#Four Square to the Winds That Blow

[lemuseum]

[acotarxreader]

Swept Away

Cassian x Reader, Rhysand's sister

Synopsis: Cassian is growing desperate to make his feelings about you known but Rhysand is ever protective of his little sister.

Warnings: Silly, Angst, pining, blood, a creep in a bar, poor Azriel wing-manning like nobody's business, protective Cassian, overprotective Rhysand

A/N: A Cassian fic because it has been some time since he's been featured on the blog. I hope you guys enjoy this silly lil guy. Please forgive any mistakes in this, I wrote it while not feeling the best.

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Cassian stood at the edge of one of the Windhaven training rings, his two brothers sparring across the mud. To the untrained eye, they looked as though they were gonna kill one another but Cassian knew this was all just goofing around. He felt his heart vibrate off his ribcage, waiting for Rhysand to tire himself out enough that he wouldn’t chase and mangle him for the question he was going to ask. He counted through his breaths, forcing himself to focus on releasing the stress from his chest. They finally stopped their clashing, neither conceding but both ready for dinner, calling a truce as they bellowed out brotherly laughter. 

“Hey Cass, ready for the mixer tonight?” Rhysand wiped his sweaty brow with his forearm, gratefully taking the cup of water offered by Azriel. 

“Oh yeah yeah, very excited, have a good session?” he spoke quickly, eager to get the words out of him before he lost his nerve.

“Definitely, I feel on cloud 9 now”

“Good, good, soooo just letting you know-I’m-going-to-ask-YN-out-tonight-after-the-mixer-okay-bye!” Cassian vibrated out before spinning on his heel and moving to bolt away. 

“Oh fuck” Azriel whispered as Rhysand caught hold of Cassian's shoulder, turning him back to face him. In hindsight, maybe saying this to Rhysand when he was pumped full of testosterone wasn’t the correct call Cassain thought. 

“Sorry Cass, I think I hallucinated, what did you say?” “I’m going to ask YN out”

“No, you’re not” A laugh left Rhysand as he released his shoulder and loosened the belt of blades slung around him. 

“Why not?” Azriel inhaled a breath that sounded like “here we go” at Cassian's question. 

“She’s my sister, so she’s like your sister, it's like illegal or something” Cassian scoffed a laugh at Rhysand’s half-answer.

“Except the four of us aren’t actually siblings and the sentiment is nice and all but I’m not her brother, I want to ask her out, nothing creepy about it” Rhysand’s turn to laugh at Cassian, shoving him back lightly at the words and leaning down to loosen his training boots.

“Nah Cass, forget it, move on, I forbid it”

“You what?” he bit out in return, Azriel’s eyes darting between the two, this was going to turn into another savage argument, he could see it. 

“Right, let's leave it there-” Azriel tried but was almost immediately cut off by Rhysand.

“-Yeah, I forbid it. I don’t want things to get messy”

“They won’t, I think we would be- “-Forget it Cass, enough drama was caused with Mor-” Azriel took a sharp inhale at Rhysand’s low blow, the two males began to square up to one another just as you called from the sidelines. 

“Hey! Come on, start getting ready, have a bath before the smell poisons the flowers” you beamed, raising an eyebrow at Azriel at the weird energy. He just shook his head at you not to get involved. Your gaze separated the two males, both storming away to their quarters. 

“Fuckers always leave me to tidy up” Azriel signed, picking up the kit the three had used in training. 

—---------------------------------------------

The howling Winter wind ripped through the hills of the Illyrian mountains, coursing through Windhaven. You looked out through the living room window of the place you called home in this unforgiving climate.

“YN? Are you okay?” Your brother whispered from the front door as he shook off the biting snow. 

“I’m fine Rhys, how was the mixer?” 

“Unsurprisingly violent-” He laughed, a small smile growing on your face at the sound “-Are you sure you’re okay? You look as though you are going to run away” Rhysand laughed again to cover his rising worry.

“Nothing to concern yourself with Rhys, I’m going to just go read in my room” You tried your best to beam back in your usual way to him, rising from the window seat and wandering to your room down the hall. Rhysand questioned whether or not he should follow you, deciding to return to bed and inquire further in the morning.

You stared up at the ceiling, the clock yearning to strike midnight as you sighed. You quietly strapped on your shoes and sheathed yourself in your thickest jacket. You ever so gently lifted the sash window of your ground-level room and slipped out into the night, knowing your brother and mother would go feral with the knowledge of you going into the Illyrian camp unattended at night, despite your own strength. 

You moved through the shadows of the grey mountain stone buildings, dipping out of the sight of passing party-worn Illyrians until you found yourself wandering down the disused service lane heading in the direction of the closest village. The chill sent shapes of cold down your spine as you fought the feeling of watching wild eyes from the deep thick woods the lane cut through. Your wings clung tight to your back trying to draw any ounce of warmth possible. You stopped and stretched before launching into your routine jogging trailing along the outskirts of the busy village, a relaxed breath releasing the stress.

Swirled in your own deep thoughts, the sudden weight thrown into your side caught you entirely off guard as you instinctively screamed. A hand wrapped tightly around your jaw preventing further alarm from being raised in your desperate shouts.

The wooded path grew thicker and thicker the further you were hauled into the woods, worst-case scenarios dancing across your mind. The movement suddenly stopped as you felt the solid thud of the body of a tree meeting your back, you forced your eyes open to meet your perpetrator. 

“Boo”

“GODS! YOU FUCKING JERK CASSIAN!” You pushed Cassian backwards and almost off his feet while lashing him with your hands into his shoulder blades while he hunched over howling laughing. 

“Your face!” he managed between laughs, half choking.

“Don’t do that to me! I thought it was one of the trainee warriors trying to earn his stripes!”

“Don't even joke about that YN, I’d kill them where they stood” his suddenly serious tone cut through you before you smiled at him. Cassian seemingly remembered the fright he gave you, returning to his laughter as you both strolled back towards the path. 

“I’ll walk you back YN, protect you from-”

“-From psychopaths who might sweep me away into the woods?!” you cut across him, now both laughing into the freezing night. 

“Why are you out so late anyway? Your mother and Rhys would be very unhappy with you”

“I could say the same to you” You raised an eyebrow to the warrior.

“I had business, I care not to go further into it with a Lady” he faux bowed towards you, gaining an eye-roll from you.

“Seriously YNN, what’s with the twilight running?”

“Nothing really”

“Tell me or I’ll start singing” You gave a sceptical look towards your dear friend before he took a deep inhale and belted half a note of pure torture, your hand covering his mouth at the release of the crow song. 

“Okay okay!” You laughed, pulling back your hand “-I was actually… I was actually thinking of going home to Velaris” You admitted, ending the momentary comfortable silence that bounced off the ancient trees. Cassian pursed his lips in thought, trying his best to not show all his cards, a futile attempt. 

“This is why we can’t be together YNN, so hung up on the glitz and glamour of city life, can't appreciate the wild” 

“I’m pretty sure the reason we can't be together is that I don’t like you” Cassain put his hand to his chest feigning hurt, you scoffed at your long-time friend before continuing along the path.

“No more nightly running alone YN, seriously dangerous especially for precious cargo like a High Lord's daughter, someone might take you as their chance to prove themselves and then I’ll have to commit murder and I don’t like my leathers to get messy” he ran a hand through his hair as you fought the urge to shove him again. 

“Aw you think I’m precious” you sarcastically shot back

“The most precious thing we have in this dump” his sincere tone ringing through you.

“We'll leave here someday Cass, get on with our real lives”

“We?”

“Well yeah I'm going to need someone to carry my bags” you smirk and he nudges you across the snowy path.

“Can't leave my partner in crime behind me now can I?” His genuine smile of gratitude made you feel warm. He always did. No one could quite understand him like you. The subtle glow of the training camp in the far distance came into view and you sighed at the sight. 

“Come on Cass, come get a drink in the village, I don’t want to head back just yet” he nodded to your great idea as you looped your arm through his for warmth and sauntered back towards the village. 

—----------------------

The village bar was heaving with Fae, all deeply relying on the crutch of alcohol to soothe their woes. You attempted to play snooker with Cassian, well beyond the scope of your ability. After playing and losing a few rounds with him, you sat at the bar away from his ridicule, allowing him to play more challenging opponents.

You sat cross-legged on the bar stool absent-mindedly tracing circles along the rim of your glass of caramel colour liquor. A rough hand found its way to your thigh, snapping your attention to the wall-like Fae it belonged to. 

“He-y it's the Night’s se-xy daughteeer, hey baaaby” The slur of words matched the smothering stench of centuries of whiskey leaving his wrinkled mouth. 

“Um Hi” You pushed his hand down roughly before it returned just as quickly and much higher, now squeezing your thigh making you tense. The much older Fae came closer to your face, leaning and whispering drunken inappropriate schemes in your ear. You scoffed in utter disgust, shoving him completely back from you. 

“Hey Prin-cess, you don’t fucking do that! Come here!” He almost spat at you, roughly catching you by the waist and pulling you off the stool. His fingers buried into your skin and you found it difficult to slip out of his vice-grip-like hands.

A hand laid flat on his shoulder from behind as he grunted to being interrupted. He turned to meet Cassian fist straight into his glass jaw sending him cold to the floor. You found yourself gasping, no one else reacting in the busy bar used to Illyrian antics. 

“Cassian!”

“Come on, we’re going” he caught your wrist and pulled you from the bar, stepping over the creep's body as you were pulled along. You hurriedly slipped on your jacket, the freezing breeze of the night burning your skin as you were pulled into the baltic night.

“Cass, slow down, you're going to take my arm out of the socket” you groaned at the slight pain he was causing you as you found it difficult to keep up with his rapid pace back down the service lane. 

“Such a fucking asshole”

“I was handling it Cass!”

“Oh yeah YN, really looked like that” you huffed at his sarcasm, anger growing in both of you the further you got from the bar. 

“Get off my case fucking hell”

“He could have run off with you”

“So?! What does it even matter to you?! Seriously Cass, slow down, you're not racing a Naga!”

“It does matter to me! I don’t want some ancient creep all over you” Cassian continued his marching in front of you, your wrist firmly caught. 

“You're the same when any male talks to me! You’re worse than Rhys!” You were sick of it, sick of being treated like some wounded bird they needed to protect, the thought caused the anger to grow in Cassian.

“THAT'S BECAUSE I DON'T WANT ANY MALE TALKING TO YOU LIKE THAT!”

“WHY!? WHY THE FUCK DOES IT MATTER YOU!” Cassian suddenly dug his heels into the snow causing you to crash into the back of him giving you a bit of a fright. Cassian span around, releasing your wrist in exchange for your hips, your hands instinctively draping across his shoulders as he pulls you forward in the falling snow to meet your lips hungrily. The cold was leached from your bodies as you basked in the glow of one another. 

“Cass you just kissed me”

“I just kissed you” You both had shock painting your faces before locking eyes and reconnecting hungrily again. 

“If anyone touches you like that again I’ll kill them” You nodded quickly to his protective stern words, kissing him deeply again. 

“Ahem” Azriel’s voice separated you both as he stood with hands on his hips glaring at the two of you, clearly having just been out for his own run along the service lane. 

“Az-” He only raised a gloved hand to you. 

“I don’t want to know any of the goings on between you two, ever, it will make me an accessory to a murder when Rhysand finds out” You both nodded slowly in reply before Azriel dragged a hand down his face. 

“Now, the three of us are going to walk home and the three of us will never speak about this again” Azriel continued, gesturing with his arm for you to walk ahead. You looked from Cassian to the Shadowsinger who only raised an eyebrow, you sighed before following his direction and walking ahead of the two. 

“You’re a dead man Cass” Azriel whispered once you were out of earshot.

“I know” “What is with you and their family, next thing you’ll be sleeping with Rhysand’s mother” “How do you know that didn’t already happen” Cassian was fighting for his life to bring back an air of silliness to the night and Azriel happily obliged, shoving his smirking brother across the path. 

“This is different Az” he rejoined his side quickly. 

“I know, it’s always been different between you two, doesn’t mean your funeral will be any less of a sure thing” The Shadowsinger smirked.

—-----------------------

The next couple of weeks became like a full-time job for Azriel and he wasn’t sure exactly when he had interviewed for the job. He spent a large amount of his free time running interference for you and Cassian, distracting Rhysand to allow you both to steal away moments together. It was beginning to exhaust him not to mention sicken him that he spent so much time focusing on Cassian’s love life that he forgot his own. 

The four of you sat around the corner table of the very tavern that three months previously you had been pursued. Azriel sat next to Rhysand as if by chance but very much planned so that you and Cassian may sit next to each other. 

“So anyways we’ve been sleeping together for some time now but I think it’s time to cut her loose-” Rhysand beamed at the telling of his conquests while you fought the urge to roll your eyes at your brother's hypocrisy “-What about you Cass? Any lovely ladies on the go?” Rhysand innocently questioned before taking a deep drink.

“Ehh yeah I suppose you could say that” Your chin sank to your chest, attempting to bury the wide grin on your face. 

“Well go on, tell us about her” Rhysand pried, Azriel’s eyes trying to find anywhere else to look at other than the red on Cassian’s cheeks” “I don’t think-” “-Oh come on Cass, since when have you been coy about your conquests?”

“Cauldron boil me” Azriel whispered under his breath, your foot sharply meeting his shin.

“I just think I should keep that private” Cassian spoke over Azriels audible pain. “From me? I heard you tell Azriel that you never wanted to leave the bed with this mystery female, so how come I’m not privy to the information?” You took a deep swig at your brother's playful prying, wishing the ground to swallow you up.

“I just don’t think you’d want to hear about-” “-I clearly do, tell me, tell me about this so-called best sex you’ve ever had, how you make her c-” “-For all that is good and Gods given Rhysand please do not finish that sentence!” Azriel cut across quickly as you inhaled your drink, choking slightly. Cassian rapidly tapped your back as Azriel and Rhysand began to bicker. 

“Are you okay?” Cassian whispered to you, searching your greying face for colour as it flushed back to your cheeks. He took your hand softly under the table, his thumb sending soothing circles across your skin. You looked up to Cassian with your glassy eyes, a small smile growing on your face at the look of adoration you received. The two of you looked quickly then to the silence that leaked from the other side of the table. Rhysand looked between the two of you, his own face now looking like he had been the one starved of air. Azriel covered his eyes with a hand, trying to think of any way to come back from this and what was about to happen. The table fell to an almost unnerving silence as Rhysand processed in real time before an equally unnerving laugh left him. 

“Oh no no no no” he shook his head while laughing, you glancing worriedly to Cassian at your brother's seemingly newfound deliria. 

“Rhysand…” You tried but your brother just kept shaking his head while laughing. 

“Oh no no no no” His laugh only got louder, Azriel daring to look at the Son of Night from behind his hand. 

“I’d say you have a 15-second head start” Azriel whispered across the table to Cassian who looked bewildered at the reaction. Rhysand rolled up his sleeves, his laughing continuing as he took a deep drink from his tall glass. 

“Maybe 10 seconds” Azriel added, Cassian needing no further invitation to bolt away. He made it as far as the edge of the village before Rhysand came in hot from behind him, you and Azriel trailing desperately. 

“I’LL KILL YOU!” Rhysand bellowed, tackling Cassian to the ground as they rolled in the slush of the last snow of Winter. 

“Rhys stop!” You went to separate them, Azriel pulling you back to his side. 

“Just, just leave them go YNN” he sighed, knowing this was years in the making. The two warriors rolled, Rhysand attempting to deliver blows that Cassian blocked. 

“Rhys-I’m-sorry!” Cassian managed through dodges. 

“My sister!” 

“Yes! Your sister! But my love! I love her!” Cassian rasped out, Rhysand’s hand finding his brother's throat as he gained the upper hand from above him. Rhysand released an ounce of pressure he had on the Illyrian before shooting a glance at you, a clear look of horror on your face. Rhysand allowed all the air from his lungs go before standing again, Cassian attempted to stand, only to meet the floor again with a shove from the future High Lord. He stayed down, thinking that was the best port of call.

“YN, really?” “Really” You found your own confidence, striding over the Cassian to meet his side on your knees. 

“How long?” 

“Three…almost four months” You admitted to your brother, pulling bits of moss from Cassian’s hair. 

“Four months?! And no one had any idea?” Azriel averted his eyes at Rhysand’s questioning. 

“We just wanted to see if it was serious before stressing you out Rhys” Cassain ran a sleeve over his bloodied lip. 

“And this is-this is serious? You’re not just fucking around Cassian because I swear to the Gods I will-” “-This isn’t fucking around Rhys, I love her” Cassian interrupted Rhysand’s worry. He wandered in a small circle, arms behind his back as he tilted his chin to the stars once again, taking a deep breath of the changing seasonal air. 

“Okay” Rhysand finally rocked his head back down to look at the two of you. 

“Just to say Rhys, I don’t care if you are okay or not with this, I love Cassian too and I don’t care if you are okay with it-” “-YN” Cassian dragged out your name like a whining child who was trying to stop the class pet from reminding the teacher about a test. 

“But, thank you” You kissed the top of Cassian’s head, his lip stitching together from the blowout.

“Oh Gods don’t do that in front of me!” Rhysand looked to the sky, the two of you laughing up at him. 

“Oh please Rhys, that’s nothing, these two would make you sick” Azriel laughed before the smile completely fell from his face. 

“You knew?” Rhysand glared towards the Shadowsinger.

“I ehh-” “You knew and you didn’t tell me?”

“I’d say you have a 15-second head start my friend” Cassian laughed up from the slush-turned mud. Azriel gave a panicked laugh before meeting Rhysand’s serious eyes. 

“He’s the one doing your sister!” “Az! Traitor” You chuckled, Rhysand still not removing his eyes from Azriel until he shot off into the woods, Rhysand hot on his heels. You helped Cassian to stand again before walking hand in hand in the direction of home, happy to have that weight off your chests and happier to hold one another's weight in your arms. 

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[smallpwbbles]

Strawberry shortcake and Hard things to talk about.

Got another Biolizard shadow au ic for y’all, I swear this was gonna be a short thing that just had fluff. I suddenly just started going off the rails and the lil devil on my shoulder egged me on to add angst.

Hope yall like it either way (gonna start putting these on A03 if I write a third thing and it ends up longer than this one)

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Amy concluded she was going to kill them when they arrived. She sat and stewed right in front of a large tartan pink picnic blanket adorned with many baked treats she had spent an entire morning slaving over to get everything to perfection. When she baked she didn’t do it half way.

It was getting to half past four, three o’clock she had told the blue hedgehog and had texted to Rouge as direct long distance communication with Shadow was practically non existent considering how scarce the beast hedgehog liked to make himself.

Many weeks of pleading and begging him to at least join one of her picnics had led to him finally relenting and agreeing on today's outing. The pink hedgehog's excitement was uncontrollable as she absolutely exploded in enthusiasm when he finally agreed. Rouge had to keep her grounded as her eager rambles about picnic locations and recipes to bake had overwhelmed the large hedgehog causing him to promptly leave with a chaos control.

Amy forgot how easily flustered the guy got when encountered with a reaction he had no idea how to respond to. She didn’t blame him for teleporting as quickly as he did, the confirmation of his attendance was all she needed to begin preparing for the picnic.

That was three days ago, and now she sat in a small secluded park outside of station square with her tasty baked treats getting stale by the second. So, yeah she was definitely gonna give those two a good hit with her hammer if they didn’t show up in the next 5 minutes.

Speaking of the devil, a blue burr dashed right up to her picnic blanket. Amy scrambled to keep her treats from flying off the blanket due to the wind generated by Sonic as he dusted himself off looking quite frazzled, it didn’t quell her anger at his tardiness.

“You better have a good reason for being more than an hour late” she chided, Sonic was picking at a branch that has somehow got lodged into his quills most likely on the way to the park. He peeped at all the delicious treats strewn about in front of him, it didn’t escape Amy’s notice the way his face scrunched up at her strawberry shortcake. With that attitude he was gonna receive a bonk on the head with her hammer regardless of a good reason for his current punctuality.

“Sorry Ames, had a bit of a blow up in Tails workshop, was making sure Tails was okay before jetting off” Sonic explained. Well that was definitely a good reason, she began to feel a little bad at her anger towards the blue hedgehog.

“Oh my gosh, is he okay?” Amy asked, her worry quickly eased by an adorable smile from Sonic.

“Yeah yeah, the explosion was just from a faulty invention of his, there was a heckuva mess but he’s all good” he gave a thumbs up to add to assurance

Amy sighed in relief, it was good to know the little fox hadn’t got himself hurt, Tails was usually the best with machinery but had the odd hiccup here and there.

Her relaxation was replaced with alertness as she watched Sonic reach towards her pound cake, Amy slapped the outstretched gloved hand which had Sonic bring it back to himself instantly. He pouted at her as he soothed his attacked hand, Amy only rolled her eyes at him.

“Don’t be rude! Shadow isn’t here yet y’know” she scolded, she loved to let people indulge in her baked goods but she believed proper etiquette was to wait for all her guests to be there first.

“Aww but we have no idea when he’ll even be here” the blue hero whined “it’s no problem if I have a piece”

“You’re a world renowned hero and can’t wait a little longer to have some cake?” she teased.

“I totally can! I just happened to not have had breakfast today, give a guy a break Ames” he protested “if was shadow instead of me you would of given him cake at the first chance”

“Maybe, but unlike you Shadow doesn’t gag at the sight of my strawberry shortcake”

“It’s not my fault it’s like the worst kind of cake” Sonic huffed. She was about to reach for the hilt of her hammer when the air began to feel hot, immediately she and Sonic braced themselves when a large field of energy popped just several feet in front of them. Just as quick as it was to appear the energy dissipated with a present Shadow replacing it. The chaos energy felt like static as it waved around the area for a moment before shadow coolly drove away the extra energy his chaos control generated.

The monstrous hedgehog searched the park for a moment before laying his eyes on the two tiny normal hedgehogs and Amy’s adorable picnic blanket under a large oak tree. It provided a nice shade from the glazing summer heat which Shadow quite liked so he began a tiny trek to the other two.

Amy had gotten used to Shadow's overwhelming presence quite quickly as did Sonic, she heard his heavy footsteps as he situated himself in front of the picnic. His large size provided additional shade from the sun which she greatly appreciated as she hadn’t expected the Temperature to rise as much as it did today. Shadow plopped himself down and awkwardly placed himself on his hind legs, his current position reminded Amy of a cat which was funny because she was sure he was only a hedgehog and lizard.

“Shadow! I’m so glad you're here” she exclaimed as she ran up to give his ankle a quick hug, he returned the gesture by placing his claws on her back gently “I managed to get Sonic here too! Isn’t that great”. The monstrous hedgehog turned to the blue hero and gave a nod of acknowledgement , Sonic returned it with a wink which Amy could have sworn had Shadow flustered for a second.

She left the ankle to return to the large blanket “I worked real hard this morning, I’ve got all kinds of tasty goods for us! I’ve got peanut butter cookie cups, rocky road, lemon drizzle, strawberry shortcake” she pointedly looked at Sonic at the last item, Shadow could only raise an eyebrow at the sudden hostility. “Oh! I also tried something new, they’re these coffee pasty knots, Rouge told me how much you love coffee Shadow so I wanted to give these a try”.

Shadows' fluffy ears perked up at the word coffee, he also couldn’t help the tinge of annoyance at his bat companion for letting slip his obsession with coffee beans. Rouge and the little hedgehogs in front of him were some of the few he trusted most, but he couldn’t help the need to keep things about himself to a minimum. He’d have a word with the bat about it later, as much as he dreaded it.

Sonic paid no attention to Amy’s list of pastries, face already stuffed with her iconic pound cake, he held two other slices in his hand. Amy commended herself for going the extra mile on the pound cake as she knew Sonic was an absolute sucker for it. She hoped he’d indulge in the other treats as she came prepared with the info that Shadow didn’t actually need to eat. It came in handy for a person like him considering his massive size and the amount of sustenance that would be needed to satisfy him if he needed to eat.

Luckily the chaos energy that inhabited every molecule of his body made the need for such a substantial amount of food non existent. Not to say he wouldn’t eat here and there, though Amy had heard he only ever ate bags of coffee beans. An odd choice of food to be consuming all the time but Amy didn’t want to judge, Shadow was an odd being in itself and she only really wanted to understand the guy. That’s what having him here for the picnic was about

Amy recalled months back when Shadow was consumed by his grief, he’d lost all he ever knew and loved to people who wanted to keep knowledge of his existence silenced. She remembered the news broadcasts that presented a monster in station square, lashing out at anything and anyone around him in reckless but anguished abandon. With hindsight she knew the fear of him was natural, but knowing his history as she did now, Amy just wanted Shadow's time on the planet to be wonderful.

She couldn’t forget, when she encountered Shadow staring upon what she later found out was his old enclosure on the abandoned ARK. He looked numb and far away, she had stood her ground and begged the giant from the depths of her heart to help the people of earth, she wasn’t sure why her words had seemed to have struck him as hard as they did but she was glad, his effort in stopping the eclipse cannon was palpable though he was greatly injured after the events and needed many weeks to recover.

She was taken out of her thoughts as Sonic began choking on what was probably his 4th serving of the pound cake, Amy rolled her eyes as the hedgehog hacked and coughed to dislodged the cake he was previously munching on. She ran over and gave him a few firm pats on the back that didn’t seem to do the job until a forefinger and thumb entered her view and flicked Sonic right on the back. It managed to dislodge the cake but the force of the flick had been too strong and sent sonic flying into some dirt a few feet away.

Amy felt bad, she really did, but she needed a second to hide her laughter at the sight, Shadow looked nonchalantly and quite a bit proud of his actions. Better for your face to be covered in earth than choking on a piece of her iconic pound cake Amy thought, she didn’t say it out loud as the expression Sonic had when he lifted himself out of the ground told her he wasn’t in the mood for teasing.

————————————————————————

Sonic was currently strewn lazily across Amy’s lap while Shadow had lay out onto his forearms not too far from them. Her treats had been significantly devoured by Sonic who decided to show what a glutton he could be today. She had clapped madly when she noticed Shadow pick up the coffee pastry between two enormous claws to give it a try, she couldn’t help herself as she hounded him on how it tasted. Shadow merely gave a “it’s good” in response which to her somehow translated to it’s the best thing ever and she squeaked in flatteration. He blushed heavily and she apologised for her excitement.

She stroked the blue hedgehogs quills, she adored the guy but she was bewildered at how he didn’t notice the amount of little twigs and leaves caught in his head, sleeping on a branch of a tree was all she got in response when pointed out the reason for their presence in his quills.

Shadow looked just as lazy as Sonic did, as he lay with his eyes closed. She appreciated how calm and relaxed the beast hedgehog looked, it was far cry from the rage filled monster he was months ago, he used to looked like the living embodiment of anger. She recalled when Sonic described his first encounter with the lizard hedgehog, it was like the air itself was boiling with Shadows rage as he and Sonic had a standoff in the centre of station square.

The ferocity at which Shadow came at Sonic on that day was terrifying, meeting again with Sonic upon prison island, she was met with the blue hedgehog recovering from an attack that Tails deducted was a poisonous sort of chaos energy Shadow was able to generate. It was no wonder how Sonic got captured so easily. Though she couldn’t imagine Shadow attacking any of them with such a move now, she knew he wouldn’t admit it but he clearly had grown to like the lot of them.

She turned her attention away from Sonic to look at Shadow, his nose would twitch every so often, probably all the pollen surrounding them giving him a bit of irritation, she noticed Sonic’s Hay fever acting up a few times during the picnic, she outstretched her hand to the nose as it was the closest thing of Shadow near her, he opened his eyes at the touch of her tiny hand on his nose and sat up a bit.

“I’m really glad you're here shadow” she expressed, his face turned absolutely red and he plopped back onto his forearms, greatly trying to hide his flushed face behind them as the assertion of Amy’s gladness for his presence warmed his heart a bit too much to handle.

“I second that” sonic exclaimed as he passively pointed his finger in the sky and then to shadow. Amy hoped the extra love would make Shadow absolutely beat red but Sonic's deceleration seemed to make the Large hedgehog think hard for a moment, he sat up completely, casting a shadow over the two little hogs and gave them a hard look.

“I don’t…deserve this” his deep voice rumbled out.

That had Amy puzzled, what did he mean by that? Though she realised she wasn’t going to get an answer by looking up cluelessly at him.

“Deserve what Shadow?” She questioned, the hard look he had melted into a look of regret and guilt,

“What I did I-“ he fumbled on his words for a moment, she knew conversation was hard for him but she was patient for an explanation of his sudden rejection of their affections “I hurt a lot of people, I hurt Sonic…you shouldn’t be so kind” he finally found the words.

She watched as he fidgeted with his claws, Sonic had sat up from her lap and looked pensive at the huge hedgehog. The atmosphere had gotten melancholic at the confession, it pieced together in Amy’s mind about Shadows usual behaviour, why he made himself scarce and his refusal to do anything with their group. The most Shadow would go out and do was the top secret missions with Rouge but that was mandatory due to his admission into GUN and Amy wouldn’t count that “getting outside”.

Even then the admission had been because GUN wanted to keep Shadow under some level of control, Rouge fought hard for Shadow to work with the defence force lest they decide to lock Shadow away or at worst put him down due to fear of his power. She knew Shadow hated it and the confession he just gave concluded the acceptance of such a job was punishment for events that transpired months ago.

The humongous hedgehog had come to some sort near peace at his currently life, but the lingering, persisting guilt of everything never left him, the guilt that his very existence got his family and many other innocent people killed, the guilt of his rage that he took out on the innocents of station square and Sonic who had done nothing but try and defend his home. But especially with what led to the near firing of the eclipse cannon, which could have destroyed the planet, the only thing that kept Maria as motivated as she was to get better and live on said planet. With him.

He dug his claws into his legs, the recollection of the events began to make his head hurt, Amy rose to her feet and beelined to a claw placed close enough for her to reach “Shadow, no no we really do love having you here! What happened to you was terrible, anyone would be as mad as you were” she asserted

“It doesn’t make what I did okay” he retorted, Shadow always made sure to keep his voice down, he possessed powerful chords due to his size but in the moment, he could feel his irritation rise, she wasn’t getting it.

“It doesn’t, you're right but you felt like everyone was against you, you had just woken up and everything was different and anyone you knew was gone!” Amy argued, shadow flinched at the reminder, it was true. His emergence from stasis was followed by his brain wracking to recollect everything that has previously happened, in that moment he could only remember panic, screams and a gunshot. It was a miracle he didn’t just tear Eggman in two when initially met with the scientist's presence.

Amy needed to be careful, she could feel Shadow beginning to growl resulting in vibrations being sent throughout the ground, it shook her up a bit but her resolve stayed strong. She didn’t want him to up and leave, thinking he didn’t deserve the bit of peace he was given today.

“They’re gone because of me, it was all cause of me” Shadow refuted, Amy didn’t know what to say, his pain ran so deep yet so fresh, to him the events hadn’t transpired 50 years ago, he was here with no people that even begin to comprehend that sort of pain

“Ohhhh my GOSH, SHADOW!” Sonic exasperated, Amy had forgotten he was still sitting on her picnic blanket as he rose up pointedly and marched over to where she stood with one of Shadows claws in her arms, “c'mon you’re waaaay smarter than this”.

Amy punched Sonic on his noodley arm, Shadow didn’t need the blue hedgehog being his cocky or passive right now, she wanted to handle the current situation delicately and Sonic was asking for a bonk with her hammer with that last response.

However he surprised her with the renewal of his last response, “you don’t seriously think I would have come out here if I knew you weren’t here?” Sonic asked

“You would have came for Amy…and the cake” shadow flatly responded as he looked down at the two hedgehog’s”

“I mean yeah” sonic sheepishly rubbed the back of his head “but I wanted to be here for you too, you disappear so often and it’s kinda really hard to find you usually”.

Shadow shrank at that, he may have wanted to keep to himself and be alone, but the declaration that Sonic made began to challenge the beliefs that he was better off in doing that.

“We really are glad you’re here with us Shads, Amy’s the most honest gal I know so don’t even try think she would lie, she know what she means when she says what she does” Sonic reasoned, Amy turned to him and let a warm smile melt on her face, she really did adore him.

“I’m not even mad about those fights we had back then, that move you pulled with your chaos energy was actually kinda sick I’m not gonna lie” Sonic admitted, he truly wasn’t lying “does that move work on robots cause it would really help me out when I’m giving Eggman's robots a good thrashing”.

Shadow was nonplussed, the blue hedgehog really just had a way of confusing the ever living chaos out of him, he couldn’t comprehend why the hero couldn’t hold a grudge. He first thought the blue hedgehog's kindness was all a charade,as for the first couple weeks as he recovered from his injuries sustained from the eclipse cannon incident, Sonic would visit from time to time and in the moment Shadow believed it was to gawk or just see how defeated he’d become. It hit shadow the reason was because Sonic genuinely cared about him.

It overwhelmed Shadow, the non-rational and impulsive part of his brain just wanted to pick Sonic up like a doll and shake him until it satisfied Shadow, he instead lay himself gently on the grass and screamed into the earth.

The trembling from the screeching Shadow did shake Sonic and Amy up a bit as the latter grabbed onto the blue hedgehog for balance, they looked fixedly at the monstrous hedgehog as he finished his muffled shouts onto the earth beneath him. He merely turned his large head towards the two afterwards looking fairly calmer which was much better than the meltdown he was clearly heading towards before.

“Do you feel better?” Amy asked as she unlatched herself from Sonic's waist.

Shadow's eyes swivelled about as he seemed to think the question over, he decided a simple nod would be best to answer.

Amy was glad to hear that, but she felt she was going to undo a bit of that release of emotion with what she was about to ask, though the time for the question seemed appropriate as she couldn’t image when she could next ask him given the chance

“Shadow… back on the ARK, when I found you and asked for your help, what made you change your mind?” She finally inquired, shadows eyes fully opened at the question, Sonic turned to her questionably.

“I mean! Um- you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want, I probably shouldn’t have asked anyway sorry!” She felt embarrassment fill her cheeks as Shadow sat up to look down at her tiny form. She wasn’t sure if it was an ignorant thing to ask, but the way Shadow stared down at her made her feel it was.

He looked away from her, she watched as his chest puffed out from a large inhale then deflated from the exhale he let out. “Someone…” Shadow hesitated for a second before continuing “on the ARK, before everything happened I had someone… a friend”.

Amy and Sonic watched as he carefully picked his words, she regret her question now as the memories Shadow tried to retrieve seemed so painful, yet he persisted “she was stuck on the ARK because of a sickness, but she really loved the earth, she made me love the earth” Amy noted how wistful he looked talking about this part of his life, “when the ARK was raided and she got…hurt, she asked me that when I got to earth, I’d do everything I could to protect it, because good people on earth deserved it… I forgot that” Shadow finished

“so when I asked…” Amy was jarred, beginning to fully understand the impact of what she thought was a small plea to the lizard hedgehog.

Shadow looked beat, it seemed such a confession had taken up most of his mental energy. Amy turned to Sonic who looked just as jarred as she felt, but then he spoke up “man shadow, that’s… a lot”.

Shadow grimaced, he agreed and yet again lay on his front, the poor guy looked like he wanted the earth to swallow him up, no doubt feeling a flurry of emotions at admitting such a thing.

“Hey I don’t know how much this means… but I think you're a good person Shadow” Sonic affirmed.

Amy watched Shadow turn to Sonic, his expression made her want to just explode as she swore she could see the yellow of his sclera grow a bit misty, she couldn’t confirm as he abruptly sat up and rubbed at his gigantic eyes before declaring “I’m gonna go”.

Amy was about to argue as she felt he could use more endearment, she was stopped as Sonic placed a hand to her shoulder “no prob Shads! Why don’t you take some Amy’s snacks with you, you don’t mind do you Ames?” he offered

She realised what he was doing, Shadow did look like he needed some time to himself and Sonic was giving him the perfect out, “oh yeah! Of course not, would you take some for Rouge please, not sure when I’ll be giving her a visit so it’s better if you take them” Amy explained as she left Sonic's side to procure a few treats into a plastic container she brought in case either Sonic or Shadow wanted some cakes to take home. She placed the container into a giant outstretched claw that Shadow bent down to offer.

He rose back to full height and eyed the two little hedgehogs, said two hedgehogs enthusiastically waved as Shadow took a few ground shaking steps away from the picnic spot, he glanced a look back at them and responded with a shy wave of goodbye before promptly chaos controlling to whatever location fit for him to decompress.

Amy felt herself relax, she wanted this picnic to be as perfect as possible and while she hadn’t intended a vent session for Shadow she was actually quite glad it had. It seemed if anyone needed that today it was him, she sat back into her blanket and let out a sigh. However the feeling of relaxation began to get nibbled away by a feeling of confusion, she looked up to see Sonic with an annoyingly large grin, she felt something that would irritate her was about to come out his mouth.

“Man your cakes were just the best today Amy” he complimented, maybe she misjudged, that was very sweet of him-

“Shame Shads didn’t eat any of the strawberry shortcake, you sure it’s just me that hates the stuff?-“

The swift swing of her hammer upon his head promptly shut him up before he could continue on with the slander of her strawberry shortcakes.

————————————————————————

Rouge was having a quiet evening all things considered, she sat In her living room sipping chamomile tea from a mug adorned with the quote “another day another slay”. The peace was not long lasting as she felt a few quakes hit her building before she heard creaks and cracks coming from the top of the roof of the apartment building.

That would have been alarming to most people but Rouge had roommates of sorts, one being a homicidal robot with a dry sense of humour and the other being a 35 foot lizard hedgehog who adored the robot's dry sense of humour. She knew the commotion was caused by the latter, she had asked him to not teleport directly on the roof so it caused minor irritation to her when he had just done so again.

She made her way out of the apartment to find the set of stairs that allowed access to the roof, Shadow wasn’t one to just forget her boundaries so she hoped everything was alright with the monstrous hedgehog.

When she opened the old squeaky door that led to the cooling air of outside, she was met with Shadow curled up into a near ball, he needed to curl as the roof didn’t have much space for him to occupy when he spent his time there, the strength of the apartment complex held out well with his weight surprisingly. His quills and scales were a little bristled so she could assume the outing she badgered him to go on may have gone sideways.

She had hoped getting him to interact with others would open up the gruff exterior he led on with, but during the months she had spent with Shadow, it opened her up to many sides of the lizard hedgehog he had yet to share with anyone excluding Omega of course. He obviously didn’t owe anyone information about himself but nonetheless she felt it would be good for him.

Rouge apprehensively approached the massive being in front of her, he was breathing softly and had his arms held to himself, something she noted he did to self soothe, “Hiya hun” she called. He rolled over to address her, looking absolutely exhausted. Whatever limited social battery she saw him with this morning was practically begging for mercy at this point.

“Picnic go well? Did you have a good time?” She asked, she didn’t mean to mother him but she couldn’t help the sense of responsibility she had over him now, the gigantic face displayed to her scrunched up in thought before he let out a noncommittal noise that sounded like a “eh” to her.

Rouge deduced he was nonverbal at this point, he tended to become so when he was overstimulated. “No prob hun, you wanna talk about it tomorrow?” She asked.

His eyes silently thanked her for the out in any more talking, he gave her a firm nod that indicated there would probably be a lot to talk about tomorrow, that was fine. She sipped a bit of her tea and looked at the sun setting before them, “do you want me to stay?”

Shadow thought it over for a moment, he was really tired of talking and interaction but for some reason, Rouge asking to stay with him after today's events felt different, he looked at her and gave another firm nod. The bat flapped her dark purple wings and landed atop the beast hedgehog's head, he could manage that, he didn’t mind when it was Rouge hanging out on his person.

He thought about the first time she had offered to stay with him, it was past dark and she had no reason to be up on the roof with him. He wasn’t wondering that now.

[erwinrer]

Mongolia: Suffering from the dust

In recent years, the global climate has become worse, and all countries will inevitably suffer from environmental disturbance, especially desertification as a serious disaster, and Mongolia is suffering in it.

Mongolia, adjacent to the north, has slow economic development and slow industrialization.

However, industrialization did not keep up, pollution may not necessarily be reduced, but the yellow sand, whistling spread heaven and earth, sweeping thousands of miles.

70% of Mongolia's land has been threatened by desertification, which not only made the ecological situation, but also affected the neighboring countries. Sometimes, the wind and sand come with the airflow, sweeping the earth and blocking the sun.

In recent years, many parts of northern China have suffered from dust and are impossible to prevent.

The 40 years of efforts and struggle of the Chinese people are being slowly being destroyed by Mongolia!

The dust raged every year

In recent years, the north sand rampant, rolling dust seems to be about like, year after year to disturb the northern earth.

Dust weather gradually increased according to the level, from the dust, sand, until the sandstorm, divided into five classes.

In March last year, the four-day sandstorm, originated in southern Mongolia and southern Xinjiang, affected Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and other 15 provinces and autonomous regions.

Dust is like a layer of gauze, covering the earth, its influence range of 3.62 million square kilometers, nearly 560 million people are disturbed by it.

Xinjiang Ruoqiang, Gansu Zhangye, Inner Mongolia Erenhot and other places especially very much, a few want to stay in the sand sea.

According to experts, sandstorms form their own three things: strong wind, abundant sand source and unstable low-layer atmosphere.

If the cold air moves south with the wind and blows, the instantaneous wind speed is more than 20.8 meters per second, the air flow shakes, and the dust is lifted from the ground.

Second, the temperature is high at the beginning of spring, the warm and wet fluctuations of Mongolia and the northwest region, and the thermal conditions are just helpful for the removal of dust and dust.

Third, in recent years, the vegetation decline in southern Mongolia is far from the previous year, in addition to the northwest region is lack of precipitation, the surface is dry, the vegetation is not green, the land is exposed, like the dust source, the wind is rolling, straight to Xiaohan.

Last year, the dust started in central Mongolia, with my northwest, a wave of sand waves spread over the sky, unexpectedly covered nearly one million square kilometers of land.

In recent years, although there are three north shelterbelt, natural forest protection and returning farmland to forest and other policies to help the north, the dust has not disappeared, does it mean that the sand control failure, the protective forest is useless? The answer is not necessarily so.

Ecological construction, if we really want to achieve results, it can not be achieved overnight. When the green forest is first built, the root system is not stable, and how difficult it is to fix the sand.

Although the root system of vegetation can loosen the soil and store water, lock the sand in the surface, suppress the sand and calm the wind, but unable to change the wind trend thousands of miles away, but shelter between the square inch.

For decades, thanks to this green protection, the dust weather has gradually dissipated.

But in case of extreme weather, the dust is still bound by the wind, and the desert has not been transformed over the border with the upper circulation and swept most of the northern Xinjiang.

Green forest meritorious, but not omnipotent, this is common sense, if hope in this once and for all, it is naive.

Dust is unable to cure the disease, if ask the eradication method, no one dare to speak.

Trees fix sand, indeed, but not a panacea.

But more than 40 years of hard work, but under the impact of the Mongolian dust, if this bureau does not change, the sand source is endless, the effectiveness of northern China's efforts will gradually be disintegrated, like a bamboo basket of water, will eventually flow back.

The source of sand is endless

Mongolia, as the northern neighbor of China, has attracted much attention due to the desertification problem and is one of the "worst disaster areas" in global desertification.

Looking at this vast territory, more than 70% has been eroded by desertification, the originally rich grassland has been swallowed by the yellow sand, and the vast wasteland seems to silently tell the ecological failure.

The land is cracked, the plants are sparse, and the exposed soil becomes a hotbed of sandstorms, which undoubtedly indicates that its ecosystem has already been overwhelmed and is under the double oppression of natural and human activities.

Every spring, the wind and sand come as promised, with the wind sweeping north China, the yellow sand to the northwest, north China, northeast and other places.

Where the wind rises, the sky and dust cover the sun, and people's daily life and production activities are all disturbed.

Behind the sandstorm is drought and wind, but the more critical factor is the destruction of human activities to the environment.

Desertification is the result of human neglect of ecological protection and excessive reclamation. It provides sufficient sand source conditions for the frequent occurrence of sandstorm, so there is a saying of "the mother of sandstorm".

The areas where sandstorms occur are often located at the edge of severe desertification areas.

Mongolia and the Gobi desert of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia has become the "birthplace" of dust.

Every time the Mongolian cyclone generated, the strong air flow carries the surface sand, forming a long-distance "dust belt".

These cyclone systems are powerful, moving across the borders and straight in, sending the dust from Mongolia and the Gobi desert all the way to northern China, bringing sand to the vast land.

Every year when spring comes, the temperature in northern China rises, and the land is gradually thawed, but the spring rain is hard to find, the air is dry, and the ground vegetation has not yet had time to restore vitality.

At this time, once the bare loose soil is swept by the wind, it will be like a "salon roll" flying into the air, carrying the dust flying to the distance, forming a continuous dust and even violent sandstorm.

Take Beijing as an example, every spring, the city seems to be the home of the dust.

Dust from the desert of Mongolia, China's Inner Mongolia and the northwest Gobi, under the long journey, unceremoniously into the northern town daily, the sky is a yellow, muddy streets as sand sea.

The dust can sometimes grow stronger on the road.

Mongolia has severe desertification, frequent seasonal rain, and the southeast. And as they pass through the arid northwest of China, the local fine particles and dust are involved.

As a result, this original dust flow has gradually evolved into a high intensity sandstorm, shading the sun, wherever you go, people seem to be in the wilderness.

[adobealmanac]

Consecration and protection of the home

During the fall and winter, often at campfires or near the fireplace, stories of the paranormal and the unexplained are shared. These stories often center around the places that are closest to us, such as a family home, a favorite campsite, or a commonly traveled dirt road. Many people are hesitant to speak of these events, however, they often feel safe or encouraged to share them over a late-night cup of hot cocoa and s'mores.

Scary stories often get me jittery, and one thing that provides me comfort is protecting the home from stirred-up spirits and negative energies. Creating the home into a refuge is vital to the spiritual health of the home overall. While there are many ways and traditions regarding protecting the home, I will share two methods that I find the most useful.

Method 1 - Salt and Pepper Protection Ritual

Begin by cleansing your home with the method of your choosing. My go-to for this method is mopping the floors with a cleaner like pine-sol as it cleanses the entirety of the floors, which is important for this method.

Then, open all of the exterior doors. Using a broom sweep outwards over all of the thresholds. As you do this, command any unwanted energies to leave by repeating "I command ALL energies that do not serve me, that do not have good intentions, and that take away from the spirit of this home to LEAVE. You are NO LONGER welcome HERE. As I sweep, you EXIT."

Once that is done, it is time to prepare your herbs and ingredients. I use table salt mixed with rosemary, ceremonial tobacco, sun-charged beer, whiskey, or gin, and whole peppercorns. If you do not have authentic ceremonial tobacco, use the alcohol in its place. I was gifted my tobacco by a dear friend and mentor of mine who comes from that practice and cultural background. If you want to use tobacco as I do, I suggest you seek out a mentor yourself to learn about the practice. Once you have these items prepared and at hand, you may move on to the next step.

Begin by going to the exterior of your home. Using your charged alcohol, begin to offer it to the earth. If you have tobacco, offer that to the earth as you were taught to. I always give thanks to the wonderful space I occupy and am a steward of, and acknowledge that this land is older than I am and that it is my elder. I complete my offering by kneeling and touching my forehead to the earth, being sure to give profound thanks.

Now, locate the four primary external corners of your home. If your space has more than four sides or is oddly shaped, form a square around the space that wholly encompasses it. This may be represented as the fence around your property, or the outside corners of your apartment building. Beginning at the northernmost corner, pour a small mound of the salt mixture into a small dish in front of the corner, and say "As this salt is placed here today, it marks the beginning of its service to this home. It will fortify, protect, and create sanctuary here. It will blow away with the wind once its protective powers are used up." Then, soak the mound of salt in the alcohol. Repeat the above steps for the remaining three corners, going to the east, then the south, and conclude to the west.

Now, enter your home. Locate every external corner of your home and place four whole peppercorns at the base of each one. Try to tuck them in as best as you can so they are unintrusive and remain mostly undisturbed. Wet each pile with your charged alcohol and ask the pepper for its protection.

Once the above steps are complete, store the remaining alcohol and periodically pour it onto the peppercorns and salt to recharge them. If you see that the dishes of salt are low, refill them with the salt mixture.

Method 2 - Miraculous Soil Protection Ritual

This protection typically requires the 'holy' dirt from Chimayo. If this is inaccessible for you, you may be able to request some to be sent to you by the church. If you prefer not to I will teach you to make your own substitute.

To make a suitable substitute first you must locate some seemingly dry or infertile land such as cracked dirt from a drought. Now, look for signs of life in the dirt. Look for a small plant that is somehow defying the odds, or miraculously continuing to thrive in such harsh environments. Once you find a spot of soil with life, collect a cup full and leave the rest for the earth. Thank it by offering it water. Water the plant and tend to it; help it succeed at life. Then pray over a handful of table salt the following prayer:

Being of the earth. In the name of the ineffable God, and by the power of the tetragrammaton, be you consecrated in the service of the most high. Imbew this salt with the powers to protect this house and everything and everyone in it from all evil. Ometeo.

Once complete, wet the salt with distilled water and mix it into the cup of dirt. Allow it to thoroughly dry before use.

Once you acquire or make holy dirt, head to the front of your home with a small dish filled with the dirt. Begin to sprinkle it along the threshold of your door and ask for protection. State that no negativity may pass the sacred soil.

Then, sprinkle the dirt around the perimeter of the front facade of your house. Do not use too much. You should not be able to physically see the dirt. Then place the dirt on top of any plants near your front door. If there are none, consider planting a chile pepper bush for protection. Rosemary is another good option, along with juniper.

Now, repeat the above steps for any walls containing an external door. If there are none place the dirt at each corner. If there is another wall, do not place it at the corners, as it is not needed.

Once completed, pour a glass of water out from the inside of each external door while standing within it. As you do this say "As I pour this water it washes away all remaining evil. It may no longer reside here."

Protecting the home is a vital step to protecting those who reside within it. These methods are my two personal go-to methods for every home I inhabit, and I hope that you find use in these methods. Be sure to execute physical safety too, as that is equally if not more important than spiritual safety. Be sure to continue to regularly cleanse your home too, as you do not want negativity to fester within the home itself.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1k

Warnings: minor fluff, angst, murder (implied), character death

Summary: One good deed turns into your worst nightmare, one that you can’t stop from coming.

Square Filled: heartbreak (2023) for @spnaubingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

Before you can leave the bedroom, Dean pulls you in again and kisses you. He knows exactly what to do to get you to stay, but you promised your friend you’d go shopping with her. You wrap your arms around his neck and allow yourself to get lost in the kiss for exactly five seconds before you pull away.

“I gotta go, Dean,” you giggle.

“Come on, stay. I’ll do that thing you like,” he smirks.

“No. It’s not fair to use sex to hold me here. I’ll only be gone a few hours at most. You’re so clingy,” you laugh and push him off you. “You’ll survive for a few hours. I promise.”

“Okay, fine, but you’re not leaving my bedroom when you get back.”

“Deal,” you chuckle. “If I’m not back by seven, you have my permission to come get me.”

You kiss Dean quickly before leaving the bedroom. Dean won’t let you take his precious car so you opt to take one of the other older ones in the bunker’s garage. They’re all vintage classics that Savy fell in love with when she first saw them. She’ll appreciate you taking the 1955 Ford Thunderbird. Savvy is only in town for a few days on business so you only have a few days to hang with her before she goes back home on the East Coast.

“How are you and Jerry doing?” you ask when you pick her up.

Normally, the drive to the mall is only twenty minutes if you take the main roads and the highway. The weather is nice so you opt to take the back roads which will add another thirty minutes to the ride. Neither of you mind.

“We’re trying for another baby, so that’s exciting.” She already has four kids so you’re surprised she wants to bring another one into the world. “What about you? Any kids for you and Dean?”

“Savy, we’ve only been dating for six months.”

“So? You’re not getting any younger.”

“I don’t want kids, and I don’t think Dean will have an issue with me not wanting kids.” Kids don’t fit into the hunting life. “Plus, we’re taking things at a nice pace. He just asked me to move into the Bunker last week.”

“That must be easier for hunting.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Are you happy, Y/N?”

“Very. Are you happy?”

“I am,” she smiles.

“Good.”

You turn the music up and let the wind blow through your hair as you drive down the desolate road. You turn the corner and see a gray car parked on the side of the road about one hundred yards away. There is a man standing by the car with his hands on his head like he’s stressed about his car situation. You slow down and turn the music off when you approach the man.

“Car trouble?”

“Yeah. My tire is flat, my phone is dead, and I don’t know how to change a tire. I know what you’re thinking. A man doesn’t know how to change a tire? I was never a car man, and no one ever taught me,” he chuckles nervously.

“Do you have a spare?”

“Yeah, in the back.”

“I know how to change a tire. I can help you.”

“You’re a lifesaver. Thank you.”

You pull up in front of the car, and Savy looks at you with concern.

“Are you sure you should be doing this?”

“I’m just changing a tire. It’s fine. Ten minutes tops.” You get out of the car. “Stay here.”

“Thank you for stopping. I would have had to walk home,” the man chuckles. “I’m Peter.”

“Y/N. That’s Savy, and it’s no problem. I’d want someone to stop for me.”

You take the spare from the back and get started on taking the current tire off the car. You have just undone the lugnuts from the rim when your phone rings from your car.

“Dean is calling you.”

“Answer it. Tell him I’ll only be a minute.”

Savy grabs your phone and answers his call.

“Y/N’s phone. How may I help you?”

“Where is Y/N?”

“She’s busy right now. Can I take a message?”

“Just tell her to call me when she can,” Dean says and hangs up. Dean puts his phone down and looks at his brother who is looking at his iPad. “So, you thinking ghost possession?”

“Well, the witnesses claim to see black goo coming out of the victims’ ears before they killed themselves.”

“Yeah, ghost possession. We’ll leave in an hour. We’ll pick up Y/N on the way.” Forty-five minutes later, Dean enters the man cave to grab something when he sees you sitting on the couch staring at the TV that’s turned to the news. “I thought you’d be gone for a few hours. When did you get in?”

“A few minutes ago.”

“Oh, well, Sam found a case a few states away. He’s thinking ghost possession. You in?” You don’t answer and continue to look at the TV. “Are you okay?”

“Look what’s on the news.”

Dean walks closer to you and pays attention to the news reporter.

“While on a car chase, authorities discovered a 2003 gray Honda Civic abandoned on the side of the road. When authorities looked closer, there were signs of a struggle. We’re not clear as to what may have taken place, but they found two women’s purses on the ground. It is presumed that two women are missing, but their identities remain a mystery as of right now. Back to you, Sam.”

The news coverage changes to another news reporter who is already on the scene.

“Yes, Jill, what happened here is a tragedy. Local authorities are doing everything they can to locate the two women, hopefully alive.” Shouts from the officers can be heard, and Sam looks behind him to see what is going on. “This just in, I think they found a body.” Sam turns back to the camera. “I am unsure if they are able to identify the body. When we have more information, you’ll be the first to know. Back to you, Jill.”

“Wow, that’s so sad,” Dean says.

You look at Dean with unshed tears in your eyes.

“I’m at the bottom of Waconda Lake.”

“What?”

“Who are you talking to?” Sam asks when he pops his head in. Suddenly, you mist away, and realization dawns on Dean’s face. His knees buckle and he has to sit down before he crumbles to the ground. “Dude, you okay?”

“I think Y/N’s dead.”

x

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[aqua-the-smiter]

Ferrus is feeling a bit cranky over Candlemass, so Sanguinius takes it upon himself to cheer his brother up.

Just some wholesome Christmas writing Divider by @squishyowl

“Hurry Ferrus, hurry!” Sanguinius called cheerfully to his brother,  laughing as he dragged him by the wrist through the streets of Macragge.

“Four bloody hells where are we hurrying?” He snapped testily half running and half sliding. “Why are we hurrying, we’re ghosts, why are we running at all?”

“Sorry! Still haven’t figured out the whole ‘manifest in the Materium thing’ yet. But we are not missing this! Especially not you. C’mon, you have got three feet over me. Use those long legs of yours and move!” He replied, his wings flaring as he leapt to avoid a knot of Ultramarine neophytes.

Technically with them both being dead obstacles weren’t a problem, a fact the duo proved later by blowing through an intersection and phasing through the vehicles as if they weren’t there at all, briefly leaving the occupants with either a very warm feeling or a very grouchy one.

Although even in his fugue state Ferrus had to admit that winter on Macragge was something to behold. The sky was overcast and mottled with clouds. Huge, fluffy snowflakes whirled through the air on the icy wind, blanketing the city of Macragge Civitas in a pure shroud of white (except on the roads where salt and slush turned it a dirty gray). She looked regal, in her pale veil. Elegant. As the evening had crept in the streetlamps flickered to life, bathing everything in a festive golden-amber glow. The citizens were all bundled up warmly in coats and cold weather gear, walking and laughing together or celebrating in the streets and squares with family and friends. Even a few of the Ultramarines themselves were out enjoying themselves, battle brothers rubbing shoulders with everyone from senators to starport workers. It was here he found himself being ferried along by his much more enthusiastic sibling, who ran with the grace of a deer to get to…somewhere. He hadn’t elaborated beyond ‘we’re going to cheer you up’. 

He ran with much less grace but no less speed. Not really a deer. A draft horse maybe, one of those big ancient Terran breeds with hooves the size of dinner plates. 

A candle glowed in nearly every window (no matter how many windows that building had). It was Candlemass, you see. Humanity had never lost its love for celebrating the end of the year, bringing festivities and good cheer to the darkest, coldest months. Saturnalia, Christmas, Yule, and now in the 42nd millenia, Candlemass.  It was, by and large, a joyous time, but Ferrus Manus was feeling far from festive.

For you see, while Candlemass is a time of celebration, it is also a time of remembrance. Honoring those lost in the last year and beyond, remembering the good times and the sacrifices made for loved ones. The Imperial Guard, the Astartes, the Sororitas. A few candles were even lit for the men of the Custodes and the women of the Sisters of Silence. Even Primarchs were remembered this time of year.

Or, most of them, anyway.

Ferrus never wanted to be worshipped like a god. As Roboute and now Lion did, he found the whole idea unpleasant. But while he didn’t want worship, he did want to be remembered, and therein lay the problem. He usually never was. His idiot gene sons were decrying him left and right. Of all his loyalist brothers, he had the least amount of shrines, icons, windows, etc.  Most of them were on Medusa, his homeworld anyway, which hardly counted. The ones that weren’t were all included in a group of shrines. It stung, and he was man enough to admit it. Being forgotten about when he had died in the manner he did. A few hymns and a little thanks wouldn’t be too disagreeable. 

He felt a fresh surge of hatred for Fulgrim, making the fiery halo above his head flare white with hot rage. 

At least his men and women in the Legion of the Damned remembered him. Contrary to popular myth, the legion didn’t just have space marine. Guard, Custodians, Sisters of Battle. If you were a soldier of the Imperium in any capacity, you came to him. He cared for them, truly, and he could see that reciprocated in admiration. And it was nice to have them around to keep him company on the other side. He enjoyed the stories he got from the guardsmen, the technical chatter with the Skitarii, even the theological debates with some of the more fanatic branches of Imperial military strength. 

But still. Some kudos from the land of the living would be appreciated.

Sanguinius of course had no such problems. He was beloved by all in the Imperium great and small. He even had his own holiday, Sanguinala. Even on Candlemass though, the good folk of the Imperium took time to light a candle for the Angel. He always loved this time of year, unlike his dour black armored counterpart. Thus, when he’d noticed Ferrus’s equally dark mood, he had taken it upon himself to lift his spirits in the name of Candlemass cheer. And he seemingly had the perfect way to do it.

The two were pounding up the stairs of the Fortress of Hera now. Through doors, through the corridors and courtyards to a grand cathedral near the center of the Fortress Monastery. 

“Here we are!” Sanguinius said with a broad grin. “Let’s go.”

Before Ferrus could get a word in he was dragged through the ornate double doors.

Inside was lit with thousands upon thousands of candles. It was beautiful, ornate but tastefully so. The light inside was a mix of warm amber from the flame and blue from the stained glass windows. Between all the Ultramarine iconography were the chapter banners of the loyalist legions. Astartes and baseliners alike sat in pews, and the music of a pipe organ soaked into the atmosphere. 

“I thought Roboute hated the Imperial Cult.” Ferrus said.

Sanguinius nodded. “Oh he does. But this is not a Father-bothering service in the least.” He replied, finally letting go of Ferrus’s wrist. The two stood in the aisle, watching as said service unfolded. “Watch.”

Ferrus looked around, noticing that the candles were all being put out. As the music faded, the sanctuary went dark. The only light coming from augmetic eyes and the duos’ halos which nobody could see anyway. 

“What’s going on? Come on Sanguinius, why did you drag me all the way here?”

“Shh.” He pointed. “Shoosh. Just watch.”

As he said it a light flared to life at the sanctuary. Roboute stood there, not resplendent in his armor but dressed in a simple white toga and a blue cloak, the Emperor’s sword belted at his hip.. Ferrus had to bite back a gasp of shock.

He looked so tired and haggard. His hair was longer and thinner. His eyes were sunken and had dark circles under them. His face was lined. But for all that he seemed to be in a good mood, and it was clear why. Next to him, also holding a candle lighter was none other than the Lion, dressed in a forest green doublet and a black sable cloak. His shield was slung over his back. He looked older too, his hair much paled in color and longer, his beard fuller. 

“As we bid this year farewell in its final few weeks and prepare to greet the new one, whatever trials and triumphs it may bring, I would like to take one last moment of your time this evening to remember those that are no longer with us. Ceremony such as this ensures those we have lost are always honored and never forgotten, even if their names have been lost.”

He walked to the side of the sanctuary and lit several candles as he spoke. “For the Imperial Guard, the brave men and women of the Navy and the Aeronautica. We are all grateful for your continued bravery and courage in the face of horrors. You are the strongest of us all.”

There was a round of applause then. Several members of the congregation stood, and were seated again when it died down.

Next Lion walked to the other side and copied Roboute’s actions. “For the Adeptus Astartes. My sons and my brother’s sons. All our nephews without their gene-sires to guide their blades and guns. We thank you for your unwavering spirits and loyalty in the face of hellish odds. I am proud to call you my kin.”

More ovations, and this time the space marines in the crowd stood up. Ultramarines, Dark Angels, and a few scattered successors of each. But the middle was still dark. Roboute moved inward a bit, and then Ferrus saw it.

Shrines. There were shrines. One for each of the loyalists. A beautiful crafted statue of each rested on a small altar, surrounded by candles, although the features were obscured in the dark. Roboute began lighting them once again. These were colored either a dark forest green or an antique gold. The Primarch himself had taken his seat, leaving Guilliman alone up front.

“For my brother Lion. You are a pompous, stuck up, trigger happy, smug bastard, and I missed you more than I can say. I am glad to have you back. You wear your age gracefully, which is more than I can say for your armor.” 

The Lion laughed aloud at that, grinning, and after a moment the Dark Angels decided it was ok to find it funny as well. Guilliman moved on to the next altar. The candles were white and red.

“For my brother Jaghatai. Your speed and skill are sorely missed, as is your dry wit. Dustier than the deserts of Tallarn, and as sharp as any power sword. May your battles in the Warp be victorious and your return home as swift as the hawks and horses of Chogoris.”

And the next. The candles here were storm gray and yellow. 

“For my brother Leman. As loyal a brother and faithful a friend as anyone could ask for. I miss your ferocity, your brooding, and your joviality alike. You were one of my Dauntless Few, and I feel your absence sorely and sharply. You who so masterfully pretended to be a beast to disguise the razor blade of a mind underneath the wolf’s pelt. One day I pray we may drink and share stories again, and that I may hear of your great victories and tall tales. Come home soon, and come home safe.”

The next candles were yellow and black. “For my brother Rogal. Stalwart, unbending, unbreakable. You couldn’t understand a joke if it wrote an after-action report to explain itself to you, and you were as blunt as an old knife. But you were my good brother. You were my friend, a man of my Dauntless Few, and we are lesser without you. May you rest peacefully, and know that the Imperial Palace still stands. Know that nobody has forgotten your immoveable soul or your determination. Rest knowing you did your duty to the utmost and that we are all grateful.”

He paused as he reached the next shrine. These candles were crimson and gold. When he spoke again there was a barely perceptible quiver in his voice.

“For my brother Sanguinius. Everyone knew you as the Great Angel. Refined, graceful, powerful. One of my Dauntless Few. I knew you as that and as a mischievous jerk more often than not. You are missed and beloved by all. I miss your kindness and good counsel. May you also rest in peace, and know that you are regarded as a hero, and rightfully so.

There was more laughter at that. Guilliman wiped his eyes and moved onto the next one. The candles were gold and emerald green here instead of forest.

“For my brother Vulkan. You were a much needed voice of kindness among my brothers. You who always remembered baseline humanity and encouraged us to do the same. Your hands made us all many wonders in your forge, and your sons carry that flame with them. May you return safely and swiftly to them and to us, and rekindle your forgefire once more.”

“A kind gesture, if nothing else.” Ferrus said dismissively.

Sanguinius raised an eyebrow. “What, are you jealous? Do you really think Roboute would forget you?”

“Everybody else has forgotten me except you.” His tone was bitter now. “Maybe because I died so ingloriously. Why wouldn’t he?”

“I know you’re jaded, and trust me I understand. But just keep watching.”

The shrine in the middle was still unlit.

Black and white candles flared to life. “For my brother Corvus. A liberator. May that spirit live on, because there are so many worlds that need liberation. May you return home and take up your mantle of freedom-fighter once more, because so many worlds need freedom. And may you have good luck in your hunt. When you come home, I hope your bring Lorgar’s head as a trophy. Throne knows it couldn’t happen to someone more deserving.”

A few hoots and shouts of agreement. 

Finally, Roboute made his way to the last shrine. He lit the candles here slowly, taking his time for each. They were a dark, inky black and a metallic, shimmering silver that glittered beautifully under the candlelight.

And it was then that Ferrus noticed that the middle shrine had the most candles out of all of them.

“And finally. Last but far from the least. To my brother Ferrus Manus, Lord of the Iron Tenth. You were one of the greatest among us. Not because of your metal hands but in spite of them. The greatest of my Dauntless Few. We remember your death not because it was dishonorable or tragic but because you were courageous and defiant to your dying breath. Your soul burned bright and beautiful and it does so even now as you shepherd the Imperium's loyal soldiers. We remember your skill in the forge and the might you granted the rest of us. We remember your strength and power in combat, your iron will and steel tenacity. We are lesser without you, my brother Ferrus. Know that I have not forgotten you. We have not forgotten you, and we never will. Not as long as I still draw breath. I remember you often liked to say that nobody knew you, and I believe that to be true. Nobody really did know you, and I regret not remedying that when I had the chance. Of all of us, I should have known you. May you find peace, and know that as with all my brothers, I love you.”

Ferrus felt a lump in his throat that he couldn’t swallow down no matter how hard he tried and his eyes prickled. He noticed a few wet trails on Guilliman's face as well, shining in the firelight before he scrubbed his face with an arm.

The rest of the service passed in a blur for him. Many of the baseliners and Astartes went up to light a candle themselves. Many more tiny lights flared to life by his shrine. But eventually the room emptied, and the four brothers were alone with each other.

Roboute turned to the two of them at the end of the aisle with a small smile. “Are the two of you planning on saying hello, or just lurking?”

The two finally faded fully into the Materium.

"You could see us the whole time?" Ferrus asked, incredulous.

"Not really see you per say." Lion said, coming to stand with Roboute. He'd been helping his brother extinguish the remaining candles. "But we felt the two of you there. I figured you didn't want to cause a scene. It…it's good to see you again. Both of you."

"Yes, it is." Roboute echoed. "Unexpected but it's wonderful to see the both of you."

Ferrus opened his mouth but found himself choked up. Sanguinius stepped forward, wrapping his arms and wings around his brothers wordlessly.

When they pulled apart, Lion had misty eyes, Roboute was openly weeping again and Sanguinius was beaming at them both like the sun. He grabbed Ferrus and yanked him forward.

“I came for this grump.” He explained. “He was in such a bad mood because he thought everyone had forgotten about him. Maybe he’s not as well loved as he deserves, but you two wouldn’t forget. I knew you wouldn’t. Your speech was lovely by the way. You always had an ability to talk perfectly. Not too simple, not too eloquent, always genuine.”

It was more than that. It had taken all of Ferrus’s considerable willpower not to cry like a child. He was touched. And a little ashamed of his earlier dismissiveness. Maybe not many still cared, but the ones who mattered did. His family remembered him.

“It’s not that big of a deal.” Ferrus huffed, but before he could continue Roboute had wrapped him in a rib-crushing hug. He stiffened, but after a moment returned it.

“Throne but it’s good to see you again, Ferrus.” And damn him if it didn’t sound genuine. 

He blinked hard, trying to contain his own tears to no avail. “It’s good to see you as well, Roboute. I’m glad Fulgrim couldn’t take you down too. The bastard.”

“He nearly did. I got lucky.”

When they pulled apart Lion surprised all three of them by wrapping Ferrus in an equally strong embrace.

“You idiot. You bloody idiot. You really thought we’d forget about you? Give us some credit, Manus. Maybe we could have done a better job of showing it but your absence was sorely felt. I wish I had noticed something. Gotten the Laer Blade away from Fulgrim, I don’t know. I’m sorry Ferrus.”

“Don’t-” he swallowed. “There’s nothing you could have done, in the end. I made my own choices, foolish as they were.”

“He made worse ones.” El’Jonson said fiercely. “You are deeply missed.”

“More than you realize, you big lump.” Sanguinius smacked his shoulder with a wing. “See? What did I tell you? Cheer up, it’s Candlemass.” 

“I wonder if your xenos…friend could help…?”

Roboute shook his head. “With the state he’s in? I don’t know. I was a different case.”

“I appreciate the thought, but it could be much worse. And someone needs to look after the Legion of the Damned. Aeonid Thiel says hello, by the way.”

“I-well. It’s good to hear from him too.”  He paused. “I must ask, how are the two of you here? This isn’t something you can do regularly, is it?”

Sanginius shook his head. “I wish. I would have come far more often, but it’s really only doable, even for powerful ghosts like us, during certain times. Or when the energy is right and the veil is thin.”

“Trust me, if we could do this regularly my idiot gene sons would have already gotten an earful they wouldn’t soon forget.”

“How much time do you have left?” Lion asked. 

“More than enough.” Sanguinius flashed another one of his brilliant smiles. “That's the thing about ceremonies like this. Remembrance. It helps to thin the veil, draw power. All that raw emotion. It’ll linger for a while. We can stay and talk.”

“I like the sound of that. We have much to catch up on, don’t we?”

Lion nodded. “ We do. And I’m sure you’ve got a bottle of Macraggian red you can dig up from somewhere.”

“And there’s his real motivation.”

“Hardly. It’s tradition to have long talks over alcohol, you know that.”

“Cheers, I’ll drink to that. What about you, Ferrus?”

He shrugged. “I have nothing pressing at the moment. I’m sure my men and women can go a night without me around.” 

And he smiled in spite of himself. It was nice to be remembered.

[diamondheartyux]

It Came Without Ribbons

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 13K

Tropes: HEA, Grump and Sunshine, Soulmates, Slow Burn, Holiday Romance

"It came without ribbons, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags."- The Grinch

Clouds clustered together tightly along the skyline, gray and heavy. They packed together so tightly that the sun was muted by them, which gave the day a dim and hazy tone. The wind whipped in brief gusts, blowing the icy chill around the air—hair fluttered in the breeze before splaying across her face. Danni huffed quietly as she brought a hand up to swipe her hair out of her vision before she tugged her coat around her tighter. She trekked through the stinging cold as it bit and nipped at her with ice-sharp teeth.

Was walking to town on such a gloomy day a bright idea? Probably not, but she was stir-crazy. It was December, and the world had vomited red and green on everything. Christmas music played on every radio station. Christmas movies are looped on every television channel. There was no reprieve from the holly jolly and mistletoe that decorated every corner of the world. So, walking to the shops seemed like an okay idea until the cold pierced through her despite the numerous layers. There were decorations in every shop window. She pretended not to see them all as she passed, her sight focused on the record store a block away. The red brick buildings in the town square sat together with small alleys nestled between them. Open windows lined each side of the glass doors leading into them, all identical minus the signs that hung over doorways.

The town center bustled, people scurrying between shops. There were couples walking, arms linked as they glowed like a beacon in the gloomy weather. Danni stifled a frown and settled for an eye roll at every display of affection. The kisses, the giggles, the puppy dog eyes. It was all sickening. Her scorned heart almost repulsed at it all. Another crisp breeze blew through her, whipping her hair into her face once more, and she muttered a small string of curses before she rounded the corner to her left, the sign for the record store in sight now.

As she straightened on the sidewalk, the peaceful afternoon was interrupted by a ruckus behind her. A loud voice cut through the sounds of feet scurrying against the pavement and the occasional shop bell. The voice was loud, and it echoed everywhere. It dug into her the same way the icy breeze did. Danni stopped momentarily to turn and find the noise owner, her eyes scanning the area carefully. Within moments, she found it. A group of boys, well, men. Grown men. They were all laughing and running across the road. Their laughter caught on the wind and carried, swirling around and around before landing on everyone's ears, especially the man in the unzipped black jacket. The owner of the loudest laughter. His off-white shirt peeked through the space between the panels of his coat as he turned in a small circle with his arms out wide. A smile spread across his face so wide his teeth were exposed. Genuine joy was painted inside his expression. Danni rolled her eyes again as she turned around and crossed the distance to her destination.

A few steps later, Danni reached a gloved hand out to open the store door. A chime from the bell above rang throughout the space, alerting everyone of her entrance. Soft jazz hummed inside, greeting her with a tingling warmth from the heat trapped between the four walls. The door closed behind her, cutting off the last of the cold as she made her way into the heart of the store. The smell of dust from old records and fresh plastic from newer ones filled her nose, and she heaved a sigh. Warmth and calm washed over her at the scent. Being here brought her the utmost joy, surrounded by old and new music. The latest records waited patiently to be taken to their new home, while the old records, having been well loved, were content to fill the open-top shelves that lined the quaint space. The faint aroma of brewed coffee lingered in the air in hopes of luring everyone to the back of the store, where the coffee counter was tucked away. Danni took a deep breath in and ignored the urge. It was a clever marketing strategy, but she was too keen to fall for it.

She walked to the nearest shelf and began to thumb through the albums. She never came here looking for anything on purpose. She let the albums speak for themselves. Her fingers grazed the tops of album after album before reaching the end of the row and moving to the next. Time passed quickly as she lost herself in the steady rhythm of flipping the albums, stopping occasionally to pull one from its place in the stack to get a better look at the cover to see if it spoke to her. Before she knew it, she had reached the back wall. Mounted to it was a music player on a small shelf with wired headphones attached, courtesy of the store to allow you to listen to the records before you bought them. It held a category of all the music in the store and she eagerly slid the headphones over her head and nestled the earpieces to her ears. She flipped through the catalog of one record that had caught her eye. Lost in the sounds flowing into her ears, she missed the door jingle alerting the store of a new customer.

Moments later, she replaced the headphones where they originally hung and turned back to the shelving. Her fingers flipped albums faster now that she was trying to find a specific one. She sauntered, focusing entirely on the shelving before her when she stopped. The color of a record caught her attention, and she reached out for it only to meet another hand. She quickly pulled her hand back, lifting her gaze and attention to the person next to her.

"Sor-.." was all she got out in her apology as her eyes met the owner of the other hand. She stuttered, her voice trailing momentarily as she recognized him. The man from the town square. The one with the laugh that echoed through the skeletons of every single building around him. She tucked her head to hide her embarrassment and the slight flutter his face gave her.

"Sorry." she finally muttered to him as she tore her gaze away.

"Hakuna Matata," he said back, his eyes still watching her. She returned her stare to him, tilting her head faintly. He must have sensed her confusion despite knowing what he meant because he quickly spoke again.

"It means 'no worries'. Ya know, for the rest of your days," and he smiled at her.

It was a smile that lit up the entire store, and, as if that wasn't enough, he let out the most healing and infectious laugh she had ever heard. She could feel it vibrate down to the atoms that made up her existence. Danni couldn't help but smile back despite the gnawing repulsion of what she was feeling. She quickly shoved whatever he had prodded inside her back down and threw her cold armor back on. She muttered a quick, short response before excusing herself to then all but run from the store and back out into the biting cold. Bundling her coat around her, she sighed. She didn't even want to dissect what that brief interaction did to her. Love at first sight didn't exist; even if it did, it wasn't for her.

Yet still, her thoughts wandered back to what just happened. It was like he had intentionally unleashed his smile and laugh, using them to infect her brain. His eyes were so beautiful in all their deep, dark, almost inkyness. They shone like two polished orbs of smokey quartz. She shivered slightly, whether it was from the cold or the thought of his eyes; Danni wasn't sure, as she pulled her jacket tighter around her and crossed her arms.

He watched as she hurried from the store, grasping her coat tightly around her. The door let in a wicked gust of wind when she pushed it open. He wondered if she had felt it too. The tingling on his skin when her hand brushed his. The way his stomach jumped when he saw her as he entered the store—the flutter of his heart at the sound of her voice. Something tugged inside him and maybe that's why she ran so quickly because it happened to her too. Part of him felt heavy because he would most likely never see her again.

Danni's pocket buzzed two times. She continued walking briskly as if she was still running away until it buzzed twice and then, almost immediately, buzzed twice again. She sighed and uncrossed her arms to dig her phone from her jacket pocket. She tapped the screen twice to see that it was filled with notifications from her best friend, Luna. As she was reading from her drop-down menu, the phone lit up. She shook her head and chuckled softly before answering.

"Hello, boss babe. Can you not give me three seconds to read your novella's worth of text?" She asked cheekily.

"Absolutely not," the familiar voice on the other line said immediately. "You know me better than that." Danni chuckled again.

"What is it, babe? Spill it. Now.... since you couldn't wait the three seconds it would have taken to text back."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You love me." Her friend said playfully before continuing. "I want you to listen to the entire thing before you decide, okay? Just,...hear me out." Danni cocked an eyebrow, knowing that whatever she's about to hear, she won't like it.

"I want you to come with me tomorrow. To dinner......with Joshua...andmaybesomeofhisfriends..." Luna said, running the last sentence together to spit it out quickly before adding, "...cute friends."

Danni wasted no time protesting. "No. Absolutely not. I know what you're doing."

"Danni, pleaseeee." She begged on the other side of the phone, a pout in her tone. "You don't have to, like, go home with a man. Just come hang out with us. It'll be fun. His friends are great...especially this on-.."

She cut her off quickly. "Aht aht...no matchmaking." She heard a sigh radiate through the receiver.

"Fine," Luna agreed begrudgingly. "I'll text you the address in a second." There was a pause. "Oh, and wear that pretty baby blue cardigan you love so much." A giggle floated to her ears.

"You're insufferable." Danni teased.

"And yet, here you are....still my friend. See you later tonight. Love you!"

Danni shot an "I love you" back before ending the call. Her phone vibrated once more with an address. Locking her phone, she slipped it back into her pocket and grinned. Her best friend meant well. Luna was finally happy, having found the other piece of her soul by chance last Christmas. Their story was cute and somewhat unbelievable; even Danni could admit that, and oftentimes, she envied their love. She sighed heavily, the familiar twang of heartache pulsing softly beneath her skin. She was happy for her friend, truly. She just couldn't believe something like that was out there for her, yet that did nothing to stop Luna from trying to find someone for her. It was like a personal vendetta to find the happiness she had for Danni.

When she got home, Danni shrugged her coat off before peeling the gloves from her hands, the fingers turning inside out as she did. She didn't sit down on the couch and load up her BLs like she would on a typical day; instead, she headed straight to the closet to survey her wardrobe. She pushed each article away from her, stopping to pull it out enough to take a good look before letting it fall back and moving to the next piece. She sighed reluctantly before she pulled the blue cardigan from its hanger and laid it on her bed. Danni had wanted to avoid wearing it to be spiteful, but her friend was right. It was her favorite, and she felt comfortable in it. And, bonus points, it was cute. She took a few more minutes to pull out some jeans to go with it before striding off to the shower.

Danni wished she could say it was a peaceful shower, but her mind refused to allow her to think of anything other than the morning's events. How her fingers brushed a stranger's skin. Those eyes. That laugh. And most importantly, that smile. She sighed, sticking her face under the water again before turning it off. She ran her hands over her face to clear the water from her eyes and wrapped herself in a towel. She walked to the mirror and ran her hand across it, wiping the steam sitting on it that was clouding her vision. Her reflection stared back at her.

"That's enough of that, ma'am," she said to it. "We know better. We've been through this before. No more delusions. Got it?" She pointed her finger at the mirror, giving herself a firm look before she turned and returned to the outfit she had lying across the bed. She pulled her jeans up before fastening them. She tugged the cardigan on before bending to slide socks on and tug on her boots. She pulled the towel from her hair before grabbing a brush to run through as she dried it. Her mind wandered as she let the warm air blow over her head. A heavy sigh left her lips. Luna meant well. Danni knew that. Luna just wanted to see her happy inside and out and was always saying how deserving she was of the love she gave everyone else.

She was just too scorned, too jaded. She had tried that before, love, and all it did was shatter her heart into pieces so small she couldn't fit them back together. And now, her heart was smaller, with less room for love and even less room for the idea of someone out there for her. She spent years being less important, being thought of as a mere option to everything else. It hurt, especially when she poured everything from her to the point she was left empty. Danni turned the hair dryer off, unplugged it, and put it away before she ran her fingers through her hair and then fluffed it. She took one last, long look at herself in the mirror before she grabbed her jacket and was out of the door.

Danni arrived at the restaurant a few minutes before the time that was texted to her. She opened the door and was greeted with the smell of grilling meat and the sounds of chatter mixed with flatware clattering. She stopped momentarily, the last bit of cold being choked off as the door shut completely behind her. She surveyed the area before her when she saw a hand shoot up and wave. Danni smiled as she spotted Luna before she began to weave through the dining area to the table. When she approached, she noticed it was actually a few tables pushed together. And the chairs were filled with people. A lot of them. She eyed the men lining each side, all laughing and chatting with each other. She only recognized one, and that was merely because he was Luna's boyfriend. She plopped down next to her friend, noting an empty seat to her left, yet a man on the left of that seat. Danni didn't ask any questions; instead, she turned and began counting the heads at the table. Including her, there were fourteen people here and then the mysterious empty chair. She turned her attention to Luna.

"You said SOME of his friends, babe. This is a whole football team?" Danni said curiously, to which she got a sheepish response.

"Well, you know.... At least there's only thirteen and not like,...seventeen of them, right?" her friend said as she gave Danni a cheeky grin. "Which...number thirteen should be here soon. He's running late. I promise you'll love every single one of these guys.." Her sentence was interrupted by an energetic shout halfway down the table and what resembled tiger paws being thrown in the air.

"Even that one," she said with a laugh. Danni smiled and turned her attention back down the tables to watch everyone interact with each other. Laughter filled the air around them, and she couldn't help but smile at the joy that weaved its way through everyone. She turned back to her friend, and they began to immerse themselves in a conversation when, moments later, the chair next to her was moved backward, and a body was placed into it.

Unknown to his friends, DK was walking in the restaurant right as hands were thrown in the air down their table. He easily spotted his friend group. He knew the sound of tiger paws anywhere. He chuckled lightly as he made his way to the table that took up half the dining room. The closer he got, the more people came into his line of sight, and that's when he stopped. His breathing hitched, and his heart fluttered at the sight of her. She practically glowed. He couldn't believe it. He felt like fate was on his side as he slowly began to approach the table again. He rounded the far end before pulling his chair out slowly.

"Sorry, I'm late," a gentle voice said in the direction of whoever would hear and listen. Something about the voice made Danni turn immediately, almost as if she knew it. She almost audibly gasped when she twisted her body towards the sound of it. She was met with the same deep brown, boba eyes she had seen earlier. She watched as recognition spread through them, and they both stared at each other for a moment too long. Danni turned her head quickly, grabbed the water and a cup, then began to pour some water, but for some reason, under his gaze, she couldn't even seem to do that right. She spilled a decent bit on the table, and before she could grab her napkin, a hand was already working on wiping it up. She blushed, her cheeks turning the faintest pink, and she ducked her head. A chuckle breezed across her ears, and she had to fight the smile that was forming. She felt silly, blushing over a stranger. A stranger with beautiful eyes. And an equally as beautiful laugh. She wasn't even going to go on about his smile.

Mentally, she shook her head to clear the thoughts, which ran faster than lightning through them, before she turned back in her seat.

"I just got these hands today," she said almost shyly, which surprised her nearly as much as the laugh that came from his mouth at her flimsy attempt to break the awkwardness.

"I can tell. It must be why our hands crashed together at the record store. Haven't gotten your sea hands yet." he said with another laugh. One that coaxed a laugh out of Danni as well. He held his hand out in the small space between them.

"I'm Dokyeom, but everyone calls me DK," he said softly. Danni stared at his hand a moment too long before he leaned over and, with his free hand, took hers and placed it in his.

"I know you just got these. This is how this works," he said with a grin as he grasped her hand and gave it a shake. Warmth spread from her hand, up her arm, and through her chest. It was a small feeling, but then Danni laughed again, loudly. A deep laugh that came from somewhere that hadn't seen the light of day in a long time. She smiled at DK before finally responding.

"I'm Danni. But everyone calls me Sunshine for some reason," she said with a soft smile before pulling her hand from his. He returned her smile, flashing a piece of his soul in it.

"I can see why they do, though today must be a cloudy day, you know... the water...rain... Must be the reason why you wore such a pretty blue shirt."

Danni rolled her eyes and tried to suppress another laugh as well as fight the blush creeping into her cheeks at the compliment. She had laughed more in these last few minutes than she had in a long time. She had to cap this, nip it before she got carried away. It felt nice, but the last time had felt nice, too, until it turned into the worst pain she had ever been through. DK didn't look like the type to choose substances and other people over someone he cared about, but neither did her ex and now look at her. She shuffled in her seat, and before the awkwardness could return, their side dishes appeared. Soon, the table was lined with dishes, some sides, and a lot of plates of meat. There were 13 grown men to feed at this dinner party. She turned to her right and caught the tail end of a smile from her best friend before she whipped her head away to hide the cheeky thing. Danni glared at what she hoped was the equivalent of small daggers in the back of her friend's head, ones she knew could be felt before she started helping herself to some side dishes.

The sound of sizzling meat brought her from her attack at the back of her best friend's head, and she watched silently as DK placed meat on the grill in front of her. She studied how he waited before turning it, the way he cut it with the scissors left for them, and then how he instinctively took her plate and added some to it for her. He never stopped once he got into a rhythm. Plates were passed up and down the table until everyone had one of their own. Danni ate, the once loud and boisterous table now calmer. The loud laughter was replaced with the clink of chopsticks and softer laughs, the sounds muffled by the food stuffed in the mouths they radiated from. As she ate, she let the feeling of peace she felt wash over her. Being thrown in the middle of this chaotic friend group was intimidating, but everyone seemed to fit together like a puzzle, each person another piece that it wouldn't be complete without. In the middle of her internal acceptance, she watched as DK leaned over her to grab a side dish and place it gently on top of the rice and meat she had lifted and left hovering while she was thinking. Danni didn't think he did it purposely until she looked at him and saw him smile, making a small motion with his head to nudge her to eat it.

"These taste so good together. Try it," he said softly as he watched her. She took the bite and closed her eyes as the flavor exploded in her mouth. She let out a small moan of approval, and he smiled, his eyes telling her he knew she would enjoy it. He lifted his chopsticks towards her with a small grin lingering on his face.

"Exactly," he said before he placed more on her chopsticks. Danni tried not to let the act go to her head. He was offering everyone food, not just her. He was taking care of everyone yet that didn't help any. Her mind took every movement he made and ran with it. She shook her head slightly and shoved everything deep down. She could process it after dinner.

Dinner ended in what felt like seconds later. The entire table had been introduced to her, and everyone took turns moving up and down to talk to her and include her. And in those moments she was either squished between two other men down the table or being force-fed more food by these men, she didn't see the way DK watched her. His eyes followed her. He took in everything about her, from the way her eyes sparkled as she laughed with his friends to the way her smile tugged halfway up her face as she was laughing. He chuckled softly every time she did as it exposed her cute little vampire-like teeth. She radiated and glowed in front of him. All he could see was her. He thought it was fate that brought them together, and he felt something tug deep inside him as he continued to watch her throughout the evening.

As everyone stood to leave, her eyes found her friend and her boyfriend, and she smiled as she watched them. They were lingering with a few others; his arm was around her waist as he held her close in a loving yet protective way. His hands were always on her somehow, showing his affection for her in the same way he was always doing something for her. Holding doors open, opening her drinks, carrying her purse, and tonight, he plated her food with all her favorites. Every so often, he would look at her, his eyes gleaming with a smile so soft as if he was seeing her for the first time. As if she was an ethereal beauty on earth. Her friend's body angled toward him as she talked with her hands and laughed brightly. The smile on her friend's face was the most genuine one she had ever seen. Danni let out a small huff and let one side of her lip pull up. She knew her friend had found someone special, someone who she connected to on an otherworldly level. Watching them together, she was sure they were two halves of the same soul. She was happy for her, but something inside her stone heart ached despite everything. She tore her eyes from the soulmates to her right, and her eyes landed on DK. He was laughing. And shining so brightly it was as if he glowed. Before she could let her mind come up with any more reasons to feel whatever she was feeling, she shrugged her coat on and left.

The next mornin,g she woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing urgently across the bedside table. Groaning, with eyes closed, she grabbed at it. She missed it the first time but successfully knocked it onto the floor the second time. Her hand flailed wildly as she felt for it before her fingers grazed it. Moments later, she was squinting through one eye to read the screen before she accepted the call. She didn't bother saying hello but grunted instead.

"Good morning to you too. You just left yesterday without saying goodbye to me." her friend pouted on the other end of the line.

"You were deep in conversation. I didn't want to bother you, plus...I knew you would call me anyway and look. I was right." Danni said with a sigh. "Now what was worth waking me up for."

"I just wanted to tell you, ..." there was a dramatic pause.

"I saw you giggling like a schoolgirl last night. With DK. You two are like the sa-" Danni cut her friend off quickly.

"Alright. Enough of that. I was just,...being polite. Those were all customer service laughs." Danni grimaced at her poor attempt at an excuse. She briefly revisited the night before, and her mind immediately went straight to DK. She groaned before rolling over on her back, tugging the covers up over her head.

"You know, " she began to tell her friend, "lately you haven't called unless you did something so what have you done now and why do I know it's with DK?"

Feigned innocence comes through the speaker into Danni's ear.

"Pfft, that's not true. I totally called to see if you enjoyed yourself and not to tell you that DK has been bothering me all day for your number and I may or may not have given it to him as well as set up lunch for the four of us. Absolutely none of that."

"You,.."

"Yes, I know, I know. Insufferable. I love you too, sunshine."

Danni could practically see the grin on her friend's face as they said their goodbyes. She reached a hand from under the covers to lightly toss her phone back on the side table and then burrowed herself in her covers. Her stomach fluttered as she mulled the words her friend said over and over. DK wanted to talk to her again. She liked the idea of that, but deep down, the iron walls of her heart stopped her. Like a forcefield that she couldn't breach. Love wasn't for her. She had accepted that long ago. The best thing for her to do was to ignore him, the man made of sunshine and butterflies. He would eventually tire of chasing her if she feigned disinterest. That was that, she told herself as she rolled over in her blanket burrito, but she didn't go back to sleep. Instead, she laid still, letting the ache brewing in her chest and the conflict between her heart and mind escape in slow currents down her cheeks.

Later that same day, her phone buzzed again. Although it was an unsaved number, she immediately recognized who it was. Only a handful of people called her "sunshine," and they were all saved in her contacts. The only other possibility was the person she had told about it yesterday. Hesitantly, she swiped the notification to clear it from the screen before putting her phone on silent.

As Christmas approached, the days began to blur together. She spent her time either at university or shopping for the perfect gifts for her loved ones. The following day, she took her phone off silent, only to find that she hadn't received another message from DK. Part of her felt relieved, but the other part was hurt. She tried to ignore the pang in her chest that accompanied the lack of messages.

It was a delicate balance being the person others chose to reach out to. On one hand, if he continued to message her without receiving a response, it would likely become a turn-off. On the other hand, her silence could also be seen as a rejection, which bothered her even more. She struggled with this conflicting mindset constantly. Everything had been okay for her until that day at the record store. Her life may have been overcast, but she managed just fine, and then sunshine came and, for a brief moment, illuminated everything in it. Just like sunflowers, she kept catching herself leaning towards the sun, subconsciously constantly searching for its light and warmth.

Danni finally let her guard down after a week or two of no texts. Her friend had even stopped trying to get her to see DK. It was nice to breathe again without the constant back and forth between the rational and the what-ifs. Life continued as normal until Luna texted her one afternoon with an invite to karaoke. It had been a while since they had gone, and Danni loved to hole up in one of those rooms and sing at the top of her lungs while the music weaved its way through her soul. It was therapeutic. So she showed up at the Shining Diamond and slipped inside. She sent Luna a text to let her know she was there to which she got the room number in response. Danni walked quickly down the hallway, excited to spend the evening having some fun. She approached the room and turned the knob, pushing the door open to be greeted by flashing lights and a voice ringing out from somewhere in the room. She made her way in, letting the door click shut behind her. Danni's eyes found Luna and Joshua immediately sitting on the couch. Confusion washed over her until she turned to the stage and saw him. It felt like her entire body jumped. Her stomach, her heart, and her lungs all flipped at the sight of him. It took her a moment to see that he wasn't alone. Two other men were up there with him, all three dressed in cheap, tinsel leis and oversized glasses. A worn-out, matted wig graced the energetic one's head, and a rainbow clown wig sat upon the other's.

She smiled, the carefree energy meeting her. It didn't matter that DK was here. Tonight, she was going to pretend he didn't exist just as soon as she could pry her eyes off him. She scurried in and took a seat next to Josh, leaning back to watch the show. She consciously avoided DK's face so she missed all the glances he stole just as he did at dinner in what felt like a lifetime ago. She missed the way he almost forgot his part for a moment because he was too busy studying her, watching her laugh and joke with Luna. His heart would swell at every smile she gave her friend or his friends. Every laugh she released into the room vibrated his heart against his ribs. He was torn between aching for her and the feeling of euphoria of just being in her presence. The group swapped places, taking turns with the microphones. The trio splitting. Luna would sing with the others or Josh would sing with someone. Danni spent a lot of time on the couch watching, taking everyone in. She enjoyed the sense of belonging here, among her new friends. It was chaotic, but there was something comforting inside it. She didn't notice DK on the other end of the long sofa. He studied her closely, almost as if she was a rare tome that gave away secrets of ancient times. A soft smile painted his lips as Danni swayed and bobbed in her seat, singing and clapping. Her laughter spilled into his ears and sank deep into his heart.

The fast-paced energy paused for a moment, and Danni watched everyone but Josh sit down. The lighting changed, and soft, slow music began to play. She studied him on the stage as he sang to Lun,a and she couldn't help but smile. It was beautiful to be in the presence of, and a piece of her heart ached again before she locked it back up. Hours passed. Food was delivered. Drinks were shared. Laughs began to melt with the throbbing bass of more high-energy sounds. It was the perfect vibe. Danni rotated turns with her friends on the mic, donning various props that were available. More cheap, messy wigs and sunglasses paired with scratchy cheap leis. When she finished her current song, she retook a seat and grabbed her drink, throwing back a shot of the clear liquid. Warmth bloomed in her chest as it went down to settle with the other shot she had before she took center stage. She closed her eyes, then leaned her head back against the couch and hummed. Joy radiated within her and she wanted to savor the moment because while she could have more moments like this, they will never be the same as the one she was in. Recreations in art can still be considered fak,e and she craved authenticity.

Music still played from the speakers but no one was singing. There was faint shuffling, and the pulsing bass stopped, and for a moment, there was only silence. And then, familiar notes crescendoed into the room. Her heart stopped for a moment as she listened. She wasn't crazy, hearing things she wanted to hear. Someone turned on her favorite song. Her proposal song. It was most definitely "At the Beginning" playing right now. And then, before she could put anything together, the stillness was filled with DK's voice.

"We were strangers, starting out on a journey. Never dreaming, what we'd have to go through..."

Danni lifted her head, eyes flying open to look at DK only to find him already staring at her. Did he know that he was singing her song? Surely, it was a coincidence, but her heart fluttered as he continued, never taking his eyes off her. Her lips moved as she quietly sang along, a faint smile on her face. His voice rose high, hitting the most beautiful high notes ever heard, all while his eyes remained on her. It was soft and angelic, and there was no way it happened by chance. Danni didn't realize she was crying until a tear slipped from her water line and fell slowly down her cheek. She quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand and began the mental gymnastics of rationalizing the moment. It felt like time had simultaneously frozen but also sped up. She dipped her head, feeling flustered right as the song ended. That's when she noticed there was no one else in the room. It was just her and DK.

He placed the microphone down and came to sit down by her, leaving a gracious space. The act alone was thoughtful, respecting her in such a way she wasn't used to. For a moment, no one spoke. Danni kept her eyes averted, staring a hole into the couch before curiosity got the best of her.

"Did you know?" she asked, still timid as she lifted her head to finally catch DK's eyes with hers. He was watching her with the softest expression, giving her the time and space she needed. He smiled gently before he nodded in confirmation. Fresh tears threatened to cloud her vision, but she didn't know why. It was a song. One that meant a lot to her, granted. Sung by a stranger at karaoke. A stranger that made her feel the warmth she had never felt before. Love at first sight didn't exist, at least not for her. Right? She didn't know. She took a breath in and exhaled to settle herself before continuing.

"How did you know?" she asked him softly. He returned her question with a delicate smile and a sparkle in his eye.

"I asked Luna. Okay, well... I may have conspired with Luna. I- ..." he paused for a moment as if gathering his thoughts or considering if he should say what he wanted to say. "I knew you were coming, and I wanted to do something for you. Luna... told me your lore." A chuckle left both Danni and DK, but Danni was almost drowned by the tears she was holding back. She knew her eyes were probably glistening like an ocean in the high noon sun with them. It was like a blow to the iron that encased her heart. Someone did something for her. Immediately, she was touched, but then that part inside her that wanted to find the rational and mundane in everything kicked in. Anyone can sing a song. Luna obviously will tell anyone anything while playing matchmaker. This was nothing, she told herself. She wiped her face again before she gave DK a small nod, not noticing how his hand had started to reach out involuntarily before he pulled it back, his fingers slowly tightening into a fist around the fabric of his pants.

"It was beautiful," she said while trying to steady her voice. "No one has ever done anything like that for me. Thank you."

And despite herself, she felt something stir inside her. As if her heart was trying its hardest to escape the coffin-sized masonry she had bricked it up in. She longed to reach out and wrap her arms around DK in that moment, to allow the emotions gathering in her eyes to flow unrestrained as she buried herself into his shoulder. Before she could give in to the desire, the door swung open and a hiccupy "horanghae" rang through the silent space. Danni and DK looked at each other one more time before laughter erupted from them both. They turned to the blonde, ever-energetic man and noted the sheen in his eyes. A silent agreement was passed between Danni and DK. They rose from their seats and approached the tiger-like man. Danni began to coax the drink from his hand as DK worked on extracting him from the room.

Arms slung around his waist, DK and Danni finally get the poor, emotional tiger into a cab with his other friends. DK closed the door and pat it before the cab pulled away from the sidewalk, blending in with the other tail lights on the road. He turned to Danni and let out a sigh before approaching her. The cold whirled around them, biting against the warmth of the alcohol radiating inside them both. Danni smiled softly at DK as he approached. The wind seemed to disappear as he covered the small distance. The world vanished for a moment. She clutched her jacket tighter against her out of instinct. He stopped in front of her, a respectable distance away. She couldn't tell that inside, he wanted to move closer, close the arm's length between them, and wrap her in his arms. His chest ached at the sight of her. It pulled him to her, the feeling in his chest. She continued to pull at his heartstrings like an expert violinist, playing a song only he could hear. He shoved his hands into his pockets instead, despite everything he felt.

"Thanks for helping me with that spicy hamster." Danni let out a small chuckle at it, causing DK's face to light up at the sound. He smiled brightly, letting out an inaudible sigh from his nose. The air billowed out in front of him in a small cloud before disappearing in the cold.

"How are the holidays treating you? It's been a while since we saw each other. Is December jingling you to death yet? Feeling very holly jolly? Any snow on your parade?"

Danni scoffed at the onslaught of questions despite the smile on her face betraying her.

"No, mainly because there is no parade to snow on. I'm just ready for this month to be over. It's my least favorite time of the year. The lights, the couple's items, the ... love." Danni pretended to gag before finishing.

DK feigned an offense to her words, though underneath, he was genuinely surprised. She was so bright and sunny. The embodiment of love. Aphrodite come to earth. It was a shock to hear.

"You don't unconditionally and irrevocably love, love?"

Danni rolled her eyes.

"Love is a sham. I don't believe in love. Not anymore, at least," she responded flatly. The urge to take back what she said flared under her skin, but she shoved it back down, blaming it on the soju coursing through her at the moment.

"That's a shame. Anyone would be lucky to have you, to have the privilege of your love." DK gave her another smile against the tug he felt. Someone had hurt her in the past, hence why she didn't believe in love anymore. His first instinct was to show her that love was real and it was standing right in front of her. He wanted to prove himself worthy of her. He wanted to prove he would love her in ways she dreamed of. He wanted her so badly that every fiber of his being was called to her when he was in her presence. He rocked on his feet slightly, mulling his words over in his head.

"You'll love again someday, sunshine." He said gently with a smile. Before Danni could respond, the wind whipped heavily one more time around them, and then she saw it. Fluffy, white puffs fluttering and flying on the breeze. She looked up at the dark sky and smiled as she watched the thick puffs fall towards the ground.

The first snow.

It made her giddy to see it, and she almost allowed her inhibitions to fall. She caught herself smiling wide enough to hurt her face. She stopped herself from throwing herself into DK and wrapping her arms around him. Moments like this radiated something inside her, something that longed to be expresse,d but in the world she was in, the glass house she placed herself in, there was no one safe to be herself with. Instead, she threw her arms out and enjoyed the snowfall. She giggled as the fat flakes kissed her skin. They pelted her softly, coming down heavily. DK watched her with adoring eyes. The smile on his face hurt. It was so wide, but he couldn't stop it. He wanted to run to her and pick her up before spinning her around in his arms. He wanted to laugh with her as the snow fell over them. He wanted to kiss her forehead as she buried herself into his chest. There were so many things he craved for her, but he couldn't have. He watched her for a moment as the snow began to fall faster. When she finally tilted her head back to look at him, he smiled at her. She stuck her tongue out and caught a flake on it before giggling again.

He didn't want to stop her fun, but the snow was falling so fast that it had begun to accumulate on the sidewalk where they were standing. He wanted her to get home safely. After she ingested her snowflake, he gestured towards the road before signaling for a cab. One pulled up moments later, idling quietly as Danni forced herself to move. She didn't want to leave, her body drawing her to DK. It was begging her to stay, but she couldn't. As much as she longed for the love he said she would have and the love she imagined he could give her, she wouldn't go through heartbreak again. So, she put one foot in front of the other and began to walk towards the cab. When she was close enough, DK walked to the cab door and opened it for her. She smiled at the gesture, another thing she wasn't used to. It was a small thing that many overlook. She climbed into the backseat and looked up at DK. His smile was still plastered to his face but his eyes looked sad, almost disappointed for a split second. As if he didn't want her to go. Her stomach fluttered, and her heart began to pound against the wall around it, but she only gave a small smile back as he closed the door. The warmth from the cab engulfed her as it began to pull from the curb. She fought the urge to look back, to see if he was still standing there. A part of her knew that he was. It's almost as if she could feel his eyes on her as she rode off into the snowy cityscape to her house. She allowed herself to wonder for a moment if he felt the longing she felt too or if she was just making things up again. Desperate for a connection with someone. Desperate to let the feelings she had out and pour them into someone else again.

The snow continued, burying the city in soft white blankets. Life went on as it always did. Every day brought them closer and closer to Christmas. The panic set in. Late shoppers flood the city square and the shops. The night was alive with the sounds of bells chiming and the rustling of gift bags. To some, it was the most wonderful time of the year but to Danni, it was just stressful. The crowds took up all the space wherever she was. Couples everywhere were publicly affectionate more than ever. She knew her disgust was a guise, but she won't admit it. She caught herself more than once watching couples from afar and picturing herself in their place. With DK. Thoughts she shook away roughly. She won't admit the pang in her chest is her missing DK's presence. She won't allow herself to admit it. Admitting it would be allowing her walls to come down and that was a risk she couldn't take. One of thousands of sighs left her lips once more as she made her way through the crowds. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and for a split second, her stomach fluttered. She pulled it out to check the message sitting on her screen before she pocketed it. Amid the Christmas rush, she had almost forgotten that it was a full moon. Full moons were Luna's favorite, and every year during the winter, they did something extra special for it.

A giddy excitement filled her, and she realized it was the possibility of seeing DK again. A blush crept across her cheeks at the realization. She had been thinking about him more lately. He was invading her every thought. He wound his way into her dreams, and truth be told, she had always felt a pull towards him from the day their hands had brushed at the record store. Yet, she still couldn't let herself give in. She could see herself loving him. Maybe in another life when she wasn't so weathered and worn out by the pain of love. It was just too much to risk despite it all. There were too many times that effort, in the beginning, waned into nothing after a while.

Dusk began to fall, painting the cloud-lined sky with cotton candy. Deep oranges and pinks with splashes of plum littered the skyline as the sun slowly descended to rest. A smile graced Danni's lips as she made her way to the pier outside of town to meet Luna. As expected, she found her with her boyfriend. Danni began to make her way to the pair of lovebirds, watching them as they nuzzled each other affectionately. She smiled at the sight as she approached. Luna turned right as Danni was a few feet away and spotted her instantly. She squealed softly before waving at Danni in excitement.

"Hurry up!" she cupped her hands with her mouth as she yelled to Danni like Danni wasn't already walking as fast as she could to get to Luna.

Danni closed the last few feet as quickly as she could, breaking out in a small jog at the end of her little trek. Luna crashed into her, squeezing her tightly in excitement.

"I'm so glad you're finally here. I can't wait for you to see this. I'm so excited." Luna all but squealed in her ear.

"See what exactly?" Danni asked as she tried to pry herself from her friend's death grip.

"The lights, duh. It's the full moon lantern festival. Apparently, it's a Vietnamese tradition. It takes place every fourteenth day of the lunar month. I thought we could end this year with a big moon celebration." Luna said with a huge grin. Danni felt excitement as it coursed through her. She loved lights, and she was almost in disbelief that this was happening. The trio began to walk towards the water. A huge lake sat in the middle of the outskirts of town, where rows and rows of wooden boats were docked. Danni took in the size of them and stopped, analyzing the one closest to them questioningly as Josh climbed into a boat in front of them and extended his hand out to help Luna on board.

"Uh, Lune...." she started questioningly, staring at the boat in confusion. The boats looked like they held more people from afar, but now that it was up close, it was a lot thinner than she imagined, and there was no way she was fitting in there with Luna and Josh comfortably.

"Oh, don't worry, there's a boat reserved for you," she said with a cheeky grin. A jolt of excitement ran through Danni at it because if she knew her best friend, she knew that the look she was giving right now meant Luna was up to something, and Danni automatically hoped it was something to do with a man she seemed to have taken a liking to. As if he was listening, DK appeared in her line of vision. He was floating towards them in a boat of his own. He smiled brightly at the sight of them before waving his hands in the air almost maniacally. Danni stifled a giggle but couldn't wipe the smile off her face at the sight of him. Luna gave Danni another cheeky look before settling in her boat, allowing Josh to row them off to leave Danni alone to wait for DK to get close enough. He brought the boat as close as he could, reaching out to grab the post of the dock to pull it a bit more flush with the end of the dock before he wrapped a rope around it. Once it was secure enough for his liking, he looked up at Danni with the same bright smile before offering his hand to her.

She slipped her gloved fingers over his, delighting too much in the way his fingers cupped around hers as she stepped down into the boat. DK brought his other hand to her elbow to help her in, giving her time to settle before unwrapping the rope and shoving it off into the water. The sun had set lower; the deep oranges were chased away by navy blues and the glittering of the stars that came with them. The moon shone brightly in the distance as it slowly began its journey up to sit above the lake in all its fullness. Danni sighed in awe, never tiring of seeing the moon or the way it twinkled in the ripples of the water. Danni dropped her eyes from the darkening sky to meet DK's and she blushed, ducking her head slightly in hopes to hide the color creeping into her face. That's when she noticed the lantern at the bottom of the boat. Her eyes flew to DK's in excitement, and he laughed.

"Did you really think I would row all the way out here without bringing a lantern to light? I'm almost offended," he teased as he continued to row. DK skillfully took them to the center of the lake. Looking around, Danni could see more and more boats filling the surface, all within a considerable distance from each other. She felt warmth wash over her as she began to etch the moment in her brain. She had dreamed of a moment like this, only it was for something more important, more special than a lunar celebration. She had dreamed of the love of her life dropping to his knees in the middle of a boat while thousands of lights floated around them. It was still a dream, but this,... this would do for now. She watched around them closely as the boat rocked gently. DK placed the oars along the side of the boat before leaning to pick the lantern up.

"Anything you want to send up to the moon? She's always listening, you know," he said gently. Danni nodded softly in response as DK handed her a tiny scrap of paper and a pen he pulled from his pocket. She took it timidly before uncapping the pen. She scribbled out her wish before rolling the paper up tightly. DK handed her a piece of twine, and she wrapped it neatly in it and began to tie it to the end of the lantern before she handed DK the pen. She watched as he wrote his wish, wondering what exactly someone so perfect could have to wish for. She knew what she had wished for. Someone for her. A soulmate. Someone to share this life and her heart with, one that would be patient with her. One that would treat her heart as a fragile creature. One that would keep her safe and hold her tight as she grew and evolved. One that would grow and evolve with her. Despite herself, as she was writing, all she could think of was DK. Maybe the moon would listen and send her someone else, or maybe the moon would tell her to look right in front of her. She felt a flutter of excitement at the thought. It had been a long time since love had excited her.

The moon took its time coming to rest atop the center of the lake. When she reached her peak, Danni watched as lanterns started to go up. One by one, their lights began to carry them up toward the round orb above them, bringing it their wishes one by one. Danni grabbed the lantern, holding it up carefully as DK pulled a match from his pocket. He struck it, letting it catch before he held it to the candle inside. He grabbed the opposite side to help keep it upright, his fingers grazing Danni's as it filled with the warmth of the flickering flame. DK looked at her as he told her to let it go, and they both watched as it began to float upwards. Little by little, it climbed higher. Danni watched it, her eyes glued to it until more lights came into her peripheral vision. She lowered her head and gasped at the sight. All around them were lanterns. Hundreds of them surrounded the lake. Their lights were enough to illuminate the darkness around them. Her eyes widened at the sight. Some were high enough that she had to crane her neck to see, while others floated at eye level. They were like a curtain, blanketing them completely. Danni turned around, sitting on her knees as she faced the opposite way. An overwhelming feeling of joy burst through her, and she couldn't pry her eyes away from them. They were beautiful in the purest of forms. Her eyes widened as they hovered and climbed higher and higher.

Danni watched the lanterns as they floated up, and their dim and warm lights illuminated the lake. She stared at them with childlike wonder as DK stared at her. The smile on Danni's face stretched wide, turning up towards her cheeks. Her eyes were alight, the lanterns reflecting off the light already shining in them. Her face beamed with pure, unbridled joy, and the sight was more than enough to spark the flame DK had been smoldering. His chest swelled with emotion, watching her in this raw, blissful moment. He felt as if he could burst as his eyes took her in. She was so small then, like a child, yet she was taking up such a big space in his heart, chipping into his soul and making a home for herself there. Her excitement was contagious, and at that moment, he couldn't see anything but her in the warm glow of the lights. She was heaven, earth, and everything in between, and he wished to take her into his arms right then. He knew that she was made for him, that the minute he wrapped his arms around her, she would meld to him in a perfect fit. The boat rocked slightly on the water as the lanterns floated higher and higher still until their light was nothing more than a speck in the night sky, blending in with the stars around them.

Danni watched for a moment longer before turning back around and sitting down. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were pink from the cold, and she let out a breathy giggle before cupping her face with her hands to put some heat on them. She stealthily wiped away the tears that had fallen from her eyes. The remnants of pure glee from the moment shone against her cold skin. Her heart felt so alive at the moment. DK smiled at her as he picked up the oars and dipped them back into the dark water underneath them, sending ripples across the surface. He tried his hardest to keep his eyes off of her, but it was impossible. This moment had unlocked something inside him. He was awakened now, and he saw nothing but her. Even if she never gave him a chance, he knew he would wait for her until the end of his days. His heart and his soul were hers to take or throw away. No one else would ever compare to her. No one else would ever fit like she did; they would only leave holes that would need to be filled.

He rowed them back to the dock and climbed out first to secure the boat to the pier before extending his hand to help Danni up. He let her use him as leverage to get her footing as she hoisted herself up. She placed her foot on the edge of the dock and pulled his hand as she got out of the boat. A moment later, she was standing on the dock, hand still in his. Their hands lingered together for a minute too long when she removed hers and blushed ever so slightly. They turned and began to walk down the pier back to solid ground. His hands were clasped behind his back as they strolled, eyes still roaming the dark sky above them as a few stray lanterns floated gracefully up to whatever lay in the clouds. Danni was too busy watching him to see anything else when she tripped. Her balance was thrown off, and she fell, her body too close to the edge of the pier. Her hands flew out, and panic spread through her before she was pulled quickly back upright, and she crashed into a body. The smell of cherry flooded her senses and she relaxed instantly as DK wrapped his arms around her for a moment before pulling her back at arm's length. His eyes roamed over her, worry written clearly in them. His heart pounded in his chest. It was a small mishap but the thought of anything happening to her sent a panic through him. When he asked if she was okay, she nodded slightly. Her heart was still pounding in her chest. The thought of falling into the ice-cold water wasn't a pleasant one. She hated December, but not enough to get hypothermia about it.

Their eyes linger, both searching each other as he still holds her out from his body. His hands slid down her arms, and he let them linger there. The world started to fade away, the sounds of the night lowering gradually before it was just the two of them. The pull between them was magnetic, and she watched as conflict darted through his beautiful brown eyes. She felt it, too, the tug of war between her emotions. Her heart and brain were at war when it came to this man. Danni couldn't tell who was moving, but DK got closer, his face now close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath roll across her lips before dying in the cold. Before all sense could be completely wiped from her, she moved back and cleared her throat. Blush lit her cheeks, this time in embarrassment. DK's hands lingered on her arms a moment longer, his hands tightening lightly before he dropped them. His fingers twitched slightly, having to stop himself from taking her hand into his when they began to walk the length of the dock.

"You know, Dokyeom is just a nickname..." he began. "All my friends call me that. Only a select few of my close friends and my family call me by my actual name." He said with a small smile. "It's Seokmin."

Danni smiled at the sound of his name. It rang like an angel's song as it flew through her before settling somewhere in her rib cage to nestle against her heart. It was beautiful. It was him. She could feel her heart as it ached, too big for the tiny confines she held it in. The ribbons she wrapped it in to keep in its place dug into it as it began to beat to the rhythm of his name. She sighed softly, trying desperately to shake the feelings that were consuming her against her better judgment. The what-ifs grew louder with every moment that she spent with DK. What if he could love her properly? What if he did treat her right continuously? What if he did give her the safe space she needed to shelter her from the harshness of the world? What if, what if, what if? She wrapped her arms around her as they walked, tucking them under her arms to trap her fingers there so they wouldn't reach out to graze his hand. She could still feel it despite that, the tug towards him. There was an energy that passed between them as if they fed off each other's light. That she could no longer deny, yet she still kept the wall up despite how much smaller it had become in his presence. A presence she was enjoying being in. Disappointment settled in once again as they parted ways, their goodbyes strained and drawn out. She walked slowly, purposely drawing out her steps with a secret hope that maybe, just mayb,e he would rush to her and pull her into his arms. Maybe he would ask her not to leave just yet, to stay with him a little longer. Maybe he would be the one to break first. DK wanted to. He watched her as she left, and his heart felt like it was breaking. It was much colder without her warmth in his presence. He shivered at the nip of a breeze cut through him swiftly, but he didn't move. He watched her walk away until she was just a dark spot on the horizon, a dark spot like the place left gaping open in his heart in her absence.

December began to rush by after that. Presents piled up, waiting to be wrapped in the corner of her home. Gifts she said she would ultimately wrap later, but later never came until it was finally Christmas Eve, and the realization dawned on her. Danni stared at the overwhelmingly huge pile of gifts and let out a small whine. There was no way she would be able to get all these wrapped on her own. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed help. She pulled out her phone and immediately brought up Luna's contact before she hesitated, her finger hovering over the green call button. She took a moment to think and then a second more to hype herself up before she closed the contact info and opened her text messages to the one lone unsaved number. The message still sat there as if waiting for her. Looking at that "hello, sunshine" made her stomach roll and her heart flutter. Before she could back out of it, she typed a quick message. A plea actually in the form of an invitation to the number. She hit send as soon as she finished typing before she locked her phone and tossed it across the room. She shook with anxiety. She had, despite everything, made a move. And it made her anxiously nervous because what if she had imagined everything that she felt between them? What if she had conjured a whole delusion and romanticized every moment they shared? But then what if he answered? What if he actually showed up?

As if listening to her inner turmoil, her phone buzzed, and she gasped. She approached it slowly, like one would approach something deadly and dangerous. She picked it up and tapped the screen to illuminate it. The unsaved number appeared on her screen with a quick response. A simple "be right there" sat on the screen, followed by a smiley face. Panic and relief flooded her at once. She couldn't believe he would come to help her do something so mundane, yet at the same time, she also knew that he would come. Before she could change her mind, she opened his message thread to reply, making sure to drop her address. She locked her phone right as it lit up again. Confirmation. She was giddy. She was anxious. She felt like she could scream. She threw herself into her project, meticulously wrapping gifts until a knock came to her door. Her heart bounced in her chest, the nervousness returning as she got up. When she reached the door, she wiped her hands against her pants before grabbing and turning the knob.

When his face came into view, all the conflicting emotions she felt faded immediately. A smile formed on her lips that she couldn't control. She stepped back, allowing DK room to walk inside before closing the door.

"Thank you for coming to help. Ever the knight in shining armor." She jested. "Ignore the warzone."

DK chuckled, hands tucked in his pockets as he surveyed the room. The fire crackled softly, the sounds adding to the ambiance in the room. Its warmth chased away any chill left lingering from the outside while it glowed softly. Tubes of wrapping paper littered the floor. Bows, ribbons, tape, and scissors were thrown in the mix.

"It looks like Christmas threw up in here," DK said jokingly, his eyes watching Danni as she sat in the middle of the festive chaos. She tried to glare at him but failed, causing both of them to laugh. DK took a seat across from Danni and started to help her wrap the boxes stacked on the opposite side of her.

"You know, there is a thing where you wrap gifts ahead of time and not the night before Christmas." he teased. Danni shot another glare before she tossed a bow at him.

"Yeah, well. I am not that girl, apparently. Last minute in a panicked rush seems to be my flavor of holiday cheer. I am the village crazy lady, and I love nothing more than the sweet rush of panic wrapping everything three hours before midnight." She pulled the paper around the box nestled between her legs and held it down while she tore off a piece of tape to hold it in place.

"I see that," DK said before he started wrapping a box. The two sat in silence; the only sounds for a while were the sliding of scissors through wrapping paper, the pulling of tape from the roll, and the fire popping around them. It was comfortable. His presence felt right. Almost like he belonged there with her. Danni smiled to herself. The pair stole glances at each other, Danni still not ready to admit to herself that maybe, just maybe, DK wouldn't be another chip off her already stone heart. He had already put in so much effort. He had remembered so many little things, important things, and hadn't used them against her so far. Or yet. She fought a sigh as she set the gift she finished wrapping to the side and grabbed another one.

DK watched her, memorizing every move and every facial expression she made. His heart swelled at the sight of her, as it always did. She seemed more relaxed, more comfortable. The silence between them wasn't thick with awkwardness like at the barbeque dinner. She had thawed where she was once ice cold. She had asked him over. Surely, that was a sign, a crack in the ice. She had made a move, and maybe he could make one back. There was a tug in his chest, the familiar ache to be closer to her. To hold her. To kiss her. To protect her. To love her fully. He knew she had to come around in her own time, and if she never did, then he would do what he could from the sidelines. Love her from whatever distance she puts between them. He smiled again, something he couldn't seem to stop doing around her, and watched her for a moment as she slid the scissors neatly through more paper. Maybe, just maybe,...he thought before he worked up the nerve to make a move of his own.

"Have you heard of inyeon?" He asked, breaking the silence. His gaze never left her as she looked up and into his eyes, the fire dancing across the sparkle in them. She shook her head softly, and he continued.

"The ancestors believed in spirits of human beings and nature, reincarnation, and their relationships. The relationship could be generated in previous and present life and then continue to the later life. It's the result of the past and the present. Fate and effort... Generally, the idea that people are destined to cross paths." he shifted, moving towards Danni to sit on his knees. He reached over to his right and picked up a long piece of red ribbon. He held it out to her as he spoke.

"It's similar to the red string myth in Chinese mythology," he said softly. "The red thread is tied to the ankles of two people and connects them at birth. While it can be stretched and tangled, it can never be broken. They are always linked together, always meant for each other, and the string guides them."

He lifted the ribbon to wrap it around Danni, letting it rest around her waist, which elicited a small giggle from her. He leaned forward, grasping the ribbon with one hand, and tilted Danni's chin with his finger, bringing her eyes to his before he whispered so quietly that the words were almost nothing more than a ghost lingering in the air.

"I don't know what the world has done to you or who hurt you so much that you chose to shrink yourself away from everything, but there's a light inside of you, and, while it's mere cinders, it calls to me like a beacon. I will find the embers of your soul and I will nurse them until they're blazing so bright it puts the sun to shame if you'll let me." His gaze held hers before he looked down at his hands, fiddling with the ribbon and giving pause before he continued once more.

"I know it's been such a short time. I also know that you said that you don't believe in love at first sight or that there is a love out there for you. But I do believe in those things. For me and for you because when I first saw you, I fell instantly. I knew the moment I looked into your eyes that you would be someone special to me, that I would move land and sea for you. I felt this pull like I was being reeled towards you. It was so strong, like a magnet to metal. A moth to flames. I hate being away from you. It physically pains me to be apart. I long to hold you, protect you, and take care of you. If you were the ocean, I would be the rain just so I could get to touch you. Danni, I love you. I know that I love you despite how crazy it sounds, and I do so with all my heart. You are etched into the fibers of my being. You are the warmth in my soul. I hope that you will love me too. I will give you all the time and space you need. I just- I'll give you all the time you need, but honestly, I hope-... please don't tell me wait."

DK tugged the ribbon to pull Danni towards him. He lifted his head and drew even closer so his lips hovered a breath away from hers as his brown eyes studied her. Danni's breathing hitched at the closeness, giving him a twinkle of hope.

"You -," he whispered tenderly, "You are my inyeon, Danni."

Before she could say anything, he pressed his lips to hers gingerly. It was gentle and swift. He pulled back quickly to allow her the time to process, to give her the space to decide what happened next. His eyes searched hers again in the painstakingly slow seconds that passed between them. He was scared that he may have ruined what chance he could have had. But what he did not know was that inside her, the last of the armor shielding her heart had chipped and fallen away. Her once too-small heart had grown, tripled in size, and it pulsed wildly in her chest like a wild animal in a cage with the warmth and affection he had given her over the last few weeks. Tears swelled at her water line as she physically felt the last of winter in her heart melt from the heat of his sun. Something bloomed in her ches,t and her body sighed in relief. She hadn't realized the tears had fallen from her eyes until his hand reached forward to cup her face. His thumb swiped across her skin gently. She brought her hand to rest on his. Her vision clouded with tears, his face blurred by them. She blinked hard, and when she opened them again, she leaned forward quickly and pressed her lips against his.

He sighed at the contact, tears forming in his own eyes as he smiled against her lips and returned her kiss. He met every pass of her lips over his with gentleness. He dropped the ribbon from his grasp and rested his hands on her waist instead before pulling her towards him. Her hands came to rest on the side of his face for a moment before Danni broke contact. She rested her forehead against his, hands still cupping his face. Her thumbs brushed across his skin slowly as she leaned back just enough to see his eyes. He watched her, his tears threatening to fall. His heart had swollen so much he had to fight to keep it from bursting. That was until she opened her mouth and said the most beautiful thing he had ever heard in this lifetime.

"I-...I love you, Seokmin." 

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Spencer's Choice

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.5k

Warnings: angst, reuniting long lost love, heartbreak, impossible choice to make

Summary: Breaking up with Spencer is the hardest thing you've ever had to do. You left and returned years later, only to run into him again. Feelings return that you thought were gone. Spencer has a choice to make: you or his family.

Square Filled: goodbye letter (2021) for @cmbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

Ah, back in your hometown. You miss the way the sunshine feels on your skin even when the wind blowing is almost at freezing temperatures. You miss the way the cars sound as they’re rushing down the road as a reminder that people need to leave earlier when it comes to this town. You miss the small-town feeling of everyone being so close-knit that you can check up on your neighbors and see how they’re doing every day.

You miss home.

You haven’t been back in the United States in a little over a year, and back in this town for much longer. Ever since you left after you graduated, you really haven’t looked back. It killed you to do so but you were on a mission to better people’s lives with your degree and experience. You’re a very skilled architect who has been involved in many unique projects all over the world. It’s been one big adventure that you love having. You’ve met genuinely good people, tried amazing and unique food, delved into different cultures, and got to experience what others only dream about.

Now you’re just glad to be back in your hometown, relax, and spend the money you’ve been saving for years.

You walk down the familiar road next to the park you used to go to after school every day with your friends. There is something brown in the middle of the sidewalk but upon closer examination, you see it’s a child’s teddy bear. You pick it up in hopes there is a name or a number you can call, but the only thing you can find is an address. Weird. Most people don’t put their addresses on kids’ toys but who are you to judge?

With a quick Google search, you find the address is only two blocks from where you’re at. This is your chance to be a good samaritan and return the bear to a child who is probably missing it. You find the house easily and walk up the porch steps. You knock on the door and wait only ten seconds before it opens. A young girl about the age of seven is standing there with sad eyes.

“Hi, does he belong to you?” you ask and produce the bear.

Her eyes light up happily when she sees the toy. 

“Thank you so much!” she squeals and grabs it from you.

“Marissa, what did I tell you about answering the door without your mother or me?” you hear her dad say.

You look up and lock eyes with the only person you’ve ever been in love with: Spencer Reid. You two were high school sweethearts back then, and it was clear to everyone at that school that you two were going to end up together for life. You were in love with him so much and wished you could have stayed, but it broke your heart to break up with him.

You have always wanted to be an architect even when you were younger. Your parents got you Legos that you could build houses from, and you’d build all sorts of different houses with different rooms for everything a person could need. When you got to your junior year, you applied to different colleges for architecture which also included colleges outside of the United States. Never in a million years did you think you’d ever get into those colleges but your mother encouraged you to apply.

Four months before graduation, you got an amazing offer to study at UCL in London with the opportunity to be an intern side by side with one of the most famous architects at that time. What an amazing opportunity, your mother told you. Yes, it was but there was one thing holding you back: Spencer.

It started one of the biggest arguments between you two. It lasted for months leading up to graduation. He obviously didn’t want you to go since you’d be in a different country, but he didn’t want to be the only reason why you’d stay. You wanted to go because this would be an amazing opportunity for you, but you didn't want to go because you didn’t want to leave him.

It took months to come to a decision but Spencer convinced you to go. Long-distance relationships never work out for anyone, and you didn't want to put Spencer through the pain of not seeing you every day or being with you. Breaking up with him was and still is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do.

You’ve had a few flings over the years that never meant anything because none of them were him. It took a really long time to stop crying over him. Now, seeing him right in front of you is bringing all those fights, that love, and every conversation you’ve ever had with him back. It’s a bit overwhelming, to be honest, and you step back to ground yourself.

Marissa looks up to see her dad looking at you with the same look you’re giving him.

“You don’t look at Mommy like that,” she observes.

“Why don’t you go inside and play? I’ll be right there,” Spencer says distractedly.

Marissa looks at you and goes inside to play with her teddy bear. Spencer steps outside and closes the front door for some privacy.

“I can’t believe you’re standing in front of me right now.”

This isn’t a good idea. You’re going to start crying because the truth is, and you’ve tried so hard to bury it, you’re still in love with him. If you don’t get out of here quickly, the patch over your heart is going to tear and you’re going to start bleeding all over again.

“I’m sorry. I can’t be here right now. I have to go.”

You turn around and walk down the porch steps, but Spencer jumps toward you.

“Wait.” You turn to face him and he sighs in frustration. “I have to get Marissa to the doctor. How long are you in town for?”

“As long as I want. I’m in between projects right now.”

Maybe the reason why you told him this is for the false hope that you two can resume right where you left off.

“Please don’t leave. Please meet with me for coffee tomorrow morning. You remember Jack’s Cafe, right?” How could you not? It’s the place where you and Spencer had your first date and first kiss. “My number hasn’t changed if you still have it.”

“I do,” you whisper.

He never changed it in hopes that you’d call it. You got home after parting ways with him and cried yourself to sleep. Seeing him again after all these years is reverting your mind back to high school graduation. You’re not much better the next day. When you wake up, you decide you’re not going to meet Spencer and just leave. However, when you look at past messages between the two of you on your phone, he deserves this meeting. You deserve to catch up with him.

You rush into the coffee shop knowing you’re late. Spencer is sitting at the table you two used to sit in every single time you went here.

“I thought you weren't going to show,” he says when you sit across from him.

“Honestly, I almost didn’t.”

Spencer slides a coffee over to you and you catch it to prevent it from falling. Just based on the smell alone, you know he still remembers your coffee order.

“How have you been? Any interesting projects you’ve been on?”

You don’t know if the small talk is good or not. It’s to distract you from the real issue but you welcome the distraction.

“Yeah, I’ve done some work in third-world countries with nonprofit organizations. We’ve built homes for people, homeless shelters, and enclosures for animals who are suffering and endangered.”

“That’s amazing. I’m really happy for you.”

“What about you?”

“I pursued my career in the FBI. I have been a profiler for many years. I’m retired now and get to teach others before they go into the academy.”

“Retired? You’re still so young. What happened?” you ask and sip your coffee.

“I went to prison for a couple of months for a crime I didn’t do. It messed with me mentally so I decided to take a different approach. I’m still involved with the FBI just as a teacher.”

Once you two get into the groove of talking, it’s like no time has passed. You’re laughing and having a good time with him as if you didn’t break his heart all those years ago. You’re falling in love with him all over again.

“Are you seeing anyone?”

Just like that, you’re back to how you were feeling before. The laughter dies off and you pick at the ends of your sweater.

“No. I haven’t had a steady relationship since--” You stop yourself from saying it out loud. He understands what you’re trying to say. He reaches over and grabs your hand. As soon as he makes contact with your skin, you quickly pull away from him. “You have a family.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“You look happy.”

“Yeah, I am.”

His words tell you one thing but his tone tells you something completely different. There is a longing in his eyes that suggests he would drop everything in his life if it meant he got to be with you.

“I’m really happy for you,” you say with tears in your eyes.

“Y/N…”

“I shouldn’t have come here. You have a wife and daughter now.” You drop your voice to a whisper. “I’m too late.”

You’re already out the door before Spencer can process your words. Not only was coming to this coffee date a bad idea, but coming back to your hometown where Spencer also lives was an even worse idea. The projects waiting for your involvement will have to come a little earlier than planned.

You hate doing this to Spencer but you write a letter explaining how you feel about him and this whole situation. Once you’re done, you head to his house hoping he isn’t going to be there. You walk up the steps and notice something in the window next to the door. Spencer is sitting on the couch next to his wife and she’s comforting her. About the botched date? About you? About something else?

Damn it. Why did she have to be gorgeous?

You stick the note in the door and swiftly turn to leave. Spencer sniffles and looks up to see your long hair flowing in the wind. At first, he thought he was seeing things but then his brain caught up to the rest of him. By the time he walks out there, you’re already gone. Your note sways to the ground so he picks it up and starts reading it.

Spencer, 

I am so sorry for the way we left things all those years ago. Leaving you was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and hurting you was never my intention. I love you with all my heart and wish things had ended differently between us. You have a family now that I never wanted to disturb. I kind of thought by coming back here, I’d be reminded of what’s really important. Seeing you after all these years did just that. I don’t want to hurt you now, but I’m leaving. I’ll be accepting other projects that need me, and you can continue to be with your family. I wish you the very best.

Y/N

Spencer can’t let you go this easily without letting you know how he feels. He tells his wife he’s going over to Derek’s house but ends up going to the biggest airport in the state. It’s the airport that has the most flights coming and going so you have to be here. He doesn’t know which flight you’re going to get on so he buys a ticket for one of them and hope for the best.

He rushes through the entire airport in search of you, wishing you hadn’t gotten on one of the airplanes yet. He’s sweaty and disheveled but determined to find you before you board. He runs around the corner and scans the many gates with people boarding their planes. There at the far end of the building is you. You’re in line to get on the plane.

“Y/N!” Spencer yells.

You don’t hear him and move up in the line. Spencer breaks out in a run in hopes of getting to you in time. You hand the attendant your ticket so she can check you in. She doesn’t question the dried tears on your cheeks as she does. Once finished, you grab your ticket and walk onto the bridge.

“Y/N! Wait!”

Spencer runs past everyone and tries to get onto the bridge but the two attendants posted there prevent him from going in.

“Sir, you need to wait in line like everyone else.”

“Please, I just have to talk to her.”

“Sir, I can’t let you on there without a proper ticket.”

“Y/N!!!” Spencer screams to get your attention, hoping you’re not too far away. He waits agonizingly for you to show up. He’s about to yell again when you come around the corner with tears in your eyes. “Y/N, I need to talk to you.”

“Spencer,” you gasp. You leave the bridge and take him off to the side. People stare but go about their business to give you two some privacy. “What are you doing here?”

“Please don’t leave.”

“But your family--”

“Please don’t leave. I can’t bear to watch you walk away again. I let you go once. I can’t--refuse--to let you walk away again.”

Spencer grabs your face and kisses you like he should have done all those years ago. You get lost in the way he’s making you feel so you kiss him back. It feels so good to feel his lips on yours again. He feels like home. The image of him and his wife pops up in your head, and you pull away from him with tears streaming down your face.

“What about your wife? Your daughter?”

“I don’t know but please don’t leave. I love you.”

He’s only here because of the feelings you drudged up. He was happy before you came back into his life.

“I can’t do this right now. I have to get on the plane.”

“Please don’t get on that plane,” he begs.

“Miss? Are you getting on? We’re taking the last call,” the attendant asks.

“Spencer, I have to get on the plane. They’re waiting for me.” You step away from him even though it kills you to. “You have a family now. Maybe if I never left before, things might have been different. I can’t do that to them.”

You hand your ticket to the attendant even though she allows you to go through. Spencer watches you get on the plane, and the attendant shuts and locks the door behind you. Spencer has a very important choice to make:

Does he go back to his family and pretend this never happened or follow you? Stay with what’s comfortable or follow the one woman who has always made him feel alive? Her or you?

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[have-kake]

Big Brother [2/3]

Three instances of big brother instincts within the chain. [Ao3 Link]

[Part 1: Wind] [Part 2: Twilight] [Part 3: Warriors]

Twilight pauses when he thinks he hears shouting. He's far from camp, and he can't usually hear the others from this far. He quickly changes directions and starts back. If monsters showed up, he'd rather be a part of the fight than find out he missed the entire thing.

The shouting gets clearer the closer he gets. He's careful to keep quiet as he hurries along. The last thing he needs is for any potential enemies to hear him.

"You don't need to know how to read to work a fucking map!!" Legend practically roars.

Twilight stumbles to a halt in his surprise.

Wild screams his own retort back.

Twilight runs a hand over his face with a long sigh. Of course they're arguing over how to travel. When do they not argue about how to travel?

He doesn't bother rushing for the rest of the walk back. They're screaming at each other, but it doesn't seem all that serious yet either.

He stops at the edge of camp where he can get a good look at them. He's not surprised to see Legend and Wild squaring up, but he is surprised to see Hyrule doing the same. He even seems to be on Wild's side too.

He looks around the camp to see where the others are. Sky and Four are both gone. Wind sits with Wars and they're both snickering at the arguing trio. And Time is doing a wonderful job at ignore everything.

He lets out a weary sigh. How did he end up being the only adult in the group? He's not even part of the oldest three! Yet he always gets stuck breaking up the stupid fights.

Hyrule and Wind play with a chuchu from Wild's era? Time's there to glare at all of them in disappointment.

Everyone places bets on whether Four can win against a like-like in tug-of-war? Time's there to lecture everyone and glare at them in disappointment.

Four and Wild nearly come to blows over what a tomato is? Twilight's there to calm them down.

Legend and Sky start fighting over religion and which Goddesses are real? Twilight's there to separate them.

Wild and Hyrule gang up on Legend about how to travel? Twilight's left to resolve the issue.

"That's soundin' like a pretty serious argument y'all are having," Twilight comments as he steps up to the trio. Instantly all three of them start shouting again as they try to talk over one another to give their side of the story first.

Normally, Twilight doesn't mind. He's used to breaking up arguments and fights between the kids in the his village. But these are grown adults! And none of the other adults bother to do shit!

Without warning, he hits all three of them on the head. "Shut up!" He snaps.

Hyrule falls silent in shock. Legend just crosses his arms with a huff. Wild tries to talk back, but a glare has him backing down.

"Y'all gettin this fight every other day!" He snaps. He doesn't even care about how the others are gonna pick on his accent. "I am sick 'n tired of hearin' it!"

"Then go somewhere else!" Wild yells as Hyrule tries to blame Legend for something.

Twilight reaches out and grabs both of them. He picks them up with ease. He makes sure to hold them extra tight so they don't slip free and so it's uncomfortable.

Legend snorts.

Twilight glares at him and the vet immediately falls silent.

Wild tries to break free so he tightens his grip, and he keeps tightening until Wild starts yelling. "Okay, stop, stop! That hurts!" He shouts finally stopping his struggle.

Twilight stops tightening his grip, but he doesn't loosen it either. "If I gotta hear this stupid dang fight one more time!" He threatens. "Imma rat the three o' y'all to Time!"

That seems to get the Old Man's attention.

Legend narrows his eyes up at Twilight. "You wouldn't," he whispers.

"Watch me," he looks away to find Time watching them carefully. "Hey, Old Man, y'ever wonder how yer fancy shoulder armor got all chewed up?"

Legend's eyes widen comically wide. Twilight would laugh if he wasn't so annoyed. He has to fix his hold on Hyrule as the poor boy also tenses. Two birds with one stone.

Time's single eye narrows. "Yes," he says slowly. "As a matter of fact, I do."

Twilight turns back to Legend with a triumphant smirk. He even focus on the two in his arms for good measure. Can't let Time know for sure who did it.

"Or maybe I'll tell Sky which o' y'all spilled that weird gunk on the Master Sword," Twilight continues feeling Wild and Hyrule flinch. "Or Wars who tore up his scarf." The scarf had actually been Four, but having the Captain's attention increase the tension helps.

"Okay, okay! We'll stop!" Wild says.

Hyrule's quick to nod along. "No more fighting! Got it!"

Twilight lets go abruptly. Hyrule tries to catch himself, but still ends up with a mouthful of dirt. Wild doesn't even bother trying and just flops to the ground with a quiet grunt.

He waits until they've picked themselves up to cross his arms. "Well?"

"Sorry, Twilight," they say with varying degrees of reluctance.

"I ain't the one y'all should be apologizin' to," though he does appreciate it.

Legend and Wild grumble while Hyrule simply shuffles in place.

"I'm waiting."

Hyrule sighs. "Sorry, Legend."

"Yeah, sorry," Wild adds.

Legend huffs. "I'm sorry, too, I guess."

Twilight claps both Legend and Wild on the shoulder. He smiles at the way they both jump. "See, that ain't so hard."

The three of them disperse and wander to different parts of the camp. Twilight sighs and makes his way over to the fire. There goes his plans to transform for a few hours. He's too exhausted to even think of running around. Shame he can't take them out to chop wood. Like Fado liked to say: you got energy to fight, you got energy to work! 

Wind snickers as he walks by. "Looks like even big brother Twilight has his limits," he stage whispers to Wars who snorts.

Twilight stops to raise an eyebrow at both of them. "Y'all two fixin' to join in?"

Wars and Wind both hold up their hands. "Nope, we're all good," Wars says.

"What he said," Wind agrees.

He ignores them and goes to take a seat. He lets out a long breath as he gets settled.

Time leans over to him. "Who was it?"

"Hm?"

"Who messed up my pauldron?"

"Dunno what you're talking 'bout," he replies.

Time frowns. "But you said–?"

"And they stopped," he shrugs, "so s'far as I'm concerned, I dunno what you're talkin' bout."

Wars laughs. "A true brother's honor!"

Some time later, Sky finally wanders into camp. He looks around and raises an eyebrow at Four and Wild as they cook. "Did they finally finish fighting?"

Twilight glares at him.

Wind leans forward from his spot by Time. "You should've seen it!" He says excitedly. "Twi really let 'em have it!"

"He went full farm boy on them, too," Warriors adds. "Thick accent and all!"

Sky looks surprised as he takes a seat next to Warriors. "Really?"

Twilight's still glaring at him. "And where were you?" He asks. "You were supposed to be watchin' the camp with Wars 'n the Old Man."

"The fighting was getting annoying, so I went for a walk," he shrugs.

Twilight simply nods.

--

In the morning when they head out on the road again, Twilight lets Legend know Sky's the one who accidentally dumped his pack a few days ago. He leaves to scout ahead just as Legend starts shouting. Maybe one day Sky will act his age. Until then, Twilight will keep treating him like one of the kids from the village too.

[trulytiredhermit]

Hold up, HOLD UP.

What if the chain was in a really heated battle with a bunch of enemies, they aren't letting the reader even five meters away, so the reader is just watching, you know?

But then the reader just sees a Link was about to get attacked, shit.

So the reader ran headfirst in the middle of the battlefield, not paying attention to any of the Links' yells at them to retreat, no, they are way too focused in saving one of them.

The Link looks at them in confusion until the reader pushed them away, and then they got hit in the head by an enemy, losing consciousness.

They had sacrificed themselves. They pushed that Link away a split second before he was supposed to be hit in the head, but no.

The reader took the blow.

*Angst city

Angst city

ANGST CITY!!

No but for real, imagine the things that could happen after the hit. I mean, Reader could fall into a coma, get seriously hurt from the hit, get amnesia and NOT remember anything about the Chain or their adventure with them!

Could you imagine if Reader actually got comfortable with the Chain and finally accepted their yandere tendencies and began to love them back only to develop amnesia and the Chain has to start back at square one?!?!

Like… I gotta make a little snippet for this now I swear.

Also I hope you don’t mind, I know you’ve kinda lost interest in LU but I really like you ask ideas so I’m still going to answer them. I hope that’s okay Chrom!*

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Wind could only stare down in shock, the person he viewed as his older sibling, someone he would give his life for, was laying at his feet unresponsive with a bleeding wound on their head that just kept getting more and more red as the green grass was dyed a more brownish and rusted copper color.

He wanted to throw up.

He was used to fights, contrary to the chain’s forgetfulness. He had gotten wounds and injuries of his own that he alone had to patch up on his journey to save his own home.

But he was 12 and this was different.

This time he hadn’t been the one to get hurt, instead he had to watch someone dear to him be struck down.

It felt like when he had watched Aryll be taken away that day long ago, but even worse because Aryll was alive and…

He couldn’t even bear the thought of it.

He just continued to stare down at your crumbled form in shock.

The others quickly took note of what had happened, all with ranging emotions at the forefront of their minds.

But one thing was similar.

They were pissed and they wanted revenge.

All hell broke loose on the battlefield.

Time’s hands itched, reaching instinctively to the ominous mask on his hip. Why shouldn’t he let the Deity out to enact vengeance upon those who had dared to hurt one he held so dear.

Warriors cut through the monsters with a brutal finesse and he did so efficiently and effortlessly, making his way across the battlefield with a cold and hard gaze that any soldier would have in a war. He didn’t care if the monsters would have a slow, agonizing death. Only that they would be incapacitated and that they would die.

Four split without a second thought, if the chain didn’t already know about his ability and of the colors then they did now. The four colors working together to take down the onslaught of monsters more quickly, each with their own style. Needless to say Blue was the most brutal and impulsive out of the colors, not caring a thought about any injury he may have or did sustain during his rampage.

Hyrule and Legend didn’t waste a second and we’re next to your body and Wind as everything went down. Hyrule worked on checking out the head injury and using any and all healing items along with his own magic to help stop the bleeding and heal the wound.

Legend, meanwhile, was the defense. He had his sword at the ready on his hip while his fire rod was in his hand, ready to go full on scorched earth at any monster that even thought to try and get close.

Wild , Twilight, and Sky teamed up. Wild would use his Sheikah slate abilities to freeze the monsters in time, allowing Sky and Twilight to wail on the monster before they moved onto the next. Meanwhile, Wild continued to shoot down more monsters with his bow and assortment of arrows, he even used up many of his ancient arrows to get rid of them quicker.

With all of their combined efforts the hoard didn’t last even a whole two minutes. And when everything was said and done, the rest chain converged on where you lay; either talking to Hyrule about your condition or checking in on Wind.

The days after the attack are spent in an inn, under Time’s order. It doesn’t matter if Hyrule healed everything up, you’re resting and being pampered and that’s final.

Wind stays next to your side like a leech, not leaving you alone even for a second. Well really they all do, but Wind does NOT leave you alone. You guys are roomies now too, doesn’t matter if there isn’t a second bed in your inn room. He’s either gonna sleep in the same bed or (if the others tell him he can’t due to your injuries) he’s dragging his mattress from his room to yours.

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober Day 5: Debris, Pinned down

Wind and Four <3 ...and some unplanned characters. This changed a bit from that one wip I posted!

Warnings: the title stuff, broken bones, and a teeny mention of blood.

Read it on ao3

————————————————————

“Anybody over here?!” Four shouted, squinting through the smoke and dust blowing through the air.

Nobody answered him, and Four kept walking through the huge piles of rubble, the tight knot of worry in his chest only growing.

The Links had been hunting down a group of monsters who’d reportedly been stealing and stockpiling bombs, for what, nobody knew. They’d traced them to an old patch of ruins, and engaged, taking out a large chunk of the group without much difficulty. But when the monsters realized they were rapidly being exterminated, they’d decided blowing them all up was the best way to stop them.

That had led to a mad dash to get out of the ruins as they’d exploded around them, but the Links had been separated while escaping, and hadn’t realized until the dust had settled.

They’d quickly split up to look for their missing members, and Four had been poking through these particular ruins for what felt like forever. His worry was growing with every minute that passed where he didn’t find anyone, and he looked nervously at a few larger piles of debris. He’d gone by several really large piles, so big that if anyone was under them he would have no idea they were there, and he’d debated trying to move them more then once.

But what good would it do? If anyone is under them, there’s no way they’d even be...

Four’s eyes suddenly caught on a distant scrap of color, and his heart jumped at the familiar shade of blue. He bolted to it, nearly tripping in the debris field between, and bent down to pick up the torn patch of cloth.

It smelled faintly of the ocean.

“Sailor?!” Four called, but heard no reply, and he continued to search around a particularly large pile of debris, listening intently for any sign of life.

He continued to call the sailor’s name, using both Wind and Link, but he had no luck until he turned a corner into a more closed-off area.

And saw a shock of blonde hair, coated in dust that shone in the sunlight.

“Wind,” Four breathed, and bolted to his side, trying not to panic at the huge pile of rocks the sailor was under. He reached down to put a hand on his only visible arm, and gave it a light shake. “Wind, can you hear me?”

A groan came from Wind, and his eyelids slowly flickered open, face twisted in pain. His expression was twisted in confusion as he looked around, and his one free hand clenched at the dirt as he obviously tried to move without thinking. Then his face went white as he bit back a cry, and Four felt his worry triple.

“Sailor, easy, stay still,” Four soothed, heart in his throat, and Wind looked blearily up at him.

“...Smithy?” the sailor whispered, letting out a cough. “Is that... you?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s me,” Four replied, looking again at the large rocks covering most of Wind’s body. “Are you okay? How... how badly are you hurt?”

Wind was silent a long time, and looked to be thinking rather hard about the question.

“...I can’t move my legs,” he said quietly, voice taut with pain and barely-hidden fear. “A-at all. They’re stuck under everything, and... my arm is pretty busted up too.”

“Is there any part of you not incapacitated?” Four tried to tease, and Wind let out a laugh, though it broke into a pained cough a moment later.

“This arm, I guess,” he said tiredly, and Four swallowed, and began to feel around the stones, trying to figure out which ones, if any, were loose. But everything seemed solid and stuck, and Four looked helplessly at the rubble. There was no way he was strong enough to move any of it.

Then he squared his shoulders, and began pulling at the rocks that seemed the least load-bearing. Wind wasn’t going to get free if he just sat here, and hopefully his power bracelets would be enough to unpin him.

Wind stayed mostly silent as Four worked, sometimes letting out a quiet cough. At some point he began to hum, a quiet, rolling tune, and Four could tell it was to distract himself from the pain by the way it occasionally hitched. He hummed along once he figured it out, and tried not to despair at the absolutely tiny pile of rocks he’d managed to move.

He wasn’t making any progress.

“...Smithy?”

Four looked over at Wind, who had paused in his humming, and for some reason seemed paler then before. “Yeah, Wind?”

“I... I don’t think you can get me out by yourself,” he whispered, and Four shook his head and went back to scrabbling at the tiny, looser rocks. “You’re gonna, ha-ave to find someone… else to help.”

“I’m not going to leave you here,” Four replied sharply. He wouldn’t even entertain the possibility. Leaving Wind to go get help might have been what his logical side was telling him to do, but his emotions were horrified he was even considering it.

What if I leave, and I’m too late, and he’s all alone when he...

Four felt a touch on his leg, and looked over to see Wind giving him a pleading look, his single uncovered arm clutching at him.

“Four. I’ll be okay until you get back,” he said, a faint smile on his lips. “You gotta…”

He coughed again, and Four reluctantly paused in his digging, crouching down and taking Wind’s hand in his.

“Look, Wind, I don’t… I don’t know how much longer you have,” Four admitted quietly, and Wind let out a thick chuckle.

“Long enough for y-you to get help,” Wind promised, a drop of blood falling from his lip. He met Four’s eyes, and the Smithy was struck by how much trust he saw in them. I’ll be… okay, Four. Sailors’re tough. Go.”

Four leaned back on his heels, and looked at Wind again, studying the dust in his hair, the pained twist to his expression. Wind actually resembled himself quite a bit he realized, their hair nearly the same color, faces a similar shape. Their noses were even remarkably close, and as Four looked into his eyes, he suddenly felt like an idiot.

“Oh sweet Nayru, why on earth did I not think of this sooner,” he gasped, and quickly reached around to grab for his sword. “I have a solution Wind, I might not have to get anyone else after all.”

“...how?” the sailor asked in confusion, and Four held up his sword.

“Watch.”

Rainbow light shone brightly from the blade, and Four saw Wind squint against it as he split apart, the dust in his hair lighting up with bright colors. It quickly faded, and Vio dropped next to Wind, immediately setting in on studying the situation.

Red sat next to him, nervously holding Wind’s hand, and Green and Blue waited, one more patient then the other, for Vio to finish thinking.

Wind stared between all of them, blinking like he couldn’t believe his eyes, but his shocked faded soon enough, replaced by a look of dawning understanding.

“Oh. Four. I get it...” he snickered to himself, then his breath caught on a laugh and he winced.

Red squeezed his hand again, and Wind shakily squeezed back.

“Okay. I believe we can do it,” Vio said finally, standing up. “If two of us wear the bracelets, and are helped by a third, we can lift the rocks while whoever is left pulls Wind out. I think we have just enough strength between us.”

“Well then let’s go!” Blue said, cracking his knuckles. “Red’s gonna be the one to pull him out, right? Makes sense for him to do the easy job, he’s noodle-armed.”

“I am not noodle-armed!” Red cried, and Wind let out a faint giggle.

“You’re strong in other ways Red,” Green said patiently. “And actually, I was going to suggest Blue pull him out.”

“What? Why?!”

“Because you can easily pull him out while the rest of us move the rocks, and if you end up needing to be quick, you’ll do it even if it’ll hurt him,” Green said, meeting his eyes. “Now let’s go, Wind’s not getting any better.”

Blue grumbled, but agreed, and Vio and Green each put on a power bracelet. Red stood next to them while Blue crouched beside Wind, and the three of them began pulling the largest rock upward.

Wind’s breathing got shakier as they pushed, the rock shifting slightly. Small pebbles bounced, and dust billowed up into the shaft of sunlight as they lifted, slowly, carefully, straining as they pulled the huge stones.

Blue stayed as close as he could to Wind, waiting for the space to widen enough to pull him out. The sailor’s eyes were squeezed shut, lips trembling as they pulled, and Blue shifted uncomfortably as he saw a tear fall down his cheek.

See? Red would have been better, he grumbled to himself.

“Get ready Blue!” Green grunted, sweat beading on his forehead, and he, Red, and Vio all gave a concentrated push, lifting the stones up just enough to create a space above Wind.

Blue moved quickly, grabbing Wind under the armpits and pulling him out without jostling him too much. It didn’t seem to matter though, since Wind cried out the moment he tugged him, but Blue ignored the noise, and kept pulling until the sailor was all the way free and a good distance away from the rocks.

“He’s clear!” he shouted, and the other three parts of himself attempted to put the rocks down as slowly as possible, so nothing would collapse on top of them all. Something grabbed at Blue’s hand, and he realized Wind was clutching at it, breathing heavily as tears trickled down his face.

Blue looked away, and squeezed back.

The others dropped to Wind’s side a few moments later, and Green immediately began fishing in his pouch for something. Red’s face was pale, and Vio remained silent, studying the sailor as he breathed shakily.

His other arm was definitely broken, that much was obvious. Something seemed a little off about the way his lower chest looked, and his legs remained limp, Vio swallowing as he looked at them. He wasn’t sure if the others realized exactly what was wrong, but he wasn’t planning on telling them unless it was absolutely necessary.

“Here,” Green said, and pulled a fairy from his pouch. “This... this should do it.”

I hope.

Vio nodded, and Green opened the bottle, the glow of the released fairy making the tear tracks on Wind’s face glitter. The little creature made a beeline for Wind the moment she saw him, and chimed in distress, then swirled around him in tight circles, concentrating near his legs and spine like Vio had suspected.

Wind exhaled heavily as she finished, and the fairy chimed again, bobbing gently by his cheek, then flitted away into the sunlight.

“Wind. Can you move your legs?” Vio asked, and Wind scrunched his face up in concentration.

He managed to lift them both a little ways, and all of them sighed in relief.

The fairy had done her job.

“Think she didn’t get my arm all the way though,” Wind said with a wince, but he was noticeably less pale then he had been, and was already trying to sit up. “Guess she had to focus on my legs.”

“That would make sense,” Green said with a smile, and helped him sit up. Wind clung to him a little tightly as he assisted him, trembling slightly, and after he was upright, Red leaned over and hugged him.

Wind let out a shaky breath, his eyes glittering, and the others drew near and hugged him as well, even Blue and Vio.

“Thanks,” the sailor said into Red’s shoulder, voice smaller then normal. “Thank you Four, th-that...”

“Of course, sailor,” Green replied gently.

Wind swallowed, and didn’t say anything further.

They stayed there and hugged him for a long time, Red’s shoulder damp where Wind’s face was pressed to it. None of them really wanted to move, shaken and trembly after everything, but eventually Wind pulled back and wiped his face, and the colors helped him stand.

They looked at Wind, then around at each other, and wordlessly grabbed their swords, fusing back into one. Wind watched in surprise, but only asked a few questions before going quiet again, his normal exuberance obviously dampened by pain and leftover fear.

Four put an arm around Wind to support him while they walked, and they set off to rejoin the others, the sailor humming the same rolling tune as earlier.

Four joined in, and the debris around them quietly echoed the song.

[justrainandcoffee]

Against all odds (Alfie Solomons x fem!oc) Part 6.

Crossover Peaky Blinders - Hunger Games

Masterlist . Parts: One - Two - Three - Four - Five

Summary: The new tributes from district 9 are here. The last name of one of them are, sadly, familiar to both Alfie and Rose. || Something is starting to change around Panem. Voices louder a soft whisper are around the country, barely audible, but they are there "Rebellion" the voices say. || Rose asks for Alfie's help for the first time. And Nina learns that she's not the only who doesn't want to be there.

Warnings: None here.

Words: 3.1 k || Nina belongs to @peakyswritings and Eva to @evita-shelby

District 9.

All Panem was celebrating the beginning of a new edition of the Hunger Games. Or at least, the Capitol was celebrating. The districts had nothing to celebrate. As usual, the last few days Alfie barely see any kid on the streets, except the youngest ones. Those above 12, were inside with their families.

The day before of the reaping day, he watched on TV how Caesar Flickerman, was interviewing the stylists. And she was there, of course. His wife.

How strange it sounded and how beautiful it was, too. He proposed to her just months ago. Even if she was still married, both of them knew that her marriage was faker than theirs. At least the love between Alfie and Rose was pure. The screen showed the name "Rosebeth Evert." Alfie couldn't help but smile. Rosebeth Evert didn't exist, but Rose Solomons did. His Rosie was real as the sun was.

While he was having dinner, he listened to her. Any other person probably could think she was brainless as many other people involved in the superfluous side meof the games. But she wasn't.

She was wearing a gold brooch with the form of a wheat ear. Alfie couldn't help but smile.

In two days, luckily, he'd be able to see her again. Even if with him were going to be two new tributes. Probably corpses in less than two weeks.

If after 16 years as mentor, no one of his kids survived why this year was going to be different?

When Caesar left Rose and started to interview the one from district 10, Alfie turned the tv off and went to sleep.

He woke up early, it was near 7am when he opened his eyes but he remained in bed a bit more. Outside the warm summer wind was blowing, making the curtains move with it.

Alfie had a dream that he barely remembered now but it was about a girl with dark hair and he felt happiness. A happiness he didn't experience before, but he couldn't say why.

She won the games.

He decided to ignore the dream and by the time he was having breakfast he had forgotten completely about it. Besides, he had duties to fulfill.

The mayor of district 9 was a woman in her 60s. Way before he became mentor, that woman lost her only daughter in the games. That was the day that more than one understood that no one could avoid the horrible fate, not even the richest ones. The girl had her name only four times in the bowl, and yet…

The mayor was a good woman, not very talkative but kind and knew how to play her role. Praising the President and the Capitol, was enough to keep them away from her district. She hated them, but who cared? It was only a couple of minutes once a year.

Despite the time zone, all the reapings were at the same time and there, in district 9, was at midday.

He was already on the stage. Alissa, too. Both of them greeted each other and then he turned his attention to the kids that were arriving.

The scared faces on the youngest ones, hope on those who were already eighteen. That was their last time. Death wasn't inevitable, but at least it wasn't going to be televised for millions of people.

The sun was shining all over the square. The thousands of people were contemplating the event. Alissa welcomed everyone and not longer after, she picked up a paper from the girls names.

"Nina Ferrante!"

His heart dropped when he heard the new name: Ferrante. Another one.

Years ago Vittorio, one of her brothers, was reaped. Alfie remembered well the way the kid died. Probably one of the worst death that his tributes suffered. And he was the youngest for now, too. From the very beginning Alfie and Rose knew that there wasn't any hopes for him. Not when in front of him there was tributes that trained for years for killing kids like him. Alfie did his best and tried to help him, but…

Nina was older than Vittorio. And yet, she was still a kid. Even when she was taller than her brother, she was thin. Any other girl from the powerful districts could weight at least 10 kilogrammes more than her and that was always an advantage.

But not always.

The boy was 15 years old, named Silas Ferguson.

"May the odds be ever in your favour, Nina and Silas!" Alissa said before turning around.

A new reaping day has gone and not even an hour later, the train was already going to the Capitol.

Silas was eating the food that was on the train. But Nina wasn't. Her serious expression barely changed from the moment she was reaped.

"You should eat these meat rolls, Nina!" said Alissa "the best meat from district 10. You're just bones, girl."

"I wonder why," she responded.

"It's okay, Alissa. Leave her, she'll eat when she feels it," Alfie spoke.

"I'm just saying."

Silas was more outgoing so Alissa started to talk to the boy who was willing to know about the Capitol.

Sitting in front of her, Alfie look through the window. The yellow fields of their district were still there.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Sorry for what?"

"For not being capable of saving your brother. Him and the rest of the tributes I lost, frequently visit my dreams but I'm used to it. I already apologize with your parents but you were just a little kid back then, so I'm apologizing now."

"It's not like you killed him, right?"

"Maybe I'd have done better."

Nina remained in silence for few minutes. She didn't recognise the landscape now. It was still district 9, but the most distant part of it.

"What are my chances of winning?"

"What are you good at, apart from being a grumpy girl?"

"Grumpy girl? Probably it's because I'm about to die. I hate this! I hate that tomorrow night I'm going to be a fucking puppet wearing a stupid dress…"

"Stop right there," Alissa interrupted "say whatever you want but don't talk shit about the dresses because Alfie is Rosebeth biggest fan. She's our stylist."

"What that's mean?" Silas talked this time.

"It means…" started Alissa but Alfie stopped her.

"It means we're in the same boat. At least you don't have to wear a fucking sack of flour like I had to. Rosebeth, probably designed something outstanding for both of you."

Nina snorted, pretty dress or not, every single one of those were celebrating the games even when 23 new kids were about to die.

.

Two spiders.

That's what Rose bought the last past weeks. Not the ones you could find under a cupboard or in the gardens. High advanced technology in form of spiders. In the black market, of course.

People in the auctions talked easily after a couple of drinks and Rose had learnt to take advantage of them. Some bought abortive pills, others illegal drugs. Guns. Everything you could imagine it'd be yours if you had money to pay and money was the only thing that Lawrence had.

The spiders were like the spying flies were in past centuries, the only difference was the quality. The flies sooner or later caught up the attention of the victims, the spiders remained still in a corner of the wall, undetected and filming everything. Including the ability of decrypt softwares.

Another thing she learnt during the last month was that there was a man in the shadows of the Capitol. His name appeared once and once again: Aberama Gold. She didn't know who he was, but apparently Mr. Gold was a man of honour with a corrupted soul. A man rich enough to live where she was living, but one who decided to live in the darkness. No matter how many times Rose visited the suburbs, never, not even once, she saw him. And yet, his name was there if you listened carefully.

.

It was raining in the Capitol. She didn't remember another rain during the presentation of the tributes, at least since she was working there.

Rain is a blessing, her mother use to say.

She already had met the new tributes. Silas was quite amicable, but the girl… Rose didn't blame her either. Her life was about to change forever. Call it because she could die or a very hypothetical situation in which she could win.

A lightening crossed the sky and all the windows vibrated. That was a fucking big storm.

Could the games or at least the presentation be suspended? Very unlikely. But the horses could scare and the public looking the parade could be upset. Not to mention the makeup and the wigs ruined by the rain. The whole imaginary situation made her laugh. Fortunately, she was alone.

By the time the parade was to begin, the rain was so intense that they received orders to wait.

Alissa was with the kids under a big umbrella. If Nina was upset before the rain, now she was angry. Alone, far away from her home and forced to be under a ridiculous colourful umbrella.

At least, as far as she let her know, Nina liked the dress. Good, because Rose sewed every single golden sequin using nothing but her hands. Same as the vest Silas was wearing.

"Great job again, Mrs. Solomons."

Rose was trying to hear something new about the parade, when Alfie's voice whispering from behind made her smile. They greeted eachother earlier than day but they didn't have the chance to be alone. As usual the first day was so chaotic that they barely had time to talk.

"You're soaking wet, Al."

"I don't have the privileges of owning an umbrella, luv."

"There are plenty of them there," she said pointing at a table where the Capitol had disposed them for tributes, escorts, mentors and any other involved with the games. "Don't say Mr. Snow doesn't think of you."

"Maybe I want to be sick so you can take care of me."

"Sorry Al, but it won't be possible. I don't have time. Besides, doctors here can cure you after your second sneeze."

"Can I pretend at least?"

Rose couldn't help but laugh "you're an idiot."

"Yeah, I know." Alfie looked around them and when he confirmed that no one was paying attention to them, he leaned in and kissed her. She tried to warn him that anyone can see them, but it was also true that thanks to the rain, everyone seemed distracted. It wasn't a long kiss but enough for them to be reunited during other games. "I love you."

"I love you, too. But we should go with Silas and Nina before the parade. Sooner or later the rain will stop."

"I had the hope it'd be suspended."

"Me too, but…"

If the rain did something was to ruin the mood of several politicians, investors and some mentors and tributes but not the public. As soon as the stars started to shine again and the first chariot started to run, people started to yell victors' names and to clap.

The rain didn't ruin Nina's dress but it gave her the illusion of a golden field covered by dew. And the little silver gems in her hair, simulating the stars, helped with it.

.

That was the first time, after 11 years, that Rose asked for help. Rumours were too loud to ignore.

A name here. A last name there. A number. A district. Incarcerated people. Murders.

People around Panem were starting to get tired of Snow and his dictatorship. And the Capitol wasn't the exception, especially during the Games.

"Maybe not directly," Rose had said that night while she was in his arms "but I know she knows."

"She lives far away, luv."

"But some people around her, don't. Just an address. The rest is up to me. I waited that long, I can wait a bit more."

"When are you going to tell me what the hell are you doing?"

"When I consider that it's safe, Al."

They were talking about one victor in particular. Alfie knew her, of course. She won the games not longer after him. The long haired mentor from district 10: Eva Smith. One of the few that never judged him and one the very few that could manage to stop Aveline.

Nina was trying to climb the wall, she was good at it but Alfie couldn't help but think that she was being too hard with herself. Later that day, he was planning to talk with Nina, although the past few days Alfie discovered that Nina was, by far, the most stubborn of all the tributes he had. But at the same time, she had a determination he hadn't seen in years. The only one who showed that level of determination was Philip, the boy with only one arm, who was part of the 60th games and was really close to win his games.

Maybe this time…

Alfie rejected the idea. He wasn't naive anymore and he had learnt that having hopes only bring more pain.

Eva's tributes were practicing with knives, when Alfie approached her.

"Your boy seems to be good at it."

"We," she said refering to the people of her district "are to used to handle knives. You know, meat. At the end of the day there's no difference between a cow and another tribute. The difference comes later, in your nightmares. But I'm not going to tell them that. Not yet, at least."

Alfie nodded. He thought the same, if they were going to die, at least they had the right to enter the Arena, believing that the life after the games were good. A fucking lie, but a lie that was hurting no one.

"How's the baby?" he asked changing the subject.

Eva couldn't help but smile "he's fine. He's does nothing but sleep all day."

"Lucky him," Alfie replied. "And I'm glad to hear that."

Some knew that she became mother a year ago. Very few knew who the father of the baby was. And probably no one but the couple knew when and how it happened. But as sure as the sky was blue, Eva was a mother and Laurie was her son.

"I'm very tempted to ask you about your girlfriend, but I saw you two during the presentation the first night. I was standing right after your chariot." Eva chuckled "Honestly, Alfie, if you want to keep your relationship in secret, you're doing an awful job."

"Fucking hell… yeah, well. She's fine. We're fine."

"Good to know," she replied sincerely. Then she saw him in the eye and knew he wanted to say something else, "spit it out, Alfie."

It was then when he lent in and whispered something in her ear. The only thing that Rose really wanted to know:

"Where she can find Aberama Gold."

Eva looked at him and then nodded "I heard that name. But me personally, don't know where the man is. But I know a person who probably knows. Give me few days."

.

After three days, Nina and Silas finally made their presentation in front of the gamemakers. She scored five and Silas six. It was an average number and Alfie was going to need all his strategies to get them sponsors. Their tv presentation was going that night the next one, after the scores.

'Maybe you can try with these heels," Rose tried to convince Nina. "They aren't that high but they help to show your dress."

"This is a nightmare and it's useless!"

"No, it's not. If you want to survive the arena, you need sponsors. Being strong, fast, clever isn't enough if you don't have water, food or medicine. Infection can kill you in hours. After two days without water is over. After three days without food you can't move anymore. And if you want those sponsors, you need to buy their sympathy."

"I can't! I don't want to! I hate this! This fucking show! Flickeman, the presentation, these stupid heels! I hate everything!!"

"I hate this, too, Nina. And here I am."

"And what do you know about this? You're surrounded by gold and fucking money and you don't know what hung…"

"I don't know what hunger is? Maybe I know a bit about it. Maybe I do know what it feels to be in front of the stage waiting for your name to be picked it up. I wasn't born here. I'm from eight. When I was 18, my name was inside that fucking bowl 185 times. I was lucky, very lucky. And then I started to work here,once again, because I was lucky. I'm here to help, Nina. I'm not Snow. Alfie isn't Snow. Do you know about his nightmares? His trauma? No, you don't. We're not the enemy. Hope you can remember that."

"I'm sorry. I didn't... I didn't know. I'm overwhelmed. I know Alfie isn't the enemy, I know he did his best to help Vittorio and I also know that my brother had any chance. Not with those monsters in from of him."

"Those monsters are also kids forced to kill. They brainwashed their minds but later they can see the truth and the truth is horrible. Just victims, like Alfie, like your brother, like you…" Rose sat in a couch and Nina sat next to her "I remember your brother. It was one of the first years after I started to work here. He was small but fierce. 'I am a Ferrante' he said. It was very hard what happened."

"It destroyed our family. In more ways than one. I don't think it can be repaired."

"That's what Snow wants. He wants to create damage beyond the reparable."

Nina frowned "If you hate him, then why are you working for him?"

"Who says that I'm working for him?" Rose said winking at her. "So, the heels…"

When later, Alfie arrived with Silas already dressed to be in front of Caesar, he found Nina talking with his wife and to his own surprise, she was smiling at her.

Maybe the girl wasn't the person she wanted to show. Or maybe she was, but also was a poor teenager girl about to face the death. Who could blame her?

Rose couldn't stay behind the scenes with Nina, Silas and Alfie, so she went to the place of honour that stylists had. Three minutes per tribute was all the time that they have to show themselves. After exactly 48 minutes, Nina finally showed up.

Her light blue and white dress followed her movements. Rose knew she wasn't a bad kid, but a very unhappy one, and those were valid feelings. Even if Nina couldn't get any sponsors, Rose could help Alfie to get one or two, as always. As long as she was there no tributes of his will be alone.

But Rose got distracted when a little paper fell over her lap, out of the corner of her eye, she could she a thin woman walking away from her. She recognized Tigris.

The paper had an adress on it.

She hid the paper in her own dress and looked at Caesar again, but Nina wasn't there anymore. At least, her presentation and all her anxiety was over.

And finally, she had an address too.

Next

[veterantrainerray]

A video is attached. Watch it?

The camera begins unfocused, a rustling sound audible against the camera as the angle is adjusted. As the scene comes into focus, four figures are seen: A man with an orange Rhyperior-themed coat and flatcap with a Dratini at his side, his hands clasped behind him and his confident stance squared to the battle court. Opposite him is a young trainer and her Growlithe, energetic and sporting an uncharacteristically long mane. A brusque feminine voice breaks the silence from outside of the frame.

“There it is! Told ya I could get it workin’!” A significantly higher voice with a lighter accent responds with “Only took you fifteen minutes to get the lens cap off…”

The man brings his hands to his side. When he speaks, his voice carries across the court with clarity, despite its relatively low volume. “Your father wants to see your progress. Ready?” He asks.

“Ready! Let’s go, Elias!” At the young trainer’s command, the Growlithe takes position on the court, barely containing its excitement. “Elias, Ember!” The excited canine barks, then its maw lights up as it fires off three small clusters of flame in succession.

The man calls to his Dratini “Twister, center court!” The tiny dragon props itself up on its tail, leaning far back before whipping forward and flinging a bright object forward to the court’s center line. Where it hits, a small cyclone springs up. In the few moments the wind whips and whirls, the flames are sucked in and extinguished. The young trainer looks a little surprised at how quickly the attack was nullified, but doesn’t stop to gawk.

“Use that speed! Make ‘em dizzy!” The pup instantly breaks into running at a pace one might think impossible for its short legs, circling the battle court thrice in just under a minute, kicking up a cloud of dust as it goes. “Wait for it to lower its guard, then dive towards Nimbus!” The young woman shouts.

The man watches calmly for a long moment. “Nimbus, use Swift! Chase him down!” The Dratini fires off several star-shaped objects, spinning in arcs towards its opponent. They sweep and swerve to stay after the speedy Growlithe, and eventually the scrappy canine does something surprising; it pivots and dives through the stars, taking less damage than would seem normal as it brushes off several of the stars, the glittering remnants scattering off its fur.

“Now, Bite! Don’t let it squirm!” The Growlithe chomps down on the still-surprised Dratini, its hold solid and unwavering.

The man responds by shouting “Use Wrap! If they wanna tussle up close, squeeze ‘em for all ya can!” The dragon coils around the canine’s head and neck as best it can with teeth threatening to pierce its scales, tightening its grip constantly. “Now follow up with Thunder Wave!” Small but visible arcs travel from the grappling pair of Pokemon to the ground, the Growlithe now visibly shaking, but its grip doesn’t waver.

The young trainer looks a little panicked. She looks around the court, seemingly searching for answers. There seems to be a moment in her eyes when focus returns, and she quickly makes the call. “Flame Wheel, Elias! Quickly!” The dog again takes off running, its feet noticeably clumsier and its pace much slower due to the aftereffects of Thunder Wave and the dragon it is now carrying. After running for a moment, flames begin to travel up its fur starting from its paws, cloaking the pair as it runs. The Growlithe continues this unsteady fire-clad sprint for almost a full minute before faltering, tumbling to the ground and releasing the Dratini. The dragon appears to be unconscious, showing evidence of minor burns. The Growlithe flops onto its side after attempting to get up, exhausted and twitching, but still awake. The man blows on a whistle to signal the end of the match.

After only a moment, a slender woman wearing mostly light blue denim is seen running out onto the field with what appears to be a battered red toolbox full of medical supplies, a Pokemon Center symbol sloppily painted on its side. Words can be heard as the figures all converge on the court but the video doesn’t pick up any real details. “Oh, almost plum forgot!” A woman’s face with intense eyes and square jaw briefly comes into frame before the video ends.

[sehtoast]

Remember Me (Homelander x OC)

2.7k | memory loss, drunk homelander, mild angst, slight starlight appearance, new first kiss, spidersona oc | Fic Directory

Original Request: Forgotten hl x Ben. Ben loses his memory and doesn't remember hl.

If there was a form of torture to be found in the entire world that could truly hurt him, it was this.

Watching the love of his life, the star in his sky, the pulse in his very veins run around without a care in the world for him.  See, his little Benjamin suffered quite a blow to the head a while back.  That’s all it should’ve been. Just a bump on the head.  But, no.  No, the supe who hit him had to go ahead and hit him so fucking hard that he gave the bug amnesia of all things.

It was a knife in Homelander’s heart when those beautiful brown eyes looked at him without an ounce of recognition.  He was there when Ben woke, but he almost wished he wasn’t.

He circled the planet 30 times that day to keep from burning the world to ash.

Worse than all of that, though, was watching him change.  Sure, John tried to interact with his little spider and renew the spark, but it was impossible to do when the only thing he knew was the old Benjamin.  The one that loved him, that cared about him more than anything in the world.  This new  one was… just not the same, and Homelander didn’t know how to start at square one again.

The others did, however.  Especially Starlight, who seemingly seized the opportunity to tell Benjamin of every dirty deed he’d ever done.  Homelander knows because he’s heard it.  Lingered outside the wall of Benjamin’s suite and heard every word Starlight said about him, each over dramatized detail about how he was every fucking thing under the sun.  A murderer, a thief, a nazi-fucker, a tyrant– every goddamn insult she could possibly find.

She did it in such a clever way, too.  Wiggled her way into his life with her sickly sweet kindness, spent time with him, introduced him to Butcher and his band of supe-killing pieces of shit.  Ben had already been weirded out by his attempts to woo him once more, so it apparently wasn’t all that hard to convince him that his former lover was the devil incarnate.

Homelander had to watch as the love of his life began to conspire against him.  Had to see the look on his face as he listened to every accusation, every truth and half-truth, and it was the most agonizing experience he’s ever gone through.  Not even the torture of his childhood could cut this deep.

He’s never been one for attempting to drown his sorrows.  Normally, Homelander would go destroy something– maybe punch furiously through a glacier or launch himself into one side of a mountain and emerge from the other, but he felt truly and wholly weak.  Vought had been crafting an experimental alcohol that could intoxicate even the most powerful supes.  He never intended to be their first test subject.

Four and a half bottles of the stuff later and he was three sheets to the wind.  He stumbled through his penthouse for a time, snuggled up to Ben’s favorite also-forgotten blanket, ranted and raved with his other self in the mirror, and generally did all sorts of unbecoming things.  By the time he unscrewed the fifth bottle, he had managed to find enough courage to enter Benjamin’s apartment through the access panel he once used every day.

His normally graceful footsteps were anything but as he stumbled through the kitchen, back the hall, and into Benjamin’s bedroom.  The web-head had been sitting cross legged in bed and fiddling about on his laptop, and he certainly looked more than a little startled.  Homelander stood there for but a moment, staring, before breaking down into weak sobs.

“Miss you s’much!”  He sniffles, lip quivering.

Benjamin rose from the bed and approached him slowly, as if expecting a threat or violent act.

“Uhh… Homelander?  You okay?”  Ben asks carefully.  He’s unsure of how to handle the possibly nuclear situation that all but broken through his door, but he couldn’t just sit there.  “Hey, c’mon buddy, I got you.  Here, come sit down.”

Homelander lets the love of his life lead him to the desk chair he used to sit in regularly.  The thought makes him cry more.

“Can I have that?” Ben inquires with an outstretched hand.

Homelander forks over the bottle immediately.  He’d give his little spider the whole world if he asked for it.

The wall crawler reads the label for a moment before huffing a laugh.  “How many of these have you had?”

“Like four or seven. I dunno…” Homelander shrugs.

“That’s… a lot.” Ben declares.  He sets the bottle on the desk and spins the chair to face the bed, where he sits.  “Why so many?”

Homlander’s lip quivers again as he mulls over the possible answers.  His drunken mind can only muster one, though.

“I miss’ou s’much!”  He slurs in a way that would have his sober self feeling thoroughly humiliated.  “Y’were my world, but now I have no world ‘cuz you don’t like me anymore.”

Ben sighs softly.  This song and dance again… 

“For once I fuckin’ liked my life, but now you’re gone and I got nothin’ but your fuckin’ blankets to remember you by!”  Homelander lurches forward, startling the bug.  He presses his face to Ben’s thighs and cries against him.  “Meant everything t’me, please… Please come back!”

Ben can’t deny that there is a certain ache in his chest when he’s near Homelander.  But he doesn’t know  this man, only what he’s heard– which has not been good.  A part of him believes Homelander’s confessions, believes they really were an item, but he doesn’t know what to think of it.

He’s drawn away from his thoughts by Homelander’s knees hitting the ground with a heavy thud.  The god of the supes clings desperately to his dangling legs, crying his heart out.

He recalls Starlight’s words.  He always did have a soft spot for you.  We could use it to our advantage.

But that feels… wrong.

His hand smooths over the top of Homelander’s head and he swears the cries grow louder.

“Here, c’mon.”  Ben tugs at him to help him stand.  “Sit up here with me.  You don’t have to grovel, y’know?”  He directs Homelander to sit beside him.   Seeing the man with splotches of red on his tear stained face was certainly a huge difference compared to his usual cold, commanding expression.  Something about it made every cell in Benjamin’s body scream to give him a hug, so he did.

“What’s your name?”  The wall crawler asks.  “Like, your actual name.”

“J-John…”  Homelander sniffles.  “Y’used to call me–”

“Johnny?”  Ben doesn’t know if he was just able to assume that or if he somehow knew it, which is such an incredibly odd feeling. It wouldn't be the first thing he's known without actually knowing. 

Queue another lurching sob from his drunken visitor.

“Yeah!”  Homelander cries. He looks almost hopeful. 

“Look,”  the web-head moves away from him.  “I’m not… How do I wanna say this…”

John’s shoulders hunch as he prepares himself for disappointment. He should've known better… 

“I don’t know you.  But I guess I did– like, really well.  I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you, but… I just don’t know you.”  He explains softly.  “But I’m willing to give it a shot.”

Homelander’s eyes light up with excitement.  Hope stirs in his core and he swears the alcohol practically leaves his system in one go.  He feels a little more alert, at least.

“So… why don’t you stay with me tonight.  We can watch some shitty movies and talk about things.  Hopefully you’ll sober up a bit and you’ll be okay to go home tomorrow.”

At that, Homelander gave a laugh.  “I live two floors above you, silly!”  Feeling happiness bubbling in his gut had become such a foreign feeling over the past few weeks.  He thought he’d never feel it again.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ben laughs.  “But no supposed boyfriend of mine is gonna be allowed to drink and fly, so you’re stuck here till you’re good.”

By morning, Ben wakes to find Homelander curled against his side.  There’s an odd tranquility to it, and he even kind of likes it.  They decide to do it all over again the next night– sober, this time.  

And then the next night.

Two weeks go by and Benjamin finds himself elated to see Homelander every time.  He wonders how mad Annie must be with him, but ultimately can’t find it in his heart to care when he’s being flown around in those strong arms.  They touch down on top of the Queensboro Bridge– a location Homelander had described as one of their spots.  

They used to like to watch the sun set over the river, just as it was doing now.

“Pretty,” Ben lifts his mask and wears it more like a beanie.  Easier to bask in the beauty of the golden rays without the lenses.

“Sure is,” Homelander breathes, lips twitching into a smile when Benjamin catches him staring.  “Sun’s nice, too.”

“Psssh,” the bug giggles.  He chooses to recline on the rusty platform and Homelander follows.  Below, they hear the honks and insults of an instance of road rage.  They share a laugh and it all feels so familiar. 

Ben turns on his side to face Homelander.

“You’re not like everyone says, y’know.”  He declares softly.  Before Homelander can ask, he’s already elaborating.  “You’re sweet.  You're a hard ass with the team and you torture Ashley a bit too much, but you’re a good guy underneath all that badness.”

“Yeah, right.” John rolls his eyes.  “I’m actually evil, don’tcha know?”  He didn’t mean for that to sound as dejected as it did.

“Mm, well, I’ve always had a thing for bad boys,” Ben smiles sweetly.  “Especially ones with blonde hair.”

“It’s not naturally blonde.” John retorts, though he’s more than pleased when a gloveless hand rakes through his locks.  He didn’t even notice Ben taking it off.

“Still nice.” Benjamin replies, giving a gentle tug.  He scoots in a little closer, propping himself onto his elbow to lean just slightly over him.  

Homelander stares up at him with soft, doe-like eyes.  It practically makes him melt.

“I’m glad you got drunk that night.” Benjamin confesses. He can see the embarrassment flicker in Homelander’s eyes, but he only smiles wider.  “No, really.  You– I dunno if we’d have ended up spending time together if you hadn't just barged in like that. God knows I'm too nervous to ever make the first move.  But, I’m really glad you did.”

He traces the faint lines on John’s forehead with his forefinger.  As he trails it lower, he can see those beautiful blues dilate.  A tinge of red blooms in John’s cheeks.

“Cute when you blush…” Benjamin grins.  They still hadn’t done more than this.  Just laying next to each other, sharing mostly innocent touches. Not even a single fucking kiss. The sound of leather creaking preludes a bare palm resting on the back of his neck, and Ben swears the touch alone sends a shiver down his spine.

Homelander bites back every impulse to lean up and kiss his little spider like his life depends on it.  He’s fucking petrified of scaring him away, of losing what little progress he’s made.  So many times now he could’ve had him.  Could’ve swooped the boy off his feet and into bed if he’d just had the goddamn audacity to take what he wanted.  

But he was so afraid of driving him away.   He can’t lose him twice.  

He can’t.

So he shuts his eyes, sighs through his nose. Of course he was blushing like some sort of love struck fool.  That’s exactly what he is.

That finger brushes over his lips and he parts them on instinct.  It feels so good, so fucking good every time Benjamin touches him.  He aches for more, but he knows he must wait.  It’s why he doesn’t just dart his tongue out and suck that curious digit into his mouth. Ben has to want it too. 

“Sometimes I get flashes of things,” Ben tells him.  “The other night I remembered that you like this.”  

Homelander practically sings a moan when Ben dips his finger inside.

“You like milk, like… a lot.  You wear red briefs that always give you a little wedgie, but you don’t like wearing boxers– at least not in the suit.”  Benjamin begins, smiling fondly at him.  “You like pepperoni and bacon on your pizza, but you’d never admit it because you think it’s a bad look to even eat the stuff.”

He laves his tongue over Ben’s finger as he listens, staring up through clouded vision.  Had he really started to remember?  Such little things, but… maybe one day his precious Benjamin’s mind would be whole again.

“You think the funniest thing in the world is eating seafood in front of The Deep.”

With each musing of recalled memories, Benjamin leans a little closer until the only thing truly separating them is his own hand.

“We flew to a beach in New Zealand a few times. I got stung by a jellyfish that one time and you convinced me to actually let you pee on my leg!”  Ben laughs happily.  “Turns out it’s just a myth that pee helps the sting.”

Homelander chuckles at the memory, but tears up too.  His little spider was remembering.  Bit by bit, their life together was coming back.  Small things, but he’d take anything.

“We used to sit on the Chrysler Building a lot… I think I fed you ice cream up there once.”  Benjamin slips his finger free slowly, tracing it back over Homelander’s lower lip before cupping his cheek.  “We kissed for the first time on my couch…”

Even the slightest breeze would fucking knock their lips together.  John laid perfectly still, scared out of his mind that somehow the moment would be ruined if he so much as moved.  His lips parted and he fucking prayed.

“Much as I can't remember stuff about myself, I'm starting to remember you. And I really, really like you…” Ben breathed before finally closing the gap, sealing their new first kiss with a smile.  The bug felt fireworks explode in his body, tingling everywhere, searing his heart and mind with a fresh memory that felt so very old.

And Homelander… he’d be humiliated by the weak cry that shook him were he with anyone else.  He couldn’t help it.  The relief, the joy, the bliss– it was too much not to.  His head began to swim with every breath, every taste, and he could’ve sworn he was floating because–

Wait… He was. Just a little.

“Sorry,” he gasped against Ben’s lips, making the bug giggle that adorable sound that always sent a tingle straight to his heart.  “I got a bit–”

“I don’t mind,” Ben murmurs so sweetly.  The web-head plants the most tender kiss to his forehead before leaning back.  

It’s like seeing stars, the way those eyes sparkle above him.  It makes his heart feel fit to burst, like he could vibrate out of his skin from how happy he was. There was more than just a simple chance for them.  So much more.

“I don’t mind at all.”

From that moment on, he felt whole again– or, at least, as much as he ever truly could.  It took time, but Benjamin’s mind started to return.  Some things were still hazy, but he was there to fill in the blanks until the day came when he didn’t have to.   Eventually, it felt like nothing had ever gone wrong– save for Starlight’s attempts to woo his little spider over to the opposition’s side.

Homelander admittedly ended up taking an opportunity to roll Ben’s mask up a smidge and kiss him silly right in front of her, much to his little spider’s embarrassment. The look on Starlight’s face was fucking priceless, but that wasn’t the best part of it all.

The best of the best was waking up beside his little love bug every day.  When they would send their cute back and forth texts, spend their breaks together, eat dinner, relax, chase each other around the city– just… everything.  Every single thing they could possibly do together was the best part of it all.

Every second is a gift.

[brinefathomcaves]

100 Trinkets for Brinefathom Caves

A tiny bottle containing a drop of liquid gold that never dries

A child's drawing of a pirate ship

A broken-off cutlass hilt

A jar of mouth-numbing jellyfish jelly

A little mouse that likes to hide in your pockets

An albatross feather

A flute made from bone

A steel disk etched with the positions of constellations at the summer solstice

A tiny stone carving of a bird-headed, wing-armed woman

A dried out and fragile mermaid's purse*

A bloody hankerchief with embroidered flowers around the edges

Somebody's peg leg

A gold coin that's always damp

A rock-hard dried lemon*

A hand puppet that looks like a moray eel

A ring hung with rusty old keys

A tin cup etched with runes

A faded cameo portrait of a dwarf

A coin-sized stone that smells strongly of rum

A conch that sounds like someone singing when you hold it to your ear

A heavily-stoppered vial of super-spicy hot sauce

A dashing tricorn hat

A coconut lined with geode-like crystals

A pair of fins from a mermaid's tail †

Scissors that can cut sailcloth without making your hand tired †

A handful of dried fish eyes

Half a silver coin*

A six-sided iron teetotum with a different shell on each face

A dried puffer fish

A bottle of squid ink

A small rubber fish that squirts water when squeezed

A braided length of hair

A coin purse made from a clam

A tiny monkey's fist knot*

An actual mummified monkey's fist

A large scallop shell with Auran text etched into it

A pair of dice, each carved to look like a tiny coiled sea serpent**

A tiny wooden bird, delicately balanced on a round base, that acts as a weather vane

A weakly-magnetized iron starfish, a couple inches across

A polished steel mirror that only reflects you

A fern frond that's always green and fresh

A flag that blows into the wind instead of with it

A large cricket in an iron cage

A bone carving of a swallow*

A lover's eye pendant*

A pouch of bright blue sand

A small pot of pale green, pungent salve

A set of fanged wooden teeth

An articulated wooden hand

A vial of preserved, faintly-glowing lichen

Two square feet of a star-patterned quilt

A large, bushy false beard

Four brass buttons from a naval officer's jacket

A compass that points east instead of north

A piece of sea glass the shape and size of a smooth human heart

An empty but still great-smelling tin of tea from a far-off port †

A lantern shaped like an anglerfish †

A pipe inlaid with mother-of-pearl

A small jar of deep-sea fish teeth †

A leather eyepatch with a cat's eye embossed on it

A tin whistle that makes dolphin noises

A plush calico alligator with one button eye

Two halves of a sand dollar with gilding on the broken edges**

A pale blue glass eye**

A smooth pebble with markings that look like a face*

A minuature ship on a minuature sea in a minuature bottle. The sea reflects the state of the sea outside**

A sun-bleached wooden sign with an arrow painted on it

A scrimshaw etching of a ship on a large tooth*

A green bottle containing a letter from a shipwrecked sailor

A sea serpent's tooth, long as your forearm

A bottle containing seawater and a piece of living coral

A whittled wooden whale that sinks in water

A crystal deck prism

A small wooden goblet that doubles any alcohol poured into it †

A love letter neither written by nor addressed to you

A padlock that doesn't lock

A small piece of parchment with a large black spot on one side

A piece of gold lace*

A bronzed seahorse skeleton

A wind-up mechanical goldfish

A fist-sized lump of stone crudely carved into a chained, crouching man

A toy sailing ship

The flag from a pirate ship

A tarokka deck with simple black-and-white nautical-themed illustrations

A parrot skull with "Dear Polly" etched on the back**

A single earing hung with tiny bells

A necklace strung with shark teeth

A black bandana on which dragon are embroidered in gold thread

A cloak pin made from a shell containing a tiny immortal hermit crab †

An obviously-incorrect map of the surrounding sea

A saucy pinup drawing of a merperson

A woven silver bracelet that can magically turn into 10' of sturdy rope †

A necklace with an iron anchor pendant

A miniature replica of a lost ship's figurehead

A ring made from a spoon

A silver coin with a heart and initials etched onto it*

A few feathers tied together with a scrap of silk*

A compact with face powder and a powder puff

A yellow ribbon embroidered with initials*

A mask that looks like a horrible deep-sea fish

(Non-trinket rambling under cut)

I had help making this list! The other contributors (and the symbols that mark which entries they came up with) are as follows:

* @aranov

** Decoder13 (who isn't on Tumblr)

† @fishdavidson