing, judging by the looks on their faces. Philip turns his head, looking near the door, when he makes eye contact with you, but instead of acknowledging you as he normally would in passing, he turns back to Shepherd, whispering in his ear, both of them now looking more relaxed than they were just mere seconds ago, another strange occurrence happening today, something in the air you supposed. 

The front doors slamming closed behind you cause you to jump a bit, turning around in your seat to see Johnny and Simon standing inside the church, placing the lanterns on the golden hooks on either side of the doors. Instead of finding a seat in the room, they move to stand in front of the doors, reminding you of guards to a prison cell. A throat clearing causes you to turn your attention back to the front of the church, where Shepherd now stands behind the podium with Philip by his side.

“Thank you all so much for joining us today for this emergency meeting. We know that things have been tough this year with the lack of game and crops and now this never-ending blizzard. But fear not, your village leader and others have come up with a solution that will surely save us all from this torment.” 

Applause erupts throughout the church at this news. For some reason, you feel a sense of dread overcome you at this news. Something about this whole situation does not sit right with you. Why is Philip staring at you so intensely? Why was it so important that you come to this meeting, and why are Simon and Johnny blocking the exit like that? All these questions run through your head, causing you to break out into a cold sweat. Shepherd once again starts talking, making everyone stop their applause. 

“Now, I know you all must be wondering as to what the solution to our problem is. Philip and I have been scouring the old texts, trying to find anything that might be of help to save our village from this ongoing turmoil. After a many sleepless nights, we finally came across this.” 

Philip holds up an old leather-bound book with a small bell engraved on the front; the pages look worn and old, as if it hasn’t been used in decades. Placing the book down in front of Shepherd, who continues his speech, “In this book, we discovered a chapter that describes exactly the events that are taking place before us today: no food, endless winter that ends in nothing but death for all of us unless we act now! This book tells of an ancient being, whose name shall not be uttered here, that is the cause of all this. Apparently, we have managed to anger him last Christmas during our festivities, and he is now taking it out on us. To appease his wrath, we must give him an offering. There was a list of rules that must be followed or else the offering will not work and just invoke more devastation upon us. After careful consideration, there is only one person who fulfills the demands.” 

Shepherd locks eyes with you, you feel your heart pounding in your chest, the room suddenly becomes too hot, sweat beads down your face. You see his mouth moving, but you can hear nothing over the ringing in your ears. Everyone in the conjugation is now staring at you, waiting for what you aren’t sure. Stumbling, you stand up, still facing the front of the church, and slowly begin backing up towards the door, but before you can make a run for it, hands wrap around your arms on both sides looking to see who has you in their grasp; you see Simon and Johnny with solemn looks on their faces. They begin dragging you to the front of the church. You try to pull your arms from their grip, but is it no use; kicking your feet, trying anything to free yourself,  tears flow freely from your eyes. You look around at the people of your village pleading with them hoping that someone, anyone, will help you, but as you make eye contact with the people you grew up with they simply turned their heads looking down at the ground a guilty expression on their faces. Reaching the front of the church, Philip grabs you from the grip of the two butchers; Simon whispers an solem apology in your ear as they hand you over to your inevitable demise. 

Your back is pressed against Philips's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around you, keeping you in place. He rests his chin on your head, “Tomorrow, everything will be back to normal once the demon has his offering! Return to your homes and await the glorious rewards that will be gifted upon us all!” He yells out, his chest rumbling against your back. You let out a whimper. as you watch everyone slowly rise from their seats and make their way toward the entrance of the church, leaving you with Shepherd and Philip. “Please don’t do this, there must be another way!!” you yell out desperation clear in your voice, but it is no use; the front doors slam shut as the last of the villagers return to their homes. 

Shepherd grabs a rope from his pocket and stands in front of you, “Ah fear not. Think about the good your sacrifice will bring to the people of this village, all the lives you will save.” His gaze moves towards Philip, “Take her to the back for them to get her ready.” He pulls your wrists together in front of yo,u tying them tightly together. Once the rope is secure, Philip lets go of you and grabs the rope, binding your hands together pulling towards the back of the church. Sniffiling you let Philip drag you down the dark hallways leading to the offices. Opening the door to Shepherd’s office, Philip throws you inside the room, causing you to fall, hitting the ground causing a shockwave of pain through your body from where your knees and elbows slam against the wooden floor. 

“Here, get them ready,” Philip says as he shuts the door on his way out. 

Pulling yourself to your feet, you see who he is talking to. Valeria stands in the center of the room, a bored expression on her face, her arms crossed in front of her chest. The room is empty, apart from a single chair and table in the middle of the room, a red silk robe, a veil, and two small boxes. Sighing, she steps forward, pushing you to sit in the chair in the middle of the room.

 Grabbing her arm, you try to plead with her, “Please, Valeria, you have to help me. They mean to use me as some sort of sacrifice to a demon, please.” She rips her arm out of your hands, slapping you across the face. A disgusted look crosses her features as she replies, “Shut up, your sacrifice is what is best for the village. So stop crying. You are only going to make this worse for yourself and ruin the work I am about to put into making you look presentable for him.” 

Your face now burning the slap, you sit in defeat, feeling all forms of fight leave your body; even if you did manage to escape from this room, there was nowhere you could go, the other villagers already showing you that they don’t care about you if you went back home they would just find you and drag you back to where you are now, and if you tried to run for it, you would surely die due to the elements. 

Valeria grabs the silk robe, scrutinizing at your hands that are still tied together, “No funny business, understand. Just put this robe on.” you solemnly nod in return; she grabs your hands and begins to untie them, placing the red robe in your hands. You stare at her, waiting for her to turn around so you can change, but you quickly realize that will not be happening. Trying to save the little dignity you have left, you take off your sweater, putting the robe on, hoping that she will let you keep your warm pants on but she snaps and points to your pants. “Just the robe. It is the rules.” Taking off your pants and placing them in the small pile of clothes on the ground, as you are done, she immediately grabs your hands, tying your wrists back together much tighter than they were previously.

Every movement you make now causes the rough fabric of the rope to rub against your skin. Looking down at the robe you are now wearing, you quickly realize how thin the fabric is. It is definitely not something you should be wearing during this kind of weather, probably to make it more convenient for the demon to kill or eat you. Valeria motions for you to sit back down in the chair with her hand as she opens one of the small boxes laying on the table inside was filled with small paints usually reserved for weddings and other important ceremonies, she begins to draw strange symbols upon your skin, leading from your face, down your arms to your chest. Once she is satisfied with her work, she reaches for the matching red veil, placing it upon your head; you are still able to see through the fabric of the red veil, though it does give everything a strange blurry tint. 

All that can be heard in the room is the occasional sniffle coming from you, trying to hold back any more tears from falling, knowing that Valeria would not be happy with you if you ruined the writing she had just finished putting on your skin. When the door opens and Philip and Shepherd both enter the room, “Are you finished yet?” asks Philip, walking to where you sit inspecting Valeria’s handiwork. 

“Just have to put on the necklace, and we are all set,” she says as she grabs the remaining box sitting on the table, opening it to reveal a beautiful golden necklace with a small pendant that looks very similar to the bell that was engraved on the front of the leather book that they were referencing during the emergency meeting earlier. She places the necklace around your neck, fastening it in the back and tucking it underneath the robe you were forced to wear.

 Everything started to feel too real at that moment. What was about to happen to you setting in, causing you to let out a whimper, but before you could begin pleading for your life, hoping to somehow change their minds, Sheppard pulls out a small piece of cloth, “Now we can’t have you making all that noise, the demon would not appreciate that.” He lifts up the veil, shoving the cloth in your mouth and tying it around the back of your head, effectively silencing you and placing the veil back over your face.

 Shepherd claps his hands together, taking a step back, “Thank you for your help, Valeria. Alright, Philip, grab them and let's go.” Philip grabs the rope around your wrist, dragging you off the chair, the rope squeezing your wrists, causing you to let out a pained gasp that is muffled by the cloth in your mouth. They drag you back out to the sanctuary of the church towards the front door, where you see Simon and Johnny once again holding the lanterns. Once you reach them, they open the doors for you all, dragged out in the snow wearing nothing but the thin robe the freezing air immediately making goose-bumps form on your skin, you let out an involuntary shiver, the ice, and snow covered ground causing your feet to burn with every step. Johnny and Simon now lead the way with their lanterns. Shepherd is in the middle of them telling them which direction to go in, with Philip following close behind, pulling you along with him into the dark forest. 

—-

Walking for what felt like hours, you can no longer feel your legs, you're pretty sure your wrists are now bleeding due to the rope rubbing against your skin, causing it to break. Every intake of breath hurts, the cold air burning your lungs and throat. As you all reach a clearing in the middle of the forest where only a single tree stands surrounded by small torches sticking out of the ground, everyone stops walking. 

Philip yanks you towards the tree, pulling out another rope from inside his fur jacket, and ties one end of the rope around the rope, holding your wrists together. Once secured around your bound wrists, he throws the other end of the rope around one of the lower hanging branches of the tree and pulls the rope until your arms are straining above your head and your toes are barely scraping the ground. You let out muffled groans of pain and fear. He secures the rope around the trunk of the tree, stepping back and joining Shepherd, who stands in front of you. Johnny and Simon are walking around to the torches, lighting them with the fire from their lanterns. Shepherd reading through the leather-bound book, a look of malice taking over his face, muttering to himself, “This time, we will get him.” 

Once the last torch has been lit, and all four men all standing in front of you, Johnny and Simon looking anywhere but your face. Shepherd says, “This is where we leave you. Thank you for your sacrifice.” before turning with the others and leaving you to your death.

 As you watch them all walk away, the light from the lanterns slowly fades away until you can no longer see it. You begin to try to free yourself from the tree. Tears run down your face and neck, causing the writing on your skin to smear, bleeding into the fabric of the robe tied around your body. You try and scream to the best of your ability, but the cloth in your mouth muffling your shouts sounds more like a wounded animal. Flailing around trying to somehow untie the ropes on the tree or your wrist, but all you end up accomplishing is tightening the knots, burying the rope farther into your skin, the blood from the open wounds on your wrists running down your arms. You are now sobbing uncontrollably, resigning yourself to your inevitable death, whether it be freezing to death, the demon or whatever it actually is killing you, or some wild animal finding you first. 

Running out of energy from the walk here, crying, failing around, screaming, and the cold that has turned your entire body numb, you begin to feel tired, struggling to keep your eyes open, thinking to yourself hopefully your sacrifice will not be in vain and the people of your town will be saved. Until, from the darkness, you begin to hear the distance sound of bells jingling closer and closer. Eventually, you hear the crunch of snow as if someone or something was walking towards you. 

You try and blink the tears from your eyes to clear your vision, but with the veil still covering your face, your vision still remains blurry, a huge figure emerges from the trees, standing nearly seven feet tall with twisted horns protruding from underneath the dark red hood covering his face and body. With every step it draws closer to you, you catch small glimpses of the jingling of bells hanging on a chain wrapped around his torso from underneath the red cloak. 

Your heart is pounding in your chest, fear overtaking your body, causing your adrenaline to rise, once again trying to pull your arms free. He stops right in front of where you are hanging from the tree, even dangling in the air, the top of your head barely level with his chin. The soft glow from the torches circling you gives off an eerie glow to whatever is standing in front of you, his face hidden in the shadows of his hood, though you swear that you can see eyes staring right through you. Realizing that this is the end for you, you let out muffled whimpers, not caring how pathetic you must seem right now. 

“Warum bist du hier draußen?” The demon in front of you utters, staring at you expectantly for your answer. 

Even if you were somehow able to understand what he had just said, you would not be able to answer him anyway, so you just shake your head, replying with a muffled what. You see its head tilt to the side in confusion before a gloved hand reaches up and pulls the veil off your head. Your vision is no longer obstructed, and you are able to make out the being in front of you more clearly. A flicker of the light from the torches illuminated the masked man in front of you. 

The mask peeking out from under the hood had twisted horns sticking out of the forehead, where the eyes would be were two holes his eyes shining through the darkness, and the mouth was open with sharp teeth and a long red serpent-looking tongue carved onto the front of the mask, reminding you of the old stories your grandmother used to tell you when you were a small child of an ancient demon who arrived during winter to steal and punish the naughty children. Your eyes widen in realization, muttering, “Krampus.” Even with the cloth still in your mouth, he must have understood you, as you hear a small chuckle in return. 

“Ah, so you have heard of me then. It has been a while since I have been called that, just call me Konig.” His accent is thick as he speaks, reaching for the cloth impairing your ability to say. He pulls the fabric out of your mouth, letting it hang around your neck. “Now, let's try this again, ja. Why are you out here?” 

Sniffling and your teeth chattering because of how cold you are, you manage to say “They said I was supposed to be some kind of offering to save the village. I…I don’t know anything else.” Sobs rack through your body. Looking back up into the eyes of the demon before you, you notice that little black dots begin to swarm your vision, the ringing in your ears was back the cold, pain,  and everything was begining to seem so far away. Using the last bit of strength you had left before you passed out for what you assumed would be for good, you mumbled, “…I don’t want to die.”

Your head lolls backwards, causing the necklace to be pulled out from underneath the robe, catching the eye of Konig whose eyes widen at the pendant hanging from your neck. He quickly pulls out the hunting knife from its sheath on his belt as he wraps an arm around your waist to keep you from falling to the ground. He cut the rope around your wrists, your unconscious body falling forward into his chest. He feels the cold from your body seeping through his gloves and cloak. He removes the cloak from around his body and wraps you up in it as best he can to hopefully begin warming you up. He cradles you in his arms as delicately as he possibly can as he whispers to your sleeping form, “Es wird alles gut. Ich werde dich beschützen.” 

—---

You feel warm; whatever you're laying on is soft and fluffy. Peeking an eye open to take in the surroundings, you notice that you are on a bed of thick animal furs in some sort of cabin. The room you are in is small, with nothing really in it besides the bed, a small lantern placed on a bedside table, and a large mirror placed next to the door. You sit up in the bed, and you notice that your wrists no longer hurt, you look to find that both of your wrists are delicately wrapped in bandages. Hearing noise coming from the other side of the door, you pull back the furs covering you to slip out of the bed and make your way towards the door. Once you are standing, you look in the mirror so that you get a better look at the new outfit you are wearing. A red knitted sweater you now wear with black wool pants; examining your arms, face, and neck, you don’t see any traces of the strange writing Valeria placed on your skin. When the sounds of movement behind the door once again grab your attention. Walking towards the door, you slowly open the door walking out into what looks to be the main room of the house. 

Stepping out of the room, the first thing you notice is the Krampus or Konig you vaguely remember him saying is his name, he sits in the corner of the room with his back facing you, hunched over a crafting table lined with various tools on the wall. Along with the tools hanging on the wall, you see the mask Konig was wearing when he found you in the forest, placed gently on a small hook. 

As you walk further into the area you look around the room you are now in what you assume is the living room with the front door next to the small room you just exited, a window on the other side of the door, a small fireplace in the center of the room with a cozy chair facing it, two other doors on the opposite side where Konig sits, and a corridor that look as if it leads into what you assume in the kitchen. You let out a small hum, this house is much smaller and cozier than what you would have assumed an ancient demon who abducts and punishes bad children would live in. During your observation of the house, you failed to notice that Konig had stopped working and was now standing facing you, the mask back on his face. 

“I was starting to think that you would not wake up.” His voice startling you in the otherwise silent house. 

“How long was I asleep?” you ask tentatively, thinking that it was probably just a couple of hours, seeing that it was still dark outside, judging by the lack of light coming in from the window near the front door of the house. 

“A day, I feared your wounds and the cold was too much for you. I tried my best, but my powers are not usually used for helping people.” Seeing him in this light was very strange, even though he still towered over you, he seemed to be trying to make himself appear smaller, probably trying not to scare you, after all you think that you have had enough excitement for a lifetime.

You glance down at your wrists, then gently brush your fingers over the bandages. "Oh... um, thank you for helping me," you say quietly. "Does this mean... my village won't be saved after all? I didn’t think it was possible to fail at being an offering."

He lets out a cruel laugh at your question, his accent even thicker now. “Your village..” he spits out venom in his voice…”They are lucky that I just leave them to fend for themselves during this winter and that I don’t take revenge for what they have done to you by slaughtering them all. I have done more for much less.” 

Nervously, you absentmindedly bring your hand up to the jewelry that still lays around your neck, twirling the small bell pendant between your fingers, Konig’s eyes tracing your movements. “But..but why they said we had angered you last Christmas and this was the only way to put an end to the suffering you have plagued us with, the…book it said-” He cuts you off by walking towards you, his hand wraps gently around yours holding the necklace, careful of your wounds caressing your hand.

“I was not angry then but I am now, anyways that is not how I work. I do not know what lies they have told you, but I have no control over the crops, animals, or weather, that is not my doing.”

As he goes to pull his hand away you grab his wrist pleading with him, “no, that is not right. The only reason they left me out there like that was because the book said an offering to you would save the village. Why else would they do that to me?” you whisper the last part mostly to yourself, not seeing any other reason for the actions of the people in your village.

 You see his eyes soften from behind the mask, stepping closer his presence only a breath away from you now, cupping your checks and wiping away tears that you did not realize had fallen. “The book you speak of is an ancient book of an offering; this is to be given to me yes, but not for sacrifice or as a way to save a village from misfortune. It speaks of tying someone to me. Bonding their soul to mine forever. I do not know why but I assume they wanted someone to blame for their misfortunes, and I was it. By leaving you to me, writing the runes upon your skin…” his hands now trace your checks down your neck, and your arms where the writing was previously written, “ and wearing my necklace, and since I accepted the offering when I brought you back here with me, we are now linked together forever.” 

You stare into his eyes, looking to see if he is telling the truth, finding no lies within his eyes you take a deep breath, your head beginning to hurt with all this new information thrown at you. “I think I need to sit down for a moment,” you say in a breathless whisper.

 Konig guides you to the cozy-looking chair sitting in front of the fireplace, placing your head in your hands you lean forward, your elbows on your knees, closing your eyes trying to make sense of everything. Instead of being killed by Krampus like you originally thought you being a sacrifice for the good of the village and everyone in it, they tied your soul to his, making you his soulmate. No matter how long you thought about it you just couldn't make sense of it, how would this solve anything? Why would giving the being they thought responsible for all their troubles a soulmate solve anything. 

Lifting your head up from your hands you look up at Konig, who is walking back over to where you sit now holding a glass of water, he must have gone to the kitchen while you were deep in thought. He wordlessly hands you the glass of water, you take a long sip of water not realizing how thirsty you were until that moment. Gasping you say, “Thank you. But I still don’t understand how would this solve anything for the village then? Why would they essentially be rewarding you, if they thought you were the bad guy?” 

Taking the now-empty glass from your hands, he lets out a deep sigh. “Once your soul is bound to mine, I have a weakness. Through me, you will have an immortal life, not aging another day as I, but you are still human able to be killed, if you die, I die with you.” 

At the sudden news, you jump up out of your seat, craining your head to look up at him but before you could say anything, he adds “do not worry they cannot find you here. No harm will ever come to you, especially not while you wear my necklace. Plus, even if they somehow managed to find their way to my forest they would have to make it through the elves first, and they do not play nicely.” His eyes shine with a knowing look like he knows exactly what would become of anyone who makes there way here without his permission. 

Before you could say anything else your stomach starts growling, causing your face to feel warm with embarrassment. Konig lets out a chuckle, “Ah, how rude of me. You must be very hungry, ja. Let us get you some food. Come.” 

He reaches his hand out in front of you. You slowly place your hand in his, he gently pulls you to your feet and starts leading you down the corridor to the kitchen. Now that his hand is in yours, you can feel the rough callouses on his skin from years of use. Upon entering the kitchen, you did not expect to see the table already full of delicious-looking food, gasping you look at Konig in question, who simply shrugs his shoulder in response pulling out a chair at the table for you to sit at. 

“Do not be shy; have as much as you like.” He says as he sits on the seat on your right, making a plate for himself and piling it high with meat. You begin making your plate, putting a little bit of everything on it, wanting to try everything as most of the food before you is something you have never seen before. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Konig reach up and grab the mask obscuring his face and taking it off and place it in the spot next to him on the table. Your eyes rake over the scars on his face, he must have felt your gaze on him because he turns his head to stare at you. 

Giving you a sheepish smile, he apologizes, “I am sorry. I know I am not very nice to look at, but it is difficult to eat with the mask on.” 

Shaking your head, “No, you have nothing to apologize for. You just didn’t look how I expected Krampus to look; you are handsome.” 

Not knowing how to respond to your kindness, Konig just gives you a grateful smile before continuing to eat, you shortly following his lead. 

—-

You've been living with Konig for a few weeks now, and in that time, you've learned a lot about him. He makes toys—though they're unlike anything Santa would create—and the strange creations often come to life, causing chaos wherever they go. He's also started wearing his mask less frequently around the house, especially when it's just the two of you. Still, every now and then, a quiet worry creeps into your mind about the people in your village. You can't help but wonder if they managed to survive the blizzard and the food shortages.

Today, Konig was teaching you how to create snowglobes at his workstation. It turned out to be much more difficult than you’d expected, especially when it came to crafting the perfect sculpture to fit inside. Though you weren’t the best at it, Konig seemed to enjoy teaching you, and that made it all worthwhile.

“Look, Schatz,” he said with a proud smile. “It’s us.”

You stopped what you were doing and turned to see the small sculpture in his hands—a perfect replica of you and him, standing side by side. You gasped in awe. “Wow, that’s beautiful!”

Konig handed you the sculpture, and as you ran your fingers over the intricate details of the hand-carved masterpiece, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth.

“I still have to add color, so I am not done yet.” He sheepishly adds, rubbing the back of his neck at all your praise.

Sudden bangs and the chaos of shouting erupted outside the house, the sounds of a violent struggle growing louder. Konig stands up, grabs your arm, and pulls you up beside him. He begins dragging you to his bedroom. Once inside, he gently places you in the middle of the room and grabs his mask off the nightstand where it usually stays now. 

“Stay here, Liebling, do not come out until I come back for you.” Even with his face now covered, you can see the concern for your safety reflecting in his eyes. 

Konig turns to leave the room, but before he can make it out of the door, leaving you behind, you run up behind him and grab ahold of his wrist, stopping him in his tracks, “Konig, what’s happening? Don’t leave me alone.” 

Pausinghe turns to face you, fully reaching up with both hands on your cheeks. He caresses your face, softly rubbing his thumbs over the apple of your cheeks, “Everything is going to be okay. Just stay here, please.” 

Staring into his eyes, wanting to beg him to stay with you and just let his elves handle whatever is happening outside, you know that he does need to go out there; he is Krampus, after all, and is more than capable of taking care of himself. You nod, your face still in his grasp. He leans forward but pauses as if he is second-guessing himself. Letting out a deep sigh from his chest, he put the mouth of the mask on your forehead before walking towards the door, giving you one last glance over, ensuring your safety before he leaves, and shutting the door to his room behind him. You can hear his heavy footsteps throughout the house, the front door open and closed shut, leaving you all alone in the house. 

The noise outside has yet to stop; maybe it was just your nerves, but you feel as if, every passing second, he is out there. Something bad could be happening, but you know he is a demon and only truly has one weakness. Which is why he told you to stay in his room, where he knows you will be safe. Trying to clear your mind from the turmoil outside, you begin pacing around his room, counting the number of steps it takes to walk from one corner to the next. You continue to do this for the next couple of minutes while all the noise outside seems to have died down, allowing you to hear some muffled yelling. Right now, you can only make out Konig’s voice, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to go out into the living room so that way you can hear more of what is happening. 

Quietly, you open the bedroom door, the hinges squeaking, causing you to flinch. Wrapping your arms around your middle, you walk out into the living room towards the front door, placing your ear upon the cool wood. Konig is yelling at someone; his accent becomes thicker the angrier he gets, which sometimes makes him harder to understand. After a brief moment of punching sounds, you hear someone who sounds vaguely familiar, “You killed her, didn’t you, you monster!!” 

You gasp, covering your mouth. You throw open the door, rushing outside in the cold, not thinking about grabbing the fur jacket Konig made specially for you. You run down the stairs on the porch. You see Konig standing tall and menacingly in the yard. His elves are all lined up facing him. They are all holding weapons of some kind, looking as rowdy as ever, the bells on the chains wrapped around their body jingling in the wind. You run as fast as you can to where Konig stands, where two elves are standing out from the crowd holding two prisoners hostages, making them kneel before Konig. 

Sensing you, Konig whips around his body language, immediately softening at the sight of you, “Liebling, it is too cold for you to be out here.” By the time you reach him, he has already removed his thick red cloak throwing it over your shoulders and wrapping it around your body. 

You place your hands on his chest, bunching up his shirt in your grip, “No, Konig! Please don’t hurt them. They are from my village.” Motioning to where the two elves are holding a beaten and bloody Simon and Johnny. 

Johnny and Simon are drenched in blood, from head to toe, and you can only hope it’s not all theirs. Their arms are covered in cuts, and their faces are swollen and bruised from what looks like repeated punches. Chains are wrapped tightly around their upper bodies, and the elves standing behind them keep a firm hold, forcing them to kneel in the snow.

At the sight of you in Konig’s arms, Johnny and Simon struggle in the chains, causing the elves to tighten the chains, making them let out pained groans. 

Johnny speaks first, “You’re alive!! We went back to the forest that night to save you. Simon and I decided that we couldn’t just leave you out there to die, but when we arrived back at the sight, you were gone, nothing left but the rope.” Guilt fills his voice, looking at you for forgiveness. 

Simon moves to stand up, but the elf kicks his leg, causing him to fall back on his knees; looking over his shoulder, he glares at the elf, cursing under his breath. He tries again, jerking his shoulders forward to create some slack in the chain. Once standing, he takes a half step towards you; seeing this, Konig steps in front of you more, making you peek around his back to see what Simon has to say. 

“When we got back to the village and told everyone about how we were unsuccessful in rescuing you, everyone started rioting, blaming Shepherd and Philip, saying there should have been another way. They…they told Johnny and I that the book said there was a way to save you. We just had to find Krampus’s hideout and kill him.” Simon glances at Konig, seeing his protective stance around you, and begins rethinking everything he was told by the village leaders.

A loud clapping coming from behind all the elves draws everyone’s attention; Shepherd appears from the darkness, clapping his hands together slowly. Konig moves forward, growling, “What are you doing here?” 

Shepherd lets out a loud mocking laugh, “I told you before, Konig. I would get my revenge for what you did to my family. I have been planning my revenge for years. Did you not think I wouldn’t notice you watching them every year and becoming attached to them, so when I was finally able to get my hands on that necklace, I knew this was my chance.” 

Konig rolls his shoulders back, standing up to his full height, with hatred in his eyes. He watches Shepherd slowly walk closer to him through the elves who were anxiously waiting for the word to attack. “They were on my list. It is the rules, bad children, and adults who need to be punished. But they have nothing to do with this. Your quarrel is with me.” 

You move to step forward to take comfort behind Konig when you feel someone wrap their arms around you from behind, placing a knife at your throat. You fearfully shout, “Konig!” 

Hearing your cry for help, he turns around but pauses when he sees you in danger, his breath catching in his throat. “Let her go!” he growls. You have never heard him like this before; it sends a shiver down your spine. The elves are holding up their weapons behind Konig, ready to kill for you. 

A laugh rumbles from the chest of the person holding you, one that you used to enjoy hearing the sound of, but now it just sends a sick feeling to your stomach. Philip rests his chin on the top of your head, digging the blade into your neck, causing it to break the skin, a little trial of blood running down your neck. This causes Konig’s entire body to go rigid at the sight of it. He clenches his fists at his side, and you can see the gears turning in his head on how to rescue from his grip without hurting you. 

“You didn’t really expect us not to retaliate against you. I think us giving you a little soulmate was mighty nice of Shepherd and me. I mean, we even gave you some time together before sending in those two as a diversion…” 

He points the knife over at Johny and Simon before placing the knife back at your throat,  “So you wouldn’t suspect us, and we could just waltz on in here and grab your soulmate, killing them essentially killing you. But I really did not expect it to go so easily.” Philip laughs, tightening his arms around you. You silently plead with Konig to do anything. 

Shepherd, having made his way through the horde of elves, pats Konig on the back condescendingly, “Now you will know what it is like to lose everything, but you’ll be joining them shortly.” 

The chains around Johnny and Simon had slackened considerably due to the elves' concern for you and Konig’s safety. Simon used the slack of the chain to throw it around Shepherd's neck, pulling back into his hold. Shepherd’s hands immediately go to the chain around his throat, trying to keep it from choking him, but to no avail; Simon is not letting go, no matter how much he struggles. 

Philip removes the knife from your throat to point it threateningly at Simon, “HEY! You let him go now!” 

With the knife no longer about to end your life and Philip distracted, Konig sees the perfect opportunity to strike. Konig rushes forward, grabbing Philip’s hand that holds the knife, bending his wrist back with a sickening crack, causing him to scream out in pain, dropping the knife in the snow. Konig’s other hand wraps around Philip’s throat. He lets go of you in favor of trying to pry off Konig’s hands off his throat. You fall to the snow and crawl out of the way. One of the elves comes up behind you, pulling you in their embrace to keep you safe. Your head is pressed into their chest to keep you from seeing anything that is happening behind you. 

Konig now has both hands wrapped around Philip’s throat, lifting him into the air, his feet no longer touching the ground. Philip is clawing at his hands, gasping out for breath, his face turning colors due to the lack of oxygen. Konig leans forward, whispering in his ear, “Do not touch what is mine.” A loud crack resonates throughout the forest; Philip's hands fall to his limp, throwing his body down. Konig sprints to where you are cowering in the elf's grasp. 

“Liebling, are you okay? What hurts?” He places his hand on your back, trying to access any more damage on you. Feeling Konig’s comforting touch on your back, you throw yourself into his awaiting arms, tears flowing soaking into his shirt. 

“I was so scared; I thought they were going to hurt us.” you sob into his chest; he rubs your back soothingly as you try to catch your breath. 

The familiar sound of the bells jingling causes you and Konig to look over to where Shepherd now lays wrapped in the chains at the feet of Simon and Johnny, who hold both ends of the chains. “Should we kill him?” Johnny asks, looking at Konig. 

Konig stands up with you standing in front of him, wrapped safely in his arms, turning to face them both. “Nein, I have a better idea. Elfen bringen ihn in die Grube.” 

With their orders now given, a handful of elves move forward, snarling and laughing, grabbing the chains from Johnny and Simon and begin dragging Shepherd’s screaming body through the snow towards the pits. 

Konig walks to Simon and Johnny, stopping in front of them with you still with him. Simon looks at you, then Konig, “What are you going to do to us?” asks Simon, sighing regrettably. 

Reaching up and removing the mask covering his face, Konig puts one hand on both of the men's shoulder’s, “You both helped me. Distracting Philip, so I was able to act. Thank you. You are free to return to your village, become the new leaders, and do a better job than those two. Though I must warn you once you leave my forest, you are never to return, or else my elves will not be as kind to you next time.” 

They both nod their heads at Konig in agreement and turn to leave. The rest of the elves make a path for them to walk through, none of the elves messing with either man as per Konig’s wishes. However, it did not stop the elves from keeping a close eye on them until they were completely off their territory. 

Konig kneels down in front of you, placing his head against your stomach, “I was so scared when I saw you in danger. I thought I was about to lose you forever, and I panicked. I am so sorry.” he says, his voice muffled from being pressed against you. Running your hands through his hair, you move his head up to look at you. 

“Konig, you have nothing to be sorry for. I should have listened to you and stayed inside; it was all my fault. I am sorry, but thank you for saving me.” You pull him up and give him a hug. 

Leaning your head back, you look up at his face, staring into each other eyes. He slowly leans forward, pressing his forehead against yours. His breath fanning your face, standing on your tippy toes, you press your lips to his, feeling your lips on his. He immediately kisses back, placing one hand on the back of your head and pulling you closer to him. 

Cheering and laughter erupt in the background, causing you to pull away from each other. Seeing all the elves going crazy at the sight of you and Konig kissing causes you to throw your head back, laughing before you bury your face in his chest, making him laugh in return. 

“Come on, Liebling. Let’s go back inside.” 

—-

The next day, you and Konig are sitting cuddled up together in the living room in front of the fire, enjoying each other’s company. Konig stops rubbing your back and turns his body to face yours fully, his face full of nervousness. 

“If you want, you can go back to your village. I will understand if you wish to leave, and I will hold no grudges against you or the town. I….” you stop him from talking any further. 

“And if I want to stay here with you?” you ask, looking down shyly, scared that maybe he was saying all that stuff because he did not want you here anymore. 

He places his finger under your chin, lifting your head up to look at him, “then I will spend every day of our life together doing whatever I can to make you happy. Trying to prove to you how much you mean to me.” He leans forward, connecting your lips together in a kiss.

The warm glow of the fireplaces bathed you both in a soft, calming light, casting a peaceful aura over the room. Above the mantel, the snowglobe, Konig crafted, an intricate, perfect representation of the two of you, sat proudly. Its glass shimmered gently in the flickering flames, showing the love and care he put into creating it.

[aettuddae]

business matter — chapter 130.

a christmas special.

↳ synopsis: two of the most important kpop companies covet a partnership with a huge global brand, only to be surprised when the deal is extended to both labels. fearing potential sabotage and cynical strategies to secure exclusivity for just one of them, both CEOs resort to desperate measures. in a bid to maintain trust and prevent betrayal before the signing, they come up with a pact: forcing a fake relationship between the leaders of their star girlgroups. if one side attempted to fail the other, they threaten to expose it all to the conservative south korea.

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[written chapter]

[a/n: special thanks to 🦦 anon, and 🥷🏻 anon who helped me with this chapter.]

the cookies were good, except for the burned ones, how bitter a soul must have to be to not enjoy cookies you baked with the person you love?

but no amount of cookies, no matter how delicious, could make up for the damage the person you love had done. which meant that no cookie, no matter how well made, could secure jimin an invitation to serim's birthday.

december 5. jang serim had been born 20 days before christmas. there was no question why she was fascinated by the cold when she was a child of winter. ironically, though, serim was one like the flame of a lighter, bringing warmth when you needed it.

she couldn't pretend that she was the kind of person who hated her birthday. serim loved the day, people celebrating her, getting presents, being the center of attention, and she loved the actual party of such events. after all, she was a celebrity for a reason, it was in her blood.

her family never had much money before serim started making some from music so when she was still living at home in daegu her mother would prepare excessive amounts of hotteoks for her and her few school friends to eat while drinking sikhye, which was a tradition in her house as her mother loved the drink. it carried on over the years and in her present serim could not remember a single year where she had eaten a cake, even now she only ate hotteok and drank sikhye on her birthday.

she had no other traditions, although after her debut her fans organized birthday events for her in cafes in the city, so she always tried to visit them, which it could be said was already a habit. that year was special because she missed being in touch with her followers due to her time on hiatus, and she was thrilled to see that even when she was not active in her work her fans did not forget to prepare the special events. she visited some of them, going to three different stands on her own in her car, at the last one she stopped for a drink and then came back. it was still snowing so when she got out and got in the car she had covered her clothes with flakes.

she had been receiving messages and calls congratulating her on another year of life all day, but she was ready to go back to her apartment and talk to her friends about visiting her in the evening for a quiet meeting, which was no longer necessary when she opened the door and when she turned on the light, which was curiously turned off, they all jumped up with a cry of 'surprise.'

there she was greeted by her members whom she missed as if they didn't talk every day, her best friends who seemed to have finally had some time off from their busy schedules and ningning who in that short time had become someone extremely important in her life. seeing her there, she didn't hold back her urge to look for that person, for jimin, hoping that maybe she hadn't been able to be at the reception, but was somewhere in the apartment. she was angry at herself for not being able to concentrate on the people who loved her the most because she was waiting for someone who couldn't even put into words what was going on with her. but jimin wasn't there, of course she wasn't, and she had disconnected from reality, not paying attention to her friends' greetings just to look for her.

"happy birthday, sese!" sejeong's voice woke her up, bringing her back to the real plane to be wrapped in her best friend's arms.

"thank you, love." she reciprocated the gesture, still somewhat absent-minded, but trying to focus on the nice gesture her mates had arranged for her.

they had put gifts on the center table in the living room and there were, as usual, plates and plates full of hotteoks, as well as other snacks available for whoever wanted to taste them, they had prepared the rice-based infusion that she always drank on that date, but only a jug for when she blew out the candles as if it was their own champagne, apart from that they had beer and other types of alcohol or soda to accompany the meal.

they rushed to play music on the stereo in the living room and everyone crowded into the long armchair around the television, even though it was turned off, to chat and enjoy everything there was to try. it was the casual gathering she wanted with her friends and they knew serim well enough to not organize anything extravagant. kimchi paced the floor and the skirts of her friends who dared to hold her. serim had not even changed out of her slightly wet clothes from the snowfall, just taking off some of her coats.

she had indeed gotten sick after going out to the park with jimin a week ago. she was getting better from her cold, but she knew that when she went out today it would get worse again and more if she didn't change those clothes, but she was distracted by the presence of her acquaintances, she loved to see them interacting among different groups of people she cherished, she wasn't even thinking about going to put on something dry.

the hours passed and they were entertained by what they found in the house, they were simple people and some had enough imagination and charisma to liven up a funeral if they had to. of the various activities they embarked on, they were now in the middle of a karaoke battle on the machine serim had bought that in no way, for any reason or chance was she using at 2 am to pretend to be part of a little shop of horrors performance. even the vast collection of costumes she owned was making an appearance.

it was a theater kid's birthday after all.

they were in the third round, representatives of each team at the two microphones, on one side yizhuo and on the other yujin who was trying to hit the highest note she ever faced in her entire life intending to beat the chinese girl on the chosen song, but her throat was saved from making such an effort because they were interrupted by the doorbell.

"i'll get it." the relieved maknae from HeAVEN called out and hopped happily to the door.

it was the door, not the telecommunicator.

yujin, with a big smile, opened it to see who was behind it, but as soon as she recognized the person, she closed it tightly and shuffled, her expression now sour, back to where they were singing before.

"who was it?" inquired serim confused by her reaction, getting up to go check herself.

"a beggar." the chestnut replied grumpily.

serim scoffed at hearing the girl and walked over to the entrance to open it and like deja vu from a few days ago, there was jimin covered in snow waiting for her, although this time she came holding the leash that contained hiro by her side, the dog brought his own clothes so he wouldn't get cold in these climates.

"guys-" began jang.

"she wasn't invited!" yujin yelled annoyed.

"it's clear to me." agreed the birthday girl a bit stunned by the volume she used.

she glanced at the visitor, waiting for her to do something, but she remained in the same position, waiting. she wanted a sign that she could approach or talk, but serim was thrown off, she didn't know how to react. she was angry at jimin for the argument they had had a few days ago, but they also left it on good terms that time pretending nothing had happened. also, she knew that her friends didn't want her to hurt again, which meant, not letting her in, but she was so excited that she remembered her birthday and was there. and on top of everything, she hated that animal she brought with her and was hesitant to let him into her house.

she took a step into the hallway, a little further to where jimin was, which the youngest took as an initiative to throw herself at serim by wrapping her in a hug. "happy birthday, my namu." she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of having her in her hold, her chin resting on her shoulder. "i adore you so much, baby." she stroked her back gently.

i adore you. of course.

serim wanted to reciprocate, but those words stopped her, she stood static receiving the girl's affection, not returning her touch until she broke away and gave her an expectant look.

"thank you, jimin." she said with no expression on her face.

why did jimin have to ruin every good thing she accomplished? the speed with which she did it was admirable, serim recognized.

"i bought you a present." she held up a bag in her hand.

"it wasn't necessary."

"but i wanted to." she assured. "and i know you're with your friends, ning told me." she looked down at the floor. "in fact, i tried to convince her to bring me, but she said your friends would kill me." she let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "i just thought maybe," she took a breath keeping her cool. "maybe we could go for a walk for a while if you want." she proposed innocently. "it's snowing, but it's a nice day and i just wanted to spend a few minutes with you." explained. "if you want, of course, it would just be a walk around the block."

with some stupid excuse without much sense about why she agreed to go with jimin, she ended up bundling up again to the sound of yujin's complaints and walking down to the lobby of her building with the blackhaired, making her friends judge her.

they understood why serim always went back to jimin, and they didn't really hate the girl, they were just tired of seeing their best friend suffer for her.

except yujin, yujin did hate her.

they walked a bit, making small talk about what serim had done during the day and how she was having a good time in her special moment, until they arrived to a gallery that was not far away, it was a fairly closed street full of stores and some restaurants, it connected with the outside so they could let hiro go play, but it was secluded enough to be less cold. it was a nice place, there were trees and it looked quite rustic despite being a shopping center in a rich neighborhood, and the first christmas decorations were already beginning to be seen.

they sat down on a somewhat hidden bench and jimin took the leash off her dog so he could explore the place, and after a few minutes, she was left alone with serim, at which point she looked at her a bit uncomfortably and just held out the bag with the gift she had bought her. serim took it, opening it and looking at what was inside as she took it out.

a gift card, she read what it was for, but jimin made it easier for her by saying, "it's for you to choose the musical you want to want. you can take someone else, i'd like you to take me, but it's your choice. i'll pay for everything."

the first item in itself thrilled jang, of course she loved going to the theater and now that she had nothing better to do, she would gladly take advantage of jimin's gift. a smile peeked on her lips. she left it inside the package again while she looked for something else to take out, then lifted the book in the air.

how many books had jimin given her already? was it a hint? 'the history of theater.' it read on the cover.

serim was a person of hyper-fixations and jimin had noticed that, she knew that when she liked something she would engage with it in the most intense and deepest way, so she was smart to pick gifts for her. she would love to read who knows how many pages about her great love, the theater.

she put it away again and reached for the most obvious of all, the small plant that was carefully lying against the edge of the box of thick paper, possibly chosen to take care of this specific object. the girl recognized it on the spot, a fittonia, the pattern of the leaves and all the colors gave it away, those plants looked beautiful when they grew and, although they were common, she didn't have one until now.

"i thought you might like a new one." commented karina as she watched her hold the pot in her hands. "maybe you'll learn something from it like you told me about your other plants." jang couldn't believe she remembered that story. "besides, you gave me one, i'm returning the gesture."

"i love it." the older girl confirmed sincerely without taking her eyes off it.

she left it, but outside, leaning on the bench, to remember to carry it in her hands so the leaves wouldn't break. she peeked out again to look for what else was there, pulling out a stuffed animal of a dog, this one puzzled her, so she threw a sidelong glance at yu indicating she should explain.

"it's you!" she exclaimed excitedly, moving her body in a short dance trying to channel the tenderness that making that comparison generated in her, serim frowned. "you're a dog with big, tender eyes." she pointed at the stuffed animal, right at its plastic pupils.

"jimin, i think you're delusional." she threw her a judgmental grimace.

"i wanted to give you something to cuddle when you sleep because i know that, even though i already gave you kimchi, you have a hard time being in the dark." she articulated. "i don't know of an animated character you like and i wasn't going to find one of your musicals." she admitted. "so i bought one that reminded me of you." she gave her a wide, confident smile. "and to me, you're like a puppy." she finished.

"i'll take it." she put the toy in the bag. "it's weird, but i'll take it."

finally, she grabbed a little velvet box that lay at the bottom of all those material parts of serim's personality. she lifted it in the air, appreciating it carefully before opening it, threw a cautious glance at jimin and then dared to lift the lid, revealing a ring with a stone in the center, in the style she liked to use in her jewelry: dark, gothic, edgy. she didn't usually wear many gems, but that piece seemed to be designed specifically for her, and it sure was. she kept her eyes glued to the jewel without saying a word, which jimin took as a signal to start talking.

"when i was on tour i couldn't stop thinking about you." she suddenly confessed. "i missed you, even if we don't see each other that often, i missed being a few minutes away from you." it made her nervous to be exposing herself like that. "everything i saw connected it to you somehow as if that made me need you less."

she rubbed her palms damp from the sweat generated by the eagerness against her pants. serim didn't dare raise her head and look at her, for reasons she couldn't quite explain, maybe the vulnerability that attacked her when she was with jimin would drown her again and she didn't want that.

"when i went to sidney i was able to go out and visit the city a bit and i ended up in a place with several craft stalls." she continued. "at one stall they were selling gemstones and the man in charge started telling me about the properties of each one." she cleared her throat trying to clear her voice which was shaking a little. "i bought these with you in mind." she took the ring from between serim's fingers, unintentionally forcing her to finally turn her attention to her. "this is the agate." she pointed to the green part of the gem. "it is deeply connected to nature, mother earth, the tree of life." she listed. "and you are my tree." she added with an amused tone, making the older one laugh slightly. "it gives peace, helps with self-esteem, encourages one's communication and expression."

she emphasized the last detail, concentrating on the woman's reaction to her hint, watching her roll her eyes, but maintaining a friendly expression. at first, she was struck by the stone because of its relationship to the earth, but when she heard how it helped with developing relationships, she bought it. if rocks would save her relationship with serim, she'd spend any amount of money.

"and this one." she pointed to the pink part. "it's rhodonite." she paused. "it's one of the love stones." she reported, causing jang to become serious. "it builds trust and brings harmony, tenderness to couples, it is a good helper to open the spirit and encourage new relationships." she said it all in a soft voice, always afraid to generate another argument when she just wanted to show her how much she cared for her. "it heals the wounds of the past, promotes forgiveness." she lowered her head in shame knowing she was the cause of this one. "it also helps with anxiety." she finished.

they were silent as always happened to them, it wasn't that they had nothing to say, but they had so much they didn't know where to start.

"i bought the stones with you in mind." she commented. "us." she corrected. "and when i returned to seoul i had the ring made." she lifted her chin in it's direction, presenting it. "i hope it has some effect." she let out a chuckle.

serim for a moment forgot how angry she was at her, the gifts were so carefully thought out that they didn't fail in moving her. it was all a part of who she was, something she had shared with jimin and she had chosen to remember. the ring fascinated her, she loved to wear accessories on her hands and that one was very similar to the ones she used to wear, only it had a jewel designed just for her that represented the wish for good things.

she wanted to show gratitude without sounding dry, to make it clear that she did like everything and that she wasn't going to despise it no matter how many difficulties they had between them. she placed the ring on her middle finger, took the plant out of the way and left it on the other side of her legs, in a corner, and lowered the bag with the other things to the floor, thus creating space to move across the bench towards her and catch her in an embrace, in which they stayed for a while as they watched the snow fall and hiro play, before going back to the apartment.

"you can stay if you want." serim invited jimin once they returned to the apartment. "they haven't sung happy birthday to me yet and anyway ning is here." from the entrance she pointed at the girl, who waved innocently as if they were strangers.

"are you sure?" karina looked at her suspiciously.

"of course, it's my birthday and it's on me." she assured. "later i'll take you and hiro home." she proposed. "i'm not going to let you come all this way just for twenty minutes and then throw you out like you have the plague."

serim gave her some space, opening the door wide letting her and her dog through, she obeyed, walking into the house she once lived in and greeting everyone with a few short bows. she was nervous, she felt like everyone there hated her.

"don't worry." the older one closed and then proceeded to put her hands on her shoulders from behind her, squeezing a little to calm her down. "if i don't hate you, they less."

serim put her hand on jimin's back to guide her to the couch, the girl looked so lost, she was clouded with nervousness, so the care the older was taking reassured her. she led her to ningning's side, and both group mates settled together on the couch. serim took some plates with food to offer her, from which jimin chose something light. lastly, jang knelt to take hiro's leash off, even as he kept growling at her.

when serim sat back down on her spot on the couch next to jennie, chaeyoung approached her, taking the area on the contrary side, followed by yujin. "semmie, i'm sorry, but i don't want to ruin your birthday with my bad vibes, so i think it's best if she's here that i leave." she warned trying to sound as reasonable and kind as possible, she didn't mean it in a bad way, but it hurt.

"and i'm leaving because i can't stand her." yujin added.

"i don't want any of you to leave." the older one refused. "i am not even with her, she will only stay because she already came all the way here." she explained. "and you are my family, i want you to be with me."

"i want to be here for you, but it's hard for me to be around you two." she reiterated what they both already knew.

"chaeng." she cocked her head a little so she could cup her cheeks properly and make eye contact. "i'm not going to be with her, okay?" she rubbed her face with her thumb. "we're not on good terms." she reported.

"fine, then." she dropped the weight of her head onto serim's palm. "but if i see something i don't like, i'm leaving." she warned.

"alright." agreed.

"are you about to kiss?" yujin burst in from behind chaeyoung, to which they both responded by playfully hitting her with cushions.

serim didn't know that from the side jimin was watching everything with a flare of jealousy starting to burn inside her.

the night went on well, jimin, with her outgoing and friendly personality, even managed to get them to integrate her as if she didn't have all the reputation she carried. they continued with the karaoke battle, to then have a board game tournament and other things that adults with little desire to party could do on a snowy day. finally, they started to pick things up and take them to the kitchen, preparing to blow out the candles and fulfill the tradition of eating hotteok, and then they would all go eat dinner at a nice restaurant.

"chaeng." called serim to the girl who was surprisingly in a good mood after deciding to stay for the celebration. "could you help me put these away?" she referred to the costumes they had been wearing.

chaeyoung readily agreed, piling a couple on her arms and following serim to the various things closet to leave them there. it was a small room and when they got in there both with a bunch of bulky unsorted garments, there wasn't much range of motion. with the limited space there, they tried to put things back in place, but it was difficult. chaeyoung decided that maybe if she lifted up in the air, where it was unoccupied, the costumes she wasn't trying to hang, then she should give them a little more room, but all she managed to do was bump and knock over some boxes that were on the top shelf, to which serim turned as fast as she could, crossed one arm over the side of her bandmate's head and managed to hold them in place before they fell, but if she pulled the hold out, they would fall.

chaeyoung was trapped between the wall and serim, and she moved her head in her direction as if to tell her what to do, while they both still held the costumes in their other hands. they were very close, but they had no choice because of the small closet and because if serim changed position, the boxes would fall on both of them.

"namu, you forgot to-" the light from the rest of the house suddenly dazzled them as karina entered, holding a piece of latex in her hand that serim thought belonged to the batman set.

chaeyoung and jimin were stunned, while serim, totally oblivious, kept waiting for the newcomer to change her expression of surprise and cluelessness and finish the sentence.

"you forgot this." without much force and with a downcast attitude she threw what she came to bring her, turning on her heels to leave. "and i'm going now, by the way, i don't think i have anything to do here." she announced, giving a disappointed look to both of them.

"but jimin-" serim tried to speak.

"listen." interrupted chaeyoung. "we have to sort this out first." she pointed her finger at the cardboard above them. "raise your arm as high as you can without letting go of the stuff and i'll go out from underneath." she ordered. "and then you run after her all you want."

"but why would she go?" she asked cluelessly.

"serim." she opened her eyes wide in disbelief. "she found us in a particular situation." she replied with obviousness. "she must have thought we were doing something weird." she concluded. "let me out." she hurried.

serim sometimes claimed that she wouldn't survive a single day without her guardian angel chaeyoung, and the woman kept on proving it to be true as only after she told her so did jang realize why jimin suddenly wanted to leave.

she raised her arm trying to move her hand as little as possible so that the boxes wouldn't fall, giving chaeyoung enough height to pass under it and get out. she, now able to take steps forward, hurried to get closer and let go of the costumes she held to reach for what was about to fall with both hands and push it back into place successfully, thus running after jimin who was already getting on the elevator when serim appeared in the hallway.

the vocalist decided to go down the emergency stairs to catch up with her in the lobby, skipping steps and balancing herself so she wouldn't slide down while using all the speed her body and the circumstances would allow her. she met the blackhaired coming out of the front door, who gave her an eye roll when she heard the racket she was making, but her reaction was to walk faster.

"jimin!" exclaimed jang with no intention of causing commotion in the street. "jimin, wait, don't walk away in this weather!" she wanted to stop her.

"i'll get a cab." she warned in a volume loud enough for her to hear her. "you should go back inside before chaeyoung gets mad." she added.

"jimin, i can explain!" her vision was starting to blur, but it's not like she was going to cry. "chaeyoung herself told me to come get you!" she clarified.

"and why would she want you to come for me if she hates me?" she asked,

but received no answer.

hearing no explanation, she annoyingly turned to look for serim, ready to demand a response from her since she had followed her there, but instead, as soon as she looked back, her heart stopped and felt a pang in her stomach.

perhaps it had been because of the sudden change of temperature in her body, her even going out to chase the girl without a coat on. her uncured flu may also have played a role, and how being exposed to the cold and staying in her snow-wet clothes had reactivated it. but if anything had to do with serim fainting on the sidewalk while running after jimin, it was the fact that she hadn't eaten anything at all for two days.

karina ran to the unconscious body and as soon as she confirmed that she was unresponsive, she called ningning to find the first person with a car who could take them to the hospital.

"it's your fault."

"how could it be my fault?

"if you hadn't thrown a tantrum, she wouldn't have followed you."

"you talk like i forced her."

"wasn't that what you did?"

the white light blinded serim as she tried to lift back her eyelids and give way to her vision of being able to identify where she was or what was happening. the voices around her sounded as if they were far away from her, but at the same time they felt like whispers, and although they seemed familiar, she couldn't identify who was speaking. her head was moving, she could feel it, from side to side as if her neck didn't have the strength to support her. she was falling asleep as she tried to wake up.

she wasn't dying, was she?

"she matters to me."

"then behave accordingly!"

the last felt like a scream, one she hadn't expected and it generated a rumbling sensation in her chest. maybe she'd been startled, or it could be discomfort, or euphoria, but it sent signals to her brain to force her nose to suddenly inhale a large amount of air and open her eyes, waking up, as if from paralysis.

it took her a couple of blinks and glances at the room to distinguish that she was in a hospital, she looked to her side and in her hand she noticed she had a catheter, she followed with her pupils the tube it was connected to until she came across an infusion bag, it was an IV.

"i don't like you playing with her like that." serim would recognize that voice even if it was inhabiting a different body. "i'm just saying that if she hadn't run after you, she would have made it to dinner just fine." she moved her head slowly, meeting chaeyoung, who seemed to be filled with anger.

"but i didn't want to cause any trouble, that's why i left, i didn't ask her to follow me." on the other end of the argument that was being carried on so agitatedly above her was jimin. "why would it be my fault if she wasn't eating right? i always try to make sure she doesn't skip meals." she defended herself.

"it's not your fault." muttered serim feebly.

"if you weren't so worried about your romantic whims, then maybe you would have remembered that she didn't eat well these days." observed her companion.

"she was mad at me, she wasn't answering my messages." she argued. "what am i supposed to do, harass her? how is this my fault?" she tried to reason in frustration. "i did everything i could to help her and get her here, i couldn't do more than that."

"it's not your fault." the affected woman spoke again, louder this time, gaining the attention of her friends who were in the room. "i don't know what happened, but if it's what i imagine, it's nobody's fault." she assured.

"my love!" shrieked jimin as she saw serim awake, throwing herself on her body that was lying on the stretcher to hug her out of happiness. "you idiot, you fainted, i told you to feed well." her attitude changed from one second to the other and she straightened up so she could tap her shoulder in annoyance.

"i tend to forget." she replied honestly, her relationship with food was peculiar as serim used to forget to do things that didn't have to do with her work.

"let's see if you feel like forgetting again now." reproached her ex-girlfriend. "look what happened." she pointed to the serum that was connected to her arm.

"i'll try to write it down somewhere." her voice came out slurred as she not only felt weak, but also had a dry throat.

"no." refused sejeong. "i'll take care of reminding you of your meals myself." she warned. "sorry, now you'll have me in your apartment even longer than planned."

"that's okay." she agreed defeatedly.

"and watch out for the weather changes, semmie, you have a cold, that got to you too." added jennie with concern from a chair next to the bed.

"i'll do." she nodded awkwardly.

"you scared me." jimin took the voice.

she took a seat in the chair opposite jennie's, then leaned over the mattress to arrange any hair that might be bothering serim and arranged the sheet that covered her, placing it correctly over her chest. she held the hand that wasn't intervened and with her free hand she caressed her cheek.

"you're such an idiot."

"how kind you are to a hospitalized person." she joked, making her judge her with her eyes. "sorry."

"sorry?" jimin frowned in confusion. "why would you apologize to me?"

among the others began to gesture to each other indicating that they should leave the room so that the two could chat, but being in the bubble that was created around them when they were together, jimin and serim didn't even notice until they began to move.

"chaeng and i-"

"she already explained to me." she stopped her, no one in the room besides them anymore. "chaeyoung already told me everything while you were sleeping." she assured. "and forgive me for reacting like this without asking you first." she leaned her torso against the side of the gurney, her hold clinging to serim's arm. "i didn't mean to make a scene, i was just sad and wanted to go home." she admitted.

"i should have been more careful about your and chaeng's emotions." she took the blame.

"no." she dismissed. "no, you didn't do anything wrong." she denied. "except not eating correctly." she narrowed her eyes and glared at her.

"you didn't do anything wrong either." she reached for jimin's hand and wrapped her palm around the girl's thumb. "not this time." she reiterated, turning her body sideways, bringing the opposite limb to hold it against her chest and closing her eyes. "hiro?" she remembered.

"we had to take him home." she announced. "we tried to drop him off at your apartment, but he almost ate kimchi." they both laughed.

after that no one else spoke and so, holding jimin, serim went back to sleep.

[anotherbananasong]

Desperate times call for desperate measures when you’ve got a wild little hellion…

[voidpacifist]

viktor headcanons

[modern-ish edition + meljayvik because I cannot resist, also I'm desperate to see more unhinged little ideas about him outside of being everyone's favorite blorbo. we should fear that man and this is my thesis]

learned a weird amalgamation of martial arts and self defense as a kid due to growing up in zaun. despite being in what was considered the "safer" part of the underground, his mother worried he wouldn't be safe on his own. his core strength and arm strength are absolutely ridiculous

in fact, one time he was hooking up with a fellow academy student, and by the time the whole affair was over with, he was hardly breaking a sweat while the other person was trying to catch their breath. he became somewhat of a local legend at frat parties because not only can he wear someone out for hours but, allegedly, he's real freaky with it too

knows the exact monetary value of different human body organs on the black market. whether or not this is from experience is something jayce and mel are unable to determine. vi is also knowledgeable of this and has traded tragic backstories with him in detail

has had to kill a man before, and tells this to jayce frequently to win petty arguments (jayce never actually believes him, even though it is fully and one hundred percent true). it doesn't work on mel

jayce and mel have a secret chart written of how many substances viktor has tried and with how much frequency. weed is at the top of the list, with alcohol being shockingly low. in spite of coming from a slavic background, viktor didn't learn how to hold very much liquor without feeling ill, but for some reason is fine with the illicit psychedelics that grow naturally in the undercity near the runoff tunnels. so far the list is nearly half a page long

will not hit anyone with his mobility aids but will ABSOLUTELY find ways to blackmail and hustle his way out of embarrassment. he learned the blackmailing skill from mel, and frequently looks to her for information since she somehow knows the most about the student body

extremely morbid sense of humor. jokes about being fatherless/motherless behavior and then hits you with, "I would know :]." mel is an honorary member of the motherless behavior banter, considering her own mother disowned her shortly before she came to piltover

taking care of one another is equal parts give and take with him, jayce, and mel, but it's never in a way that demeans each other or exploits each other's weaknesses. for example, viktor hates being carried or manhandled without consent and finds it incredibly patronizing if someone assumes he needs help without just asking him (common sense, but the student body is full of ableist sharks). if he's having a bad pain day or is finding it hard to move, he and jayce (or he and mel, depending on time and place) have a system for getting him to or from somewhere without drawing much attention and even have specific "I need help but don't want to be stared at about it" phrases

father's half of the family is slavic and mother's half of the family is romani. cannot follow a recipe unless it has specific measurements, but can improvise ANY stew or potato based dish with little more than his nose and a few kitchen tools. jayce can improvise any dish, but will always somehow overdo the spice if it calls for spice. mel is happy to try any and everything they make (on her birthday, she's spoiled with their attempts at making the ethnic food from her family, and she'll never tell them but she's very touched by their efforts)

owned ONE pet in his life and it was a hamster. instead of freaking out over it's death, he studied it's body post mortem until his father declared it a biohazard and forced him to dispose of it

learned most of his chemists knowledge from a disgraced former academy professor, but taught himself everything else he knows (if he couldn't get access to it in school). including, for fun, how to preserve and analyze body parts. he initially wanted to be a surgeon or biomedical engineer, but then stuck with chemistry (specifically regarding infectious diseases) to try and find a cure for the grey

shows up randomly at jayces or mels dorms at strange hours in the evening/morning. the first time he showed up at mel's, she thought a burglary was being attempted. he made it out with a bad knock to the head, but she did make him tea in the aftermath as an apology (he hated it but drank the whole thing anyway)

gets stoned with jinx on the weekends, since she's the only one who can find him good, ethically sourced weed. he pays her back by teaching her things he's learning and researching at the academy

meljayvik + caitvi + timebomb dates but they have to find a way to rent out the whole place because each and every one of them has Some Kind of History with the other academy students even though jinx and ekko are still a couple years shy of college age

viktor threw up at the distinguished innovators competition because jayce did first. it was a whole disaster. they spent hours after the ordeal hyping each other up on gatorade and pure adrenaline. it was the physically worst jayce has ever felt around viktor but far from the worst viktor has ever felt around jayce. this was just days after the two of them met mel, and she spent the rest of the evening forcing them to sleep or eat something that wasn't "pure chemicals." somehow, this ended in a heated debate between herself and viktor about the validity of gatorade as a substantial meal. he still refuses to admit he lost

I've said this before and I'll say it again: he has a closet full of ramen. mel takes from his stash often

can run on caffeine and very little sleep to the point where he is physically incapable of resting like a normal human being without feeling drained. flu season is absolute hell

showed up to one of his lectures shirtless once because he was in a hurry. fed everyone who looked at him funny the most outrageous sob story about how "weak" he was, then laughed about it with mel and jayce like an absolute sociopath for days about it. jayce did not find it altogether very funny. mel and him still joke about it

beat vi in an arm wrestling contest before he got sick. still almost beat her after his diagnosis too, but still took the betting money anyway. she'll never admit she's slightly terrified of him, but it shows

can wield many different kinds of knives but is terribly clumsy when it comes to other weapons like clubs and swords and staffs. tapped out of adaptive sports within his first week because it was "boring him." spent the next month teaching martial arts to his fellow disabled peers until the board made it an official extracurricular

turned sky down in the nicest but most insane way possible. nobody knows what happened or how, just that they ended up spending MORE time together after the fact and that it involved illicit activities. the rumors were insufferable for weeks. and wildly funny

(please feel free to add more, I'm gonna start a collection)

[slaymitchabernathy]

A Christmas Miracle

My dearest Soarynn, I'm writing to you with the grandest news I could ever bestow upon you. All Capitol troops will be returning home for Christmas. We'll be permitted to stay for one week before returning to our base camp. I know you'll want as much time as possible to plan for my arrival, although I am confident in your abilities to arrange for proper accommodations to be made. We will arrive on Sunday and there is to be a dinner on Monday night to commemorate our fallen comrades. I do hope you're well darling, not a single day goes by without me thinking of you. I cherish the photographs and letters you send me with all my heart, and cannot wait to have you back in my arms again. I do not know when our train will be arriving, so please, check the train schedules frequently. You are a constant light in the darkness of the Districts my love and I am anxiously waiting for the day when we can be together without worry or fear. I will see you on Sunday, please take care of yourself, my darling girl. Love, Coriolanus

꧁ ꧂

Soarynn nervously eyes her reflection in the mirror.

Does she look okay? Is her hair too shiny? Will he think she looks pretty?

"You look beautiful Miss Soarynn," her maid gushes, setting the hairbrush down on the counter, "Mr. Snow will be head over heels when he sees you at the train station."

Soarynn blushes, she's always been complimented on her beauty but his opinion is the only one that truly matters. Still, she appreciates the kind words, goodness knows everyone could use a kind word or two in these dark times.

Two years ago, war broke out in the Districts again. Soarynn had thought it was impossible, especially after the last war ended with the Capitol on top and the Districts on the bottom. Her husband, Coriolanus Snow had assured her time and time again that another war was impossible.

For once he was wrong.

The war didn't make its way to the Capitol this time, no, it remained in the Districts, and in an effort to contain it, the Capitol began sending troops to the wilderness of the Districts. Coriolanus was drafted due to his family legacy, his own father had been a general in the first war during the Dark Days and he was more than willing to serve his country.

Soarynn was less willing to watch her husband board a train and possibly never come back. Even though he assured her that he was simply there along with the other troops to impose their presence, she still wasn't convinced. They had been newly married and trying to start a family, why couldn't he stay with her where it was safe?

Coriolanus of course, saw it as a great honor to serve Panem and promised to write to her once a week and if allowed, make phone calls. Soarynn thought it was ridiculous, they lived together and now they were getting excited over five-minute phone calls.

Still, for him to come home for an entire week after being gone for so long was a treat as great as any and she wouldn't be taking it for granted. She had filled their week with lots of winter activities leading up to Christmas. She had the maids clean the penthouse from top to bottom, wanting everything to be perfect for Coriolanus.

She went out and bought him some new clothes, and...some new lingerie for herself as well. They'd certainly be busy at night.

"I certainly can't wait to see him again," she murmurs, reaching for her compact, "one week isn't long enough."

Being left alone in the Capitol had been hard on Soarynn. She used to spend nearly every moment with Coriolanus and now, she was on her own. She had turned to extreme measures, turned to something that galas and tea parties could not fix.

She got a cat.

She knew Coriolanus wouldn't exactly be thrilled but she was desperate for constant companionship. She glances out into her bedroom where her cat, Petunia, is curled up on her husband's pillow, sound asleep. She hopes they'll get along.

Coriolanus was used to a house with just the two of them and Petunia is used to a house with just the two of them.

There might be a war within the Snow household this week.

But they'll barely be home with what she has planned for them. At least that's what she tells herself.

Soarynn inspects herself one last time, making sure there's not a single flaw in her appearance. She wore light makeup today since Coriolanus has always loved her freckles so much. Maria styled her hair perfectly, curling it and then pulling back some pieces to tie with a bow. Soarynn grabs one of her favorite perfume bottles, one that holds a vanilla scent, and liberally sprays it all over herself. She wants to engulf Coriolanus in her scent.

She rises from her vanity stool and makes her way into the closet, the closet that feels so empty without some of his clothes in it. He'll certainly be glad to return with some new ones and Soarynn will be glad to wear his old ones. She often sleeps in his shirts, clinging to the scent of roses and something masculine that she just can't get enough of.

"Red or blue?" She asks Maria, pulling out two dresses, nearly identical to each other. Maria inspects both of them, gently touching the fabric, "I think the red one Miss," she tells Soarynn who nods in agreement, Coriolanus has always liked red.

"Perfect, will you please go fetch my coat and gloves?" She asks, unzipping the dress. "Certainly Miss," Maria gives Soarynn a small curtsy before leaving to go get her things and Soarynn slides off her silk robe.

She only looks at her almost naked self in the mirror for a second, reminding herself how lucky she is to be standing in a closet full of clothes with a household staff at her beck and call. She could be in the streets, starving and cold but she's safe and warm.

The war didn't affect everyone in the Capitol like it did last time. She remembers the first war, the bombs, her parents both dying, how hungry people were. This war has been different.

Only the lower and middle classes have been truly affected by it. Food has become limited but not scarce, there are ration lines but only for those who absolutely need it and Soarynn isn't one of those people. By marrying a Snow, she solidified herself in the upper class, in the elite. Every once in a while there will be a shortage of strawberries or meat but it's always resolved rather quickly.

If anything, the war has been a great inconvenience for her, disrupting her normal plans. She still goes to tea with her friends, still goes on shopping sprees, still gets pedicures every other week. Coriolanus didn't leave her with nothing. He suffered from the first war too, losing both his parents and a good bit of his family fortune. He spent the next ten years building his name back up and now, he's one of the richest men in Panem.

With his investments, business ventures, and connections, he left Soarynn to live a comfortable life of luxury. And the Capitol pays him to be at war.

It's the best-case scenario for a thing like this but she still wishes he didn't have to leave in the first place.

Soarynn shakes those thoughts off and slips into the dress. It's a very flattering look on her with a boat neckline that shows off a bit of her collarbones. It's sleeveless but she'll have her coat and gloves and it fits her figure perfectly, stopping right below her knees to show off her white high heels. With her hair and makeup done perfectly as well, she makes for a picture of sophistication.

Maria returns with her coat and gloves and helps Soarynn into them. Maria has been a godsend to Soarynn who had been quite overwhelmed once Coriolanus left. She's younger than Soarynn but very mature, always helping Soarynn manage in taking care of such a large apartment. She'll occasionally accompany Soarynn to the market if she needs to buy something specific and is always a good source of advice.

Soarynn had hired Maria right before Coriolanus left and she's been a loyal servant ever since.

"We'll be back later tonight," Soarynn tells Maria while searching for the right purse, "he'll want bourbon or whiskey, maybe both. And please make sure that the bath has been properly cleaned as well. He'll have lots of laundry that'll need to be done before he leaves."

Maria nods along to all of her words, "Yes Miss Soarynn, everything will be ready for Mr. Snow's arrival."

Soarynn picks a black handbag, leather and beautifully crafted, a gift from Coriolanus a few years ago when they were engaged, "Perfect. I'll call if anything comes up."

Maria walks her to the front doors and Soarynn buttons her coat, taking in a deep breath, "Enjoy yourself Miss Soarynn," Maria kindly tells her, "you deserve to have this time with your husband."

Soarynn smiles, she's right, she ought to enjoy every minute with Coriolanus rather than stressing about everything being perfect. "Thank you, we'll see you tonight."

Soarynn makes her way into the hallway and waits for the elevator, living in the penthouse is all fun and games until you're stuck waiting for the elevator. Coriolanus will probably remind her of a time when the elevator didn't work during the first war.

He's been doing a lot of that, reminding and remembering about what he went through the first time a war was brought to the Capitol's doorstep. Soarynn wonders if it's some sort of trauma response.

The elevator arrives with a ding and Soarynn steps into it, pressing the button to bring her to the lobby. She ends up being stopped on the eleventh floor where Mrs. Dolittle gets in, dragging her white, yappy dog with her. "Oh Mrs. Snow, don't you look lovely? Say hello to Mrs. Snow little Zeus," Mrs. Dolittle says to her dog Zeus who only barks at Soarynn.

"Thank you," Soarynn says to the older woman, "and hello Zeus, are you off for your afternoon walk?" Mrs. Dolittle hums and places a hand over her heart, "We're off to watch all of the troops come home, some of them are being brought in by trucks."

Soarynn's interest is piqued, "Trucks? Coriolanus is coming by train, I thought..." Her voice dies off and she begins to worry, has the schedule been changed? Is he not coming home today?

"Your husband will be coming by train because he's important dear," Mrs. Dolittle says before Soarynn can begin to spiral, "the rest of the troops are less important, or to put it plainly, less rich."

Oh.

Well, Soarynn can't argue with that.

"I see," is all she says before the doors open up to the lobby. "Enjoy your time with your husband dear," Mrs. Dolittle pats Soarynn's arm, "and if you have time, tell Coriolanus to pay us a visit so he can meet Zeus."

Soarynn knows for a fact that he won't have time or want to meet Zeuz but she smiles all the same and promises to do her best.

Soarynn walks out into the cold December air with a newfound energy inside of her. She's going to see her husband again, and for an entire week!

꧁ ꧂

Soarynn is giddy with excitement as she slides into the backseat of their car, "The train station please," she says, fishing her compact out of her handbag. She might as well check her reflection one more time, just in case something on her face changed from the elevator ride.

For their first wedding anniversary, Coriolanus gifted her a beautiful gold compact with a mirror and power inside. The power is her favorite scent, of course, vanilla. There's a beautiful rose engraved on the outside of the compact and even though they were apart on their anniversary, he still made the effort.

Soarynn applies a little more powder to her neck before glancing outside the car windows and she's astounded at how many people are milling around the train station.

"Looks like the whole Capitol's here," her driver remarks. Soarynn scans the crowd of eager faces, most of these people don't look like her, rich, but they might still be waiting for loved ones to arrive.

Her driver gets her all the way to the entrance of the station so she doesn't have to walk, "I'll wait right here Mrs. Snow," he assures her.

Soarynn nods and begins to make her way inside the train station. The glass pane ceilings let the natural light shine in and it's shaping up to be a beautiful day. The platform is even more crowded with hundreds of people pushing and shoving. Soarynn walks over to the schedule that's been posted on one of the ticket booths and scans one last time for her husband's train.

A Peacekeeper standing guard notices her, "Are you looking for a particular train Miss?" Soarynn shakes her head, offering him a polite smile, "I wouldn't want to trouble you, my husband is coming home today from District Five."

"Who's your husband?"

"Coriolanus Snow."

The Peacekeeper's eyes widen from hearing that name, that so very important name, "Allow me to escort you to the correct platform then Mrs. Snow."

Soarynn looks back over at all the people pushing and shoving, it does look very busy over there but she wouldn't want to impose. "I don't want to trouble you," she says sweetly, "I'm sure I can manage."

The Peacekeeper must not have a lot of faith in her, "I insist ma'am, please allow me to safely escort you." Soarynn jumps when she hears some shouting and looks back over to see that a fight has broken out on the platform, "Well if you insist," she quickly agrees.

The young man to his credit, gets Soarynn to the correct platform in one, safe piece, clearing a path for them the second people see his uniform. Platform Five is much quieter than the platform she just saw and Soarynn sighs, "This is much emptier," she notes.

The Peacekeeper chuckles, "Those other people don't know how to act, that's why they're all the way over there and you're all the way over here."

Before Soarynn can say anything else, the sharp whistle of an incoming train gains her attention. She looks around at the others waiting, mostly women like her, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their husbands. The train slowly pulls into the station, too slow in her opinion but she's excited all the same.

"How long has it been since you've seen him?"

"Two years," she answers, trying to look into the train windows, "two very long years."

It feels like a lifetime but she won't let that stop her from continuing to love him from afar. The train doors finally hiss open and several women rush forward in search of their loved ones. Soarynn being more shy and timid, stays back, looking for a head of blonde hair. It seems that all the men are dressed in their uniforms, donning their hats and coats, making it harder for Soarynn to see Coriolanus.

She watches several tearful reunions and can't help but wish for her own. More men spill out, some are greeted, some are not. Soarynn has heard the whispers about divorces left and right due to men being deployed. She can't imagine separating from Coriolanus because he's serving his country.

One man with tan skin steps off the train and he's looking directly at Soarynn, making her feel very self-conscious. He looks into the train and says something, pointing at her.

Soarynn stands up straight, her heart is pounding and there he is.

Coriolanus Snow is stepping off the train.

Soarynn is a woman who prides herself on following the unspoken rules of etiquette. No screaming, no shouting, no running in public or arguing.

She throws all those rules out the window the second he lays eyes on her. She breaks into a huge smile and runs towards him, not caring how improper it is.

Coriolanus doesn't seem to care either as he grins, opening his arms up. Soarynn shrieks and throws her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest, content to never let go of him again. Coriolanus wraps his strong arms around her and she can smell the roses, smell how manly he is, and how much she's missed him. Coriolanus groans and squeezes her tight, "There's my girl."

Soarynn might just cry.

She pulls away just enough to see his face, his handsome face. He looks the same as he left, prominent nose, beautiful blue eyes, full lips with a smile that still drives her crazy.

"I missed you," is the first thing she says.

He kisses her a second later, not wasting any time showing her how much he missed her as well. Soarynn sighs into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck even tighter to deepen the kiss. It feels so good, so good to have his lips on her again. She didn't realize how much she took this feeling for granted until he left.

Two years without a kiss good morning, goodbye or goodnight.

They're going to have to pry him away from her cold, dead hands when this week is up.

"Soarynn," he says against her lips, "I might have to take you with me when I go back because I can't go without this again." Soarynn laughs into the kiss, it looks like she's not the only one who's been lonely. When they finally break away from the kiss, his eyes meet hers and they hold so much love, so much devotion, the need and want to keep her safe no matter what.

"Look at you," he says softly, resting a gloved hand on her cheek, "still so beautiful and radiant. You look gorgeous darling, absolutely gorgeous, I pity the men who didn't get to come home to you today."

Soarynn giggles and rests her head on his chest, wanting to be as close to him as possible. She lets go of his neck and wraps her arms around his torso, he feels so strong under all these layers, "I missed you so much Coryo," she tells him, "thought about you every single day you were gone."

She feels him place a kiss on the top of her head, another thing she's missed, how affectionate he is with her. "You have me for an entire week," he tells her, his voice laced with authority and yet completely gentle and patient with her. Soarynn hums, closing her eyes so she can remember this moment for the rest of her life.

She's grateful that he doesn't pull away, force her to move because she really doesn't want to. She wishes she could freeze time so they could stay like this forever.

"You weren't lying Snow," someone says, causing Soarynn to lift her head. It's the same man who was looking at her when he stepped off the train, "I told you she's beautiful," Coriolanus replies, kissing her temple. Soarynn feels herself blushing, she hadn't even thought about Coriolanus bragging to his comrades about her but it sounded exactly like something he'd do.

Coriolanus is a proud man, proud of his family, proud of his success, and proud to have secured a fitting match such as Soarynn. He's never shied away from boasting about her beauty, her charm, and femininity. Of course, he'd talk about her to his comrades, show off her pictures proudly.

"I'll see you tomorrow night," the man waves before walking down to the exit. Soarynn looks up at her husband, "Who was that?"

While Soarynn's letters to Coriolanus have included all the latest gossip and news, his have been more about how much he misses her and hopes for her safety at all times. Rarely has he mentioned anyone he's worked with.

"Lance Parkes," Coriolanus tells her, "we're in the same barrack."

Soarynn hums, she'll have to ask him about all his friends although she'll meet most of them tomorrow night. "How was the train ride?"

Coriolanus rubs her side, "It was fine, quite long but we were in first class so it was much more bearable."

Soarynn slips a hand under his coat, feeling the rest of his uniform, "You feel so strong, and you look so very smart in the uniform," she tells him, earning her a pleased grin. "Strong hmm?" He teases, making her giggle, "I should've known you'd ogle me the first chance you got."

Soarynn gasps, playfully shoving his chest, "Oh, please, you're the one who likes to ogle." He really is, Soarynn is more likely to silently admire her husband whereas he isn't afraid to make her put on a show for him.

Whenever they go shopping he has her come out and show him every outfit, praising her sense of fashion. And whenever she comes home with some new lingerie, well...she gives him a more private show.

"Well now that you've mentioned it, let me get a proper look at you," he says, loosening his grip on her, "give me a spin darling." Soarynn glances around the now barren platform, apparently, their reunion was longer than everyone else's so she doesn't feel too silly spinning around. Coriolanus lets out a low whistle and nods, looking her up and down, "You've got the type of beauty men go to war for," he tells her matter-of-factly.

Soarynn merely shakes her head, she wouldn't want to be the cause for any man to go to war, let alone her husband. "Where's your trunk?' She asks, changing the subject to something not about her. Coriolanus turns and points at the one trunk that's left, "I've come bearing gifts," he tells her, causing Soarynn's lips to curl up into a smile, "You don't say."

Coriolanus hums, reaching a hand out for her and she gladly takes it, "I've thought about you every single day," he continues, "thought about what you were doing, if you were feeling alright, if you needed anything." Soarynn's heart might just shatter into a million pieces, Coriolanus has been on her mind constantly but she always wondered if she was on his.

She squeezes his hand, smiling up at him, "Well we have a whole week together, so let's make the most of it."

꧁ ꧂

Soarynn has forgotten how attractive Coriolanus is.

For once, the roles are reversed and he is doing the shopping while she lounges on a sofa and sips champagne. He stands on a small pedestal, looking at his reflection in the store's mirrors that show him every angle.

He had written once or twice about outgrowing some of his clothing which confused Soarynn since he was too old to grow taller. But now, she gets it.

He's bigger. Stronger. More muscular.

His shirts don't fit the way they used to.

He looks very handsome in what the salesman selected for him, black pants, perfectly tailored, and a simple white button-up tucked into the pants. They're shopping for a new suit for him to wear to the dinner tomorrow night but finding a shirt to properly fit him has posed a challenge.

The salesman presses his lips into a thin line when he sees the buttons threatening to pop off, "Still too tight?"

Coriolanus offers him a polite smile, "Just a bit."

The salesman waves his hand, "An extra-large then, I'll have someone bring you the proper size."

Soarynn resists the urge to jump off the sofa and run into the changing room with her husband, it would be quite scandalous, and also bad manners.

"Where has he been all this time?" The salesman asks, raising an eyebrow, "I see hundreds of men every day in here but he must've been hiding under a rock." Soarynn chuckles, she doesn't mind when women or men flirt with her husband or talk about him in front of her, at the end of the day, she gets to go home with him.

"He's been deployed," she answers, setting her glass down on the small table, "he's back for a week and he's in desperate need of clothing that actually fits him."

"Well, I can see that, he's doubled in size from the looks of it, let me go look for a few more shirts."

Soarynn looks around the store while she waits, watching people come and go, everyone is doing last-minute shopping but she did hers weeks ago. Then she got that letter from Coriolanus and her entire world turned upside down. She had been so excited, she cried tears of joy, her husband was coming back to her.

For a week but still.

A few minutes later, Coriolanus walks out with a shirt that fits him properly and that cocky grin she's grown to love over the years, "What do you think darling?" He asks, holding out his arms while giving her a slow spin, "Do we have our base layer down?"

Soarynn does her best to remain appropriate when looking him up and down but it's very hard, especially with his big hands, and his big arms, and thighs and...she's getting distracted.

"I think we do," she answers with an encouraging smile. Coriolanus nods, "Perfect, let's move on to suit jackets then."

꧁ ꧂

Two hours later, Soarynn is strolling down the street with her husband and two large shopping bags.

"He was a good salesman," Coriolanus says, pulling her a little closer, "although I do believe he was flirting with me." Soarynn laughs, Coriolanus is as charming as they come but he's always had a hard time deciphering when the same gender flirts with him. Women he can pick up on in seconds, but men confuse him greatly.

Soarynn simply sees it as a compliment if both genders find you equally attractive.

"He was definitely flirting with you," she tells him, looking into a few shop windows, "you've got a new look and people are bound to notice."

Soarynn nearly trips when she sees the perfect little black dress in a boutique window. It's strapless and somewhat short but she knows that with the right heels, she can pull it off. One look at Coriolanus and she can tell that he's already picturing pulling it off of her.

"Why don't we go in here?" He suggests, his voice slightly hoarse. Soarynn wraps her hand around his arm and pulls them towards the door, "If you insist."

They're immediately greeted by an eager-looking saleswoman who has bright red hair and very long eyelashes, "Welcome, welcome! What brings you two in today?"

Coriolanus nods towards the mannequin wearing the black dress, "The black dress in the window would look stunning on my wife."

Soarynn doesn't even have time to blush because this saleswoman is grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the fitting rooms, "Of course, it would! You just go right back here dear and I'll bring you a few sizes."

Soarynn finds herself mindlessly nodding to whatever this woman says and walks into the first fitting room she sees. She doesn't even wait an entire minute before there's a knock on the door. She opens it to find the saleswoman holding three black dresses, "I brought a few sizes, although this one will probably fit you best."

Soarynn takes the hanger into her hands and nods, "Thank you very much." Part of her worries that this woman might try to come in and help her so she quickly shuts the door. Soarynn takes a deep breath before taking off her own clothes and neatly hanging them on the hooks in the fitting room. She steps into the dress and pulls it over her hips.

It would look great if she could get the zipper up.

"How's it going in there?"

Soarynn grits her teeth while fighting to pull the zipper all the way up, "Fine!" She calls back, using one hand to balance herself against the wall, "If you need any help just let me know!"

Soarynn almost falls over, "That won't be necessary!"

Three minutes later, she's sweaty and has the damn dress on.

But it does look very good on her.

Soarynn opens the door and peeks her head out, the coast is clear. She can hear the saleswoman yammering away outside, talking her husband's ear off. "...and that's when I knew gluten wasn't good for me and...oh! Oh, you look fabulous dear!"

Soarynn brushes her hair behind her ears, she isn't very fond of being the center of attention but neither Coriolanus nor the saleswomen can keep their eyes off of her as she steps in front of the mirror.

She can see Coriolanus watching her, a longing, lustful look in his eyes and she feels a boost of confidence, "You have the legs for that dress," the saleswoman tells her, "doesn't she Mr. Snow?"

Coriolanus grunts, fidgeting in his seat, "She certainly does."

Soarynn does a quick twirl and she smiles, "I'll take it." The saleswoman claps, delighted to do some business on such a busy day, "Wonderful! As soon as you take it off, I'll ring it up for you!"

Soarynn turns to go back to the fitting rooms but Coriolanus is quickly rising from his seat, "Let me help you with the zipper darling, she mentioned it might be tricky." Soarynn knows what he really wants and he could care less about the zipper, "Alright," she says sweetly.

They both walk back to her fitting room and he's on top of her the second she closes the door. Soarynn gasps when he pins her against the wall, his lips latch onto her neck, "Coryo," she gasps, "we're in a boutique!" Coriolanus scoffs and squeezes her waist, "I don't give a fuck darling, now turn around and bend over like the good girl you always are for me."

Soarynn would be lying if she said those words didn't do something to her. Something to her body that's gone two years without him. His touch, his lips, his hands, his cock.

She turns around.

Coriolanus bends her over and she braces her hands against the wall, "Coryo we have to be fast," she urgently whispers, not wanting to get caught. Mostly because she really wants this dress. Coriolanus chuckles and kisses right under her ear, "I'm just having a little fun darling."

He expertly unzips the dress and slides it off her body, letting it pool around her ankles and he palms her ass, groaning, "Fuck I missed you," he says, "missed this perfect little ass, your pretty little moans, how soft you are. You don't realize how bad it is out there for us darling, no women, surrounded by District scum, only our hands for a quick release."

Soarynn whimpers when he pulls her panties to the side, his fingers graze her clit and she bucks into his touch. She hasn't been faring but better in the sexual pleasure department but she has her ways, the shower head, her fingers, she's made it work.

But nothing is better than the real thing.

A knock on the door startles her, "Is everything alright in there dear?"

Coriolanus sinks two fingers into her cunt and Soarynn can feel her eyes rolling back. It's such a delicious burn after not having sex for so long and she might just cum right now, "Fine," she stammers, "it's, it's fine, I'm fine."

"Could you just toss the dress over the door then?"

Coriolanus reaches for the dress and Soarynn lifts her feet so he can grab it from the floor. He starts pumping his fingers in and out of her cunt and her knees buckle. Coriolanus catches her, holding her against the wall, "Be quiet for me hmm?" He says in her ear, his voice husky. Soarynn nods, biting her lip.

Coriolanus tosses the dress over the door and starts pumping faster and faster. Soarynn's toes are curling, her breaths are ragged. She's going to cum, very, very soon if he doesn't stop what he's doing. "Please," she mumbles, "please, please Coryo."

He peppers the back of her shoulder with kisses, so gentle in comparison to his fingers slamming in and out of her, "Still so good for me huh? Still remember your manners." Soarynn whines when his thumb presses against her clit, she cannot have an orgasm in a boutique fitting room.

Right?

Her walls start fluttering, her body starts shaking and the wire inside of her is about to snap, "Give it to me," he orders, "be my good girl and cum all over my fingers like the little slut you are for me Soarynn."

That's all it takes for her to fall apart. She lets out a moan but he quickly slaps his other hand over her mouth, muffling any noise she makes. Soarynn twitches as her orgasm rides out, it's so intense, so good after so long. She can feel the stickiness between her legs, she doesn't know how she's going to walk out of her but Coriolanus has already thought this through apparently.

He brandishes a handkerchief from his coat pocket a second later and makes quick work of cleaning her up to the best of his abilities. Her legs are still shaking, how she'll be able to look that saleswoman in the eye is beyond her. "You didn't, didn't get to..." Her voice dies off when she sees Coriolanus shaking his head, a sweet smile on his lips, "If I'm going to fuck you, then I'm going to do it properly," he tells her, "and in the comfort of my own home."

Soarynn lets him place a kiss on her forehead before he leaves to go pay for the dress. She puts her own clothes back on quickly so she doesn't raise any suspicion and joins Coriolanus a few minutes later at the counter near the front of the store.

Apparently, he's revealed that he's visiting for the week because the saleswoman has her hand over her heart, "...just the noblest thing a man could do for his country," she says, her eyes drifting over to Soarynn, "and leaving your wife behind? You're a national hero Mr. Snow."

Soarynn keeps herself from rolling her eyes, Coriolanus certainly has done a great service to his country, but being called a national hero is a bit of a stretch. Coriolanus, of course, loves it and grins, taking the pink bag off the counter, "You flatter me truly, thank you so much for your help today." Soarynn nods along to his words and wraps her hand around his arm, "Yes, thank you so much for your assistance."

"Of course! Stop by anytime."

They bid the saleswoman goodbye and step back out into the cold, Soarynn immediately curls into Coriolanus who doesn't despise the cold the way she does. Maybe it's because of his last name, but the cold has little to no effect on Coriolanus whereas Soarynn hates it with all her might.

"You should wear that dress to dinner tomorrow night," he says, leading them across the street. Soarynn gives him a skeptical look, "To a dinner honoring dead soldiers? I don't think so. Besides, I already have a dress picked out for tomorrow night." And she does, it's navy blue and makes her eyes pop. He'll love it because he loves everything she wears.

Coriolanus simply hums and holds her tighter, "Whatever you want darling."

Soarynn cherishes those words for she won't be hearing them in a few days. She ought to cherish every moment with Coriolanus while he's here, every single second is precious.

꧁ ꧂

Later that night, Soarynn finds herself in a most domestic position, curled up in her husband's arms, naked under their sheets. She used to dream about moments like this, hoping she'd wake up to find him next to her, only to wake up to an empty bed.

His breathing is slow and steady, instantly calming her after a long night of passionate sex. Coriolanus could barely keep his hands to himself for the rest of the day after their little stunt in the dressing room. They still had to go to several stores and then to dinner before they could come home.

Coriolanus was more than pleased to be warmly welcomed by his household staff and a clean apartment. He wasn't however, too pleased when he discovered Petunia lounging on his side of the bed, surprised to see a man in the room she thought of as her own.

There was a clear rivalry the moment they laid eyes on each other, especially when she saw how handsy he was being with Soarynn. She had hissed and swatted at him while Soarynn tried to calm her down and fix the rift between her beloved husband and cat.

She ended up removing Petunia from their bedroom so they could properly reunite and after several rounds of passionate sex, Soarynn was more than pleased with how the day turned out.

Coriolanus presses a hand on her stomach, splaying out his long fingers, "I was thinking," he mumbles in her ear, voice laced with sleep, "we should have a baby."

That gets her wide awake. Soarynn pushes her hips against his, causing him to groan since he has yet to pull out, "A baby?" She whispers, thinking about the possibility of finally starting a family with Coriolanus. They barely had any time after they got married, war broke out and he was shipped out.

It's not like they didn't want a family, the penthouse is huge with so many empty bedrooms. Her mind drifts down the hall to the nearest bedroom, vacant and begging to have a crib inside of it. He kisses right under her ear and hums, resting his chin on her shoulder, "Mhm, if it weren't for the war then I'm sure we'd have at least one child by now. And I've heard rumors Soarynn, they're starting to pull troops out little by little. I'll be home before you know it, and for good next time."

Soarynn's heart is beating so fast, the war is ending?

Part of her doesn't want to believe him, but Coriolanus isn't one to lie, he hates lying and anyone who does it. "Okay," she says, finding nothing wrong with his proposition. He's right, if Coriolanus wasn't deployed then they'd certainly already have a child right now. These past two years have set them back and she's not getting any younger.

He wraps his arms around her tighter and groans, "Good, because I'm convinced that I already fucked a baby into you."

They both laugh, knowing it doesn't exactly work that way but she's past caring about logistics right now.

Her husband is home and that's all that matters.

꧁ ꧂

Much to Soarynn's dismay, the next few days flew by in the blink of an eye.

She and Coriolanus spent every waking minute with each other, from the moment they woke up to the moment they went to bed, they were together. Their friends had teased them about it at dinner one night, how inseparable the pair was but Soarynn found nothing wrong with it.

She and Coriolanus belonged with each other. How could they not see it?

Even now as he opens a present from under the Christmas tree, it's so evident to Soarynn that he's the one for her. His strong masculine aura mixes perfectly with her gentle feminine one. While he's effortlessly charming, she's endlessly graceful, making them the perfect pair once again.

Coriolanus grins when he pulls out several pairs of white socks, the ones he's always been so fond of since Soarynn met him. He's always been one to value routine and tradition, never straying from what he trusts which includes socks. "You remembered my letter," he says with a laugh, setting them down on the floor next to him.

Soarynn nods, in one of his more recent letters, Coriolanus had mentioned how worn out his socks were becoming. Soarynn was no stranger to sending him letters but packages were a little bit trickier. They required an outrageous amount of postage to start, and there was never a guarantee that it would actually be delivered. She's sent a few over the past two years and according to Coriolanus, he's one of the only men who receives both packages and letters from home.

Soarynn truly can't imagine not writing letters to a loved one who's away at war. She writes him a letter nearly every day.

"I did," she agrees, "once I knew you were coming home, I ran out to buy you some new ones."

They both sit in comfortable silence while snow quietly falls outside of the living room windows. Soarynn watches the tiny snowflakes fall from the sky, doing her best to think about anything but what tomorrow will bring.

The train that will take him away from her again.

She can't help but begin to fear the worst, Coriolanus getting caught in the crossfire, a bomb going off and taking his limbs off, a trap being set just for him.

Which is highly unlikely from what he's told her. He's barely seen any real action, just a lot of angry people who he has to keep under control with a gun. When Soarynn asked if he ever had to use it on anyone, he'd gone quiet. This war still affected him despite him acting like it didn't. And Soarynn doesn't want him to go back to it.

She can feel the tears forming in her eyes, they've had such a lovely week filled with dinners, parties, and quality time together.

She doesn't want it to end.

"Darling," he says gently, "come here."

Coriolanus opens his arms out to her and Soarynn sniffles as she crawls over crinkled wrapping paper until she's crawling into his lap, burying her face in his neck. He immediately slips his hands under her nightgown and wraps his arms around her waist, holding her tight, "We'll be alright," he tells her softly, "I'll be back before you know it, and then we'll start our own little family. How does that sound?"

It sounds wonderful, like a dream come true to Soarynn who's been so lonely the past two years.

"Nice," is all she mumbles, not able to find it inside of her to act chipper when she's not. Coriolanus rubs his hand up and down her back, calming her with the smallest of touches, "I hope you know how much I miss you," he tells her, "how every night I stare up at the ceiling and wish you were there with me. You're all I have Soarynn, you've been the greatest gift."

Tears freely flow down her cheeks after hearing those endearing words. She doesn't know if this conversation is making his departure easier or worse. "I love you," she whispers, "with all my heart I love you."

She doesn't know how long they stay like that, curled up on the floor but it doesn't matter.

Nothing matters when she's with him.

꧁ ꧂

The morning of her husband's departure comes with heavy burdens for both of them.

Coriolanus, who must face what lies in the Districts once again, alone and without the comforts of home.

Soarynn, who must return to normal life with a smile on her face, and without the comforts of him.

They both fake it incredibly well to their credit, smiling at those they pass by as they walk towards his train. Just a week ago Soarynn was getting ready to come to the station, putting so much effort into her appearance. She barely even brushed her hair this morning since she planned on running right back home once he left to cry in bed.

Coriolanus hands off his trunk to a train attendant and Soarynn watches the man carry it onto the train, already stealing parts of Coriolanus away from her. She looks around the platform and is somewhat comforted by the sight of many other couples sharing tearful goodbyes.

At least they can all be miserable together is what she's concluded.

"Keep writing to me hmm?" He asks, nosing her cheek in an effort to make her laugh. Soarynn nods but can't find it in herself to laugh like she usually does when he's being so sweet, "You'll let me know if you hear anything else about deployment right?" She inquires for the tenth time today. She knows it must be getting annoying but she simply must know that he'll keep her updated with these things.

Coriolanus nods and rests his forehead against her own, "Yes darling, the second I know for sure I'm coming home, I'll let you know."

She rests her hands on his arms, feeling him one last time, "I'm going to miss you," she mumbles, her voice carries more of a tremor than she'd like but it's hard to act brave right now. Coriolanus leans down and kisses her, so sweetly and gently. Soarynn returns the kiss with her own gentleness for this will be the last kiss she's given for a long time.

"Be careful out there," she whispers, not pulling away from the kiss, "I can't go on without you Coryo."

He wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her into his safe hold, "I will," he promises, pecking her lips once more, "and you take care of yourself hmm? I want you to enjoy yourself while I'm gone darling, spend time with friends, spend my money, all those nice things hmm?" A small smile forms on her lips and Coriolanus chuckles, "There's my girl, always smiling for me."

She knows this is hard on him too, to leave her, to willingly leave her behind goes against everything Coriolanus believes in.

But they'll be together again soon, she's sure of it.

The sharp train whistle pulls the couple apart, announcing that the train will be departing soon.

"Make sure to call me," Soarynn reminds him, clinging onto him for dear life, "and to write to me. And let me know if you need me to send you anythi-"

She never finishes her sentence due to his lips crashing onto her again, effectively shutting her up. Soarynn responds the way she always does, loyally and lovingly, letting him take the lead. Coriolanus brings his hand to gently cup her face while they share one last kiss.

Another sharp whistle from the train jolts both of them and they finally break apart from their last kiss.

"I love you," he tells her, looking down at her with those devoted blue eyes of his. So piercing yet soft and gentle when he's with her and only her.

"I love you too," she says, "and I'm so proud of you."

Coriolanus smiles, hugging her one more time and kissing her temple before he lets her go. Soarynn remains frozen on the platform while her husband strides towards the train, stepping through the door right before the train starts pulling away.

Soarynn waves goodbye with the other wives, with only eyes for her husband who watches her from the door. It's only when he's out of sight that she allows herself to properly cry.

She ignores the sympathetic looks she's given from the other women and trudges back to the car, alone this time.

She cries the whole way home and in the elevator. Maria seems greatly concerned but Soarynn waves her off, she'll be fine in a few days, she remembers being like this the first time he left. Part of her wishes she didn't have to go through this again, that he never came home but she's so glad she got to see Coriolanus again.

Petunia is still lying in bed where they left her this morning, pleased to have her spot back. Soarynn gives her a gentle scratch behind the ears, "Just you and me again," she says sadly. She ought to wash the sheets considering they had sex every night but she refrains from doing so, she'll wash them when his scent is no longer detectable.

Soarynn lies in bed for hours feeling sorry for herself and missing her husband, only venturing into their bathroom when she needs to use it. She walks past the countertops and then her vanity when she notices a small white box sitting on her vanity counter, wrapped in a red bow.

Soarynn reluctantly picks it up and unties the ribbon, letting it all to the floor where Petunia immediately takes it to play with. But Soarynn pays her cat no mind as she opens up the box, softly gasping when she sees what Coriolanus has left for her.

A pregnancy test.

And a note.

Never too soon to find out. Love, Coriolanus

Soarynn chuckles, they both know it's highly unlikely for her to already be pregnant but she appreciates the gesture. She holds the testing device in her fingers, "Might as well try," she mumbles to herself, walking to the small room where their toilet is.

It only takes a few minutes but Soarynn finds herself doing anything but looking at the results. She folds some laundry, fluffs out their bedsheets. Finally, she walks back into the bathroom and turns over the test.

She gasps when she sees two red lines.

She's pregnant.

Newly pregnant, barely pregnant, but pregnant.

She can't believe it. Coriolanus isn't even halfway through his trip back to Five and yet he's left her with a most precious gift. Soarynn rests her hand on her stomach, imagining what it'll look like in a few months.

She's pregnant!

She's going to have a baby. She's going to be a mother, he's going to be a father.

Oh, Coriolanus.

She'll have to write to him at once to deliver the news. She's only a few days along but still.

It's a Christmas miracle.

꧁ ꧂

To my dearest Coriolanus, I'm writing this hours after your departure. I simply cannot wait a moment longer to tell you the wonderful news that I'm pregnant! I know we spoke of it when you first came home but after opening the gift you left me, I'm proud to say that you're going to be a father. I will keep things quiet until I can visit the doctor but I just had to tell you. I miss you with all my heart my love, I pray for your safety and your quick return. Know that not a day goes by where I do not think of you my heart for you are all that I am. I love & miss you already. Love, Soarynn

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| taglist: @strawberriicakes @wonderlandbound111 @villiansarehottest @kickmybark @thevoicesinmyprettylittlehead @melodyoflovee @erensrealgf |

[the-writerwoman]

Sorry for the delay. Been busy with my kids so I didn’t have time. Plus I’m also editing the next chapter for Heartstrings across the hallway. And I got that 6pm brainrot which also wants to come out.

But yeah I was reading a Batman fic about Jason being stuck in a time loop and he falls in love with Tim and it was good and it made me think of our boys. And I wanted it Origins Poolverine so here we are!

Hope you enjoy!

Wade leaned against the wall outside Logan’s room, his fingers fidgeting at his side. He could hear the steady rhythm of Logan’s footsteps inside, the scrape of boots against the floorboards, the same familiar noises he had heard for thirty-six straight mornings. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could take it.

The door creaked open, and there Logan stood, his hair tousled, his usual look of grumpy determination plastered across his face.

“Mornin’, sunshine,” Wade greeted, his tone casual but with a tremor of anticipation beneath the surface.

Logan gave him a once-over, his eyebrows knitting together in suspicion. “What’s with you? You look… weird.”

Wade let out a nervous laugh. “Weird? Me? Nah, I’m as fresh as a daisy, as sharp as a tack, as…” He trailed off under Logan’s skeptical glare. “Okay, fine, I need to talk to you. Like, actually talk. And before you say anything, I need you to hear me out without calling me crazy. Deal?”

Logan’s frown deepened, and he crossed his arms. “Wilson…”

“Just say ‘deal,’ Logan. Humor me, for once.” Wade’s voice wavered, betraying his desperation.

Logan sighed heavily, his patience already worn thin. “Fine. Deal. But this better be good.”

~~

They sat across from each other at a corner table in the mess hall, Wade fidgeting with a napkin while Logan ate in silence. The room was empty except for them, the hum of fluorescent lights the only sound besides the occasional clink of Logan’s fork against his plate.

Wade took a deep breath. “Alright, here it is. I’m stuck in a time loop.”

Logan didn’t even look up. “A what?”

“A time loop,” Wade repeated, leaning forward. “I wake up at 5 a.m. every morning, and it’s the same day. Same breakfast, same mission briefing, same damn everything. And no matter what I do, it all resets at the end of the day.”

Logan raised an eyebrow, finally meeting Wade’s gaze. “You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

Logan stared at him for a long moment, his face unreadable. Then he smirked faintly, his disbelief clear. “You’ve officially lost it.”

“I knew you’d say that,” Wade said, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Which is why I came prepared this time.”

“Oh, this I gotta hear.” Logan leaned back in his chair.

Wade leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Six loops ago, you told me something. Something you said no one else knows. Something personal to you, that you said it’d prove I wasn’t full of crap if I ever brought it up.”

Logan’s expression shifted slightly, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Bartholomew.”

The faintest twitch crossed Logan’s face, but he quickly masked it. “Who?”

“Bartholomew,” Wade repeated, his voice softening. “The wooden toy soldier you had when you were eight. You told me you loved that thing more than anything. You’d play with it all the time, even ignoring Victor for it. And then one day…” Wade hesitated, swallowing hard. “One day, you found him throwing it into the fire. You said you never forgave him for it. Not really.”

Logan’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening. “Who told you that?”

“You did,” Wade said quietly. “Six loops ago, after dinner. You said we’d use it as proof if this ever happened, if I ever needed to convince you of something crazy like this.”

Logan’s breathing grew heavier, his fists tightening on the table. For a moment, Wade thought he’d snap, but instead, Logan spoke, his voice low and measured. “If you’re lying…”

“I’m not,” Wade interrupted, his tone uncharacteristically earnest. “I couldn’t make that up if I tried. I mean, Bartholomew? Really? It’s a miracle eight-year-old you didn’t name him ‘Woodie.’”

Logan’s lips twitched slightly, but the moment passed quickly. He leaned back, crossing his arms again. “Let’s say I believe you. What do you want me to do?”

Relief flooded Wade, and he let out a shaky laugh. “I don’t know. Help me figure it out. Help me stop this. Just… don’t leave me to deal with this on my own. Please.”

Logan studied him, his expression softening just enough for Wade to notice. After a long pause, he gave a short nod. “Alright. We’ll work it out.”

~~

The village burned, the sky filled with smoke and screams. Wade stood frozen, his swords at his sides, his heart pounding as he watched the chaos unfold. Victor moved through the villagers like a predator, leaving destruction in his wake. The rest of Team X followed orders without hesitation, their faces devoid of emotion.

And then there was Logan, standing at the edge of it all, fists clenched, his jaw tight. Wade could see the internal battle playing out in Logan’s eyes, the same conflict he had witnessed thirty-five times before.

“Logan!” Wade shouted, his voice raw with desperation.

Logan turned, meeting Wade’s gaze. For a fleeting moment, Wade thought maybe, just maybe, this time would be different. Maybe Logan would stay.

But then Logan ripped off his dog tags, the small metal pieces clinking as they hit the ground. Without a word, he turned and walked away, his silhouette disappearing into the smoke and darkness.

Wade felt his chest tighten, his throat closing up as tears pricked his eyes. He clenched his fists, his grip on his swords trembling as he tried to hold back the crushing weight of failure.

“Damn it,” Wade whispered, his voice breaking. “Why can’t I fix this?”

The loop would reset. It always did. But as Wade stood there, watching Logan vanish into the night, he felt the hope slipping away, leaving behind only the hollow ache of knowing he would have to start all over again.

[monstorous-lullaby-au]

Guess we’re doing this now…fucking brat…I secretly hope she goes missing soon so I could ignore that case.

(Lol foreshadowing!!! I’ll explain later.)

I decide to bring out the ultimatum… I didn’t want to do it, but what choice did I had?

Slowly, I took out my wedding ring…I held it out to her so that brat could see it.

“If you tell me everything I need to know, you may have this ring…”, I bargained, “It’s the last kind of this ring after they discontinued the brand…it’s pretty rare, ya know.”

Hanami looked at me with a shocked expression.

It’s true I’ve worked hard for this ring…2 part time jobs and small favors for my fathers companies, to be exact…for my beloved Asya…it was supposed to be a surprise for her birthday…but…

“So? Do we have a deal?”

Interrogation 2: Velvette Gatz

@mortuarysciences

I tied my hair back while looking outside the window.

The scenario out there look grim…like a psychological thriller or some shit. As I stared into oblivion, my mind was on replay from the last interrogation. So Sora was alone during his last moments after he scolded those meddling twins…but then what happened???

Was it after I…no, no I don’t think…maybe?

My train of thought was interrupted as Hanami brought in the next student, Velvette Gatz…daughter of principal Gatz and head cheerleader.

I gave her an easy smile, hoping to put her at ease before the interrogation begins.

“Welcome miss Gatz,” I greeted, “thank you for taking your time out of your day to come and talk to us. I’ll be asking you a series of questions and I need you to answer them to the best of your abilities. Feel free to add any bit of information you feel that is crucial to investigation.”

She nodded quietly.

“OK. The first question is…Have you noticed any behavioral differences with Mr. Aguilar’s routine? If so, was it before or after his disappearance?”

[laughing-moonlight]

The entire confrontation between Jeff & Hood on the Zero-XL will never not be funny to me:

Hood: *speech about how he hates Jeff for having a functioning moral compass, how he decided to be the villain purely because Jeff was the hero, how he has committed atrocities for 8+ years just for the sake of pettiness*

Jeff: *deadpan af* Go cry about it *immediately turns around and ignores him* Boys lets shove him in a cupboard!

Scene Timestamps: 15:00 - 17:05

This disbelief on "Brain's" face when he first sees Jeff. The line fumble! Of course, it would be perfectly normal to assume Brains would call Jeff by his name because he does with almost everyone else, so it'd be easy for Hood to screw that up. But the fact that Jeff was able to clock on so instantly is impressive. It's almost like being gone for 8 years has help Jeff finally gain an immunity to the Hood's tricks. And how Jeff sees through Hood instantly must've made Hood so, so angry. Jeff who is suppossed to be dead. Jeff who is so perfect. The mighty Jeff Tracy who literally slams him right into the wall.

Like, Hood casually mimicking Jeff's Kansas accent like Alan isn't about the punch him in the throat. "He had this funny thing about RAIGHT AND WROANG". Sir. The Tinies are about to rip your face off. Maybe it's time to finally accept defeat? No? Okay. (And the funniest part has to be Brains coming back in to find a clone of himself being wrestled by Mr Tracy.)

And Hood absolutely wants a reaction from someone. Anyone. He's desperate for it. He wants someone to retaliate to the "bombshell" he just dropped. But no one does. Even after 8 years of solitude, Jeff does not give this man the time of day. Just a measured, controlled "You need better goals, Hood." and then blanks the guy in favour of talking about him and not to him. (Can't lie, Jeff was pretty based for that.) Even when Hood is droning on, you can see Jeff glaring, as if well and truly realising that this man he called a friend is truly well beyond any sort of help from him.

But that's also sad in a way, because this is someone Jeff can't rescue. And it's not because he isn't capable, it's because Hood is just so Hood. I literally cannot describe this man in any other way and it's infuriating. Jeff genuinely did not have the ability to save his wife. But this man was his friend. Or so he thought. And Hood is implying he went down this road because Jeff wouldn't let himself be dragged down it. Damn.

These two give me so many brainworms it's actually insane. I'm just sat here bashing them together like a pair of Barbie dolls. They won't let me stop.

[bonebrokebuddy]

“You’re posing as a gay man but there’s no lover beside you.”

- normal things you say to your twin when you wake her up from dead sleep so you can use her as a art reference when she blearily asks why the fuck you woke her.

@stealingyourbones im so sorry bro I just couldn’t a ref image at the right angle, u can go back to sleep now.

[louellen-themagicgirl]

“Desperate times call for desperate measures”

*she waves her hands through the air, a mist forming around her hand. The mist shapes itself into a clown juggling*

“Look mama!! A clown!”

"I am not depressed, Ell. I'm perfectly fine."

Nikolai lied...trying to convince herself he was okay.

-@nikolai-rp

*Lou blinks, very confused*

“Uhm.. ok, mama!”

[ma-du]

I guess I'll have to take desperate measures then *opens tab to ff.net*

[wikitpowers]

everybody shut up i have something to say

everyday it’s them who are on my mind

art: @cassandrajean

[anotherbananasong]

https://www.tumblr.com/anotherbananasong/770859612305063936/desperate-times-call-for-desperate-measures-when

Let me tell you a little story that matches this:

My uncle apparently was exactly like this from what my mom described him in their childhood. An exact copy of Charon. Wild, rowdy, running around, being a kid x5, and on top of that, could walk away with my grandparents losing track without even trying!!

And I was confused and could not believe it completely cause now he’s this very calm dude who works on cars and mechanic shit 🤣

Rambunctious kiddos are fun sometimes… lol

[ilyamatic]

Hello my name is Abby

and ya girl needs help

As we all know, times are tough. Times have been tough round these parts specifically because I am now disabled. Last year I got diagnosed with Primary Progressive MS and have a lot of mobility issues. I am lucky enough to work from home (and am able to work at all) but all the changing expenses with my condition have added up. So much so, I owe $1200 to my community in back fees. Nor am I able to move like I wanted to a more accessible apartment.

And listen, I am not asking for y'all to break y'all's backs for a stranger on the Internet. But if you got a couple of bucks you could throw a Black queer disabled woman, it would mean the world to me.

And if not for me, do it for the cats:

They are just little babies and deserve to stay in a nice warm home.

Cash App: $AbbyJ92

Venmo: @Abigaille-Bernard

PayPal: jasna2018@gmail.com

[skyhawkstragedy]

I feel like if Meme campaigned to Cameron it would stroke his ego so much he would consider taking her off the block

[whorenerdking]

if anyone wants to send me some money for food I’d appreciate it