#I NEED TO MAKE UP MY MIND THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME IM EDITING THIS

[bananafroggo]

Her Little Helpers

[Doodles + Better look at Corrupted Forms]

[zeninprincess]

pastries and documents; n. kento

wc: 2.8k | nanami kento x reader | office au

warnings: drinking 🍸, the use of 'name', no beta we die like kento

office romance au where nanami is your boss who is secretly in love with you, and you're pining him so bad. reader gets sick and nanami took care of her

a/n: this was supposed to be aizen but i feel like nanami would fit this better than aizen 🤭 also if there's still "aizen" or "grimmjow" in it my bad bro im writing this at 3 in the morning I haven't edited shit.

“good morning mr. nanami”

“morning ms. lastname”

nanami was a man who couldn't care less about feelings, love, or carnal desires. a man like him is someone whose calculated, precise, and self-sufficient. so, when a liability like you exist in his life, nanami could not stand the fact you light up his world, he needs to have you. you two were nothing alike, nanami being the calmer individu while you're a ray of sunshine, a bomb of glitter.

you see, despite you two being a co-worker, for nearly a year or so, you two had never interacted much, and when you do it's limited to “good morning mr. nanami” or when you bump into him in the middle of the day you'd say “good afternoon” “good evening” and when departing from office you’d say “see you tomorrow”

just because nanami is someone who prefers being a lone wolf doesnt mean hes a cruel boss to you, he was neither cold nor tough. matter of fact, contrary to popular beliefs, he was warm and approachable, he's easy to talk to. almost each time you say greetings or farewell he'd flash you a closed smile, or a on a rare occassion he would reply back depending on how he feels that day.

so when you find yourself for almost a year only interacting formally, what was the straw that finally made you decide to make a move first? there was no easy answer to this however, what really prompted you to pine him was the fact that you were drunk at a your co-worker’s celebration party.

that evening a fellow co-worker, had gotten the promotion to become the branch manager. satoru decided to throw a drinking party at a bar in which your boss, nanami was invited as well. after a few too many drinks you're left in a state half conscious. and even though the night is still young, and you know that, you were never a big drinker. even before this you have never really drank much. knowing this, satoru made fun of you for being a goody two shoes and you were having none of that so you tried your best to prove it to satoru's face.

‘tried’ being the keyword because after 3 glass of beer you're tipsy already, stuttering and blubbering anything that comes to your mind. little did you know, nanami watched you from across the table. observing silently, like a wolf stalking it's prey. back to you whose now on your fourth glass of beer you chug it all down gaining cheers from people hyping you up. you wipe the foam of beer that sat just right at the corner of your lip, and just when you thought it was over they ordered one more glass of beer. feeling peer pressured, you laughed and chug down the fifth, and then the sixth all in under half an hour.

then, there you are tipsy and disorganised. perhaps feeling bad, nanami interfered before satoru could coax you into drinking your seventh glass. “alright thats enough” he said as he adjusts his glass, walking over to your seat. and just when hes about to reach you, everything turned black. your body went into shock from alcohol poisoning.

waking up in the er, you found yourself dishevelled, missing one of your stocking and your black sweater. lucky youre covered in duvet, because people could see whats under your mini pencil skirt that you wear everyday to the office. you look around and found nanami sitting beside you, reading something you cannot quite make out. you try to sit up only to fall back into the not-so-comfortable hospital bed.

nanami turns his head to you, “easy, you could break that pretty little skull of yours” he chuckles as he helps you adjust your position. “w-what happened?” you ask, your voice raspy from dehydration. but before nanami could reply, a nurse and a certain white haired individual walks in.

“thank god… you could have a permanent brain damage. its because mr. nanami youre still alive!!” satoru said as he hugs you, his face shows guilt and especially concern about your wellbeing. “you see, you could have died, but thank god mr. nanami took you to the hospital as soon as you pass out. doctors had to pump your stomach to get the alcohol out of your system” satoru mansplained while you writhe in pain as you feel your head spinning around.

the nurse who was adjusting your iv, gave you a glass of water to reduce your migraine. nanami, whose sitting again now scolds satoru for pressuring you to drink more than what you can drink. you shot a weak smile as you thanked the nurse before she departed from the room.

thank god it was friday, you had saturday and sunday to rest. as nanami drove you home the next day, you couldn't stop thanking him for his action that saved your life and the fact that he paid for all your hospital bills.

“are you sure it's okay mr. nanami? i could send you back the-”

he cuts you off

“dont worry name, its my obligation to watch over other co-workers. besides, whats more important is youre alive and well” nanami replied followed with a smile. his eyes watched the road intently.

“i mean i know you would do the same to me name. im just returning the favor early”

you don't know why but that moved something inside of you. the way he articulate those words makes you feel a certain way. maybe its the fact hes so charming, or maybe how eloquent he is, dancing with words as if its his usual routine, it might also be the fact that he just have that natural charm, i mean the guy is enchanting, elegant, and articulate. but you would blame it to the fact that it's the first time you heard him talks about something other than stupid company stuff he usually discussed during meetings.

“right name?” he asks

“in a heartbeat mr. nanami” you replied. he clicks his tongue, the way his name rolls on your tongue sounds like songs of praises in his ears.

“call me nanami, or kento when it's just the two of us” you look at him, surprised by his request. you were surprised since you aren't even close to him hell, it's the first time you guys ever talk to these extent, somehow it felt like you knew each other for eternity.

that’s when you decided to return the favor by making him an apple pie on sunday morning. baking has always been your forte since you were young. with a family of chefs and bakers, you were taught how to bake sweets and pastries as soon as you could walk. and it grows on you because every time you have the opportunity to bake, you will do it and this one of the instances where you actually got a chance to do so.

monday comes, you walk into the office with files on your left hand, bag on your shoulder, and a freshly baked apple pie on your right hand. you knocked on his door with one of your elbow, then you opened the door. there he is, basking in all his glory with documents and files mounting all over his desk. he looks up to you. smiling, his eyes flicks into your right hand.

“i hope im not interrupting you, mr. nanami. i baked you a pie as a thank you gift” and with that you place the pie on his desk.

“oh you don't need to do this, but I guess thank you” he smiles. “uhhh its such a shame it's bigger than my stomach. if you dont mind, should we eat this together later?” he offered.

your words stumbled, your breath quickened, and your face turned red. “um, absolutely! but won't I upset your girlfriend?” you asked hoping he would say something like…

“i dont have a girlfriend”

oh… relief washes over you kmowing that nanami isnt taken, not yet atleast. well it's set then, you two are going to have lunch together.

this process repeats again and again. some day you found yourself wasting your break time to come to him, you even picked up his habits of staying up late in the office. and it was not unnoticed by your colleagues, especially satoru. he wonders if you got alcohol poisoning was a blessing in disguise. his boss who's now turning 35 finally found himself a girlfriend, or so he hoped.

despite the contrasting differences between you and nanami, you found yourself drawn to him like a moth to a flame, engaging into him more and more. each day you found yourself developing a crush on your boss. you even began to boldly flirt with him.

nanami on the other hand he's not really playing hard to get nor did he reciprocate, he was just there deflecting your sweet talks and your attempts to seduce him. although, deep inside nanami loves to see you try and pine him. he loves your attention and the pastry you bake him as an attempt to get him to fall in love with you.

he was a silent lover, he loves you from afar watching to his heart content, he loves when you do small things only he noticed. for example, when you're anxious you'd bite the nail of your thumbs, or how your fingers curls around your locks when thinking. he found all of that cute, it just fits you so perfectly. he also plays favourite with you, and it really stirred up your dynamic with your co-workers.

he would do things like extending your deadline, dismissing you whenever you're late, even giving you extra day off whenever he saw you depraved of your sleep. he would praise you here and there but he never really show how much he likes you, unless you really look into it.

your mother taught you that a way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and it's true because after weeks of baking him pastries, cake, sweets, spending lunchtime with him, he felt empty the day you didn't come to work and brought him his pastries as usual. your mom taught you well and nanami is the proof.

you never skipped a day working, even when he insists on giving you extra time off, you would deny the offer “i want to see you you know” you gave him the same excuse each time. until today, where you were nowhere to be found, not in the office kitchen, not in the cafeteria, and ofcourse your cubicle is empty.

nanami was alarmed by your absence from work, as you had never skipped a day before. he was also troubled by the fact that you didn't pick up his calls. He inquired about your location to satoru, who was smoking a cigarette outside the building while they both sipped their coffee. satoru then provided nanami with your information.

you were sick, you had high fever from getting wet when walking to the train station last night and now it made sense. nanami quickly called his secretary and told her to clear his schedule for the day. after that, he hurriedly drive himself to your house. he wanted to see you, he needed to see you. with a basket of fruit and a few medicine on his left hands and his briefcase on his right hand.

standing infront of your apartment door, a 6’1 man ringing the bell with each second he grew impatient, and he decided after the third time ringing your bell that he would invite himself in, but before he could do that he was met with a clicking sound of the white door.

looking up, your eyes met nanami’s. you were taken aback at the sudden appearance of nanami. sharp features adorned his already perfect visage. his suit is always neat with no signs of crinkles or stains. it's a stark contrast to your appearance now, with your hair tangled, covering yourself in your warm blanket, face pale as a ghost.

“can i come in?” he asks.

you took a step behind, letting him in.

“sorry if it's messy” you muttered under your breath, your voice has a hint of raspiness from lack of hydration, it was the same raspiness nanami once heard in the hospital. you invited him to your living room, setting down the medicine and fruits.

“tis for me?” you eyed the fruits and the meds. he nodded his head.

coughing non stop, he leads you down to your beige sofa. he put a palm on your forehead. you were burning up and nanami couldn't help but pray for god to just transfer all the pain you feel right now to him. he couldn't bear seeing you like this. then, he heard your stomach grumble loudly, and nanami couldn't ignore that.

“you haven't eaten yet? see, this is why young people these days get sick easily, they skip breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and- bla bla bla bla… you couldnt really process his scolding as you're too sick to argue back. seeing you rolled up in your duvet, trying not to fall asleep on the couch melts his heart.

-and the way you younglings live, my god you guys would rather stay up late to procrastinate more” his scolding came to an abrupt end when he felt your hand holding his. you didn't spoke any words but nanami understood.

“sorry, i'm just concerned for you” he paused “it's just, i don't want anything to happen to you” he elaborate further.

now nanami found himself pacing to your kitchen, taking off his blazer, loosening his tie, rolling up his sleeves. see, the thing about nanami is that he'd do anything for his loved ones, he may not be the best at cooking but he'll try and definitely succeed at that. he's planning to make you an egg porridge.

you desperately crawl to the kitchen trying to stop nanami from burdening himself but to no use, he carries you back to the living room and pins you on the couch.

“be a good girl for me, yeah? the porridge is already done so wait here” and you just nod. he smiles and paces himself to the kitchen once more before coming back with a tray of porridge and tea. “here, i know i'm not the best at cooking but atleast eat up for me” he said as he set the tray down to the table.

you eagerly sat up, ready to taste his food. he sat beside you and fed you with a spoon. “hey! im not a child. i can feed myself!' you protested, but nanami didn't give in. now you were being fed by your own boss whom you'd never have thought would do things to this extent for the sake of his ‘co-worker’

after a while the bowl is empty and you've taken your meds, the one that nanami bought you. he praised you for being good.

“so you do care about me nanami” you smiled as you teased him. expecting no response as usual, you were surprised when he replied back to your teasing. you followed him to the kitchen, he's doing your dishes while you sat on the kitchen island.

“of course i do. i'm worried sick for you!!” he exclaimed. “day and night I think of you, your wellbeing, your whereabouts. i sleep and the first thing i think about after opening my lids are you. when i see pastries i couldn't help but missing you, i breath for you, i want you no, i need you name” he confessed.

“ever since you started working here i-” he paused. “i was waiting for the chance to talk to you” he sighed. glancing at you.

your face reddened, the confession took you aback. he looked at you with loving eyes, it was as if nanami were drunk in love. “im not a man of many words but I always try” he continues his rambling while soaping up spoons “nanami… all these times i thought you're just being nice to me. i didn't know that you like me back”

“like?” he scoffed, not in a cocky way “no, no, you're wrong. i not only like you but I fell in love with you name” he continues to express his deep feelings for you.

“so…”

“be mine name, please. i can't stand the thought of you- mmph!!” he was cut with a deep kiss.

he didn't hesitate to kiss you back, deeper, more aggressive, it was full of desire yet gentle. you pull back and he's already missing your lips. “yes! yes i do!!”

“let me take you on a date, please” he begs. you chuckled and nodded to his request. “come here and kiss me already” he smiled as your lips dominate each other.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

bonus:

satoru cursed under his breath as he look at the clock, it was 11pm he found himself juggling between his works and your unfinished documents that nanami had forced him to finish during the days you were sick.

“god damn it. he better gave me a raise after this!!”

©️ zeninprincess 2024. reposting, plagiarizing, translating or claiming my works are strictly forbidden.

[anxious-witch]

So a continuation of this soulmate poly! JO au

So! Again, this is not my usual high quality stuff, isn't beta read or edited and I have been feeling kinda eh about writing lately so...yeah. Be warned before going into it. But so many of your wanted some sort of conclusion so I had to give you one. I hope it's at least somewhat satisfying.

This needed a warning for vomitting not the last one my bad, also TW for Bojan's general low self esteem

Bojan wasn't feeling well. And it wasn't only because he was hungover from the whole spiked drink yesterday. No. It was also due to the fact that now they all knew that he was their fifth soulmate.

He woke up surrounded by three of them. Jure was curled around his right side, with Kris' arm thrown over both him and Bojan. Bojan was snuggled in Jan's chest and Jan's hand protectively hovered over his head.

Nace was probably already up. Bojan laid there fir a moment. Soaking in the warmth. For once, his soulmark didn't ache but instead hummed pleasantly. 

It felt so natural, it was hard to remember why he was so scared of it. 

Then a sudden nausea hit him and he had to practically launch himself from the bed. Jan stirred and sleepily called out to him, but Bojan didn't turn. He ran to the bathroom, just in time to throw up in the toilet.

He wasn't sure how he ended up on his knees and gripping the toilet. He also wasn't sure when Jan joined him by sitting on the floor and rubbing his back. 

Only when he stopped throwing up for more than a few seconds did he lean more into the comforting touch. 

"Aren't you supposed to be angry at me?" Bojan mumbled tiredly.

"Oh, I am furious," Jan said easily, "I just don't see the point of having this conversation until you feel better."

Bojan made a pityful sound, closing his eyes. His head hurt, his stomach hurt, his soulmark ached. He just wanted to die.

"You might as well. I am feeling miserable anyway. We can go for full physical and emotional destruction."

Jan sighed and gently ran his head through Bojan's hair. 

"Kris went to make you tea and Jure to dig out some painkillers. Nace will probably make something to eat when he comes back from his run, if he hasn't already."

Jan scratched his scalp, like he was a dog. It was pleasant though and Bojan couldn't help but let iut a sigh and lean into it. 

"I don't deserve you guys."

The fingers in his hair froze. You said something stupid again, Bojan's mind hissed.

"We'll talk about that too."

"I'm sorry."

Jan continued stroking his hair, but didn't reply. Bojan's soulmarked burned like a brand. He hates you, he hates you, he will never forgive you-

Kris arrived at that moment, taking in their state. His eyes softened as he watched them.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit. I don't know if you are asking physically or mentally, but the answer is the same."

Kris crouched down and gently put his hand on Bojan's forehead. His eyes fluttered shut at the gesture.

"You don't have a temperature," he mused, "which means just a bad hangover. You should come back to bed. I bought a bucket if you are sick again. And there is tea and painkillers. Nace is making pancakes too."

Bojan felt a sudden pressure of tears. Why were they all so nice? So considerate? Shouldn't they be yelling and demanding an explanation? He felt like he'd prefer that. It was what he deserved.

"Bojan, hey, what's wrong? Does something hurt?"

Kris gentle voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he realized he was crying. He shook his head and covered him face. 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Why wre you all being nice? Why aren't you yelling at me? Why-"

"Shhh." 

Kris hugged him to his chest and Bojan's body shook im his embrace. He kept a litany of apologies through the sobs.

"Jan, go tell Nace to finish pancakes later. I will get Bojan to the bedroom. I think we all need to talk first."

Jan probably nodded, because Bojan heard him get up and step out of the bathroom. Then Kris gently picked him up. Bojan didn't even complain, simply buried his face in Kris' chest. 

He carried him to the bedroom.

"What happened? Is he alright?"

Bojan's heart squeezed at Jure's worried tone, but he didn't feel capable of answering. Which was why he was thankful for Kris.

"I am not sure. He started apologizing and then burst into tears. I think everything is hitting him just now. And you know how the bond can be overwhelming at first."

When he put Bojan on the bed, Jure curled at his back. Bojan reached out with one hand to him. 

And Jure took it, interlacing their fingers. His and Kris' presence calmed him down slightly. Enough for him to stop babbling apologies at least, if not stop crying yet. 

"Oh, Bojan," he heard Nace say from further away. 

Then two more bodies joined the pile. Bojan could recognize each, despite having his face buried in Kris's chest. 

That slowly made him calm down enough to stop the tears and carefully pull back from Kris' chest.

Kris didn't let him go far, gripping his waist when he tried to. Which was ridiculous, because they all surrounded him. He cleared his throat, blood rushing to his cheeks.

“Right. Can we just…get this over with, please?”

“Get it over with?” Jan hissed.

Bojan flinched a bit at his tone, ducking down to hide in Kris’ chest again.

“Jan,” Nace chastised him from somewhere behind his back, “Let's try and do this calmly.”

Jure squeezed his hand and then Jan swore, almost as if someone elbowed him.

“Fine.”

“Bojan, could you sit up, please?” Nace asked.

Did he have much of a choice at this point? Bojan sat up, suddenly much more aware of four pairs of eyes watching him.

He stubbornly stared into his lap.

“Tell us what happened,” Jure urged gently. 

“I was at the bar, I was flirting with a guy. He drugged my drink.”

Jan sighed loudly, but it was Kris who spoke up.

“That's not what we are asking. We want to know why you don't want us.”

That made him snap his head up, staring at Kris in disbelief. Kris, who was biting his lip and looked incredibly close to tears.

“What? I never said that!”

“You made it quite clear.”

Bojan felt as if he'd been slapped. He could take them being angry, or even saying they don't want him anymore, but he couldn't take them thinking he didn't want them.

“That's not true at all! Of course I want you!”

Kris did not look particularly convinced, hunching in on himself. Bojan met Jan's eyes instead.

“Then why didn't you say anything? Jesus, Bojan Kris knows you for a decade.”

“Because by the time I realized, the two of you were already together! And then I couldn't say anything because I thought that if you had each other, why would you want me?”

Jan took in a sharp breath and Kris paled noticeably, but Bojan wasn't done. He turned his eyes to Jure.

“So I kept silent, until Jure came along. And then he fit right in. Not just in the band, but with the two of you. And I thought, fuck, I'm too late. So I didn't say anything again. By the time Nace came into the picture, I-I had no idea what to do. Besides, we all know I would ruin this.”

Jure crossed the distance between them in a second, practically launching himself towards Bojan and pulling him into a hug. 

“Never,” Jure said vehemently.

Bojan felt a sudden wave of love wash over him. It took him a second to realize it wasn't coming from him, but from the Jure's side of the bond.

It was enormous and overwhelming and Bojan was completely unprepared for it. Which made panic seize his chest. 

Then, Nace was there, putting a hand on the back of his neck.

“Breathe. I know it's overwhelming at first, but just breathe through it. Jure, back up a bit he isn't used to the bond yet.”

The sensation eased up a bit, even if Jure didn't let go of him. Bojan took in a shaky breath. 

“Why do you think you'd ruin it?” Kris asked after a moment. 

Feeling their emotions in tandem with their words was new. Even without prying, he could feel hurt and worry from Kris. Bojan realized with a pang that that meant they could feel the turmoil of his emotions, too.

This was exactly what he wanted to spare them from.

“Because of this! I am difficult to deal with. I know all of you know it, because you had to deal with me. But that's different from being in a relationship with me. Kris met like, all of my girlfriends, he can testify.”

Jure's arms tighten against him, paired up with a slight pang of annoyance. Bojan bit his lip to stop himself from apologizing. They should be aware of what they were getting into.

He expected Kris to look angry or maybe defeated, but instead he looked thoughtful. 

“From what I remember of that, the biggest issue was you putting us and the band in general before them. Which wouldn't be a problem here, would it?”

Bojan stared. He never thought of it like that. 

“That's still not a good idea. I am difficult to deal with. You'll get tired of me.”

Jan snorted and Bojan turned to glare. Jan met his gaze calmly.

“Right. Because before this we never took care of you being sick every two to three weeks? Nace didn't calm you when you got panic attacks? Jure and I don't regularly feed you because you are unable to cook more than two meals? Kris doesn't have your schedule memorized and reminds you of what you need to do?”

Bojan felt as if Jan's gaze was burning through him, right into his soul. He ducked his head. Except, Jan reached out and Jure moved, curling at his left so Jan could tilt Bojan's chin up. 

“Look at me.”

So Bojan did, a zing of electricity going down his spine as he did so. Any rational argument he had got thrown outside of the window.

“You borrow our clothes and you cuddle with us and we are all together almost 24/7. Why the fuck would that change if we were in a relationship with you?”

Bojan opened and closed his mouth several times, feeling as if Jan had just knocked out all the cards from his hands. Like all the insecurities that held him back were insignificant in the face of Jan's argument.

His head suddenly started hurting even more and he closed his eyes.

“I don't know.”

“Alright. Postponing the rest of this for later. Bojan, go brush your teeth, we'll bring tea and painkillers in the meantime.”

Leave it to Kris to organize everything in a second. 

“Can't I get a coffee?” Bojan asked, peering at him and pointedly avoiding Jan's gaze.

��After we are sure you won't throw up again. Do you need help getting up?”

Jan finally let go of his chin and Bojan tried not to feel disappointed. He never kissed any of them properly, it was always something for the cameras. 

He wondered what it would be like to kiss them for real. 

That thought scared him enough to jolt him into action and he quickly got up from the bed. Too quickly, since dark spots began to dance in his vision.

Nace swore and reached out to steady him. 

“I'll go with him-”

“No,” Jan interrupted, “you go finish those pancakes. I got him.”

Bojan tensed. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jan, because he did. He trusted all of them with his life. The thing was, Jan seemed the most angry out of all of them and he didn't sugarcoat anything. Bojan wasn't sure how being alone with him would go.

No one protested though, Kris simply exchanged a long look with Jan and then nodded.

Bojan wondered if that simply cane with sharing a bond for so long and then he suddenly felt very, very lonely.

So he didn't protest when Jan took Nace's place and led him to the bathroom. He took his toothbrush and brushed his teeth. Jan walked closer and took his own, so they both brushed their teeth and Bojan tried not to think about how domestic that felt.

That distracted him enough for him not to notice that the toothbrush was the exact same one he had at home until after he finished.

“Since when does Nace have everyone's spare toothbrush?”

“Since we all started dating?”

Bojan started at Jan through the mirror. Jan calmly washed his mouth with water. 

“I haven't been dating you.”

Jan sighed as he stood upright again and put his toothbrush back where it belonged.

“No. But even before the soulmark, you were always considered welcome. I think…on some level we all knew.”

Bojan swallowed against sudden urge to cry again. 

“I should have known. The way you looked when we saw Nace's mark, I-”

“Don't say that. You didn't know because I didn't want you to. It's not your fault.”

Jan gave him a wry smile, shaking his head.

“Isn't it? Maybe if we figured it out sooner, you wouldn't think you were unwanted. For seven years, apparently.”

Jan's emotions were more guarded than Kris’ and yet, Bojan could practically taste the bitterness and hurt pouring from him. 

Bojan couldn't help but reach for him, but as soon as he touched his arm, Jan tensed. 

“I'm sorry. It-it's not your fault, okay? I promise.”

Jan pursed his lips.

“If you say so.”

He stepped closer then closer again, until their chests were almost touching. Jan didn't stop him, but also didn't make any moves towards him, either.

Bojan cupped his face and pressed his lips to his anyway, trying to pour all his mixed feelings into it. Then Jan moved, pinning him back against the sink. Bojan gasped and Jan took that opportunity to deepen the kiss.

There was so much longing in the kiss, Bojan kept trying to pull him closer, making a protesting noise when Jan pulled back.

“This is a bad idea. We need to talk this through first.”

“Oh.”

Jan was probably right. It was not a good idea, especially with the mess of emotions Bojan was feeling. Still, it was difficult not to feel a pang of disappointment. He felt…rejected.

He nodded and hung his head low.

“Fuck. Bojan that isn't-Hey.”

Jan lifted his chin once more and Bojan shivered. Something about the gesture made Bojan feel very small in comparison. 

“I am not rejecting you. This is just because I don't want to take this too far before you feel secure in the bond, okay?”

Bojan swallowed and watched and Jan's eyes traced the movement.

“Okay.”

Jan took in a deep breath and then took a step back. Then he extended his hand out to Bojan.

“Com'on now. The others are waiting.”

Then he was tugged back into the bedroom. Jure and Kris were sitting on the bed and talking quietly, while Nace still didn't return. They went quiet once they entered and Bojan tried not to fidget.

“Don't stop on my account,” he mumbled, trying to get under the covers.

Perhaps he could suffocate himself under the blankets.

“Wait! The painkillers!”

Bojan stopped halfway, and Kris handed his the painkillers and the water. He tried not to make a face at being treated like a child. Firstly Jan with pulling back and now the rest of them eith treating him like he was fragile. They cared and objectively, he was aware he scared them last night.

So he took them and handed the glass back to Kris. Then he got under the covers and buried his face into a pillow.

“Why is he sulking?” Kris asked, directing the question at Jan.

“He kissed me and I said I don't want things to escalate until he feels comfortable with the bond.”

“He wasn't too happy about that, huh?”

Bojan was about to snap at them for talking like he wasn't there, but then another person shuffled under the covers and pulled him closer. Jure.

Jure's emotions were always on the surface and Bojan could feel them much easier than Jan's. There was a sense of deep contentment that he didn't expect.

Jure pressed a kiss into his hair and Bojan felt his annoyance begin to dissipate. Kris shuffled closer and began petting his hair and-yeah, okay, he could get used to that.

He was starting to drift when Nace came back, announcing that the pancakes were done. Bojan groggily got up, rubbing at his eyes.

“You can eat later if you are tired,” Nace said with such a soft look, Bojan felt the need to squirm.

“But I want pancakes,” he protested.

Jan laughed.

“Just let him eat. Maybe that'll wake him up.”

Bojan glared.

“Maybe now I won't go exactly because of that.”

Jan smirked.

“Well good thing we can all carry you then, no?”

“No-”

Nace crossed the room in a few steps and picked him up as if he weighed nothing. Bojan squealed. He knew Nace could pick him up, but actually being picked up was quite different.

He wrapped his arms around Nace's neck, even if he was pretty sure Nace wouldn't drop him.

“Rude,” he mumbled in his neck. 

He was lulled once again into a feeling of contentment that simply radiated from the bond. Was it supposed to feel like that? Did it always feel like that for them? 

Nace gently dropped him in a chair at the dining table. Bojan absent mindedly reached for the pancakes while the others all took their seats.

“Does it always feel like that? The bond, I mean.”

Kris cocked his head.

“How does it feel?”

“Content. Calming. Like…things clicked in place.”

Kris’ gaze softened. 

“Not quite. There was always something missing. Like the connection flowed between the four of us and then it just…hit a wall.”

“Oh.”

Bojan fidgeted with his knife before anxiously taking the jam and smearing it over the pancake. He wasn't sure what to say.

“We have been waiting for you,” Nace added softly.

And this, this was exactly what Bojan wanted to avoid. He covered his face, willing himself not to cry again.

“This is why I didn't say anything. I don't-I can't complete you.”

“You already do.”

He began shaking his head, but then Kris was gently pulling his hands away from his face.

“We already acted like you are a part of this relationship, excluding kissing and sex. You already cuddle and steal all of our clothes. You hate being alone so you are in one of our apartments half the time. You already act like you are our boyfriend, this is just a confirmation you belong with us.”

Bojan felt speechless again. So he did one thing he could think about at that moment. He kissed him.

This kiss was much softer than the one he shared with Jan. Kris kissed almost hesitantly, as if not believing he was real. When Bojan tried to press harder, someone cleared their throat and Kris pulled away.

Of course it was Jan.

“Still not a great idea Bojči,” he reminded him.

Bojan stared at Kris, who was still kneeling by his chair, looking a bit dazed.

“Maybe not such a bad idea, if it'll help convince him,” Nace said, shrugging, “But we should wait until after breakfast.”

Bojan's brain came to a screeching halt.

“C-convince me?”

Jure sighed.

“That we want you. Obviously.”

Bojan swallowed. Don't think about it. But Kris was already kneeling and-

“Kris, go sit in your chair before Bojan has another crisis. And let's just finish eating first, yeah? Then we can discuss other things.”

He felt his cheeks heat at Jan's words and Jure chuckled. Kris simply rolled his eyes and went to take his seat.

They all began to eat and Bojan just tried to take everything in as they fell into easy conversation like nothing had happened.

His world tilted on its axis and…kept spinning, almost exactly the same as it had before. And surely, this would change things. Perhaps even his fears would be confirmed with time.

But for now, Bojan sat with four of his soulmates that he loved more than anyone else and simply let himself breathe.

Bojan was born with four stripes on his stomach. Yellow, red, purple and blue. And for the first time, his pink joined into the rainbow it created.

[motleyfam]

I posted 2,267 times in 2022

36 posts created (2%)

2,231 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@desperatecheesecubes

@mooitstimdrake

@batshit-birds

@sohotthateveryonedied

@sun-moon-stars-jedi

I tagged 454 of my posts in 2022

#the batman - 25 posts

#fave - 18 posts

#batfam - 9 posts

#atla - 9 posts

#bruce wayne - 8 posts

#dick grayson - 7 posts

#damian wayne - 6 posts

#this sparks joy - 6 posts

#amen - 6 posts

#tim drake - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#thinking of that ‘superman wrecking a whole ass train to save a child on the tracks who he could have just swooped away from danger’ post

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

hey! so its 4am and ive just finished my, um... fifth(?) reread of world's saddest breakfast club and like! aaahhhh!!!

do u got abything to tell us abt this story? like sbt the writing proccess or things u thought that did not make it in or hc or anything really. i dont have a question exactly, just wanted to hear you talk about it. im a bit. well. obssesed.

Oooh cool question! I definitely do!

World's Saddest Breakfast Club: Fun Facts

The opening line is a result of me angsting to @batmoniker about how I couldn't figure out how to start my fic, and her jokingly being like "I got you, bro. Ready? 'It was a dark and stormy night'" and then me just being stubborn and committing to the bit.

The story started with a vague idea of "everyone in the kitchen at 3am for different reasons and Jason channeling his inner short order cook." All I knew going in was the order I wanted people to appear, what was wrong with them (sick, hurt, insomnia, etc) and what food Jason would be making for them. Everything else I made up as I went.

If I could go back and change one thing about this fic, I'd reduce how long Jason was kidnapped to like, 6-8 days, max. 16 days seemed funny when I wrote it, but in hindsight, I feel like he'd be a little more fucked up in the story if he were really escaping from that many days of captivity lmao

I headcanon Dick as the kind of person who straight-up forgets to eat when he's preoccupied, and Jason as the kind of person who cannot FATHOM this concept. Jason absolutely will miss a meal if the situation calls for it, don't get me wrong, but he's aware the entire time he's doing it and it makes him super antsy. (This once turned into A Thing™ when Jason was like, 13 years old and staying with Dick for the weekend for some brotherly bonding and Dick forgot about lunch and by 5pm, Jason maybe sorta kinda had a minor panic attack about it. Dick was a lot more mindful of that moving forward)

Bruce's favorite food being lobster thermidor is a reference to the Lego Batman movie

I wrote this whole fic with Julia Child's recipe pulled up in one tab and my google doc in the other

At some point I realized that since I started with fresh lobsters, I was going to have to write Jason killing them, and it derailed me so hard that the fic nearly became about meatloaf instead. (Never mind the fact that Jason canonically kills human beings — that's totally fine. I just draw the line at him killing lobsters 😰)

(in the end I just kinda glossed over it and made sure they were already cooked before Damian appeared so I wouldn't have to address it 😬)

Dick's reoccurring shoulder injury is a reference to the DCAU where I swear that man has dislocated his shoulder/injured his arm at least 4x

The line about Tim being allergic/throwing up when he eats eggs was inspired by a line in chap 11 of @goldkirk's fic Hymn, which I've reread about 37x

Jason is correct— grits are fucking delicious and definitely not baby food.

My favorite line is "Okay there’s self-sacrificial bullshit, and then there’s whatever the fresh hell that is."

The idea for Cass being a big meat-eater comes from a comic panel where Steph offers her a plate of rice and beans and Cass says needs meat and starts mischievously eying Steph's hamster. Can't find the panel to save my life, but I promise it's out there.

EDIT: finally found it!

Steph's nickname of "Zombie Boy" for Jason is borrowed from @audreycritter's Cor Et Cerebrum series (which is a fucking masterpiece, btw)

This fic was gonna be called "Creatures of the Night" until batmoniker said Steph's line made for a better title

Several people have asked me whether Jason was really cooking Bruce's lobster to spite him, or if he was actually intending to make it for him all along. The answer is... both? Like Jason's kind of an unreliable narrator in that he's trying to convince himself that he's just doing what he's doing to be a little shithead when deep down it's all stemming from his need to take care of his family, you know? Like he'll never admit it, but that's where his heart is at.

To everyone who's asked for a part 2 where the family finds out Jason was kidnapped, I'm gonna be honest: the main reason I don't think I'm ever going to write that scene is because I can't come up with a good enough joke for him to make to accidentally out himself ☠️

90 notes - Posted September 18, 2022

#4

Imagine Bruce starting therapy and learning about all these cool new tricks and gadgets that can help with emotional regulation and getting super invested (because I mean, c’mon, the dude’s like the king of gadget hoarding, he’s got a utility belt for goodness sake)

Then imagine the learning curve of him realizing that just because something works great for one of his kids, doesn’t mean it works for all of them, as illustrated by this memorable incident:

Jason gets really upset and starts having a minor panic attack about something

Bruce, proud owner of 14 new weighted blankets (in various styles, weights, and sizes), tries to wrap his adult son up in one to ground him

After all, Bruce himself finds them super comforting because it’s basically a socially acceptable alternative to wearing a massive Kevlar cape 24/7 like he’d do if he could

(Tim loves them too, so like, kid tested, parent approved™️)

Ends up totally backfiring when the added weight & restricted movement sends Jason into a full-blown flashback of digging out of his own grave, taking this panic attack from like a 4 to a 10

Whoops

130 notes - Posted December 6, 2022

#3

Sometimes I get really hung up on trying to make all the logistics and time frame work out in my fanfics

Then I see how the professionals handle this dilemma:

211 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

#2

I have a headcanon that Dick doesn’t actually like cereal nearly as much as he pretends to.

He just knew that Bruce felt bad about his own cooking ineptitude in the early days after taking his new ward in, so whenever Alfred had the night off, the 9-year-old insisted cereal was his ‘favorite food on the planet’ because it was something that Bruce could actually handle preparing for him without setting off the smoke alarms and it made him happy to do it

372 notes - Posted April 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Tim hardly ever wears seatbelts.

It’s not a conscious choice at this point really, he just never got into the habit. When he outgrew his last car seat at age five, his parents didn’t bother getting him a booster and just let him sit in the normal seat, so the belt always felt like it was cutting into his neck and he hated it. He put up a big fuss about it once on the way to some important event, and his parents just huffed, “Fine, don’t wear it then. Fly out the window for all I care” and that was that. They never forced him again.

He just so rarely has to wear one that it slips his mind. Buses don’t have seatbelts. Motorcycles don’t have seatbelts. The Batmobile has them, but they’re rarely used due to the necessity for split-second drop ins and getaways.

It’s not until he’s 17 and driving with Jason somewhere that he finally gets called out on it. Not only called out, but told in a no nonsense sort of way “This car ain’t moving till I hear a fucking click. What, did they stop showing ‘Red Asphalt’ in drivers ed while I was dead??”

(They do still show it. Tim just slept through that class)

557 notes - Posted November 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[yarnclan]

I read Riverstar's Home and dang do I have mixed feelings.

For one thing this is the only DotC era book I've actually read, and it was kinda hilarious to get a vastly abridged distant perspective of the events of those books form a guy who was like "y'all are weird, but uhh keep on keepen on i guess". Its was interesting enough as someone who'd only heard summaries of those events, but I'm not sure River Ripple's persepective added a lot, since he was pretty distant from the events. And i think that the River Ripple specific stuff felt a bit condensed. So the pacing felt kinda off.

The reframing of RiverClan as more of an outsider within the set is interesting, being the group that doesnt really participate in the actual fighting during the battle of Fourtrees, and are genneraly much more removed from the others and have a fundementally different outlook. I've always kinda seen SkyClan as the "fifth wheel" of the clans, when they were way more central to the formation of the clans. It ties into the central tragedy of RiverClan's existence and Riverstar's life.

Its one of those things that im not sure if it was intended, from what I've heard of the book River it seems like it might be? But River Ripple's dream of a group that doesnt claim ownership of land and offers free and voluntary association, his dream that he could change the mountain cats to understand and respect his point of veiw, if not adopt it themselves, is a failure. By the time of the modern clans RiverClan is very much like the other clans. Fighting over territory and prey, bloodshed and fighting for the sake of fighting. Its a shift thats shown even in the pages of Riverstar's home. And one that kinda feels a bit forced. Especially in the case of Night, who was so oposed to even becoming a "group". It might be my anarchist baise, but I think River Ripple was inntially correct, in that borders only create violence, and once established cause a self-perpetuatng cycle that doesnt really benifit anyone. I guess its a tragedy that a cat like Clear Sky couldnt let go of his fear and trauma and insisted on putting the clans on that path... of course only for SkyClan to be driven out generations later... dang... a book or fanfiction from Clear Sky's perspetive watching all that go down would be kinda cool. Anyways, always remember, boarders are violence and fear is the mind killer.

Also considering how xenophobic the modern clans are its odd that the 1st generation StarClan is so insistent in their need for the clans to "grow and spread", to the point where Riverstar is actively trying to recruit cats. There's not ever been pushback from StarClan when the modern cats take in outsiders (that i can think of) and theres not really a rational way to justify the xenophobia that many of them showcase. StarClan could probably make a point to tell the modern clans to ease up a bit... my headcannon is that twoleg encrochment on the old forrest drastically reduced the abundance of prey and left the clans in a far more precarious position. Leading to a lot more xenophobia and tighter boarders, resulting in a self perpetuating streak of nationalistic pride. (I started writing this before reading Ivypool's Heart but some of the stuff in that book feels like confirmation of this)

This is the second super edition I've read where this pro-borders pro-clan natiotionalisim theme comes up against other groups that are like "that seems kinda dumb and like its causing you all to fight each other all the time for no real reason" and the books are kinda written like we are supposed to not really agree with those cats, while also not providing an actual example of why boarders and nationalisim is a good thing??

My other issue with Riverstar's home thats actually an issue with the writing and not my political stuff, was the romance between Riverstar and Finch. It felt uhhh really rushed and kinda tacked on because StarClan forbid we let an important cat get away without some confirmed babies. I think it could have been kinda neat if Finch had stayed in the park. Maybe one of the kits eventually coming to RiverClan after hearing stories of their father. It would make Finch's character stronger if she truely was like, "I love you, but I won't be happy in a Clan, and my place is here." They would also still be connected by the river which would be thematically beautiful. She just kinda felt underdeveloped and stuck in there for the purpose of giving the main character a mate, which is a common problem in warriors, especially with the DotC books from what I've heard.

While I really like that Night doesn't end up being mates with Riverstar she was at least a developed character with a strong relationship with River. I did also fear that Drizzle was gonna be pushed as his mate, but they didn't do that for once. Anyways the whole mate thing is kinda more a symptom of the pacing issues. That so much time is dedicated to distantly recapping DotC only for the unique elements to be rushed.

I actually did enjoy the book despite my complaints, as I do most Warriors books. I liked Riverstar as a pov character because of his unique spirituality and ways of thinking. Its too bad that kinda fades at the end, but I am interested to see more of him again when River eventually releases in paperback.

[machine-gun-casie]

Last Name, Middle Name

soulmate!au. thats all im gonna say.

edit: i now know that richard is not colson’s first name, but like idk man roll with it

wc: 2.3k

The collar of the jacket scratched at Colson’s neck as he drove into the school’s parking lot. Casie sat him down and demanded he wear something to cover up his tattoos before he left the house. She led him by the hand to his closet and pulled out her favorite windbreaker of his.

Colson chuckled at Casie’s threats of never talking to him again if he took off the jacket when he got there as he walked out. When did she get so big?

He took a deep breath and got out of the car. He headed towards the door with the words ‘Welcome Parents!’ on a big banner and braced for the worst.

Colson had attended teacher conferences before, especially during Casie’s fifth grade year. That was the year ‘Rap Devil’ came out. It was also the first time Colson feared that his daughter would turn out like him. They were called in every day because of Casie’s fights. But every time they went into a conference, he was with Casie’s mom.

Today was different though. It was Emma’s soulmate anniversary. Five years ago today, she met her soulmate Brandon. Colson didn’t mind Brandon, he was a nice guy. He was great with Casie and a good partner to Emma. He couldn’t deny that they were perfect together. Kind of the point of soulmates, he reminded himself.

He always said how he didn’t get the hype when it came to soulmates, but the truth was he was just tired of waiting. He also blamed himself most days because his career was kind of the reason. 

Everyone had their soulmate’s first name tattooed somewhere on their body. Each set of soulmates had their tattoos in the same spot. When you introduce yourself to your soulmate with your first name, their tattoo would heat up and then change color. This process was obviously hindered by Colson’s many names, Machine Gun Kelly, MGK, Kells, and many many more. He barely introduced himself as Colson anymore. 

Emma and Brandon had their 5th anniversary planned months ahead of time, but Emma was prepared to drop her plans. She had never missed a meeting in all of Casie’s years of school. But Colson knew how important this night was for her, so he told her not to sweat it. He would go alone.

A receptionist greeted him at the door with a smile that faltered into a look of confusion. “Hi, can I help you?”

She looked like she was prepared to lead him to anywhere but the classes, because no way would he be here as a parent. But he didn’t blame her. Judgement was nothing new to him. 

“Yeah, I need a list of my daughter’s classes. She wrote one out for me but I forgot it.”

“Oh, you’re a parent.” She replied. Could she be any more of a stereotypical judgemental Karen? “Of course, come right over here.”

The Karen led him over to a computer and printer set up in the corner of the room. It was clearly anticipated that parents wouldn’t know their kid’s schedules apparently, and for that he was glad. At least he wasn’t the only parent who didn’t know the specifics of their child’s academic career. Who had time for that? (Honestly, did anyone have time for that? He could barely remember where he needed to be on a daily basis, let alone anyone else.)

“Can I have her last name, please?”

“Baker.”

“Baker… Oh my, are you Casie Baker’s father?” She beamed at him. Woah, what a quick mood change. 

“That’s my baby girl.” He smiled at her, still a little reserved.

“That girl is the sweetest little angel!” The Karen spoke as she typed away at the computer to print out Casie’s schedule. “She actually helped me set up this computer yesterday. Casie’s the kind of girl that would make any parent proud.”

“She makes me proud to be her father every day.”

After the surprising compliment, the Karen finally handed him the schedule. “So it says here that Casie’s got four subjects this semester other than her electives. So you’ll only have to visit four teachers today. If you look over here,” She pointed out at the paper. “It says the names of the teachers, what they teach, and their room number. If you get lost, there’s volunteering parents all over that can help you out.”

“Thank you for your help.” Colson nodded, glad to get out of that conversation.

He went down the list one by one. First it was the science teacher, Mr. Chester. Colson didn’t like him very much and he was sure the feeling was mutual. Mr. Chester’s attitude eerily resembled that of his father’s and he was not a fan. But the old guy had nothing bad to say about Casie, only that if she had any questions to ask him during lunch or after school. Colson took note of that in his journal, not wanting to let Emma down.

After Mr. Chester was Mrs. Dale, the history teacher. She was nice, he liked her. She had a jar of skittles on her desk and only the best to say about Casie. Mrs. Dale asked if he was Casie’s older brother and Colson had to hold back a snort. When he corrected her, she told him he looked too young to have a daughter in middle school. He told her he was, but instead of judgement, she praised him on how Casie turned out. Yeah, he really liked her.

The third teacher was Mr. Hendrickson who taught Casie math. It turned out that Mr. Hendrickson taught A.P. Calc at Colson’s high school, but he preferred teaching younger kids. Mr. Hendrickson remembers the trouble Colson caused in school and told him he was glad he got his act together. He was quite frank and said he never expected him to be a present father but he was pleasantly surprised. Colson left that room proud but also a little offended. What was he supposed to respond to that? Thank you for thinking I was a shitty person and now you changed your mind? Whatever.

The last room on his list was room three hundred and twenty nine at the end of the hall. When he walked into the room, he saw you and a girl that looked to be Casie’s age. You were young. Not insanely young for a teacher, just much younger than everyone else he met today. He relaxed a little, knowing you would probably be the least judgemental out of them all. Well, hoping not knowing.

“Sweetheart, you gotta go.” You giggled at the young girl. “I have to talk to the parents, not the students.”

The little girl sighed dejectedly and pulled you into a hug. She slowly pulled away and skittered away to the door, throwing a chirpy ‘bye!’ behind her.

“Sorry about that.” You chuckled and stood up, stretching your hand out to Colson who walked over to your desk. “I’m Ms. l/n, the english teacher.”

Colson shook your hand and sat in the chair placed for the parents. “Hi, I’m Colson. I didn’t know students could come today.”

“Oh, they can’t. She was supposed to be waiting for her mom in the car, but she popped in to say hello.” You explained, smiling at him. “You must be Casie’s dad.”

“I uh- Yeah, I am. How did you know?”

“I’m psychic.” You chuckled. “No, you’re just the last parent on my list. I had all the students write down if their parents were coming and who I should expect. I was told by Casie that I had to inform her if you came without a jacket on?”

Colson chuckled and shook his head. “She really doesn’t trust me, does she?”

“She should, I see a jacket. But if you’d like to take it off, I won’t tell.”

Colson spoke as he unzipped the dreaded windbreaker. “She’s embarrassed of my tattoos, says none of the other parents have as many as I do. And that I’ll scare the teachers.”

He was wearing a simple white shirt underneath, but you gathered if his arms were that inked then so was everything else. “She’s not wrong. Pretty sure Mr. Chester would have had a heart attack.”

“That guy didn’t like me with the jacket on, trust me.” Colson chuckled. “So, how is she? Is she good in your class?”

“If you’ve seen all her other teachers, I’m sure you don’t need more reassurance from me Mr. Baker.” You began.

“Please, call me Colson.”

“Colson,” you said, albeit a little shyly, “your daughter is an excellent student. If you’d like to see her first quiz-”

Colson held his hand up and shook his head. “I’m not here for that.” You shot him a confused look and he sighed. “I was never good in school, so I don’t care about the grades. As long as she’s passing, I don’t really care. What I care about is what she’s like in class. Is she good with the other students? Does she respect you?”

You felt your chest warm up at his words. As a teacher, you knew the best parents were those who asked about their child’s behaviour and not their grades. And Colson seemed to be an exceptional parent. “Your daughter is one of the sweetest and most respectful students I’ve had since I started teaching. Not only is she so incredibly kind, she is brilliant. She’s ahead of everyone in the class, so she’s started helping them out during recess. Without anyone telling her to, might I add.”

Colson’s eyes lit up as he processed your words. “She’s doing that good?”

You nodded. “Our first unit is poetry and Casie knows how to string her words together so well. She told me she learned it from you?”

“Oh, I didn’t think she was paying attention.” He chuckled to himself. When he saw your questioning eyes, he elaborated. “I’m a musician, I write songs all the time. It became my job when Casie was born. She’s been around it her whole life but I never thought she cared to pay attention.”

“Well, she clearly has.” You explained as you looked through her file that you had prepared. You pulled out one of the assignments and handed it to Colson. “She’s written quite a lot about you actually.”

Colson gingerly took the paper in his hand and stayed silent as he read it.

“Wow.” He spoke after a moment. “Can I- Can I keep this?”

“Of course.” You smiled. “We’ve got scans of everything, you’re welcome to take it home with you.”

“Thank you.” Colson beamed at you as he folded the paper and tucked it into the notebook he had with him.

And so the conversation went on. It started off with Casie of course, it was why he was here in the first place. But then Colson recalled a few middle school memories of his own. And so did you. And then it went from middle school to high school and Colson’s stories were too entertaining to do anything but listen. 

He made to get up at one point, apologizing for wasting your time, but you told him he didn’t need to leave. You reminded him that he was the last parent of the day and you still had to stay for another hour before you could go home. It sounded less desperate in your mind but he still stayed. You noted how it barely took any persuasion for him to sit back down.

For the first time in a long time, Colson felt comfortable talking about what was on his mind. You listened intently and didn’t just tell him what he wanted to hear and Colson found it insanely refreshing.

Ava, the eight grade english teacher from across the hall and your close friend, walked into your classroom without knocking. When she barged in, you turned to see what time it was and you were kind of taken aback. It was obvious that she was not expecting anyone to be in your classroom with you at three fifty six when you could clock out at four. “Hey y/n, I’m heading- Oh! Sorry, I didn’t know you still had meetings.”

“It’s alright.” You smiled at her. “Text me when you get home, I’m walking today.” She nodded and left, mouthing ‘hot dad!’ to you when Colson turned back to face you. You raised your eyebrows at her, telling her to stop. She giggled and backed out, leaving you two alone again. 

You laughed and faced Colson. “Sorry about that, she usually drives me home.”

“What did she call you?”

“What?” You asked, not knowing what he was talking about. “Oh! Yeah, sorry. My first name is y/n, I only go by Ms. l/n when it comes to students and parents.”

His eyes grew wide when that spot on his thigh he always tried to ignore started heating up, confirming his suspicions. He had your first name on his thigh. But you didn’t say anything when he introduced himself to you. If you were his soulmate, then why did nothing happen when he told you his name? Was he a dud? “But I introduced myself to you…” He mumbled to himself. 

“What?” You asked, not understanding what he meant. It took you a split second to understand. You just introduced yourself to him using your first name. His first words to you were his name. If he was feeling something now, why couldn’t you feel anything when he introduced himself to you?

“I even told you to call me-” Colson paused.

“Are you saying you felt your tattoo?” You asked, not entirely sure you were reading the situation correctly. Or hoping that you didn’t read it correctly because if you did it meant that something was very wrong. 

Colson slapped his hand onto his forehead. “Holy shit, I am the stupidest man alive.”

“Colson, what’s going on?”

“Colson isn’t my name.” He chuckled, his head hanging low. Your confusion only worsened at his words. “It’s not my first name, Colson is my middle name. I’m sorry, I’m so stupid.”

He finally looked up and smiled at you. “Nice to meet you, my name is Richard. Richard Colson Baker.”

[kamari333]

Got tagged by @starsgivemehp for this meme!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

I'll go backwards from last update, if thats okay? First paragraph of each first chapter...

mind the tags and be responsible <3

iNVaDeR FeLL: The Nightmare Begins :: The Irken Empire (which had retained its name even after the shift in management brought about by the events of Operation Impending Doom I) was more alive than it had been in years. Signs replayed message after message redirecting convention-goers how and where to attend the Great Assigning in the Main Convention Hall on Conventia, one of the many planets conquered and repurposed for the good of the Empire. The teleporter ring was blazing almost as brightly as it once did before OID1, only this time, it brought to the surface not Irkens, but Monsters; creatures of every shape and size. They came not only from the 'kingdom' that had overtaken Irk (they called themselves 'Fell'), but those from the 'kingdoms' of conquered worlds as well, which had been expeditiously subjugated in a fashion worthy of the Irken Empire.

How Dance Got a Picture of Lust Covered in Kittens :: "there's sammaches in th' fridge," Red mumbled, feeling the lunchbox lid click shut under his claws. "'r if ya want some'n lighter, there's soup in th' freezer. just gotta nuke it..."

Burlesque Noir :: Lust peeked around the curtain to look out at the crowd, as he had done so many times before the last few days. The speakeasy was full and vibrant and alive as it was every night, as swanky a joint as Grillby could make it and still keep it safe. As packed as it was, however, Lust didn't see any sign of his favorite patron.

It Could be Worse :: Life... Could be worse.

An Anthology of Dreams :: Sans was at his desk, as always, analyzing his latest attempt at a synthetic soul compound. His last two-thousand-and-twenty trials had been devastating failures, but even Dr Gaster was intrigued by his steady progress.

The EMV Anthology :: Red had a love-hate relationship with the holiday season.

An Anthology of Nightmares :: Sans stumbled out of his room just in time to escape. He had no idea what was coming, he only knew his years of fighting for his life underground was screaming that he had to move his bony ass if he wanted to live. Just as he crossed the threshold of his bedroom into the hallway, there was a loud crash. When he looked back, his whole room was gone.

A Growing Future :: Red stumbled out of the house, squinting at the glare of sunrise peaking like a glinting knife over the neighbor's rooftops. The air had a crisp chill to it, made all the more shocking by his lack of a shirt, but he knew it would be overly warm in only a few hours, and there was a lot of work to do.

Kinktober 2020 : Kamari333 Edition :: HI FOLKS! Beyond this point you will find 72.5k words of pure, unadulterated, self indulgent, Undertail-themed SIN, ~57.7k of which was prewritten in September, the rest in October, all written and published for Kinktober2020. This year, due to conflicting schedules, the sin was written in September, to be published on time in October. Please note that there may be plenty of typos, although I will/have since gone back and fixed some of them since I'm garbage and read my own stuff, and this year I have been indulging in the use of my lovely betas!

A Night in the Woods :: Red bit back a curse as he once again had to detangle his phalanges from the flimsy tent material. Stupid-ass cheap plastic bullshit, so thin he could breathe on it wrong and watch it disintegrate, but the packaging said it somehow kept out wind and rain, and that was honestly all he could have asked for. That, and perhaps that the piece of shit stop snagging on his claws every five god damn mother fucking seconds, fuck-

Arum :: The room was pitch black, save for a nearly indiscernible ambiance that glowed low and dim like the twilight right before the true darkness of night. The walls and floor of the room oozed with a viscous substance that stank of fermentation and rubber. At the end of the room, upon a throne of black stone, sat a diminutive figure from whence the slime seemed to originate, itself drenched in it to the point of blackness save for the singular glow of one lavender eyelight, shining like poison in the darkness.

Poignance :: Sans Blueberry pulled on his modified gloves, rolling his shoulders to make sure his makeshift pauldrons were cinched tight enough. The scalemail he wore under his chestplate made a soft noise, not quite the clink of chainmail, but not quite the hiss of cloth or leather either. He fingered at the tiny plates over his torso before pulling his bandanna back on around his neck, grateful to Alphys again for donating her sheds, and Undyne for reinforcing them so they wouldn't turn to dust.

Those Feelings at the Bottom of a Bottle :: Ink carefully managed his supply of emotions, keeping his usual level of orange (excitement) and yellow (happiness) as he made his way back through the house. The crowd of people, with their ever-vivid colors and gold-glittered eyes, made it easy to blend in and keep himself inconspicuous to the ever watchful guardian. It was like a game of hide-and-seek: Ink hid, and Dream looked for anything potentially amiss.

A Skeleton Plague Doctor in Lord Dream's Court :: Falsi woke up from a restful sleep on his examination table, shifting under his thick black blanket (one of the few luxuries he was allowed, usually kept hidden away in his bedroom with all the other small luxuries he had managed to keep, like his collection of skulls, his beast fur pelt, his mask, and the tapes and videos of a more personal nature he had collected over the years). He slid down to the floor, thankful once again for the mercy of a windowless apartment, as he folded his blanket and stumbled into the adjacent room: his bedroom.

Bad Day :: Edge was used to getting ominous messages from Red at odd times. It was just the nature of any relationship Red was involved in.

Burlesque (Censored) & (Uncensored) :: Of all the bars Red frequented in Ebott City, this was his favorite.

Happily Ever Laughter :: It was almost midnight. Papyrus had been sitting at Muffet's bar, enjoying his third (or was it fourth? Fifth? Hard to say) glass of Spider Cider, when he got the call. He pulled out his phone, surprised. That was his brother's ringtone. He flipped it open. "heya, bro. wazzup?"

Egg on Arrival :: Slinky could feel it in his bones: the hum of his future, the tremble of his soul. Even if it was still cold as balls outside the nest, his internal clock said it was spring.

I think I'm Paranoid :: Red came back into the livingroom, popcorn in one hand and a six-pack of coke in the other. He lingered, taking in the scene in front of him.

Another Me :: Lust fiddled with the TV remote idly as he mentally went through the available channels in his head. He didn't dare cable surf, not when He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named was so prominent, and Pink's relentless job searching made his schedule so erratic that he could show up at any minute. The sight of the blackout curtain over the bookshelf (which served as the house's movie collection's honored display) reminded him of how understanding Papyrus had been of the need for temporary censorship.

...oh my some of these are terrible for catching the readers attention XD (why are all my hooks like 3 paragraphs in gdi).

EDIT: i forgot to tag folks! um... @deku-lily @silverryu25 @bonerpuns @msmkcreates @jellyficsnfucks @jellyfish-swims-through-gold @tkwolf45 @nanenna @dana-chan325 @skerbaderbadoo @keelywolfe ...im terrible with names and can't remember anyone else's handles ;-;

[kokobop-fire]

Mood Swings {Kim SeokJin}

Note:I really want to thank all the people who read my stories; I know I have to edit them a lot, but knowing that there are people who like my stories fills me with happiness, Thank you.

Ps: it is the first time that I write smut. Most likely, I will delete it and upload a version without smut

Baby Shower 

When you began your fifth month was when your hormonal changes started. One moment you were happy, and the next, you were crying. Jin was putting up with you like a champion, but there were times when he felt scared to be around you.

You were at work lunch with some colleagues when another episode entered you.

"This is the tenth time I have gone to the bathroom since we arrived," you commented, frustrated.

"Yes, and this is the tenth time you have told us since we arrived," laughed Suyin, one of the five people who decided to invite themselves to your lunch.

You were in a bad mood because of your endless need to go to the bathroom, but what bothered you the most was that you would have a welcome lunch with Jin, who was in Japan giving a concert. You couldn't go with him anymore because your stupid coworkers decided to accompany you.

"Oh, sorry, it must be annoying listening to me," you laughed sarcastically as you felt your eyes fill with tears "it is easier to have the baby play with your bladder."

You started crying loudly, causing several people to look at you "Im so done being pregnant, I'm only five months in, and I can't sleep anymore, the hormonal changes and the nausea won't go away, and the only happiness I can have is a stupid cup of coffee that of course has to be decaf".

It only remains to say that after that day, the people in your office avoided you at all costs.

Your second attack was against Jin and the boys. Later that day, you arrived exhausted from work; you just wanted to take off your heels and sleep in the arms of your boyfriend, but the case you were working on was hard, and every day that passed became more complicated because of what you had than taking your work home.

What you didn't plan on was finding your apartment in a mess and the guys playing video games in the middle of the mess like nothing was wrong around them.

At first, you tried to ignore it by hiding in the kitchen to finish, but the kitchen was also a mess, and the screams of the boys were throwing you out of focus, and the noise of the video game was driving you crazy.

You marched out of the kitchen, anger consuming your body; you turned off the television earning some shouts from the boys, "I've had a shitty day and the only peace of mind I expected to find in my house, which you took care of ruining, you have 10 minutes to leave this place impeccable and what does not live here disappear".

When you finished speaking, your voice broke, and you felt tears run down your face; the boys on their faces had a mixture of surprise and fear; you left the room and locked yourself in the bathroom of your room, a bath with cold water was what did you need.

Half an hour later, you came out of the bathroom, feeling like new, you may have exaggerated, most likely the guys after their trip just wanted to relax, you wrapped yourself in a towel and went looking for Jin to apologize.

You found him in the kitchen finishing drying some dishes, you left the towel completely naked, you approached in silence, you rested your head on his back, and your little belly was pressed slightly with his lower back, you kissed him on the back. "I'm very sorry, Jin, I didn't want to snap like that, but these hormonal changes are affecting me too much."

Jin ignored you, while he continued drying, you sighed before directing your hand towards his button, you played lightly with the button before unzipping it, your fingers went into his pants, your finger rubbing against the outline of his semi-hard dick, Jin groaned his breath shaking a little

You tugged his pants down carefully, his boxers following; you started to move your hand, jerking him off before Jin took your hand, turning around. You watched his dick; he was already fully erect, the tip red and precum seeping from the slit, your mouth water at the image.

Jin pulls you into a kiss, licking your lips with his tongue; you groaned, giving him space to put his tongue in your mouth, you pressed your chest against his chest, Jin's hands running over your body before stopping on your butt and give you a firm spanking, you could already feel your juices run down your inner thighs.

He separated himself by taking you by the waist, he placed you on the island counter in the kitchen, he settles himself between your legs, his lips trailed down your jaw, nibbling at your neck, his fingers disappeared between your legs "Look how wet you are."

You whined when his fingers found your clit and began to massage them into little figures of 8 "Honestly, I've been like this since I went to work this morning and I saw pictures of you from last night's concert, how sexy you looked"

Jin Groaned when he heard your words; you kissed him before getting off the table and getting on your knees.

You wrapped your lips around the tip of his cock, your tongue lapping at the salty-sweet of his precum; Jin moaned loudly, he could see your smile, your tongue running along the vein on the underside of his dick and your hand pumping the rest of his dick that couldn't fit in your mouth.  

The slurping sound of your mouth drownd a little jins moans, you pull away just enough to suck the head, Jin fingers tangled in your hair, helping your head bob against him.

"Oh God (Y/N)" he whined under his breath, your hand around his base slid down to his balls, Your bobbing was quick, cheeks hollowed for extra pleasure, the tip of his dick hitting the back of your throat, Jin Moan at the feeling "You Feel amazing, I miss this so much... Just like that baby".

Yo moan at the nickname his hand make his way down to your breast his thumb playing with your nipple "Your mouth feels amazing but is not as amazing and tight like your pussy”

You let a loud squeal when jin push you back and pull you back in your feet. You almost feel when he spun you around, Moaning loudly when your nipple hit the cold surface of the marble table; he uses his feet to push your legs apart, he starts to slide his dick in between your folds.

Sliding in slowly at first, his hips slamming into you the second he bottomed out. You moaned his name, resting your forehead on the kitchen table, nails clawing at it with pleasure. The tip of his cock hit your sweet spot with every thrust, His dick pistoned inside you at high speed, your boyfriend never resting. The angle he had you at allowed him to hit hard and deep, finding spots you didn't know existed until now.

You scream. Jin smiles at the sound of your moans; he slaps your ass to earn a louder cry. "Fuck, I miss this so much," He complied, the moans getting louder.

Using one hand to rub your clit in vicious circles, trying to draw yourself to the edge faster. Your ass pressed back against his at a rhythmic pace, matching the thrusts he made into you.

Your chest heaved with heavy pants; Jin thrust growing noticeably sloppy. He tugged your hair hard enough to make you lean back against his heaving chest, his arms wrapping around your waist and resting in your growing belly. His lips found your neck, peppering it with light kisses, keeping his thrusts going. "I love you," he whispered into your ear, letting out a grunt, no longer able to hold back.

His cock twitched inside you, intense pulses against your walls as he came, strings of his white, sticky seed spilling into you. You mewled at the feeling, taking his hand and lacing your fingers together against your stomach. The feeling of his seed seeping into you warm your body, incinerating the knot inside you instantly. You mewled his name quietly, leaning back against his shoulder, his forehead resting on yours so he could ride out your highs.

He stayed inside for a moment while catching my breath "If this is how your Mood Swings are going to be, they don't bother me at all."

You  laughed at his words, "Ready for round two?"

"God, I miss you so much."

[syubub]

Hi! I'm so glad to see you're back! You hadn't updated in a while and given your last post I feared for the worst, but I am so so glad to hear your family is doing better.

I just watched your video and I have a few questions if you don't mind, though. I picked the 5th pile which I am very happy about (I was actually going to pick the first because I just tend to gravitate towards purple, but the fifth pile just kept calling to me so I ended up going with that one.)

So questions. when you say that we have to keep in mind what we want to manifest, what exactly can we manifest? Like I have a couple of things in mind but I want to know if this applies to small things? Is there a limit to things we can work on manifesting that day? How important do those have to be for us? Or, alternatively, how many important things can we ask to manifest? Spiritual or material? Or how silly? Idk, just like, what kind of things are attainable? Idk if this makes any sense hahaha sorry 🙈

Honestly a lot of what you said rang true to me. I felt personally called out on a lot of points. The whole this doesn't make logical sense but you have to accept it really resonated with me. I'm a logical person (INTP, the logician here eyyy), so someone telling me to just trust what I'm being told even when it can't be explained makes it really difficult for me to believe the things people say will happen. So knowing that you yourself struggle with this from time to time actually helps me.

This video was really good! Have some faith in yourself! Like you said, it's your first video so don't feel the need to apologize. Just google whatever you feel like you want to learn about editing and click on the first video you see hahaha. I wish you the best of luck in this pursuit! 💚 - 🐻

Manifest anything. It's a really great time to specifically manifest big life changing things because the energy is really helping (kinda like its easier to throw something when the wind is going in the direction you're throwing) but you can manifest ANYTHING and everything. If you want it and you're think you're in a place to receive it ~manifest it~ (do keep in mind that sometimes we work so hard to manifest something and it isn't working. This can be because it simply isn't the right timing for you to have this or that it ultimately doesn't serve your highest good. Be patient and trust the process)

Just as a tip though I do find that things work a little smoother for me if instead of being like, "I manifest some new makeup and some new clothes" I change it to something more along the lines of "I'm manifesting new items into my life that help me express myself." And so on.

But if you are manifesting a car I'd be a little more specific.

Its a lot about mindset and being open to receiving and in turn being more aware of opportunities that help lead you towards the things you're manifesting!

Something that helped me overide the logic issue with manifesting is making a vision board! They really work wonders and I think that might work well for you too! You can either make a physical poster board (I recommend this) or a pinterest board. The whole point is that you see it daily and it helps you to visualize the things you want to manifest.

Thank you so much 🐻 anon!! Im glad you watched and I hope this helps! Let me know if you try out the vision board!! 💚💚💚

[dreaming-gamer]

Magic Touch – Nero X V Chapter 4

Firefighter Nero x Massage Therapist V

Thank you so much to everyone who has read this story! 💜💜💜 I'm sorry this chapter took so long to finish, but it's longer than usual! I hope you enjoy! 😀😀😀

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Nero could admit he struggled to not gaze out his window, just to check the process of V’s move for the rest of the day. Whenever he realized his gaze had stuck on the moving truck, or just straight over to the other apartment, he tried to keep busy for a bit. Cleaning up his own apartment was an efficient way to get rid of some energy because hey, even though he hadn’t gotten V’s number this time either, at least they were actual neighbors! That was still something to be happy, not to mention feel hopeful about. When the apartment looked great, he sat down on the couch, trying to occupy his mind with checking the TV.

The distance between his and V’s new home was too far for Nero to really see what was going within the apartment but dammit if his curiosity didn’t make him try, even from the couch. But when sight didn’t help, he turned to imagination.

And when he had been imagining for long enough, at least until he realized that an episode of the current show Nico had ordered him to try watching, Once Upon a Time, had passed with him having no memories of what happened in it, he abruptly tried to stop. Not watching the show, that felt like something Kyrie would enjoy, rather than Nico that was usually so much more into sci-fi shows, but thinking about V.

Or at least trying to stop. The gears in his mind seemed determined to spin in only one direction, producing more thoughts about V.

Nero’s gaze went one more time toward the window and he groaned, stretching himself out further on the soft couch. With a jab at the remote, he paused the show and let his thoughts be heard. Maybe he could head over, just ask how the move was going? But V was probably too busy focusing on his new home to want to see Nero. Or maybe he’d be happy for the distraction? Maybe he wouldn’t mind Nero’s help?

But then again, V already had the help of the moving company to get his furniture in place… maybe Nero was just better off praying for them to meet in the door or something soon, but he had no clue how V’s schedule looked or anything and he still didn’t have that stupid number dammit—

A simple guitar riff, only a few notes, made him aware of a new message from none other than Nico. Stretching his arm toward the living room table, Nero grabbed his phone, unlocked it and swiped the screen once, revealing the message in its entirety. Not that the content made him any wiser.

“Alright, ya can thank me now.” That was all it said, together with a ton of emojis, including a satisfied devil emoji. Nico had cackled at him, through text, when he had revealed that V’s number had escaped him, yet again, but then she had gotten back to work. Rather than trying to figure out whatever crazy plot or invention she had come up with now, he found it easier to cut to the chase:

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” Nero sent back, checking what time it was. 16:42, meaning work was almost over for her, of course that meant she’d start texting again. It took mere moments for him to get the next message.

“Your mysterious massage therapist friend called a while ago! He’s coming around to pick up the car tomorrow instead so I’m giving you a heads up!” More emojis before the message continued. “But that’s not even the best part!”

Nero waited, for about a minute or two for the continuation, but there was none. With quick thumbs, he tapped a reply. The heads up was certainly a ticket for him to once again try to get V’s number… but what else had she planned?

“Don’t leave me hanging! What’s the best part?”

“He asked if there was any way to rent a car trailer, says there’s something he needs to pick up. I asked what and he said bookshelves! Big ones!”

“How’s that the best part? Not following, Nico!”

“Duh! Ya don’t got work tomorrow, right? I told ‘im there’s one in the back that Dante’s not using. And that ya can help him out!”

Nero stared at the screen. Was she serious? His heart sped up from the feeling of hope.

“What did he say?!” Had V accepted the suggestion?

“I think ya might have a shot here Romeo, cuz he said yes, if yer fine with it. Took the liberty to say yeah for ya, so ya better holler yourself over here tomorrow at 4 in the afternoon, sharp!”

“Got it, will be there!” Nero hadn’t really asked for this favor but… it was nice of her to arrange it. “Thanks, I owe ya.”

“Music to ma ears!” Lots of emojis followed. “I’ll call in the favor when needed.” The mischievous emoji that followed made him think that she might have watched the show just a little too much recently.

“I took a break from watching. And I can get you an iced latte tomorrow.”

“That’s what I wanna hear! Make it extra strong and ask for some cream on top!”

Nero shook his head with a grin, Nico was the same as ever and while he wouldn’t admit it to her face, he loved her for it.

“Roger that.”

***

Nero felt like giving a shout of victory when the clock finally closed in on 4 ‘o clock. Anticipation had kept him checking the time way too often during the day, only to find that not as much time as he had hoped had passed, every check. But now, with half an hour to spare, he was ready, dressed in a chill hoodie with short sleeves and a new pair of shorts as he descended the steps. Maybe he should knock on V’s door and ask if he wanted to walk together to the garage, or he could simply walk ahead and meet V there…

Nero’s thoughts were cut short as V emerged from his new apartment building, wearing a cotton shirt, with only a few of the buttons buttoned over a black t-shirt with no print, and black trousers. The massage therapist seemed to notice him immediately, meeting him without a cane in his hands today.

“Good afternoon, Nero.” His voice was deep, smooth and accompanied by that smirk that made the butterflies in Nero’s stomach return full force.

“Hey.” Nero grinned back. “Heard from Nico you need some help. What was it, picking up bookshelves?”

V’s smirk remained and he gave a little nod.

“That is correct. She offered your assistance, with the words that you don’t have work today.”

“Well, she was right. Just promised her to get an iced latte before showing up at the garage, you fine with making that small detour?”

“No problem at all.” V claimed as they started to walk to their destination.

“So how’s it going, settling in and all?” Nero was looking forward to seeing a glimpse of how V’s apartment could look, even if it was probably a bit messy still.

“The furniture is all in place thankfully. I do admit that the unpacking of the boxes has not been as… swift as I would have liked. I had to leave for work, just after the moving company left yesterday.”

“Whoa, were you okay getting there without your car?” Nero wondered, there weren’t that many buses that passed by V’s working place, from what he knew.

“Let’s just say I arrived… a while before my assigned time, courtesy to the bus.” V smirked.

“Man, if I’d known, I’d have given you a ride again.” The words slipped out of Nero’s mouth before he even had time to think about them. “Didn’t have work yesterday.”

“I see. Thank you, for the offer.”

In his peripheral vision, Nero noticed that devilish smirk soften a bit. The butterflies in his stomach flew around with greater force.

“No need to thank me when the offer’s a bit too late!” He pointed out, one hand scratching the back of his head.

“Hm. I’d say that it’s the thought that counts.” V replied, just as they arrived at the café.

"You want anything?" Nero offered, he didn't need anything for himself, but it was a hot day.

"I'm fine, thank you." While Nero went inside, meeting the pleasant chill of an aircon, V waited outside on a bench in the shade. With V's sort of pale complexion, Nero had a feeling the sun could be an enemy. It didn’t take long for Nero to appear again, holding the iced latte, custom made after Nico's preferences.

Had Nero been the one waiting on that bench, he knew he would have had his focus on some silly mobile game or something. But V? His eyes seemed glued to the pages of a leatherbound book, with an emblazoned V on the cover.

"That's how you got your nick?" Nero joked with a nod to the book.

V chuckled.

"I admit it is my favorite… But that is not the case. It's the fifth edition." He replied, standing up. As V left the shade, Nero could see hints of dark bags under V’s eyes.

“Of what? Poetry?” Nero guessed, did novels even get published in five editions?

“Correct.” V smirked. “Shall we?”

“Yeah.” Nero nodded, matching the massage therapist’s stride while holding back a comment to ask if V had been sleeping too little. There was a slight slouch to V’s shoulders too, Nero noted.

The last of the walk didn’t take them long, the iced latte in Nero’s hand still cold when they stepped into the garage, Nico greeting them with a grin.

“Hiya! Yer beauty is all ready, attached the car trailer for ya!” She proclaimed, handing the car keys to V.

“Thank you, I’m glad to hear it. I shall return it tomorrow.” V took the keys with a polite smile.

“Great! There’s just the little extra payment for renting that, so let’s get it outta the way huh?” Nico showed the way towards the office, grabbing the iced latte from Nero with a wink and a grin. V followed her, while Nero remained, glancing at V’s car. It did look better than it had when it had been standing by the road, dripping oil a few days ago. And now, they were neighbors. Actual neighbors. Nero sometimes felt like he needed to pinch himself to be sure this wasn’t a dream...

It didn’t take long for Nico and V to return, the massage therapist giving Nero a smile.

“Are we ready then?”

Nico grinned knowingly at Nero from behind V, giving him a knowing grin as if to say: “Oh, I think yer ready alright.”

Nero had to fight the urge to roll his eyes at her, because V wasn’t aware of what was happening behind his back.

“Yeah, ready when you are. Let’s go. See you around, Nico.”

“See ya!” The mechanic grinned at them and opened up the garage gate for them, while the guys got into the car. Inside, the car seemed very clean, mostly because there wasn’t a lot of things in it. Nero only spotted a pair of sunglasses, close to the gear lever. The seats were old, like the rest of the car, but clean and comfortable. Upon starting, the engine sounds were surprisingly pleasant, not really rumbling, but rather a soft purring.

Nero waved at Nico as they passed the garage gate, just as she pulled out a cigarette to smoke. V’s driving was calm and steady.

“I’m grateful you agreed to help me with this, Nero.” The massage therapist admitted softly.

“Hey, no worries. Are we heading for the furniture store?”

“Not exactly, I found an advertisement.” V replied. “As long as you pick the bookshelves up yourself, they are completely free. The lady that posted the offer is apparently moving to a much smaller space, and will have no room for them.”

“Sounds like a great deal to me.” Nero grinned, and honestly, with V’s arms so twiggy… he could imagine why he needed some help.

When they arrived and he got to see the size of the two bookshelves himself, he was definitely glad he’d accompanied V. The bookshelves looked nice, he could admit, but they were two meters tall and made of rather heavy wood. With his regular training as a firefighter, Nero wasn’t worried for himself, but could V take it..?

He got his answer pretty quickly, since they had to cooperate to get the bookshelves onto the car trailer and Nero’s uncertainty must have shown, because V sent him a smirk when they grabbed a hold of a side each.

“I am not so frail Nero, remember?”

“Right, sorry.” The tips of Nero’s ears burned, he remembered very well how V had proved the strength, or perhaps rather technique he had, despite his lean frame. Both of them giving a nod, they started to carry the first shelf between them. It was heavy, but Nero’s grip was firm and he walked slowly to make sure V could keep up. With just one verbal confirmation that everything was going alright on both sides, they soon loaded the first shelf onto the car trailer and their cooperation went just as seamlessly with the second one.

“Well, that went great!” Nero grinned, tightening the last strap around the furniture before they could go and he was delighted to see V smirk back at him.

“Indeed. Let us hope it will go as smoothly, transporting them up three floors.”

Nero couldn’t lie, it sounded heavy. But it also meant he’d see a glimpse of V’s new apartment.

“Don’t worry, we got this.” His grin widened at the amused grin in V’s eyes.

***

“You… have been a great help.” Nero turned to find V smiling at him.

The apartment was still rather chaotic, consisting of two rooms. Taped boxes were still stacked here and there but from the furniture, most of it in wooden, natural colors, that was already in place, the apartment seemed nice. The smaller room contained the bed and now, the two bookshelves against the opposite wall.

“Told you we got this. No need to thank me.” Nero grinned.

Nero wondered how many bookshelves one person could need, because he counted four big ones, so far, compared to the single one in his own home. And he had lost count of how many of the boxes had “books” written on them.

“I would still like to. Would you like to stay for dinner? If you do not mind takeout? My treat.” V suggested.

Nero’s heart did a small, happy jump in his chest.

“Sounds great, I’m craving some good Chinese.”

V chuckled.

“Then perhaps you have a good recommendation?” He asked, tilting his head ever so slightly, with that charming little smirk on his lips.

“You bet I do.”

***

“I am honestly surprised you could eat that.” V looked at him curiously, when Nero finished his takeout dish of hot noodles, the sauce spicy and a bit sweet due to the touch of peanut. V’s vegetable wok looked really tasty too, but he was eating much slower than Nero.

“It’s not that spicy, just a pleasant tingle on my lips.”

“I would most likely find that too much. I do not eat spicy dishes very often.” V admitted, putting down his finished box on the round living room table before leaning back into the couch.

After all the unpacking, there seemed to be a slight slouch to V’s shoulders, even though he was sitting down to relax. It had been a nice experience, eating takeout by someone else’s living room table for once. Since Nero broke up with Kyrie, it hadn’t really been a common occurence to eat with someone else.

“You know, I could massage you?” The words stumbled out of Nero’s mouth before he had time to think about them.

V’s eyes widened.

“Pardon?”

“You look like your shoulders could need it. Come on, I can at least try, right?” Nero pressed, hoping the grin on his face looked as innocent as he wanted it to be.

V’s lips curled into a small smile.

“Very well.” With long fingers, he started to unbutton the soft cotton shirt, as he turned his back to Nero. The intricate patterns of the tattoos on his arms came into view, as he was now wearing only a black t-shirt on his upper body.

“I will tell you if you need to use more… force.” V’s tone was teasing.

Nero snorted, but the sound came out more as a chuckle.

“I apologized, didn’t I? Maybe you should tell me when I need to use less.” Nero set his hands on V’s slim shoulders and started to knead. Careful touches wasn’t his strong suit, but Nero did try to not put too much force into his palms or fingers. V’s skin was so pale under the tattoos, looked like it could bruise from so little, but he didn’t seem to complain yet. Until Nero found a rather big knot and V’s entire being stiffened.

“Sorry, too much?” Nero was about to take his hands off him, but V’s voice made him pause.

“No, if you do not mind… continue. It would help a great deal… to get rid of it.” V sounded like he was talking through clenched teeth.

“You sure?” Nero was doing this to help him relax, not make him stiff with pain!

“It will be worth it. And a knot like this is quite hard to get rid of, on your own.” The massage therapist replied firmly. Nero didn’t find it within himself to refuse, because V looked like he honestly could need it. Especially after the bookshelves they had worked together to carry up the stairs.

“Alright, if you say so…” Nero slowly put his hands more firmly on V’s shoulders, closing in on the knot and started to knead at it a bit more gently. He shifted between using his fingers and his palms, took note of when V seemed to be pained, or when he was fine. V gave him some pointers that made it easier to focus. Heat engulfed Nero’s fingers, not just from the massage he was giving, but also from how V’s pale skin was flushing so red that Nero could feel the heat through the t-shirt.

When Nero felt the knot dissolve a few minutes later, he swore he could both see and feel V’s back sag, a light sigh escaping the therapist’s lips. It wasn’t hard to feel that there were a few more minor knots here and there, but for now, maybe this would have to do. Nero used his fingers and knuckles for some gentle strokes over V’s skin. The massage therapist said nothing, his head sagging a little bit, as if he was collecting himself.

“Hey, lean back a bit.” Nero suggested, before he gently pulled on V’s shoulders, keeping his grip steady and V didn’t protest, letting himself be guided backwards. He blinked as his head ended up in Nero’s lap, but his eyes remained half-lidded.

“Blood rush to your brain?” Nero guessed with a smile, wow, V’s black hair looked silky, this close.

“Yes, a minor one.” V replied quietly, remaining where he was. Nero noted the dark bags under those beautiful green eyes again and the realization ached in his chest.

“You’re taking care of people for a living, but who’s taking care of you?” The words slipped out without Nero meaning to say them. The move, his work… V seemed to be working himself too hard.

V’s eyes widened, just a tiny bit, as if he clearly was not expecting those words. He opened those plump lips, paused before letting them form a fond smile.

“You need not worry, it is just a stressful period. Once I am more properly settled in, I am sure it will be better.”

“You’re not doing anything relaxing each week, are you?” Nero tried to keep his voice light and casual, but he found himself unwilling to let the subject go, just yet.

V chuckled, a light hint of tiredness in the sound.

“Are you using the words of my profession against me?”

“It seems like I need to.” Nero pointed out, then he puckered his lips in a rather humorous manner.

“One relaxing activity per week, like a bath… or a swim. Or if you find it relaxing, a massage.” He made sure to make his voice sound deliberate and deep, but in a completely over the top way.

Another chuckle left V, sounding close to a laugh.

“I do not sound like that. Nor do I look like that.”

“You do.” Nero grinned, still using his makeshift voice.

V stilled his next chuckle and locked eyes with him.

“Then, are you offering?” The smirk that grew on his face gave Nero’s good shivers down his back. Until he realized his mind had ground to a halt. Had he heard that right? V just watched him and Nero wasn’t sure what was on offer here.

“Huh?”

“To remind me, once per week. We will be living… close to each other now so perhaps… we can remind each other? Once per week, to do something relaxing.” V explained smoothly, observing his confusion, while Nero was still processing what he had heard. It sounded like he was dreaming.

Something forlorn came over V’s green eyes and he averted his gaze, but the smirk remained. “Pardon if my suggestion does not sit well with you, never mind it--”

“Sure.” The word stumbled out of Nero’s mouth, but he had never felt more sure about anything before. Whatever those moments would include just a massage or two, or a small talk or maybe… maybe a date, he didn’t know but either way, he was all for reminding V to relax, at least once a week. “Definitely, I’m in. It’s a good plan.” He quickly added, almost rambling. His heart skipped a beat when V’s smirk softened into a smile, his green eyes lighting up with mirth.

“I’m glad to hear it.” He replied softly, slowly straightening up from Nero’s lap, the slouch to his shoulders less noticeable.

Nero was watching him and V was observing him in turn. The living room was still filled with a few boxes, the smell of Chinese food in the air. Nero couldn’t help it, his eyes went to those plump, attractive lips.

V seemed to notice, as he chuckled. The flushed skin on his neck and shoulders wa returning to its original color. Tattoos peeked out under his t-shirt, just a few lines on his throat and Nero wondered again, how much they must have hurt to make.

Nero felt a shiver down his spine as V’s long, slightly cool fingers cupped his warm cheek.

This was happening. His heart beat like crazy as he leaned in, feeling V’s warm exhale on his lips…

And V’s phone rang.

He didn’t miss the flash of defeat in V’s eyes. Nero’s hand reached for V’s cheek, about to silently ask him to ignore it, just for now.

“Pardon me.” V said quietly, pulling away as he stood up, moved to collect his phone on the kitchen counter. Nero lowered his hand, along with the stone forming in his stomach.

“Yes?”

What followed was conversation that Nero barely caught, because he sank into the couch with a huge sigh. His heart still beat hard, like a drum at a festival. It had been so close! And V seemed occupied with whatever the call was about, in the kitchen.

Was the moment stolen? Gone? Would they continue when V returned? Nero felt himself gripping one of the soft cushions V had placed on the couch earlier, he really didn’t know what to do with his hands, or himself.

“I beg your pardon, I am a bit preoccupied at this… yes, yes… Is there truly no one else that can…?” A pause, a soft inhale of breath. “Very well, I understand. I will arrive shortly.” Nero didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but his stomach dropped at the words. It felt like V’s chance for relaxation tonight was slipping out of his fingers.

The apologetic look on V’s face as he returned, confirmed his suspicions.

“I apologize, but I appear to be urgently needed elsewhere.”

Nero gave a small nod, holding in the disappointment that created a small twinge in his chest. V looked bothered, so Nero pushed it down, for now.

“Everything alright?”

“I am part of a… association for literature lovers, I suppose you could call it. We are but a group of individuals that sometime gather for discussions about various pieces of literature. We sometimes attempt to arrange various activities, such as book fairs.” V explained, seemingly checking his schedule in a leather bound calendar. There was no sound of a sigh on his lips, but it could be seen in how his shoulders seemed to tense, again.

“We are meant to host a public poetry reading, pretty soon. I have been asked to help arrange it, as well as participating. Now, we have encountered some unforeseen difficulties and my presence has been requested to solve it.” V looked up again, lips slightly parted. The mirth in his eyes from earlier seemed replaced by determined calculation.

Nero felt his heart sink, for two reasons. The moment was completely gone with the wind, or rather the tones of a cellphone signal. And V was probably not going to relax anymore tonight.

“I truly apologize, Nero.” V said, his tone quiet. “I’m afraid I must be going.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Nero assured quickly. Sure, he was disappointed that this was cut short, but it seemed to be for something really important for V. Poetry seemed to be so close to his heart. Nero didn’t want to stand in the way for that, he rose from the couch easily. “It’s fine, really. We can just do this… some other time?” There was a small hope in his voice, he couldn’t help it.

V smiled, his gaze softening a bit.

“Yes, I would like that. Let’s remind each other, once per week.”

“Once a week.” Nero agreed, as V followed him to the door of the apartment where half of the things still needed to be put in order. “You taking the car?”

“No, it is within walking distance.” Nero opened his mouth, about to offer to walk with him, but slowly closed it again. Perhaps V needed time to think, he didn’t want to act stubborn. Silence drifted between them, broken only by their steps down the stairs.

“Oh, and Nero?” V said as they stepped outside his apartment building, about to separate. “Thank you for the wonderful massage.”

Nero felt his cheeks, as well as the tips of his ears blush red at the compliment, especially since that smirk was in place again. V chuckled as he held his cane in a sure grip.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, later!” The heat in Nero’s cheeks didn’t lessen as he watched V go. A massage therapist, a poet. A man with a determined gaze and a new apartment, suddenly living right across the street from Nero’s.

He walked into his own apartment, touching his lips lightly, feeling those damn butterflies flutter around in his stomach again. It had been so close and yet so far. But they had made a promise now, there was hope. And Nero had a plan, he’d just go get some paper from his apartment…

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Tagging: @la-vita and @thedyingmoon 💜💜💜

[world-of-aus]

You’re My Mission One-Shot Soulmate AU! (Teaser)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: TBD

Summary: *work in progress

Warnings: violence, angst, fluff

Author’s Note: Hello! So i’ve just been accepted into my masters program to continue my work in Special education and since i’ve just started my courses i may fall behind on posting ever so slightly, im hoping to have this one shot out on Saturday and Behind The Screen on Sunday, just a couple of days late while i adjust to my coursework. Since i wont be posting an update till later tomorrow i wanted to grace you all with a teaser! I hope you enjoy and thank you to @amanda-the-fangirl​ for sending in her wonderful idea! can’t wait to have the full work finished and edited!

You awoke with a pounding head; a pained groan fell from your lips as you tried to move your aching body. Panic seeped into you when you found you couldn't move your arms, pins and needles prickling at your fingers as you struggled with the ties that had you bound. You looked around with wide eyes, but there wasn’t much to make out in the dimly lit room. You scourged your hazy brain for something, anything to tell you how you had ended up here in this situation. Your eyes widened in horror.

You quickened your pace as you pushed yourself into the sea of bodies, you pushed against them as you tried to get away from his watchful eyes. You felt the coldness of his stare on you, watching you, studying you, much like the day before, he had only continued to draw closer as the week had passed. At first you had just thought you had stumbled upon the most mysterious man, with the most marvelous crystal blue eyes.  Though when you were walking through the minuscule be isles of your streets corner market and bumped into him once more you had chalked it up to fate playing games. The third and fourth time had you biting your lip with nervousness, surely you would have seen this man before if he really did have the same schedule as you, unless, you had shaken your head of those thoughts, it couldn’t be. You had decided to swallow down your nerves and approach him on the fifth day, you hadn’t known he was there until you felt a chill run up your spine, the feel of eyes watching your every move as you ordered your favorite caffeinated drink from the overly friendly barista. Sure enough when you had handed your payment to the cashier, you chanced a glance over your shoulder to already find his gaze on yours, he had your breath catching in your throat.

You moved off stiffly to the side to allow the next customer to move up, you gazed away from the predatory eyes focusing on the baristas behind the bar, you took a deep breath deciding that you would go over to the mysterious man and confront him, in your mind there was simply no explanation for why he was always appearing in locations you had never seen him before. Your name was called and you took uneasy steps forward taking the warm cup from the smiling teen. Turning on your heel you steeled yourself as you made your way towards the man sitting in the middle of the local coffee house. Taking a breath, you found your words, “excuse me,” you voiced warmly, “ I feel like I've seen a lot  of you in places I've never seen you before, and maybe that’s just a coincidence, do I know you?” you questioned.

His eyes were looked on yours as he shook his head once, you swallowed fingers tapping on your Styrofoam cup nervously.  

“are you-” you paused, “are you following me?” you questioned voice dropping.

Your nearly dropped the hot drink in your hands when his head nodded once, rather than questioning him any further you probably did the last thing you should have done, you ran. Your heart had was racing in your chest as you raced out the doors and onto the busy streets. You looked behind you with wide eyes to see he was feet away. You quickened your pace, continuing to push through the crowds, eventually the crowd thinned the closer you got to home. You didn’t dare chance a glance back over your shoulder, you already knew he would be there. With a thrumming heart you continued to push forward, the heels of your ankle high boots thumping against the cemented side walk. If you strained your ears enough you could hear the pair of feet trailing you.

You were still another 3 blocks from your home, you began to grow desperate as the people on the streets became fewer and fewer. You did what could be described as your next biggest mistake, the one that was going to do you in. You ran, and in your hurry to get away from him you truly weren't thinking, and you ran into an alleyway, a choked sob fell from your lips as your hit a dead end. You baked away from the stoned brick, silent tears fell from your eyes, a silent gasp fell from your lips when you backed into something hard behind you. Turning ever so slowly, you looked up with wide eyes, your mouth fell open in a scream but nothing ever came as the world around you went black.

The sound of a steel door slamming had you jumping in the wooden chair you had been bound too. You waited with baited breath as you heard heavy footsteps approach you. He appeared under the single industrial pendant light. His eyes were set, jaw stiff, nostrils flaring as he looked you over, your body tensed when they landed on the knife in his hands.

“You know, you almost had me thinking I had gone after the wrong person,” he grunted.

Your eyes widened slightly, a look of horror coming over you features, “i don’t even know who you are, what do you want?” you whimpered.

His jaw clenched, “cut the shit and drop the façade y/n, it's just me and you,”  

You quivered in your chair, “i- I don’t know what you’re talking about, how do you know my name?” you questioned shakily, “please just let me go I swear I won’t tell anyone anything I sw-”

A fist to the face cut off your words, your head snapped to the side, blood seeped from your split lip.

Your jaw clenched, spitting the blood that had gathered in your mouth you turned your head back towards him, he was closer now.

You adjusted yourself in the uncomfortable chair, “did you really forget that I can’t feel the pain you inflict on me?” you glared.

Though Bucky’s face had remained the same stoic stare, his eyes looked away from yours, you scoffed. “You know you could jeopardize this entire mission for us right, what the hell are you even doing Barnes, what the hell is all of this?” you questioned pulling at the restraints.

He let out a tense breath through his lips, “I just,” his fist clenched at his side, “I just needed to make sure you were okay,”

A sarcastic laugh left your lips, “and this,” you growled tugging at the restraints, “this is your way of making sure I was okay, didn’t think you cared, if I recall it was you fleeing the moment you found out we were s-”

“don't say it,” he growled, eyes growing dark as he glared at you.

You shook your head at the man in front of you, “see you still haven’t accepted it,” you muttered, “yet here we are, with me tied to a fucking chair because you wanted to make sure I was okay.”

The two of you grew quiet as you murdered one another with the intensity of killer eyes, “can you untie me my arms uncomfortable,” you muttered. Though Bucky personally couldn’t inflict any pain on you the ropes binding your hands now that was another story.

Bucky didn’t utter a word as he went behind you to cut the restraints, your arms fell limp at your sides, a inaudible pained groan fell from your lips. You pushed yourself up on wobby legs, gathering your bearings. Once the feeling had returned to your numbed limbs, you turned to face the stoic man next to you. It took you a second to reel your hand back, your fist flying into the side of Bucky’s cheek throwing him off guard, your foot was the next thing to swing taking a direct hit into the middle of his chest sending him flying a few feet back.

A growl left his lips as he stood, a pained expression on his face, “that’s what you get Barnes,” you hissed standing your ground, “it's been a damn year, and now all of a sudden you decide to “care”, if you even want to call it that,”

“y/n” he tried

“I don’t want to hear it,” you muttered, “does the team even know you’re here, that you’ve been following me?” You seethed, “Pierce could very well have caught on, he has eyes on me, it’s been a year and the asshole still doesn’t trust me, and now you showing up out of the blue to come check up on me, what the hell bucky!”

You could see his façade fall the longer he stared at you, “the team hasn’t heard from you, they were worried.”

An angry groan tore from your lips, “fuck you Barnes, why is it so hard for you to give into your feelings,” you yelled, “the teams well aware I wouldn’t be in contact until I got everything I needed to frame pierce, and IF they were worried why not send someone else, why YOU!”

[scandeniall]

mirrors for friends ch//1

Pairing: TBD x reader (repost bc its not showing up in tags and ive had ppl check too sigh)

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Summary: Youre in a band, Mirrors For Friends with your college best friends Kuroo, Iwaizumi, and Atsumu. They're chaotic, your chaotic but you guys are on your way to the top together. Check a/n at end.

warnings: This IS multichapter. recreational marijuana mention. Everyone is over 21, tags will be added as needed but they're adults what do you expect.

wc: 1253

Inspiring playlists (updated as i find stuff) Apple music | Spotify

Ch. 1 // Mirrors For Friends: The Intro

The air was a mixture of sounds. Instruments being prepped, jokes being thrown, random conversations and the occasional song that played in the background. Just another day in Mirrors For Friends, well for everyone except for you. Earplugs in and an eye mask on, you’d been laying on the dingy couch since you arrived at the bar hours prior. Of course you just had to get a migraine on a day where your band had a show. It was about two hours to showtime, and you were just as good as dead. For once, you were thankful that you had your bassist, Atsumu to cover at least some of your vocals.

Atsumu, Miya. The youngest member remains a complete pain in your ass, but you couldn't see your life without him in it. He was the life of the party, and had been your party buddy during your early 20s. The one always down for a good adventure. You could always rely on him to tell you the honest truth, although it had taken a while to get past his overly blunt nature. Once you did, you saw the resident “pretty boy” for the dork that he was. The one who gets pouts whenever the conversation is moving too fast and he can’t think of a retort fast enough. The one who absolutely melted at the sight of food and would even share some of his brother’s famous onigiri with you. When he's not plucking bass strings he works as an assistant volleyball coach for the local high school. Your love for your band mate had eventually replaced your first meeting with the basest. A meeting than ended in you wanting nothing more than to wipe his stupid smirk off with your fist. You had just started your second year of university, completely minding your business until a stray volleyball made its way to the back of your head. Before anyone could even apologize, you’d manage to throw a few curses at the group of rowdy boys. Your future band mate had come over to apologize but ended it with “maybe you should've been paying more attention.”  After flicking him off you never thought you’d see him again, until you were formally introduced by none other than your drummer.

Hajime, Iwaizumi. The drummer of Mirrors For Friends. The oldest member of your quartet. There was only one year between you and him, but two years between him and Atsumu. Iwa, is the backbone of the band. The most responsible one, having taken care of a drunk you more times than you’d like to admit. If your feet were ever hurting, he’d be the one to give you a piggy back. He definitely looked the most bad ass of you all, with two sleeves of tattoos. Despite that he has a soft spot for the band. He's the most responsible of the band, but you learned that despite that nature, he knew how to have fun. He’d definitely supplied an underage you with alcohol before. When he’s not playing with the band, he's a tattoo artist, and has tattoo’d every member of the band multiple times. In fact, he was the only person you trusted to tattoo you. You’d met him midway through your first year of university, when he was an apprentice. Despite being 19, he’d already had a full sleeve and a shiny eyebrow piercing. In his attempts to calm you down, you learned that he was only a year above you. He was definitely more calming than the jerk that had dragged you to the tattoo shop in the first place. That person being your guitarist.

Tetsurou Kuroo, the guitarist of Mirrors For Friends. He was one of the first people you’d met in university where he ended up being your across neighbor. You’d had your door open in an attempt to get some air circulation in the stuffy dorm, when he noticed your guitar. Full of stickers, it looked used and he was curious. After, finding out the two of you had a common interest in music, the two of you became best friends. He’d ended up being the brother you never asked for. His teasing is similar to Atsumu, however he knew how to keep up. You two became nearly inseparable. He was the member you tended to confide in first, because it was just natural. The one always down to just vibe. You remember the many nights spent in private study rooms, just writing and talking music together. You quickly found out that his writing skills were incredible, not only that but he had the best ear for composing of any of your band mates. Some of your favorite pieces came from writing sessions with just the two of you. When he isn’t antagonizing your band, he works as a TA for a science class at your university. He decided about a year ago to go back to school for a higher degree in biochemistry.

Then there was you. Lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional guitar player when you felt like it. At 26, you’d been in the band since you were 20, and you wouldn’t change it for the world. You loved writing, you loved performing and you loved your boys. Even now when you could feel napkins that you had no doubt were greasy pizza stained ones being thrown at you. It took for the fifth one to hit your forehead to finally sit up, removing both your earplugs and eye mask. Groaning at the combination of fluorescent lighting and noise you shot death glares at your band mates. Who were all miraculously just standing next to one another, pretending to have just been doing nothing but talking. “Would you three do me a favor, and drive off a fucking cliff.”

“I told them to stop,” is what Iwaizumi said, but the smirk on his face said he played a role just like your other idiots.”

“Dude you threw the last one!” Kuroo chimed in.

“Yeah well Atsumu started it”

“What the fuck Iwa- selling me out”

If it weren't for the pounding behind your eyes you might’ve been amused and the usual bickering between the boys. Afterall, it was never serious. If only you could enjoy it.

“Would the 3 overgrown toddlers shut up.” Burying your face into your hand’s you felt the couch dip beside you in the now empty space, and another voice picked up from across the room.

“Yo- what's with the attitude today,” your bassist questioned. He had settled himself on a smaller couch, eyes narrowed on your miserable form. Once he heard the mention of a migraine, his gaze softened. “Tsumu, I’m gonna need to to sing a little more today alright. '' The younger boy nodded, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. He mentioned something about going to look for a pen and paper, so you two could outline a plan and to make sure you had a stool for tonight.

“You wanna go smoke? It should help a little,” the body next to you moved and you looked up to see Kuroo, offering a hand.. “It’s a spot in the shade out back, c’mon.” You took the hand and before you could head out your last bandmade stopped you.

“I have enough time to go pick up some Advil and maybe some caffeine. Don’t smoke too much, you know how strong Kuroo’s shit is. We still have a show tonight.”

“Don’t worry daddy Iwa, I’ve got our beloved lead singer. We’ll be fine.”

-----

a/n: alright so i’ve been inspired by samwrites Elixir (which YES 100000/10 recommends) AND sam has had an anon talking band au’s lately AND i saw a msby band au edit on twitter so i cracked out my keyboard.

ok but seriously, idk which guy im gonna end up doing so for now itll just be band dynamics, and then whoever sparks my interest or whoever is voted on after a few parts will win. I did a randomizer, got a winner and started but then started feeling the other possibilities. Anyways whoever is not the chosen ones its just friendship, no love triangles and shit. But whoever wins, just know I have a potential plot for ALL ((((im just too un-dedicated and busy with summer college courses to actually fully commit to all of them)))

lastly, this is me again experimenting w/ diff ways of writing so bare with me AND if anyone cares i could make a taglist.

[motleyfam]

hey! so its 4am and ive just finished my, um... fifth(?) reread of world's saddest breakfast club and like! aaahhhh!!!

do u got abything to tell us abt this story? like sbt the writing proccess or things u thought that did not make it in or hc or anything really. i dont have a question exactly, just wanted to hear you talk about it. im a bit. well. obssesed.

Oooh cool question! I definitely do!

World's Saddest Breakfast Club: Fun Facts

The opening line is a result of me angsting to @batmoniker about how I couldn't figure out how to start my fic, and her jokingly being like "I got you, bro. Ready? 'It was a dark and stormy night'" and then me just being stubborn and committing to the bit.

The story started with a vague idea of "everyone in the kitchen at 3am for different reasons and Jason channeling his inner short order cook." All I knew going in was the order I wanted people to appear, what was wrong with them (sick, hurt, insomnia, etc) and what food Jason would be making for them. Everything else I made up as I went.

If I could go back and change one thing about this fic, I'd reduce how long Jason was kidnapped to like, 6-8 days, max. 16 days seemed funny when I wrote it, but in hindsight, I feel like he'd be a little more fucked up in the story if he were really escaping from that many days of captivity lmao

I headcanon Dick as the kind of person who straight-up forgets to eat when he's preoccupied, and Jason as the kind of person who cannot FATHOM this concept. Jason absolutely will miss a meal if the situation calls for it, don't get me wrong, but he's aware the entire time he's doing it and it makes him super antsy. (This once turned into A Thing™ when Jason was like, 13 years old and staying with Dick for the weekend for some brotherly bonding and Dick forgot about lunch and by 5pm, Jason maybe sorta kinda had a minor panic attack about it. Dick was a lot more mindful of that moving forward)

Bruce's favorite food being lobster thermidor is a reference to the Lego Batman movie

I wrote this whole fic with Julia Child's recipe pulled up in one tab and my google doc in the other

At some point I realized that since I started with fresh lobsters, I was going to have to write Jason killing them, and it derailed me so hard that the fic nearly became about meatloaf instead. (Never mind the fact that Jason canonically kills human beings — that's totally fine. I just draw the line at him killing lobsters 😰)

(in the end I just kinda glossed over it and made sure they were already cooked before Damian appeared so I wouldn't have to address it 😬)

Dick's reoccurring shoulder injury is a reference to the DCAU where I swear that man has dislocated his shoulder/injured his arm at least 4x

The line about Tim being allergic/throwing up when he eats eggs was inspired by a line in chap 11 of @goldkirk's fic Hymn, which I've reread about 37x

Jason is correct— grits are fucking delicious and definitely not baby food.

My favorite line is "Okay there’s self-sacrificial bullshit, and then there’s whatever the fresh hell that is."

The idea for Cass being a big meat-eater comes from a comic panel where Steph offers her a plate of rice and beans and Cass says she needs meat and starts mischievously eying Steph's hamster. Can't find the panel to save my life, but I promise it's out there.

EDIT: finally found it!

Steph's nickname of "Zombie Boy" for Jason is borrowed from @audreycritter's Cor Et Cerebrum series (which is a fucking masterpiece, btw)

This fic was gonna be called "Creatures of the Night" until batmoniker said Steph's line made for a better title

Several people have asked me whether Jason was really cooking Bruce's lobster to spite him, or if he was actually intending to make it for him all along. The answer is... both? Like Jason's kind of an unreliable narrator in that he's trying to convince himself that he's just doing what he's doing to be a little shithead when deep down it's all stemming from his need to take care of his family, you know? Like he'll never admit it, but that's where his heart is at.

To everyone who's asked for a part 2 where the family finds out Jason was kidnapped, I'm gonna be honest: the main reason I don't think I'm ever going to write that scene is because I can't come up with a good enough joke for him to make to accidentally out himself 💀

[sunsetsinhoenn]

hiii I was wondering how Sal’s S/O would react to seeing his face under his mask for the first time?

thank you for sending something in for sally face *_* im nervous that his might not be that good, but I hope everyone likes it. 

if you are reading this on mobile, I am SO sorry… I usually edit any bunching of words on my phone so it’s easier to read, but the app won’t even let me do that anymore. if anyone knows how to stop tumblr from screwing with my posts… please tell me…. or i’ll… cry

Sal Fisher _ “expressions”

Ever since the two of you had begun dating, you realized that Sal was trying his best to make sure you both had enough time spent alone together. You both loved the rest of your friends, but you also loved each other a lot and the exclusivity of your relationship required time for the both of you to catch up together. Since you and Sal were just high school students barely going into your senior year, this time together usually took its place in the form of homework sessions or dates, but every so often there would come a time when no one else but you and Sal had any free time.

You loved these times.

“I get that your ghost friend is up here and all, but what enticed you to check the fifth floor out in the first place?” You said, slowly walking around and scoping out apartment 504. “It feels like if I accidentally get poked by whatever’s in here, I’ll get… rabies… or something.”

You heard your boyfriend chuckle where he stood by the bathroom patiently, watching you check things out.

“Well, I don’t touch anything I shouldn’t, that’s for sure. Although,” You turned your head quickly towards him, giving him a disbelieving look before he could even finish his sentence. “If I do find something interesting, I’ll take it. Random stuff pops up often up, here.”

You began walking towards him, content with your brief look-around, still eyeing him somewhat incredulously.

“That’s weird. Please tell me you carry around a little bottle of sanitizer in your pocket?”

You saw the bottoms of his eyes raise up behind his prosthetic, giving you the impression that he was smiling, but other than that he seemed rather straight-faced.

“I don’t! Are you ready to meet Megan?”

You shrugged, sighing a little.

“I suppose. You said she’s shy, though. What if she doesn’t want to meet me?” Still facing you, his hand went behind his back to land on the doorknob and turn it open.

“I’m hoping that she’ll sense how sweet you are and come out anyways. You’re cute too, so she won’t feel scared, either.” You blushed and he laughed again, walking backwards into the bathroom. With your mouth twisted into an embarrassed, tiny frown, you felt the tips of your ears turn red as well. Your boyfriend was sweet, but he really liked to lay the compliments on thick.

Following him inside, he closed the door behind the two of you and started speaking out. With the dim light of the bathroom and the fact that Sal was trying to summon a ghost, which you were pretty sure didn’t exist, you felt your nerves working up. It was just… so creepy and dirty in the bathroom and the only thing that kept your mind from running rampant was the sight of Sal right in front of you. If it weren’t for the calming image of his familiar prosthetic and blue hair, you would have bounced out already.

“Megan… are you sure you don’t want to come out? Y/N is really nice, they won’t hurt you or anything.” He turned towards you. “Do you want to say hi, to see if she might come out?”

“Um…” You fiddled with your hands, a little nervous. “H-hey, Megan. I’m Y/N… I won’t bite or anything. I-in fact, I don’t think I can, haha…”

…You were met with nothing but silence. Sal tried calling out once more as a last try to get her to come out, but received no response again. Part of you felt a little hurt for not being okay enough for Megan to come out for, but the other part was relieved, just a bit. Maybe Megan was able to sense that part of you that wasn’t ready to see her… Or maybe she didn’t. You didn’t really know.

You looked at Sal, who had been staring at you.

“She might be tired. Maybe you can meet her some other day.” You nodded, taking his hand and leading him out, rushing him a bit.

“As long as you’re with me. This place is creepy without the ghosts.” You took a few steps out of the bathroom and down the apartment to the exit.

“I don’t really like the idea of you coming up here without me, anyways. There hasn’t been any demons for a while, but this place can be dangero-“

With a shriek, you halted your steps and squished yourself against sal, frightened by the man sitting in the room. He looked like your average homeless man, but with darkness surrounding his eyes. You could tell that he wasn’t okay nor was he normal due to his subtle transparency and his crazed rocking back and forth.

“You need to leave.”

“W-what?!”

“There will be-“ It sounded as if his voice was echoed and distant, like from another world. You tried to take a step back, but ended up tripping over Sal and you both ended up falling backwards from the imbalance. Frantically, you panicked and got up, ignoring the man that had appeared suddenly in the apartments.

“Sal?! I’m sorry, are you okay?” He grunted a bit and said he was fine, but you could see that his eyes were closed and that he was trying to wipe something off. You noticed that there were dirt particles and other miscellaneous… unsanitary stuff on the ground, so you both got yourself back on your feet quickly and you pushed him out of the apartment as fast as you could.

“Come on, Sal! Let’s get to your apartment to take care of that.” Nodding, he followed you into the elevator and down to the floor below. The trip was quick, but you also noted the fact that his prosthetic had been moved on his face a little bit, revealing more of his left side and less of his right. You could see a scar popping out.

Once inside of his apartment, you guided him to his bathroom and made him sit on the toilet, so you could grab a rag and wet it.

“No, Y/N, I’m fine. You don’t have to help me. Really, I can take care of it.”

“But if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be having issues right now. I’m the clumsy idiot, please let me help you. Close your eyes.” He did as he was told and closed them hesitantly. As you kneeled in front of him, he leaned towards you, so you could clean it better. “I am… having a hard time cleaning this, though. Do you still feel dirt and stuff in your eyes?”

He nodded.

“I- yeah… I think some dirt might’ve gotten underneath too, though I’m not sure how that happened.” You continued dabbing at his eyes,trying to make sure that he wouldn’t get an eye infection because of your dumb actions.

“Well, your prosthetic did get turned a little.”

“It did?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

Sitting in silence for a few moments, he listened to you breathe as you worked. He had been thinking about this moment for a long time, shortly after the two of you had started dating. But no matter what scenario he had imagined in his head, it would always turn out bad. You would see his face, give a look of horror or disgust… and then run away.

No matter how kind he knew you were, no matter how sweet or open-minded you were, he could not foresee a good outcome to him removing his prosthetic, so showing you was something he had always procrastinated on. He knew that in order to be with you in the future, as more than just a high school couple, you would have to see him eventually, but it… scared him. A lot.

With a shaky hand, he gripped your wrist, silently telling you to stop. Slowly, you watched as he began removing the straps on the back of his head, and as your heart began speeding up for the second time that day, you watched with wide eyes as you saw his face for the first time.

His face was littered in scars, both small and big. You could see that the worst area was on the right side of his face, which was practically mauled. There was dirt on his face from the tumble you both took in apartment 504, but what drew your attention was his… expression. Part of his eyebrow was missing on the right side, but you could tell that he looked incredibly worried and scared and… that he was watching with bated breath on what you would do next. He was staring right in your eyes, wondering and waiting.

For some reason, you felt tears well up, and carefully you began cleaning his face again, having a much easier time without the prosthetic.

With a wide smile and a soft laugh, you spoke, a couple tears spilling down.

“Wow… you have dirt everywhere.” You quickly dabbed it away. “And… y’know, I’m really happy because now I finally get to say this with absolute confidence. I mean, I was able to say it before, but now that I’ve seen your face you are legally obligated to believe me when I say it.”

“Huh?” He looked at you, a little skeptical, but still worried. This was not a scenario that he foresaw. What are you saying? After setting the rag aside, you looked straight back into his face, your smile somehow growing wider.

“You are, without a doubt, the cutest boy I’ve ever met.” Your hands went up to cup his face. “I never really thought about it before because… the Sal I had always known was the Sal with the ‘mask’, but I can’t even begin to explain why I’m so happy to see you like this.”

He rolled his eyes, turning away from you.

“You don’t have to sugarcoat this, Y/N. I’m not cute. Don’t lie to me.” You frowned, turning his face back towards you. You would not accept him talking himself down like that.

“Sal, I am not a liar. I’m one hundred percent telling you the truth.” You raised an eyebrow, your demeanor becoming somewhat playful. “You’re my boyfriend and you are just. That. Handsome. I feel like giving you… a thousand kisses right now. Maybe even… a million.”

You laughed mischievously when you saw his cheeks turn a light shade of pink. You were glad he was pale, because it was easy to see. It was difficult to notice on the side that was heavily scarred, but you could from looking at the left side.

“Are you blushing, Sal? Is what I’m saying embarrassing?” You reached up and gave him a loud kiss on the forehead. “I’m sorry! I can’t help it!”

You heard him laugh and you glanced at him to see him smile at you. You could practically feel the arrow pierce your heart. You laughed as well, deliriously happy.

“I never really realized how much I wanted to see you smile. Thank you for showing me, Sal.” He gave you a deep kiss, tears falling down his cheeks.

“No, thank you.”

[puropoly]

I must confess a sin: I,surprisingly,NEVER watched Pokemon..i know little things like some pokenames(very basic ones) but idk what is the show about(aside from catching pokemons)im interested since detective pikachu and i want to give it a try but im not sure where to start,they have videogames,animes,movies,more anime and more videogames,i asked my friends and they told me i can start from the videogames but others told me i must start from the anime,since youre a big fan i need your help :"0

did you say you need my help with

POKEMON

I’M YA PERSON

Pokemon has left a deep impact in my mind due to it being my biggest interest when I was a kid and at times my only source of entertainment (sad childhood violin) so the reason I like it so much is biased by how much charged nostalgia it has for me. I’d like to recommend you start with the games, because they’re fairly entertaining, and because personally I don’t give a shit about the anime and had dropped it since I left elementary school so

I think it’s viable to start playing pokemon when you’ve grown up, specially if you’re into rpg sorta games and some sick monster designs.

I think the best games to start with are the fifth generation: Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. Every pokemon game has been launched in sets of two versions (red and blue (the first ones ever), gold and silver, ruby and sapphire, etc) and you can choose whichever you want to play depending on which legendary pokemon on the box you like more

Pokemon black:

ya girl Reshiram

Pokemon white:

Ya boy Zekrom

The reason I recommend these games specifically it’s because the region the story is set in is based in USA, therefore western culture we’re used to and the pokemon designs for this gen specifically are among my favourites. 

Pokemon games are mainly aimed at children and the couple last editions of them rely heavily on extremely easy and predictable gameplay, which as a teen/adult, gets boring pretty fast. I don’t consider it a defect, because it’s great that children can count with games as enthralling and personalized as pokemon, but if you’re looking for some medium level of difficulty in a game, pokemon BW I think it’s the best to start with.

And why do I say it’s personalized? CHECK THIS OUT: YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN POKEMON TEAM BASED ON WHICH ONES YOU LIKE THE MOST. AMAZING. FANTASTIC CONCEPT !!! you start by picking your starter pokemon, which are a set of three pokemon of each elemental type- these are the ones for pokemon black and white:

snake whose smug aura mocks me (grass type), luchador pig in black underwear (fire type), and sad clown otter (obvs…my favourite, water type)

You get to pick whichever you like the most at the beginning of the game and they’ll be your pokemon partner FOREVER (unless you find pokemon you like better in the future, in that case you can deposit these sad losers in a box and never see them again) You can catch almost any pokemon in the game, and some of them are extremely rare and difficult to find (as it is the case for legendaries) Finding rare pokemon and trying to catch them are one of the things I like the most for these games, it makes you feel you really are exploring a strange fauna in look of some mytologic animal. It’s so much fun

Another reason I recommend BW to you it’s because, out of all the main pokemon games released until now, it’s the one with the most decent story. As I said before, pokemon is aimed for children and the story as well as the gameplay aren’t….complicated, to be frank. They’re preeeeeetty dumb most of the time. But this one has a set of very interesting characters with different values and morals they speak about and play out in the story. So it may be more interesting than, say the disaster that XY was (sorry if you like these games in particular, it’s respectable, but ya gotta admit the characters where dumb as hell AUGH I JUST HATE THE COCONUT HEAD KID OKAY)

The worldbuilding is neat and the wildlife areas are super exciting to explore. I guess the cities are too, but they’re not my biggest interest in these games. The only second thing funnier than catching pokemon is to make THEM FIGHT!! you find other trainers with OTHER pokemon and you make them fight using their attacks and advantages if they have it (for example, water type pokemon have advantage against fire type pokemon, because water eliminates fire, and fire type pokemon are strong against grass types because they can burn their leaves, etc etc. Some type advantages are easy to learn like these, but some others are hard to remember because they have no possible explanation other than preventing nerfing a specific type)

There are a total of 18 types in pokemon 

(17 in pokemon black and white since fairy got introduced later)

No matter if you don’t like pokemon in general, you’ll have to like AT LEAST ONE, because there are pokemon for ALL TASTES. There are kickass, funny, cute, beautiful, HORRENDOUS styles for all types, pokemon designs are so varied and the universe is so diverse you have endless possibilities when creating your team and it’s super super fun

SO, getting into technical details: pokemon BW were released for the nintendo DS. If you own one, or a 3ds, these games should be easy to find at any store. If not, you can downlowad the game rom and play with an emulator (free, but you won’t have access to link battles or trades, which make it impossible to obtain certain pokemon ): that’s the only bad thing). I’d also say this method is illegal (as illegal as downloading music) but honestly? screw nintendo for NEVER benefiting south america in any way. We get the games and consoles with ridiculous taxes and prices, never have access to worldly events, and the nintendo eshop for latin america is A JOKE. Capitalism can eat my ass

If you read all of this you’re amazing, and persevering, and you’ll do well in your future. Or it means you’re trying to avoid pending work, which is also acceptable. But this is all for now, If you have any other doubts feel free to ask me!!!!!! have fun and GO CATCH SUM POKEBITCHES

[morkmywords]

Peaches |Werewolf au | Exo | Chanyeol |

Masterlist | Epilogue

Werewolf!AU

Length: 23.7k

Note: This took such a long time to finish and I’m sorry but I promise I’ll try and get some other things written now also please excuse and errors since I’m too lazy to edit this ALSO THIS WILL CRASH YOUR MOBILE APP BECUAE ITS SO FREAKING LONG

Warnings: theres mentions of fighting and blood and some mention of the devil’s tango(Sex)

Pairing: Chanyeol x Reader

Genre: Fluff/angst

Summary: Werewolves live peacfully with the humans but not always peacefully with eachother.

The autumn sun beat down on the back of your neck as you pulled weeds from your garden, summer had ended a while ago but the sun was still hot as it washed over your fields. The Festival of Fallen Leaves was drawing nearer so you had to make sure everything was perfect because when The Festival of Fallen Leaves arrives so does the mating ritual, which means a lot of hungry wolves. You loaded up the last cartons of produce in your wagon before heading to town, the road was long but it wasn't like you hadn't done it before. You made your way through town with your head up as you greeted all the human elders and younglings you crossed paths with as you made your way to the banquet hall where all the food for the feast was being kept.

You waved to the young mother trying to grapple her children and organize the food collection all at once. “Hey Irma, how's everything going?” she gave you an exasperated groan in response as you put down your last carton full of peaches and picked up one of the two toddlers that were clinging to her legs.

“It really would be so much easier if Songho was around to help take care of these little rascals but I think we’re doing fine for now.” She said as she wrestled the other one away from the boxes.

Irma was your closest friend for as long as you remembered, she had always been your friend even when the other omegas weren't. You weren't small and fragile with long silky hair like the other omegas in the village, your arms and legs had muscle to them from your days spent working in the fields and your hair was cut you above your shoulders so it wouldn’t get in the way of your work. And the whole expectation that omegas need to rely on somebody to do basically everything for them you definitely didn't meet also helped, your mom was an alpha of the pack but your dad was a rogue so when the rest of the pack found out she was pregnant and from a rogue they exiled her, but she left you here and now you were the outcast. The toddler in your arms began to squirm out of boredom so you put him down and began to play with her until you were both giggling messes.

“You’d be a good mom you know.” Irma said as she placed the other toddler down in front of you. Irma and her husband Singho had been married for two years and already had three kids, as much as you loved the idea the thought of gaining so much responsibility in such a short period of time made you kind of uneasy. “And who knows, maybe you’ll get to be one soon after the events of tomorrow.”

“I doubt that.” You snorted, the thought of  one of the wolves from across the lake wanting to have you as a mae was utterly ridiculous. From the past festivals they had come to the village you figured out they were the same as the wolves on this side of the lake, they wanted nothing to do with you and you wanted nothing to do with them. “I’ll probably just live out the rest of my days on the farm in peace, with none of the drama that comes from wolves and their hierarchy.”

Irma sighed, you'd had this conversation many times before and your answer had been the same since the first time you could remember. “Don't get yourself too down in the dumps, even if you won't be one of their mates you can still oogle them. Werewolves have the best bodies and even humans know that.”

“You're the worst,” you groaned, Irma may be married but she still acted like a lovesick teenager. You gave her back the two now sleepy toddlers before standing back up, “ I have to go and finish up the flag that I still don't understand why I have to make a while im being forced to participate in this event I hate!! But I’ll see you tomorrow.” She giggled at your little outburst before she waved goodbye and you headed back to your farm. On your way down the main road you noticed the group of the highest ranked omegas staring at you as you pulled your wagon past. There weren't any official rankings but they were considered the best of the best, they all had top notch skills in cooking, cleaning, sewing, and being small and pretty. This was the year Chanyeol, the alpha next in line for head of pack, would be participating and everyone was sure he would pick one of them with their brightly coloured clothes of the highest quality and prettily painted faces. Chaeyoung was the omega he seemed to favour when Chanyeol had come for past festivals and they seemed like the perfect match. As much as you wanted to stay confident and keep your head up as you walked past them you didn't, so you avoided eye contact and strayed to the other side of the street while trying to stay out of the spotlight. You didn't really mind if the wolves didn't like you since most of the humans were pretty nice to you, once you got out of the center of the small town you let your shoulders relax as you made your way back along the dirt road to the small farmhouse you called your home.

Your wagon rattled across the bridge that ran over the river that separates your land from the main road and your neighbour’s property, the sun had set by the time you walked back to your front porch and you were just ready to sleep. You opened the curtains and peered out the window as you heard the sound of paws crunching on the dirt road, a pack of wolves were walking down the road and you could see their glowing eyes from where you were standing leaning halfways out your window. Your hand slipped from the windowsill and you let out a muffled scream as your stomach hit the edge of the window, you felt a blush from embarrassment rise to your cheeks as you pulled yourself back up and saw most of the wolves turn to face you. They were obviously from across the lake as their wolf forms were the larger more muscular ones of alphas and betas compared to the smaller stature of omegas. You ducked back into your house after shutting the curtain in a flurry of movement and flopped on your bed while trying to calm your racing heart. Once your breathing returned to normal you rolled off the side of your bed and began rummaging in your trunk for the supplies you needed to complete the banner. The banner was one of the reasons you hated the festival so much, the omegas were supposed to create a banner to be displayed and judged to see who’s was the best, it was the only competition out of all the competitions designed to show of your omeganess that was mandatory to enter and you hated it the most. Some omegas spent months planning out and designing theirs unlike you who had left it till the night before, you finally finished it and crashed onto your bed to sleep for a few hours until sunrise when you would have to get to work again.

When you got up the next morning you could feel the excitement of everyone in town at the arrival of all the wolves last night even though you didn’t actually see anyone. You dragged your heavy legs out of bed and threw your work clothes on before heading out to the fields behind you house, the other omegas in the town would be putting on layers of makeup and their best silks in an attempt to look their best in preparation for the later festivities. Once you were finished with your daily chores you went inside and do your best to get ready, unlike the traditional silks that the other wolves would be wearing that were brightly coloured and decorated with crystals and other beads made of various gems yours were a mixture of blue and yellow colours with a simple pattern on the outer layer but otherwise no decorations. You added a bit of colour to your cheeks and lips before struggling with your hair, you tried your best to braid it back and away from your face but you were helpless. You let out a groan as your fifth attempt of a braid got tangled and fell apart, you banged your wrist on the vanity as you threw your arms down in anger. You winced as you held your tender wrist and got a glimpse at the clock, you shot up from your seat and rushed to the door since you had to be there in ten minutes. You shoved your banner in your bag before wedging your feet into the dainty slippers that were part of your whole getup before running out the door and down the road.

----

You were panting by the time you handed your banner to the village elder that was organizing them and the bottom of your skirt was covered in a thin layer of dust. All the wolves were in their fine clothing, covered in jewelry and expertly done hair and makeup while you looked like you'd just rolled out of a barn, it was a bit embarrassing as the wolves around you all stared at your unique appearance. You walked away as quickly as you could in search of someone you knew to distract you from the stares, you were walking past the display of professionally crafted blankets and other weavings when you heard a few alphas and betas talking.

“Are you sure she’s an omega, she looks quiet….. Robust,” one whispered to his friend.

From the corner of your eye you saw one of the friends let out an amused huff. “I’d hate to be the unlucky idiot that ends up with her.”

“Even if she was the only wolf left in the forest I wouldn't be her mate.” one added and they all nodded in agreement. Your eyes travelled to the ground and you felt the flush of embarrassment rise to your cheeks as you rushed past them while holding your sore wrist against you body, you were jittery around the festival until you found Irma and her husband. The festival was filled with different competitions and activities, there were cooking, sewing, dancing, singing, and art competitions which were basically just an omega talent show. There were also various sports competition and strength competitions for the alphas, betas, and humans to participate in, of course you chose not to take part in anything that wasn't mandatory and would preferably be back home sleeping some more. The omega focused events were all happening today to show off before the mating ritual and the other events would follow in the weeks after, and the painting exhibit was where you finally found Irma.

“You look like death,” Irma commented on your appearance as you walked over to her, “Did you get eaten and spit out again by one of those chickens you have in your backyard?”

You sighed and leaned your head against her shoulder letting your eyes drift closed. “I stayed up till about an hour before dawn trying to finish that stupid banner.”

“Did you finish it?”

You yawned and nodded still keeping your eyes closed

“Sometimes I’m glad I’m not a wolf with all your weird customs but I do have to admit this one is kind of romantic.” she sighed.

You snorted while opening your eyes and standing back up.“Romantic my butt……” you paused and yawned again before continuing on, “By the way, where are the kids?” you asked her as she guided you to a bench.

“Songho offered to take them for the day.” you saw her evil smirk as you both sat down on the bench.

“Stupid man, you're never going to see him again.” you said and closed your eyes once again, you felt her shrug in agreement beside you. You both stayed seated at the bench for a while just chatting about this and that before you eventually got up and made your way through the various exhibits, there was nothing extremely special about any of the winning items but you looked nonetheless. You were sifting through the endless poems that seemed to all be about love or nature when your stomach let out an unusually loud growl.

“Did you forget to eat lunch again?” Irma teased as she placed her hands on her hip playfully. You nodded your head and a pained expression set up shop on your face as the emptiness of your stomach caught up with you. “Let’s go.” She grabbed your hand and dragged you through the crowds to the hall where all the food was before she wedged some sort of meat sandwich in your hand. You practically inhaled the first sandwich as you listened to her chatter about the minor issues in her life, your mood definitely lifted when you had food in you as you happily munched away. You were halfway through your third sandwich when some younger girls made their way past chatting.

“We wouldn’t be so late if you hadn’t been filling your guts with pastries.” The taller one hissed at the girl by her side.

The smaller girl’s eyes grew wide in panic and an embarrassed blush coloured her cheeks.”We still have two minutes before it starts.” She stuttered.

“But we’ll still be late to the banner contest if you don’t pick up the pace.”

You choked on the piece of bread that was in your mouth when you heard the word ‘banner’, you knew the hall seemed oddly empty of people and you quickly glanced at the clock on the wall before grabbing Irma’s hand and breaking into a run for the town square. You sprinted past the two girls from before with Irma in tow who was utterly confused until she saw the crowd surrounding the stage that had been put up and had all the banners hanging from the back. You dropped Irma’s hand and began slipping through the crowd and not so gracefully slipping under the rope to join the crowd of omegas whose work was going to be displayed. The crowd of both male and female omegas were glaring at you while you tried to stand up after you tripped on the hem of your own dress and landed with a muffled screech. Thankfully you didn’t draw anyone else’s attention and on any other the crowd of glaring omegas would be enough to make you want to throw up but in your sleep deprived state you didn’t even notice them and just waited for the presentation to begin already knowing yours would be dead last.

“And in first place, Kim Chaeyoung!” The announcer exclaimed not to your surprise but the crowd went wild. Her banner was more like a tapestry you would hang in a castle, it was embroidered with a mountain that slowly bled into the forest and lake where you lived, beads and sparkling gemstones were sewn on to look like the orange hues of fall leaves and right smack dab in the Center there were two figures that were obviously meant to be her and Chanyeol in wolf form, his massive wolf with a dark brown almost black coat and her with her soft dappled grey fur. Your eyes followed her like most of the other jealous omegas as she went up on stage to recover her reward, you may have been completely out of it but you didn’t miss the disgusted glare she gave you when she caught you looking. Only the top three participants revived rewards and were called up on stage and unsurprisingly it was two of Chaeyoung’s followers who got second and third, the current head alpha and his mate were the ones to rank the banners and even though it was supposed to be based on quality alone there was obviously some favouritism at work when you saw their pleased smiles. After that the banners were shown in ranking from highest to lowest but no names were called although it was still painfully obvious who’s was whose, they kept going until there was only one left. Yours palled in comparison to all the other with their fancy decorations and high level skill, yours was a plain cream coloured piece of fabric to which you had embroidered a few leaves and a cluster of peach blossoms onto one corner. There were no beads or gems, there were no bright colours or artistically sewn images, it was just plain and simply showed off who you were. You still flushed red when you saw the knowing glances fall to you and you wanted to shrink back into your cocoon of a dress until everybody left but unfortunately you couldn’t do that as now it was time for the feast.

——

The eating part was the easy part since your stomach was an endless pit but now the eating was over and it was time for the hard part. You hated the traditional dances but you still attended the rehearsals that taught you how to do it, the basic idea of it was to dance past the alphas and betas who would be taking part in the ritual so they could scent you you thought but really didn’t know. It sounded simple enough but it was a lot more nerve racking, the entire of the human village and werewolf pack would be watching you as you danced as if you didn’t get stared at enough and aside from that the actual dance you had to do wasn’t choreographed. The dance was usually passed down from a mother to a daughter and the dance was unique to each family but you were completely on your own since the only thing that was choreographed was the order you would go in which was the same as the banners were ranked which meant you had to go last. Your palms were already sweating as Chaeyoung began her dance flowing smoothly across the space and stopping to linger in front of an alpha or beta she seemed to like, this year there were only three betas and two alphas that were participating. On the other hand omegas had found every loophole possible to try and participate because the next head alpha would be participating. Although you didn't realize, soon there were five omegas left before it was your turn, then it was four, three, two, and suddenly it was your turn to go. The musicians kept a steady beat as you began trying your best to dance on wobbly legs, you were so tired it hardly seemed real as you moved across the open space. At this point in time you were so exhausted you really didn't care anymore, you kept your eyes on the ground and did your best to copy the moves you'd seen at previous rituals in an attempt to move gracefully. Your legs wobbled here and there and sometimes your feet got tangled or your steps faltered but you were still definitely the fastest to do it. You paid no attention to the jibes the others threw at you as you joined the group of other omegas who had already finished their dances, you just wanted the festival to be over so you could go home and sleep but it was far from over. Now it was time to go to the edge of the forest because the mating ritual was about to start, Irma caught your eye just as you were about to leave and gave you a huge thumbs up to which you replied back with a huge thumbs down. You were led to the edge of the forest by the head alpha’s mate before he started explaining the rules as if you already didn't know them.

“You’ll be released into the forest in the same order as the dance, with the first place in this case Chaeyoung having two hours to find her place and after another omega will be released every five minutes until the last one is released who has only one hour to find their place. Once the alphas and betas are released if they want to mate with you they will mark their territory and proceed, tomorrow morning the omegas will meet back here and the ones who have been mated with will get ready for the ceremony while the others go back. During the ceremony if you are mated your mate will choose your banner which announces it to the pack that they are your mate and the vows will be exchanged. Everyone understand?” the head omega asked and everyone nodded, as if he hadn't learned about this from the time they were old enough to speak. “Well if everyone is prepared Chaeyoung will start.”

At his signal Chaeyoung took off into the forest to find her hiding spot, the others were buzzing with excitement but you being the last would have to wait an hour before you could go. Eventually omegas left the group and headed into the forest nervous and excited all at the same time, you waited through every departure until it was finally your turn to go. As soon as you stepped foot in the forest you heard a rumble of thunder and the rain began pouring, your plan was to head through the forest to the river where you could then cross it and hideaway in your house before returning the next morning without anyone ever knowing but now that it was raining it might but a halt to your plan. You only had an hour before the alphas and betas were released so you had to move quickly, your senses were not nearly as strong as they were when you were in your wolf form but it was still stronger than humans so you used them to steer clear of any of the other omegas which you could smell of hear but most would be crowded around where the alphas and betas would be released and not this far into the forest. Once you deemed yourself far enough away you stripped out of your silks and placed them in your bag before changing into your wolf form which made it much easier to navigate the dense forest, the rain was still pouring and lightning struck a few times but you continued on. You heard the river before you saw it but when you did see it all your fears came true, the river was more than double its usual size and running at least three times as fast making it impossible to cross even in wolf form. You were dumbfounded as to how it rose so quickly and you stayed there in utter shock for a few minutes before a clap of thunder broke you out of your thoughts. You would have to stay in the forest until the water calmed down which meant all night, the rain probably washed away most of your tracks and scent but you still didn't want to draw any attention to yourself.You only had about ten minutes left until the alphas and betas were released so you had to be fast, you trotted through the forest in the surrounding area looking for a place you could stay when your eyes caught on a rocky outcropping the resembled a cave. You ran over there and tucked yourself under the stone roff thankful to get out of the rain but unthankful you had to spend the night in this damned forest, you put your bag down in a far corner before scanning the area for signs of anybody else. You stayed there for a while scanning your surrounding until you deemed it safe and tried to sleep but the anxiety of being in the forest and the pouring rain kept you awake, it was like all the exhaustion from earlier in the day had disappeared and you were wide awake. A little while later the rain had stopped pouring so hard and you decided it was time to investigate since all the other wolves were…..preoccupied. You cautiously stepped out from under the protection of the rock and explored the small clearing to the left of the cliff, the heavy rain had created a small stream of running water in a divet of land. You bent down closer to get a closer look at the miniature river when you heard a small croak and looked up to see a little brown frog staring at you from a rock that was about a foot in your face. You observed the small creature out of curiosity and it seemed to do the same, you were about to lean closer when there was a rustle in the bushes behind you and his hopped away. You whipped around and straightened your legs as you saw the familiar yellow eyes and large body of a werewolf come into view, you stood frozen as it lifted its leg and marked the territory without ever taking its eyes off of you.

‘You shouldn’t do that.’ Your panic got the best of you as the wolf began advancing towards you. The wolf was almost twice the size of you with dark brown almost black fur and glowing yellow eyes, it must have been an alpha and you could tell from its scent that it was a male.

‘I don’t think you are in any position to be telling me what I can and cannot do.’ It growled back as it stalked closer and closer to where you were.

You were no longer frozen in shock and again,out of instinct, you began to move backwards which only seemed to make the alpha angrier.

‘Don’t.’ He growled again but you didn’t listen and instead made a break for it trying to swing in a wide arc around him. You thought you were going to get away until your body was slammed onto the ground with the alpha pinning you down, an unreadable look in his eyes.

‘You can’t- I can’t- you- I can’t be your m-m-mate I’m not-‘ You tried to make excuses as you stifled helplessly underneath the much larger animal, even though you had some hard earned muscle it did nothing against him as your cries seemed to go through one ear and out the other. Just when you were about to give up you caught him off guard and pushed one of his legs off balance before slipping out from under him and trying to make another escape. You barely got three steps before you were pinned to the ground again, alpha boiling with rage above you.

You began to struggle again but he cut you off with a low growl. ‘Mine.’

You let your body fall limp underneath him knowing there was no way you could escape this.

——

You woke up at dawn out of habit and your entire body was sore, the left side of your neck especially. You ignored the aching of your muscles and sat up letting the blood rush to your head and the memories of last night with it. You turned your head to see the sleeping face of Chanyeol staring up at the sky and you began to panic, it would have been bad enough if any wolf mated with you but Chanyeol being the next head alpha was one thousand times worse. You sprung into action changing back into your wolf form before grabbing your bag from underneath the small overhang and booking it to the river. You splashed through the river not caring if it was safe of not and bounding out of the trees and into your orchard, once you were safely behind the various fruit trees you changed back and threw on your silks. You tentatively reached a hand up to your sore neck and let out a hiss as it stung when you touched it, you tore out the small mirror in your bag and sure enough Chanyeol had bit your neck and marked you as his mate.

You paced up and down the rows of trees trying to figure out what to do, you couldn’t be his mate ever, it was unheard of and you surely would get banished from the pack just like your own mother, you had to pretend like nothing happened because there was no other way. You gathered your skirts and readjusted your top to cover the red and purple mark bite mark on your shoulder before heading to the meeting spot.

“You’re the last one, where have you been!” The omega in charge called out and you tripped over your long skirts as you hurried over to where the rest of the omegas were gathered.

“I’m sorry, I got lost and had t-to take the long way.” You mumbled but got no response, confused you looked up to see everyone staring at…… your left shoulder. When the realization hit you your hands flew up to check your neckline and sure enough your neckline had slipped down to reveal the mark.

Once everyone got over the initial shock you were put in a group with the four other omegas that had been mated and were marched to the village while the others were dismissed.

“Who in their right mind would mate with her?” One of the other omegas in the group of five seethed. Your cheeks turned bright red and you hung your head at her words while she just snickered. Chaeyoung and one of her minions were mated with and were walking in the front while there was one of the others walking behind them and a boy who looked as soft as a marshmallow walked beside you.

“Don’t listen to her, she’s just upset because her mate is a beta. You raised your eyebrows at the boy who was at least a foot taller than you with hair the colour of a cloud.

“How do you know that?” You were confused by the boy who was talking to you but more curious about what he said.

“I saw them together as I was walking out and I’m scared for life.” He whispered.

You both were pretty sure she heard because of the glare she sent back over her shoulder, even so you both giggled at the statement while you continued your treck to the town. “I’m Jongin.” He said with a smile that would melt anyone’s heart. “Let’s be friends because you seem really nice even if people say bad things about you.”

You looked over at the smiling boy and you didn’t sense any ulterior motives coming from him. “Ok Jongin, let’s be friends.”

——

Once you arrived in the village you were all sent to different huts where pack elders were waiting for you. You were first stripped of your clothes then put in a hot bath where you were scrubbed from head to toes as if you couldn’t clean yourself with various soaps and scrubs that left you smelling like some sort of fancy flower. Next you were placed in a dressing room where you were outfitted with traditional robe that was probably more expensive than everything you owned altogether, you were sat down in front of a mirror where they did their best with the little hair you had and painted your face with makeup you had never even seen before. The sun was beginning to go down by the time they were done and you were exhausted, they put you in front of a large mirror to make sure you were happy with it and all you could do was nod. You could hardly recognize yourself as you stared in the mirror, other than your hair you looked completely different with the layers of makeup and fancy clothes but you didn’t want to be rude so you hid the discomfort you felt and quietly thanked them. You were led into a larger hut with all the other omegas who were participating in the ceremony, you were definitely the least extravagantly dressed but it’s not like it was unusual. The others were in traditional dress that was specified for their families, and many had family heirlooms which could be a hairpin to a belt but were always beautiful and covered in glittering gemstones. Jongin chatted idly beside you like some of the others in your room but you weren't really paying attention because you were too focused on your racing mind and pounding heart. You had seen this ceremony so many times in the years before now but you never actually thought you would be the one participating in it, when the whole process was explained multiple times you barely listened. Finally it was time to leave and the veils were placed over everyone's head before they were led out into the field where the ceremony would be taking place. Through the thin fabric that covered your eyes you could see the alphas and betas lining up parallel to the line of omegas you were standing in and the speeches began.

After what seemed like endless people speaking the alphas and betas were called one by one to claim their mate, the omegas beside you were claimed one by one until it was only you and Chaeyoung left. The name of the other alpha was about to be called when the head alpha was interrupted, you missed what was said but your eyes shot up to see Chanyeol looking back at you with a garbage eating smirk. He walked forward staying right in between you and the omega beside you until he stopped two feet in front of you two.  Everyone held their breath in anticipation to see which omega he was going to pick and even more anxious for who was under the veil. He seemed to be charged by the tense atmosphere and his smirk on grew as he took a step and stopped in front of you before gently lifting your banner from your hands and unwrapping the cloth covering it. You heard multiple noises of shock when the crowd recognized the plain cream backing with a few small peach blossoms in the corner, your heart was beating so fast you thought it might stop. He leaned forward to lift the veil from your face as the crowd prayed it wasn't true but when the summer sun washed over you it was clear their worst dreams had come true. As you blinked back the sunlight he leaned even closer to you and in the ruse of placing a kiss on your cheek he whispered, “It was incredibly rude for you to run away this morning Peaches.” He stood back up and you could already feel how red your cheeks were getting as you followed him you to the platform where the head alpha and the head of the human village were standing. By the time you had reached the proper positions everyone had seemed to have gotten over themselves enough to continue on so both men cleared their throats and began. You stumbled through the vows while Chanyeol was the picture of calm enunciating every word perfectly, almost slowly and when the time came to complete the ceremony with the wine you were more nervous than ever.  First he took a sip then offered the cup to you which you took with shaking hands and did your best to sip the strong liquid but when you thought nothing worse could happen you inhaled some of the liquid which made you let out a cough embarrassing you even more. The next ceremony continued with almost nothing going as wrong as yours but you could hardly pay attention to anything.

----

The feast was in full swing with people dancing around and singing drunk on the exceptionally strong wine they were serving, while others were gouging themselves on the endless tables of food. You were sitting on a cushion next to Irma by the farthest table while watching her children dance around with hands full of different sweets.

“I still cant believe youre letting them have so much sugar.” You laughed as her son shoved a cream puff into his small mouth and smearing the cream all over his nose.

She sighed and filled her cup with some more wine before downing it in one gulp which you giggled at. “It’s a celebration therefore it’s Songho’s responsibility. And I still can't believe that the next head alpha is your mate.”

“Dont remind me.” you muttered and reached for the pitcher of wine and filled up your cup, but before you could take a sip Irma knocked it out of your hand. “WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” you exclaimed.

“Don't forget that now you're his mate you could possibly have a mini you swimming around somewhere in there.” she poked at your stomach. Your heart dropped, you hadn't even considered that possibility and you started panicking, you couldn't have his baby inside your stomach, that would just make everything worse. “Don’t freak out too much, there’s hardly a chance you would get pregnant after only one time. It took at least five for me to get pregnant with my first daughter.” Irma said as she wrapped her arm around your shoulder and tried to comfort you.

“I really didn’t need to know that much but thanks for telling me I guess.” you said as she dropped her arm off your shoulder and reached for a roll off the center of the table.

“Now go find your big strong alpha.” she said before taking a bite out of the bread and shoving you up from your seat. You laughed and made your way back to where you remembered sitting a few minutes before, stopping to wipe the cream off her sons face before whispering goodluck to Songho and continuing on your way. You skirted the outer edges of the tables in an attempt to avoid the drunken crowd who was dancing around the bonfire in the center. You dodged through small groups of people who were stumbling around and ducked behind a tent where food was set up. You turned the corner and walked around the back of the tent to where you remembered the table you left a few minutes ago, you rounded the last corner you stopped in your tracks.

Your jaw dropped to the floor when you saw Chaeyoung dropping herself across Chanyeol’s lap and presses kisses into his neck. In a rustle of many layers of fabric rubbing together you turned and headed back behind the tent and into the maze of huts that surrounded the town square. You moved as fast as you could with all your finery but you only got a few small huts down before you were stopped by a hand on your arm. You were spun around and came face to face with your mate. You were surprised he left the omega who he was so happily chatting with just a few moments before to stop you.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He demanded without releasing his hold on you arm.

“Leaving.” You grunted as you wrenched you arm from his grasp. “What’s it to you anyways? You seemed perfectly happy with your little friend back there.”

The look in his eyes darkened into something frightening as you finished talking. “And how do you know she was my ‘little friend’?” He spit out.

“Well it didn’t seem like you were making any objection to her little show for you.” You didn’t know why you were angry you just knew you were.

“How are her actions my fault!?”

“Well you weren’t doing anything to stop them, in fact, you seemed to be enjoying it!”

“Why are you so oblivious?!” He growled, “Everything with you is always poor me, poor me. You’re so selfish you can’t think of anyone but yourself! You always go around wallowing in your own sadness about how hard your life is and you’ve never cared about anything else.” He was breathing hard now and his eyes seemed to darken even more. “At least you could be yourself, I’ve had to life a life of perfection since I was a child without even a chance to mess up!”

Your breath hitched in your throat “Is that all I am to you? You’re one big mess up!” You exclaimed, throwing your hands into the air, “I’m just a pawn in your stupid game and you thought I was selfish! Maybe I do wallow in my own sadness but it’s your and the others fault I’m an outcast to begin with! Maybe you lived a strict lifestyle but it sure is a hell of a lot better than being abandoned as a baby then shunned by the people who were supposed to be like your family!” You were screaming at this point, not caring about the look in his eyes or anyone who was around to hear.

“You’re ruining everything for me, be quiet!” He hissed as he took a few steps closer which you matched with a few steps back.

“I was perfectly fine with marrying a human if I ever got married at all but then you had to come along and now it really is you who ruined everything for me.” You could feel the warmth of tears on your cheeks and the crack in your voice from a dry throat as you struggled to take a breath. You turned away from him and fled back to your little farm which seemed to be your only safe place now. You didn’t pick up on any footsteps behind you but you ran anyways as your many layers caught and ripped on things and your breath turned ragged. You were almost to your house as sons racked your whole body and suddenly you couldn’t go inside, you wanted to forget about this whole thing and you couldn’t go inside because you knew the supplies for the banner were still strewn about on your bed.

You had barely slept in three days and the exhaustion was really catching you this time as your stumbles down the river bank, your vision swam as you took a step into the water. You didn’t care that it was freezing cold or that it was ruining your fancy garments as if they hadn’t been ruined enough already, you walked deeper as more tears began rolling down your cheeks. You wanted the cold mountain water to wash away the memories of the past few days as you stopped an crouched down so the water came to just above your elbows. You wanted the river to wash you away but you didn’t have the strength to do anything but sit there in the chilly water and cry, your emotions seemed to be coming just as fast as the water was rushing.

——

“Check by the river!” Songho called from his seat at the table that the rest of his family was currently sleeping on.

Chanyeol’s sharp eyes trained on the person who was speaking to him. “What?” He asked confused as why a villager just blurted out a random piece of information at him.

“You’re looking for Y/n right?” Songho asked the alpha who had stopped his frantic search of the crowd. He took the silence he got as confirmation. “She lives on the farthest farm by the river, she probably decided to head home.”

“That’s her house?”

“Mm, she’s lived there her whole life, best peaches around.” Songho answered before he was interrupted by his half asleep wife rolling on top of him and their pile of kids following. When he finally looked back up the worried alpha was gone.

——

You felt warm arms against you as they lifted you from the water. You snuggled into the warm chest behind you for the brief moments you were conscious before you passed out again to the rhythm of the running water.

—-

You woke up to your throat feeling like sandpaper and your lips cracked and dry, your limbs felt stiff as you tried to shift on the bed your recognized as your own.

“Y/n?” Somebody called out. You heard a shuffling in the next room over before Irma popped her head into the room. “You are awake!” She exclaimed before scurrying over to you with a large glass of water in her hands.

“Thank you.” You croaked before grabbing the glass of water from her and drinking it entire contents. You let out a heavy sigh as you finished drinking and handing the glass back to her, you tried to push yourself further up into a sitting position but your vision began to swim.

“Take it easy there.” Irma warned as she snaked her arm around your back and helped you up, placing more pillows around you as she went. “You’ve been asleep for so long I would be careful.”

“Exactly how long have I been asleep?” You questioned, you remembered what happened before you passed out but nothing else.

“I think it’s been about two weeks now?”

“WHAT?!” You exclaimed while shooting up from the bed but quickly falling back as the dizziness came back.

“Calm down,” Irma said, “I’ll tell you but first you need food because your stomach sounds like a thunderstorm.”

You felt the pink in your cheeks as she disappeared back into the kitchen and began crashing around again. You peered out the window to your right across the orchard outside of your home, winter was already just around the corner as the sun hid behind clouds and the cool winds ripped the falling leaves off their branches. It seemed like only a few days ago you were out in the fields at the beginning of harvest season but now it was almost winter and you were going to be forced to leave your farm for what would most likely be the rest of your life. At that moment Irma decided to barge back into your room with a giant bowl of stew in her hands  she made your way back over to your bed before climbing in next to you and attempting to hand you the giant bowl.

“Earth to Y/n?” She said before jostling you with her elbow and bring you back to reality.

“I have something to ask you,” you started but we’re cut off by Irma shoving the bowl into your face.

“Eat first and I’ll explain, then you can ask questions.” She demanded. You reluctantly took the bowl and took a small bite before starting to shovel it into your mouth at a speed you didn’t think you were capable of, you had forgotten how good of a cook Irma was. “Slow down there sport,” she laughed at your frantic eating, “You’re not going to able to hear me speak!” She teased.

Eventually you slowed down enough for her to explain though you still ate at an unnaturally fast speed.

“Well I guess I should start from the beginning of it even counts as the beginning,” Irma said, “Chanyeol was wandering around the feast like a lost puppy until he bumped into Songho, we may or may not have seen you run off earlier and were kind of worried. Anyways, Songho told him to go look by the river and he took of so fast it was like he wasn’t even there in the first place.” You finished your food and we’re just listening quietly at this point while she explained everything. “The next morning I decided to go check and see if you made it home alright and I almost got run over by your mate who was running back to the village. He told me you weren’t conscious and had a fever so he was going to get a doctor and I’ve been here taking care of you since. There was one point where we were scared you weren’t going to make it because you weren’t sick anymore but you weren’t conscious, the doctor said it was your wolf senses reacting to shock. I’m just glad you’re okay.” She finished.

“So what day is it today?” you asked her as you laid your head on her shoulder and huddled back under the blankets.

“Friday.” “So I’ve actually been asleep for almost three weeks?” “I guess…” you laughed at the way Irma was subtly trying to avoid your question and ended up poking her in the stomach which launched a full out tickle war. There were limbs flying and the sound of your laughter was filling the entire house as you two tumbled over each other with wiggling fingers. In that moment you forgot about everything that was changing in your life and you were back with your best friend just having fun until Irma brought up the festival again.

“You’ve missed most of the games but there's still the Kickball tournament before you leave, the first game if tomorrow and I'm pretty sure your mate is playing. Don’t you want to see him all shiny from the sweat, and his muscles-” you quickly cut her off by slapping a hand over her mouth, you let out a groan of disgust as you felt her lick your palm.

“Don’t remind me about leaving.” You muttered as you crawled back under a pile of blankets. “I just want to stay her forever.”

Irma sighed and was about to say something before there was a sharp knock at the door, you made no move to stand up so Irma was making her way to the door when you let out a frantic whisper. “Don’t tell him I’m awake.”

After a confused look you returned to your blanket cave and sure enough when she opened the door you heard a familiar voice.

“Did Y/n wake up?” Chanyeol asked, he sounded out of breath and his voice was tinged with worry which only made you wonder about what he was doing before.

“She did and we talked for a while but she just fell asleep again and i think it’s best if we dont disturb her.” Irma said calmly.

You heard a loud sigh. “That’s good.” Chanyeol sounded much more relaxed now though you didn't know why. “She’s alright though?” He asked after a slightly awkward pause. What followed was some more conversation and you heard a doctor being mentioned a few times before goodbyes were exchanged and the door was shut again. You felt the bed dip with Irma’s weight as she perched on the bed beside you.

“You might want to put on some clothes since Chanyeol said the doctor would be here soon.” She whispered. It took a few minutes of mumbling and grumbling before you finally gave in and got up.

----

“So doc, is she dying?” Irma asked from beside you. The doctor let out a low chuckles as he placed his equipment back into his bag.

“No, she’ll be perfectly fine if she takes it easy for the next fe days.” He explained as he continued packing away the various bottles and tools.

You fidgeted nervously underneath the blankets unsure of whether to ask your question or not. “So, what was wrong with me?” You finally blurted out.

He paused to scratch his head and he seemed to be thinking of what to say. “Well, It’s most likely from shock. I don’t really know the way werewolves bodies well enough to determine the exact cause but from what experience i do have I believe it was shock mixed with the fact you hadn't been eating or sleeping in the few days beforehand. There may also be a slight chance your pregnant but i wouldn’t be too worried about that.” He paused to did around in his bag a bit  as you went over what he said. “Now i want you to take one of these a day until they run out, just to get your body back on track.” He explained as he handed you a bottle of what looked like vitamins. “They’ll help with your sleeping habits as well as get rid of nausea and headaches.”

You two bid the doctor farewell before he left again and you went back to reading the label on the bottle he gave you.

“So you can go out and have fun now but instead you choose to read a medicine bottle?” Irma sked when you refused to get up.

“You can go, I’ll be fine on my own. I’m just not feeling like going out.” You said. It was true that you were tired and didn’t really feel like going out but it was mostly due to the fact that you didn’t want to see your mate. In the bottom of your stomach there was a pool of guilt, you felt bad about what happened between you and just the idea of being around him just made you nervous.

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” Irma asked.

“Yes, now go have fun!” You were thankful that she was worried about you and it warmed your heart but you couldn't make her stay here with you so you ushered her out the door from your spot at the bed.

----

Somehow it was four days later and you were at the games. Irma had finally managed to drag you out of the house saying that she needed your help to take care of the kids but you two ended up at the large playing field and your plans of avoiding Chanyeol were slowly slipping away. It was an uncharacteristically sunny day for winter which was creeping closer and closer, you were standing at the side with Irma and Songho each holding a squirming child.

“We should go find seats.” Songho managed to mutter as he tried to keep the toddler that was using him as a jungle gym still. You both nodded and began to make your way to the stands which were already full of people, you still had an hour till the final game started but people were already filling up the stands with screaming and cheering. You were beginning to get nervous as humans and wolves alike began recognizing you and you felt their eyes following you, thankfully Irma and Songho chose a few seats that were far enough away from the main crowd that nobody even noticed you tucked away in the corner.

----

A cheer erupted in the crowd as the players burst onto the field, you thought you were going to go deaf from the noise and it was magnified by your wolf senses. Horns were blowing and people were cheering as both teams got into their positions, you caught a glimpse of Chanyeol in a serious discussion with his teammates before breaking and heading to their respective positions. The whistle blew, the ball was dropped, and the game was underway. Both teams were amazing and you thought you would get whiplash from how the ball flew from one end of the field to the next, unhindered by the strong winds that seemed to pick up speed as time went on. Goals were scored from both teams and you couldn't tell who was who from volume of dirt and mud that were covering all the team uniforms, Irma left earlier with her youngest and now it was just you, Songho, and the two toddlers.

Suddenly the wind picked up and thunder rumbled across the sky, a large raindrop hit you square between your eyes followed by another, then another, and soon it was pouring rain. The wind was whipping the hair into your eyes as you stood up, it had only been raining for a few minutes and you could already feel the water soaking through your clothes. The whistle blew and the referees called the game to a stop. The weather conditions continued to worsen in the next few minutes and Songho gave you a nod signalling he new you needed to head home and make sure everything was alright back at the farm. You pushed through the crowds of people who were trying together their things to protect from the rain as you raced back home. Your equipment wasn't put away and you shutters were not closed so your windows could blow in and get everything ruined, you sprinted through the huts until you got to the main road. Raindrops were already dripping off of you so splashing through puddle and getting your pant legs all dirty wasn't really your main concern. You had never really been athletic so you did your best to keep running even if you fell a few times and got all battered up.

You burst into the farmyard with new found energy as you began to pick up your scattered tools and locking them in the shed while trying not to be blown over by the strong gusts of wind. Once you were sure everything was locked away tight you ran around your house and strapped all the shutters shut as best you could with your limited vision. The wind was howling and lightning was striking by the time you finally bolted your door shut behind you, your boots made an uncomfortable squelching noise as you padded over to a chair before pulling them off, followed by your equally as soaked socks. You quickly shedded  your soaking wet clothing for a more favourable outfit of your warmest nightdress, warmest sweater, and a pair of soft leggings in an attempt to bring some heat back to your body.

Just as you were about to curl up on your bed there was a loud pounding on your door, you stayed still, frozen in place. You thought it might just be the thunder but then there was another harder knock, at this point you were close to panicking as you slowly picked up a pan from your dish rack. You crept up to the door with your pan poised and ready to attack at the first sign of danger, you took a deep breath before slowly twisting to handle before the door was thrown open by the wind. Standing out on your small porch in the pouring rain and howling wind with his fist poised to knock again was your mate, Chanyeol.

The pan fell from your hand as it went limp at your side, the loud crash it made seemed to break both of you out of the trance you were in. You reached out and grabbed his arm yanking him inside with an unnecessary amount of force before pushing the door shut and latching it again. He opened his mouth to say something but you cut him off.

“Just stay here.” you told the dripping man before your shuffled back to your closet and started digging around, it felt like the piles of clothes had eaten you before you finally found what you were looking for with an exclamation of joy. You grabbed the pile in one of your arms and headed back to where the alpha was waiting for you expectantly, without a word you signalled for him to follow you with your free arm and headed to your tiny bathroom. He took a step inside before you threw the budle in your arms at him.

“What are these?” He asked as he began sifting through the pile.

“Clothes you idiot, if you don’t want to get sick you’ll change.” You sighed, he looked like he was about to say something more as he sniffed one of the shirts but you beat him to it. “There are towels in the cupboard.” Without another word you closed the door and  walked back to the kitchen.

----

When Chanyeol wandered back into the kitchen you had already set out a dish of warm food for him as well as more blankets than you could ever need already set onto your bed. Without needing any instruction he walked over and sat in the chair across from you at the small table, while he scanned over every nook and cranny of your house you took the time to observe him. You couldn’t see his bottom half but the shirt you gave him was old and stretched out but it was still snug on him, your wolf instincts had definitely gotten the better of you as your almost started drooling while discreetly running your eyes over his well muscled arms and chest which were showcased perfectly. You saw him turning back around to face you and you quickly focused on something else, you landed on the sewing basket you left on the table this morning and pretended to be digging through it before he cleared his throat and you brought your attention back to him.

“So, why do you have men’s clothes?” He asked. His tone of voice was odd and almost jealous which for some reason made him even more sexy than you were already being brainwashed by your wolf senses to think he was.

“They’re Songho’s.” was your simple reply before you got up and headed to dig through a drawer in the ruse of trying to find something but you were really trying to clear your head.

“Songho’s?”

“Yes, Songho, Irma’s husband.” The tinge of anger seemed to grow in his voice and you didn't know why you were trying to defend yourself from him.

You saw him cross his arms over his chest and furrow his eyebrows from the corner of your eye. “And why do you have his clothes?”

“Have you ever tried to garden in a skirt? Oh wait, you were privileged enough to not have to work to feed yourself.” You spit out at him before storming over and picking up his still full bowl and bringing it back to the sink.

“How would you know?! I may have not had been abandoned but I had to work-”

“Work my ass!” you cut him off, “Showing up to events and frolicking around with your other alphas and betas does not count as work.”

“It’s not like you can speak from experience, all you’ve had to do is sit on your little farm and pick fruits all day!”

“You’re right a sit on my farm and pick fruits all day, and starve when there’s a bad harvest, and freeze during the winters when there hardly enough blankets to cover myself, and throw every last penny I made back into the farm to repair things and buy new equipment in the hopes of making more money! So I am going to keep taking hand-me-downs from my friends and you can leave if you have such a problem with it!” You stormed into your room and grabbed and armful of blankets and pillows.

“Wait, Y/n,” He started but you cut him off.

“No, here are blankets. You can sleep on the couch but I want you gone by tomorrow morning.” You threw the blankets down and slammed your bedroom door behind you before crawling under the mountain of covers still on your bed. You managed to get a few hours of sleep even if you were kept awake through night  by either the storm or the aching in your heart, and just as you asked Chanyeol was gone the next morning only leaving behind a pile of folded blankets and clothes.

----

You had just finished lugging a pile of fallen branches and plant pieces to a pile when you heard shoes crunching on the gravel. You made sure everything was in the right place before turning around to see Irma jogging up to you.

“The wolves are holding a pack meeting, we have to hurry!” She exclaimed and without any further explanation she grabbed your hand and pulled you after her as she headed back to the village. Thankfully you had done the rest of your cleaning up before Irma arrived and all that was left for you to do were a few minor repairs here and there, you knew it was going to cost you so there would be no more living in comfort for the next few weeks. You moved as quickly as you could along the dirt road, you weren’t really worried about the meeting since usually they were just for show but how you were going to survive and buy things for repairs was taking up all of your thoughts.

----

You could smell the nerves before you even entered the council room and you immediately were on edge, in all of the past meetings you’ve attended it was mostly the heads of families but every single wolf was here today and everyone was nervous. The thoughts of your farm wentescaped your mind and were replaced by worries of why everyone was so stressed, your first thought was that it was about you and Chanyeol mating with you. The obvious course of action was to sneak in as quietly as possible and sit in the farthest corner at the very back so that’s exactly what you were doing, you cringed as the chair let out a small squeak as you sat down but you were otherwise unnoticed. People were chatting amongst themselves in hushed whispers as you scanned the room, you skipped from one person to the next until you landed on Chanyeol who was sitting at the head table with his family and the head omega. His eyes met yours and you quickly looked away, focusing on one of the many paintings on the wall before the doors banged open and the head alpha stormed in. The only sound in the entire room was the sound of his boots echoing against the floor as he made his way up to the head table by his mate and Chanyeol. The room seemed to take a collective inhale once he sat down but the relaxation was short lived since he started speaking at once.

“I bet you’re all wondering why we are gathered today, so I’ll get right to the point,” he cleared his throat and took a deep breath, “As many of you know, we are supposed to be heading back to the village in two days time, yesterday we sent the scouts ahead and they have just returned hearing news. The trail has been completely cut off by a rockslide during the storm and there is no way around it, which means we can’t get back home.”

The room was dead silent, quiet enough to hear a pin drop before someone shouted. “We need to get home, our mates and children’s are still there.”

Shouts of agreement were followed and you could see the alpha getting flustered. “I know but-“

“Let’s start moving the rocks!” Someone yelled, even more shouts than before followed until the head alpha threw his fist down on the table. The sound was so immense you thought the table had cracked in half but he was only standing there and breathing heavily.

“I know you all want to get home to your families but as I said before there is really no way! Moving the rocks was our first idea but after further inspection even if we did somehow manage to find the manpower to move them all we would have to wait until the beginning of summer which is ten months away!”

“Isn’t there any other way?” What seemed to be a female voice called from the audience.

“Only one, as far as we know the trail that goes around the far side of the lake is still in usable condition and it would take us less than half the time it would take for us to clear the rocks.” It was Chanyeol that spoke know. You were awed by how commanding and serious he sounded, it was no wonder he had the wolf’s blind trust as a leader.

“But that means we would have to travel through winter, isn’t it dangerous?” The same voice from before asked.

“Yes, not just because of the cold winter months the but the routes that wander the territory near there. I never said it would be easy or pleasant and before you decide on any of it you must know it will be much more dangerous but it’s the only alternative.”

Mumbles and whispers floated through the crowd before the head alpha called for a vote, stones were cast one by one and counted until there was a verdict. In the hour it took to wait people were huddled together, nervously whispering about what was to come. Mated omegas and their children usually stayed behind in the wolf village across the lake with a few alphas and betas while all the rest cane for the festival of fallen leaves which meant that all theses people’s families were waiting for them on the other side of the lake for possibly another year.

——

Everyone piled back into the hall where the results had been counted.

“With a unanimous vote, everyone has decided that we will travel the long way around the lake to get back home.”

A cheer went up in the crowd with people embracing and shouting in joy, it went on for a few more minutes and you observed until the head alpha began to speak again.

“We will leave in two days time so everyone must be ready by then or you will be left behind.” With those last few words everyone began to file out chattering nervously and excitedly about the journey but you stayed silent. While most other were happy to be finally heading home you were in somewhat of a depressed state, for your entire life your little farm in the human village had been your home not the wolf village across the lake but know you would have to pick up everything and leave all because of some selfish alpha.

Once you were out of the hall you almost made it to Irma’s house before you started crying, emotions just came rolling over you and you were a sobbing mess as she tried to comfort you. Eventually you managed to calm down enough to explain everything that was going on and Irma was everything you could have asked for in this situation.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so emotional lately.” You sniffled as Songho handed you both mugs of tea.

“It’s okay Y/n, we understand. It’s a big change and we knew it would happen eventually and Songho and i have been talking….” Irma paused, unsure of what to say next. “Well we’d be happy to take care of your farm for you.”

You swear your jaw hit the floor. “Really?” you asked, of course your best friends offered to take it over for you, “You don’t have to do this, it’s a huge effort and you have kids and jobs-”

“Shush and let me talk.” She cut you off. “Yes we have jobs but Songho is actually planning to quit being the town treasurer because of all the stress and I can make dresses anywhere as long as I can sell them.”

“What about the kids?”

“The kids would love the space to run around and play, plus they could learn some valuable skills.”

“You still don’t have to do this.” “I know, but I also wanted to ask you if we could build our own little house in that empty field so we don’t have to take over yours.”

“You can take over mine!” you exclaimed. “It’s so much work already and I don't want you to do more!”

Irma giggled, “No offence, but your house definitely isn't big enough for our ever growing family.”

You pouted but agreed.

“Plus Songho wants to build us a house of our own, it’s probably some man thing.” she whispered.

“I heard that!” Songho yelled from the other room and you both burst into giggles.

“Be careful Chanyeol doesn’t do something like this for you.”

As soon as Irma said that your mood immediately swung back and the tears were bubbling back up again. You spent that night in Irma’s guest room as she tried to comfort your tears by telling you little silly stories, eventually you drifted off to sleep. You woke up in the middle of the night to the door opening and a whispered conversation but you dismissed it and fell back into dreamland.

----

The next morning you woke up with a heavy heart as you all headed to your small farmhouse to begin packing. It was an odd mix of happiness and despair as you went through all your belongings to decide what you would take with you. As you dug through everything you owned and sorted it into piles you got to remember all the good times you had in this village and this house. There was the ceramic chicken Irma stole from her mother to give you as a birthday gift when she forgot, overtime the hideous pattern and colours grew on you as it was proudly displayed on your fireplace. You found pressed flowers from the first ever spring festival you attended in between multiple heavy books and you smiled at the memory of dancing in the fields of flowers and stuffing your face with deserts until you were sick. Irma’s children had found a box of your old toys which you had happily given them, content to see the bright smiles that lit up their faces. Of course mixed with the good memories there had to be bad, you found some old school books that were ripped and torn when they were thrown around by your omega classmates. And the memory of you stealing the pastries in secret and dancing in the flower field alone during the festival instead of the town square with everyone else because you were scared of the other wolves left a sour taste in your mouth.

When lunch came around you were about halfway through all of your things and you decided to all have a picnic by the river and take a well needed break before continuing on, it was unnaturally sunny and warm out but you decided to enjoy it because you knew there wouldn’t be such nice days for a long while. The kids splashed in the shallow banks of the river while You, Irma, and Songho chatted on the dry land. At one point someone got splashed and the next thing you knew everyone was dancing and playing in the water until you decided to head back and dry off. This was one of the things you would definitely miss and suddenly you wanted today to last forever.

----

You could feel the tension in the town as you dropped of your luggage for tomorrow, the omegas were each allowed to bring one trunk of belongings aside from the bags that would everyone would carry. The announcement had been made that the wolves would be travelling by foot as to minimize the wolf scent that would attract rouges so your carry bag had to be light enough for your human form. Everyone was saying goodbye to each other and sharing meals in the town since the wolves were leaving at dawn the next morning. You were making your way to Irma’s house where she had apparently created a goodbye feast in your honour, she told you to dress formally so you were walking up to her door in the only fancy silks you had left when you saw a familiar figure waiting at the door.

“What are you doing here?” you spat at Chanyeol who was standing in front of the door.

“I was invited.” He said plainly. You were about to ask something else before the door swung open.

“Thank goodness you’re both here!” Irma exclaimed, “The food was about to get cold!” She grabbed your arm and pulled you inside, you caught a sympathetic glance from Songho who stayed to chat with Chanyeol at the door before you disappeared into the kitchen.

“What is he doing here?” You hissed at your best friend who had shifted her focus to the various dishes on the stove.

“He's your mate so I invited him.” She said nonchalantly before grabbing some spices and shaking them into a pot and stirring.  

“Doesn’t he have his own family thing?” you insisted before coming up beside her and stirring something else.

“Songho asked and he said it was fine.”

You were about to say something else before you felt small arms around your legs and looked down to see the two toddlers wadling up to you. You shot Irma a glare which she only replied with a sweet smile before you followed the two kids to the living room to play.

Playing with the two toddlers lifted your mood for a while until dinner started, you were sat next to your mate which made you incredibly tense through the entire meal. Irma and Songho happily chatted away while you sat in silence pushing around the food on your plate, normally you would have eaten but your stomach had been feeling upset since this morning. It was probably the nerves of leaving tomorrow but it wasn't getting any better, eventually you excused yourself saying you were tired and saying you had to go home. Before you got out the door Irma shoved a giant winter coat in your arms.

“It gets cold in the winter so make sure to stay warm and safe, I’ll miss you.” She whispered before pulling you into her arms and sniffling into your shoulder. You felt big, fat, crocodile tears roll down your cheeks as you said goodbye to your best friend who you might never see again. You turned around from the porch still sniffling as you made your way home for the last time.

-----

The travel formation would work like this, the omegas would stay in the center while the alphas and betas sandwiched them from the front and back, it was the standard form although stakes were high because of all the rogues in the area. Because of this, the alphas and betas would be on watch at all times and there would be no mixing as the omegas stayed grouped together, this really meant that you wouldn’t have to see Chanyeol but you would be stuck with Chaeyoung for the whole journey.

You stuck to Jongin like glue as everyone was preparing to leave, you were always one step behind him as he mingled around with all the wolves. He introduced you to his friend Kyungsoo who was the healer that would be travelling with the omegas, he was a beta but he was the softest wolf you had ever seen with a smile made of pure sunshine. You felt a cold shiver travel down your spine and you turned around to see Chaeyoung stalking over to the wagon you were standing by with here entourage of other omegas. She shot you and icy glare that felt like you were already in the throes of winter before walking past to the next wagon.

“Was she looking at you?” Kyungsoo asked once she was well out of earshot, he seemed concerned and genuinely confused while Jongin looked annoyed.

You sighed and turned back around to the two wolves at your sides and let your shoulders droop. “Yeah, it’s not really an out of the ordinary thing.” You told them as you adjusted one of your many layers of skirts, now that you were part of the pack you were expected to wear dresses and skirts but you had no idea how long it would last.

“Why does she look at you like that, it’s not very nice.” Kyungsoo said with a frown.

“She's not the only one.” You sighed, you had gotten used to the looks but people who weren't got confused easily.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“You really don’t know?” Jongin exclaimed. Kyungsoojust stared back at him seeming even more confused than before, there was no way he couldn't know why, right?

“I’m Chanyeol's Mate.” Was all you said, he furrowed his eyebrows and you could see the gears in his head turning as the realization exploded onto his face.

“So your mom was…” He started, you nodded and all he said was a simple “Oh,” before seeming to disregard it completely.

“You don't have an issue with me?” You asked in disbelief.

“Not really, I never really saw anything wrong with you and the pack was overreacting when they kicked her out.” He said simply.

You stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. “Thank you.” You warbled into his shoulders as you sniffled through some tears, you stayed like that for a few more seconds before releasing him and wiping your cheeks on your sleeve.

“What was that?” He asked once your eyes had stopped leaking.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been really emotional lately and I don't know what came over me.” You said bashfully as Jongin giggled at your awkwardness. Kyungsoo gave you a quizzical look and observed you for a few seconds before shrugging and continuing on with your conversation. A few minutes later the party started moving and you were on your way to the wolf village and away from your home, after a couple hours of walking your nerves had almost disappeared, you saw some of the other omegas struggling to keep walking which Kyungsoo had to go help while you and Jongin kept chatting. You stopped for a quick meal halfway through the day in a small clearing beside the trail, as some of the betas went to scout ahead the pack of omegas gathered to eat. You were put as the chef even though you were nowhere as good as the others but you still had to do the job, what you didn't know is that cooking also meant cleaning the dishes. Once everyone finished they handed you their dishes before heading back to the wagons to rest as you went to clean them, Jongin offered to help but you declined since it was your job not his. After assuring him that you would be fine you took the bucket of dishes and headed to the edge of the treeline to wash. You crouched in front of the bucket of water and started washing, you weren’t really paying attention to what was going on around you until shouts went up and you heard the sound of boot against the ground, the scouting team must have returned. You looked up to see a group of panting wolves gathering to those that stayed behind and greeting each other before a familiar voice rang out through the crowd.

“There’s a place camp a few miles away but we have to make it there before nightfall so start packing up because we have to get going.” Chanyeol called out. The wolves all nodded before hurrying to pack up, you stayed there for a few seconds as you couldn't seem to take your eyes off your mate, his gaze drifted to yours and as soon as you made eye contact you quickly snapped out of it and picked up the full bucket. You could feel his eyes watching you as water splashed the hemline of your skirt as you carried the full bucket back, your heart was racing until you finally put everything away and joined Jongin before starting to walk again. You chatted to Jongin for a while but eventually all words were replaced by heavy breathing as the trial got tougher.

Compared to the first half of the day the trail got steadily more difficult, the mountanus hills grew taller and more rocks and roots littered the overgrown trail. As your breathing got heavier you refused to show your struggle as you pushed ahead, you kept going at a steady pace until you finally stopped a few hours later when you came upon the clearing just as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. Thankfully you weren’t chosen to make the meal again and you immediately went to set up the tent you were going to be sharing with Jongin. It really ended up being you setting up the tent with Jongin holding something here or there since he couldn’t figure out how to put up the poles or tie any ropes. Once you were finally finished and had set out your bedroll you wanted to just curl up and fall asleep but your stomach had other plans as it let out a large grumble.

At the campfire you shared a meal with Kyungsoo who was busy checking everyone to make sure there were no injuries, you chatted for a little while before you felt your eyes get heavy and you decided to call it a night. The next morning you woke up at dawn like usual and began preparing for another day of travel.  

----

Most of the omegas hated the journey but you loved it. You had never left the village before so this was a whole new experience and you were determined to enjoy it, instead of grumbling as you walked you tried to memorize every detail of the world around you, from the way the sun reflected on the water to the colour of each leaf on a tree. You sincerely hoped you weren’t driving Kyungsoo and Jongin insane with all your questions but they never opposed as you asked and asked again about everything you saw. After about two weeks into the journey the weather had already dramatically changed, you started hoarding extra blankets and layering your clothes to stay warm. The other wolves predicted it was going to be one of the coldest winters in the past hundred years so you all had to be prepared for the worst, but you kept asking your questions and trying your best to enjoy it. You started memorizing the birdcalls that you overheard one of the other betas talking about as you were washing clothes though they soon disappeared as the weather began to get colder. The first snow fell in the middle of the day about one month into your journey which you had quickly gotten used too, once camp was made that night the alphas held a meeting to see if it was still a good idea to carry on. News travelled through the camp quickly when the verdict was to continue on even if the snowfall came early but what shocked people even more was that it had been Chanyeol to make the final decision, he was going to become the leader soon.

----

It was almost a month later when you woke up at dawn and rushed from your tent. The weather was colder than it had ever been before and you were walking through blizzards most of the time, thankfully nobody had gotten hurt although there had been a few colds going around. It had stopped snowing last night and had yet to start again when you rushed to the treeline. It felt like your stomach was doing somersaults as you released its contents into the bushes, it had been like this for a few days now but it hadn't gotten this bad until now. There was an arm that came around your shoulders as you continued to empty your stomach into the bushes, Jongin was whispering comforting things as you continued to gag until there was nothing left for you to do.

“Are you okay?” He asked as you both began to walk back to your tent.

“Yeah I’m probably just getting sick. Thank you for being there by the way you didn't have to.” You told him as you weaved through the field of tents. “Of course I did, your my closest friends but…” He said as he squeezed your shoulder tighter in comfort.

“But what?” You asked.

“But you might not be sick.” He explained.

“What do you mean?”

“You could be pregnant.”

You fell silent as the shock of what he just said washed over you. “There’s no way, It’s probably just the cold getting to me.” You mumbled.

“Well if you are mates you had no-” “We should get going or else we’ll hold everyone up.” You cut him off before hurrying back to your tent. Jongin quickly forgot about your conversation but it kept circulating through your brain as the day went on, you couldn’t be pregnant could you? There was absolutely no way.

----

The snow had continued to fall as you reached the most perilous part of the journey, the snow had melted in the sunlight only to freeze into ice at night making the rocky mountains you were crossing even more dangerous than they were in the first place. The pack had slowed their pace and people were being extra cautious in order not to get injured and Kyungsoo was on high alert. People were checked daily for injuries and everyone was full of nerves during the climb but thankfully nobody was injured by the time you got to the peak. You could feel the tensions shift into nothing as everyone settled down for camp that night since the climb was over, and although it was a lot more difficult that the descent you still had a ways left to go.

You were almost to the next campsite and nobody had been injured yet so something just had to go wrong. You had hardly slept the night before since you woke up early sick to your stomach, so you were half asleep as you trudged along next to Jongin, you felt the overwhelming urge to yawn so you squeezed your eyes shut and as you did your foot caught on a patch of ice. You let out a small shriek as your feet slid out from under you and you tumbled into a snowbank on the side of the trail, everything flashed before you and you came back to your senses as arms wrapped around you and pulled you out of the whole you’d created from falling. As you were being pulled up your foot caught on a rock and sparks of pain shot up your leg as you let out another scream and fell onto the person holding you up. Jongin managed to catch you and himself before you tumbled to the ground and Kyungsoo came rushing over.

“What’s wrong?” He asked in a rush as he began scanning up and down your body.

“My foot.” You managed to choke out before another wave of pain washed over you.

“Set her down on the wagon.” He ordered Jongin before grabbing his bag and digging around in it, You leaned heavily on Jongin and winced as you limped over to the wagon that thankfully was moving slowly. You eased yourself onto the edge of the slowly rolling wagon as Kyungsoo came back with a blanket that he draped over you.

“We’re almost at the campsite and i can check you there, are you ok to hold on for a few more minutes?” He asked you as he kept spreading the blanket to cover all of your limbs.

You could only nod as you didnt think you could speak without letting out a cry of pain.

He saw your agonized look and grabbed your hands as comfort. “I’m sorry I can’t give you anything to numb the pain but it’s a precaution until we can be sure.” You missed the look he sent Jongin as the wagon went over a bump and jostled your foot and you tried not to cry out. Just as promised you arrived at the camp a few minutes later even though it felt like an eternity because of the pain, you were rushed into your tent as soon as it was set up and not going to fall over because of Jongin’s mediocre tent building skills. You let out a few squeals and moans of pain as Kyungsoo inspected your leg, you were afraid that you were going to break Jongin’s hand from how hard you were squeezing it until Kyungsoo finally sat back.

“Well you really know how to sprain your ankle.” He said as he pulled out a bandage and a waterproof bag from his larger one. “Go fill that up with snow while I wrap her ankle.” He told Jongin who squeezed your hand once more before grabbing the bag on his way out.

You sighed and braced yourself for more uncomfort as he began winding the bandage around your ankle. “Don’t you have some sort of painkillers you can give me?” you hissed out as he continued to wrap your leg.

“I would under almost any other circumstance but I can’t.” He sighed as you let out another squeak.

“And why not?” you managed to ask him.

“I’ll tell you once I’m done and Jongin brings back that bag of snow to stop the swelling.”

You sighed and bit down on your lower lip as he continued, focusing on how the bandage was getting shorter and shorter. Jongin came back just as Kyungsoo was tying off the bandaid and handed him the bag which he placed against your ankle, the sting of pain that came with the cold when the bag hit your skin was soon replaced by relief as you felt it soothe the throbbing of your ankle.

“Can you tell me know?” you asked as Jongin came back and sat beside you, Kyungsoo only stared back at you for a few moments before answering bluntly.

“You’re pregnant.”

Your jaw hung open as you processed what he just told you. “You’re sure?” Was all you could say as you felt the tension in the tent rise. He only nodded before reaching into his bag and pulling out a small jar of tablets.

“These are vitamins that you need to take, it will help with the sickness and make sure you're getting enough nutrients.” You took the bottle from his hands when he held it out to you before placing it beside you, “I can’t believe you hadn’t noticed since you haven’t bled and your stomach has noticeably grown.”

“I thought it was something with the cold and I never really paid attention to my body since the winter clothes cover everything.” Was your lame excuse as he started packing things.

He hummed and continued shoving things into his bag while Jongin scooted closer to you. “I told you soooooo.” He sung into your ear but was rudely surprised when he felt your elbow connect with his stomach, Kyungsoo frowned from his spot on your other side and you two quickly stopped bickering.

“You’ll have to stay with me in the medical tent so I can monitor you for the next couple days,” He started but quickly noticed your sour expression, “I won’t tell anyone about the pregnancy, I’ll say it’s because you’re sick or something.” He quickly reassured you. One thing you liked about Kyungsoo was how observant he was, after knowing him for only a short while he already picked up on the nature of your relationship with your mate and the rest of the pack with no questions asked, you were really grateful to have him with you right now. You nodded gratefully before he dragged Jongin out of the tent to go grab their things and some food with the promise to return soon, you settled back under the mountain of blankets they forced on top of you and tried to relax but it was difficult with the sharp pain still shooting through your ankle.

About half an hour later you were startled by the sound of tent flips opening, you pushed yourself into a sitting position expecting to be greeted by Jongin or Kyungsoo but to your surprise Chanyeol was standing at the entrance with a dish of food. You were tempted to ask him so leave but just the sight of food made your stomach growl with hunger. “What are you doing here?” you managed to ask him once he came in farther.

“Kyungsoo told me what happened and I wanted to check if you were alright since you’re my mate and all.” He said before kneeling down at the end of your bedroll and extending the dish towards you. You kept a blank expression on your face as you took the bowl from his hands and took a tentative bite, you almost sighed as the food hit your tongue and you realized how hungry you were.

“I should get going.” Was all he said before turning around and heading back out into the cold, once he was gone you started shovelling the food into your mouth before eventually falling into a deep sleep.

----

After a few weeks you were back walking with everyone else walking along the snow covered trail once Kyungsoo gave you the okay. The morning after you found out you were pregnant Jongin began interrogating you, it was a constant back and forth of what you were going to do and if you were going to tell Chanyeol or not. In the end you finally shut him up by saying you would tell him when you were ready but then the question started circling you, when would you be ready and what would happen if you told him? You were carrying his pup inside of you so you should tell him but at the same time you couldn’t, it wasn’t like it was an out of the ordinary thing to happen, it was in fact expected after the mating ritual but you were still the outcast with the pup of the next head alpha in your stomach. You made Kyungsoo, Jongin, and his mate which he accidentally told not to tell anyone under any circumstances and thankfully your heavy winter layers covered up the steady growing of your stomach which you became more aware of each time you changed. It soon became obvious that you were behind schedule because of the heavy snow and the multiple times you’ve had to stop because of blizzards and soon came the official announcement that it would take up to and extra two months before you reached the wolf village. There had been only a few run ins with rouges which were quickly scared off since even they were smart enough not to be out in this weather but every time you even heard about the sighting of a rogue you got shivers. Thankfully the medicine Kyungsoo gave you was working and you stopped getting sick as often even though you did have off days, it was now when you really missed Irma since she had already went through this multiple times.

Eventually the weather calmed down and even though it wasn’t full of freak snowstorms it was still very cold, the pack began to get excited since you were nearing the end of your journey and getting closer and closer to home but you got even more anxious since you still hadn’t told Chanyeol. Ever since that night when he brought you food you kept seeing each other everywhere, it made you incredibly nervous since your stomach was almost too big to keep hidden and sometimes it felt like he already knew. It was midnight a few days ago when you felt a shove to the inside of your stomach and you quickly rushed to Kyungsoo’s tent, after a few minutes of panicked blabbering to the half asleep healer he was finally able to calm you down and explain it was just the baby in your stomach moving around and kicking you. From that point on the urge to cover your swollen belly with your hands was like second nature and you had to stop yourself from doing it in front of everybody but you still had a little smile every time you felt the pup move around in your stomach even if it could cause you discomfort sometimes.

----

You woke up early in the morning just before the sun rose to a small fall of snow, you sighed as you saw the serene view and since only a few wolves were awake yet you decided to take a stroll. Your layers were thrown on quickly and sloppily with your heavy coat going on last as you were anxious to go out and explore before there were too many people, you also knew that Jongin and Kyungsoo would object but what harm could a little fun be?

A childlike wonder filled you as you took a tentative step out of the tent door and into the undisturbed snow, as soon as you heard the crunch of your boots you took a step and then another, and then another until you were bounding through the trees surrounding the campsite with squeals of joy. The boundless energy you were filled with before didn't last for long as you were soon out of breath and back to walking through the trees but your joy didn't disappear. You drifted between the trees as you let the absence of sound other than your boots through the snow calm you, you let out a deep sigh before letting your hands drift over your still growing stomach. “Someday I hope you’ll love the snow.” You whispered in the sanctuary of the trees. Soon enough your stomach would grow too large to be concealed by your large coat or heavy layers, what would you do then? Would you tell him? These thoughts swan through your mind as you continued to wander, not realizing that you were getting further and further from the camp until an uncomfortable feeling crawled up your body. You stilled and quickly snapped your head  behind you to look around, right when you thought you were safe a warm mass knocked you to the ground. You let out an ear splitting scream as you looked up to see a large snarling wolf that was foaming from the mouth pinning you to the ground.

“Be quiet.” It growled before pinning you harder. You continued to thrash and scream until hoping someone would hear you and come to your rescue as the wolf snapped from above you, your throat went raw and you felt your arms being scratched until suddenly the weight was thrown off you. You rolled to the side to see a familiar black coat fighting of the wolf that was on top of you before, there was snapping of jaws and growls as the wolves wrestled through the snow. Breathing heavily and still lying in the snow you watched them as they left trails of crimson in the snow as they continued to fight on, the rogue that had attacked you and the black pelted wolf were a pretty even match but eventually there was a whimper of defeat and the rogue ran off with his tail between his legs. You reopened your eyes when you felt a wet nose against your cheek that was soon replaced by a warm hand, you saw Chanyeol hovering over you with furrowed brows before there were more footsteps in the distance and another pair of arms wrapped around you. You felt like you were swimming and dreaming at the same time as Chanyeol and one of the other alphas carried you back to the camp, nobody said anything as you lent your head on Chanyeol’s shoulder and let them carry you.

You came back to your senses enough to understand what was going on around you when Kyungsoo came running up to you.

“Get your hands off my mate.” Chanyeol growled before jerking you backwards behind him.

“And I’m the healer so I need to take a look at her.” Kyungsoo stressed as he tried to come up to you again only to be stopped by Chanyeol once more.

“She’s my mate and I’ll take care of her. I know how to treat scrapes and bruises just fine.” He snarled.

“I really think you should let me-”

“NO!” Chanyeol cut him off, “You’d better get out of my way Kyungsoo or your just going to make it worse for yourself.”

You could tell Chanyeol was getting more and more worked up while Kyungsoo was panicking more as each second passes.

“Chanyeol, I need to check if the baby is all right.” Kyungsoo finally blurted out as Chanyeol began pulling you away again.

“The baby?” Chanyeol said as he froze.

“Yes, the baby. Now you better bring her to my tent before something you regret happens.” Kyungsoo warned before you felt yourself being moved again.

----

You woke up to the sound of voices around you and the familiar setting of Kyungsoo’s medical tent.

“She has mild hypothermia and she ended up going into shock but other than that and the few scrapes and bruises she and the baby are fine.” Kyungsoo explained to the other person in the tent.

“Are you sure they’re going to be fine?” Chanyeol asked, he seemed afraid but you couldn’t put your finger on why. “I’m sure.” Kyungsoo answered. The memories of what had happened slowly started coming back to you and you could feel the soreness in your body, you started to shift into a more comfortable position but immediately froze when you heard Chanyeol start talking again.

“If you don’t mind me asking, uh how far along is she?” he asked and you heard some more shuffling before there was a reply.

Kyungsoo cleared his throat and you felt a hand placed on your stomach and then it suddenly disappeared as if it was yanked away. “Around six months I think which means there’s only a few months left.”

There a lull in the conversation and at that point you couldn’t hold it for any longer, you let out a groan as you tried to shift into a sitting position and arms quickly wrapped around you to help you up. Once you were relatively secure with a mountain of pillows behind you Chanyeol unwrapped his arms from around you but didn’t leave your side.

“Good to see you’re feeling better.” Kyungsoo said with a smile.

“I’m definitely not feeling good but I am feeling better.” You said with a half smile before letting out a small grunt of pain when a particularly deep cut caught on one of the blankets. You saw Chanyeol flinch and move his hand out to help you but quickly pull it back as a second thought.

“I’m glad to hear that, you’ll have to rest for a few days which means no more wandering off and as little exertion as possible but you’ll be fine.” Kyungsoo explained as your hand ghosted across your stomach for reassurance as if it might not be there. He turned back and started packing up some equipment as you continued to sit awkwardly as you could feel Chanyeol's eyes rake over you, you swallowed uncomfortably as the tent was still silent except for the sound of shuffling medical supplies but before you could start freaking out Kyungsoo turned back around.

“There’s also something I wanted to tell you two,” He started as he shut the chest of supplies, you both stared back at him waiting for him to continue. “You probably already know but werewolves have a higher chance than humans of having twins, triplets, or even quadruplets and since you’re expecting I thought I would warn you just in case.”

Before you could even begin to think about the information Chanyeol immediately cut in. “When can she move into my tent?” He asked but more like demanded.

“Hold on-”

“Whenever is okay but just let me know.”

“Okay, we’re going now.”

“Hey wait a minute-” Before you knew it arms were wrapped around you and you were lifted into the air blankets and all. You hardly even felt the chill outside before you were gently set down in an unfamiliar tent you were guessing was Chanyeol’s.

“What makes you think that you can just drag me around like this?” You demanded once you were set down.

“First off I wasn’t the one who wandered into the woods and got attacked by an alpha and second, I didn’t drag you a carried you.” He stated before sitting down across from you.

“That doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want just because you’re a stupid alpha!” You exclaimed.

He scoffed, “I’m not the one who didn’t tell my own mate I was pregnant with his pup, unless it wasn’t mine.”

“Do you really think of me like that?” You asked in disbelief.

He let out a emotionless chuckle. “If that wasn’t the issue then why wouldn’t you tell me, huh?”

“I was scared!”

“Scared of what?!” he exclaimed as he threw his arms into the air.

“Of everything! Of your family, of the rest of the pack, of you.” Your voice died down as you said the last few words. Your hands were balled in your blankets and he was fuming as your eyes fell to your lap, there was absolutely no way this was going to turn out well.

“You were afraid of me?” He asked.

You nodded and took a deep breath before answering. “The only reason you mated with me in the first place was to get back at the pack because you were angry and now I get pregnant which is just what they want so why wouldn’t you be angry at me?!”

“So you decided to keep it a secret?” He questioned you.

“Yes!”

“Why would I ever be angry at you for carrying my pup?” Your head shot up at his now soft voice. Your eyes caught on his which now weren’t filled with the flames of anger like before but a soft almost loving look, you opened your mouth to say something in reply but the words caught in your throat when you felt a familiar pressure.

“Oh-” you exclaimed and brought your hands up to your swollen stomach. Chanyeol frowned and quickly scrambled to your side at the first sign of distress. “What’s wrong?” He asked frantically as his hands hovered over you, “Is something wrong with the baby?”

“No it’s just kicking, it’s been doing that a lot lately.” You sighed as you felt another bump against your stomach, you looked up to see Chanyeol staring back at you with a wonderstruck expression hands still hovering. “Do you want to feel it?” You asked in a moment of surprise which seemed to break him out of the trance and look back at you.

“Can I?” He asked and you just giggled at his excited expression and grabbed his hands to guide them to your stomach, he hesitated when you pulled your sweater up to reveal your stomach so he could feel better. You just sighed and placed his hands onto your stomach shivering when his cool hands touched you, he gave you a concerned look and you just smiled before shifting his hands around so he could feel it. The look of pure shock on his face when he felt the little bump against his large palm was enough to make a huge smile burst out onto your face and you felt your heart lift as he began running his hands across your stomach trying to find it again with his smile growing every time he felt it again.

“That’s amazing,” He breathed out, “I wish you would have told me sooner.”

“I’m sorry.” You whispered as your eyes fell back to your lap, you hung your head back down for a few seconds before he wrapped one of his hands around yours while leaving the other one resting on your stomach.

You brought your head up to meet his before he started talking again. “You don’t have to apologize, even though I may not understand completely I understand enough to know it was my fault too. I should have never said those things to you on the night of the feast, especially since they weren’t all true.” He took a deep breath before explaining. “I didn’t specifically choose you as my mate to piss off the pack, I could have chosen any omega other than Chaeyoung and it still would have pissed them off but I decided to go to the first omega I was drawn to which happened to be you even if you were the farthest away. I guess remembered you from previous celebrations since your peaches were always my favourite and you always looked so happy when dancing with your friends.”

“I shouldn’t have said the things I said to you either, we’ve both had hard lives in different ways and it was unfair to put my troubles before yours.” You confessed shyly. This was the most civilized conversation you’ve ever had with your mate and it only took you almost getting killed.

“How about we start over with a clean slate?” Chanyeol proposed. “We haven’t really had the best run but after seeing you laughing and having fun with Kyungsoo and Jongin I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous and don’t you think that this little guy deserves it?” He asked angling his head to your stomach.

“Ok.” You agreed. Ever since you left the human village the feeling of hate you’d once had for Chanyeol was replaced more with curiosity and admiration as you saw him lead the pack, of course you still had a pang of jealousy whenever you remembered the night of the feast with him and Chaeyoung but it gradually disappeared as you saw him refuse her attempts time and time again.

A bright smile grew on his face when he heard your answer and the pure joy you saw was making your heart flutter before it was interrupted with a huge yawn.

“What time is it?” You asked once he reopened his eyes, it was dark outside when he carried you to his tent but you couldn’t gage what time it actually was.

“I think it's around one in the morning.” He said sheepishly.

Your jaw hung open. “I was out for that long?”

“You were really cold and Kyungsoo said you were in shock and it was really scary.” He explained from his seat beside you.

“So you were awake that whole time?” You asked and he only nodded. “We’re going to sleep now.” You ordered before shuffling over on the bedroll and pulling him down next to you, you could see the dark circles and worry under his eyes which only strengthened your resolve.

“But what if something-” He tried to protest as you threw the blanket over him and cut him off.

“If you don’t sleep I won’t sleep.” That seemed to shut him up as you blew out the lantern and buried yourself under the blankets. You hadn’t slept very well for the past few days, whether it be the pup in your stomach kicking nonstop, the cold, or just general discomfort you hadn’t slept and you were thankful for the chance to now. You felt a warm arm thrown over to you and land on your stomach before it was followed by soft snores and you knew Chanyeol had fallen asleep.

----

There was only about one month left till you reached the village and everyone was getting more and more excited as well as you. Chanyeol had taken to hovering around you like a parent making sure you were fine every second of everyday as much as he could, long story short he was incredibly clingy whenever he could afford to be. After the news got out that you were pregnant it travelled through the pack like wildfire and the next day you two must have been congratulated by everyone in the pack except for the other omegas of course which were fuming with jealousy. Jongin and his mate were ecstatic when they figured out and immediately volunteered to be your personal babysitters whenever you needed it.

From that night on you shared a tent with Chanyeol since he could barely go a minute without making sure you were alive when you weren’t hiking, eventually you had to tell him to stop worrying since it was getting to be a little too much which almost turned into another argument but thankfully didn’t. In the next month you and Chanyeol got a lot closer than before and you realized he wasn’t a stone cold alpha but still a fun loving child at heart. Your stomach grew steadily over the next month and it looked like you were about to burst which was also accompanied by a whole new onslaught of aches and pains.

----

The day you finally arrived in the village it was amazing, mates threw themselves together and families embraced with tears of joy, cheers went up in the crowd when everyone was finally home and the families who were reunited made you couldn’t wait till you had one of your own. When the news that you were Chanyeol’s mate and that you were pregnant travelled through the wolf village there were whispers but they were easily outshined by the onslaught of congratulations. The feast that was thrown that night was completely different from those held back at the human village, the dancing and food was all the same but there were different traditions with the wolves. After everyone was finished eating and all the traditional dance performances were finished the new mates who arrived were lined up and given congratulations, gifts, and wishes of joy and fertility from the pack before being carted off to their houses with the doors locked behind them. It was a flurry of hoots and hollers as older omegas from the village grabbed your arms and older alphas and betas grabbed chanyeol’s and took you back to the small house that was given to your mate before he chose one of his own. After the door clicked shut you observed the surroundings in the house that was more like one large room, there was a large bed covered in lush furs right in the center with a small table and a wash basin off to the side. A few candles gave off a soft glow and there was a small door off to the side which you only hoped led to a bathroom, Chanyeol moved from beside you and kicked off his boots before collapsing on the large bed.

“I really don’t understand this.” You stated before kicking of your boots as well and shedding your layers before sitting down. “I mean why would they lock us in a room together?”

“Well,” Chanyeol chuckled, “Most wolves get told about it by their parents but it’s kind of like an insurance policy after the mating ritual.” He explained, you felt heat rise to your cheeks as you understood what he was insinuating and ducked away which only made him giggle. “Don’t worry, I don’t expect anything since we just came back from a long journey and we already have a bun in the oven.” He assured you.

You sighed and leaned back next to him on the bed. “I have a question.”

“Ask away.”

“Do we have a house or are we going to have to stay here?” You asked before wiggling over as close as your belly would let you, you saw a huge smile find its way onto his face. “Why are you smiling like an idiot?” You demanded before he let out a chuckle.

“You said ‘we’.” He told you.

You felt a blush rising on your cheeks again as you realized what he said, you tried to duck away again but he caught you and pressed a soft kiss against your cheek which was followed by another one against your lips.

“Don’t worry, it was cute and I loved it.” He assured you which made you smile. “And to answer your first question, we do have a house and we can move in as soon as you want.”

“Tomorrow?” You immediately asked which made him laugh a little.

“Tomorrow is perfect, I just hope you like it.” He agreed and kissed the top of your head.

“As long as it’s with you and this little one I’ll love it.” You told him before snuggling even closer than you already were, you two stayed like that for a few more minutes before he started talking again.

“Do you think I’ll be a good dad?” He asked.

“Of course I do.” You answered almost immediately. “You are one of the most loving and strong people I have ever met and I think you’ll be great.”

“Thank you.” He sighed. “Fo what?”

“For everything, at first I thought I would just mate with you once then ignore the fact completely but now I’m so glad that we’re going to have a family and I couldn’t have picked anyone better.”

“You’re going to make me cryyyyyy.” You whined and he chuckled, “I couldn’t have asked for anyone better either, at first I thought you were a spoiled brat that was the worst of the worst but now I think you’re my favourite person in the entire world.” You sniffed.

“You’re my favourite person as well but your title might be stolen when that little one decides to make an appearance.” he teased and you faked a small pout. “I’m just really sorry because now that we’re back I'm going to have to be away a lot since now everyone and their mother is preparing for me to be appointed head alpha and tensions with the rogues are rising especially after all the run-ins we had on the journey.” He explained.

“I understand and I’ll wait for you.” You assured him, “Just keep the pack safe.”

“Yes mam!”

You giggled and both eventually fell into silence that was soon replaced by soft snores, deep breathes, and dreams.

----

The house was beautiful, you couldn’t have asked for anything better. It was on the edge of the village in a little clearing at the edge of the forest, compared to some of the giant houses other wolves had yours was small but perfect for your small family. There was three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and Chanyeol assured you that there was room to expand if it was needed but the best part by far was the little fenced off area in the back which was already set up perfectly for a garden. A bashful blush made its way onto his face when he admitted he sent a message ahead with a few of the runners who arrived back at the village first asking for it to be built before you returned. You giggled and squeezed him tight before immediately heading to the shed where all the supplies you’d brought with you were already all set up and you got to work with Chanyeol helping you here and there.

That night Jongin, his mate, Kyungsoo, and his friend MInseok which you had met at the feast the night before all came over for dinner that also doubled as a housewarming party.

“You really should have entered that pie contest back at the festival of fallen leaves!” Chanyeol exclaimed as he devoured another piece of pie. “This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!”

“You’re just saying that because you haven’t had any decent food in like six months idiot.” You teased him which brought out laughs around the table. The night followed similarly until you bid everyone goodnight and collapsed on the bed beside your mate, immediately falling asleep.

The next month followed much as Chanyeol had warned you about with him rushing around and only seeing you in the mornings, evening, and rare times when you he had a day off. You felt somewhat lonely during the days but your newfound friends helped you and when you saw your mate you immediately forgot about all your worries. News travelled fast through the village when it was announced that the pack from the other side of the river a few miles away would be coming so that a treaty would be formed. Most people thought it was to avoid a war between the two packs but Chanyeol confessed that it was really to provide protection from the growing threat of the rogues that was looming over both packs., they had gotten more violent with more attacks regularly on hunting parties and travellers. Although he hadn’t said it outright you could tell they were preparing for a war which was making you increasingly nervous for you, the pack, and the pup.

----

It was one of the days where you were feeling good enough to move around without your giant belly weighing you down, you could feel your due date approaching faster and faster while Kyungsoo warned you to take it easy since you were finding it harder to do even small tasks. You were out watering your plants in the garden when you heard the crunch of gravel behind you, today was the day the envoy from the other pack was supposed to arrive so Chanyeol had left early that morning.

“Y/n!” Jongin called out as he reached the edge of the gate. “One of the wolves from the other pack is asking for you in town!”

You frowned wondering why a wolf from the neighbouring pack would ask for you but set down your watering can and wadled behind Jongin as fast as you could with a few breaks here and there to the center of the village. You were leaning against Jongin who was probably the only reason you were still walking as you approached the crowd. You could hear the questions from a few feet away as people were chatting with the visitors, Jongin was about to leave you on a bench to go find the wolf when you saw the crowd break and someone walk out. The She wolf was definitely and alpha as she walked through the parted crowd, as soon as her eyes landed on the two of you she broke into run heading in your direction which shocked both you and Jongin but decided to go with it.

“Y/n!” She called out as she got closer. You caught a whiff of her scent in the wind and were vaguely aware of all the eyes following her before you shot up from the bench and waddled over to meet her. You two immediately threw your arms around each other and embraced as best you could with your huge belly in the way.

“Mom.” You whispered into her shoulder as you inhaled the familiar scent that you hadn’t known since you were a baby. Once you broke apart you grabbed her hand a brought her over to where Jongin was still standing at the bench very confused trying to get away from all the eyes.

“Jongin, this is my mom.” You introduced her to your friend and the look of shock on his face when he realized what you said was priceless. Introductions followed quickly after before you finally asked the important questions.

“How did you get here?” You asked once you were all sat down.

She let out a long sigh before replying. “It’s a long story.”

“We have time.” Jongin assured her.

“Well, everyone thinks that I was banished from the pack because Y/n’s father was a rogue who attacked me but that’s not really true. As you know alpha relationships rarely ever work out and are generally frowned upon and that’s part of the story but not all of it. Before either of you were born and before your current head alpha was the leader there was a competition for who would be the next leader, I was one of the candidates. During the competition I fell in love with one of the other candidates and became pregnant with you, I didn’t tell anyone who your father was to protect him but I was quickly removed from the competition. After many months had passed the new current head alpha was selected as a leader and the competition ended around the same time as you were born. He always held a grudge against me throughout our whole lives and once he gained power he fabricated the story that your father was a rogue and banished me but not before I left you here. I ended up joining the pack across the river after I told them what happened but I couldn’t come get you since tensions between the packs were high until now when your next head alpha is taking over and the threat of rogues is growing.”

Everyone was silent for a few moments when she finished.

“I’m just glad you’re finally back.” You breathed out before leaning your head against her shoulder.

“I am too pumpkin but let's talk about you, you’re about to burst!” She exclaimed. “When are you due?”

“The healer said anytime now so I’m just waiting.” You told her.

“Well thank goodness I got here now before I became a grandma.” she teased, “So who’s your mate.”

“Chanyeol.” You whispered.

“Chanyeol as in the next head alpha?”

You nodded your head and she squeezed your shoulder. “You got a good one darling, he mentions you at every turn and you can tell he loves you a lot.”

----

Chanyeol was obviously surprised when you introduced him to your mother but welcomed her with open arms even after she explained the circumstances of your heritage. She ended up staying in one of the extra bedrooms in your house and you were thankful for all the time you had together after so many years of lost time. You learned that she had kept tabs on you through her whole life and you got your green thumb from your father since she couldn’t keep a plant alive for more than a week no matter how much she tried to help you with your garden. At the end of the week you felt like you had known her your whole life until you woke to her shaking you awake.

You opened your eyes groggily to see your mother standing and looking panicked above you, it was only you two in the house since Chanyeol had night watch.

“Y/n an army of rogues were spotted at the border and are moving to attack, we have to go now!” She whispered hurriedly. It took a few moments before you realized what she said and pushed yourself up from bed as best you could and threw a sweater over your nightclothes before following her outside. Your arm was around her shoulders and she was supporting you as you did your best to move forward, breathing heavily. You both heard the crunch of gravel and caught Kyungsoo's scent coming towards you with a sigh of relief.

“I’ll take her, you go help the others!” He called to your mother before she let Kyungsoo take her place.

“Make sure Chanyeol is alright and promise me you’ll come back, I’ve just gotten you back and I can’t lose you again.” You said with teary eyes while squeezing her hands.

“Stay safe.” Your mom whispered before pressing a kiss t your forehead and quickly turning to her wolf form before running away.

“The rest of the omegas and children are in the medical center so we have to get there, okay?” Kyungsoo told you and you nodded. You managed to walk for a few more minutes and were almost to the medical ward before you felt a wave of pain in your stomach and liquid drip down your legs, you let out a groan of pain and looked over at Kyungsoo who was staring at you with wide eyes.

“What’s happening to me?” You whispered as the pain slowly disappeared again.

“I think your water just broke.” Kyungsoo said. You two stared at each other in shock for a few seconds before you heard a howl of pain from the forest and broke out of your trance.

“We need to get to the medical ward because this pup is coming now, can you still walk?” He demanded. You nodded and he wrapped his arm under your shoulders and took most of your weight onto him before starting to move again. You made it a few more meters before another wave of pain washed through you and you let out a low hiss but kept moving. A few minutes later Kyungsoo burst into the medical ward with you on his arm.

“WE NEED HOT WATER AND TOWELS NOW! PREPARE ONE OF THE ROOMS!” He called out to the room of frazzled omegas and children who immediately jumped into action. You were taken by two omegas into a room with a bed and full of medical supplies as others rushed around you gathering supplies.

“It hurts!” You cried out as another wave of pain washed through you and Kyungsoo came and clutched your hands.

He winced as you squeezed them but didn’t make a move to pull them from your grasp. “I know it hurts but just a few more minutes and you can push.”

“Okay…” You breathed out as the pain slowly faded again and you leaned your head back breathing heavily.

“Y/n, I want to warn you that it might be multiple pups so you have to be prepared.” He told you as you let out a low groan, you nodded before he gave you one last squeeze on your hand and disappearing out of your sight. You could hear the battle that was going on at the edge of the forest echoing through the valley, you could hear the battle cries or many wolves and the vicious growls, even the howls of pain and in that moment all you wished for was Chanyeol to be ok.

----

‘Where is Chanyeol?’ she growled to her packmate as she approached the thick of the battle.

‘Where he always is, at the front lines.’ the wolf replied.

She let out an annoyed huff before shaking her head, ‘That boy better survive or I’ll find him in the afterlife and kill him again.’ She growled before bunching her muscles and taking off.

----

Chanyeol let out a hiss of pain as the rogue who was on top of him slashed up his leg. He had been fighting since the first rogues had been spotted over an hour ago and hadn’t been able to figure out anything going on outside of the battle. He’d been in wars before and even if they knew this was coming and were preparing for it he was always shocked at the reality of war, Y/n had been circling through his mind since the first sighting. She was pregnant and had no battle experience but if anything ever happened to her he knew there was no way he could live with himself so he had to get back to her as soon as possible.

The rogue on top of him let out a surprised howl as he was thrown off by another alpha throwing herself into him, he immediately flipped onto his feet ignoring the searing pain and went to go help the alpha he recognized was Y/n’s mother finish fighting off the alpha. Once the rogue was running away with its tail between its legs Chanyeol was yanked behind a large bush.

‘Promise me you won’t get yourself killed.’ she hissed ‘You can’t leave Y/n and your pups alone.’ ‘I won’t I swear.’ He told her.

‘Good now we have to get back out there and finish this.’

----

“Now push!” Kyungsoo exclaimed as you grip on the sheet tightened, you had tried to wait but the pups refused and you had to start pushing. You let out another anguished scream before the pressure suddenly released and you heard a cry.

“It’s a boy!” Kyungsoo called out but you cut him off with another scream as the pressure returned again.

“What’s happening?’ You strangled out as you couldn’t stop yourself from crying out.

“It’s twins, you need to push again!” Kyungsoo called out as you yelled again. You pushed as hard as you could until it felt like you might actually explode before the pressure was relieved once again and didn't return.

“It’s a girl.” Kyungsoo whispered as he placed the two crying babies on your chest. “One girl and one boy.”

You felt tears prick at the edge of your eyes as you looked down and the little wiggling pups who were lying on your chest “Thank you,” you managed to say through ragged breaths, “Is the battle over?”

“Yes, somebody just went to go find Chanyeol and he should be here any second.” He said in a soft voice. “Just rest, you did a really good job.”

Right as he finished his sentence the door burst open and Chanyeol came limping in and collapsed beside you, you could see the tears that were already streaming down his cheeks as he looked at the scene before him.

“They’re so beautiful.” he whispered as he reached out a finger for a tiny hand to grab, he gave the biggest smile you had ever seen as a small fist latched on and refused to let go. “You can’t believe how happy I am.” He told you before pressing a soft kiss onto your lips. “I can’t believe we had twins.”

“Are you okay?” You whispered before reaching up and brushing a stray lock of hair out of his eyes to see the blood dried on his forehead and the bruise blooming on his cheekbone.

“I’m okay don’t worry,” He assured you as he grabbed your hand and held it in his own, “You rest and I’ll go get checked out by Kyungsoo when you’re asleep.”

“But what are we going to name them?” you asked him and he chuckled.

“How about Daewon and Miso?”

“That's perfect.” You sighed and looked at the little pups as they wiggled around.

----

Epilogue

Daewon and Miso were almost a year old when the trail was finally travelable again. The previous head alpha was one of the many casualties in the battle so immediately after Chanyeol was appointed as a replacement, he kept the treaty with the pack across the river in place which had rapidly grown into a close bond between packs. The day when your mother left with the rest of her pack full of tears and sad goodbye, Chanyeol had offered her a place in the pack if she wanted to stay but she declined saying that it wasn’t her pack anymore. You made her promise to visit as often as she could which she happily agreed to before sending her off, you would miss her but you knew that it was what’s best. As your two pups grew your garden did as well until it was flourishing with plant life of every sort but it was still nothing compared to your farm but you knew it was being taken care of well by Irma. You and Chanyeol had never been closer with your little family and now Jongin and his mate were expecting a child of their own which they couldn’t stop asking questions about. It was easy to say that Chanyeol had proven himself wrong and was the best father your pups could have ever dreamed of as he could always make them laugh even when he was grumpy from the many, many sleepless nights.

Now he had proven himself once again as you were all greeted by the human village as you returned for the festival of flowers. You heard the telltale scream before you saw Irma hurtling towards you through the crowd with Songho in tow only to freeze right in front of you when she saw the sleeping baby in your arms.

“When did this happen?” she asked excitedly when she saw the little one yawn.

“Mating ritual.” Chanyeol cut in with a smirk which only surprised her more when she saw the second sleeping baby in his arms. You knocked your shoulder into his and he faked an injury as a blush rose to your face, of course there had been many other encounters after that but it still made you embarrassed when he brought it up.

“There’s two.” Irma whispered in disbelief.

“Daeho,” you said gesturing to the little wriggling baby in your arms, “And Miso.” You said gesturing to the little bundle in Chanyeol’s.

“I knew you’d be a great mom!” She exclaimed before throwing her arm around you as carefully as she could and shooing the two men away. “You have to tell me everything!” She exclaimed before the two of you followed the men who were chatting a few feet ahead as you all headed to the farm. You told her about your whole journey in as much detail as you could muster as you slowly walked down the road, she listened intently making a few comments here and there before launching into her own story.

The farm looked the same as you remembered it in the spring, flowers covering the fields and the river running by with the addition of the second house a little farther away. Irma’s family was just as chaotic as you remembered and the festival was beautiful with flowers covering the entire town and delicious food everywhere. You danced and sang till you felt like you couldn’t walk or talk anymore, It felt like you’d returned back to your childhood as you leaned your head against Chanyeol’s shoulder. You ditched the town festival early and were sitting in the flower lined riverbank with the two sleeping pups in your arms.

“I love you,” you sighed into his shoulder as you listened to the rush of the river and the music from the town in the distance.

“Then why don’t we expand on our little family?” He teased and you elbowed him.

“You’re such a dog.”

“I was just kidding,” He wheezed as you placed your head back on his shoulder, “I love you too and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.” He whispered before placing a small kiss on each of your cheeks, your forehead, your nose, and the leaning down to capture your lips with his.