#Cherry Blossom calls everyone “darling” or “dear”

[groovyfrog420]

more of them. she packed him lunch for the road

(I have like 2-3 more comics planned we'll see how much I can get onto paper before I run out of steam)

previous comic

[cherryblossomsandhydrangeas]

The Cultivation of the Hydrangea - Prologue

Read the Prompt [Here]

You can also read this on my Wordpress.

Tags: Single Father Kaoru, Trans Sakurayashiki Kaoru, Canon Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, Full Swing Kiss Aftermath, Hurt/Comfort, Trauma, Panic Attacks, Adam Canon Characteristics, Familial Reconciliation, Food as a love language, Gift giving as a love language, Original Characters, Slow Romance, Accidental Pregnancy

Relationships: Endgame MatchaBlossom, Past LoveBlossom, Platonic Nanako & Kaoru, Platonic Hiromi & Kojiro & Kaoru, Platonic Kaoru & OCs

Trigger Warnings: Physical & Mental Child Abuse, Transphobia, Misgendering, Child Neglect, Pedophilia, Ableism Note: (The beginning of all scenes with triggers will be marked with a -X-)

Word Count: 11,544

Time to Read: 64 Minutes

Chapter Summary: The infamous beef between Adam and Cherry Blossom draws near, along with the end of life as Joe knows it.

“I think I'll take the Osso Buco tonight. And a glass of Lafite if you will.”

“Oh, feeling fancy tonight, aren't we four eyes?” Kojiro huffed as he wrote down the order, a small wisp of a smile dancing on his lips as he passed it through the window to the kitchen for one of the line cooks, Tagawa Rioto, to take. The chef rested his forearms across the bar and whispered, “Early celebration before your beef with Adam?”

Kaoru scoffed, leaning back in his chair, “No. Just wanted to try something different, that's all.”

It was a night just like many other nights. Sakurayashiki Kaoru had found himself drifting through the luscio vetro doors of Sia La Luce as the last of the dinner rush's customers filtered out the establishment, bellies full from delicious meals and tongues stained from decadent wines. He's seated in his usual seat, twiddling with his fan while the busboys cleaned the dining tables and the manager and sous chef counted down the registers.

“Still. Didn't even settle for the Tomato Risotto, the Crab Ravioli, or hell, even the Pasta Puttanesca." The smile dropped from Kojiro's face. “Are you worried about Saturday?”

Worried, or perhaps the man's anxiety was beginning to overwhelm him? The previous weekend, everyone at S was bursting at the seams for the titular beef between the gallantly Matador of Love and the ice demeanored AI Skater, but a singular phone call had destroyed the tense yet exciting atmosphere of the tournament.

“What?!" Kojiro remembered Adam snarling into his phone, his grip on the device near-shattering. The god of the mountain had been disgruntled ever since he pulled Cherry Blossom's card from the selection box, his reluctance to race the pink-haired ninja ever evident as his normal pre-battle peacocking was nowhere to be found.

Adam's brows had pinched; his lips fell into a repulsed frown. Whoever was on the other end of the line was obviously delivering some very unwelcome information.

“Ugh," Adam sighed before picking up his board and flipping it over his shoulder. “God help me. Fine, doggy, I'm coming. Be a dear and have my suit ready, will you?”

The little beep as he hung up seemed to echo around the now silent starting line. Adam turned to Cherry Blossom.

“Sorry, Cherry darling, looks like our little rendezvous will have to wait. You know just as well as I do that we can't just ignore when duty calls," the matador said and shrugged in response to the rosy haired man's raised brow.

The S Gallery started to moan in disappointment, “No way!s”, “Come on!s”, and “Are you fucking kidding me?s” coming out from all around.

“You could just forfeit here and now," Cherry Blossom had said cooly, crossing his arms as Adam took a small step towards him. “It would save you the embarrassment of losing later.”

Some of the gallery gasped. Some even whistled and crowed at the audacity.

Adam had grinned, “Hah, cute, but no. You're not going to ruin this for me, Cherry. Besides, you've been vying to beef with me for so long, it'd be so horribly pathetic if I didn't finally grant your wish.”

“Tch," Cherry had glared as the man walked past him.

As two capmen opened up the gates for their boss to pass through, Adam suddenly turned around and held his arms out wide.

“Fear not, everyone~" a lilt had made it back into his voice. “While I sadly must depart, I assure you the tournament will resume as soon I deal with a couple annoyances.”

Adam clicked his heels. “Oh yes, I can see it now, can't you? Sparks to fire, fire to ash, enmity running through our very bones, through our very flesh. Oh, the tracks will be flush and full with our passion!”

As it was whenever Adam showered the mountain's occupants with his baritone voice, the S Gallery was enraptured and triggered into a vigorous furor. Cheers, screams, and chants were abound. Boards were held aloft, high over skater's heads like flags waving in the wind. The fan groups came to life, injecting the mountain air with bolts of fanatical energy.

“Hell yeah, Adam!”

“You got this, Cherry!”

“Cherry-sama, don't lose!”

“Can't wait, Adam!”

“Adam!”

“Cherry!”

“Adam!”

“Cherry!”

“Adam!”

“Cherry!”

As the crowd's rowdy screams grew louder, the matador's grin grew wider, his fangs on full display for all to see. He clicked his heels again, and the wind slid in to pick up his cape as he twirled round. As he walked out of the iron gates- a black sedan waiting for him on the other side- he gave a few final, foreboding words of departure. They still echoed in Kojiro's mind even now.

“Next Saturday. The Parable of Sakura!”

“It's not Saturday I'm worried about," Kaoru muttered as he set his fan down on the bar. “I've had a rough week.”

“What happened? Difficult client?" Kojiro asked.

“It's nothing I can't handle," Kaoru replied, pausing as a server, Oshiro-san, came bearing two wine glasses and a 1996 vintage.

“Thanks, Hirohito," Kojiro smiled as he accepted the glasses. “Don't worry about the rest of those dishes, I'll get them. And tell Jona that after she plates the polenta she can leave as well. I'll take care of this freeloader," he continued with a smirk in Kaoru's direction.

The calligrapher rolled his eyes. “Oshiro-san, I must thank you for constantly putting up with this bumbling oaf of a man. Though, perhaps the paycheck is why you tolerate him?”

Hirohito smiled, having grown used to the two's banter a long time ago. “It's nothing, sensei. Chef's always been good to me, so I like to stand by him as much as I can.”

Kojiro laughed, “See, now that's what we call loyalty, four eyes. I'd imagine you'd kill to see an employee show you that.”

The server chuckled, “But the pay's good too," and headed back into the kitchen to finish the night's duties with his coworkers.

As a betrayed look fell upon his friend's face, Kaoru snickered, “Aww, gonna cry?”

The restaurant owner flipped him the bird as his sous chef and manager shut the drawers on the registers and walked over to him.

“Deposit bag's in the safe," the manager, Uehara-san, said as she slid the night's paperwork into the pocket of Kojiro's apron. “I'm gonna head out early tonight, see you Chef, sensei.”

“Goodnight, Uehara-san." Kaoru nodded at her while Kojiro said, “Night Sayuri.”

As the manager hurried out the door, the head chef slapped a hand on his sous chef's shoulder.

“Thanks again for coming tonight, Miyoko," Kojiro said earnestly. “I got a text from Teijo a couple hours ago; his plane is still delayed. Possibly going to be stuck in Osaka for a couple more days until the storm clears.”

“I needed a few extra hours anyway," Miyoko shrugged as the rest of their coworkers filtered out the back.

“Polenta's plated, Chef!“ Jona smiled. “Nice to see you again, sensei.”

“Likewise," Kaoru waved in their direction. “I hope all of you have a good night.”

“Thanks, sensei!" many replied in unison. “See you tomorrow, Chef!" the employees of Sia La Luce called as they left the two alone.

Kojiro waved them off as he spoke, “Now, what exactly is making you so tired?“ and popped open the bottle of Lafite to fill the pink-haired man's glass.

“I told you it's nothing I couldn't handle." Kaoru reached over and swirled the glass in his hands. “Just the usual.”

“Which usual? Client who doesn't know what they really want usual or client who wants to get inside your yukata usual?”

“Both wrapped in one," Kaoru grunted before taking a sip from his glass.

“Oh geez, “Kojiro shook his head, his curly, forest green locks threatening to come loose from their tie. “Let me go check on dinner while you get into it.”

The calligrapher sighed, “It's not much to talk about. He has a party coming up so he wants me to make a banner, but he doesn't know what he wants the banner to say, so I've been spitballing ideas waiting for him to say yea when he's constantly saying nay." He took another sip of wine. “It'd go a bit faster if he didn't get distracted trying to look down my collar.”

“He's not gonna see much other than your binder.”

“They think if they keep trying they'll get me on a day when I'm not wearing it.”

“He's gonna have to see you on an off day for that. And honestly, he's kinda sounding like the type of client you reject after the first time.” Kojiro pondered for a second. “Unless this one happens to be your type. Maybe after his commission he can make up for some of the stress he's caused you.”

“You know I don't do one night stands, you pig.”

“Hey, I'm just saying, maybe you'll get a full night's sleep for once.”

“I sleep well enough, thank you,“ Kaoru retorted.

“We both know that's not true," Kojiro countered through the window. “Seriously, you're trying to hide it, but I can see you've used concealer under your eyes.”

Kaoru's fingers hovered over his face, inches above his tired eyelids. “Fine, so I was up late a couple nights, but it wasn't because of this client. It's nothing too serious.”

Kojiro's voice sounded a bit off from the other side of the kitchen. “You sure?”

“Positive,“ Kaoru responded.

“Really positive? Cause if something's bothering you right now I think it's fair to use the same excuse Adam did. If he tries to make you forfeit I'll just call him out on his bullshit.”

“Thanks, but I intend to settle everything this Saturday. Besides, I don't think the Gallery would tolerate another abrupt ending to the tournament like that.”

Kojiro huffed, well aware of just how close the S Gallery got to city destroying ball sports fans when something ruined the electrifying energy of the mountain. He was about to give a word of assent, when suddenly, Kaoru's phone started to sing like a morning dove.

Kaoru retrieved his phone from his bag, eyes narrowing at the ID as he stood from his seat. “I have to take this. Be right back.”

“Take your time. I'm not going anywhere.”

“Hello?“ The calligrapher's voice drifted away as he walked to the front of the restaurant, the door letting off a little chime as he walked out.

Alone, Kojiro began to whistle, eyes utterly focused on the meal in front of him. Using a fork, he pierced one of the veal shanks, humming in approval as the tender meat easily gave way and broze broth trickled down into the simmering pot. Reaching over, he pulled the plates of plated polenta closer to him before reaching up and grabbing a ladle.

“I'm back, sorry about that,“ Kaoru said as he returned to his seat.

“What happened? Client cancel on you or something?”

“Not a client. It was just a friend calling, nothing serious.”

“Oh, a friend you say?“ the chef jested and smirked. “And here I thought you didn't do one-night stands.”

“I will fucking stab you in your own restaurant.”

Kojiro snickered. It wasn't every night that the calligrapher got a random call, but Kojiro never gave up the chance to tease his rosy-haired friend whenever a misdial or a telemarketer interrupted their nightly rituals.

“So, when you win, who do you think you'll go up against next?“ the chef asked, switching the conversation back.

“Don't know. It could be Shadow, it could be Snow, it could be this Snake, it's all chance anyway,“ Kaoru replied with a a shrug.

“You don't think Miya can beat Snake?”

“Miya's good.“ Kaoru frowned as he took another sip from his glass. “But, I don't think he's that good. Snake's experience will triumph over Miya's skill.”

“Yeah, well, I'm living proof that that's not exactly true.”

“Just because your technique's so sloppy that you could lose to a rookie doesn't mean everyone else will.”

“You of all people know that's no normal rookie!”

The two argued back and forth about their skating techniques as Kojiro plated the braised veal shanks and vegetables atop the polenta. Their conversation broke as he slide the plates onto a serving tray along with a basket full of the last of the day's fresh bread. He walked out of the kitchen, throwing open the door with a flourish and winked at his best friend.

Kaoru huffed, smiling into his glass.

As Kojiro set his plate down in front of him, the calligrapher suddenly jumped, eyes a bit wide. “Oh, I almost forgot, did you remember to give your okaasan the herbs I gave you?”

“Yeah, she made pesto pasta for herself and chichi one night, used the thyme for some cornish hens, think she said she was going to turn the lavender into syrup,“ Kojiro said as he sat down and picked up a fork to stab at his veal. “Can't believe my haha got you of all people to start an herb garden.”

“Perhaps I've learned the pleasure of nursing plants.”

“You can feel pleasure?”

“I could break this bottle of wine and ruin these counters, you do know that right?”

“Oh, and what are you gonna do when I have to replace them? Sit at the tables where people probably stick gum under?”

“I'm gonna throw veal on your chef whites.”

“I'll send you the receipts for the dry-cleaners.”

“You are insufferable,“ Kaoru pouted and shoved a forkful of veal, carrot, and polenta it into his mouth.

Kojiro chuckled, reaching over for the Lafite to fill his own wine glass.

“So, you prepared to wipe the track with him?”

“Everything is going to be fine, Kouki. You don't have to worry so much.”

“I know, Raki. It's just...it's him you know.”

“You don't have to remind me again.”

Kojiro reached for a piece of bread, and Kaoru reached for his glass once more.

“Hey, Kouki?“ Kaoru called as he drained the last of his Lafite.

“Yeah?”

“After this beef with Adam. I...I have something I need to tell you.”

“Why can't you just tell me right now?”

“Because you-because...it just has to be after.”

“Is it something bad?”

“No, not bad per se, but it may be a bit shocking.”

“Hmm, are you secretly planning to elope to Canada with that Kurihara guy?”

“What?! Kojiro, that man was older than my sofu!”

“Really? Cause with the way he was coming onto you, you'd think he was at least in his fifties.”

“He was not coming onto me; he's just really passionate about the history of calligraphy. He was complementing my stroke work.”

“Oh yeah, I'm sure those were the “long lines and lustrous curves” he was talking about.”

“Oh my god, shut up!”

“Make me!”

--

As the last of the lights to Sia La Luce blinked off, the engine of his panel van came to life with a dissonant hum.

“Carla, please play Car Soundtrack 7.”

“Okay, Master. Playing Car Soundtrack 7.”

He started off. Darkened buildings waved him down the road; bakeries with dead ovens, other restaurants, flashy clothing stores, and the like drifted by as they were enveloped by the shadows trailing behind the vehicle.

It didn't take long before he was driving by his temp studio and storage as well. The cherry blossom tree out front was dancing, twirling this way and that like a stout ballerina, her hair fanning out against the brisk winds of the night, the street lamps her spotlights and the moon and stars her ever captive audience.

“Incoming message from “Mongoose”," Carla interrupted the soft tunes of the radio. “Don't stay up all night making out with Carla. It would be a shame if Sleeping Beauty lost the only two traits he was known for.”

“Carla, reply with a middle finger emoji.”

“Replying.”

For a few minutes, there was a back and forth of chimes between the two departed friends. Kojiro eventually sent his last goodbye and the song on the radio returned, the combined forces of Lafite and light piano chords lulling Kaoru into a meditative state.

Perhaps it was the calm night, perhaps it was the wine, perhaps it was the songs trilling through his mind, nevertheless, inadvertently, his mind wandered to the past.

"Are you going to break up with me?" the nineteen year old Kaoru asked.

His childhood room was both clean and messy in its own right, his own little haven of programming and engineering textbooks stacked up on the shelf closest to his desk, canvases and scrolls piled up in his closet, nearly spewing out the door, paints and inks and their smells clung heavily to the tatami mats and anything else that was laid out during the long sleepless nights of fights against anxiety attacks. That night, he'd laid in bed next to his second closest companion, the only light offered to them from his moon-shaped lamp on the left nightstand.

"Now, why would I do that?" Adam- no, Ainosuke- asked as he lazily flipped through the latest edition of his astronomy magazine. The blue-haired skater had always been somewhat interested in his little hobbies; it made him wonder if he didn't have his own stash of magazines at home.

Kaoru pursed his lips, his fingers curling around an errant string from his pillowcase. "You haven't wanted to come over like this in a while, and you haven't wanted to beef lately either; I was starting to think you'd gotten bored of me..." and immediately flushed when he looked up and caught a scarlet eye peeking over the edge of the magazine straight at his legs. He'd only been out of the bath for about five minutes when the signature tap tap tapping against his window meant that either his boyfriend or his best friend wanted entry and was in severe danger of falling from the cherry blossom tree's high branch that raked its fingers against the glass, so he'd hurriedly slipped on his bra, boxers, and a t-shirt to go let them in.

"My obasans have had me practicing for a violin recital," Ainosuke muttered as he set the magazine down next to the lamp. "I've been neglecting you. I'm sorry, darling."

"No, no!" Kaoru waved him off. "Family matters suck, I understand. For the past couple weeks my otoosan has been making me take tea with with a few of his business partners."

"Why?" Ainosuke raised a brow.

A sour looked came upon Kaoru's face. "He and my sofu have been "concerned" about my marriage prospects."

"Oh," the blue haired teen gave him an amused smirk. "And what are they like?"

"If you added yours, mine, and Kojiro's ages they still wouldn't be the same age as some of my "prospects"."

Ainosuke let out a loud, sharp laugh that filled the room and echoed down the hall. It was fine; Kaoru'd been the only resident in the house for the last couple of days anyway.

"Are you going to be the topic of those talk shows where people make fun of old men with young brides?" His eyes twinkled with mirth. "Or will you be on the front cover of a tabloid in a wedding dress?"

Kaoru snorted. "I'll jump off a bridge before I let anyone force me into a wedding dress."

Ainosuke huffed. "I think there's a better way to ruin your marriage prospects."

"How?"

In a flash of white, the other had thrown himself on top of him, his hands cradling either side of his head and a knee pressed between his legs. Kaoru's eyes widened a bit as he sunk down into freshly laundered cotten sheets.

"One thing I know all men hate," One hand had trailed inside his shirt to fiddle with the clasp of his bra. "is when they see something they want claimed by another man."

His bra was undone, and he gasped as that same hand slipped into his boxers. He reached up and started tugging on the other's jacket and turtleneck.

"You better not bite me too hard," "Kaoru grunted as his boyfriend leaned down to kiss his neck. "Kojiro called you a vampire last time he saw the mark you left."

"Maybe I am a vampire, and I'm claiming you as my mate."

"Oh, a creature of the night? And here I thought you were heaven-sent," Kaoru joked as he finally got the other's tops off and froze.

Both of Ainosuke's forearms were like a canvas, streaked with vibrant red strokes all the way up to his elbow. The last time he had seen them, they were a powdery pink, but these had been irritated, prodded, and scratched. Kaoru gently trailed his fingers along one of his forearms, and Ainosuke grew still.

The rosy-haired teen reached up to cradle his cheek. "One day, you have to promise to tell me about these, okay?"

In the dim lamplight of his bedroom, Ainosuke's eyes had always seemed brighter, like an ardent sun, fuller, like polished rubies. He stared down at him unblinking, and Kaoru stared back, unafraid and amorous.

"Fine."

Pulling him down, Kaoru pressed a gentle kiss against Ainosuke's lips. "Go on. Claim me."

The rest of their clothes were discarded on the floor as his boyfriend reached a hand under his mattress to retrieve a condom. Once more, they came together, hot and rough like asteroids, murmurs cool like comets sprang from their lips, with each thrust they became closer and closer.

"Ainosuke~"

"Look at me, darling. Don't focus on anything else. Not your family, not those old perverts, not even Joey. Just me. Keep all your attention on me."

After, they'd laid in his bed for a couple more hours, Ainosuke's head rested against his breasts, his breath even against his warm, sweat covered skin.

It'd be a sweet memory if he hadn't seen the man lead someone he'd called his Eve off a cliff just a week later.

It was a long thirty-five minute drive before he was moving by the larger atelier and driving into his garage. The radio shut down with a small chut; the engine shuttered before dying. He grabbed his bag, and when he climbed out of the driver's seat the estate greeted him as an old friend.

“Carla, what's the temperature for tomorrow?" Kaoru asked as he unlocked the door, the lights from the living room receiving him from the genkan.

“The temperature is estimated to be high 32*C (89*F) low 22*C (72*F) with a estimated 7% chance of rain. It is recommended to wear sunscreen along with your parasol.”

“And my schedule?" he said as he slipped off his zori, the sound of the television playing Akatsuki No Danuja went through his ears.

“You have a meeting at Kaede Cafe at 9:30am, you then slotted time between 10:45am and 12:45pm to grade your students' trimester projects, at 1:30pm you scheduled to meet with Yamamura Hayate to discuss payment on the march exhibition piece, and you then slotted time between 6:00pm and 8:00pm to work on commissions.”

“Thank you, Carla.”

“You're welcome, Master. Have a goodnight's rest. I will begin playing Melody 1.”

--

“Thank you for meeting with me here today, Yamamura-san.”

“No, please, the pleasure is all mine, sensei.”

Lunch time at Sia La Luce was a venue of golden rays, the evening sun shining through the windows to bask diners in its soft light. The air was filled with the sounds of guitars as waiters and waitresses danced and weaved through tables, their hands filled with streaming trays and cold drinks.

Two bowls of steaming cioppino sat on the table between the calligrapher and his client along with a basket of breadsticks. The smell of crab, scallops, shrimps, and other delicacies from the sea wafted up to their noses and made their mouths water.

“I was elated when you agreed to meet with me in person about the exhibition piece instead of doing an auction, “Hayate said as he spread a napkin across his lap. “You see, my wife just loved it and wanted to have it sent to our vacation home in Spain, and I couldn't say no to her.”

“It's truly no problem," Kaoru replied as he folded his hands atop one another, his fan buried beneath them. “Believe it or not I prefer to talk with buyers one on one rather than auction off my pieces. It means that someone loved my work enough that they were willing to take time out of their day for it, and it gives me a chance to speak with others who respect the art of calligraphy as much as I do.”

The two let off hearty chuckles.

“Well, I won't waste your time, sensei, and I wouldn't want to let this delectable meal grow cold, so I'll get straight to the point. I'm offering ¥1,500,000 for this piece with an additional ¥5,000 to have it shipped directly to the port for my men to receive." Hayate smiled.

“¥1,500,000? Oh my; that's certainly the highest offer someone's ever started with," Kaoru said with faux surprise. “Most people usually start at ¥10,000.”

“Those people don't usually frequent art museums," the business man countered. “I've been to enough to discern whether or not something is pure garbage with too many zeros behind it or a work of art such as yours.”

“You flatter me," Kaoru tapped his upper lip with his fan and fluttered his lashes.

“You flatter yourself, sensei. Honestly, Kida-sama was a genius to leave his legacy in your hands.“

At the sound of his master's name, Kaoru's smile became a bit real.

Hayate reached inside his blazer to retrieve his checkbook. “Now, sensei, do we have a deal?”

“Indeed we do. ¥1,505,000 is a very generous payment. Thank you, Yamamura-san," Kaoru beamed as the man scratched the numbers down.

“Honestly this amount almost feels paltry." Hayate smiled as he tore the check out and handed it across the table.

“Such a man with words, Yamamura-san," Kaoru chuckled. “Carla, please put a notice on my website that the march exhibition piece has been sold, and send a receipt for the amount of ¥1,505,000 to Yamamura-san's email.”

“Okay, Master," the purple bracelet responded.

“I've always been envious of your assistant," Hayate marveled at the slender device. “Dutiful and only speaks when she needs to.”

“Sometimes I feel like I'd be lost without Carla," Kaoru said with a smile towards his wrist.

Payment secured, the two dug into their meal, fish and scallops melting on their tongues along with the garlic and parsley of the bread. With their business concluded, the two shared a light conversation, of course, about the calligrapher's business.

“Have you ever thought about starting a museum, sensei?" Hayate asked as he dabbed at his mouth with a napkin.

“Museum? Why, no, I can't say that I have," Kaoru set down his spoon. “While I have visited and donated to a few, I can't ever say I've had the thought to put my works in one or create my own.”

“You should," the man's voice took on a conspiratorial tone. “AI Calligraphy after all is a way to bring the art and history of the skill to the modern age, into the minds of lower class children and other everyday people. You could start your own museum, mix together your technical know how and calligraphy to your heart's content.”

Kaoru giggled into his hand. “Are you sure you just don't want a chance to see my pieces whenever you wish, Yamamura-san?”

“Ahaha, I won't say no.” The business man grinned. “A museum would give more like minded people a chance to meet and chat.”

“Oh, have you ever met someone at my exhibitions that you wish to speak to again?”

“Plenty! Why, at the march exhibition I ran not only into a friend, but a few more people who I ended up business partners with.”

“Oh, what luck. I'm happy that you could meet them.”

“Yes, yes. Oh, and thinking of that exhibition, I have another question, sensei.”

“Ask away, Yamamura-san.”

“Right, well, for context, it was right as a friend and I were leaving the exhibition. It was the oddest coincidence; just as we were about reach my car, we ran into another man with the last name Sakurayashiki!”

Kaoru froze, his hands frozen in mid-air. “Is...that," he took a breath, dropping his limbs. “Is that so?”

“Yes, indeed," Hayate nodded. “He was a rather astute man. We ended up taking lunch with him and talking for a while about your works. He happened to know alot about you, almost intimately, and I couldn't help but wonder if you two were related in some way. Tell me, do you have a relative with the name Daishi?”

Under the table, Kaoru's hand gripped his thigh tightly. His heart, that had been relatively calm throughout this entire interaction, was starting to beat a bit faster.

'Damn it,' he thought. 'I didn't even see him that time around.'

“I do have a relative with that name," Kaoru painted a tight smile on his face. “Though I haven't spoken with him in almost a decade. If it was him, I'd honestly be surprised that he remembered much about me.”

Hayate nodded. “Understandable, I was just so curious since he seemed to know so much about your work. He has, it seems, been to every one of your exhibitions, and to every auction, and to every charity fundraiser you attended. I couldn't help but think he was a close relative.”

“What dedication!" Kaoru said through nearly gritted teeth. “Perhaps it is him, and he's trying to reconnect. Perhaps I should look up his number and give him a call.”

Hayate chuckled. “Indeed. Now sensei-, “the man was interrupted by a loud buzzing sound from his back pocket.

“Excuse me, sensei, that must be my son with this quarter's report. I will be right back.”

“There' s no problem. Take your time, Yamamura-san.”

As Hayate stepped out of the restaurant, Kaoru took his chance to remove his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off a headache.

'Fuck, 'he thought. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Giving up, Kaoru covered his face with his hands, taking a deep breath, but not allowing himself to let out the load groan he wanted to. The chatter of other tables in the vicinity and his reputation well on the forfront of his mind even now.

A tiny clink caused Kaoru to remove his hands. In front of him on a cute, little, flower-shaped serving dish laid a serving of vanilla panna cotta with a mixed berry coulis.

“You okay?" Kojiro asked as he handed him a dessert spoon. “Do you need to take a step in the back to breathe?”

Kaoru shook his head. “I...I'm fine. It's just....it's my otoosan.”

The chef's eyes narrowed. “He's still stalking you?”

“Apparently," Kaoru looked back to see if Hayate was still occupied. “I hadn't seen him in a few months. I thought he finally stopped.”

Ever since Kaoru had started living on his own, he'd made an effort not to think about his father. However, he quickly learned that his father was not so keen on forgetting or letting go of his child. Sakurayashiki Daishi was like a blot of stray ink on the well crafted art-piece that was Kaoru's career and adult life. It was small and hard to notice, but if he were to slip up even once it would smudge and reveal the imperfections not only in his work but in himself.

“You really need to consider getting a restraining order," Kojiro ran a hand through his forest green locks. “He can't keep harassing you like this.”

“He won't comply with a restraining order, and I can't risk him retaliating by outing me to some of my clients." The calligrapher grimaced. “You know he would.”

Kojiro rested his hands on the table, “Have you thought about hiring a security guard? They could be with you when you do your exhibitions.”

“Once or twice, but it seems like a waste of money to have a security guard just to have him looking out for one person." Kaoru placed a hand on his chest, breathing slowly to ease his heart.

'"'In two, three four,' Kaoru thought and exhaled, 'Out, two, three, four.'

“Your safety is always the most important thing. I can even get a uniform and be with you on those days if it would make you more comfortable.”

“My exhibitions are always during your work days, and you never take days off," Kaoru denied. “Plus, it would be during the lunch rush, and you need all hands on deck for that.”

“I can hire another line cook," Kojiro replied flippantly.

“Can you even afford another line cook?" Kaoru let out a deep breath.

“I'm back- Oh, hello," at the sound of Hayate's voice both men straightened up.

“Welcome back, Yamamura-san," Kaoru said easily. “This is Sia La Luce's owner, Nanjo Kojiro.”

“Hello, Yamamura-san," Kojiro grinned and took the man's hand to shake it. “I hope you've had an enjoyable time.”

“Hello, Nanjo-san, I have indeed. A fine establishment you have here." Hayate nodded. “Wonderful food, wonderful music, and just the right company." He smiled at Kaoru.

“Still with the flattery, Yamamura-san," Kaoru opened his fan to hide and fix his deteriorating smile.

“Well, I'm happy you've enjoyed yourself. I'll leave you two to your dessert," Kojiro easily shifted the man's attention to the dining table. “Please, let me know if you need anything else," he said while staring directly at Kaoru.

“Thank you, Nanjo-san, “Hayate eagerly sat down for the treat.

“Have you ever had panna cotta before, Yamamura-san?" Kaoru asked as he scooped a bit of the gelatinous cream.

“I have not. This surely looks delectable!”

“Well let's not dawdle, we wouldn't want this to get warm would we?”

“No indeed. Let's dig in, sensei.”

--

“You got this, Papaya!”

“Keep it up, Hawk! You're almost there!”

The air was thick with the salty taste of sweat, the cloying smoke of nicotine, and the burning tinge of rust. Leaves from the surrounding woods rustled off their branches, raining down on unsuspecting persons, giving them a very brief respite of cool nighttime air. Lane lights flickered and the swarming moths, nats, and other insects bzzzzed around the warmth of the yellow bulbs.

Not for the first time, and not even for the hundredth time, the mountain space had become a congregation of painted, flashy, dressed up, dripped out bodies. Longboards, streetboards, and cruisers filled nearly every hand, knocking against one another as their owners whooped and raved.

And everyone in attendance wouldn't have it any other way.

“Bzzzt!”

“Fuck yeah, Papaya!”

“No way; Hawk lost!?”

“I can't believe it!”

“Believe it, baby!”

A bit of a ways away from the megatron, along the jagged rocks of the mountain's sides, the top skaters of S watched languidly as the current beef came to its end. They had been there for a while now, and, having somewhat had their full of the ramps and bowls for the night, rested while the lower ranked skaters had their fun.

“Joe!" A blonde haired woman chirped excitedly as she ran up and grabbed a hold of one of the man's arms, resting her chin on his shoulder as she asked, “Joe, are you gonna skate tonight?”

“Yeah!" Another fan grinned as she took a hold of his other bicep. “Please, Joe, you haven't skated a beef since last week!”

These two women were a normal sight to see in the Muscle-Bound God of Skateboarding's arms. They were prominent members of the man's fan group, The Sunflowers, bearing his signature tattoo along their neck and right arm respectively. One was undoubtedly a skater, her orange sneakers dirty, soles caked with dirt, laces stained brown, and the lip bent, while other wore classy white heels with an embroidered sunflower on the sides.

“Sorry, ladies." The Six-Pack Skater smirked, wrapping a hand around both of their waists to pull them close. They sighed dreamily, pressing their breasts against him as he continued, “Cherry-sama has been so scared about his beef with Adam Saturday, I've been keeping him company so he doesn't chicken out.”

The women giggled, while, beside him, the AI Skater scoffed, crossing his arms. “Scared?”

Joe winked at the man, “It's okay cinnamon stick boy. Everybody here already knows you're as skinny as a twig, so it's no surprise that your scared Adam could throw you around with one arm.”

Cherry Blossom glared. “Throw me around? You wish. It's unlikely that he could even lift me.”

To be honest, it wasn't. Both of the skaters had a very distinct memory of their adolescence, of when their former friend picked up the pink haired man- albeit with both hands- and carried him in his arms all the way to the underpass where they frequented after the AI Skater's ankle had swollen up from a particularly nasty bail.

“Cherry-sama isn't afraid of Adam!" another voice chimed in.

“Yeah! There's no way he's gonna lose!" shouted one more.

Not too far away from the main group rested both Cherry Blossom's fan group, The Yozakuras, and the rest of The Sunflowers. Like the men they cheered and fawned over, the two groups had their own rivalry. It was somewhat for show; it wouldn't make much sense for two rival groups to be buddy buddy with one another while their star attractions were snarling in each other's faces, and their revelry often caused the S Gallery to stir, igniting beefs between lower ranked skaters who wanted to be up at the top with the three greats.

“You know, Cherry, it's fine to admit that Adam could lift you like a newborn baby.”

“You know, Joe, it's fine to admit that your brain is smaller than a fly's.”

The two went at each other, this particular row more for the pageantry than one of their genuine tiffs. Their fans chimed in every so often with their own color commentary, turning a few heads from the screens to the habitual verbal face off between the infamous AI and Six-Pack Skater.

“I'm telling you it's not possible. He can't lift me.”

“Nah, it's definitely possible. Let's ask your robot girlfriend. What do you think, Carla?" Joe looked down to the purple and black board.

The skateboard's LEDs flashed. “While Master weighs the same amount of pounds as Snow, who Adam threw around with ease, Master also has more experience in skating with Adam, therefore there is a 69% chance that Adam would not even be able to lay a hand on Master, let alone pick him up.”

“Carla, don't humor him," Cherry chided.

“My apologies, Master,“ Carla went dark.

“You should listen to your machine, Cherry. It only wants to keep you safe.”

“Carla is not a machine!”

Sitting on a small boulder just a couple feet away, Shadow watched as the two older men got louder and closer with one another, having abandoned their boards at their feet while fire sparked in their eyes.

“So, how much longer do you think they're gonna go at it?" he murmured to Miya.

“Until Cherry leaves for the night," Miya muttered back.

“You weigh as much as a bag of feathers!”

“And you weigh as much as a bag of rocks!”

“Grasshopper!”

“Imbecile!”

Rolling his eyes at their antics, Shadow looked back to the current beef. Tabby was losing horribly to the Red Helens, their tornado carousel technique having disoriented the other to the point of vomiting on their board in the middle of the race, slipping and falling flat on their face, and losing a lot of headway right in the beginning of the match. He didn't really feel sorry for them, seeing as not only did Tabby owe him money from their own beef, but they'd been antagonizing the Helens for a while now. They were getting their just desserts.

“So, still no Reki and Langa tonight?“ Looking up, Shadow watched as Joe waved away his fans and walked towards him and Miya, his routine argument with Cherry Blossom already over.

“No," Miya frowned from his spot crouched on the ground as he set down his switch. “Langa was busy, and Reki just said no,“ he grunted as he pulled out his phone to show the men.

“I tried calling him and he didn't pick up," Miya gave Joe a concerned look. “Do you know what's wrong with him?”

“I can't say I do," Joe shook his head before sighing, “I tried talking to him last week, but I haven't seen or heard from him since.”

“Langa's been really depressed lately too. He hasn't skated once since your beef," the thirteen year old replied.

“I haven't talked to Reki since before the tournament," Cherry sighed as he strode over. “Neither he nor Langa have ridden by my studio either. Troublesome children.”

“I'm sure they'll work it out," Joe gave Miya a reassuring smile, leaning back on the rocks, “All we have to do is be there when they need us.”

Cherry looked at Miya's phone, squinting, “As much as I would love to continue this conversation, it's about time I head out,“ only for his fans to moan in disappointment.

“Cherry-sama, please don't go!”

“Yeah, stay a little longer, please.”

“You never stay all night, Cherry-sama. At least run a beef before you leave!”

“Sorry, but no." The pink-haired ninja ran a hand through his ponytail to untangle a knot. “Goodnight," he said to his companions before strolling off.

Joe watched as the lithe man walked off, his board tightly grasped in one hand while he tapped away at his phone with the other. He stepped through a hole in the fencing and slipped into the woods. It wasn't long before he was disappearing into the foliage; not even the stark white of his hakama was able to be seen.

“Aww.” One of the AI Skater's fangirls stomped her foot. “I wish Cherry-sama wouldn't leave so early! He always goes around this time.”

“I know," another pouted. “It's not fair.”

“He's so mysterious the way he goes into the woods, like prince from a fantasy novel!" One squished her cheeks, a blush dusting her pale cheeks.

“I tried following him once and got lost," a third cried. “I had to message the capmen on the forums to come save me.”

“Oh no! Did you get in trouble?”

“No, but I did get them a carton of cigarettes, some tea, and dango as a thank you.”

“Oh, that's great!”

As The Yozakuras pondered on the destination of their resident heartthob, the Six-Pack Skater couldn't help but smile. When he and Cherry arrived at S that night, they had parked their motorcycles near one of the abandoned security offices they had found hidden amongst the overgrowth and trees in their youth. It was mostly a hideout that the AI Skater snuck away to when he would be hit with a sudden panic and didn't want to lose face in front of the Gallery, but it was also a space for them to have a bit of peace and quiet, even inside their mountain paradise. Even after nine years, it was still a well hidden secret; the only ones to know of its exact location were Cherry, Joe, and Adam, though that didn't mean that their fans didn't try their hardest to find it.

“It's so hard to believe that they used to be the watch dogs of this place," Shadow deadpanned as the men and women continued to wail to one another.

“Watchdogs?" Miya raised a brow at him.

Shadow shrugged. “It's more of a rumor, but I've heard more than a few of the older skaters say that The Yozakuras were the capmen before capmen were actually a thing.”

Miya shoved his switch and his phone is his pockets. “That doesn't make any sense, old man.”

Shadow gritted his teeth. “I'm twenty-four! And it's not like I came up with it, just something I hear every now and again.“ He turned to Joe. “Is it true?”

It was Joe's turn to shrug. “No idea. If it's true you'd have to ask Cherry next time you talk to him. He took charge of S after Adam left, and I was all the way on another continent. By the time I came back, the megatron was up and the capmen were tending to the track.”

“Huh," Miya immediately whipped his phone back out. “Gimme a minute.”

Shadow and Joe watched the teen type away. “I doubt he's gonna respond while he's driving home.”

“Yes he can; he has Carla," Miya shot back.

“True enough.”

After a while of tapping keys and notification bings, all of a sudden, Miya groaned, throwing his head back as he jumped to his feet.

“He's no help," he nearly pouted as he lifted his phone for the two to see.

“No help at all," Shadow shook his head. “I'm gonna go get a drink and a snack, be back.”

Shadow stalked off. Miya huffed as he put his phone away yet again, a small glower forming on his face.

“Meh, it's not that big of a deal," Joe said, patting his back. “Besides, it's not like the capmen are all that interesting.”

“Lies," Miya denied. “You don't think about how mysterious they are?”

“How so?" the Six-Pack Skater rested his hands on his hips,

“Maintaining the tracks is a full time job, so it would be hard for them to have a day job. Adam has to pay them, so that means they do taxes, but what do they put their job down as? If they have families, then what do they tell them they're going to work for?" the boy talked on.

Joe snickered. “Who knows? You can barely see their faces half the time. Maybe the capmen are all secretly androids that Adam paid Cherry to create.”

Miya sighed heavily. “You're no help either.”

Seeing the boy's dejected face, it was pretty obvious to the twenty-six-year-old that Miya wasn't all that beat up about S's mysterious maintenance workers. Instead, as he shoved his hands in his pockets, palming at his phone like he wanted to whip it out again, Joe guessed that his thoughts were focused on the absent redhead of their group.

Well, there was one thing that could cheer him up, if only a little.

“Say, Miya, how about you and I have a beef?" he kicked up his board as a show of challenge.

“You want to lose to a kid in front of everyone again?" Miya immediately mocked.

“Hey!”

--

-X-

As soon as his mother's room went dark and the sound of light snores echoed in the hall, he tip-toed his way out of his room and through the house, stopping to press two fingers to his father's picture, before slipping out into the night. There were still a few lights on within the apartment block, so he dipped and weaved to avoid being seen by the nosy neighbors who would certainly question his mother if they saw him sneaking out. Flies and other chittering insects greeted him as he made it to the street, throwing his board down to get on his way.

At this time of night, the path to Sia La Luce was a mostly quiet one, though it was sometimes disturbed by the screeching tires of motorists on their way home. All of the businesses down that way were either closed or closing, owners and employees readily awaiting the sweet embrace of their beds and pillows after a hard day's work.

On regular nights, he wouldn't be making this trek alone. No, normally, he'd be making ride with-

“Reki," Langa said to himself, his eyes downcast.

Even with the tournament having been put on pause for a week, Reki still hadn't made an appearance at S. He'd taken a longer leave from work, and none of his texts had received even a single reply.

Without his notice, Langa slowed down to a crawl, the force of his kicks not nearly as strong as they could be. It took him a quarter of an hour to reach his destination. The imminent sounds of an argument between the Six-Pack and AI Skater was the first thing Langa heard as he skated around the corner towards the Italian restaurant.

“Tell me again why you needed a soccer mom van for work?”

“I told you that I needed a large space to transfer my canvases and supplies.”

“I feel like you could've just bought a pick-up truck.”

“I will leave you on the side of the road.”

Sitting in the front seats of his panel van with the windows down, Joe and Cherry narrowed their eyes at one another.

“It's just canvases, brushes, and ink; it can't take up this much space. Seriously, this is just like when you got all those LEDs for that Carlacycle of yours.”

“Are you forgetting that I also used my purchases to tune up the rustbucket you call a motorcycle?”

“Hey, slime," Miya chimed in as the door to his right slid open and Langa jumped in to sit beside him, “What took you so long?”

“Sorry," Langa mumbled. “I lost track of time.”

“Lost track of time, aren't you excited?" Shadow called from the back. “We got a downright legendary beef in like an hour.”

Langa pondered Shadow's words for a moment. He once thought racing Adam- experiencing the heart pounding exhilaration that was the King of S- was what he wanted all along. However, the thought of just being at S as it was didn't even cause a flutter in his heart.

“I guess I'm a bit excited," he muttered, looking up at the front seats. “Good luck, Cherry.”

“Thank you," Cherry turned away from Joe. “Reki's still a no show?”

Hearing the other high schooler's name, Langa's heart felt gripped by a hand made of ice.

“I can try texting him again," he replied and swiftly pulled out his phone.

“We won't be able to wait for him, unfortunately," Cherry said as he twisted the keys in the ignition. “If we don't leave now, we'll be late.”

As the group headed down the road, a bit of chatter started between the three adults while Miya flipped up his hood, somewhat immersed in his game, though his eyes flickered to Langa's phone every so often. Langa himself was just as focused on the device, blocking everyone out.

“So, Cherry," Shadow said. “When was the last time you beefed Adam?”

“My last time? Hmm, I think it was almost eight years ago, a little while after the first ever tournament at S. He challenged me to race him down one of the now defunct tracks.”

“Really? You never told me about that." Joe raised a brow at his friend.

“You were at work that night, and he asked me to keep it a secret between us," Cherry replied, gripping the steering wheel tightly for a second.

“There are secret tracks at S?" Shadow questioned.

“There are a lot more tracks that aren't really used anymore," Joe replied. “Some were too dangerous. Others would take a lot more upkeep than the we ones we use now.”

The van came to a stop at one of the traffic lights.

“Huh," the Anti-hero of S leaned forward in his seat. “So, who won?”

“Adam won, but not by much, “Cherry said.

As Cherry talked about his prior loss, Joe looked to the back seat. Usually, the teens were especially nosy when it came to matters prior to their arrival to the mountain, so not hearing them talk once was a major surprise.

Miya was still playing his dungeon crawler, the sprite of a red-haired knight hacking away at a vampire feasting on the heart of an innocent maiden. Langa was still staring at his phone; his eyes were glistening just the slightest bit.

“Hey, Langa, you good?" looking up, the young Canadian's clear blue eyes crossed with Joe's burgundy ones.

“I'm...fine," Langa muttered.

“Reki?" Joe asked knowingly.

“...Yeah," the teen answered, a solemnly slid his phone into his shirt pocket.

“Is he coming tonight?" Miya looked up, pausing his game. “He's pretty much missed the whole tournament.”

“I don't think so," Langa shook his head. “The last time I talked to him about it, he said he didn't care. I thought I saw him when I raced Joe, but I couldn't find him.”

“Hmm, that so?" the Six-Pack Skater pondered. “I talked to Reki before our beef, told him to come by, but I never actually saw him. After Kaoru's beef, how about we ask the capmen at the gates whether they remember seeing him or not?”

“I doubt the capmen would remember a random red headed child," Cherry disagreed. “I'll have Carla scrape the video records tonight and text you all later.”

“Sounds good to me," Shadow shrugged. “Besides, even if he doesn't show up, we can give him the good news later that you knocked Adam off his high horse.”

“Oh, Carla could keep a video and we can show him later," Miya smiled. “Reki might come back if he sees Adam lose.”

“I don't know," Langa looked down at his chest. “I just want to talk to him.”

The rest of the ride to S was filled with minimal chatter and a few quips between Joe and Cherry. Every once in a while, Langa would pull out his phone and look at his screen as if the final message would change on its own.

It didn't take long before they were driving through the gates of paradise. Cherry got out early, throwing the van keys at Joe to hurry to the starting line while they found a place to park. With just five minutes until the beef, the four of them flagged down a capman to race them to the top.

“Langa-kun!" The Matador of Love waved excitedly from his spot at the starting line. “Have you come to cheer me on? Oh, I can feel your yearning for our union even from here!”

Everyone watched as the Matador emitted large flashing hearts of rose gold. He was so utterly focused on the boy before him it was entirely possible that someone could sneak up and steal his case of cigarettes from him, and he wouldn't even notice. Langa himself simply blinked at the man, wholely uninterested in his usual mannerisms and mind preoccupied on something more import.t.

“Don't you worry, my Eve. We'll have our chance to race again very soon! I pro-

“Are you ready or not?" Cherry interrupted, his lips downturned behind his mask. "Or do we all have to wait another week while you stand there and fawn?”

Adam abruptly paused, and then suddenly, all the energeticness he was exuding seemed to fade away.

He turned and gave Cherry a lackadaisical smile. "Oh, I forgot you were here.”

“You!" Clenching his fists, Cherry almost threw Carla to the ground.

“Let's get this over with," Adam said brusquely.

A blaring horn silenced everyone on the mountain. Both skaters leaned forward, eyes focused on the starting line.

Three...Two...One...

“Bzzzt!”

--

“Tell us again, Nanjo-san, what exactly is your relationship with Sakurayashiki-sensei?”

“He's my best friend. We...we grew up together.”

The bright, fluorescent lights were pulling on the ends of his nerves and kicking at the front of his skull. His legs felt like jelly, barely holding him up as he swayed back and forth on his aching feet. Kojiro braced himself against the cold wall of the waiting room; he could very clearly feel the continuous thump thump thumping of his heart against his ribcage.

“And you can confirm that you're his emergency contact?" the officer asked as he jotted down notes in his PDA.

“In his medical records, yeah. In his phone, maybe.”

The heavy cough of a nearby elderly man in a wheelchair made Kojiro jump a bit. He rubbed at his arm, nerves already frazzled beyond belief. He took a wary glace across the room, watching as one of the receptionists inputted information on the newest patient.

The chef had never hated hospitals as much as Kaoru did, but he was willing to come around to his way of thinking just this once.

“And remind us, how did he end up in his condition?" the second officer prodded.

Kojiro's breath almost hitched as the events of just a few hours ago waded through his mind. First astonishment, then pride, then the loss of hope, shock, a moment of pure anger and fear, racing down the track as fast as he could, dust flying into his eyes, gravel cracking under the wheels of his board. Ad- that man- standing over Kaoru as he bled out onto the ground.

He didn't remember much after getting into Shadow's car. Not leaving out of S's gates. Not the high-speed drive down the road. Not reentering the city. Not even making it into the hospital parking lot.

He did remember running in. “Somebody please help me!" he had screamed.

He remembered putting Kaoru down on a stretcher, the entire right half of his face covered in blood. His left leg was twisted, his foot flopping as a nurse tried to rest it in the middle of the bed.

“Oh god," he had said as a sudden body shift had Kaoru spitting blood onto the blue sheets of the gurney.

“Let's get him to imaging!" one of them shouted.

Hee tried following the entourage of health care workers in to the backrooms, but one of the receptionists started pushing against his chest.

“You can't go back there, sir!”

“But...Kaoru...he-he's”

A scream from the back, “Code Blue!”

Code Blue. What the hell did that even mean?

He vaguely remembered the security guard and Hiromi grabbing him by the shoulders.

“He's safe now, Kojiro." The Anti-hero of S held him tight. “He's safe; the doctors will take care of him. Come over here with me. Let's take a breather, okay?”

It was only through Hiromi's coaxings that he was able to answer the triage nurse's questions, as jumbled and stunted as they were. It wasn't too long after they were left to wait that law enforcement showed up.

“We were just on our way back from a costume party," Kojiro replied. “We were walking back to the car when a truck swerved around the corner and hit him.”

“And you didn't think to call 119?" the officer raised a brow, trying to catch him in a lie, while the first added, “The car didn't stop?”

“He was unconscious and bleeding so much. I just...I wanted to get him help alright. Get him to the hospital instead of just sitting there and waiting." His fists clenched and he took in a deep breath. “I wasn't thinking clearly at the time, alright? I just....I needed to get him some help. And no the car didn't stop.”

He didn't know exactly which of the hospital populous called the police. Maybe it was the triage nurse at check-in who recognized Kaoru immediately from his hair and was currently whispering into the landline to someone. Perhaps it was the security guard who saw the blood spread across Kojiro's chest, pants, and hands and assumed he was the cause of Kaoru's state. Maybe it was the father of three who was sitting in the waiting area with his children, his wife's condition currently unknown. It could've been anyone really, but it didn't really matter now did it?

What did matter was that Kaoru was a very well-off and acclaimed artist. He had enough money to pay every single bill of whoever was unfortunate enough to end up there that night, and then buy the hospital just for the hell of it. His name held enough prestige that businesses in the West tapped his talent for signs, cards, and other stationery no matter the shipping cost just to have the bragging right of “I did business with Sakurayashiki Kaoru.”

People like that usually had an array of doctors and healthcare providers at their beck and call. If those people couldn't be reached, then they went to a more affluent facility; one that didn't have chipped tiled floors, dingy white partitions, and fading blue waiting room chairs.

It was more than a little suspicious when someone of Kaoru's social standing ended up in an everyday man's hospital.

“Can you tell us what this car looked like?”

“It was red; I don't remember much else. Sorry, but I wasn't too focused on the car at the time. Maybe it was a Hyundai, maybe it was an Altima. And before you ask, no I didn't get the license plate.”

The officer gave him a suspicious glance, orange eyes sweeping over his tattoo for the longest of seconds, before he sighed, sliding his PDA into his pants pocket.

“We may have some more questions at a later date, Nanjo-san. Please make sure that we are able to reach you." The officer said before walking off, his partner not far behind him.

Kojiro simply waved his phone in their direction, eyeing them both relieved and embittered as he finally moved over to fall down into one of the waiting room chairs. He ran a hand through his wind-wrecked hair, uncaring if chips of dried blood got stuck in between the threads.

“You sure you don't want to wash up, might make you feel a bit better," the sound of Hiromi's boots clacked against the tiled floors.

“I'll wash up when they finally tell me how Kaoru's doing," Kojiro replied. “It's been hours, yet nobody's talked to us yet.”

“That's good in a way." Hiromi sat down beside him. “Means he's still alive and kicking.”

The smell of coffee wafted up Kojiro's nostrils. “I got you something to drink," Hiromi said, pressing the cup into Kojiro's still trembling hands. “Thought they'd never leave.”

“They didn't question you as long as they did me," Kojiro grunted, swirling the cup in his hands, the warmth doing little to calm his nerves.

“I'm not covered in blood. Nor do I have a visible tattoo. And I don't look like I could defeat Mike Tyson and The Rock in a 2 v.1," Hiromi joked as he stretched out.

Kojiro let out a weak chuckle. “No, but you do look like you could take a cinnamon stick boy." Then paused. “At least in appearance. Back in the day, Kaoru would take on eight guys at a time with just a baseball bat.”

“That sounds terrifying," Hiromi shuddered, his mouth gaping at just the thought.

“It was...for the people who pissed him off.”

“I can imagine. They did check the car. I managed to hide our boards under the boot, and they didn't ask too many questions about the blood in the backseat. They were a bit suspicious of the dirt on the tires though.”

“Did they take a sample?”

“No.”

“Then they'll live. Soon as the day starts good, go to a car wash.”

A silence encompassed them then. Kojiro's attention flipping back and forth between the black double doors of the emergency wing and the slowly cooling coffee in his hands. Hiromi sipped at his drink, tapping away at his phone.

“I got a hold of Langa; he took Miya home then went back to his place. Tried getting a hold of Reki, still no answer," Hiromi said after a while.

“That's good," Kojiro nodded. “I'm glad they're both safe. Least Reki didn't have to see tonight.”

“Wish none of them did," Hiromi grimaced. “I was gonna bring Miya with us, but the kid ran off. I didn't want to waste time going after him so I-”

“You don't have to explain it to me," Kojiro patted the other man on the leg. “Thank you, by the way.”

“No problem.”

Kojiro finally took a drink from his lukewarm coffee. The call of “Hashimoto-san” from the receptionist was one of the only little sounds in the waiting area aside from the ever-ticking clock and the barely above a whisper voices from the corner televisions.

“You know, Kaoru started skating a year after I did?" Kojiro started as he set his cup of coffee down near his feet.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. His family...they were the strict sort of people and had pretty much planned Kaoru's entire life out for him, and it goes little to say that skateboarding wasn't a part of it. Between calligraphy and everything else he had going on the only time he got to even look at a board is when we had sleepovers.”

“Wow, would have thought you two started at the same time or something.”

“Yeah, I was so pissed when he learned how to rail grind quicker than I did. Held it over my head for weeks, the dick.”

“Like you probably didn't hold it over him when you learned to Madonna or something.”

Kojiro grinned. “It was actually a Grosman Grab.”

Hiromi was quick to lead Kojiro into a conversation of beginner and freestyle moves, a welcome distraction. While the constant talk of Ghetto Birds, Darkslides, and Rocket Airs could never take Kaoru off the twenty-six year old's mind, it did do the trick in getting his nerves to settle just the littlest bit.

“Wait, a Roastbeef Grab!" Hiromi exclaimed. “Isn't that more your style?”

“Kaoru would try anything back in the day," Kojiro snorted. “You should have seen him when he did a Benihana then went straight into a Daydream Flip. He even had Adam cheer.... “Kojiro grew quiet before he could finish his sentence.

His eyes found the doors once more. They were still, and not a bit of movement could be seen behind the opaque glass.

Kojiro bit his lip. Skateboarding had been such an important part of the duo's lives for almost two decades, and now there was a big possibility that Kaoru may never walk again, let alone skate.

“I'm going to kill him," Kojiro whispered, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. “I'm going to kill that son of a bitch.”

Hiromi squeezed the man's shoulder. “Gonna have to get in line after Cherry's fans," he said. “Some of those girls looked like they wanted blood.”

“They're the ones who are going to have to get in line.”

Adam had had a punch waiting for him for a very long time. Seven years of longing, hope, and anger all wrapped up into a gloved fist. When before it would have been on the shoulder or perhaps in the gut, now Kojiro could only imagine white, red, and gold mask fragments digging into alabaster skin.

Or perhaps, he could use another method? Adam was so very clever, coming up with new techniques on the fly. Maybe Kojiro should take his skateboard and give Adam a secondhand demonstration of just how effective his new move-

“Ahem, excuse me?" a hesitant voice broke through the man's seething thoughts.

Turning, Hiromi and Kojiro took note as a young woman stepped up to them.

“You are Nanjo Kojiro, right?" The woman stepped a bit closer. “Here for Sakurayashiki Kaoru?”

She was a woman of around average height. Her brown locks framed her oval-shaped face, her grey eyes a bit cautious. She was dressed in a white tee, a black and gold Mami Band jacket, blue jeans, and matching sneakers.

Kojiro found himself raising a brow. She'd used their real names, so she couldn't have been from S. And she obviously wasn't a doctor or nurse, dressed like that. Was she an undercover cop? Maybe they sent a pretty face to try and get a confession out of him.

“Uh, yeah," Kojiro did his best to put on his signature smile as he got up from his chair. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

The woman took a deep breath. “I'm Takahashi Kioko, Sakurayashiki-san's babysitter." The woman gave him a small bow. “I was instructed to find you or Nanjo Chiyoko in case of an emergency.”

Kojiro stood shocked still, confusion overcoming his buzzing nerves.

“Um," Hiromi stared at the woman, incredulous. “I'm sorry? Come again?”

“I'm Sakurayashiki-san's babysitter," Kioko repeated, as if it was the most normal sentence one could speak in this situation.

“A...a babysitter?!" Kojiro exclaimed. “Why in the world would he need a babysitter?”

“That's-

“Kioko-oneesan," a sleep-ridden voice grabbed the men's attention, drawing their eyes down from the woman's face to behind her.

Holding tight to her left leg and jacket was a little boy. He wasn't well put together, like his white t-shirt and denim overalls had been shuffled on in a hurry. His shoelaces were still untied, tripping hazard trailing behind his blue power ranger sneakers. His rose colored locks were mushed together like he'd just been woken up from a deep sleep. His scarlet eyes were brimming with tears.

The child stared at Kojiro and Hiromi, his wide eyes as he tugged hard against his caretaker's pants as if he was trying to drag her away. The boy whimpered, his bottom lip wobbling as he asked,

“Where's chichi?”

---

For Kaoru's and Kojiro's nicknames I decided on names that I think would fit the child versions of them. Kaoru = Raki with the characters meaning “comfort” and “rare”, and Kojiro = Kouki meaning “light” and “hope”. The nicknames were given to them by their mothers.

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haha = mama okaasan = mother chichi = papa otoosan = father sofu = grandpa oneesan = elder sister/big sister obasan = aunt

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Original Character List (so far, good god just what have I gotten myself into?)

Sakuaryashiki [Redacted]– Kaoru's son Takahashi Kioko – Kaoru's Babysitter Uehara Sayuri – Manager of Sia La Luce Fujimori Teijo – Sous Chef of Sia La Luce Miyamoto Miyoko – Sous Chef of Sia La Luce Kawasaki Jona – Cook at Sia La Luce Tagawa Rioto– Cook at Sia La Luce Oshiro Hirohito – Server at Sia La Luce Kurihara - A client of Kaoru's Hashimoto – Random Hospital Occupant Yamamura Hayate – A client of Kaoru's Kida [Redacted] – Kaoru's master/calligraphy teacher Nanjo Chiyoko - Kojiro's mother

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[darkdevasofdestruction]

A Thousand Year Love ~ Ryomen Sukuna x Kitsune!Reader

Okay, I wrote the Reader's name as "Kitsune", but that's mostly because I envisioned a nine tailed fox without an actual name, that everyone would just call her "Fox" as if she wasn't anyone worth naming, despite her rank.

This is a little fic which explored Sukuna's supposed backstory, 1000 years prior to he action of Jujutsu Kaisen - Idk if it's accurate, I didn't yet read the manga, I still have 6 more episodes from the anime, but I had this idea and I couldn't stop myself from writing about it.

Most of it builds up the bond that very slowly grows between Sukuna and Kitsune, then snaps during a scene somewhere around episode 4 of the anime, when Sukuna takes over Yuji's body, and Yuji can't switch for a while, but with enough altercations that it's not exactly the same as in the said episode.

Hope you enjoy this <3

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"What are we doing here...?" Kitsune asked her parents in a voice that was barely audible as she looked left and right at the huge estate's gardens.

Estate? Rather said, palace, since this place was grandiose - Most likely, even more so than the Emperor's own Palace, the girl thought to herself. Everywhere she looked, cherry, plum and pear trees were in blossom, even though it wasn't their time. Statues and little shrines, along with various small pools with flowers, lanterns and lotuses were scattered as much as her vision would allow her to see. Looking up at the estate, she realised just how small she was in comparison to the intimidating and imposing energies radiating all over the place.

"You are going to meet someone very important, dear." her mother spoke, yet her voice wasn't as gentle as usual, rather, it sounded stiff, on the edge...Almost afraid, maybe? It was foreign for young Kitsune, as she has been confined in her little palace her whole life under the pretext of keeping her safe. But it did exactly the opposite, she believed, considering she itched to explore and go on adventures with each second passing. "Who is it?" she asked as soon as they stepped inside the palace...But it was so dark, save for the red, malicious light from the lanterns and candles lit in just the perfect places so it would guide them to the room they had to go to. "...You will find out soon." her father snapped at her, and she could only frown, her fluffy ears flicking as her tails wrapped protectively around herself. She knew something was wrong, and she had half a mind to believe she was brought there as a sacrifice for some War Deity that would allegedly save them from this era of war...Or something along the lines.

After a longer walk than expected, they found themselves in front of two large, red doors, and without any kind of reticence, Kitsune effortlessly slammed the doors open and saw a dimly lit room with a few stairs and a throne where a man with short, kinda spiky pink hair, garbed in a loose, white kimono was smugly sprawled over that royally embellished chair, while tons of gorgeous women dressed in the most luxurious kimonos, their hair done up with intricate headpieces and flowers that would put any living being to shame...

But what is this about? Kitsune was more confused than anything, and she could only step inside the room, slowly and carefully, before turning to look at her parents, who had a pitiful look in their eyes.

"What is going on?" Kitsune demanded an answer, her voice agitated, her body ready to go into a fight or flight mode, her eyes darting rapidly between her parents and the man on the throne whose name she wasn't interested in finding out. "Well, darling...You see...You had to find you a husband. You are old enough to be married, and you can't stay with us forever. You need to have a family and children. You are the princess of the Fox clan, there is nobody more beautiful than you -..." her mother tried to reason, but the young girl wasn't stupid. She understood what was going on. "No. No. If you want to speak - Then speak the truth. Don't lie to me. This guy is strong, isn't he? Some kind of demonic thing that everyone is afraid off. You are giving me away to this guy...To be his...Thousandth concubine in his harem or something, just because you're too weak to take care of our kin. That's the truth, isn't it? Go on, admit it. Stop trying to sugar coat the situation." her nine tails opened from around her in a large, undulating fan, making her aggression obvious, as fire began to immolate the tips of her fur. "SHUT UP, IMPERTINENT, UNRULY CHILD!" her mother slapped her face, not wanting their benefactor to hear his future concubine speaking so foul of him. "You are a woman, and the princess, nonetheless, and your role is to continue our kin and obey your family and husband. Do not speak unless you are allowed to!" but before her mother could grab her face, Kitsune's tail slapped her hand away, and she stepped back. "I am nobody's toy. I will not obey anyone's orders. Not yours, and not his. I will not be just another concubine for some disgusting, good for nothing lecher with no redeeming quality." the girl snarled at them, ready to make her escape out of there, if needed. "If your sister was alive, she would have sacrificed herself for the greater good of this family! You are nothing more than a selfish brat!" it was her father's time to accuse her, which made her ears perk up, while her tails completely deflated. "Yes, of course, how could I forget. It was me who should have died, not my perfect elder sister. Sorry, but you should curse the Gods, not me for that. But, since it seems that my life is meaningless to you, then I will make you a favour! I will end it myself! I'm sure you'll be happy without me, won't you? Ahh...But how will you save our war-ridden? Too bad I won't be alive to witness your demise, huh?" with a dark chuckle, Kitsune's hand went inside her kimono, taking the small kodachi sword and unsheathing it, hearing only the gasps and shrieks of fright from the harem girls. Kitsune could only guess that these girls were all high-born and unfamiliar to the horrible things happening outside of these walls. "What the hell are you doing, you idiotic child?! Cease this madness at once!" her mother shrieked at her, lounging towards her, trying to stop herself from impaling that blade through her body, and yet...

The second the girl launched her hand down to stab herself...She got stopped. The whole place became instantly silent, save for the sound of a blade bouncing down as it fell on the wooden floor. "Enough." a dark, annoyed voice resounded through the place as Kitsune's wrists were grasped by the man's...Front hands? While her body was immobilized in an embrace by his other two arms. "I was promised a beautiful princess as a concubine, and you failed to do as you promised. Leave, before I get bored and kill you." he threatened the two adult fox people who scurried away in a hurry, leaving behind their only daughter without a second thought. "You, however...Will remain here." he chuckled in her ear, but Kitsune wasn't one to be messed with. Her answer came in the form of lighting up her tails on fire an wrapping them around the man, who hissed and unhanded her, allowing her enough time to go into a corner and get in a fleeing stance. "Why did you stop me? I have no intention of being one of your whores. You should have let me end it right there." she scoffed at the man, who dismissed the bottom pair of arms and laughed. It was almost a psychopathic laugh, she thought, and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up - Unsure if it was from fright or disgust. "You amuse me, little vixen. Very much, you amuse me. Having a little fox wag her tails around this place, all fired up, would give some sense of fun, wouldn't you say?" his voice was grating her, and she only wanted to sock him in the jaw. "Keep on dreaming. I'm not your toy, and I'm not here for anyone's entertainment. You have enough girls in this place to amuse you. I'll be going now, and even if you chain me, you can't stop me from achieving my freedom." Kitsune growled at him, slamming open the sliding door that would lead into the balcony, from where she could jump the hell away from there. "You proved you value your life even less than your parents do, so chaining you would do nothing. I have never seen a woman as fiery as you. All the ones I have are the same. Meek, soft...Afraid. Boring. They all like the same things, and hate the same things." he groaned pitifully, evidently bored out of his mind. "They hate you, don't they? You want women, but you don't bother treating them right. Can you get even more typically terrible? Pitiful and disgusting, that's what you are. You just want to break people for your entertainment. You are nothing more than a selfish megalomaniac. No wonder you are in need of entertaining, you are thoroughly boring." Kitsune's degrading words, however, didn't seem to phase the man at all - In fact - It made him laugh. Never, in this life, has he heard anything this degrading before - Everyone tried their best to appeal to his benevolent and merciful side - To at least spare their lives. He was stronger than anyone alive, so nobody dared speak up in front of him. It was obvious she had no idea who he was - All the better - He thought. "Ryomen Sukuna, missy, but you can call me your Emperor." that confident laugh was enough to drive Kitsune up the wall with anger as she stomped to his side and actually punched his jaw. It was annoying - The height difference - As he towered over her entirely, but at least she managed to reach where needed, little miss firecracker. "Piss off." the fox girl growled in anger at him...And yet...He only...Laughed. And he cupped her face, getting his own so close to hers that they could feel each other's breaths. "You. Are. Mine." his grin was so wide and sociopathic that he might as well have had his face split in two. "I will never be yours. I will never be anyone's. I'm not an object. I will not obey anyone. The second you leave me out of your sight, I will flee, and you will never see me again. And if I can't, I will find a way to kill myself. I have nothing to live for, but everything to die for." Kitsune bared her elongated canines at him, and gosh, was she enticing. "And if I get rid of the harem?" he asked, not bothering with everything she talked before. "You'll be a heartless jerk who'll destroy

the lives of so many women." she refuted just as quickly. "And if I don't fuck anyone but you?" he threw that, wanting to fluster her, but the fire in her eyes only ignited even higher. "As usual, you can only think with the wrong head, can't you? There's nothing to you but your stupid little prick. How pathetic. And you call yourself a man. Go die in the war or something." she grabbed him by the loose neck line of his kimono, only to hear him laughing condescendingly. "But darling, that just couldn't possibly happen. I am simply too strong to get killed. Everybody fears my power, why else do you think your parents were so willing to give you away? They were weak, just like you said, and every weakling needs the help of Ryomen Sukuna, Japan's own God of War." this statement made the girl's gorgeous eyes widen in shock...Only to start laughing, almost hysterically. "Oh, bow down to the self proclaimed God of War! Can you believe that! Your majesty, tone down your arrogance, it's gonna get yourself killed! I knew it, you're absolutely useless! All you can do is bark, no bite, little puppy! The only thing intimidating about you is your height, other than that, you are just a generic man who thinks he's all to powerful. How ridiculous." the fox girl couldn't stop her degrading laughing, which confused the man for a while, only to smirk and pick her up bridal style, carrying her out of that room, not letting her get out of his grasp, no matter how much she tried to wiggle or burn him. "I won't let you go until you acknowledge my infinite strength, cute, little fox. But don't think that just because I favour you, I will let you get away with all the shit you called me." his voice sounded darker, more ominously, but it didn't seem to intimidate the girl. "Not in a million years. Not even in your sweetest dreams. You're pathetic and I'll never acknowledge you as anything else but a disgusting, lecherous pig!" she yelled at his face, to which he responded by letting her roughly fall on a soft futon, then crouching by her side and gripping her face just as her mother did before. "Say that again when you'll end up screaming my name as if your life depends on it." he laughed at her before leaving her new room, which she won't leave for a while.

This annoying girl, Sukuna was intrigued by her, but at the same time, he was very tempted into strangling her or snapping her neck - Despite all that fire she lets out, he was curious if she'd end up groveling in self-pity, begging him for mercy, going back on her previous misguided and foolish courage. Wasn't it bad enough that she had no idea who HE was? He also had to endure such disrespect - And even worse - Enjoy it? That little fox bitch was ready to commit seppuku in front of everyone just to prove a point, what the hell else could be more entertaining? All the women he's had were given away by their families as tributes, and none said a word. He was a jerk to them, he fucked them, he mistreated them - Sukuna didn't give a fuck about any woman, man, child, animal...Or any living being in the world, except for himself. All were beneath him - Unworthy, weak, frail -...

And yet, they still lie to his face, trembling as they say all the fake, sweet nothings - "I love you, My Lord" the women would say, their voice shaky, jumping in fright as he'd touch them. He was a rough man, he never knew gentleness, nor mercy, no love - Through all the words spewed by the firey woman, the part where she declared he had no idea how to treat women properly - Yes, it was true, but did he care? Of course not.

Humans were all puppets with whom he could play as much as he wanted - All instruments for his entertaining in this terribly boring world, he would manipulate everyone like dolls on his strings, and when they've exhausted their means of entertaining him, the string will be cut, and the puppets will fall in an abyss of infernal fire.

For the first two weeks, Sukuna and Kitsune were literally acting like a cat chasing a mouse - And each time, the cat would surprise the mouse just as she was about to survive - He was giving her hope of success, only to pick her up by one of her many tails, or embrace her from behind, pick her up, trip her, show up from behind a tree, play with her hair as he came up from a tree behind her, and sometimes, even going as far as to mock her by pointing her the way out of the place.

But very soon, she gave up, and decided to starve herself to death by not leaving her assigned room, ignoring him entirely whenever she'd get visited by him - But that ended in the worst way possible - With her fainting and unable to wake up, and Sukuna freaking out because he didn't want his little toy to die before she got boring.

He laid next to her on the futon, holding her in his eyes, brushing her hair out of her face, playing with her vivid red hair - She truly looked like a fox in Sukuna's eyes, and he almost felt his heart warm up as he felt up the soft fur on her tails, waiting for his cursed energy to heal her up. After some time, he noticed the little red ball of fur getting smaller and smaller as she cuddled into his chest, resembling a defenseless kit searching for warmth, love and safety from its mother. She was so much smaller than him - So frail, so thin, so soft...So cute? - What was it that he was feeling? Calmness? Protectiveness?

He was furious at her for neglecting her health just so she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of toying with her - But that was also endearing, in its own, messed up way? She would go to such dramatic extremes to prove him wrong...It seemed that no matter what she did, it would still make him enjoy her company.

Whenever he'd fuck one of his harem girls, he wouldn't stay over, not even for a kiss - Hell, he didn't even know most of their names - Why should he? They were all the same to him - But he felt such a strong sense of protectiveness over he - He didn't want to strangle her to death anymore - Maybe just a bit of fun, some teasing, some startling - His hand around her supple neck as she looks up at him with her sparkling eyes, calling out his name - Sukuna, Sukuna - Pleading softly, but desperately to him for her sweet release - Sukuna, Sukuna - And he will be merciful, for once, and give her what she wants.

Just as he was caught in his own, sick fantasy, he felt the girl move and grumble, turning on her back, her small hands flying to rub her eyes awake - And he rolled over her, a playful, teasing smirk on his face as he waited for her to realise the position they were in - And yet, she was still out of it, for her eyes were half-lidded and gleaming, she was still weak from her lack of self-care, and she could only look up at him, dazed..."Sukuna...?" she mumbled in a whispery tone - What is she doing to him?! How dare she entice him so much? He wasn't supposed to be attracted to her in any way, so why...?!

"Relax, sweet-cheeks. I'm here." he spoke in a low voice, not wanting to alert her...Wait, what - "...Thanks." muttering that, she let out a soft sigh as she closed her eyes again, the corners of her mouth slightly turned upright as she allowed herself to fall back asleep and rest, not caring too much that she felt a slight pressure on both of her hands, in the form of the demon man pressing his own hands to hers, intertwining their fingers together as he towered over her, watching her chest rise and fall rhythmically as she breathed, her kissable, pink lips just a tiny bit parted. He couldn't stop himself - She was too irresistible, and he was much too insatiable - And he leaned down, pressing his own lips over hers - Gently - Very gently in fact, almost as if afraid of breaking a porcelain doll, as if afraid to crush a snowdrop he just picked from a glade, one just just barely managed to get out from under the remaining, melting snow of early spring. "You'll be the death of me, cutie." he found himself saying as he licked his lips, taking in the sweetness of the kiss.

Since then on, despite not being exactly friendly with the man, the fox girl didn't hate him that much anymore. It even got well enough for them to eat in the same room, or play shogi - The girl beating him at it more often than not, which left mixed feelings in his heart - And then he showed her the musical instruments that the concubines would sometimes use whenever he'd want a banquet and more sinful indulgences. He didn't ask her to play for him, though. He realised that the more he tried to push the girl, the less likely she'll actually do anything he wants.

Even more, the more time they spent together, the more his concubines would get neglected - So much that he was completely drawn to this fox girl and all the other women were completely wiped from his head. - And he started gifting her a bunch of beautiful kimonos, only to find them in front of his room's door, rejected. She didn't want anything from him, nor did she want his favour, so she continued wearing her simple clothes.

Until...

Until one night - It was a special night, really - For the moon was full, and big, and gleaming with such a beautiful silver light that neither of them saw in the many years they've been alive. And Kitsune dressed in one of her festival yukatas and went to the lotus pond, surrounded by a few wisteria trees, as the mirror of the water reflected the celestial orb like sparkling zircons. The fox gingerly jumped in the middle of the sheen, walking on it like a spirit, only her feminine silhouette being seen, as her long hair was gently blown by the warm spring wind and her tails were dancing around her in perfect sync. As her feet moved to the sound of the melody she played on a vertical flute she was given by the owner of the place, Sukuna found himself unable to move from his place on the palace balcony, his sight fixated on the woman's form as she alternated playing the instrument and dancing with ribbon-fans.

Her moves were fluid and mystifying like those of a priestess leading a will'o'wisp to rest into kakuriyo, the land of the dead - what was he supposed to do now? He was confused and mesmerised. He's seen his fair share of beautiful women playing instruments and dancing for him - Hundreds of them, in fact - But none could match the effect this nine tailed fox girl had on him.

This continued days on end, but he never admitted to her that he was stalking her every night, nor that he was completely enchanted and under her spell, at the point of no return.

"I'm going to war tomorrow." he told her one evening as he poured himself some sake. "...Good for you. Finally, more entertaining for the most powerful man on Earth...Or something. Bring me a souvenir when you return, I guess." the girl merely shrugged her shoulders as she took the tea pot and poured herself some tea, not bothering with any reaction. "You're not worried for me, are you? What if I die tomorrow? Will you weep for me?" he leaned forward, taking her chin between his fingers. " 'Course not. You're the one who keeps boasting about how you're the most powerful man on Earth and The God of War or something. Besides - If you die, I will just steal all your money and get the hell out of this place, so I can finally see the world through my very eyes, not through inked letters on paper. I want to be free and fly. Life here is boring. I've had enough years of being home stuck, don't you think?" she snapped at him as she snatched the now empty sake up and poured herself some alcohol. "And what if I promise to take you out to see the world when I return?" he smirked at her, watching her ears perk up a bit at the proposition. "...I don't believe you." she looked away before she could reveal any real emotion in her eyes. "I promise. But you also have to promise to relax around me. You're always on the edge, even if you've been here for a whole year. I saw you play in the winter, jump to collect autumn leaves taken by the wind, pick up fruit after climbing up the trees, and make flower crowns in spring. I saw you get buried completely in snow, only one of your tails being seen, I saw you make fruit wine in autumn, send paper lanterns into the sky and bathe in the lotus ponds. We're not strangers anymore, and I've never hurt you even once. So, do we have a deal?" his hunter-like eyes carefully watched her every reaction, noticing how her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly, before biting into it softly - She was nervous, that much was obvious - And Sukuna was now a pro at reading her behaviour. "...I'll try. But if you go back on your promise...I promise you, you won't wake up the next morning." she scoffed, threatening him, but it only ended up making him laugh. "The little kitten has claws, how adorable. That's fair, I'll let you have that." the man chuckled at her, petting her hair just between her ears, making her close her eyes and blush just a tiny bit. He was finally able to reach her - Not by much, but even this much was enough for him...For now.

For a whole month, Kitsune was all alone in the palace - Or so she felt, despite the numerous harem girls and the servants - All who had to obey her every order - But she refused any of that. If she wanted to eat, she would make food for herself. If she wanted to drink, she'd get some herself. If she wanted to bathe, she would prepare the bath herself - Just as she's always done. However, all this time, she was never in need of company. She couldn't handle people, nor their fakeness and many other useless emotions that would only make them vulnerable and susceptible of being used and taken for granted.

She's been through that numerous times while living with her family, and she wasn't about to let that happen again.

Thankfully, Kitsune never felt lonely, nor bored - However, she realised that she actually enjoyed Sukuna's annoying presence, and somehow, she found herself awaiting his coming back sooner.

"Master came back, vacation's over. Take care, everyone...I heard he's been injured. Can you believe it? Never thought demons can bleed." the many rumours circulated around the palace, but the fox girl only snapped at the gossipers, glaring at them to shut up. But she didn't go to greet him, like everyone else did. Instead, she waited until night to go to his room, and she found him on the ground, calmly drinking some sake.

"Ah, look at this, a little fox found its way in my humble abode. What ever could you be doing here, I wonder?" he chuckled teasingly, as she only looked down at him, giving him a slight head tilt, yet no expression on her blank face. "Are you wounded?" she muttered in a low voice, almost half-wanting not to have been heard...But she was. "Ha! So you heard those rumours too, haven't you? How ridiculous! Me? Ryomen Sukuna, the God of War, getting injured? Preposterous!" his bark-like laugh echoed through the place, but it didn't move the girl in any way. Instead, slowly crouched next to him, snatching down the already loose kimono top from his torso, letting it fall down to his chest, as her delicate fingers traced his chest, arm and back, analysing each and every fresh wound and scar alike. "I thought you could heal. Cursed energy magic or something. What you did to me when I passed out. Stupid liar. All you know how to do is to boast to everyone, but you can't even admit that you are still capable of making mistakes sometimes." her voice was obviously pissed off, but not enough to sock him in the jaw again. "Anti-regeneration magic. I didn't know something like that existed. Gimme a break." he scoffed, looking away in mild embarrassment. "Lucky you. Now don't move, or you'll really piss me off." she sneered at him as she made blue fire light up her palms and focused on healing him. It was then that she realised how good it felt to feel someone's bare skin, to feel his muscles, sore from fighting so much. He was finally beginning to look more like a man - A warrior - Not like some obnoxious, bratty, entitled casa nova. "I didn't know you could heal people. It tickles." he smirked slightly, turning his head to watch her focused face. "You don't know many things about me, Sukuna. Don't even bother trying, you'll never be able to, anyway." she scowled at him, but this time, it wasn't as aggressive as usual. "I've always loved a challenge, sugar." he chuckled boastfully, only for her to frown and look at him. "Is that all I am for you? A challenge?" she asked in a softer voice, sounding almost disappointed. "Not anymore. You've always been an enigma for me. You were fun, that's why I kept you around. If you weren't, I'd have killed you. I have no regrets about killing anyone, reason or not. But you got under my skin. I don't want to unveil the enigma behind you anymore. I just want to know you." carefully, his hands found their way on her hips, just before pulling her on his lap, only for her to stiffen up completely, her hands quickly taken off of his skin, as she quickly snapped her head away from him, her face covered by the long hair that resembled the blood he spilled on the battlefield. "Aww, are you shy, cutie~?" his seductive voice was back again, one of his hands reaching up to cup her face - But she couldn't bring herself to speak - Instead, she just gulped and jumped away from him, taking a few deep breaths before getting out of the room, and climbing up to the roof, hugging her legs to her chest, leaning her chin on her knees, her bottom lip bitten into to the point of drawing blood.

What the hell was she thinking, letting herself getting touched like that? By someone like Sukuna, nonetheless, who, if given the chance, would have his way with her, then toss her aside like he did with all the other women in his enormous harem. Her heart was beating so hard, so fast against her chest. It was a foreign feeling that scared her so much that for a long while, she couldn't help but avoid him once again, going out of her way to only leave her room when she was sure he wasn't there. It didn't always work out as she wished, but she still tried nonetheless, as succeeded for most of the time.

"Are you scared of me?" Sukuna asked the girl one night, when he found her softly shedding tears up on the roof. "...No." she offered a monotone answer. "Then why are you avoiding me again? Do you hate me?" he asked again, only for her to hang her head and hug herself. "I realised that I shouldn't be alive. All my life I've known only two emotions - Hatred and Rage - All of them masked by a facade of complete neutrality, passiveness and uncaring. But, now...I can feel my heart beating. And it hurts. I was so ready to throw away my life, and I knew I would have no regrets. I lived for nothing. I have no memories of anything good happening in my life. I thought that...I thought that maybe...I would be able to feel, staying here, with you. I wanted to feel something good, for once. What was that called...Happiness? Love? I wanted to feel those too. I guess it's too much to ask from this cruel life. The second you touched me, I started panicking and I got scared. I was afraid. Not of you, but of the idea of possibly getting hurt. I don't know how to feel, and I don't think I'll ever be able to be a proper being...But maybe...Someday...I will be able to look up at the same sky, at this very same moon, and the very same stars...And smile...And my chest won't be hurting anymore. And I won't be afraid anymore. Maybe, in the next life...Or the one after that...I will be lucky. Maybe times will change, and people won't be so cruel anymore. I'm sorry, Sukuna. I didn't end up being who and what you thought I'd be. I will forever be a disappointment to everyone I meet." she wasn't sure if her words were directed to anyone at all, or if she just found the courage to speak for the first time in her life - To acknowledge the existence of feelings altogether - But Sukuna understood her. Except for the thrill of the kill and fleeting quenched lust, he didn't feel any relief. Just like her, anger and hatred, for the entirety of his life. How different and similar the two of them really were, he realised, as he went to hug her from behind, resting his chin on top of her head. "You have never disappointed me, Kitsune. You cannot disappoint me. I understand what you're feeling. It's a cruel world, and we are much crueler to everyone around us, including ourselves. If you ever think you have it in your heart to accept me, I will be waiting. Forever, if needed. And if not, I will be awaiting in the next life. Or in the next one. I won't give up on you." and saying that, he planted a kiss on her temple before leaving her alone to watch the same silver moon they've been looking up at for so long. "...Thank you." she spoke to herself after who knows how long.

And she smiled.

Every day passing, she would look at the pink haired warrior, and every day, she'd want to throw herself in his arms, but every time, she'd start shaking, and she'd turn around and leave the place. This whole ordeal continued for well over three months, until one day, the palace was attacked with burning arrows, and the whole place was lit aflame.

In the mayhem in cause, the fox girl made sure to gather all the civilians in the huge estate and lead them to safety, and by the time she was done, she rushed to search for Sukuna, the person the enemies wanted to bring down, once and for all. However, by the time she found him, the whole place was ablaze, the once blooming garden was now turned into ashes, and the Demon God of War was heavily bleeding, slouched and leaning his back against a wall.

Opposite of him, many meters away, a menacing looking enemy who had spears in his hands was ready to throw them at him...And Sukuna merely smirked, defeated, and closed his eyes, awaiting for the impact of his ultimate death.

"Sukuna...Keep your eyes closed." Kitsune's low, shaking voice called out to him, but instead of doing as he was told, his eyes snapped open, only to widen in terror seeing the girl he grew to love, impaled by numerous spears, acting as a shield for him. "K...Kitsu...Ne...?!" he managed to usher after getting over his shock. "I told you...To keep you eyes closed...Idiot." she shook her head as she curled her fingers on the wall, taking a few deep breaths, despite her legs shaking. "Idiot. Idiot. You are such an idiot." "No...You...You were supposed to run away...I told you to run away...I told you...To...Live..." his voice was desperate, trembling, not believing what he was seeing before his very eyes. "Not without you...We were supposed to...Go...together...And be happy...And look at the moon...And stars...Together..." but as she said that, she heard the air getting split by yet another set of spears that go through her tails and torso, making her lose strength and fall over the man she was shielding. With her last strength, she punched back the spears out of her body and crawled on his lap, cradling his body, wrapping it up protectively with her tails, holding tightly onto him. "I never learnt how to fight...I never had anything to protect...Until I found you. I have no regrets dying, if you live. Close your eyes, Sukuna. I...I love you." and just before all strength left her body, she cupped his face and stole a weak kiss.

She was happy. She finally found her courage to act as she wished - With her heart, not with her fears. She was finally able to expel all the bad things possessing her. She died, and yet, she was finally smiling. She regretted nothing.

She was really happy.

"...Look there, Kitsune. Look at the moon. And the stars. And we are together. In this life. And the next one...And the one after...I will find you. And I will protect you. Don't be afraid anymore...Nothing will hurt you again. Until then...Sleep well, my Princess...Wait for me...Very soon."

---------

"Don't worry, Yuji! We will find all the victims of this place and rescue them! You'll see!" the cheerful nine-tailed girl wagged her fluff left and right as she dragged her best friend to the ominous place, as their other two team mates followed soon after, both having different reactions, as usual.

As her shikigami fox and Megumi's white wolf were assigned to make sure no cursed spirit would sneak up on them, they tried to make heads or tails of the distorted reality inside the place - They knew they may be dealing with a Special-Grade monster, but to have power of such magnitude seemed...Unreal...And unsettling.

"Guys, calm down. This is the Innate Domain...Cursed energy made this foul play...But I've never seen anything like...This. We have to move fast, and not split up, or we'll get picked one by one." Kitsune gritted her teeth, feeling the fur on her tails stand up. "Where's the door?!" Megumi yelled, turning around, only for everyone to gasp, realising the way they got through completely disappeared. "Th-The door's gone?!" Yuji blinked, incredulous at what he was witnessing. "How?! We just came in through here, didn't we?!" Nobara freaked out, only to make a short, brain dead dance with Yuji. "Calm down. The dog remembers the scent of the entrance." saying that, the two fawned over the two canines as they let them lead the way, only to find three mangled corpses, one of them having a name tag - It was the name of the child of the desperate woman outside of the place, pleading to the police to rescue him.

However, a fight erupted between the two boys who couldn't decide whether they should run away or rescue the corpses, as closure for the woman outside, at least, and while Nobara yelled at them, trying to make them stop...She...Disappeared?! Through a makeshift hole in the floor that wasn't there before.

"B-But...Megumi's demon dog and my fox should have been able to sense the curse...!" Kitsune then quickly turned around, only to gasp, noticing the bloody corpses of the said shikigami protruding from the walls. "NO! CYNDER!" she whimpered, hating to see her lovely companion in such a state. "ITADORI! KITSUNE! WE HAVE TO RUN! WE'LL LOOK FOR KUJISAKI AND -" but before he could finish speaking, Kitsune's whimper, that grew louder, along with the presence of the demon she was pointing at, staring straight at her...Made both boys stop in their tracks, wide eyed and shocked...And very much afraid.

The trio was sweating bullets, trying to move, trying to get the hell away from there - But Yuji moved first, taking out his knife, slashing at the Special-Grade....Only for his hand to go flying far away...From the impact.

"Megumi, run away! Go find Nobara, I'll stay here and create a diversion! Give us a signal when you're out of here! Yuji can get Sukuna and save us!" the fox girl yelled at her brunet friend desperately as she pushed him away, but a mouth on Yuji's cheek, speaking very derogatory, pointed out he doesn't give a fuck about Yuji's body, and that he won't die, even if his vessel does. "Nope~! Even if parts of me inside you die, I've still got 18 other fragments of my soul! Still, irritatingly enough, I don't have control of this body, so go away and switch, if you want! But once you do...I'll kill that brat before the cursed spirit can! Then, I'll go for that woman. She's a lively one. I'll have fuck with her. And then...I'll claim this cute fox girl that you care so much for!" Sukuna kept talking, and it was creating a state of panic in Yuji's heart. "Don't listen to him, Yuji! I know you won't let him take over you completely! You can't hurt us!" Kitsune yelled at her friend, trying to snap him out of the trance Sukuna put him in. "No, no, no, darling, you're wrong. If he's too focused on me, his friends WILL die~!" the demon kept laughing at his vessel, until the Special Grade unleashed a full blast of pure, cursed energy. "Yuji, look out!" she jumped at him, getting him out of the blast's range. "Stop listening to him, and take care of yourself! This isn't Jujutsu, this is pure cursed energy! We have to buy Megumi and Nobara enough time to get the hell out of here! Look at this jerk, he's having fun. I'm sure we can figure something out." the fox girl gritted her teeth in anger, but before either of them could try to attack or dodge - In the blink of an eye, really - She felt herself getting picked up and slammed on the wall before her by yet another blast of cursed energy - Followed by another, that flew her on the bridge in the next room, rendering her barely conscious. "KITSUNE! KITSUNEEEE!" she heard her pink haired friend's desperate wail as he tried to shake her awake. "...Sukuna...?" she asked, her shaking hands trying to rub away the tiredness from her eyes, as she looked up at him with gleaming, half-lidded eyes.

Before he could answer, shocked that she would call him by his demon's name, and even more, his own demon shocked, hearing her say something like that, she managed to cling onto the boy enough to get herself back on her feet, turning towards the attacker, her big, fluffy tails opening like a protective fan for the boy, as she created a blast of blue spirit fire to try to counter the cursed energy blast from the enemy. It made her growl from the pain, but her mind was blank - She had no regrets - No matter what life she was living, she will only get stronger and stronger, until she succeeds and protects the ones dear to her.

But not in this lifetime.

She wasn't strong enough yet. She was nowhere near her mentor, Satoru, in power. She had no way to compete with him, nor could she protect her friends when needed.

How pathethic.

It was her last thought before the cursed energy took over her, burning away some of her skin and creating even more damage after getting slammed and breaking yet another wall. With the last bit of consciousness she was able to hold onto, she saw her pink haired friend still alive and well - By some standards, at least - And she could merely smile and fight back the darkness threatening to take over.

But...Something happened, for the boy now seemed fearless - And he even taunted with the special-grade...And then he healed his own arm, before going to her, looking down at her, shaking his head. The markings on his face...This wasn't Yuji. This was...

"Idiot." a much darker, more masculine voice came from the body of the teenage vessel as he crouched down to the girl. "You never change, no matter what life you reincarnate into, do you? But that's the charm about you, stupid fox. You never really lose your memories of the past, do you?" he gently caressed her face, feeling his heart beating a bit faster as he noticed she was smiling and leaning into his touch. "You said you'll find me...So what is there to fear?" she mused weakly, before she got picked up bridal style, allowing her to cuddle into his chest, finally allowed to rest at ease. "Let's teach this weakling a lesson and get the hell out of here. The moon is up." Sukuna chuckled as he walked up to the demon, effortlessly punching in the head, slamming it into the bridge, only to smash his foot into its head, breaking the bridge altogether. As they fell, the monster grabbed his leg, but the fox-fire burn on his hand was enough to get his to shriek in pain and let go, as Sukuna jumped on one of the falling rubbles, taunting and laughing condescendingly, as he ripped apart the monster limb from limb before impaling it into a wall, as soon as they reached the watery ground. "Honestly, I'm jealous. I could never get to your power with jujutsu alone. Satoru said this thing is 80% born talent. How disheartening." she grumbled, feeling better already. "There's nothing cursed in your heart, sugar. Let the killing to me. I promised I'll protect you, I'm not going back on my word. I'm not going to see you die again." he threw her up a bit to get a better hold on her. "Hang onto me, foxy. Let's show this sucker how we do things." seeing his infamous smirk on his face, she threw her arms around his neck, holding on tightly, seeing as he did a hand seal, calling out his Malevolent Shrine...And they were back home, dressed the same as they were so long ago...A thousand years ago...And the monster got split in 5 slices, before Sukuna dug out another one of his soul-fingers, and he started grinning even laughing even darker, realising that Yuji couldn't switch bodies again, which made villain jump out of the facility, right on top of it. "I guess...No matter what life we live, the sky is going to be forever beautiful." Kitsune sighed as soon as he let her down, but she didn't let go of him. Not this time. Fears won't take over her life anymore. "And yours is even more eternal than the moon's or the stars." he cupped her face, taking in her beauty for the first time in over a thousand years. "It's been to long. I made you wait far too long. I hope you didn't miss me too much." one of his hands found its fingers raking through her hair, and she closed her eyes a bit, taking in the warm, loving feeling that completely took over her. "I'll forgive you. You did take your bloody time...But at least you're here now. And you're not going anywhere. I won't let you." her hands slid down to the neck of his blouse, pulling him to her level, which only made him smirk smugly. "Good. That was my intention." his charming, dark voice spoke, making her heart beating faster, and feeling the hair on the back of her neck and the fluff on her tails stand up from excitement. "Won't it be weird? Being Yuji's body...?" she asked shyly, as he only chuckled, pulling the same Malevolent Shrine trick, so they finally looked as they did when they first met. "Better, sweet cheeks?" he pulled her flushed to his body, as she got on her tippy toes to get closer to his face. "Spectacular."

As the fox girl couldn't stop touching his face, raking her fingers through his hair, feeling his body closer to hers as her whole body felt hotter than ever before - It was just a kiss - His lips so sweet against her own, his arms, so strong, holding her, feeling her, loving her.

It was only them, under the gentle light of the silver moon, guarding them, as the stars softly twinkled, embellishing gold into the dark sky - Just like this love light up the darkness in their hearts.

Her tails wrapped around him instinctively, as they pulled apart, and looked each other in the eyes for the first time since they've known each other. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness, her lips were curled into a kitten-like smile, and she was glowing - It made Sukuna's heart have a pleasant arrhythmia as he saw in front of his very eyes a sight that he's been dreaming about for over a millennium - The woman that captured his heart - Happy, in his own arms, safe, and very kissable.

This feeling and image were worth waiting a thousand years.

[imerdwarf]

Sworn To Secrecy

Requested by @imagine-all-the-fandoms: Hey colleague ❤️ I really love your writing! So I also thought to send you an idea 😊 The reader is Bucky’s girlfriend but just a normal civilian and he keeps it a secret at the compound. One day she visits him but crosses the other Avengers and Sam is immediately flirting with you but Bucky just comes, swoops you in his arms and kisses you. The others are shocked and confused and later that day they finally tell them they’ve been together for a while now and they are all happy for you two? 😊

Pairing: Avenger!Bucky x Civilian!Reader (Modern AU)

Warnings: Absolutely none! Just a lot of fluff 🥰

Author's Notes: Thank you so much my dear friend for sending in this beautiful request, I hope you like it and please let me know if there's anything you want me to change! 💜

Your phone vibrated in the palm of your hand and your smile reached both corners of your eyes when you saw the name light up your screen.

Bucky: I can't wait to see you, how long until you get here?

Your fingers flew quickly over the touch sensitive keyboard to reply back, without any typos might I add.

Y/N: I'm five minutes away. Patience! ;)

The wind blew in your face as you tilted your head upwards and sighed. Your relationship with Bucky Barnes was absolutely not the easiest thing in the world. He had made you sworn to secrecy about it, to protect yourself and him from potential haters and enemies.

You were grateful that you were able to spend a lot of time together when he didn't have month-long missions to go on. The sunny afternoons were spent in your small apartment on the couch watching movies with a blanket draped over the two of you, often accompanied by a hot chocolate made from his secret recipe.

Everything about Bucky screamed safety; his big beefy frame, bulging biceps that he just knew you loved and deliberately bought small sizes to show them off, his thick thighs were a dream for you whenever you draped your legs over them to get comfortable. Nothing about him scared you, not even that matte black and gold Wakandan inspired arm of his. It did wonders when you were burning up with fevers.

You met Bucky by chance at a coffee shop in Brooklyn. It was a cliché moment when you accidentally turned around too quickly and spilled your hot drink over his white shirt. Endless apologies spilled from your lips while Bucky was too busy admiring your beautiful features that your words simply fell on deaf ears. To Bucky, it felt as though time had temporarily stopped ticking, and the only people in the coffee shop at that moment was you and him.

The two of you exchanged numbers with your promises of buying him a brand new shirt to replace the one you ruined. You texted each other every second of every day. The more you talked, the easier and the flirty-er the texts became.

A month after the coffee shop incident, you almost keeled over when he finally asked you to be his girlfriend. He regretted he couldn't take you on a date because of his status, and that never really bothered you.

You didn't date him because he was a popular avenger, with a staggering 100 million followers on his Instagram. For your protection, he couldn't follow you either, but that too didn't bother you. You dated him because you loved his personality and you loved him.

You zig-zagged past the oncoming pedestrians as the tower came into view. Outside of the gates there was already a crowd of people hoping to catch a glimpse of the avengers.

The security guard in the booth next to the gate was trying to reason with the crowd, sadly a building this well known attracted all kinds of attention and tourism. You were told that people from Australia would come to visit.

You approached the guard with a friendly smile. "Good afternoon sir," you greeted politely, pulling some I.D out from your purse.

"Good afternoon! Are you expected here today?" The guard smiled but looked over your shoulder to see the crowd was now taking pictures of the front of the tower. He shooed them away and brought his attention back to you.

"Yes, Sergeant James Barnes is expecting me." The way his name rolled off your tongue was like drops of honey. Smooth and sweet.

The guard checked the list of visitors expected today and hummed with a smile.

"So he is. So what you do is, go to the front desk with your visitor badge and they'll direct you to his floor."

With a quiet thanks and holding on tightly to the badge, you walk through the screeching iron gates. Your shoes crunch underneath the gravel and the wind howls through the trees that gives off extra privacy.

The lady at reception greets you warmly and you relax when you give her your name and show her your visitor badge as directed by the security guard.

"Take the elevator and go to floor 13. Sergeant Barnes is currently in a meeting but he won't be too long." Another thank you passes through your lips as you head off towards the glass and chrome elevator.

The ride up to the 13 floors was agonisingly slow. Classical music filled the emptiness of the elevator. The glass casing gave you a beautiful view overlooking the grounds of the compound. A rose garden of all different shades of roses up the far left of the green garden surrounded by cherry blossoms and hydrangeas. Benches scattered across the grounds that you hoped to one day have the pleasure of sitting on and watch the bumblebees.

This was another reason Bucky loved you so much, you were so passionate and kind against wildlife and nature.

Finally, after god knows how long you've been staring out into the garden daydreaming, the elevator doors ding open and you're greeted with a muscular blond God with a red Cape hung over his back and a creepy wide grin on his face. His scruffy hair made you think he hadn't washed it in a few days.

"I was expecting someone else, but hello!" His voice seemed to boom throughout the space of whatever room this actually was. Some kind of hallway, but you're pretty sure you would hear his voice from all the way from that beautiful garden.

"Uh hello!" You stuttered, taken by surprise that there would be other people here.

"I am Thor, the God of Thunder!" His arms went wide and so did his smile. Your mouth gaped open and closed when you recognised the name. Thor. God of thunder. Of course, you read about these gods and how he ruled Asgard. Or was set to.

"Thor! Of course," you chuckled nervously, stretching your hand out in front of you, "I'm Y/N."

"It's a pleasure to meet you! Please follow me and allow me to introduce you to my mortal friends," you chuckled at that line, and adjusted your sweater.

"Friends, mortals! We have a guest, this is Y/N, A human of Earth." Thor stepped aside and your eyes widened; you were only standing in the same room as the avengers, the same people Bucky spoke so highly of. Thor told you the names of the people in front of you, everyone was there and you wondered where the hell Bucky was.

Tony was the first one to step forward and looked you up and down by moving his tinted glasses to the bridge of his nose. You relaxed when he smiled, but only slightly. You realised they had not asked why some stranger was standing in their living room.

"You know who I am?" Tony asked smugly, his arms folded over his chest.

You nodded, your eyes flickered down his chest, his arc reactor lit up in a bright blue. You almost reached out to touch it but stopped yourself before you could.

"Uh yes. You're Tony I believe?" You blushed under their gazes. Bucky told you they were the best people, but to you they were very intimidating.

"Very good. What brings you to my tower?"

"I'm here to see—"

"Wow! Who is this?" A voice yelled out from behind you. A guy you recognised as Sam, or Falcon, or Birdbrain as Bucky liked to call him.

"Y/N!" Thor answered before you could, the rest of the avengers took a seat on the couch.

"Yeah, hi," a small laugh came out and it made your cheeks heat up when his eyes raked over your form.

"My, my. You are gorgeous!" He kept that grin on his lips as he stepped closer. His over-sprayed cologne was suffocating you. "Beautiful, just perfect, just—"

"Mine!" Bucky yelled from the doorway as he stormed past Sam to get to you. You bit your lip to hide the growing grin and failed, he swooped you up in his arms, your legs instantly wrapped around his waist as he spun the two of you around and kissed you.

Cat calls sounded from the couch and you smiled into the kiss. When you pulled away for air, the expressions on everyone's faces told you they needed and wanted an explanation.

You could only imagine the questions they wanted to ask; how did you know Bucky Barnes? How did a soldier and an assassin manage to keep a relationship so hidden under the eyes of a mind-reader and a super intelligent spy? How did Bucky not slip up to Steve about having a girlfriend? All valid questions of course.

Bucky lowered you back down on your feet and pressed his forehead against yours. Without giving the team an answer, he slipped his hand in yours and pulled you away, leaving the superheroes with confusion etched upon their faces.

Bucky gave you a thorough tour of the tower. He showed you the gym, the kitchen where he made you his favourite sandwich, he even showed you his room. It was painted in a light blue with white curtains and blinds, thick, soft cream carpet covered the floor and his bed was as soft as a cloud. It was a lot more comfortable than your bed, that's for sure.

Later that day, Tony ordered a takeout and invited everyone to the dining room to eat, including you. The way Bucky's hand was slung protectively around your shoulder didn't go amiss by anyone in the room. It was when he finally sat down did the questions start.

"Alright, what's the deal with you two? Is this a prank? Is he paying you darling?" Sam fired off first, pointing his fork at the two of you opposite him.

Bucky glared at him from calling you 'darling', from where you were sat you could hear the heavy breathing. Your hand slipped into your lap and into his, giving his thigh a firm squeeze to keep calm.

"Y/N is not being paid!" Bucky defended, outraged he could even think such a thing.

You cleared your throat and took a sip of water before speaking, "it's true and I understand it's a shock but Bucky is actually my boyfriend and has been for the past couple of months," you smiled, proud of the fact you were in a relationship with this man and it was no longer secret.

"How the hell did that happen?" Tony queried, waving his chopsticks in the air, flabbergasted by the whole situation.

"What, you think I'm not capable of meeting people?" Bucky challenged, not really enjoying the interrogation which was the whole reason he didn't want to say anything at the beginning.

"Well of course I wouldn't be surprised if it was Capsicle here but it's you," Tony snorted.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Bucky was yelling and turning red with anger when Nat sought the opportunity to take the heat off the two men.

"So, Y/N. Tell us about yourself."

Tags: @smokeybluebrooke-lyn @pinkdiamond1016

[the-night-writer1]

Unforeseen Consequences part 8

Yes we're still got some angst but we're finally getting some fluff)

Iron fan sat in the living room with her husband reading a book. Her mind however couldn't take in anything she was reading. It was focused on her boy's behavior. Though she was finally enjoying the quiet since he was now home.

Her husband cleared his throat in a way to grab her attention. She closed her book and looked at him.

"Darling, don't take this the wrong way" Mowang said softly as he looked at her with warm gentle eyes," I believe it be best if you personally apologized to our boy as well. My word can only go so far. I wasn't in his life for five hundred years and during those years all he had was you love."

"but I was only trying to help him dear!" Iron fan protested as her husband sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his muzzle coming with the words to help her. How was she supposed to see this coming when she broke them up? At least she allowed them to get back together that should be enough.

"My love, haven't you noticed our boy does not safe here? How he clings to his partner for security that he shouldn't need in his home?" Mowang said, laying it out bluntly to his wife that their son though physically well was still emotionally struggling.

Iron fan lightly gasped," no certainly you're mistaken he... he's just..."

"Darling he's hurt and scared we'll hurt him. I can only do so much. You are his mother and your words would hold far more than mine" Mowang said softly as Iron fan folded up and hugged her knees. Her poor baby, what had she done? Could she even do what her husband suggested? Would Red son even forgive her.

---

"it should be at the shop in a couple days, so it'll be much softer than my old mattress." Mk said as he showed Red son the mattress Mei had helped him get. He was hopeful it closer to Red's current mattress so Red be able to sleep in the loft.

"I'm sure it'll help with your back too love"Red son said as he laid his head on Mk's shoulder. It just be a few days. Then they be safe at noodle boy's loft. He wished it wasn't so long but at least it wouldn't be weeks.

"well it's your back I'm concerned about cherry blossom" Noodle boy said warmly as he kissed Red's forehead which was still rather cold considering it was Red's forehead. Dr.Chu had stated it was because of Red son's body entrapping more of his magic for the baby's safety. For some reason when a demon is expecting a human lover's child the body reduces their magic output where as when the opposite happens the human's body will increase magic output. All the same this phenomenon is called magic shedding.

Mk absolutely found it adorable that his boyfriend now would sometimes exhale smoke. He'd teased in the hospital that cherry was now a teapot. Which had gotten him hit upside the head plenty of times. It wasn't like Red couldn't exhale smoke before but he now couldn't control it. It wasn't no longer because of anger merely getting rid of heat.

"I know you keep saying that handsome" Red son said with a genuine soft smile and his arms wrapped around his waist lazily," how should we tell your friends?"

"hmmm..." Mk pondered as he rubbed his chin before typing something in to the search bar,"what about with a shirt? Or or we could get cake and put the news on there. Oh or we could get everyone their own separate shirt!"

"do they make shirts big enough for the marshmallow giant?" Red son asked curiously since he'd never seen Sandy wear a jacket let alone a shirt.

"if we get a custom fit one! That's how Sandy orders his shirts"

"He wears shirts?"

"yeah" Mk said with a smile before there was a knock on the door. Mk shut the laptop and set it aside before he got up. He answered the door to see Iron fan standing there with her hair down. Guilt ridden in her composure as he asked," can I help you?"

"can...can I talk to my baby boy privately for a moment?" She asked softly to Mk's surprise,"then the three of us can talk after I promise"

"... I'll ask him just wait here" Mk said as he backed away and closed the door. He turned to Red son who had finally calmed down from that nightmare earlier. He sighed having to ruin that," Cherry blossom your mom wants to talk to you privately for a moment then she wants to talk to both of us. Are you okay with that"

Red son took a few minutes to respond, contemplating what would be best he finally said," Yes... just wait outside the door."

Mk nodded and opened the door. Him and Iron fan changed places. She walked over to red's bedside and sat next to him on bed. He was unnerved by seeing her hair undone. She wrapped an arm around Red son and pulled him on to her shoulder.

"I owe you quite the apology baby boy." Iron fan started sweetly as she kissed his forehead and cradled his face in her free hand,"You know I love you very much don't you darling?"

"Yes mother" Red son said softly as she rubbed his cheek. He was trying to think of what she was after with this supposed apology. His mother was never one to apologize for anything. Especially to him.

"Baby boy I'm serious, I love you so very much. You are everything to your father and I."Iron fan said softly at hearing reluctance in his voice," we may not show it well but we truly love you dearly my sweet precious boy. Why is that hard to believe?"

"you've called me useless and foolish many times mother" Red son said as sadly blunt as possible as he rested his head on her shoulder. She carted her fingers through his undone hair.

"that doesn't mean I don't love you baby boy. But I can see how that be misconstrued my sweet baby" iron fan said as as she nuzzled her baby. Red son was still a bit confused on why she was being so affectionate," and I have made a few mistakes when it comes to showing my love darling."

"may I ask a question mother?" Red son asked as he closed his eyes. She was still running her fingers through his hair.

"of course baby boy"

"why did you do it? Why did you make him break up with me? What did I do wrong?" Red son asked as he fought back some tears. He just wanted an honest answer as to why. Why had she punished him like that?

"You did nothing wrong darling, I was trying to protect you from a worse pain but I made a mistake. I didn't realize he is your everything like your father is to me." Iron fan said in a actually guilt ridden tone as she began to rub her baby boy's back," I was foolish for not expressing my concern to you before hand my sweet baby boy. Can you ever forgive me darling?"

"I...I" Red son said as he thought for a moment, she was being genuine right? He took a moment before he finished his sentence," I forgive you but please don't do anything like this again."

"I will come to you before messing with your relationship in the future" She said as she kissed his forehead before calling out," you can come back in Monkie kid!"

---

Red sat on his bed with a hand on his abdomen. He was still taking it in that they were expecting a child. A little life that currently was depending on him for their own survival.

He could have seriously hurt them and it wasn't their fault. He tried to reassure himself that they wouldn't blame him. If he'd know he never been that wreck less. Not at all. He never meant to endanger them.

"I'm sorry I'm so sorry little one I never planned to hurt you" Red son said under his breath as he laid back down. Taking some long awaited comfort from his lover.

They had a lot things to plan.

[lovely-yandere-imagines]

Flowers of My Affection

Hey Lovelies, so I recently opened up my commission and this fanfic is the first one i got! It’s a lovely Yandere!Giorno x reader fic yay! If you’d like to commission me you can find the link right here or in my bio!

Notes: 18+ ONLY! This character has been aged up as are all the characters I write for, I set this a few years after the events of part 5 where Giorno is now the new Don of Passione and a few of our other boys make small appearances.

Pairing: Yandere!Giorno Giovanna x Reader

Warnings: slight violence, slight public embarrassment, unhealthy relationships, implied dub-con, nsfw, objectification, Giorno is delusional and wraps reader in vines.

Word count: 1,400

Description: Giorno’s darling runs away early in the morning and the golden boy has to chase them down, when he catches them he punishes them by turning his object of affection into a living vase!

You had to get away from him, his overbearingness, his “affection”, his obsession with you, his possessiveness. You had to get away from your captor, Don Giorno Giovanna. You had to run, as quick as you could, he had finally made a mistake and there was no looking back now. Everything happened so fast, you remember him unlocking the door that morning to bring you breakfast and as hard as you could you socked him in the face and quickly slipped by him, no hesitation needed but you had to be quick cause he was gaining on you and quick. You could hear him calmly calling after you as he ran after you. 

If someone didn't know you had been kidnapped they would have thought you two to be a couple in the middle of a breakup. You ran right then left, you didn’t know where you were but you tried your best to read the street signs as Italian didn’t come to you as easily as English but you could make up some words. ‘I need to find a telephone or a police officer’ when suddenly you hear him rounding a corner and calling after you this time sounding more frantic than before, “Darling! Please, don’t run from me, it won't end well.” No time to look for a phone and then you saw him, oh thank god, a cop, you ran to him screaming for help and practically flinging yourself into his arms.

As the unknown policeman catches you you’re met with cold golden eyes and purple lipstick, he seems familiar to you, like you've seen his face before “What's the meaning of this!” he interrogates you angrily, and before you can say anything you hear the cooled voice of Giorno behind you that makes a shiver run up your spine.

“Sorry officer, me and my Tesoro had a bit of an argument and she ran away from me.” The two continue to speak in Italian and you’re only able to catch bits and phrases from the conversation and then you finally hear the officer address you. “Well, Y/N, it looks like I caught you just at the right time, you shouldn’t run off on this side of town late at night, you never know who you’ll run into.” wait, how did he know your name you think to yourself but before you can question him you feel Giorno firmly grab onto your arm.

“Thank you, Officer, I’ll make sure my flower doesn’t run off again.” he shoots you a look and you swallow the lump that's formed in your throat, just before he dragged you back to your cage you see Giorno slip the office some cash and he smiles back at him. Neither you nor Giorno spoke a word as you walked back to the mansion, all the while he still had his vice of a grip on your arm. Once you both get back to your shared room Giorno angrily shoves you into the room, his usually calm demeanor is now gone and you can see that he’s visibly shaking.

“You know you could have told me if you were lonely, Fiore. I could have kept you company, I know I'm a busy man but I would have shown you all of my love.” you try to speak but he cuts you off “But now you’ve lashed out and ran away like a child and made me the bad guy for what I'm about to do to you, you need to be punished...” Suddenly you feel a vine quickly bind your arms behind you back and cover your mouth when you begin to beg for forgiveness. 

“No..no more talking, I’ve heard enough of your excuses.” He grabs you tenderly but the chin and kisses your forehead, he lowers himself till your eye level and gives you a delirious grin, you can help but feel your stomach churn at the way he stares at the nightgown he pick out for you earlier that night, a silky pink vintage dress with a rose in the middle where you neckline was. His eyes linger there for a moment and suddenly he rips it off of you with ease. 

“It’s a shame I had to ruin this but if you're a good pet I might replace it for you..” He rubs the delicate fabric between his fingers before tossing it to the ground then looking back up at you with love in his eyes he likes what he sees before him. His beautiful flower a naked as the day they were born and his eyes light up suddenly like he just got a great idea. 

“You know, flower, you have a beautiful figure, it's almost like I'm staring at Aphrodite in the flesh, so beautiful…” he trails off lost in thought and then looks you right in the eyes, “You’d make a very beautiful vase for my office…” Your stomach sinks but then you feel vines covering your body, soft tendrils cover your most delicate areas and you can see various flowers blooming off them. Giorno then begins to rearrange them to his liking till you're covered and can barely move, feet and hand still bend and your mouth still covers with small cherry blossoms tickling your nose.

Giorno gently picks you up and carries you to his office, careful to not damage any of the flowers or vines. He passes by a few of his underlings and you try to hide your face unsuccessfully, you can hear them gossiping about and you one laugh and is brave enough to address Giorno, “Hey boss, I like your new flower pot, know anywhere where I can get one?” another one replies “Mista leave him alone, can’t you see he's pissed right now!” 

Giorno says nothing and just keeps waking, you wish he’d say something soon, he’s starting to scare you more than usual. Finally, he makes it to his office and places you behind his desk. “There, now you won't be lonely while I'm at work and everyone will be able to see my beautiful muse” He strokes your face no longer looking at you as a person but as his possession. He hears your stomach growl and remembers that you hadn’t eaten that morning. “Oh dear, it seems I’ve forgotten to feed you. I’ll be right back, flower.”

Several moments pass and then Giorno comes back with a plate and a glass of water and gently moves the vines from your lips, “I hope you’re still hungry, here open up.” He then stares to spoon feed you and give you little sips of water in between. It’s moments like this that you’re thankful for when he's not threatening to kill your whole family or the random stranger that looked at you too long and he’s hand isn't lingering on your thigh longingly, the moments when he’s gentle and caring. Then you get an idea, you two have never made love before but maybe if you gave yourself to him he’d unbind you..it was worth a shot, wasn’t it?

When you’ve finished all your food Giorno goes to put the vines back when you finally decide to speak up, “Giorno! Darling... I’ve been thinking…” He stops and stares at you waiting for you to continue, “I-i was thinking...that maybe..we could be us..intimate.” He blushes slightly at the idea and brushes your hair behind your ear, you can tell he’s lost in thought so you interrupt “I mean..w-we could make love, right here, right now if you unbind me.” you can see him hesitate and then he starts to put the vines back over your mouth, and not even thinking you quickly spit out “I’ll be yours! And only yours! I won't let anyone else have me, you’re my everything Giorno, please!”

He stops and you don’t know what you’re expecting to be honest but when he smiles you can tell it's genuine, “Oh, il Mio Amore, that’s all I’ve ever wanted was for you to love me back, I'm so happy.” He removes all of the vines from you and quickly picks you up bridal style and begins to carry you back to your shared room stopping for a moment and calling out to someone “Fugo, cancel all my appointments for the day, Amore and I are going to have some alone time.” and with that, you’ve sealed your fate, he’s never going to let you go now.

[binniebutter]

Under The Wisteria

Pairing: Choi Soobin x fem!reader

Genre: Angst Angst Angst; fluff ig, dystopian au

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: violence, gun violence, blood, major character death, I think that’s all

Summary: You just wanted to be with him forever, but you didn’t mean under the Wisteria tree.

Credit: beta read by @nottodayjjk and @inmyfelix from @txtarcadianet. Thanks so much babes!

a/n: I messed up the tags so I deleted and now I’m posting again🥲 but yea this is a birthday gift for @unlocktxt​ also i can’t write kissing scenes don’t make fun of me.

“Happy birthday to you,” you jumped in your seat a little, startled by your friend’s mom’s sudden singing, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Y/n, happy birthday to youuuuu.” She walked into the dining room with a single vanilla cupcake in her hands, a candle sporting the number 18 on top. There was no icing or sprinkles on the cupcake yet it still looked ravishing to you. The government only allowed for sweets on special occasions, like birthdays or weddings, and even then it could only be so many calories. This was the government's way of getting rid of obesity in Lamore, along with other, harsher, methods.

“Thank you, Mrs. Johnson. It means so much to me.” You looked up at her and could see the sparkles in her eyes. That was one thing you loved about Mrs. Johnson, she always had sparkles in her eyes and a positive outlook on this fucked-up place we call Earth. Even after the incident…

“Oh dear, it was my pleasure! And how many times have I told you to call me mom, darling?” A lot. Almost every day, but you just couldn’t bring yourself to do that. Every time you looked at her, you not only saw the sparkles, but you also saw her.

Amelia.

You see, Amelia was your best friend. You had known her since you were 3. You guys did everything together, homework, parties, shopping. Everything. Your families were also close to each other. So close that she called your mom “mama” and you called her mom “mom”. You loved each other dearly and made a promise to be best friends forever, always wearing promise rings on your pinkies. Until one fateful day. It had been all your fault. You wanted ice cream so badly that day, even though you knew that you could only have it on your birthday. You didn’t care though, begging your mother, who had taken Amelia and yourself to the park that day, to get some from the vendor.

“Please, mom. Please please please with a cherry on top,” you pleaded with your hands clasped in front of you. “Please it’s so hot I could melt. You wouldn’t want your only daughter to melt, do you?”

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re not my only daughter. I have Amelia too,” your mom childishly stuck out her tongue at you, causing you to look at your best friend with a pout on your face. Immediately, Amelia knew what to do.

“But mama, I want some ice cream too,” she said with a pout that you knew your mother couldn’t resist. And you were right because her resolve started wavering and soon the three of you were heading towards the ice cream vendor located in the middle of the park.

“Hello, sir. Three ice creams, please!” The man at the stand eyed you skeptically before asking who’s birthday it was. You replied before your mother could even open her mouth.

“Mine! Can I please have a cookie and cream ice cream with a waffle cone?” The man had seen how enthusiastic you were and assumed you weren’t lying. After hearing Amelia and your mother’s orders, he immediately got to work and soon enough you were walking away from him, licking your ice cream.

“Come on, Amelia, let’s go to the swings! Last one there is a rotten egg,” you took off towards the swings, leaving Amelia shouting about how you had cheated. Once you both got there, you sat right beside each other, kicking your legs back and forth while gossiping about some boys in your class. In the middle of you telling a story about one dude, a little girl about 5 years old came up to you two asking if it was one of your birthdays. You both had forgotten all about the Capitol rules and answered her truthfully, no.

“Oh, ok,” she bid you goodbye and ran away. You turned back to Amelia and shrugged your shoulders, going back to your story. You both were so absorbed in the story that you didn’t notice the little girl, or what you thought was a little girl, going to tell her mother. But one person did notice, your mom. She saw the tattoo on the girl’s arm and immediately knew who, what, she was. A spy for the Capitol.

Immediately, your mother made her way over to the two of you, telling you that it was time to leave. You should've listened to her. Instead, you were your stubborn self and insisted that you stay a little longer. Amelia had always been the more obedient one out of the two of you and seeing how urgent your mother was on getting you to leave, tried to convince you. Again, you should’ve listened to her. But you didn’t.

“Excuse me,” a voice sounded from behind your mom and you saw her face become as pale as a ghost. She turned around and was immediately tased. Her body convulsed on the floor for a few seconds before she stilled on the grass. You screamed in shock, drawing the attention of the other park users. Amelia grabbed your hand in fear, too scared to do anything. You squeezed her hand to comfort her but she could tell that you were just as scared. The woman stepped over your mother’s body and took a step towards the two of you, which in return to you took a step backward.

“Now, which one of you lied, and said it was their birthday? You both should know that Lenore doesn’t allow liars here,” she had a smile on her face the whole time she was speaking, but instead of comforting you, it terrified you. After a few moments of silence, her smile dropped into a scowl. “Well,” she barked at you causing you to shrink in fear, “Who was it? Or am I going to have to punish both of you?” Your eyes widened in shock. Both of us. You couldn’t let Amelia get hurt. Little did you know, Amellia had the same thoughts. And so before you opened your mouth, she spoke.

“Me, ma’am. It was me.” Although her voice was quiet, you could hear the firmness in it.

“What!?!? Amelia, no!” But alas it was too late. She had been tased the moment the words had left her mouth. You watched in horror as your best friend fell limp on the grass. You couldn’t scream. You couldn’t move. You couldn’t even cry as you watched her eyes roll to the back of her head. Even after the cleanup crew came to take their bodies away, you were still standing in the same spot, looking at the place where your mother and best friend had just been. You didn’t want to believe they were gone. They couldn’t be. It wasn’t until you felt arms wrap around you and bring you into an embrace did you break down. Your mother and your best friend, your platonic soulmate, the only one who knows you better than yourself, were gone. You sobbed and sobbed into the person’s shirt. You couldn’t care less that they were a stranger, you needed someone. After you calmed down you looked up at your savior for the first time. It was a boy around your age, maybe a few years older.

“Thank you,” you paused, feeling silly for not even knowing his name.

“Soobin, Choi Soobin,” he answered with a small smile on his face. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

“Forever?” you asked with a small sniffle.

“Forever.”

You met Choi Soobin when you were 10 years old.

After you finished celebrating with Mrs. Johnson, which consisted of splitting the cupcake in half and opening the gift she got you, a brand new pair of workout sneakers, you both headed up to your rooms. It was almost curfew time and you knew the Capitol Workers were making their way around for nightly checks. You remembered reading in a history book, that somehow was missed when all the books of the past were burned, that curfew back then was way different and that not everyone had a curfew. The person with a curfew just had to be home by that time. No random stranger was coming into your room to see if you were sleeping. How lucky.

You tensed up as you heard the front door open. He’s here. You didn’t know your Capitol Worker well. You didn’t even know what he looked like. All you knew was that he’s a guy and he comes to your room every night to check if you’re asleep.

You closed your eyes and willed your heart to slow down to a normal pace. Your room door opened and you could hear the heavy sound of the combat boots that all CW’s were forced to wear. They took a few steps toward you, which was unusual, and you held your breath. This is it. I’m gonna die. They’re gonna know that I’m faking-

You paused in your thoughts at the sound of the boots walking towards the door and it being closed. You let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Jesus, that was scary,” you muttered, still scared of them hearing you. You continued to lay in bed even after you heard the front door shut. After waiting a few more minutes, you got up and headed towards your closet. You put on some dark clothing before grabbing your backpack and heading to your window. Looking out the window carefully, you saw the CW’s moving on to the next street.

“Perfect.” You opened up your window and stuck a leg out. You shivered a little bit as it was chilly out. With one hand still holding your window you pulled your other leg outside, now sitting on the sill. With your other hand, you reached for the closest branch of the cherry blossom tree in your backyard. Using the hand still on the window, you closed it shut, making sure the sound wasn’t loud. Now you were dangling from the tree. Expertly, you swung yourself up onto the branch, having done this a million times before. Once on the tree, you were able to climb down safely, without being seen. Great. Looking left and right, making sure no one saw you, you headed down the pathway that you’ve traveled frequently. The pathway to the love of your life.

Who, you may ask. Well, none other than your savior.

“Hey Y/n,” you didn’t let him finish as you engulfed him in a big hug. You didn’t let go for a while, squeezing him so tight he almost couldn’t breathe. You hugged him as if it was your last hug and Soobin was rapidly getting worried that it might be. You could feel his heartbeat increase and pulled away slightly to reassure him.

“I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong, I just missed you.” At your words, Soobin calmed down and a shy smile overtook his face. You smiled widely at his shyness. He’s so cute!

“Babe, we saw each other today at school.”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same and you know it. We’re not allowed to hug each other or kiss each other.” A devilish smirk appeared on your face as an idea popped into your head. “Like this!” You cupped Soobin’s face in your hands and brought it to yours, leaving a quick peck on his lips. You laughed at the shocked expression on his face.

Anyone who knew Soobin knew that he was timid. He didn’t speak a lot in school unless he was called on. He sat by himself during lunch, which worried you a little because you didn’t want him to be lonely, but anytime you expressed your concerns he reassured you that he likes the quietness. Which usually wouldn’t soothe your worries, but Soobin is different when with you.

With you, he talks exceedingly, maybe too much if you were being honest. With you, he wasn’t afraid to laugh his boisterous laugh. With you, he could be himself and he was grateful to you for that.

“Yah! You can’t just d-do that!” Even though it was dark and you couldn’t see it, you knew that there was a bright blush on Soobin’s face.

“Why? Aren’t I your girlfriend?” you teased. You loved teasing Soobin. It was your favorite pastime. Though at your words, you could feel the mood change. It was like a breeze came by and took away the lightness of your banter.

“But you aren’t.” The street lamp cast a light on his face for a moment and you could see the sadness etched on his face. He was right. You weren’t his girlfriend, not technically. The government has this rule that no one is allowed to date until they are 30. Apparently, it deals with overpopulation. Man, fuck The Capitol.

“Y-yeah. You’re right. I’m sorry,” you said looking at your feet. Soobin looked at you with sad eyes. He hated seeing you like this which is why when the two of you met up, you never talked about this. But it was bound to come up sooner or later. He lifted your chin with his thumb and index finger, forcing you to look him in the eyes.

“I love you. Let’s not talk about this tonight. It’s your birthday!” He placed a kiss on your forehead, then your cheeks, which were blushing red at his affection, one on your nose, and lastly he placed a passionate kiss on your lips. You immediately kissed back, shocked.

It was different, not like the small pecks the two of you share. It lasted longer and you could feel all the emotions that he was trying to convey in the kiss. You closed your eyes and deepened the kiss, hoping to show him how much you loved him. His arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you more into him. When your lungs felt as if they were to collapse if you didn’t stop, you pulled away, a daze in your eyes. Looking at Soobin, you saw his usual small, crooked smile on his face.

“Happy birthday, love. Forever?”

“Forever.”

“What if we run away?”

It’s been about a month since your birthday and currently, you have your head in Soobin’s lap, gazing up at him. He has his back resting on the wisteria tree behind him, a book in one hand while the other runs through your hair. His big, round glasses are adorned on the bridge of his nose, sliding down every few seconds. His blue bangs are covering his eyes today, not gelled back like usual. He looks like an idol Harry Potter adorable, you think. He should leave his hair down more often. It’s when he moves his hand from your hair to turn the page that you pop the question, causing him to stop and freeze.

“W-what?” he asks while looking down at you. His head is tilted, almost as if he didn’t hear you properly. But he did. And you know that. “Y-you want us to r-run away!?”

“Ok, I know it sounds crazy but we both love each other dearly, right?” He nods and you continue. “And it’s not like we have anything here weighing us down. Plus this country is horrible. I hate it and so do you. So let’s just leave. We can go to Averna, rent a home, start a family, grow old together.” Your voice slows down and you start sounding less sure of yourself once you see the look on Soobin’s face. “Do you not want that…”

“Of course I want that!” You flinch a little at the sound of his voice. In all of the 8 years that you’ve known Soobin, he has never raised his voice at you. Seeing your flinch, he lowers his volume. “Of course, I do Y/n, but how are we supposed to run away? There’s a tracker in our necks. The only reason we haven’t been tracked yet is cause they think we’re sleeping. If we leave, someone will report it. They could easily find us and bring us back….or worse.”

You know what he means by worse. The Capitol hates when citizens break the rules. You’ll end up the same as Amelia and your mother. You shudder at the memory of their limp bodies being carried off the grass. You push those thoughts to the back of your head as you open your mouth to speak again but you are cut off.

“No, Y/n, I’m serious. We are not running away. We’ll be killed. And what about Mrs. Johnson, huh? Do you really want her to lose another daughter?”

His words hit you hard. You look at him like a gaping fish, opening your mouth repeatedly but words never come out. He is right, of course, he is right. But you had always been the stubborn one.

“I DON’T CARE, SOOBIN!” Now he is the one to flinch back in shock. “I am tired of living in this terrible place, aren’t you? We’re treated like crap here, having to follow all these stupid rules. I wanna be able to eat candy whenever I want. I wanna be able to go out at night without having to be sneaky. I want to marry you, Soobin, before I turn freaking 30. And I can’t get any of these in Lamore. So let’s leave. Please,” you beg. You thought your words would be all that was needed to convince Soobin but you are wrong.

“Y/n. I love you so much. But I can’t do this, I can’t allow you to do this. We can’t. They’ll kill us once they find us and-”

“I’m going, Soobin. With or without you,” you tell him while standing up and he knows from the firmness in your voice that your mind is set. “Tomorrow night. I’m leaving tomorrow night at sunset. If you want to join me, meet me here, under the Wisteria.” You turn around to leave and take a few steps before Soobin’s words make you pause in your tracks.

“Forever?” It is a last resort. He thinks maybe he can change your mind. But you don’t even look back before continuing on your journey home. Soobin looks down dejectedly at his shoes before standing up and walking in the opposite direction you have.

What neither of you had noticed, was a certain Capitol Worker watching you the whole time. 

“She’s leaving tomorrow at sunset.” “...” “Don’t worry, I have a plan.”

The next day at school, you had expected to see Soobin in your first period, sitting in the front row as usual. Red flag number one should’ve been when you noticed that he wasn’t there when you walked in. He’s always early. You brushed it off though. Red flag number two was when the bell rang and the teacher started the class and Soobin still wasn’t here. Soobin’s never late to class. Again you pushed the thought away, focusing on what the teacher was writing on the board.

It’s the end of the day and still no sign of Soobin. You were extremely worried now and had reason to be. Even when he had the flu he came to school, albeit he was sent home immediately. You forced yourself to calm down, willing the worry that was bubbling in the bottom of your stomach to go down. It’s ok, you’ll see him tonight. You were certain he would be there. He loves you, there’s no way he wouldn’t be there. Boy were you in for a shock.

At about 10 minutes to sunset, you headed to the Wisteria tree which had quickly become your safe haven. A place where you could truly be yourself with your lover. A place where many kisses were shared, many memories were made. You smiled at the thought. But your smile was wiped off your face at the sight before your eyes.

Because there was Soobin, tied up to the tree with a gag in his mouth, and a boy around your age, maybe younger, next to him. His eyes were wide with worry and fear, for his life or yours you couldn’t tell. What the hell is happening?

“Oh hello, Y/n dear. Nice of you to finally join the party.” The boy spoke. “Do you know who I am?” Slowly, you shook your head no. His lips turned upwards into a smirk. He was fairly attractive and if you weren’t in love with Soobin, you would swoon. “My name is Kang Taehyun. Your CW.” A gasp slipped from your mouth.

“M-my, my what!? Y-you’re the one who does my curfew check? But you’re just a kid.” When the word left your mouth a hard glare was thrown your way. “N-nevermind, not a kid. Got it.”

“Good work, Taehyun.” A  feminine voice resounded from behind you. You turned in the direction of the voice and froze. No. Right in front of your eyes was the same woman you had met almost a decade ago. The same woman that had held a taser to your mother and best friends’ necks. The same woman who had stepped over their lifeless bodies as she had left the park. The same woman who had smiled at you from over her shoulder, as if she were happy that you had no one left. “Y/n, we meet once again. Oh, what’s with that frown? Aren’t you happy to see me?” She mocked you. She had killed your family and she dared to mock you. You felt a bolt of anger surge through your body. You got ready to lunge at her but stopped at the cock of a gun.

“Uh, uh, uh. Take a step back or else I’ll blow your brains out.” You smirked. You weren’t afraid of dying. It would’ve been worth it to hurt the bitch.

“I don’t care. She deserves to feel pain. It’s not as strong as the pain of losing your family but close enough.” You took a step forward your arm raised to throw a punch at her, but then Taehyun uttered words you never wanted to ever hear.

“Maybe you don’t value your life, but I’m sure lover boy over here does.” You stopped in your tracks for the nth time that day, turning around to see Taehyun’s gun pointed straight at Soobin’s head. You looked into his eyes and saw nothing but fear and you knew that your eyes reflected his. When all you did was continue to stare at Soobin, Taehyun started to become impatient and shot up into the air. You jumped at the booming sound and looked over at him. “Next shot will be in his head.” 

“P-please. What do you want? I’ll give you anything, just please, don’t hurt him,” your voice was shaky as you begged for his life. He can’t die, you won’t allow it. “K-kill me. Please kill me instead. Spare him.” At your words, Soobin tried his best to break free from his restraints. He struggled and struggled until Taehyun punched him in the face, forcing him to stop and causing you to scream in anguish.

“NOOOO!”  The pain in your voice could be heard from a mile away. Your sobs echoing in the darkness. You have never cried as hard as this. “PLEASE I BEG OF YOU STOP! STOP PLEASE. LEAVE HIM ALONE, TAKE ME. HURT ME.” You never imagined that you would be in this situation. Watching Soobin, the love of your life, your forever, in pain. Blood dripped from his nose and you cringed at the sight.

“Oh darling, we plan to. But first, why don’t you enlighten us on why you want to leave Lamore?” The silky smooth voice behind you spoke again. How does she know that? She must’ve read your mind because she answered your question right after. “Taehyun here has been following you, getting intel on you, for about a month now. You’re a sneaky one, aren’t you?”

A month? Why only a month? And they both must be mind-readers as Taehyun answered you next. “Your breath. The night of your birthday. It was too fast, almost as if you were nervous. And what would you have to be nervous about if you were sleeping?” His eyebrow quirked up a little as he asked the question. “So I came closer than I usually do to make sure I was seeing correctly. I was, it turns out.” So that’s why he took more steps towards you than usual. You knew something was up.

“So what, you followed me here. And you’ve been following me this whole time?”

“Precisely. Now answer Miss Paige’s question. Why do you want to leave Lamore?” You glared at the both of them, your stubborn self not answering. “Oh, no answer? Alright,” as he said that, Taehyun pointed his gun at Soobin’s leg and pulled the trigger. A deafening boom ringing in your ears but you didn’t hear. All you heard was Soobin’s horrifying scream. He’s in pain. And it’s my fault. 

You watched as blood spurred from the love of your life’s leg and you saw how he stumbled a little at the loss of support. I did this. 

“I-if I tell you everything, everything. Will you leave Soobin alone? And get him to a hospital?”

“See, darling. That’s not gonna work. Taehyun here, he’s bloodthirsty. He needs to kill at the sight of blood.” The fuck is wrong with this dude? Yea, definitely not attracted to him anymore. “So one of you here is gonna have to die.” Her creepy smile never left her face.

“O-ok, kill me. Not Soobin, me,” you said the words quietly, hoping that Soobin wouldn’t hear you. But even in his loopy state, he heard. He started struggling against his binds once again. You made eye contact with him and put on a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes. You hoped to calm him but did the opposite. Worry pooled in his eyes and you looked away, knowing what you had to do. “Promise me. Swear that you won’t harm him anymore.”

“Alright. I swear on my daughter that I won’t harm lover boy.” And so you told them. You told them how much you hated the Capitol and Lamore in general. You told them how you loved Soobin and wanted to be with him forever. You told them how you planned to run away to Arena but Soobin didn’t want to. You told them everything. And when you were finally finished, you closed your eyes, awaiting death. You heard the sound of the gun and smiled. I’ll see you soon, Amelia, mom. But after a few moments of no pain, you opened your eyes. And screamed at the sight.

Soobin. With a bullet lodged in his head. You rushed over to him, your hands hovering over his body, too scared to touch him. You sobbed even harder than the first time you met him, your wails even causing Paige to feel sympathy for a moment. But only for a moment. You wheeled your head towards her, rage in your eyes. 

“You promised! You promised you wouldn’t kill him! You swore on your daughter, you lying bitch.” You screamed at her, feeling another part of your heart break. You lost one half of your heart at 10 years old and now, you lost the other half. You had a heart no more, all that was left was a hole in your chest. 

“Fun fact,” she leaned close to whisper in your ear, “ I don’t have a daughter.”

That must’ve been your breaking point because you wrapped your hands around her neck. Now you were the bloodthirsty one. But before you could even see a glimpse of pain in her eyes, a shot rang out. You looked down at your shirt, seeing a pool of red seep out. You smirked. It worked. I get to be with my family now.

You stumbled backward, ending beside Soobin, your back resting on the Wisteria tree that you used to call home. You leaned your head on his shoulder, thinking about the last thing he said to you. 

“Forever?”

And as you closed your eyes, you answered him.

“Forever.”

TXT Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[rrrawrf-writes]

retirement

this is for @gingerly-writing. it was supposed to be for her birthday. then i didn’t write anything for six months. but now here we are.

---

“If you’d wanted me to attend your party, you could have just sent an invitation.”

Suijade looked up, a bit startled, and then stood abruptly, his chair scooting back, as Gloria Delgado smiled at him. For a woman in her eighties, she looked elegant - and recognizable as none other than Morning Glory. She didn’t have to wear a suit. A long, slim white silk dress with the unmistakable prints of cherry blossoms and the creeping, flowering vine that gave her her alias, wrapped around a body that should have belonged to a younger woman.

A much younger woman. Gloria may have had laugh lines and crow’s feet, but she looked like she hadn’t aged past her forties. 

Suijade instinctively reached out to his ropes, but stopped himself, as Gloria simply smiled at him. He hadn’t seen her in person in years. Very few people had. Her brown skin was a beautiful contrast against her straight, snow-white hair, cut in a bob that curved slightly around her face. Suijade stood in front of superhero royalty, and all that Gloria was missing was the crown.

“Please, don’t let me make you stand,” she said warmly, pulling out a chair across from him and taking a seat. She smiled and gestured towards his chair, as if this were her party. “Sit.”

Suijade sat.

Her brown eyes regarded him with a hidden laugh; her voice was warm and honey smooth as she spoke. “This is a wonderful event. And I quite appreciate the cause - a charity ball for the conservation of local wildlife. Tell me,” she drew one of the still-full winegasses from Suijade’s side of the table to hers, and took a sip; he resisted the urge to tell her that it was for his fiance. “Did you arrange this for the irony, or was that a happy coincidence?”

Suijade finally found his voice. “It’s rather brave of you to come here alone, Mrs. Delgado.”

She smiled at him over the rim of her glass. “As I said,” she pointed out, “you wanted me to come.”

“I would have preferred different circumstances,” Suijade admitted. He doubted he would see them, but he looked out over the crowd for any sign of the people he’d sent to fetch Gloria in the first place. His table was one of several on a balcony overlooking the celebration; it was otherwise empty, as the people in the hall below them chatted, danced, and ate their fill. 

“Then you should have come yourself, Lariat,” Gloria chided. “I’m sure the end result would have been very different.”

If Gloria had been sixty years younger, Suijade suspected she would have rolled her eyes. The sarcasm still carried without the gesture, and he took a bit larger of a drink than he really should have. 

“I believe that the end result will turn in my favor, now that you’re here,” Suijade said. “I appreciate how much easier you’ve made this for me.”

Gloria let out a soft chuckle, and propped her chin in her hand. “Oh, no, darling, it’s rather the other way around. You see, you’re trapped.”

Suijade arched his eyebrows. “Pardon?”

Gloria’s smile grew a touch wider. “You’re trapped,” she repeated, and gestured around them with her glass of wine. “By societal convention.”

“Please explain.”

Gloria gave him a warm look, took another sip, then set down her glass and straightened. “Everyone,” she said, “knows who I am. And those here who don’t recognize me yet, will soon. It’s rather expected for heroes - even retired ones - to kick up a fuss at these events. Though,” she added, “I really would prefer not to. I haven’t been invited to much of anything for years, and this is quite enjoyable.”

“I would prefer not to have a fuss at my party, either,” Sujiade said dryly. “Mrs. Delgado, you seem to have quite the monologue prepared.”

“Please be patient with me, my dear,” Gloria said. “As I said, I haven’t been out and about in years.”

Suijade couldn’t help a smile, and he tipped his glass towards her. “Well, then, please continue. I would hate to curtail your enjoyment.”

Giving him a maternal smile, Gloria reached across the table and warmly patted his hand. “Thank you, darling. I have no need to hide my identity, or my powers. You, however, cannot make a scene without revealing yours.”

That was true. Suijade observed her over the rim of his glass, straight-faced. “I have been known for my subtlety, Mrs. Delgado.”

“I am aware.” Gloria glanced around the room. “But it is a touch more difficult to hide ropes at such an event as this, isn’t it? Let’s see - you have the curtains, of course,” she waved her hands towards the fabric pulled back from the high arching windows. Suijade had, indeed, added ropes to hold them back, as much aesthetic decoration as a potential weapon; more ropes hung behind them. “If I were here to cause a fuss,” Gloria continued, “I would also suspect the vents in the room, and the high ceilings. I’ve had to use those hiding places for my own purposes, before.”

“You’re very observant.”

“I’m very old,” Gloria corrected with a smile, “and I’ve seen every trick in the book, Lariat. Even yours.”

Suijade gestured to the one server waiting on the balcony with them, though she was far enough away not to hear anything. He and Gloria waited for the server to refill their glasses, and Gloria thanked her warmly before the waitress stepped away again.

“Mrs. Delgado,” Suijade said, after a moment. He resettled himself in his chair. “I do not rely solely on my powers. I have always considered that a weakness.”

“And so you would like to tell me that my focus on your powers is a similar weakness,” Gloria guessed with a smile. Suijade nodded, once. “This is true, and very wise of you, Lariat. Though you should be cautious of your use of the word always,” she added, a twinkle in her eyes. “I remember when you thought that your only strength.”

“Would it be inaccurate of me to suppose that you are focusing on your own strengths at this moment?” Suijade said. This evening was taking an odd turn, but he found the conversation refreshing - and, admittedly, somewhat flattering. There were not many these days who had the opportunity to speak so frankly with the woman who had been the first to show superpowers - and become the first superhero. 

“It would not,” Gloria confirmed. “But, it would also be accurate to say that you, Lariat, are outgunned.”

He frowned.

Gloria straightened with a smile. “You have done me the wonderful favor of ensuring that I have more than enough ammunition, Lariat.”

Her eyes drifted towards the vase of flowers in the center of the table. Suijade shifted slightly. It was only a single vase of flowers -

A single vase of flowers on every table in the large hall. Several clustering end tables. Displays along the wall showing realistic dioramas of the local environments they were trying to save. Small indoor, decorative trees and plants that were real, because if Suijade was going to sponsor an event, he wasn’t going to use plastic for anything.

He had arranged his own trap.

“I presume you had all of these roses dethorned, of course,” Gloria mused, reaching a hand out to the vase. Her fingers curled around a soft green rose, and the smooth stem sprouted slender, sharp thorns as she pulled the flower away from its fellows. “That’s really a shame. You can’t properly appreciate something without experiencing all aspects of its creation.”

“They came that way,” Suijade said numbly. He hadn’t really paid much attention to the flower decorations. He had people for that. He suppressed the urge to look around for his security, to check again just in case Gloria had brought someone with her, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Mrs. Delgado, my associates - ?”

“Ah.” Gloria set the rose aside. “They’ll have been arrested, by now. I was vague on the details when I called the police. I tried to avoid hurting them as best as I could.”

Of course she had. “I appreciate that. They were only doing their jobs.”

Gloria smiled. Her gaze drifted over the celebration below them, following the attendees in their suits and gowns. It was hardly a news-worthy event, simply some of the local rich folks around the state that Suijade and his fiance had convinced to back the charity.

“Lariat, if you’re going to send others out to do what no one else can do better than you, you really should retire.”

He startled, looking up at her. “I’m sorry?”

She set down her glass, a slight smirk touching her green-coated lips. “Oh, you could join my book club.” Gloria’s expression brightened at the thought. 

Suijade stared. “Your… book club.”

“Yes. We just met last week, and we’re starting a new book. This is the perfect time.” She straightened. “I think you would enjoy it. We’re reading one of Robin Kimmerer’s books this month. Braiding Sweetgrass.”

Had she gone senile? She was eighty years old, at least, and Morning Glory had taken a lot of hits during her career.

Judging by the slight smile on her face, Gloria could guess at what Suijade was thinking. “Well, at least consider the idea,” she said, and finished off her glass of wine. “Who was it, Lariat?”

Suijade blinked, and shifted again. “Who was who?”

Gloria looked at him. “I know that there is no reason for you to hold me ransom, Lariat. I have no riches, and I’m not that valuable a public figure any more.”

“You shouldn’t sell yourself so short, Mrs. Delgado.” Suijade flagged the server down again, asking her to refill Gloria’s glass as he regained his feet in this odd conversation. “We would all be poorer without your presence.”

She gave him a fond smile as the server left them again. “Except you. How much richer would you be?”

Suijade smiled back at her. “Quite a bit, Morning Glory.” And considering the money Suijade already had, that was certainly saying something. He could retire their server’s father, the poor man. Suijade knew he worried about her university tuition.

“Mmm. And who will be to blame for your sudden increase in charitable donations?” Gloria asked with a smile. Suijade sat back in his chair, but before he could think of a non-answer to give her, he spotted his fiance over Gloria’s shoulder.

Jesse, of course, had the worst timing, as always.

He stood up with a smile regardless, and he didn’t even have to fake it - seeing Jesse enjoying himself was a pleasant contrast to the work Suijade had to deal with. Jesse had his hearing aids in, but Suijade still signed a greeting to him.

“Oh, Jesse, hello again,” Gloria said brightly, getting to her feet a beat after Suijade. He shot her a startled look, and bit his tongue. “I’m sorry for disappearing on you earlier, I found an old friend I wanted to say hello to.”

“That’s all right, Mrs. Delgado,” Jesse said brightly, his voice just a touch too loud, the words just a touch too close together. Suijade still hadn’t heard anything he loved more. He pressed his lips together when Jesse offered a hug to Gloria first, but he really couldn’t blame either of them - Suijade had always been the one with more reservations about displays of affection.

Jesse at least broke away to come over and kiss Suijade, very briefly, on the corner of his jaw. “I didn’t realize the two of you knew each other,” Jesse said brightly. He reached down to steal Suijade’s glass, and Suijade let him. 

“Well, it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen each other,” Gloria said warmly. 

“I’m more surprised the two of you know each other,” Suijade remarked, though at this point, he really shouldn’t be. Jesse somehow always knew the oddest people, but tonight, Jesse shook his head.

“We only met tonight,” he said. “I wish we had known each other before, I absolutely would have invited you.” Jesse gave Gloria a bright smile. 

Of course he would have. 

They all took a seat again, Jesse sitting as close to Suijade as he could manage it. The server appeared without being asked, bringing another glass and refilling the others before she ghosted away again. Suijade had hoped this would be the last event she’d have to play caterer at, and then she could simply focus on her studies, but with Morning Glory here as a guest, rather than a captive, Suijade supposed he’d have to find some other source of a bonus for her father.

Well. He could still find a way, he was sure. He was Lariat, after all, even if Gloria was right.

Sorry for not being down there with you, Suijade signed briefly to Jesse, under the edge of the table. He didn’t know if Gloria knew sign language, but he wouldn’t be surprised. Work came up.

That’s all right, Jesse signed back, before taking one of Suijade’s hands and leaning against him. “Are you enjoying the party, Mrs Delgado?”

“It’s lovely,” Gloria assured him. “I especially adore the decorations. You’ve both truly outdone yourself tonight.”

“Have you seen the gardens?” Jesse asked eagerly. “The people who own this place have been working on them for decades.”

“No, not yet,” Gloria said, though she perked up just as eagerly as Jesse. “But I would like to.”

“Jesse,” Suijade started, but Gloria had already swept to her feet; Jesse bounced up, too, like an eager puppy. Suijade started to stand.

“Let me show you,” Jesse said excitedly, before Suijade could make any attempt at heading off this adventure. Turning, Jesse gestured for Suijade to stay seated, adding, “No, Suijade, it’s fine. I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Gloria slipped her arm through Jesse’s, and smiled past him to Suijade. “You should really consider my invitation,” she told him warmly. “Jesse, hold on juuuust a moment.”

She hovered her hand over the flowers in the vase, deliberating a moment between colors before she pulled another of the pale green roses. Suijade shoved down the urge to leap across the table as Gloria fussily slipped it through Jesse’s lapel, cooing over how well it matched his shirt.

Jesse, of course, was delighted, and he half-turned to show Suijade with a grin. Suijade did not miss the single thorn on the stem.

“Who was that friend of yours you wanted me to meet, Suijade?” Gloria asked, the lines around her eyes crinkling with a warm smile.

Suijade’s grip wrinkled the tablecloth. Jesse looked to him, and Suijade forced himself to relax, pushing a tense smile onto his face. Looking good, he signed quickly to Jesse. His fiance beamed.

Suijade knew that Gloria wouldn’t hurt Jesse. Of all the capes he’d ever dealt with, Morning Glory was the one he trusted most not to make good on a threat against a civilian. But it wasn’t about whether she’d hurt Jesse or not - it was about whether Suijade was willing to take that chance, miniscule though it may be, with the man he loved.

He wasn’t.

“Ah. Percy Banks,” he said, glancing past them to the people below. “He is very keen to make your acquaintance.” And all of Banks’ money in the world wasn’t enough to make endangering Jesse worth it. Suijade did not want to make the mistake of trusting Morning Glory’s public reputation. She was not one of the more predictable superheroes.

“Thank you.” Gloria beamed at Jesse. “Shall we?”

Suijade watched the two of them go, then sighed. He drained his glass, then wearily waved over the server to refill it, again. She looked at him, then just set the bottle on the table. Suijade let out a soft laugh.

“Thank you, Maria,” he murmured, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was sure no one would notice if he dipped his hands into the charity till for her tuition. If she kept him supplied like this, he would. 

With a sigh, he sat back in his chair. Retirement. He’d thought about it for some time, and he knew it would make Jesse happy. And Suijade carried out his own plans less and less these days. Maybe Gloria was right - it could have ended very differently if he’d gone after her himself, instead of trusting to his employees.

It could have ended with him hurt, or worse, and Jesse left alone, waiting for him to come home. Suijade closed his eyes for a moment.

Then he pulled out his phone, and looked up Robin Kimmerer.

[leggomylino]

Vividly | Lee Felix

Genre: fluff, comedy, college au, poetry au(?)

Pairing: Lee Felix x fem!reader

Word Count: ~1.1k

A/n: Masterlist → in bio!!! | I hope you enjoy 🎔

~ ❀❀❀~

[오후 6:10]

“Shall I compare thee to a warm summer’s day? Or, perhaps, to...uh…”

He tapped the tip of his pen against his chin. On the floor somewhere diagonally behind him, Han divided up the pizza while Minho begrudgingly rose to pay, seeing as Han “accidentally” tripped and dropped the bill on his lap.

“...Oh!” He smiled, scribbling as fast as his hand would allow. “...to...a...flower…uh...of Spring! Done!”

Gathering his day’s work atop his desk, Felix beamed proudly at the words he’d managed to weave together. Tapping them twice to file, he spun his chair around, waiting for everyone’s attention.

“Minho’ll be back in a sec,” Han said between a mouthful of cheese and pepperoni. “He’s paying the delivery guy downstairs.”

Miffed footsteps could be heard rising up along the walls before, lo and behold, the devil himself arrived. He focused vexed eyes on Han. “This is the last time I’m paying for you. You owe me twenty bucks.”

“Okay.”

“On top of the two-hundred and seventy-five you already owe me.”

“...O-Oh...haha…” He smiled cheesily. “I see you’ve been keeping track.”

Minho deadpanned. “And I can see you’ll be needing floss after this.” He turned to Felix, tucking himself comfortably down into a beanbag chair Felix normally used for gaming nights. “Go ahead, Felix.”

He nodded; this was it. The words he’d spent all day putting together. They had to work, just had to. If they didn’t, well…

Han and Minho thought he’d just be failing English 101. But, really, he’d be failing himself; his chance of winning over the heart of someone very dear to him...an enigma named Y/n L/n.

“Ahem,” He started, mentally preparing himself. He had to treat this moment like the real thing. He had to channel his inner charisma and be as witty and charming as possible, but also rugged and manly...because that’s what girls liked, right? Yet, also, it was important that he was still true to himself...since that was hopefully the person you’d be falling in love with…

“...Is...that it?” Han asked, brows raised. He turned to Minho curiously. “Yo, this reminds me of that one SpongeBob episode where--”

“Quiet, loud mouth,” Minho rolled his eyes. “He just got spacey again, give him a chance.”

“...Ahem,” Felix began again. His eyes scanned the papers before him nervously, palms starting to sweat, words slightly blurring. 

“A-And summer’s lease hath all too short a date,

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Shall I compare thee to a...warm...summer’s day?

Or perhaps to a flower of spring?”

Lowering the pages, he took a deep breath before smiling as big and...what he was hoping would be happy and gentlemanly as possible.

On the other side of the room, Minho and Han both blinked. Han coughed. “...That...was… ...you wanna take this one, Minho?”

Minho sighed. “Felix…” He tried to smile politely, Felix could tell. But it just wasn’t...there. “Felix, I know you’ve been working on that all day, and you’ve been at this project for three days now. So I’m sure you’re exhausted, and I don’t want you to be too disappointed when I tell you that was just Shakespeare’s Sonnet Eighteen read backwards...and then, something you added to the end. Hey,” He suddenly brightened, giving him an air-nudge. “That last part was original! You can start again with that after, eh…” He listed his head. “...Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow. You’re gonna make yourself sick like Hyunjin trying to pull off Mrs. Kang’s finale.”

Han paused halfway to starting his third slice. “...Since when do you know anything about English and...nice...words?”

Minho scoffed. “It’s called poetry, genius,” he rebuked, pouring himself a soda from the liters hidden in Felix’s closet. “I just got finished with her class last semester. I had to study so hard that it all just...stuck with me, I guess. Hyunjin and I would have failed if not for Seungmin and Chan’s help.” He cast his gaze back to Felix with a genuine smile. “Don’t worry too much about it. It’s not you, it’s her.”

Han rolled his eyes. “How many girls have you told that t-- oof!”

Minho held another pillow at the ready. “I’m talking about Mrs. Kang, and the assignment!” he hissed, dropping the weapon. “Anyway...here.” he said, handing his untouched plate to the homeowner. “Take a break. Eat a lot.”

“I’ve got a poem for you,” Han piped, recovered. Minho rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time, shaking his head. “Are you ready?”

Felix nodded.

“Okay! Roses are red, violets are blue--”

Minho snorted, glaring over his slice of food. “You’re a moron, and we hate you?”

“NO,” Han blurted, “...” He turned precariously to Felix. “You should have taken Home Ec with me, I told you to.” 

Minho groaned. Felix, on the other hand, bowed his head, taking the last slice. The smallest. His first. 

“...Perhaps you’re right.”

~ ❀❀❀~

That night, Felix dreamed of a girl who loved poetry, books, words, and the unfathomable. He dreamed of a girl whose dying wish it was to obtain a molecular understanding of the world, one who was not of the world, but was in it. He dreamed of beautiful things, of cherry blossoms dancing in the April breeze along a mountain stream, of a colorful forest in late fall, of a warm cottage home in Winter. Many seasons passed him by, all of which came converging to a single point…

And the possibilities manifested in themselves. They combined together, forming you. A girl with (h/c) hair and sweet (e/c) eyes.

Felix awoke from his dream with a jolt. He was warm, skin humming, thoughts circling round and around and around…

The clock on the wall read two a.m.. Normally, he’d be up gaming at this hour, not jolting awake from a melodiously, affable, jovial-embedded--

...Gasp. Did he just...were those words...from him? Did he think of them all on his own? They just seemed to...come to him. They came to him when he thought about you; your smile, your laugh, how the birds seemed to sing and the flowers swayed to and fro, as if euphorically spinning and twirling to the rhythm of his pining, beating heart…

Yes, he thought. It’s so...inelegant, and tasteless, but…

It was definitely a gift from you. A gift he would not let go to waste.

At 2:03 a.m., Felix sat down at his desk, pen and paper at the ready. 

[magicalgirlpropaganda]

My headcanon for the sets:

They're all in a friend group ig

Miss lady rose being the first set is the mom friend. She checks up on her friends and makes sure they're doing well and always tries to convince them to not do stupid things. She loves to watch soap operas and is good at embroidery

Dear dolly is really stuck up but she's otherwise a good friend. She likes to shop and she wants to be a fashion designer. The only sibling relationship i agree with for the sets is baby doll being dear dolly's little sister. Babydoll looks up to her.

Darling Valentina is kind of like dear dolly but a little nicer and she's dating shadow empress. She likes gardening and baking. She loves magical girl shows.

Spring cherry blossom and baby doll are the youngest in the group and they're best friends. They're kinda childish. They're both toy collectors. Spring cherry blossom is also into gardening and helos darling valentina with gardening.

Winter guardian female set and male set are best friends but they aren't dating

The female set and male set are really sporty and do sports stuff together idk i dont play any sports

The shadow empress set is dating darling valentina. She's probably a metalhead idk. She is kinda mean but she's really protective of her friends. She's secretly into sailor moon.

Royale rebel female set is kind of a loner but still good friends with everyone, she just prefers to be alone. She is kind of shadow empresses rival sorta?

The royal rebel male set kinda hangs out with the female set and has a huge crush on both female and male winter guardian set

Both of them love skateboarding and hiking.

Princess starfrost is overly sweet to everyone but shes also kind of terrifying if you get on her bad side. She likes baking but she mainly likes scripting and game development. Her and winter guardian argue a lot.

Midnight strike popstar female set is really sweet and is a big kpop fan. Her and heirloom are good friends and both wants to become popstars. They both play a ton of instruments.

The popstar male set is really full of himself but hypes other people up. He likes to do makeup ig

Heirloom set is a fan of Melanie Martinez and i say this because the set was based off of k-12. Im not rlly into Melanie but i only say that because thats where the set came from. I think she's rllydolly. y and into vintage stuff. She was also the one to welcome mon cheri into the group

The fluttering butterfly set is into winx club because thats the inspo for that set. She is the tallest in the group so she calls herself a sailor moon character probably. She's best friends with darling valentina and dear dolly. She's a cosplayer.

Mon cheri male and female sets are both shy and introverted. They are nerdy, bookworms, probably really into European history and jfashion. Both of them are really close and are childhood friends.

The charming prince set has a crush on dear dolly, who has turned him down millions of times by now. He is egotistical and likes to play sports. He is really sweet otherwise.

[revasser-destiny]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Smoke and Mirrors ~ Sesshomaru x Reader

(( You’ll have to excuse me if I make any lore mistakes. I watched/read InuYasha 7 years ago and I forgot a lot of stuff, but I’ve been thinking about this story idea for a while...So here we are. ))

“Father? Why are we here?” a young Sesshomaru asked his father, Toga, the Lord of the Western Japan, Leader of the Dog Demon clan. “You are my son, Sesshomaru, and some day, when I will be no more, you will be the new ruler of this place. Everything you see with your eyes, and far beyond the horizon, every living being and every inch of land, will be under your rule.” Inu no Taisho began his explanation to his young son, who resembled him so much. “That is a lot of responsibility you are putting on my shoulders, father.” the boy spoke in a calm voice. “Such is the burden that a Lord must bare, and for that, I apologise. However, this is our duty, and our people must live in peace.” the older man nodded, putting his hand oh his son’s shoulder. “What is it that you want to say, father? I can sense there is something bothering you.” his father smiled softly at how perceptive and witty his flesh and blood is. “Yes, you are right. What I wanted to inform you is that, as you know already, soon enough, you will have to marry, and I have found you a suitable bride. She is the daughter of the Lord of the Northern Japan, the Leader of the Fox Demon clan, and the man I trust the most in my life. He is a brilliant Warlord and his people are thriving, his land has not seen War in centuries, and we agree that together, this country will be much safer.” Toga explained his reasoning and it seemed that the young one sketched no expression on his deadpan face. “I see. When are we going to see her?” was the simple reply he uttered, which left his father with wide eyes, clearly not having expected that. “In a week. She is very young, and the marriage won’t happen for a long time, but we believe getting to know each other would prove to be beneficial...And we truly hope you will get along as well as I and her father do.” the Dog Demon lord smiled down at his son, who could only nod and hum in agreement. “We shall see.” Sesshomaru muttered, before turning around and leaving back inside his home.

A week passed by faster than the breeze of Spring, and so, Inu no Taisho took his son, Sesshomaru, on a journey that lead to the Northern Kingdom, to the Clan of the Fox Demons, and much to the young one’s surprise, there were a ton of unbelievable phenomena happening all around him, that made him get ready to strike, but his father could only chuckle in amusement, clearly unphased by all the trickery.

By the time they stepped up in front of the Castle, they were greeted by a tall man with long, red hair like the blazing fire and striking green eyes that would rival the beauty of a forest. And on his face, there was a very annoying and mischievous smirk that seemed to greatly irritate the young Dog Demon for his smugness and aloof aura he radiated.

“Toga, my old friend, marvelous seeing you again! It’s always such a great pleasure having your companionship, and now, you brought your mini-you!” the man took a long drag of his pipe, letting out a puff that oddly resembled a fox jumping around playfully, before the nine tails, long and red, spread open like a fan of fire behind him, and stepped down the stairs to greet them. “Kasai, it is as you say, always great seeing you. This is Sesshomaru, my son. Sesshomaru, this is Kasai, the Fox Demon Lord I told you about.” the white haired man grinned at his best friend, who gave of a sly grin and bent down from the waist, looking into the boy’s amber eyes. “My, Toga, I believe this young one is going to surpass you in looks, strength and maybe even wit too. I bet Y/N is going to love you in no time. Maybe even put a smile on this cold face of yours...” Kasai hummed teasingly as he pinched the boy’s cheek, which made him glare and slap his hand away. “Sesshomaru, be more courteous!” his father warned, but the red haired man only laughed in amusement, shaking his head and putting his hands inside the opposite sleeves. “Worry not, my friend, he was right to do as he did! Now, if you wouldn’t mind, follow me to the tea room. Y/N is a bit shy so she is still with her mother, doing her hair.” he started walking ahead, only to be greeted by two red haired beings, one mature while the other much younger, yet both wearing rich, pink kimonos with intricate embellishments of gold, their hair mostly let loose, to fly with the wind, but the upper part was held with gorgeous flower ornaments.

Unlike the man in cause, however, their skin was much paler and had natural red markings, fit for being the Nine Tailed Kitsunes from humans’ tails and paintings and their eyes, as green as Kasai’s, yet much more piercing and richer than his.

It was clear to Sesshomaru that women of this clan, perhaps only the nobles, or maybe all of them, had much more delicate and beautiful features than men did, and now, he could understand why humans seemed to fear yet adore the Nine Tailed Foxes so much.

The look they gave you with those jade-like eyes seemed to go right into your soul, leaving you naked, exposed, to the whole world to see and read, only for you to want to beg for more of this seducing charm of their.

It was no secret power, it was just beauty, and they knew how to glorify it, from young to old.

“Ah, look who we have here! My darling, you look radiant! Here, here, this is Toga, my dear old friend, and this little one is his son, Sesshomaru.” the man planted a soft kiss on his daughter’s forehead, before putting his hand on her back, encouraging her to step in front of the two new men. “It’s great finally meeting the man who accompanied my papa on so many adventures. I am Y/N, it’s a pleasure.” the young one smiled shyly, bowing her head slightly to show her respect for the two visitors. “My, she’s so adorable! And she has such an angelic voice! She truly resembles her mother more than you, Kasai!” Inu no Taisho gave a mirthful laugh that strongly throughout the forest. “Toga, Toga, always so nice with everyone! How is Inukimi, I haven’t heard from her in a while! Is she a bit jealous that cute, little Sesshomaru looks more like you than her?” Moeru put her hand to her mouth, humming in amusement. “Moeru, darling, let’s get Toga inside for tea and let the children get to know each other and have fun. I’m sure they couldn’t care less about our adult conversations.” Kasai suggested, putting his arms around both his wife and best friend, guiding them inside.

After a few silent seconds between the fox and dog demons, the girl cleared her throat and raised her head slightly, to meet to boy’s golden eyes, giving him a playful smile.

“I heard you will be staying over for the night. Is that true?” she asked, already knowing the answer, and yet, wanting to play coy. “It is.” he answered in a monotonous voice. “Twilight is going to appear...Come on, let me show you something.” Y/N extended her hand for him to take. “Where are you taking me?” the silver haired boy asked, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Shh, wait and see! It’s a secret place.” she giggled, before running even faster than before, which surprised the older boy who could barely keep up with her. “It’s a secret no more if you tell it.” he pointed out, as soon as they arrived at a lake. “I keep no secrets from my fiance.” she chuckled, before sitting down at the base of the willow, dipping her feet in the warm water. “I see.” he looked down at her, a tad uncomfortable and unsure, as he sat down next to her. “Do you want to know what makes this place so special?” she asked him, with a soft smile on her face. “Sure.” he replied, as more of a mutter. “This is a human tale, and it goes as follows - Every Twilight, the Lake of the Princess is graced by the presence of a maiden, the nymph of the lake, Limnades, more beautiful than any man has ever witnessed in his life, and she comes here to bathe, for the water is magical and it sparkles like diamonds, making her skin flawless and delicate, just like a flower. At midnight, she emerges from the water, as fairies come to robe her, and she walks upon the sheen of the mirror water, dancing in the moonlight, to the tune of a flute and the wind rustling and dancing with the falling leaves and cherry blossom petals. Some call her Sakura, while some say she is a Will’o’Wisp, and yet, nobody knows the truth.” she told him the story that has been passed down from generation to generation, only in her clan. “Are all mortal tales so absurd?” Sesshomaru scoffed at the girl’s story. “Yes, they are, but don’t you think they hold a grain of romanticism to it?” she chuckled at his apathetic reaction. “What is the real story behind it, then?” he faced the girl. “Well...It’s all much simpler, really. The truth is that the only magical thing about this place, is its beauty. The moonlight is so powerful here that, since the lake is surrounded by big trees, it looks like a silver mirror...And the fairies are just ordinary fireflies...We have plenty of those, thankfully.” she grinned at him in amusement, as he nodded in understanding. “And that maiden, nymph or whatever she is?” he asked, wanting to know the whole truth. “About that...” she giggled mischievously, before springing up and taking a leap towards the middle of the lake, which startled the boy...Only to see her floating.  “How...?” he asked as he jumped to his feet, looking at her in wonder. “It’s one of our many tricks, Sesshomaru. This Lake is the place where the Princesses of the Fox clan bathe. We all have a love for fun, art and beauty, so of course we use our illusions to make everything as perfect as possible. We know a variety of dances, we all wear luxurious clothes, no matter our ranks or titles, and of course, we all know how to play at least one instrument. We have so many festivals, so we all have a lot of fun!” she explained, twirling around, letting her nine tails spread around in a fan of fire, just like her father did, greeting them. “So humans can’t differentiate between a Kitsune and a Naiad. Clearly, one cannot expect much from them.” calming down, he leaned back on the old tree, watching her with a certain sparkle of curiosity in his eyes. “That is not wrong...However, I find this naivite and innocence quite...Silly and amusing...If not, easily exploitable. Humans are creative and superstitious, therefore, we have all these silly stories, rituals and myths about ever little thing.” she said, getting back on the ground, sitting where she did just before. “You and I have very different views on these mortals, clearly.” he scoffed once again, looking away. “Mayhaps you just have too many emotions stored up inside your heart. Take some time from the world, focus on yourself, and relax. Look at the sky, appreciate the myriads of shades and colours it is painted with, and listen to the lullabies and hymns the nature is singing to you. Come on, Sessh. Sit down, breathe and enjoy life.” Y/N looked up at him with a sweet smile, as she held his hand and urged him to sit down next to her once again. “Does anyone in your clan take themselves seriously?” he gritted his teeth for a second, before sitting down next to the girl, only sparing her a glance with the corner of his eyes. “Only when necessary. Life is beautiful and it’s meant to be lived and enjoyed, and sometimes, it’s the little, insignificant details that matter - Those that are often overlooked...For example, were you born with your markings? I noticed you your father doesn’t have the same crescent moon on his forehead as you do...And your side lines are different in number and colours.” she asked, leaning on his side, putting her chin on his shoulder. “I was. All nobles have different markings...And the crescent moon is from my mother. You?” he felt himself warming up a bit to the girl, that he asked about her without even realising. “We aren’t born with them, they start appearing, only to girls, with years going. As you see, mine are still pale, but my mother’s are a brilliant shade of red. They reach that colour when we reach maturity, which is a sign we can marry. And...They are always different, depending on our personality. My mama is more gentle and soft...I’m more playful and mischievous.” she closed her eyes for a few seconds, before turning them on again. “That much is obvious.” the silver haired boy nodded, as if he already realised that long ago.

Giggling in amusement, she took out a leaf, and with a poof of smoke, Sesshomaru found himself with another version of himself leaning on his side, which made him look at the fox demon with an unphased look on his face.

“Fascinating power...If only you would not forget the leaf on your head.” he smirked, taking off the leaf from her head. “What?!” she gasped, which only made her turn back to herself, her green eyes widening like a little, surprised fawn. “It is rather weird seeing myself in front of me...It would be rather entertaining to see a successful trick like this, without forgetting the leaf. A very deadly weapon as well.” he informed, giving her the leaf back. “Is this how you do your tricks?” “Yes...I have a ton of leaves with me at all times...Ahh, I was sure I took out the leaf this time, how miserable!” she sighed, pouting, which earned a soft chuckle from the boy. “You are young, Y/N. Much younger than me still. There is enough time for you to stop forgetting that leaf...And to show me when you’ve perfected it.” he put his hand on her head, patting it. “Ehhh~? So that means you can’t wait to see me again! What a pleasant coincidence~!” she grinned teasingly, leaning o him. “Don’t push your luck.” he shot her a look of warning, but she obviously didn’t care.

Instead of replying, she got her hand inside of her kimono, taking out a flute and she began playing a magical melody that she learnt from her mother, that has been passed down through generations from her grandmother and so on, yet nobody knows who created it and how long has it been since someone was first taught it.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, letting the back of his head rest on the bark of the Willow, allowing the song to create an atmosphere of complete bliss and serenity, and as the Sun set down, disappearing so that the Moon could take its place. The Moonlight was creating the illusion of diamonds floating, dazzling on the sheen of the mirror-like water, while the fire flies were flying around like small Will’o’Wisps dancing together in the gentle Spring breeze.

For the first time, so far, the silver haired Dog Demon princeling understood what it’s like to relax and take in the beauty of the moment, and for the next 500 years, he has been courting her, in his own way...Albeit not too often, for they were both very busy with their training and life in general, for they will be Lords, after all.

Unfortunately, this serendipity didn’t last too long for either of them, for Sesshomaru’s father went to another woman, a human that he loved and even had a child with...A half-demon...And in return, to keep them safe, Toga died, and with that, Kasai’s heart as well, for his best friend perished in vain.

As soon as Inu no Taisho died, Sesshomaru couldn’t be the Lord and reign with an iron fist, for he was still too young and inexperienced, despite the fighting he had done by his father’s side, which lead to a riot in both the Northern and the Western parts of Japan...

And Kasai died protecting his people.

From fear, Moeru ran away with her daughter, away from the mess, from the enemies, from the ill-will, from the bittersweet memories, from all the danger that wound cause her little Y/N any harm, so they took refuge to the Southern Lord, who gracefully welcomed them and offered his condolences.

It all went down in a flash, but her mother died from suffering so much over her husband’s death, leaving the poor girl all alone in this world, a young maiden out there, fighting to regain her birth right and take down the people who took away her lovely family from her, and killing them with no mercy or second thoughts, she managed to get the throne back, and now, she was the Lord of the Northern Japan and nobody dared go against her again.

She wasn’t sure how many centuries passed since she had a normal day, back when things were so much easier and when she could properly enjoy the beauty and art that her people had ingrained in their blood since the beginning of their making.

Nobody dared get on her territory without her consent, knowing they would get crushed by her and her blazing Fox Fire...

That is, until a silver haired boy with fluffy ears and a few companions come by, seeking shelter, and cause a commotion, as expected of them, and as they started fighting the intimidating guardians of the land, a luxurious woman with long hair, burning like the Twilight Sun, her long, nine tails spreading around her just like the flaming sky, her jade-like eyes piercing them like the harshest wind blade. Her face, despite the seductive, almost Geisha-like look, given by her pale skin and red markings, held a cold ruthlessness that seemed to drain the blood from the humans’ faces.

As soon as the half-demon took out his large sword and did a wind attack, the girl jumped on it, crouching down on the other end of the blade, her hands inside the opposite sleeves, looking at him with a taunting smirk.

“What’s your name, kid? What kind of animal demon are you? I have seen no half-demons in a very long while...Or, well, one that looks as cute as you, that is.” she giggled mysteriously, earning an angry growl from him. “What’s it to you, huh?! Why do you care about us?! They attacked us first!” he swung his blade again, only to get burnt by her fire, his sword kicked out of his hand, far away, and him, flat on his back, with her foot on his neck. “You are on my territory. My kingdom. Without permission. State your business and I will decide whether or not to forgive your intrusion...For your crew doesn’t seem to be harmful.” her voice became much darker and harsher, putting pressure on his neck. “We are sorry for the intrusion, miss! We are looking for shelter, we didn’t know this was your land. We are all human here, clueless about most of the demon business. My name is Kagome, this is Miroku, Sango...That is Inuyasha, and these are Shippo and Kirara.” the brunette girl in a weird attire spoke with feign confidence, making Y/N’s eyes widen slightly, leaving the half-demon and going to her, bending down slightly to get to her eye-level. “Kagome, Kagome...Who is behind you, bird in the cage? Yes, I always told him, humans are interesting indeed...And you look at that, you have a little Fox demon with you, how adorable...But you’re so tiny...Can you even transform, little one?” she asked the kid who stood with a shy expression on the brunet’s shoulder. “O-Of course I can! Look, I can be even you!” he tried to sound mature, transforming into the woman in front of him...Only for her to start laughing mirthfully. “Perfect transformation! ...Except for the leaf.” she grinned, picking the leaf from his head. “Ah...! Damn it, I was sure I took it off! I always forget to do take it away!” he whined in disbelief. “Don’t worry, little Shippo. When I was young like you, I used to forget the leaf all the time. Well... Stopped after meeting someone...But that doesn’t matter now.” she chuckled, letting the kid jump in her arms. “When you are so many centuries old, you tend to forget about the little mistakes you used to do when you were just a little snowdrop.” Y/N’s voice was so much calmer and gentler now, soothing like a mother’s lullaby to her child, and her voice seemed to ease everyone in the crew as well. “Tsk...Maybe you’re not such a bad chick. Since you asked, I am a Dog Demon. Why are you so interested in that?” he scoffed, still glaring at the woman as he got up on his feet. “You...Are a...Well, that explains it, you look so much like him...” she muttered, looking away into the horizon with a nostalgic smile. “Him? Someone who looks like InuYasha...?” Kagome’s eyes widened in realisation. “The only one who comes in mind would be...Sesshomaru...?” Sango questioned, unsure of herself. “I wouldn’t have expected humans to know someone like Sesshomaru. I haven’t seen him since before InuYasha was born and I was just a child. How long has it been...800 years ago maybe?” Y/N gave a satisfied, kitten-like smile, earning shocked gasps from everyone. “Well, we know him because he attacked InuYasha...But how do you know him for so long?” Kagome asked, blinking in curiosity. “Oh, well...I am his fiance.” she laughed, very amused at them falling to the ground in shock. “When we were both children, our fathers wanted us to marry, so from our marriage, the Northern and Western Japan would be united and peaceful. They wanted no more wars and disputes, so this was the perfect idea. They were best friends, so they had absolute faith in each other...” she explained, guiding them towards her castle. “Wait, so...What happened?” Shippo asked from her shoulder. “...Inuyasha was born.” she muttered, looking down for a few seconds, then back up ahead. “Huh?! What the hell do I have to do with that?!” he spit out in annoyance. “Your father died to protect you and your mother. Because of that, there was no more Lord in the West, so Sesshomaru had to do something about it, and with that, wars and riots started happening in the West, trying to overthrow my Clan...And my father died to protect us...Which means I haven’t seen him in over 200 years. I’m not blaming you, obviously, but I use some things as year bornes to remember things chronologically. Immortality can get confusing and tedious sometimes.” she laughed, a natural, mirthful laugh, just like her father used to, as she showed them inside the castle. “Woaw...So, that means you are the Leader of the West?” Kagome asked, very excited. “Yes, I suppose I am, and have been for quite a while. Took a while to take back my throne from those usurpers, but...None is alive to tell the tale of betrayal. Anyway, if you want to stay over, you will have to join me for a cup of tea and tell me the reason of your journey together and your personal stories. You are all incredibly different and unique...There must be something that brought you together.” she flashed them a mischievous smirk, before welcoming them inside.

They told the Kitsune about the destruction of the Shikon no Tama, which shocked her, until she found out about this Naraku who is creating chaos everywhere and destroying the peace and harmony of the world, that was already in shambles enough as if was.

Easily agreeing to help them with anything they needed, she made plans on how to aid them while also taking care of her kingdom, which was her priority, first and foremost.

She thought awhile on what the best course of action would be, and protecting the West from threats like Naraku was the best course of action, and thus, despite going on an aimless journey, she found a treasure that she would have never expected to stumble upon.

A little girl, brunet, wearing an orange kimono and walking barefoot, humming a cute little tune and picking berries, while a green gremlin, half her height, was nagging her with a greatly annoying voice that she paid no mind to.

Y/N leaned on a tree, watching the scene with a smile, realising that he was no harm to her - surprisingly, that is - Until their peace was destroyed by a numerous gang of large and fearsome demons ran towards them, growling, clearly wanting to mangle and eat them.

Tsk-ing in annoyance realising that the little demon was close to useless, despite the fire-breathing staff he had as a weapon, he was trembling even more than the frightened young girl, which lead Y/N to take action. With a speed that could barely be caught with the human eye, she made her claws elongate and easily slashed through the enemies without even the littlest effort.

When she was done with the group of thugs, Y/N stepped in front of the scared little girl, crouched down to her level, and pet her long brunette hair, giving her a gentle smile.

“Don’t worry, they are gone now.” she spoke in a soothing voice, making the girl quickly wipe the tears brimmed in her eyes, and returning a sweet smile. “Miss, you were amazing, you saved us! Thank you so much!” her voice was so adorable and filled with glee and gratitude. “I’m glad I was here when needed. What were you doing here? There is no human village around. You saw what happened just now, and that this gremlin here is rather useless, as you saw. Not to mention, staying around a demon is pretty dangerous in itself.” she giggled with a shady smirk, making the girl laugh as well. “Oh, but I’m not alone, and I’m not afraid of demons! Lord Sesshomaru saved me and took care of me! He always protects me, but now, he was away to investigate, so he let Jaken take care of me.” as soon as the girl mentioned that familiar name with such leisure, the Fox girl’s jaw dropped to the ground in shock, her green eyes widened as never before. “You...You said...Sesshomaru...? He’s here? Really?!” the woman jumped to her feet, as if electrified, which made the green gremlin shriek at her. “It’s LORD Sesshomaru for you, you filthy wench! How dare you address him with such disrespect?!” his voice was grating her brain so bad that she was barely stopping herself from kicking him into the horizon. “I will speak to him however I please. I gained that right long ago. About five centuries ago, in fact.” she spoke in a smug voice, crossing her arms, digging her claws into the material of her kimono, clearly waiting for the Dog Demon to return.

And return he did, and much faster then she expected, descending from the sky gracefully, his amber eyes holding the same harsh and cold gaze, as he hurried and examined the woman that seemed to hold no hostile will.

“Lord Sesshomaru, you’re back! This lady saved us from a bunch of ugly demons that tried to eat us!” the little girl ran to the man with a wide grin, which made the Fox Demon put her hand to her mouth, stifling a chuckle. “I see. I thank you for saving Rin’s life, despite being a demon yourself.” he walked in front of her, obviously trying to analyse her. “Lord Sesshomaru...Is that what they call you, even now? And what are you, Lord over nothingness? Wandering the world for two centuries in a journey to find yourself, while I had to fight with blood, fire and tears to regain my throne from the usurpers. If I didn’t know better, Sessh, I would say you have become rather...Lazy?” Y/N she gave him a mocking, seductive look, letting her nine tails spread around her, circling him and occasionally turning around. “I don’t quite appreciate the greeting you are giving me, Y/N.” he spoke in a deadpan voice, although she knew he was anything but annoyed as he wanted to be seen. “I did not quite appreciate you not coming to see me in the last two hundred years, you know? You weren’t there to see my markings turning red, either. And on many other occasions. And now...No hugs, no kisses, no affection? That is rather pitiful from you, my darling.” she chuckled, jabbing at him to see how far she could push him. “D-Darling?! Who do you think you are?! What gives you the RIGHT to speak like that to Lord Sesshomaru?! I will make you pay for your impudence!” Jaken ran to hit the woman with her staff, but using on of her tails, she tripped him, making Rin laugh at his misfortune. “She is Y/N, Lord of the Fox Demon clan, ruler of the West. She has earned the right to speak so freely with me.” the silver haired man informed the two, not taking his eyes away from her green eyes that enticed him as always. “You are forgetting another very important title~.” she stepped forward, leaning her elbow on his shoulder, reaching her other hand up to boop his nose. “...And my fiancee.” he grumbled, catching her wrist before she could do what she pleased. “WHAAAAAAAT?! L-Lord Sesshomaru...Why have you never told me you were married...?!” Jacked started crying rivers, while Rin was cheering, extra happy. “I did. Many years ago, when I was trying to escape the pressure of the Lord of the East to marry his daughter.” Sesshomaru spoke, barely bothering with his lackey. “Awww, so you thought of me, how adorable! I am flattered.” she chuckled, hooking her arm to the man, who didn’t seem to protest...Too much.

They started walking, looking for a place to camp for the night, Y/N putting the wood on fire for Rin to roast the food, so when the Twilight started creeping, she started looking around for a lake to bathe, and thankfully, she did. Discarding her outfit, she stepped in the cool water, shivering a bit at the temperature difference, before relaxing and taking out her flute to play.

She hasn’t played since the last night she saw him, and now that she has him close to her again, she can feel at ease playing again. Without even realising, she played the tune she played for Sesshomaru when they first met each other.

The lake wasn’t as beautiful as the one back home, but the moonlight was just as silver, the water was just as crystalline and the fireflies were glowing like little fairies...Just like home.

In the middle of her song, she heard the ruffling of bushes, which made her jump to her feet in full alert, her tails wrapping around her to hide her naked body. Easing her fears, glowing from the light of Mother Moon, Sesshomaru walked towards her, not sparing her a glance until he got to the water to his waist, approaching her, as she stepped back, looking away with a blush.

“Uhm...Sesshomaru, hello. What...Are you doing here?” she gave a nervous chuckle, pulling her tails closer to her body. “I came to bathe, just like you. Do you have anything against me being here?” he pushed her with his words, looking at her with that intimidating gaze of his. “No, of course not! You can bathe here too, obviously.” she flashed a quick, embarrassed smile that disappeared as fast as it came. “You are blushing. Are you...Flustered, by chance? Is my presence here making a Fox like you nervous, per chance?” he teased her, barely able to contain his smirk of amusement. “...A bit.” she muttered, taking another step back. “You act completely different from earlier. Not very Fox-like of you, is it?” he teased her, getting in front of her, lifting her chin up to look at him. “We are indecent...And you are my fiance. We haven’t...Seen each other before. You can’t blame me for feeling nervous.” she muttered, averting her gaze from his. “You worry too much.” Sesshomaru let out an amused breathe, before leaning in, brushing his lips to hers. “I missed you.” he ushered, as he kissed her softly.

It felt like the time stopped for the girl, she felt like lightning struck her and the energy was surging through her bloodstream, blushing even more as she melted into the kiss and let herself feel, kissing back with more passion and fire, resting her hands on his shoulder to bring him closer to her. Her tails seemed to have a will of their own, slowly uncoiling themselves from her body, and wrapping around his, staying glued together, skin to skin, feeling ablaze with every touch.

“How did you end up so far away from home?” he asked, brushing his fingers through her long, fire hair. “Your brother and his little group of friends found their way in my territory. They told me about this Naraku foe they must defeat, and the destroyed Jewel...And I I thought that if I killed him, he would be a threat to my people no more...Moreover, they mentioned seeing you a few times, so it was worth trying to find you...I missed you as well, dearly.” she sighed, looking down, resting her head on his chest, enjoying the warmth she was feeling from his embrace, after so long. “You don’t have to worry anymore, I’m not going to disappear again. They are right, Naraku is a threat...That we will eliminate. When this is all done, we will be able to fulfill our parents’ wishes. We will have peace, and...You will be the most beautiful bride.” his voice was soft, just as back then, many years ago, when he was courting her. “I will wear a pink kimono, not the boring white one. I have style, clearly...Although I’m not sure pink suits me too much, considering what an intense shade of red my hair is. There’s no contrast.” she smiled, purring softly as he started playing with her hair. “It suits you very much...Although I am curious why you always chose this particular colour...Even now, and back then, when I first laid my eyes upon you and your shyness was just as it is now.” he asked, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Because it has always been my mum’s favourite colour since she was little...And she also married in a pink kimono. I guess I felt connected with this, just like I was with her.” she grinned nostalgically, which in turn, earned a soft smile from him as well. “I see. Then we will do as you wish.” he nodded, putting his hand or the back of her head, pulling her closer to him. “Sessh...?” Y/N looked up at him, her eyes glossy and warm, like that of a fawn. “Yes, Y/N?” he muttered, looking down at her. “I love you.” her voice was so soft and gentle, yet filled with so many emotions. “I love you as well, Y/N.” after a brief silence, Sesshomaru answered, ignoring the wall of coldness and properness that he instilled in himself. “Let’s defeat this Naraku and go home.” she leaned her head back on his chest, looking as relaxed and content, just like back then, when they first visited the lake. “That, we will. I promise.”

[primitivejunketer]

Mirage- A My Hero Academia Fan Fiction

Chapter 1- Afraid

Fic Summary- Misumi wanted nothing more than to be a hero. She was an amazingly promising student and was soaring far above anyone else at her age. Then, an accident happens and Misumi loses control of her quirk, resulting in her mother’s death. Follow Misumi and her story to see what dark paths she is led down. 

Chapter Summary- We dive into Misumi’s mind, facing her greatest demons. 

Word Count- 2,104

Rating- T or R

Warnings- This fic has MANY accounts of a psych ward, talk of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. There are a few scenes with blood, and many accounts of death. Please read at your own discretion. 

Note from the Author- Hello everyone! I am very excited about this fic and to share it with you all. There are some graphic scenes in this chapter, and there will be more in chapters to come. If I have in any way offended any readers or wrongly portrayed any illnesses in this fic, feel free to let me know and I will try my best to correct my errors. Enjoy!

Listen while you read

“Misumi,” I was startled from my trance by a voice, “you have a visitor.” 

I turned around in my cell and was met by an orderly named Kai. Dressed in all white as usual. 

“You’d make a beautiful bride.” I smiled, leaning in close to his face while he undid the straight jacket I was wrapped in. 

He ignored anything I said. They always do. 

As we traveled down the long, ominous hallway, I looked to my right and left. Every room had a window of mirrored glass. This was the first time I’ve seen my reflection in days. I was almost unrecognizable to myself. 

My seafoam green hair was tangled in knots on the back of my head. My bangs were greasy from sweating and the lack of showers that they allow me to take. 

I looked paler than normal. The blush glow that normally filled my cheeks was gone. My gray eyes looked lost, like a puppy at the pound. 

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to unfurrow the permanent scowl etched into my dark, thick eyebrows. 

I looked back down at my hands as we walked. They were in shackles that covered my entire hand. I couldn’t even wiggle my fingers. 

I looked up at Kai and decided to make this interesting. 

My quirk is visual manipulation. Basically, I can make anyone see what I want them to see. It can range from something as small as a fly, to their entire surroundings. I can use people’s thoughts to create mirages for them. I can use their fears, memories, anything. I had so much potential before this. 

I let out a small giggle. 

“What?” Kai spat, rudely. 

“You think binding my hands will save you. I don’t need them to use my quirk.” As I spoke, I used my quirk to morph my face into looking like a snake. My eyes turned green with reptilian slits, I unhinged my jaw, showing him rows of sharp teeth and a long split tongue. 

Before I could realize, he took the taser from his belt and pressed it firmly to my chest, causing me to collapse on the ground below. 

I twitched as I lied on the ground, “fuck you.” I managed to get out, while he pulled me back up to my feet. 

“You know the rules, Misumi.” 

We continued down the hall. Kai left a forceful guiding hand on my shoulder as he took me to the visitors room. 

We entered, and then I saw him. My father. 

“No.” I spat. 

He stood, “Misumi, please.” 

“No!” I raised my voice this time. My heart began pounding in my chest. 

“I just want to talk, Misumi.” He pleaded. 

My whole body was shaking. I could feel the heat of my blood boiling inside me. 

“NO!” I screamed. I pulled away from Kai who just held me tighter. “GET OUT!” I shouted at him. I writhed in Kai’s arms. 

My heart rate continued to increase. I felt like there was a fire within me.

“Misumi. It’s your fault” 

“You did this Misumi”

“Everyone hates you” 

“You’re a villain” 

“Please! No! Stop!” I screamed. The voices grew louder with each second. 

I screamed and cried as I fought to free myself from Kai when I felt a sharp pain in my neck and everything went black. 

-

I awoke in the white room. Padded walls and no windows. I was restrained in a straight jacket. 

I sat entirely still. Staring at the wall in front of me. I played the scene over and over again in my head. A single tear streamed down my cheek and fell onto the floor below. I started down at the wet spot. 

“Do you blame yourself?” A gravelly, distorted voice spoke. Unlike any I’ve heard before. 

“What?” I replied. 

“Well it’s quite common in this situation for a patient to feel a kind of guilt.”

“What situation?” I asked, looking around.

Suddenly, I saw myself. But it didn’t look like me. The vision of myself had solid black eyes. A cloud of black smoke flowed around her, accompanied by a faint glow, the same shade of seafoam green as my hair. There was blood on her clothes. She floated in the air above me before falling to the ground. Sitting on the floor inches away. 

“The accident.” She said, lifting her hand to show me a bloody palm. She touched it to my cheek and I could feel the wet warmth. 

I was looking down, I could feel hot tears streaming down my face. 

She grabbed my chin and turned my head up to face her. The vision had changed and I was met with my worst nightmare. 

Before me was my mother. Her skin, pale and lifeless. Her eyes were glossed over, a milky white. Her lips, blue and dry. She had dark lacerations on her neck and arms. 

Did I do that?

“Mom,” I cried, “I’m so sorry!” I sobbed, trying to lean towards her. 

Then she disappeared. 

I fell face first into the soft padded ground and stayed there. I tried catching my breath but I couldn’t calm myself. With every second the room began to shrink. I felt the straight jacket tighten around me. The burning in my chest was inconsolable. It felt like my heart was being ripped out. 

I tried to let out a scream but it came as more of a whimper. 

I continued to lay with my face on the floor. I don’t know for how long. My cheek rested in a pool of snot and tears and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop crying. 

After what felt like days, I heard the door unlock. 

I lifelessly turned my head towards the door, not getting up from the ground. 

“Hello, Misumi.” I looked up at the man standing before me. He was short and round. He had black hair that was neatly combed to the side. He wore a gray pint striped suit and thin, wire framed glasses. 

Kai entered the room from behind the other man and lifted me off the ground. 

“My name is Doctor Nakamura. You may call me Dr. N, if that’s easier for you.” He had a jaunty tone to his voice and spoke with a smile. 

“You’re a bit peachy for a psych ward doctor.” I deadpanned as Kai unbuckled me from the jacket. 

“I’m not just any Doctor,” he began, as we started down the hall, “you are a very, um… specific case, Misumi.”

“How’s that?” I asked sarcastically. 

He turned to look at me. His eye shot a glaring look as they met mine. I don’t trust him. 

He continued to talk about his practice and his previous patients. I was bored.

We walked to a room that I had never been in before. In the center of the room was a tub with a lid on it. 

“What’s this?” I asked, motioning towards the tub with my bound hands. 

“This is your new treatment, Misumi.” Doctor Nakamura replied, “We must purge your mind and body of these unwanted villainous urges.”

“What do you mean?” I asked cautiously. 

“We will begin with a series of tests. This will take days, possibly weeks,” He explained, “Once I discover which method is most affective for treating your villainous urges, we will use that most until we get some real results.” He spoke proudly, like he was excited to torture me. 

Kai freed my hands. 

“Please remove your clothing and step into the ice bath, Misumi.” Dr. Nakamura smiled widely. 

I began to strip, eyeing both Kai and the doctor. 

I stepped into the ice bath and winced at the feeling. It felt like thousands of pins and needles pricked my legs, they quickly went numb. 

“You will be submerged, and then lifted from the water. Do not worry, this is very safe.” The doctor placed a hand on my shoulder, pushing me to lay in the tub. 

I glanced at Kai, shooting him a worried look. He didn’t have his typical scowl etched onto his face. He looked concerned. 

I shuddered as I sank into the tub, “You’ll kill me,” I breathily whispered. 

“Just think, Misumi, it was this or Tartarus.” The doctor smiled at me once more before placing a weight on my stomach and pushing my head underwater. 

The water immediately plunged into my nose. The chill of the ice surrounding my body burned like fire. The pain was unbearable. I fought my hardest to avoid the impulse of gasping for air. My head felt like it was going to explode. I could see the blur of Doctor Nakamura standing above me. 

My body writhed beneath the weight, trying anything to relive the pain and engulf a breath of air. My vision blurred further. I could feel my mouth open, gasping for air. Then everything went black. 

-

“Misumi,” I heard my mother’s voice, “come to me.” 

“Mom?” I whimpered, “Where are you? I can’t see.”

“I don’t have much time, dear.” I could feel her warm hands cupping my cheeks. 

“Mom, what’s happening?” I cried, nuzzling my face into her hand. 

“You aren’t ready yet.” 

“What do you mean?! What’s happening?! MOM!” I began to shout, flailing my arms around. I couldn’t feel anything. It’s like I was floating in space. 

“I’m not mad at you, okay.” I felt an embrace. I tried to wrap my arms around her, but couldn’t. 

“Mama, I’m so sorry.” I sobbed. I could feel her holding me, her head resting on my shoulder. I could smell her hair, her cherry blossom scented shampoo. 

“Be strong, my darling.” She kissed my forehead. 

-

I gasped for air, coughing up water. 

Dr. Nakamura was standing over me, a crooked smile on his face. Kai was right behind him with a towel in his hand. He promptly put it over me. 

They had removed my body from the tub and laid me on the floor before I woke up. I assume the doctor did CPR. 

I continued trying to catch my breath, still coughing water. 

“I could have died.” I cried. 

“You did,” the doctor replied, “luckily for you, though, my quirk is revivement. I am going to kill you as many times necessary to purge you of your evil impulses.” 

I stared at him in shock. I looked at Kai, who was standing behind him. His face was white, and his mouth hung open. 

“Kai. Take her to her new room. We have no need for the white room anymore, she’ll be much too exhausted to need it. We will continue treatment tomorrow. Goodnight Misumi.” He smiled once more, nodding his head. 

Kai helped me up and led me to a new room. We were silent the entire way there. 

The room he took me to was small, it had a single bed and night table. The window was fogged glass and had bars covering it. 

“Home, sweet, home.” Kai joked, handing me my clothes. 

I shot a burning glare at him. 

He left, locking the door behind him and I began to get dressed. 

The gray sweat pants and long sleeve shirt I wore were itchy. I could feel the material rub against my skin. The feeling of the ice left me still numb. I was beginning to feel numb on the inside, too. 

The small mattress creaked as I climbed into bed. I leaned my head against the wall and started straight. My wet hair clung to my cheek as I pressed my face closer to the navy blue cinder block wall. 

I started to sing softly to myself, 

“Mori mo iyagaru, Bon kara saki-nya

Yuki mo chiratsuku-shi, Ko mo naku-shi

Bon ga kita-tote, Nani ureshi-karo

Katabira wa nashi, obi wa nashi.” 

I was interrupted by a voice at the door, “My mom used to sing that to me all the time when I was little.” Kai spoke to me through the slit in my door. 

“Mine, too.” I spoke softly, almost whispering. 

“Why did you do it then?” He asked. 

The question panged in my chest like a knife. I didn’t know whether to feel sadness or anger. 

“More like why didn’t anyone stop me?” I replied sharply. 

He sat in silence for a moment. 

“Goodnight, Misumi.” He closed the slit before allowing me to reply. 

I sunk into the bed, covering my head with the blanket, and continued to sing. 

“Kono ko you naku, Mori wo ba ijiru

Mori mo ichi-nichi, Yaseru-yara

Hayo-mo yuki-taya, Kono zaisho koete

Mukou ni mieru wa, Oya no uchi

Mukou ni mieru wa, Oya no uchi.”

[newsiegirlscout]

Curiosity’s Cat

Alright! Merry belated Christmas to this year’s lovely Wordgirl Secret Santa, @hibiscusangel15! The prompt was “Tobecky”, and I hope it’s as sweet a peppermint romance as all can be! 

Proofread and edited by a very tired brother who wouldn’t get out of bed this morning and was thus subjected to listening to the live reading of all my fanfiction. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

Soft piano music played from the radio perched on the McCallister coffee table, a well-worn book with pages held by a bookmark emblazoned with a gear design and embellished with ribbon beside it. Claire hummed softly in the kitchen, stirring cinnamon and nutmeg into steaming hot cocoa. In the living room, perched precariously on several dictionaries and a chair on wheels, a young boy stretched on his toes to place the gleaming star on top of the tree....just a few inches, now.....

“Tobey, love, do be careful!” Claire scolded softly, bringing in the silver tea tray to rest on the table. Reluctantly, he brought the star to his side again, only to note the tray’s impedimenta with bafflement.

“Mother, last I checked, there were merely the two of us, yet you’ve prepared three mugs of cocoa here. Who, may I ask, is the third for?” he asked, though the confusion did not inhibit his immediate claim of one of the black-and-white biscuits from the tea tray. 

“Sirius, a bit of reason never hurts. Last I checked, Mr. Starsoldier doesn’t quite share your predilection for cocoa, does he?”

The blonde’s face flushed cherry-blossom pink as he quickly pushed his plushie robut companion behind one of the throw pillows with his geometry-socked foot and sipped his steaming cocoa with as much refined dignity as a fourteen-year-old possibly could have, burning his tongue and dotting his nose with butterscotch syrup and whipped cream all within about fifteen seconds of each other. She shouldn’t have, but Claire couldn’t help but giggle. 

“His name is Mr. Starslayer, and he--I mean, it!--couldn’t possibly, because his internal circuits aren’t coated, his joints aren’t hydraulic, and hot fluid stains aren’t machine-washable. So, no.” 

“Hmmmm...” she said playfully, tapping the candy cane hooked the rim of her mug against it in thought, “Then perhaps it could be for Nova?”

The mechanical cat purred from the hearth and arced her paws towards the warmth from the tray--a clever trick, to be sure, but one that had been programmed in the long wait after midterms before the rest of the class period was over. Nimbly, she lept to the davenport and settled on Claire’s lap in response to the name recognition, settling happily into sleep mode once his mother laid a hand on her back.

“She’s a cat, mother, she’s far too fussy. Now, pray tell, who is arriving so suddenly?”

There was a tap at the window behind the boy as a familiar countenance appeared with a grin.

“Hello, common folk!” chirped none other than Becky Botsford. 

###########################################################

The boy’s heart froze in his chest, the dictionaries he was sitting on unfortunately taking that very moment to fall off-kilter, toppling the chair, the volumes, and the lanky but still hopelessly inept Tobey McCallister III.

“I couldn’t resist!” Tobey’s beloathed classmate giggled, giving a thankful curtsy as Mrs. McCallister took her coat, “Thank you so much for having me over--is, is Tobey okay?”

“Peaches and cream, my dear.” grumbled the coffee table, a bruised arm appearing just far enough to retrieve the steampunk mug of cocoa as Becky laughed and stepped over on light feet to the tea tray. 

“Ah, make yourself comfortable, love--there are marshmallows in the sugar bowl, cream, and, ah, you can’t have seen Chez McCallister until you have one of these biscuits--Tobey and I made just about all of these, he absolutely insisted only perfection.” the woman said, beaming with a perfect knowledge of how much the comment would embarrass her son.

“Thank you! And these are positively ambrosial....why, Tobey, I’d save some for you, but I’m afraid these rose spritz ice cream cookies are going to melt...” she retorted playfully as the boy genius finally sighed and sat up opposite her on the rug. 

“Well, then, Miss Becky Botsford, to what do I owe the pleasure?” he said, nabbing one of the aforementioned sweets.

“Tobey,” his mother cut in with a soft glare, “Your friend here has found herself with an excess of activity and few places to carry out such.”

“But your brother made the cut, I presume?”

“He’s at his friend’s house.” she said, smile unfaultering, “My parents needed time to wrap and hide Christmas presents for our treasure hunt tomorrow, and we usually go to the Heaslip’s together, but the most coincidental thing is, as soon as Violet found out that you were mostly by yourself for Christmas Eve too, she caught a cold! A really super-contagious one! That Johnson, thankfully, hasn’t caught yet and isn’t transferable to either the homemade cookies or fluffy unicorn mittens she gave me. That’s funny, huh?”

“As ignominious it is that your mate has clearly thrown you for a foxglove, I suppose I could appreciate the company.” he said softly. 

“Perfect!” she said, resting her cocoa on the table, “It took me a little while--an “absolutely last minute” sort of little while, but I brought some ideas for games that I think everyone here will enjoy and are entirely compatible with the unconventional three players, and of course I’d always listen to any of your ideas!”

Claire McCallister rested her empty mug on the coffee table and stood up wearily, buttoning her jacket and snagging her briefcase from the door. 

“Ah, these shall have to be two-players, I’m afraid.” she said, ruffling her son’s hair and stepping to the door, “It’s rather last-minute, but some people really can’t keep themselves out of trouble on Christmas Eve, and the office called. Absolutely no stealing snogs while I’m gone, you both hear?”

The scarlet mess of what had once been Tobey McCallister stuttered as the door fell shut and his classmate merely looked over the book’s description from the coffee table.

“Awww, hey, is this The Wild Robot? I think TJ was reading that a little while ago...”

“And what of it, Botsford?” he said, sipping his cocoa.

She looked up with soft sparkling brown eyes and giggled. Not that Tobey cared, that is. “Hey, no need to be embarrassed! It’s always the story that really matters, anyhow. Speaking of which.....” she said, shaking her bookbag.

“Ah, yes, the games!” he said with a poorly disguised lilt of enthusiasm, “What is it, now, Ticket to Ride? Scrabble? Mouse Trap? It’s only sporting to warn you, though, ‘tis an honor fine to lose to a McCallister!”

She cuffed him on the shoulder playfully, laying out game sets on the table one by one, none of which were recognizable, or, for that matter, branded. 

“Prepare to eat crow, my good sir, for ‘tis an honor perhaps finer to lose to a Botsford!” she retorted in perfect Elizabethan English and with a loose imitation of her friend’s accent to boot. “This one, I thought would be a fun one to start with--I mean, if you’d like? I made it ages ago, but I’ve never had a proper opponent. It’s called Curiosity’s Cat, and it goes like this....”

*****************************************************************************************

The game should not have been nearly as fun as it was, the two had to admit, once the puzzles were solved, the cards shuffled, the case finished, and, of course, the laurels of candy wreaths and good cheer bestowed. 

“Now, I have to wonder,” Tobey mused, his wreath perched rather like a flower crown, “Did you make these yourself as well, Miss Botsford? They are absolutely resplendent.” His delighted gentle grin could warm even Rhyme’s frozen heart--not that our now-speechless heroine noticed or cared in the slightest of course.

After a flustered few seconds (”What’s the matter?”, Tobey teased, “Curiosity’s Cat got your tongue?”), Becky’s nerves defrosted enough to respond, “Yes, but satisfaction brought it back.”

“Ah, shame, I was hoping I’d finally found the compliment to silence a rather loquacious blatherskite.” 

“That simply wouldn’t do, Mr. McCallister, you’d have to talk only half as much as usual to fill the room with two people’s worth of conversation. To answer your question, yes, actually, I did!”

“In a last-minute’s sort of little while, I presume?” he hummed, turning it over, “Ooh, are these candied hibiscus really edible? I haven’t had the sort of thing since Bristol!”

“You’ve never been to Bristol.” she said flatly.

“Exactly.” he said, pulling one of them off the tightly-woven bands and letting the light saccharine taste dissolve on his tongue, “So it only serves I’d miss them all the more. And I must say, my dear, these are absolutely ambrosial--that is to say, heavenly, scrumptious, and practically perfect in every way.” 

He laughed softly, tapping her on the shoulder and leading her to the kitchens, “So it’s only fair that deserves at least a cup of tea, wouldn’t you say? Best vanilla-jasmine blend you’ll find here or anywhere, a la McCallister.”

“Tea? I call a perfidy.” she responded, starting a round of a silly and longer-running game of wits between the two as the kettle began to heat and the boy started to look through a variety of spices and blends in the cabinet.

“You speak with intellectuali-tea, though it’s surely with a malady.”

“That’s with respectibili-tea, though only in a rhapso-tea.”

“Well, that, love, is a tragi-tea, for our anfractuosi-tea.”

“To that we have a reme-tea.”

“And so ends”, he said, pressing a hot cup of fragrant tea into her hands, “Our proso-tea.”

At last, the door opened and the very exasperated Mrs. McCallister hung up her coat. “Hello again, my darlings--ah, that tea is for me, I presume?” she said, playfully giving an attempt at lifting Becky’s teacup to which the girl giggled and gently tugged hers back.

“Mother, Becky doesn’t have to go so soon, does she?” the boy protested, noting the extra car outside as she poured herself a cup with cream and sugar. 

“Ah, I don’t suppose you accidentally enjoyed yourself, did you? Don’t worry, your friend will be over again soon enough.” 

The girl curtsied as she packed her bags again and set her teacup in the sink. “Thank you for having me--I accidentally had fun, too. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas to you as well, Becky Botsford.” he said as he walked her to the door, stopping short just a few centimeters from the step as she tapped his shoulder and looked up to the top of the doorframe.

“Technically, your mother is here now...” she whispered at a pitch a mouse would need to be quiet to hear. 

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

And, bouncing lightly to the tip of her toes, she silenced him with a kiss on the cheek.

[mrneighbourlove]

Burnt Heart: Ch 7. Burning Bridges, Repairing Bridges

“It's a fine day

People open windows

They leave their houses just for a short while

They walk by the grass

And they look at the grass

They look at the sky

It's going to be a fine night tonight

It's going to be a fine day tomorrow.”

The Emperor sang in a soothing tone. Most would describe it as elegant. In her heart, she felt a sadness to it, however, her smile didn’t falter as she gardened with her sweet Eleonora. The flowers were in a lush bloom, cherry blossoms and natural white and red roses coming to life. Every moment she was able to spend with her and Annuciata was a special occasion. You couldn’t waste the time of others.

Eleonora was much like her mother in many ways. She appreciated finery, she loved to dance, and she had a weakness for anything fluffy and cute. The princess thought her mother's mechanical creations were wonderful, but Eleonora preferred to study chemistry. She loved experimenting in the laboratory and more than once, had burned off her eyebrows. The princess was determined to create an alternate source of fuel besides coal or gas. It would be cheaper but more effective. Yet, in her spare time, when her mother would take her to the Kikai Empire, it was lovely to be outside and experiencing the culture of the Hasai.

However, Elenora was just as she was in the garden as in the lab.

Messy.

Covered in dirt from head to foot, the princess was still digging deeper.

"I just know there is a bigger root I could take a tissue sample from down here..." Eleonora said, half of her upper body in the ground. "Are you sure there's not a Zemlja anywhere near here? This would be over in a pinch if I had one of them helping me. Since my elder brother and sister are too scared to get dirt under their nails." She emphasized the last part, attempting to use reverse psychology to obtain what she wanted. She was sneaky that way. "Or was it worms they are afraid of?"

"Dear, you're going to ruin your new dress." Annuciata sighed, knowing how persistent her daughter could be. "You can get a servant to do that."

"But the root has to be perfect!"

“I believe Athena is afraid of sharks, and Griffith of spiders, scorpions and the common house fly.” Zannah smiled fondly, clipping thorns from a rose bush.

The royal twins were adults themselves now, with obligations and responsibilities in the Empire. Neither had found a potential lover, despite being in their early thirties now. Whenever their sister from another mother came to visit, they were quick to follow. At the current moment, the twins sat on lounging chairs, frowning at Zannah outing them.

“It’s just that they have huge teeth and the blackest eyes.”

“Little sister, you never know what you can find underground in the dirt.”

Zannah looked down in the hole, patting Eleonora’s head. “Just behind your foot. Try there my deer.”

"Pfft, sharks have teeth and creepy crawlers creep, you should be afraid of something more lethal like the hemorrhagic fever. Not going to find anything but worms and bugs in dirt. Maybe an ancient skeleton if I'm lucky." Eleonora snickered and then tried the area her Godmother suggested. She dug around the area of the exposed root, and examined the thickness. "Hm... this might do. These plants produce a lot of oils I could possibly utilize."

"Darling, you're seventeen, you don't have to worry about creating an efficient biofuel right now, save that until you're old and gray." Annuciata assured her daughter. "You'll have time later. For now, spend some time with Athena and Griffith. I'm sure they'd love to play a game of hide and seek with you."

"You mean hide and 'cheat' they always sniff me out." Eleonora pouted with her arms crossed, looking just like her mother when she did so. "It's not fair."

“Oh, come now. It’s just that we’ve had more practice.” Griffith sat up, putting his magazine on new Danjur trends down.

“How about we share a nice cold beverage once we’re done together. After that, we can go down to the ocean and look at the coral together. That’s alright with you, right mother?”

When Zannah looked to Athena and saw the light bounce off her face, she faltered, if only for a moment, before she composed another smile. “As long as you three remain safe.”

"What about the shaaarks? Someone might be scared." Eleonora teased her sister with a wide grin.

"El, be nice to your sister."

"What? She teases me all the time for being a nerd."

"Nerds will rule the world one day, dear, go have fun."

"All right, all right, I guess I just got one last thing to say..." The princess took a sip of lemonade and then declared, "The last one there is a rotten petri-culture!" Eleonora darted away toward the ocean.

"... where does she get all that energy?" Annuciata watched as Athena and Griffith bounded off after their sister. "I wonder if she got into my coffee stash when I wasn't looking."

“Perhaps she did.” Zannah rose from the ground, watching the three bound away chasing and playfully calling each other names. Taking off her sunflower hat, Zannah looked up at the sun, deep breaths in and out.

"It is nice to be able to do this." Annuciata rose from her chair under the umbrella and joined Zannah on the grass, gracefully sweeping her skirts to the side. "Though I do think there is something we must discuss, my love. Sooner rather than later, despite the bitterness it brings."

“Yes.” Zannah spoke the word in a tone that made peace with what conversation was to come, that it would be foolish to run from it. Didn’t mean she liked it though.

"I'm getting older, love." Annuciata told Zannah, kissing her hand. "My golden locks are turning white and my skin is wrinkling. I'm 47 this year. Soon, Eleonora will be of age to take the throne in Danjur. Hopefully, she will find someone who has made me as happy as you have... but I must not forget the reality of the situation." She took a small breath, and said. "I will die before you."

Zannah turned to her lover, not a wrinkle on her face, nor an imperfection in her black hair. The only change in her emerald skin was a sad frown etched into her features. Her golden eyes were heavy and wet. Age it seemed, was no friend of hers. “You will die. Then my children will die. Then Eleonora will die. Except me.”

"Are you truly going to live forever?" Annuciata asked Zannah. "Or will you one day join me in death?"

“Are you asking if I would commit suicide for you my love?” Zannah faked a smile, trying to reassure herself. “I truly don’t know if I’ll ever age again. When I was told the possibility of becoming a warrior that time could not kill or poison me beyond my prime, I relished the idea. I was still but a child. I thought I could use that kind of life to make sure my Empire was rebuilt to its proper glory. But... when I look at my own daughter, when I see my image like I would a mirror, I know a life being a god made flesh all alone is too high a punishment. I wish you could join me, that I’d hold you forever and have a partner through the most difficult of hardships time would throw at me. Otherwise... well, I don’t think we know many who would willingly try to kill me in open combat. Perhaps your parting gift in this life would to have me poisoned so that I might join you.” Zannah laughed darkly, the idea heartbreaking, but a possibility.

"Stop being silly, you know I would never ask a thing nor carry out such a horrid plan." Annuciata slapped Zannah with her fan on the arm. "What I meant was, would you be stuck here forever or would you join me in the world of spirits? It would be awfully lonely without you there... and I would love for you to meet my parents." She told the Empress. "My father and mother were total opposites. She was a fierce navy captain; he was a mega-dork. But they were so happy together. I can still remember my mother being so strong to defeat her opponents at sparring, but gentle enough to braid my hair." The Queen of Danjur smiled softly. "And my father always listened to my ideas. He helped me build the first Land Rider prototype, you know. It fell apart, but we tried again and again until we got it right. They have each other in the spirit world... I'd like to have you one day."

“I think I’d end up in whoever was correct in what version of a hell exists.” Zannah looked to the heavens, reaching a hand out. “I’ve done... so many things wrong. Killed people, betrayed friendships, be charged with war crimes. And although I’m filled with regret now for the lives I’ve taken and betrayed, there’s no salvation or retribution for me. I can feel my brothers taunting me, waiting for me in the afterlife.” Zannah continued on, not giving a chance for Annuciata to immediately rebuttal. “I love my people. I love my family of five with you, Eleonora, Tod, and the twins. I used power for the betterment of this Empire, to give peace of mind to the Hasai people. Every act of sacrifice I made on my soul, I did for all of them. But with you all gone... what will I become? What will I do if left with my power? This burning fire deep within. I wish there was a way to keep you here with me, but you are an angel who will eventually need to return to heaven. I’m afraid of living, but I’m also afraid of death and what lies beyond for me.”

"... everyone has done something wrong in this lifetime, Zannah. There are others out there who have made worse mistakes." Annuciata reminded her lover. "Though sometimes, there are a few that can be redeemed. Surely you know this too. Perhaps your love for your family, for me, for Eleonora... perhaps that can help you see that sometimes all you need is someone to believe in you."

“But that won’t stop you from eventually leaving me. I’ll never grow old with you. I’ll never---"

“My emperor.” A servant suddenly interrupted them, respectfully bowing. “T0-D has returned. But he’s brought along Sir Kahli instead of the runaway. He wishes to speak to you.”

Zannah looked at the servant with blank eyes that traveled through him. It seemed that one of her sins finally caught up to her. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Tell him to wait for me in the throne room.”

"Do you need me to accompany you, love?" Annuciata asked Zannah. "I'd be happy to help in any way I can."

“I should have a witness to keep me from doing any public violence I suppose.” Zannah rose from her garden floor, choosing to get changed into more formal wear for the occasion.

When she entered the throne room, Kahli wasn’t bowing. His eyes trembled with fury looking at her. In return, she gazed at him with shallow indifference. “Kahli. I don’t recall calling for you. Though it has been a while since we spoke face to face.”

“You haven’t aged a day... it’s over Zannah. Zizi knows about Grievous. She knows how you used me to revive the Waku. She knows how you used my life debt to further the growth of the Empire. It nearly tore us apart. Perhaps the damage has been done and the final crack is yet to come. Regardless, I demand you release me from the rest of my debt.”

“Demand? From your Emperor?”

Annuciata followed Zannah, making sure to smooth her skirts. Though as soon as the Queen of Danjur saw Kahli and the look on his face, she sensed something was amiss. Kahli avoided the Kikai Empire like the plague unless Zannah called him. It was all due to the debt... and she had an inkling that the secret was no longer just that; a secret.

“I tire of our relationship Zannah. I have a family to look after. Have I not given you enough?”

“A debt is a debt Kahli.” Zannah tilted her head at him, curious on what she should do with him. “You still have hundreds of flowers to help bloom into this world Kahli. The red garden of the Waku needs to be filled.”

"Dear," Annuciata placed her hand on top of Zannah's. She thought of the situation unraveling quickly. If Kahli's family knew, then Zizi knew. If news of this incident reached the royals, it could have a damaging effect on the trust between the kingdoms. While there would never be war, there would be much more strife... strife that had just been mended a short time ago. "Perhaps Kahli is right."

“And I just what, let him walk away free?” Zannah studied Kahli, wondering just what to do to him. A warrior of his caliber free from her machinations. He provided life to her... but perhaps his blood could be more of use. “Hmmm. I suppose. Zarazu would be angry, but she wouldn’t dare leave negotiations from this little saga. However, if we push the issue further after the truth has been discovered, I couldn’t be so sure what would follow. Kahli, do you truly want to be free of this debt to me? Free of the reach of the Empire?”

“I do.”

“I can think of only one substitute. You too, hold the blood line of the Dragon. You hold the fire of Exodrum. Give me that power.”

Kahli blinked, taking a few steps back. “What?”

“Give me the power you once acquired for the sake of your wife. Give it to me for her continued support. With it, I will provide for the Empire continuing from where you will now walk away.”

"Love, are you sure that is a good idea?" Annuciata appeared to be concerned. Such a power had already made Zannah unable to age. While she was still very much mortal in some ways, the Queen of Danjur had heard stories since she was little of too much power corrupting others. Power was a drug that could cause madness. That was the last thing she wanted for her lover.

“I will take the flame to the volcano to Fel. There, he will watch over its power until I know what to do with it.” She looked at Kahli, who seemed apprehensive about it. “I’m not going to use it to burn the world. Your tension is unwarranted.”

"Perhaps a sealed agreement would ease you further, Kahli? Ensure both parties kept their word?" Annuciata suggested to the Waku and to Zannah. "Bound by magic?"

“Another life debt? Another bond?” Kahli was unsure.

“What’s to be scared of Kahli. I promise to not use your flame to burn away the world. And if you agree, you and your family will never have to worry about political ties to the Empire so long as you wish for.”

"... Kahli, do you truly want to wish to be free?"

His family needed him. He knew Zannah always had a long game in mind, and he’d lose a great amount of power, but this is what he wanted. “I do.”

Zannah walked towards Kahli, extending a hand to his chest. “Kahli. Exodrum as my witness, you willingly release the flame of destruction within you. Your blood of the dragon, is gone.”

Lightning struck through Kahli’s body, illuminating his skeleton. Screaming upwards, fire roared from his mouth from the agony he felt. Zannah was taken aback by the reaction, feeling her wrists blaze with pain herself suddenly. Slowly stepping away from Kahli, a great flame flickered in her palm, whistling loudly and drawing every lit lantern in the room into it. The Waku fell backwards, his chest sizzling with agony. From the flame, two eyes looked down at Zannah, silent in its judgement of Kahli and herself. What’s more, it’s gaze spoke silently to the Emperor. Zannah took two steps back, struggling to keep the flame in control.

“It’s so warm. So powerful. The flame of a god. Yes. Oh yes. I can see so many possibilities from it. Annuciata. I could use this to make you immortal. Our children immortal. I could use it to annihilate those who bring darkness upon the world. If I don’t do something with this fire, it might kill everyone here. I want- it wants me to absorb it.”

Kahli's throat was completely parched, unable to speak. His eyes were dry, constantly blinking to see once more. Despite this pain, he heard the whisper of the fire that only the Hasai could hear.

“You disregard my power? Pathetic you welp. Perhaps the Waku aren't the champions I needed. Perhaps this Ocho is what I need for my chosen champion, as she always has been. My Dorami. No Hasai has taken two sacred flames though. Let us see if she burns.”

"Love," Annuciata was spooked by all this talk of magic and most definitely power. While the Queen of Danjur adored her lover, she also knew how seductive power could be to the Empress. She had to make sure nothing else would risk corrupting her. "You already have what you need. Give back this ability to heavens... please."

Zannah heard a voice warmer than the fire. No, it wasn’t quite that simple. The voice was softer, while the fire burned in her palm. Turning to Annuciata, Zannah made the choice when she saw the look in her eye. “I choose... I choose to release the flame of Exodrum.”

The eyes in the fire flared, and a voice echoed in her mind. “Interesting. You might not want additional power, but I will not take back my flame. This fire shall be housed in another.”

The flame howled loudly, exploding outwards, flying out a window in a torrent, disappearing from the palace. Zannah screamed, her right hand receiving three-degree burns. All of the light was taken from the room for a few moments, before the natural light of the sun illuminated everyone to normal levels.

The sudden burst of energy from the flames sent Annuciata topping backwards, skirts flying over her head. Once the air had settled, she huffed, pushing lace and petticoats from her face, downward to cover her legs. Her styled hair was an absolute mess, and she was not happy about it. Yet, the sulking would have to wait. She quickly got to her feet, noticing one heel was missing. Sighing in frustration, she kicked off the other and hurried down the few steps to her lover.

"Zannah?! Zannah, I heard you scream!"

“God- FUCK!” The Emperor keeled over in agony, her burns crushing her will to immediately stand.

Kahli had never seen Zannah in such pain before, and would never imagine seeing her on his knees. Perhaps his wife was channeling her spirit in him, because an audible smirk left his being.

Zannah looked at Kahli looking down at her, laughing at her. With her rage, she used her good arm, launching a lightning bolt at him. The electricity sent him skidding across the floor after hitting him in chest. “Don’t. You. Mock me.”

Kahli twitched from her electricity. His body felt far more brittle now.

As he stood, the Emperor was already on her feet, clutching her injured hand.

“The debt has been settled. Leave my palace.”

"EEEEEK!" Annuciata crouched down and covered her head when Zannah released a sudden burst of lightning. "Fuck a steam engine, was that really necessary?!" She could feel the static electricity in the air. Thankfully she was not wearing any jewelry which would conduct electricity. Rushing over to Zannah, Annuciata took off her giant cord of silk from her corset. It was the only material soft enough not to injure the hand further. Carefully, she started to wrap her lover's hand. "Hold still, I'm sorry, I know it hurts, but we have to keep it covered to prevent infection---hold still."

“It was. God. My hand. My fucking hand.” Zannah leaned against Annuciata as Kahli limped out of the Empire.

"Shh, shh, now, we'll get a healer in here and fix your hand." Annuciata was a tiny thing compared to Zannah, but she still had strong legs. All those ballet lessons were certainly paying off now. She supported her lover's weight, and tried to keep her mind occupied. "After all, it is imperative that it is healed, how else will you give me one of those wondrous massages?"

“Yes. I will recover. This pain is nothing.” With the odd moan of pain, Zannah continued onwards to retreat and lick her wounds.

~

Kahli flew back on a Wyvern provided by the Empire. Would be the last ride he’d take from them if he could help it. It would be about dinner now in Hyrule, the sun painting the sky in orange and purples. At his home, Kahli could only make it to the lounge chair on the deck before needing to collapse from exhaustion. No food all day and injuries would break down even the strongest men.

The whole family was outside near the fire pit. Keira, ever being the bubbly one, suggested that it was high time to teach Grivy how to make delicious s'mores. However, Urboro walked back inside to get another pitcher of juice for her younger siblings when she noticed the front door was open... just a bit. Curious, she went to close it when she noticed her father through the window and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"SWEET FUCK---Dad! What the hell?! Why didn't you call for someone?!" She yanked open the door, and went to him. "What happened?!"

“Hey sweetie. Watch your language.” Kahli had zero energy to scold her on her swearing. “It’s done. It’s over.”

"This situation calls for swearing, you look like shit." Urboro then yelled.

"Manaco! Ahusaka! Someone get their ass out here, Dad's back!"

Both the eldest sons came crashing through the house to the front porch.

"Dad! What happened?!"

"Mom's been worried sick!!!"

“Where is Zizi? Is she safe? Is she alright?” Kahli looked at his sons, trying to stand, but failing.

"WHOA!" Manaco and Ahusaka both reached out at the same time to catch their father. "Worry about Mom in a minute. We'll patch you up before she sees you like this."

"I would call for Aunt Zolori but she's all the way in Uskar." Urboro bit her lip, thinking. "Unless you two could share your fire with him?"

"I could give him some of my energy and Manaco could do the same."

“Do it.” Kahli growled with the intensity of lion as they channeled their energy into his body. Is scaring and burnt flesh started to mend together. “Good. Now let me see your mother.”

"Mom's resting, so we ate outside not to disturb her." Urboro told their father with a small frown. "Mom isn't... she's not well."

"She's not sick, she's just..." Ahusaka struggled to find the correct words. "I don't know what's wrong. We think she's depressed. Or so heartbroken, she's made herself sick."

“Please look after your younger siblings.” Kahli stood up, making his way to his bedroom to see his wife.

"Dad, please just..." Manaco called after his father quietly. "... take it slow? For Mom's sake?"

“I know.” Once his children dispersed, Kahli slowly opened the door. “Zizi. I kept my promise.”

"... how can I be sure you're not a ghost?" Zizi was lying on the bed, on her side, covered with the largest fur in the house for warmth. "Come back to haunt me?"

Kahli crawled into bed with her, carefully spooning her. “A ghost can’t be warm.”

"... are you still angry with me?"

“No. You’ll never have to deal with the Empire again. I will never have to deal with them again.”

"Zannah won't come after you? After us? Our family?" Zizi sounded unsure. Personally, she would not put it past the Emperor to do such a thing. "... and the others..."

“No. And guess what. The process to break off our bond burnt her right hand to crisp. The pain brought her to knees as I stood over her, if only for a moment.”

"... so she can be brought to her knees." Zizi then said. "She should stay there if she knows what is good for her."

“Zizi... I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry for what part I played in this treachery.”

"I know you are." Zizi held his hand tightly. "I know... and you shouldn't have to suffer anymore because of it due to me."

“Zizi. Can you look at me? Please?”

Zizi slowly turned on the bed to face her husband. It was evident she had been crying. Her eyes were all puffy and cheeks were red. She looked so tired and guilt was written on her face.

“You didn’t cause any true pain. It was me.” Kahli ran a hand through her dreadlocks. “I hurt you. And I know I damaged a lot of trust between us. I promise I will do everything to repay it. How do you feel about adopting Grievous?”

"I shouldn't have lashed out at you... I'm sorry I hurt you too." Zizi snuggled closer to her husband, so glad that he was not dead and safe at home. She still felt unsure, but decided that those feelings could be dealt with later. For now, she wanted to be content with what she had and not about the wrongdoings against her. "Trust can be rebuilt, but it will take time. I do not like secrets, Kahli. They always make everything so much more complicated than it needs to be." She sighed, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "No more secrets, Kahli... please."

However, at his question, Zizi did look up at him. "Grivy? ... I thought we already did. In a way."

“With my blessing now.” Kahli didn’t kiss his wife, but he held her. She would be the one the choose if that bridge would be crossed. “I can make something happy out of this mess.”

"If I didn't know any better, you want another child." Zizi raised an eyebrow at her husband. "We have fifteen. Ten girls, five boys. Well... eleven girls if you count Grivy now."

“I just want to give this girl a happy life if she chooses to stay. And... I’m going to stay. Forever. Just give me time Zizi.” His body warmed hers, and he sighed. “Do you want me to go sleep at Manaco’s or on the couch for a start?”

"I think we both need time... but we need each other too." Zizi dismissed the suggestion. "No... just stay here. Keep me warm. I am tired, and have not slept well."

Kahli hugged her tightly. “I love you. I’ll be here to give you peace of mind.”

"I love you too..." Zizi closed her eyes, hoping that the warmth and comfort of her husband would allow pleasant dreams.

________________________________________________________________

Previous Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/612496080371957760/burnt-heart-ch-6-trading-one-pain-for-another

Final Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/613696630305243136/burnt-heart-ch-8-what-comes-around 

Thank you for reading! Crossover with @ridersoftheapocalypse Shared work with @s-kinnaly

[mingiswow]

Soulmate!au Series | Hyungwon

Pairing: Hyungwonx female reader

Summary: Soulmates were marked with matching tattoos when born, but you couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that yours were something so vague as lips.

Words: + 2.2k

a/n: hey sweet cheeks, here’s another part of the soulmate series. I’m loving to write them so much and, so far, Hyungwon has been one of my faves to write. Hope you like this one and please help auntie Bruna and like, reblog and/or comment. Feedback is always welcomed. Love ya

You liked your job, you really did, it paid your bills after all. But there were days that everything seemed too much for you to handle, especially when the hotel received famous people that’d leave the rooms upside down for you and your partner to clean.

It was 4AM when you left the bus, saying your usual goodbye to the driver, and walking slowly through the street, enjoying the quietness before the storm of cars, bus, people and construction. You walked past the hotel, greeting the security before heading to the back of the building, doing the same path you did every day before getting to the changing room.

“Morning, babe cakes” Martha, your coworker and partner greeted you, her usual smile on her lips. “You heard about who’s coming today?” her voice muffled from her uniform on her head.

“Morning. Yeah, heard that they are some international singers, but not much more than that” you took your clothes off, folding them neatly and storing in your locker.

“Hey! Your tattoo is shining!” the woman spoke, getting closer to you and gently touching the drawing on your chest. “There are even the flowers blooming around! Do you think you’ll meet your soulmate soon?” your eyes trained to the spot, the reddish lips indeed glowing as the cherry blossoms grew around, closing the tattoo inside a heart-shaped frame.

The legend says that every human being in the world was destined to someone and those who two souls would connect through their complementary tattoos, placed on the left side of their chest, right on top of the heart. When your true-one love is close, the marks took a neon coloration, as they seemed to shine, and little flowers would grow around it, signaling the bloom of a new life. You never understood how they worked since they were complementary, not matching marks. Your mark could match with anything minimally related to lips, it could be a lipstick, some food, an instrument, musical notes. It could be so many things.

“It’s what it looks like” you simply said, covering the tattoo with your perfectly-white t-shirt. “Besides, you know I don’t have time to date or whatever right now. I have to work, study and take care of my dog” your coworker laughed.

“Oh, come on! You need to accept that one day you’ll meet them and God knows what you’ll have to do about it” you rolled your eyes to her.

Shaking away those intrusive thoughts about your future, you two finished putting your uniforms before heading to the kitchen to have breakfast with your other coworkers from that shift and start cleaning the rooms.

Being a maid in a hotel wasn’t what you dreamed for your life, whoever, you liked that place and the people who worked with you. You always had a great time with those people, especially Martha, who became like a mother to you since you were so far away from your own. When you left your hometown to go to the capital to try to become a model, everyone was against you but you decided not to listen to them and follow your dreams. It didn’t turn out very well, yes, you did a few photoshoots here and there, but it wasn’t what you imagined. But still was better than nothing.

The morning seemed to crawl as slowly as a slug. A weird pain on your body like someone was pinning your voodoo doll, especially your heart, but you decided to let it aside, it was probably just anxiety since you couldn’t take your conversation with Martha out of your mind and she wouldn’t shut up about your future lover and how they’d look and be.

“What if they are some royalty? Or what if they are some rich CEO?” she kept speculating about as she neatens up the wrinkles in the bed cover. “What if they are the homeless in the street? Would you love them anyway?” you simply rolled your eyes at her hypothesis, letting her speak alone. 

It was about midday when your boss called you through your intercom. She seemed a little… exalted. You looked over to the woman as a plead for her to not let you go, but she couldn’t do a thing. You left her and the room you were cleaning behind to meet your boss at her office. You just wished no one complained about you and your services, you had a dog to raise.

You knocked on the door three times before you could hear some laughs and the woman speak with her usual happy and deep voice telling you to enter.

“Excuse me, Miss. Did you c-” your heart stung as you stepped inside the room, making your best effort to not let the pain show.

“Y/N? Is everything okay?” the concern in her voice made you look to the floor, embarrassed for some reason.

“Yes, just a little pain but I’ll be good. Do you need me?” you recomposed yourself, your eyes meeting seven gorgeous men. Not any seven random men, but Monsta X members. Your heart started racing, your eyes never leaving them. You probably were making a fool of yourself. Your ultimate group was in front of you and you were all messed up from working, smelling like sanitary water and disinfectant.

“Oh yes, darling” the middle-aged woman clapped her hands. “This is Monsta X, but you young people might know already” she giggled excitedly and nodded to her, bowing to them as a greeting. “They are going to use our master suite for a photoshoot. Is everything clean there, sweetie?”.

“Yes, Martha and I just finished. I believe they can start taking the equipment and props to the room, miss” you answered trying to ignore the growing pain in your chest. You felt like you were about to fall, you couldn’t feel anything but the aching pain in your heart. Trying your best to hide the pain in your face, you bowed before leaving the room. 

Your heart felt like leaving your chest, thumping hard, muscle against bones against muscles. Never in your entire life you felt such pain. It wasn’t bad though, it was just a sensation you had never felt. It was almost warm, welcoming. You decided to let it all go and go back to your work, it wasn’t time for you to daydream about those feelings.

You watch warned you and Martha that the morning shift was over and you were free to lunch, your stomach growling inside you.

“What do you have today?” your coworker asked sitting by your side and spying on your packed lunch.

“Just a sandwich, I’m not very hungry” you lied. You didn’t have much food left at home, and the money that you earned this month was already gone with the bills. Your stomach growled again and the woman looked at you, eyebrow raised form your lie. It wasn’t the first time that happened.

“Y/N… You need to stop lying to yourself” you looked over the triangular bread, it barely had some jelly on it. “You didn’t get any modeling work this month?” you denied, stuffing the dry bread on your mouth.

“It’s hard to get some when you have no agency and don’t look fancy and rich like the others” you sighed, looking over to the woman. “Nobody wants to hire me because I’m a nobody, I have nothing left, Martha, no food, no money, no family, it’s just me and Mong” Martha’s arms wrapped you in a tight hug, helping you through your tears.

“I’m so sorry dear, I wish I could help but you know that I have children on my own” you nodded.

“You don’t have to, you’re not my real mom” you kept crying on her embrace as the pain in your chest kept growing.

“Y/N” the voice of your boss startled you and you turned around to meet her and the boys again. “It’s everything fine?” you nodded, wiping the tears away. 

“Can I help you with anything?”.

“You’re a model, right darling? The girl hired by the boys called it sick and now they need someone to be their model” your eyes sparkled, was she saying what you were thinking she was saying? “Can you do this? I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t know you are good at it” you smiled, both from happiness and nervousness.

“Yes, I sure can do” you lifted yourself from the chair and look at your state. “I just need a shower first” your cheeks reddened and, if it was possible, your chest seemed to hurt even more.

You quickly ran to the dressing rooms, taking a shower and making sure to take all that cleaning products’ smell out of your body, put on the clothes you arrived earlier. 

You had never seen that suite so full of people and things. And, look, there were rock stars staying there. Cameras, scenarios, backgrounds, props, lights. It all made you more nervous than you already were. You were going to model. With your ultimate group. Smelling like cleaning products.

“Hello” you spoke, calling the people attention to yourself. You were sure that your chest was going to rip it open. “I’m Y/N… The new model” your voice sounded hesitant. Great. They were going to think you were unprepared. A woman came close to you and circled around your body, eyeing you up and down, before stopping in front of you.

“Let’s start with the leader” she simply said, a plain tone in her voice and no facial expression at all. Soon enough there were at least four people around you, putting on the clothes and making the adjustments for them to fit, doing your makeup and hair. “Are you ready, sweetie?” the woman came back, a camera on her neck, as she guided you to the first background, Shownu already positioning himself.

“Hi” you greeted him, bowing a little bit to the huge man standing in front of you. He smiled, greeting you back.

You two took enough pictures for a lifetime and it was just Shownu. As time was passing by and you were getting more confident on your poses, interacting with the leader, taking more intimate pictures.

“Ok, who’s next?” the photographer asked, seeing a very handsome Hyungwon lift his hand. You thought you’d never see him getting more perfect. But at that moment, with him in flesh and bones in front of you, wearing those flowy clothes that made him look with nothing but an angel, you were sure that you’re entire life was a lie. Hyungwon could get more perfect. “Great. Guys, dress Y/N up for Hyungwon concept” and soon again the stylists were around you again.

If for Shownu you were looking fearless and sexy, for Hyungwon you were ethereal. Your hair was curled to perfection, falling down your shoulders, they even put on some clip-on extensions to make it look longer and fuller. Your makeup was glittery, shades of light blue and pink perfectly mixing together. But nothing compared to your two-piece dress. The top was shoulderless, making your collarbones and soulmate tattoo show up, the sleeves were as flowy as the boy’s own shirt, a beautiful shade of off-white. The skirt was long, a long tail following behind. You looked like a princess angel. You were feeling gorgeous.

As you took your steps closer to Hyungwon, the chest pain started to increase, causing you to almost fall, your vision getting blurry.

“Ahn… What is going on?” Changkyun asked, looking over to both you and Hyungwon. “It’s what I’m thinking?” you didn’t have time to ask what he was thinking when a strong body grabbed yours and dragged somewhere.

Your pain started to warm up your whole body, and suddenly it wasn’t pain anymore. It became a soothing sensation like you were home in front of a fireplace and wrapped in a warm blanket.

You slowly opened your eyes to finally see what was going on. The sight got you by surprise. Your hands were wrapped around Hyungwon ones, a tiny red string tattooed around your ring finger as well on his, Your soulmate tattoo shining as bright as ever, a new design added to it: a green straw between the lips. Your eyes trailed from your chest to the boy’s one. Under his shirt, you could see the silhouette of the same tattoo glowing.

You blinked several times, not believing that. Destiny was motherfucking crazy. 

“They’re soulmates” Wonho stated the obvious, his mouth hanging open, as well as everyone else. 

“I…” the words didn’t leave his mouth, he was as surprised as you. “Hm… Hi… I’m Hyungwon” he shook your intertwined hands, his eyes fitting yours. 

“I’m Y/N and I think I’m your soulmate” Martha squealed behind everyone and you all turned to her.

“OH MY GOD, Y/N! YOUR SOULMATE IS YOUR BIAS!” she screamed genuinely happy for you, your cheeks and ears burning red when he turned his eyes back to you.

“No words about that right now” you said. “I need to first digest the idea that I just met my soulmate and Gosh! You’re gorgeous” he chuckled at your sudden confession.

“If I can say so myself, you as gorgeous as me… soulmate” the words felt beautifully from his lips and it all felt like a dream.

You two lifted from the ground and his arms instantly hugged you, your chests touching your tattoos, the warmth radiating from it felt like home and the phrase “home is where the heart is” never felt more right in your life.

He left the embrace, his hands gently touching your cheeks, caressing them before bringing his face close to yours to finally kiss you and seal your future together. 

Shownu | Wonho | Minhyuk | Kihyun | Hyungwon | Jooheon | I.M

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