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the-infamous-coat-of-baron-zemo · 4 years ago

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Fall Into You | Laszlo Kreizler x Reader

Alright my friends. Here is my latest piece of insanity.

It is completely raw and unedited. So, if there are a ton of mistakes, I apologize in advance.

What a whirlwind thing this was. I literally only planned to write the last little bit at the end, that was the entire premise and then 7000 more words came along with it.

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This is a partial crossover fic.

TFATWS | The Alienist | Dr. Strange | Loki | universe all mushed together in bits and pieces.

But mostly The Alienist.

Hopefully the characterizations feel okay. Dr. Kreizler and John Moore can be a bit tricky to write and I've never written them before. So, please bear with me on this.

Buckle up. It's going to be a doozy. Kinda.

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Word Count: 6,900 - ish

What happens when you wind up 124 years into the past and meet a relative of Baron Helmut Zemo's?

A lot.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was early evening and you were perched on one of Dr. Kreizler's fine couches, in front of the fireplace, reading a book.

You were waiting for Stevie to drop by and drag you to some musical street performance not terribly far from Dr. Kreizler's residence. Normally, you would have stayed hidden indoors, but you took a liking to the kid when you first met him, and decided you couldn't let him down.

Hopefully Stevie wouldn't drag you out too long, otherwise Dr. Kreizler would start to worry. Although, he would never outright admit to it, but it was the subtle things he did that indicated his concern. Or perhaps it was annoyance. That wouldn't surprise you either. You were loud and very talkative. He'd probably grateful to have to leave his house; so he can finally get some peace and quiet.

Dr. Kreizler always kept to himself and rarely made a display of his feelings to anyone, but you were a good friend of his in the short time you had come to know him. So, you got little peeks into what lay hidden away.

He was gracious enough to allow you stay in his home until you could figure out a way to get back to your own time. One minute you were talking to Wong inside Dr. Strange's sanctum in New York, and the next a portal opened up underneath you and you were falling.

After travelling through an empty void that seemed to go on forever, you finally exited through the other side, which landed you in front of a police precinct. You had looked around after picking yourself up and realized you were in quite the pickle. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this was not your New York.

People were starting to stare at as you took in your surroundings. You initially thought it was because you had randomly fallen out of the sky, but realization had dawned on you; it was because of your clothing.

Ah, yes. You suppose compared to what all the other women were wearing, you were a sight to behold. Jeans, a forest green blouse, and short brown leather jacket, would draw some attention, when all the other women were dressed so conservatively in dresses. You laughed nervously backing away from the small crowd on the sidewalk. You calmly but quickly darted over to a newsie holding up a paper for sale.

You paid the kid a dollar and snatched the paper out of his hand. Not paying attention in the least to his shouts of joy on making so much off of one measly paper, but you were too focused on finding out what time period you were in.

You caught the date at the top of the newspaper: April 1st, 1897.

April Fool's Day.

Typical, something like this would happen to you. Joke's on them, as someone is going to have a hell of time trying to figure out where you went. You're quite sure Wong was trying to sort through what happened and had already calling Strange.

Well, you hope he had.

You put down the paper and tried to think of what to do, but a small crowd of people were still stopped and whispering to each other, pointing in your general direction.

One man was gesturing in your direction and started shouting, but not at you.

"Hey Kreizler, this one looks like a crazy. Should probably haul her off to Bellevue!"

You raised your eyebrow at the man, but didn't say anything, instead choosing to turn and see who he was yelling at.

A very well dressed man wearing a bowler hat was walking down the steps of the police precinct in a rushed sort of manner. He had a cane with him, and it appeared his right arm was tucked against his body as if protecting it. A few steps behind him there was another man darting to catch up with him, also well dressed and carrying what seemed to be a sketchbook.

The guy on the street had yelled at the gentleman in the bowler hat again, which you had assumed at this point was Dr. Kreizler. As the two men reached the bottom of the steps and were about to step into their carriage, the incessant yelling had managed to grab Kreizler's attention. At least it seemed so, because the man with the cane had paused and turned his attention towards the direction of the yelling.

You could see from his body language he wasn't all that interested, but when his eye-line landed on you, he backed away from getting inside.

The other gentleman that was accompanying him, the one with the sketchbook, said something to him, but Dr. Kreizler just waved him off as he started to walk over to you.

Great.

You look over to the rude gentleman that had now drawn even more attention to you and gave him an unappreciative stare.

You steeled yourself, ready for whatever this stranger was going to say to you, but your guard had dropped slightly upon getting a better look at his face.

No way.

This was not possible.

The man that had come over to you was the spitting image of one genius, criminal mastermind and general pain in your ass, you knew all too well. One who's currently locked up in The Raft.

If it wasn't for the beard, you'd swear you were looking at Baron Helmut Zemo.

As Dr. Kreizler stopped a few feet from you, he tilted his head to the side and eyed you warily, but not unkindly.

That head tilt, a family trait for sure. Zemo had to be some distant relative of this man in some way, there's no chance they aren't with how closely the two resemble each other. She'd have to make a trip to The Raft and ask him about it sometime, if she ever got back home.

"My dear, you seem out of sorts. Are you alright?" the man inquired, gazing at the small gathering of people and then back to you.

"I kinda stick out like a sore thumb, yeah?" You laughed as you answer his question, peering down at your outfit.

"Quite," he replied.

You saw while he may be cautious around you, you've seem to grab his interest with the scrutiny and intensity of his gaze.

"If I may introduce myself, my name is Doctor Laszlo Kreizler," the gentleman stated.

Ah, so this was indeed the man who was being called out from the street. You noticed he didn't extend his hand in greeting, but then again perhaps it wasn't a pertinent gesture for the time period either. So, you didn't take offense to it.

Your eyeline moved behind Dr. Kreizler and could see his friend at the carriage watching with interest, but also growing impatience.

You gave a kind smile as you introduced yourself and added, "Thank you for humoring the nosy man over there, but I'm not in need of a doctor. I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your day."

"Not in the least. And I may be a doctor, but I am an alienist more specifically," Kreizler explained.

Your eyebrows shot into your forehead and then contemplated his title. An alienist? Where had you heard that before? If you remembered correctly, an alienist was someone who assessed individuals for competence?

Oh.

The shouty man had mentioned Bellevue. Okay, now you understood.

"An alienist! That term is...." you paused trying to think of a better way to phrase you response. "The term is outdated where I'm from. Instead we simply acknowledge your specific doctorate profession as psychologists, since the very definition of what you do is to study the mind and behavior of individuals," you answered, satisfied with your explanation.

"Outdated. How intriguing. Perhaps we could continue this conversation away from prying eyes and gossipy busy-bodies?" Kreizler asked.

You wouldn't be able to read it on his face, but you can tell you've piqued his interest even more so now with his body language. And his eyes had this sparkle in them as you spoke of his profession so specifically.

Though you felt you could trust this man, you couldn't take the chance that he might, in fact, lure you into his carriage and ship you off to the nearest mental institution, such as Bellevue Hospital.

You'd be lying if you weren't equally intrigued by this enigma of a man standing before you. The resemblance to Baron Zemo was uncanny, and that alone made you want to find out more about him; however, Zemo was not to be trusted as far as you could throw him. Though he did have his moments. You'd give him some credit. Doesn't mean distrustful behavior runs in the family, but it also could. It was a difficult decision.

Your eyes narrowed assessing Dr. Kreizler as you came to decision.

"Shouldn't you give me a mental health assessment test before asking a complete stranger to travel off to who knows where with you? Why shouldn't I be suspicious you aren't going to drop me off at the nearest institute? No offense," you replied warily.

"Thank you!" the man with the sketchbook at the carriage shouted at both you and Dr. Kreizler, clearly in agreement with your answer.

You snickered at his sarcastic reply, but attempted to cover your ever growing smile by coughing.

The corner of Dr. Kreizler's mouth ticked up in a smile as well.

"No my dear, if anything you've just proven you're at least slightly more sane than my counterpart, Mr. John Moore," Dr. Kreizler shook his head and jutted his thumb behind him.

"Heard that Laszlo!" Moore responded with indignation.

"That was the point John," Dr. Kreizler answered back with dry wit.

Yeah, she liked him already.

"Shall we?" Kreizler turned slightly to gesture to his carriage.

You sighed internally. Why the hell not? You had nothing better to do and no idea what your next move should be trying to get home. Dr. Kreizler would no doubt be curious about your attire and that alone with most likely bring up a slew of never ending questions. You'd have to be careful how to explain your situation and make sure what you revealed was limited, but truthful. You wanted to tell him the truth about where you were from, but you needed to word it in a way that doesn't make you out to be a crazy person, but present the information with facts and evidence that Dr. Kreizler could not refute. Luckily you had some tech with you that could prove your point rather efficiently should the need arise you convince him of what time period you come from in the future. 124 years it a length period of time. It would be difficult for anyone to accept your explanation, but Dr. Kreizler seemed to be different. Let's hope you aren't wrong about him.

"I accept your offer Dr. Kreizler, thank you," you spoke kindly.

You were formally introduced to Mr. Moore and to Stevie before getting in the carriage. Mr. Moore seemed uneasy, but went along with Dr. Kreizler's acceptance of you. He was a trusting friend of his, you could tell right away. And something told you, Dr. Kreizler was a tough nut to crack and didn't seem to be the type of person who might have very many. Only a close few.

"What made you decide to take Dr. Kreizler up on his offer so quickly," Moore asked standing outside the carriage as Stevie was getting the horses ready.

Dr. Kreizler had held the door open for you and waited patiently.

You looked at Dr. Kreizler before turning back to Mr. Moore, "You mean besides his sparkling personality?" you winked and got in the carriage.

John leaned into Kreizler before adjusting his hold on his sketchbook and climbing into the carriage himself.

"Oh, well I like her already Laszlo," he grinned incessantly and gave Kreizler a clap on the back.

You saw Dr. Kreizler bend his head down in amused exasperation as a small huff of laughter sounded with the movement. He sighed somewhat dramatically before getting in the carriage and closing the door.

"You know, I've never actually ridden in one of these before," you say slightly awed.

Both Moore and Kreizler gave you confusing looks before Dr. Kreizler used his cane to tap on the rear enclosure signaling Stevie to head home.

Home. Well, this should be interesting indeed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

You closed your book with a snap and slumped into the couch you were perched on. It had been six months, since that day. Six months, you've been trapped in this pocket of 1897.

You had reflected back on how well John and Dr. Kreizler had taken the explanation you were from the future. As you told your story, your only requirement was that they wait until the very end before asking any questions. That gave you the chance to be very methodical about how you explained the future and how it was you ended up in 1897, which to be fair, you don't know exactly how that portal opened still, but magic was involved to say the very least.

It was oddly reminiscent of when Loki used the space stone, which gave her pause. All the infinity stones had been destroyed, and yet you knew that there was an errant 2012 Loki running around the universe with one. It is plausible, he could factor into this, but how or why you, you have no idea.

After you had explained your fanatical circumstance, to help prove you weren't absolutely off your rocker and have Dr. Kreizler change his mind about you, you showed them your phone.

Yes, there may not be any service available, but you could still access all your photos and videos and holographic imagery, etc. That was what allowed John and Dr. Kreizler to accept your story; paired with your unique clothes; they had a surprisingly open mind. John had gaped like a fish for a good 10 minutes before Dr. Kreizler told him to get over it already. John was somewhat outraged that he wasn't more shocked by your existence. But like all things, Dr. Kreizler took everything in stride, which was quite a relief to you. He was incredibly understanding and offered a room in his home to you until you were able to get back to your own time. You made a promise to Dr. Kreizler that you would never lie to him, about anything. It was the least you could do since he opened up his home and essentially part of his life to you.

You understood why he was an expert in his field. His patience and intellect allowed him to be open-minded and grasp concepts others word merely scoff at. However, there was another side to that coin; he was also closed off, and could at times, be calculating and manipulative. Though, none of these traits were used in any nefarious manners, they were there all the same.

He reminded you of Zemo to be sure in this regard. Some personality traits apparently do get passed down through the generations. In some ways, after meeting Dr. Kreizler, you felt you knew Helmut Zemo a bit better. And somehow, you missed him. Not that you were ever particularly close to him, but the time you spent with him in Latvia with Sam and Bucky forever altered your opinion of him.

So while you've been living at Dr. Kreizler's residence, in your spare time, you had been working different avenues of how to achieve ways to get home. You couldn't just solely rely on your friends to get you out of this mess. So, while Dr. Kreizler was at work, you enlisted the help of Stevie to run down leads of potential scientist and gathering of general information of the time period to help you put together some sort of road map. None had turned out to be very promising.

You had, over time, gotten more acclimated to living in 1897, though you mostly refused to wear the clothing of the time period. John Moore would always comment about how you would draw attention in the public eye, should you dare to go out. But you refused to give in most of the time, saying that 1897 would just have to catch up to your fashion sense, and you weren't about to apologize for it. If you were going to be stuck here, you were going to be stuck here, comfortably. You fondly remember Dr. Kreizler's reaction. He seemed pleased, possibly proud of you in that moment. Probably because you had refused to conform to the times, and set your own rules to live by. Not giving in to anyone.

The question lingered, how exactly did you get away with living in this time without having to dress in the clothing of the period? Well, a friend of yours, Scott Lang, had gifted you a device that allowed you to chose one object to shrink and return to it's normal size. So, of course, since you traveled so often with the Sam, Bucky and the other Avengers, you chose your wardrobe. You were just thankful you had it on you already when you got dumped into that portal. So, essentially you had all your clothes with you, making things a bit easier.

Life was not fast paced here, which made things a bit difficult for you. You were used to always being on the go, another crisis to fight through, another area of the world that needed help. But here, here everything was, for the most part, quiet.

It drove you nuts sometimes. Made you antsy. You managed to weasel your way into helping John, Sara and Dr. Kreizler on one of their serial killer cases recently to pass the time. Dr. Kreizler was unhappy at first. You were able to prove your usefulness though with advanced techniques and theories on how to potentially catch the killer in question. Be that as it may, Dr. Kreizler still seemed grumpy, if that were the correct word to use, about you working on the case. You confronted him about it one evening, but he glossed over the whole thing. He was holding back, but what that was, you weren't sure. Maybe he still didn't fully trust you yet. It was a fair assumption, but he was always so hard to read. Though you've managed to get a few good laughs out of him from time to time. Those were the days that really made you smile. Seeing him happy, as most of the time he was always so guarded. It made you feel like you and Dr. Kreizler shared this little secret when no one else was around.

Dr. Kreizler let himself relax ever so slightly around you, but it was far and fleeting. On rare occasions. You savored all those memories and tucked them away. Everyone was so refined and conservative in their mannerisms. You missed just wanting to hug someone. You craved some sort of physical affection, and it was hard, realizing just how different the times were from the future. They weren't terrible by any means, but the social norms of the times had been trying on you, to say the very least. Dr. Kreizler, ever astute, had picked up on this.

He had been gracious enough to offer himself if you ever needed to hug someone. This had been roughly 4 months into your stay at Dr. Kreizler's. You both had gotten more comfortable around the other, and even had a routine of sorts. You had thanked him for his offer, and told him you would not abuse the privilege he had bestowed on you.

Something told her there was more to it, but you hadn't dwelled on it, you were simply appreciative of his friendship.

However more recently, it was more than just friendship you felt. You kept squashing your feelings down, telling yourself this was the worst possible time to develop feelings for someone. Especially someone like Dr. Kreizler. There would never be a happy ending. At some point, you would return home, and that would be that. But there was that nagging sensation in the back of your mind, reminding you, you might not ever get back home. You tried to reason to yourself that you were possibly transferring some of your fondness of Zemo to Dr. Kreizler because of how he reminds you of him. But then you were just lying to yourself. Dr. Kreizler was a person all on his own and one of a kind. You knew better, you were just fighting yourself tooth and nail to live in denial a bit longer.

Footsteps from the kitchen were headed in your direction knocking you out of your musings.

You twisted on the couch to see Dr. Kreizler had returned home from his institute.

"Dr. Kreizler! Good evening," you voiced into the low lit parlor room.

"Good evening to you as well, I trust your day was fruitful?" Dr. Kreizler inquired, coming to rest on the opposite end of the couch.

"It was, thank you. I was somewhat restless earlier, so I took it upon myself to work on the cryptogram the killer left his last victim, with the hopes of figuring out his next location before he strikes," you sheepishly stated.

Dr. Kreizler ruefully smiled at you and shook his head. At one time, he might have gotten upset, but he had been taking your antics more in stride, and you managed to be helpful providing much needed information. So, he'd act unhappy, but silently was thrilled.

"And did you uncover anything useful?" Kreizler queried, he got up from his seat and walked over to the chalk board.

"Not completely, I believe I've broken the code word and the book that the killer has been using to write his cryptograms, but I have yet to comb through all the evidence to gather the page numbers, line and word number to crack the full message. I planned on working on it when I got back with Stevie later this evening," you happily expressed while fidgeting with the watch on your wrist.

"Impressive work. And what book has our killer been using?" Kreizler asked, eyes still going over the work on the board.

"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. You'd think we could have figured that one out sooner given our killer's eclectic methods of murdering people," you answered sarcastically.

Dr. Kreizler bent his knees in utter annoyance, "Of course it is. Of course. How ridiculous to have missed such an obvious choice."

You smiled knowingly. He was irritated he hadn't figured it out sooner.

A companionable silence continued for a few minutes after his outburst.

Dr. Kreizler was still staring at the board with mild interest when he spoke next, "May I ask you a personal question?"

You had just reached over to place the book on the coffee table next to you when he asked his question and you froze mid motion.

Dr. Kreizler generally didn't push too much into your personal life, so this was somewhat out of left field for him. Never-the-less, you recovered after a beat and placed the book on the table.

"Of-of course Dr. Kreizler. I told you I would always be truthful with you regarding anything. Please, go ahead," you answered, motioning for him to continue.

"Why do you always regard me as Dr. Kreizler and not by my first name?" he questioned softly, almost hesitantly.

This was not the question you thought he would ask. There were a million questions he could have chose, but it was this one he went with.

This really was personal.

You glanced down at your hands sitting in your lap as you pondered how to answer his questions. You could lie about it, and he'd be none the wiser, but it's not who you are. And you promised.

Dr. Kreizler went on to further express his inquiry with a bit more confidence, "You call John Moore by his first name and the same with Ms. Howard, including our other friends we work with, but not me. Why?"

You opened your mouth to answer him when the front door slammed open and Stevie came barging in.

"You ready?" he exclaimed loudly. Stevie was clearly excited at the prospect of showing off his musical talent. "Oh, excuse me Dr. Kreizler, I didn't realize you'd gotten home yet. Thought you were working late," Stevie took off his hat and looked sheepish as he apologized for the disruption in his home.

You sighed. This was your saving grace. You could probably make an excuse and make a run for it with Stevie. You mulled over what to do, battling with the decision.

"Hey Stevie. Nice to see you too! Go on outside, I'll be right there. I just need to put my coat on," you laugh at his enthusiasm.

He nodded at you and dashed back down the hallway and out the door. You could hear one last shout as he exited, "Okay, but don't be too long, we're going to be late!"

Dr. Kreizler gave a look of displeasure at Stevie's unrefined outburst, but didn't say anything as he knows his antics all too well from over the years.

You stood up grabbing Dr. Kreizler's attention.

"Walk me to the door?" you ask, jutting your head in the direction of where your coat hangs.

"Do you plan on providing me with an answer?" he kindly jabbed as he nodded his agreement to follow you out.

You outwardly sighed, trying to figure out how to best answer his question. As you both walked to the front door, you start to answer him.

"Okay, so I address you as Dr. Kreizler 33% of the time, because you deserve the respect that comes with that title. You went to school for many years, and you earned it. So, it's only fair to address you as such," you tell him confidently.

A completely reasonable and partial explanation, you thought.

You both reached the front door, and you grabbed your jacket. Dr. Kreizler, the gentleman that he is, assisted you in putting your coat on. You gave yourself a once over in the mirror, making sure you looked okay before heading out.

You caught Dr. Kreizler staring at you in the mirror as you adjusted a stray hair that had fallen onto your face.

"You look lovely," he quietly voiced.

You turned to face him as he had opened the door for you and stepped outside.

"Thank you," you said, a bit bashful by his sudden compliment.

His expression had gotten softer and his eyes were glowing in the evening lit night.

Your resolve was crumbling even more so now.

"And the other 67%?" Kreizler softly spoke, head cocked to the side.

"Hey - Miss! We need to be going!" Stevie cried.

You turned to Stevie and hollered, "One mo, Stevie! Don't lose your head!"

"I'm sorry I have to go otherwise Stevie is going to have a coronary," you apologized to Dr. Kreizler.

You walked down a few steps, but stopped. You couldn't not answer him.

You go up a step but not completely back to where you where standing in front of Dr. Kreizler. You inhaled a deep breath and exhaled before continuing, looking up to see Dr. Kreizler eyeing you with slight confusion and anticipation with your hesitance to answer his question in full.

"And the other 67% of the time, I call you Dr. Kreizler because..because," you drifted off closing your eyes. You open them again with quiet resolve shining through, finding your confidence. You take another step up to now stand just a foot away from where Dr. Kreizler was.

"Because, I love you Laszlo. And I use your professional title as a barrier, to - to remind myself I have boundaries. It's just easier to separate you this way or well, to keep myself living in denial," you quietly and defeatedly said, laying it all out for him.

You wanted to open your mouth to say something else to him, to let him know it was okay he didn't feel the same way, but you could never quite form the words that needed to come out.

The shock was written clearly on his face. You had completely gob-smacked this man. His eyes had widened considerably and his jaw had gone slack from your answer.

But he never said anything back. You weren't expecting him to.

So instead, you did what you did best. Ran.

"You've got your answer. I-I really have to go now, I'll see you later," you stuttered out, suddenly drained from your revelation.

You took one last glance at Dr. Kreizler before making a mad dash for it with Stevie.

You were gone before Dr. Kreizler recovered from what just happened. And you never got to see the expression on his face after.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

#the alienist #laszlo kreizler #laszlo kreizler x reader #helmut zemo x reader #tfatws #helmut zemo #mcu fic #crossover #my writing

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alpacaparkaseok · 4 years ago

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Lost & Found - 16

Pairing: Park Jimin x soulmate (oc)

Warnings: fluff, me feeling sad because THIS IS THE EEEEND

Word Count: 3.9k

a/n: there will be an epilogue coming out on Friday, (FROM CHRISTINA’S POV!!) however other than that, this is the end of Lost & Found everyone! I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you that have been so involved with this story. I feel like I’ve gotten to see so much of you guys interacting with this story and loving it just as much as I do. I’ve loved your theories and seeing your reactions (lol, some of them were hilarious). This story is...I don’t even know how to explain it. I put a little bit of myself into every story I write, but this is one of those that really made me do some digging. It still is. It was hard to write most of the time. But it was so, so worth it.

I would LOVE (as always) to hear from you about your thoughts. Who your fav characters were, favorite parts, thoughts on the ending, thoughts on side ships (lol Christina and Tae!) and of course, I’m more than happy to answer any questions! Thank you again for reading, and enjoy!

Chapter 16. I’m Proud of You

series masterlist

The sound of rain battering on the roof of the shop creates a false sense of security. The ambience created by the repeated sound against the tin out in the alleyway lulls me into a dreamlike state.

Jimin appears to be in a similar mindset, leaning against the worktable and watching with glazed eyes as I knead the dough to a rhythm I pick out in the rainfall.

“What’s the next question?”

Jimin inhales deeply, eyes drifting to the appear hanging loosely in his hands. “Um…how do you plan on coping with a life in the spotlight?”

Jimin and I have been at the sweet-bread shop for the past couple of hours, trying to make up for all the days I missed from work. Yuri allowed for us to come in today much later than normal due to Jimin’s schedule in the morning.

Last night I’d glanced through the lengthy list of questions with Jimin and Chung-hei. I’d nearly cried from relief when I found out that she would also be joining in on the interview. Apparently Bighit thought that selling the idea of two close friends at the soulmates for two of their idols might prove to be comforting for the fans.

“I plan on baking a lot of bread,” I respond with a smirk, spreading the dough in a pan and heading toward the large oven on the far side of the room. On the way I prop the back door open just a crack, allowing a bit of air in now that the back will be heating up with baking bread. The sound of rain grows louder, the strong smell flooding the kitchen.

Jimin chuckles, nodding along. “And texting your friend Jaemin?”

“Obviously.” Once everything looks good to go, I set a timer and check the time. It’s pushing eight in the evening, and the rain has yet to let up at all. “Ok, that’ll bake for thirty minutes.” I go to join Jimin beside the worktable, beginning to wipe it down.

“Next…something that’s surprised you so far?”

The thread now extends nearly twenty feet, which the soulmate specialist we met with last night predicted would happen. “At this rate,” he’d said, “Everything should be back to normal within five days or so.”

Normal.

What does that even mean anymore?

“You.” I keep my eyes on the table, trying to scoop up as much flour as I can. “You’ve been the biggest surprise so far.”

Jimin lowers the paper, watching my movements as I dispose of the flour before spraying some disinfectant and continuing to clean.

“Explain that, please.” Jimin effortlessly assumes the role of interviewer. I chew on my cheek, grinning when Jimin takes up a spot on the opposite side of the table and motions for the cloth.

I slide it toward him, watching as he begins to clean the other side. “Well… I think we’re becoming friends. Good friends.” My absentminded smile grows as I recall the events of last night.

By the time we’d finished the meeting with Bang PD, we’d barely had enough time to breathe before launching ourselves into another flurry of meetings. All designed to prepare me for the possible pitfalls of this sudden interview.

When we’d finally made it back to the house, Elle was cranky at not seeing either of us all day and I was bordering on a mental breakdown.

In the quiet of the living room, Jimin had sat on the edge of my couch-turned-bed and tucked me in.

“Take your pick,” he’d whispered, unfolding the blanket. “Burrito or lasagna.”

My startled laugh sounded loud in the quiet house. “What’s the difference?”

With some sort of reverenced adoration, I listened to my soulmate explain the lasagna method (piling several layers of blankets on top of the victim/person), versus the burrito method (one blanket, snugly tucked in).

Laid there on the couch, gazing up at Jimin, I understood why I hadn’t fought against the interview.

I cared. It was a devastatingly simple and perhaps a little lackluster revelation, but I cared about him.

Jimin looks up at me now from the opposite end of the worktable with a crooked smile. “Are you friend-zoning me?”

My eyes fall to that smile, wondering what it might feel like to reach out and trace the little divots it creates in his cheeks.

“…no.”

After his marvelous explanation of the difference in the lasagna and burrito methods, I’d chosen burrito.

Jimin had leapt up off the couch and draped the blanket over my body. I laughed when it covered my face, and Jimin chuckled nervously when he pulled it down.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “This is a hazardous line of work at times.”

Beginning at my toes and working his way up, Jimin had meticulously tucked me in. I’d stifled a laugh when he brushed up against my sides, a knowing smile gracing his lips before he quietly instructed, “Arms up.”

Rather than finishing the job quickly, Jimin took his time. Gently straightening the hem of the blanket and taking my hands in his before guiding them to rest atop the blanket.

He took a moment to study me, the only source of light coming from the kitchen. A little light had been left on above the stove, but I didn’t mind; not when it illuminated the way he was looking at me.

Resting on the edge of the couch, Jimin looked like an ordinary man.

His black t-shirt looked a little wrinkled, and his eyes were tired. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at the other couch.

“I’m proud of you.”

Despite the utter silence in the room, I wondered if I heard him correctly. “Hm?”

His lips turned down in a frown of concentration as Jimin swam in his thoughts. “I think you deserve to hear it.”

I stared at him like he had suddenly transformed into a werewolf. “I…I don’t think…”

At my tone of doubt, Jimin returned his focus on me, surprised to see that I didn’t believe him.

Maybe you aren’t proud of yourself,” he whispered quietly, as though sharing a secret. “But for now, I hope that this is enough.” He reached out to wipe a stray tear from my cheek, quickly followed by another. “You’ve been so brave, and I’m so proud of you.”

For unknown minutes after, all was silent. Jimin stayed, fingers caressing my cheeks as the tears continued to flow. I had clung to his wrist, unable to verbally convey what was caught in my throat as he continued to look at me with so much pride.

I don’t deserve you.

But I will do my best to love you in the way you deserve.

✂

The rain lets up not long after the bread comes out of the oven, although Jimin is nowhere near the end of the questions. He continues asking them as he and Jolie head out to the car waiting for them, Sunmi greeting them with a cheery wave.

He watches with a forgotten smile as his soulmate interacts with her friend. Jolie laughs at something Sunmi says, her eyes alight with some sort bittersweet emotion. Jimin is beginning to understand what that look means.

Last night, he’d seen the way she was doubting herself. If he was honest, he’d been doubting himself, as well. This interview was going to be high pressure. He didn’t want to admit it, but this interview would largely decide how people viewed his soulmate.

Yet, Jolie didn’t complain. She didn’t say a single thing expressing her doubt or worry. Instead, he watched on with amazement and admiration as she powered through the meetings. Steeling herself against the worst.

There had been a moment, as Jimin tucked his soulmate in after explaining the different methods (he’d come up with the lasagna method on the spot, but she didn’t need to know that), that he realized why he’d been feeling so odd all day. Like something about Jolie was so familiar, allowing him to fall into an easy rhythm with someone who should have been one of the last he would trust so readily.

She reminded him of, well…himself.

Jolie was cut from the same cloth that he was. That younger Jimin of the trainee days, trying so hard to be brave but still quick to make rash decisions that he later came to regret with his whole being. Quick to doubt, quick to love.

Somehow, that’s who Jimin saw as he sat perched on the edge of the couch. And after a moment of reflection, he felt like he knew what he had needed to hear back in those early days. What Jolie needed to hear as she embarked on this new adventure.

“I’m proud of you.”

It was true. It still is, less than a day later as Jolie sits beside Jimin in the backseat and chatters freely with Sunmi. Explaining some of the silly answers she came up with to the possible interview questions, making a bet on some random phrase that Chung-hei will probably say at some point.

That pride bubbles up until it has Jimin reaching across the seat to grab Jolie’s hand in his, lovingly running his thumb over her knuckles. He grins at the way she stumbles mid-sentence, eyes flashing to him.

He sees the way she looks doubtful for a moment, and he knows that she’s internally rejecting the notion that he cares as deeply for her as his actions say he does. He just squeezes her hand a little tighter and silently promises to prove it to her.

Again and again, if need be.

“You’ll do great,” Sunmi is reassuring as she pulls into a familiar neighborhood. They’ve arrived back to the apartment at last. “I’ll be watching.”

“That sounds a little creepy,” Jolie teases, glancing over at Jimin as she opens up the door and slides out. “Thanks, Sunmi.”

Sunmi nods, smiling in the rear view. “I’ll see you guys in the morning!”

Once they’ve said their goodbyes, Jimin and Jolie head up to the apartment. They can already hear some of the people inside, and Jolie can’t hide her smile as she hears Christina’s voice.

“Kim Seokjin, I already told you that I’m in charge of the zucchini, now leave it alone.”

Jolie wiggles her eyebrows at Jimin. “Don’t tell me she’s moved on to Jin.”

“Oh, no. Her and Tae and are pining over each other every chance they get,” he quietly confirms. The way Jolie snorts has him smiling at her fondly. “She’s probably just trying to make him jealous by hanging out with Jin.”

The two of them head inside, stepping into a warzone. People are scattered everywhere, jumping to and fro in an effort to prepare a suitable dinner for all those present. It’s a rare sight to see in the house, it’s not often that they cook at home. Due to their busy schedules, they either cook for themselves or eat out.

“What’s going on?” Jolie asks with a hint of amusement as she glances at Taehyung. He’s the only stationary being in the entire house, leaning up against the doorway to the kitchen and staring at Christina with furrowed brows. Almost like he’s confused, but he doesn’t quite understand why.

Jimin comes up behind him, clapping him on the shoulder. “How’s it going?”

Taehyung shrugs, a little lost in thought. “Oh, fine. Fine.”

Winking at Jolie, Jimin attempts to sidle into the kitchen. “Anybody need help in here?” There’s a round of applause from Jin, who begs Jimin to come and help him with something. Taking up a station beside his oldest hyung, Jimin gets to work to prepare family dinner.

✂

“So,” I drawl, posting up on the opposite end of the doorframe from Taehyung. “Whatcha thinking about?”

Taehyung’s frown deepens, his eyes flitting over to mine before sloping back to where Christina chops vegetables at the counter. “Dinner.”

“Mhmm.”

Again, his eyes flash over to me, an accusing look on his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shrug, enjoying the role reversal. To think, it wasn’t that long ago before I was quaking before Taehyung at work. “You just look a little distracted, that’s all.”

Taehyung chews on his bottom lip, and I don’t miss the way his eyes flit back and forth between Christina, her severed thread, and his own thread which leads out the door and beyond. Connecting him to his soulmate, wherever they may be.

“I feel a little…strange.” He admits quietly enough for no one else to hear.

“In a good way, or…?”

He shrugs, watching as Christina picks her way across the kitchen to where Seokjin clears a space for her to slip the cut vegetables into a steaming pot. “Sometimes good, sometimes bad.”

“And do you…plan to do anything about these strange feelings?”

Christina steps out of the room, and the second she disappears from sight it’s like Taehyung woke up from a long dream. He blinks, looking around for a second before looking back at me. “I think it’s more of a question of if I should do something about it. If that’s even plausible.” Again, his eyes drift to his thread, and I mull over this odd situation.

In the end, it only leads to heartbreak. It just depends on who it will be that gets their heart broken.

Before I can respond, Yoongi is calling everyone to come to dinner. It takes a few minutes for us to all gather around, and I can’t help but notice the way that Taehyung doesn’t even think twice before settling down next to Christina. The moment he notices what he’s done, however, that same tormented expression from earlier reappears. I offer him a bolstering smile from down the table, which he hastily returns.

We all dig into the food, everyone expressing appreciation for different dishes and sharing all around. Jimin blows on his bulgogi before extending it to me with a grin, which I quickly take.

Toward the end of the meal, Hoseok holds up a glass and a hush falls over the table. “I’d like to propose a toast!”

Jungkook whispers something to Jin, who tries and fails to hide his laughter. A glare from Hobi has the two shutting up in an instant.

“To more family dinners like this,” he says with a smile. “And to all our new additions.” He pauses, thinking for a moment longer. “Some of you arrived in more…unconventional ways than others. But I will say this: you make my friends happy, and that’s all I want for them. Please continue to make them smile as often as you can.”

I can toast to that.

✂

These lights are making me sweat, but then again, that could also be from the way the interviewer is staring me down with a hawk-like glare.

There’s no studio audience, no this is something to be broadcasted in about a month from now. For now, I sit beside Chung-hei and try not to fidget in my seat.

At first, there were plenty of generic questions. A few directed toward Chung-hei or I that were easy enough to tackle; questions like: “What’s your line of work?” or “How does it feel to be in an interview?”

Now, though, we’re reaching the end and the interviewer seems to sense this. They begin to lean into the more difficult questions. Anything to keep ratings going, I suppose.

“Jolie, I have one final question for you,” they grab their card before crossing their legs and smiling at me. There’s no kindness in that smile, but I try to pretend like there is. “If you could go back in time to before you met Jimin, what would you tell yourself?”

I blink. Everyone looks to me expectantly, and I find that I’m suddenly sweating much more than before.

This wasn’t in the list of questions.

Refraining from chewing on my lip, I glance at Chung-hei. My friend smiles encouragingly at me, and I allow myself to go back to a previous time I saw that same smile.

I’m standing beside Chung-hei, grinning wide enough that my cheeks hurt as the intro music begins to play.

“They’re about to come out!” Hei screams despite standing right by me. I laugh at her excitement, even though I know I look just as crazed as she does.

The entire arena floods with music, the bass making my very bones vibrate. All around me people lift up their army bombs and cheer. Smoke floods the stage, creating a mysterious aura before the lights drop and everything is plunged into darkness.

And then, light. Two huge spotlights illuminate seven figures who seemingly appeared from thin air in the middle of the stage. Less than a second later, the already deafening arena picks up in sound.

In a burst of energy, the seven boys begin their routine. I find that I am absolutely mesmerized as my eyes fall on one person in particular.

Park Jimin glides across the stage as though he owns it; which, with some quick negotiating and a bit of cash, he probably could. His flowy white shirt makes me understand why he’s so often referred to as an angel. However, it’s when he smiles that I find myself adopting the nickname to use for future reference.

For a moment, I am blissfully ignorant to all that awaits me. To all that awaits us, as I still have yet to notice the way my thread shifts whenever Jimin moves across the stage.

What would I tell myself in that moment?

The answer comes surprisingly quickly. “If I could go back…I think I’d just tell her that I’m proud of her.” I smile softly at the interviewer, who listens to my every word as though waiting for some sort of slip up to cling to. “For all that she’s gone through, I’m proud. And that there’s light up ahead.”

Right on cue, the producer signals to wrap it up from behind the camera. I spy Jimin’s smile, making me smile in return.

The interview is wrapped up within the next couple of minutes, and before I know it we’re being herded backstage before slipping into our different cars to head to the Bighit building.

Jimin and I sit in the back seat as Sunmi drives, listening to her rant about how well we did. I just shrug, explaining that it’s too soon to congratulate us. The real challenge will come when the broadcast airs.

“You did well,” Jimin quietly affirms. He takes my hand in his like he did yesterday, and it’s a feeling that I can certainly tell I’ll be more than happy with for the rest of my life. “How are you feeling?”

I shrug. “Alright, I think. Just nervous for what comes next.”

Once we make it to the Bighit building, Jimin pulls me aside before entering the doors. Once he’s ascertained that there isn’t anyone eavesdropping, he pulls me in close to his embrace.

I nearly melt in his arms, instantly relaxing as I take in the citrusy scent of his shampoo. It’s the same that I’ve been using over the past couple of days.

“Let me tell you what comes next,” he whispers before pulling back to see my face. “First off, you quit trying to friend-zone me.”

I laugh, trying to shove him away but failing as he keeps a tight grip around me. “I’m not! You’re just being overdramatic!”

He feigns offense, gasping loudly. “I can’t believe you’d attack me like this. It hurts, jagiya. It really does.”

“Yah, just get on with it.”

“Ok, ok. You’re so impatient.” His easy smile proves that he doesn’t mean me any harm. “ Secondly, I have a question for you.”

“And what’s that?”

Releasing his grip around my waist just long enough to push some of his hair back, he raises an eyebrow. “Do you want to date me?”

I blink, unsure of whether to laugh or question his health. “I- yeah. Of course I do.”

“Ah, so you want to date me.” Jimin smirks, and suddenly I realize that I may have just gotten myself into a lot of trouble. “Alright, I guess I’ll allow it. But I do have some conditions for you if you want to be my girlfriend.”

I scoff. “Woah, technically you’re the one that asked-”

“And you answered that yes, you want to date me. Will you hear out my conditions?” I nod impatiently. “Good. First, you must allow me to tuck you in burrito style whenever you sleep over.” I chuckle, nodding along vigorously while trying to memorize the way he’s looking at me right now. “Second, you quit texting that Jaemin guy. I’m the jealous type, and he seems sketchy.”

Now I can’t hold back my shoulder-shaking laughter. “You realize how contradictory that is, right?”

Completely ignoring my call on his judgement, Jimin continues. “You let me send you chocolates without complaining about getting fat. I get joint custody of Elle. You teach me how to bake bread, your mother’s recipe.”

His soft tone makes me smile softly. “And?”

He holds up his left hand, the red thread shining in the afternoon sun. “When this thing starts working properly again, you don’t run away from me. Let me- let me be your best friend.”

There’s a lump in my throat now as Jimin’s eyes glisten with unshed tears. “And?” I whisper.

“And when the rest of the world is pressing in on you, let me remind you how much you are loved.”

His grip tightens just a cinch as I let out a shaky breath before mumbling out, “How do you plan to do that?”

Jimin’s eyes slowly drop to my lips, head tilting to the side as he smiles softly. “I have something of an idea.”

The sound of the gate opening to let another car in – surely one of the other boys – alerts me to our ending privacy. Before Jimin can change his mind, I throw my arms around his neck and pull him in close.

The first clash of our lips is a bit sloppy, but soon Jimin is leaning in impossibly closer to better capture my lips. It’s unknown and hurried, and full of promise for the future. The only thing on my mind is the feeling of Jimin’s hands digging into my waist before finding themselves at the small of my back, making me stumble forward a step. He catches me, lips parting in a crooked grin a single second before a black SUV pulls up.

Jimin’s cheeks are dusted light pink in the afternoon sun, but soon I’m going cross eyed as he leans in and delivers Eskimo kisses. “I knew it was a good idea.”

“Oi! Don’t tell me you two were just making out in broad daylight,” Jin groans as he exits the SUV followed by a disgusted looking Namjoon.

“I- no, we were…uh, I…” Jimin sputters, looking to me for help. I laugh, saying nothing as I head for the doors.

“Namjoon, you can’t even act like you’re disgusted!” Jimin protests, hurrying after me to avoid a collision with the door like he has in previous experiences. “Don’t pretend like I haven’t seen you and Chung-hei making out like teenagers on the couch-”

All three boys trail after me as I stride down the hallway toward the elevator. They don’t stop their bickering as we enter the elevator and Jin pushes the fifth floor button, red in the face as he scolds the other two for their behavior.

Leaning up against the wall, I close my eyes and smile, listening to the accusations flying around the small elevator.

It’s good to be home.

Previous - Epilogue

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helloblobbyblobfish · 4 years ago

Text

Safety in coils

(Anîla refers to the mains humans as “kids”, but they all are in college, between 19 and 25.)

---

The 32 of July

New place, new diary! Hello, four diary, I will call you Helbert. I think it’s a common name for Americano males. Any way, I shall present myself to you to: I am a member of the proud race of naga, but I have yet to receive a proper name, having only 34 year old in human year. I am currently trying to live away from my tribe as a sign of maturity, however. I have decided that I would also record to myself what I am doing for my descendants to know what I did. I decided also, than, given the fact that I will pretend to be a human, I need to write in their tango, so that I would be prepared to speak with them.

I shall also name myself Anîla âbhoga, as respect for my elders, and because I lack creativiti. I should try to find myself a cave before looking for a house. In all accounts I read, we need to wear “clothes” when we takes our human forms, so I will steal them later on.

See you soon, Helbert!

---

2 of august

Hey, Helbert! You wouldn’t believe in the number of kids that went into the forest today. I could have eaten any of them without issue, they are so trusting! But that would end up alerting someone, and I don’t want hunters yet. Americannans; They don’t seem to realize the danger that exist, I was told of their ignorance; but it is really worrisome.

Trough, that mean that I have plenty of Americanans that can explain to me everything. I am even more persuasive that most of my clan, the reason as to why I was allowed to travel the sea unsupervised. As you serve as my “recording devices”, I think I am supposed to give you the description of the youth I have met. They all got to see my eyes and should not be worried about my half-snake appearance, but I will keep a human look next to them, as to not push their limits. I could not make them come back to me at a precise time, so I will put them back under. It would also make them less suspicious of my questions.

The first kid I found was running, and scared. I guess he was lost for a while, and got into trouble, because he had what he told me were call b-r-u-i-s-e-s. (I Made him spell it, I am learning English word I was not told existed. The excitation!) It’s brownish marks that indicate you were p-u-n-c-h-e-d. He also had a similar marks on one of his eyes, but it was black. Apparently, it is black or blue around the eyes, and as such, you call those bruises “black eyes”. He has yellow hairs, with dirt and twigs in them when I fond him, but I clean him. He had green eyes, if I saw correctly, before he saw mines. I though he was short, but all the humans I met were close to his height. He has 19 year, and is name is Noah.

A few minutes after I brought Noah at the edges of the forest, I fond another male, who is named Andrew Evans. He is really different in behavior and look. I did not tell you about the clothes! It is kind of important! Humans wear different “styles” of clothes depending of their ages, gender or role in the town hierarchical structure. Noah was wearing gray “S-w-e-a-t pants” and a red “H-o-o-d-y” with a green stripe. It was way too big on him, so I guess he and his family does not have a lot of money. He also screamed and tried to run when he saw me. Andrew Evans has black hairs that he “greased”, brown eyes, I am sure for those, I thought to ask. He is wearing blue “J-e-a-n-s” with holes he said he made himself. I guess there is a meaning, but I was asking basic questions, I will interrogate the kids more later on.

Andrew Evans also has a silver chains dangling on the side of his pants, a white “T-s-h-i-r-t” who he cover with a “Leather j-a-c-k-e-t”. He also had dangling “dog tags” around his neck, who reached lower than his “P-e-c-s”. They are by two, silvery, oval, and contain info. His “dog tags” were about his father, who got them in a war. Andrew Evans is proud of his dad and wear them. Ritualistic importance? He also tried to attack me with a knife when I met him. As punishment, I kept the “dog tags” I do not understand the meaning of some of the info, like the “AB” mark.

It appear Andrew Evans was looking for Noah, so I showed him the way to civilisation. And then, I heard cries of “Andrew”, because I presume someone went after Andrew Evans. Perhaps they do know the forests are places you get lost in, but none of the kids seemed prepared to meeting me. Are americanos forest really without nagas? How?

Any how, the third kid has a darker skin color that the other two, but it is not as dark as the skin color of the humans who live in India. He had brown hair who looked that fluffy spikes, and I had a hard time flattening, blue eyes, and was wearing another “T-shirt”. They cover only part of their arm, fascinating choice, in my opinion. He also had “Jeans”, but his were gray, and without holes. He wondered where I was coming from as he never saw me, and did not believe me when I said I was a newcomer. To worry about. I simply calmed him and told him where to find Andrew Evans. I was not sure what to ask of him. Except his name, it’s Leo

I ended falling on a fourth and final kid by complete accident, nearly an hour later, despite him apparently entering with Leo. This kid was looking at least a head taller than the rest. His name is Chris. He stated he “was” 24, witch I think is a bit old to call a human, a kid, but I have to look more into it. He is as pale as Noah and Andrews Evans. His hairs are the fabled red, and his eyes remind me of hazels. He also wears a “Leather jacket”, who he kept closed, because he wears nothing underneath, and blue “Jeans”, who should be burned given the numbers of oil stains who covered them, and also massive holes, with is knees basically being in the open. I had to tell him to change clothes, or he would be hurt if he fall. He wasn’t taking me seriously, so I put him under my gaze at this moment.

Over all, it was an excellent day to start seeing what kids human act and look like. I will go into town tomorrow to meet adults.

---

3 august

Well, wouldn’t you know, Elbert, I was using phrasing of a sentence and idoms who sound old, for someone in his thirties. One day interacting in the town, and I already got a reputation as an “old-timer”. Who could have guess? Most people are wonderful, in any case. I also bumped into Andrew Evans, Leo and Chris. They were with another kid in their age range, Steve. He is taller than Leo, but smaller than Andrew. Oh, yes. Evans is a family name rather than a composite surname. My bad.

Leo was still suspicious of me, and I wasn’t able to talk with them. He said something about “stranger danger”. I wonder if he is more afraid of other humans than what is living outside his town. What are humans doing between themselves? It would appear our knowledge of their society is dated. I need to get alone with him if I want to examine their behaviour properly. Instead I met a few adults and discreetly made their door open to me. I did take a trip to the house seller, but I will need papers and money for one. It’s more difficult than we expected when I left my home forest. There is also that man named John Miller. He seems to think I am weak because he can’t see muscle. Probably an hunter. I need to keep an eye on him too.

Wait, there are footstep sounding close. I come back once I saw who is it, and why they are here. What if they already know?

It was Noah! Unlike the others, he still wears the same clothes than yesterday. Truly poor. And because he already saw my eyes, he is so easy to put under. Actually, he is sitting right next to me, and when I took my hybrid form, he was all too happy to snuggle in. Good human. So, because he is really easy to interact with, and he told me he just often goes into the forest when he is “overwhelmed”, he will be my number one source of information! So, I will ask some questions, and note the answers into you, Ebert!

So, Noah Miller! Turn out he is the son of John Miller, who isn’t a hunter, but a construction worker. Noah seem to be hiding something about him, but I don’t want to push. Noah seems nice, I don’t want to destroy his intelligence or his being. So, I will wait till he wants to tell me for further explanations. He also doesn’t want to tell me where do those “bruises” and cuts come from. I am a bit worried for his safety. Does he try to get into fights to prove himself to his father?

Human kids his age like to play something call “video games”. I need to come to his house to play, however. Well, after I ended up asking question, we will play fetch. I heard pets like that, and I might keep Noah around, I really like him. His outfit is one he picked because he wants to cover “them”; Okay. Apparently, “cool” outfits for him show muscle, leather jackets always work, Jewellery show wealth, seem like the meanings are the same as we naga knew, just a bit differently. Jewelry

Yes, I asked Noah to correct mistakes he saw. It’s useful for my human guise. Also, Andrew is the popular kid who has a bright future. That mean he can get away with selfishness and violence, in this society. I can’t believe it. Well, as a subject and potential pet, I should give Noah a good life, so the research is put on hold the time I get the other kids to respect him.

---

6 August

Hey, Albert. Been a few days, but I had to make Andrew, Chris, Steve and especially Leo way more pliant that they were. But today, they will all come to this forest with additional clothes they think would fit Noah and make him looks “cool”, so that he joins their “friend” group. It looks a bit more like a hierarchy in itself, but I will make sure they treat each other better. Win-Win for everyone! I hope I use those expression correctly. Anyway, Noah too got more contacts with me. He seems to really trust me “more than anyone” he says, but he still won’t tell me where his injuries come from. I am a bit disappointed. Seem like he made some strong barriers about it, if I force the answers from him, it would hurt his brain, a lot.

Leo has arrived. I had to get to his parents first, to be alone with him, but heh. I have a bed in their basement now. Leo was really distrustful. Now, he is a bit over-zealous to obeying me, but I don’t see any other psychological impact. I do keep an eye on him for his safety. He also is the one closer in size to Noah, so I expect his clothes to be most of the ones Noah come home with. Leo also make delicious chicken wings.

Now, Steve has arrived. Coming back to my few notes, I forgot to describe him. He has black hair, brown eyes, and the first time he saw me alone I was shirtless and that made him red, for some reason. But he doesn’t want to talk about it. He is 23. He is the drag-along man of his group, and easily scared. It amuses me to make loud noises behind his back. He jumps every single time! Today, he is wearing a sleeveless black cloth he calls “top”, and blue “shorts”. He really doesn’t know how to visit the forest.

Andrew and Noah arrived together. Andrew is surprisingly the one who brought the more clothes. When I asked, he stated he bought them. He is ironically the one who took the most the rings in my eyes, even more than Noah, who I found easy to put under. And I remind you I am strong in charm by naga standard. Andrew is also missing his dog tags. Apparently, you put “blood type” and height on it. I shall ask for their size and weight once I start the experience again.

Well, Chris is finally here. He at least wears something without “sexual innuendos” for once. I’ll admit I don’t understand them. Also, except Steve, they all have a weird combo with leather jackets and ties, to welcome Noah into the group. Really odd-looking, even fir me, and the fact that I wear “professionals” clothes all the time makes people talk. Noah, of course, is wearing a hoody and “baggy” pants. I’ll tell you how it went.

Really well!!! Now, Noah has a collection of “gym” clothes, rings, chains… the perfect “streetwear”, as Chris said. The boys are all very happy playing with the ball I gave them. And they all are super happy when I tap their head to signify that they are good boys. I’m so happy they stopped using gel, I can play with their hairs. But play time is over. I’m going back to studying them and their interactions, so they aren’t aware I was ever in their lives for now. I want to see them act normally.

Wait, why is Andrew berating them all. I understood he was mean to people outside his group, but he is controlling of the people in it? Chris is obeying him without question and making subtle threat for the others three to follow? Noah is afraid??! Leo is just done with this and complaint but does not act? Steve is not shivering like Noah, but I think he is afraid too. How could I miss that, and how can I let this happen in front of my eyes? I’ll be right back, Albert!

---

So, they have been some changes in the group dynamics of the boys. Now, Leo is the leader one. He also asks for my opinion on things and agree that I am smarter and wiser than him, and as such, my decisions are absolute and override his. Andrew is really happy to be led. He takes more easily to my suggestions than the others, so he is ��living the dream”, as the “omega” of his group. I don’t know what that mean, he declared himself one. In his opinion, Leo is an “alpha” and the rest are “beta”. Andrew also wanted to classify Chris as the second-in-command, but I preferred Noah, because I have to admit at being biased, but Noah doesn’t want to lead, and Leo will be a great leader under my guidance, and he wanted to be the “top dog”.

Chris is really the one who got the best changes, though. He was really afraid of what to do without someone who use him as a muscled henchman, so now, he can suck up all type of information. His “G.P.A” will improve, thanks to that. We might have a “smart one”, after a trip to the library. And the, there is Steve. I don’t know what to do with Steve. Steve never showed much personality. When I asked him how he would describe himself, he said “gaie”, which mean cheerful in French, is I remember correctly. Didn’t appear that happy for me… Well, now, he is being nicknamed “the cheerleader” by his friends. They will not question the changes, but I think I will have to drop by their parent’s house later.

Well, I’m glad to see they all are having fun. Leo started a “soccer game”. Look interesting. Steve is cheering for them because they are an odd number. He seems decided to compliment Chris on his muscle, for some reason. Well, he also commented a few times about mine. Maybe he just put a lot of attention in physical health. I’m going to watch.

August 8

At the teaching place the boys are going (I though in English it was called school, but the refer to it as college), Noah is now one of the centres of attention, as a new friend of Andrew and thanks to his new look. Steve convinced him to wear “guyshadow”. Didn’t expect it to work well with the dark lines under Noah’s eyes (named “eye’s bag”, this language relies on such obvious terms, it’s worrying me. Are humans worried about being incomprehensible? It’s probably not the only human one to be this on the nose, but the only one I’m good at.), but now, he has a lot of weird attention from females and a few males, including Steve. I don’t understand why is external looks and money so much more important that what’s inside for humans.

Wait, I hear sobs. Why is Noah in pain?

HIS FATHER WAS VIOLENT TOWARDS HIM!!! THE FIEND! HE DESERVED BEING REDUCED TO A HUSK BY ME! SO GLAD HE IS NOW OUT OF NOAH AND MISS. MILLER’S LIFE!! Now, I heard a mother without a husband faces hardship in this “tolerant” society humans call America, so I will make sure the remaining Millers in town are wall-loved. I think I will move my human place from Leo’s house, he is okay, and go to live with Noah and his mom Susan.

---

August 10

Albert, while I was playing with Noah, he called me Dad. Apparently, it means he sees me as a major role model, and it’s a sign of a deep bond, said Susan. She seemed ready to laugh, and also a bit awkward, when she said that to me. Well, I’m glad he thinks so highly of me! I also think highly of my pet. Now, he is completely open to any change in personality or look I ask of him. I have a little doll I can dress and make talk as I want. He is a cowboy, a pre-re-education Andrew, a hunter, a servant. I asked of my sister she send me some jewelry, and now, he has wonderful gold hoops in his ear, and a silver chain with an emerald that he show to no one, but whose touch remind me of how good he is while looking at me... Truly, I am enjoying this study.

---

Author’s note (how do you make italics on Tumblr?): So, this is a story I wrote in Summer 2020 for a contest about supernatural on a hypno-site. I planned to make a one-shot, then I liked the characters too much and started making an universe for them. If you have questions on them, I probably have some answers. It feature no pron, so I though. You know what, I should publish my own stuff on Tumblr. Hope you people enjoy

#male hypnosis #naga #no sex #sfw #hypnosis #tw: abuse #?#personality change #safety in coils #forgot tu put the series tag oh my god

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just-anothersadboi · 3 years ago

Text

Too Mentally Isolated

On the outside I am what you hope to see, on the inside I isolate myself while craving freedom. Like a broken record you ask me, “What’s wrong?”. I respond while walking on a mental tightrope. One wrong word could cause me to lose balance and fall into a bottomless pit. While falling I'm surrounded by your voice, “You always have anxiety”, “You're just a moody teenager”, “You’re just on your period”. To avoid walking the line I bite my tongue, preventing the water flow in front of you. Sometimes I’m just as confused as you are when it flows unexpectedly and when I tell you, “I don’t know” I lose balance, then start to fall. Exploding at my lack of explanation, words fly from your lips like defining fireworks. “How am I supposed to help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong?!”, “Do I need to call your therapist?!”, “You never talk to me!”, “All you do is stay in your room!”. Not being able to think, I force the same phrase out, “I don’t know!”. Barely able to breath as the unexplained emotions dripping from my sleep deprived eyes drown me. Why should I willingly describe my demons if all you have to offer is the hell pit underneath the tightrope. You encourage the insecurities my demons use to tear me apart. I start to question if what they say is true. Maybe I am truly an overactive teenager, that the medication everyone insists I take everyday is pointless, as if the long list of diagnoses were just excuses. I’d rather cut the rope myself and drown before you try to “help” me. So I let the lies rip through my throat, allowing you to believe everything is okay. To make you hope I’m the normal, straight, cis girl from the past that you knew and loved. To keep this hope alive I hide my demons from everyone, my secret. I use every ounce of energy to keep them inside. When they force themselves out of my unwilling eyes during our interactions the only thing I fear, is you.

An original piece I ripped straight from my junior year English project. I don't know how to edit photos correctly, please don't come for my neck :)

#original poetry #unedited #deepermeaning #overwhelmed #suppressing emotions

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mimssides · 4 years ago

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Life on Crow Avenue: Part 5

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Warning: Suicidal thinking from Remus!

It was a hot Wednesday and Remus was stacking a few big plant pots in front of their store and then checked the time on his phone. It was already a little after twelve and they ought to take their much-needed lunchbreak.

With a groan he straightened up and pressed his hands on the small of his back and stretched. It cracked a little and Remus remained in the position for a second. He looked up. He didn’t really see anything, just stared into the nothing.

He’ll be fine. He’s fallen for the jazz boy. It’s fine. It’s fine. He will be fine. He has enough to support himself. He will be fine. And you’ll be free.

Then Remus heard his name being called out. Franticly, he turned around. Directions were hard to pinpoint and it didn’t help that he somehow knew the voice but was not too familiar with quite yet.

“Up here!” the voice shouted and Remus lifted his gaze and found the face which belonged to the voice.

Widely he smiled at Patton, who was waving through the window from the second floor in the house next to theirs. He waved back and shouted up a Hi, waiting for Patton to continue.

“Wait a second! I’ll come down!” Patton said and Remus stemmed his hands in his hips waiting for the man to join him outside.

He did not have to wait a minute until Patton came out and walked towards him. As of now he wore a white tank top and blue shorts with little rubber ducks on it and Remus got a look of the tattoos on his upper arms and calves. It was not a first, in the past week and a half he had seen Patton several times in shorter clothes as he walked into their store to talk with him and such, but Remus enjoyed the view nevertheless. The colours and motives were so interesting to him and had inspired some ideas in his head.

“Hi!” Patton beamed anew.

Remus grinned and repeated his own Hi again, while Patton stepped closer and then halted barely two feet from him and folded his hands in front of his chest. A grin tugged at corner of Remus’s lips and he put his hands inside of his pants’ pockets.

“Eh, I just wanted to ask if you and Roman maybe wanted to eat lunch with me and Lo? We usually eat together when I don’t have a client over noon and well, I thought the more the merrier?” Patton asked and looked expectantly at Remus.

Remus blinked a little taken aback. Having lunch with Patton and Logan? Something they apparently did every day, was part of their day to day life and they wanted him and Roman to take part of this? Remus had already been surprised when Patton had invited him again for the jazz night last Friday and now this?

It is too good to be true.

“I’d love to! I’ll just ask Ro if it’s fine with him. Let me go and ask him right now!” Remus said and already turned towards the entrance of their store.

He did not notice that Patton followed him and he was quick to call for Roman in Spanish: “We’re invited for lunch with Patton and Logan? You good with that?”

“Yeah sure! Do you think they might want eat from the fajitas I prepared? Oh and-” Roman shouted, while walking out from the back and stopped as he saw Patton behind his brother.

Almost unnoticeably Roman motioned with his chin behind Remus and then addressed Patton with a smile: “Hi! I heard we’re invited for lunch? All bring their own food? Or should we bring something for everybody?”

Patton blinked a little surprised and lifted his hands.

“Uh, we usually bring our own stuff or more like I get something from the bakery down the street and Lo eats a sandwich but I doubt he’d be upset if you’d bring something for us?”

The upset and offended look Roman gave Patton when he said that Logan ate a sandwich for lunch almost scared the tattoo artist and he felt like he was supposed to apologize for letting Logan eat like this. And he felt a little bit as if he was in danger as well, since he also just went to the bakery or to a general store to get a little snack for lunch, which was apparently something Roman didn’t find acceptable.

“Please tell me you eat fajitas,” Roman said merely supressing the offence in his voice and Remus next to him rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Patton’s eyes darted nervously from one brother to the other until they landed on Roman and he answered: “I like them? As far as I know Logan does too; he just doesn’t eat them too ho-”

“Oh, hotness is no problem. I always make different sauces because Remus doesn’t like hot as well,” Roman cut him off with a pleased look and cracked is fingers. “So, I can get both of you an actual lunch instead of a meagre sandwich and whatever you’d normally get from the bakery. Ah, and do you think Jay and Virgil could join as well? Or did you ask them already?”

A laugh escaped Patton’s mouth and he looked over to Remus who just shook his head. So, there was a little bit of quirkiness in the otherwise so charming Roman after all. It made Patton like him a lot more and he turned his attention back to Roman.

“The more the merrier! I’ll ask them right away! If you want you can already go over to Logan’s. He’s in the backroom of his shop. You’ll find it with no problem!”

___

Five minutes later the six men sat around a round table in the backroom of Logan’s shop. The room had two big windows in the corner, which faced into the backyard. They had them closed as the air conditioning created a far more pleasant temperature than airing could. Besides the table there was a little counter with a microwave on it and a sink in the otherwise empty room.

Still it was a nice atmosphere, as Roman had laid out eight different bowls with condiments and fillings in them, so all could choose what they wanted to put on their tortilla. The smell filled the room and Roman’s explanation which was what and how hot everything was, made it all even homelier than it had been before.

Unabashedly, Remus started putting his first fajita together Patton then following his lead. Virgil carefully started to put his own together, asking Roman at every ingredient he wanted if it was the vegetarian option, which Roman confirmed every time.

Janus, Logan and Roman took a little more time to put their meal together, as Janus just liked to take his time, Logan was a little picky and Roman just wanted to enjoy the process of composing his own meal and the being together with his little group. It was something that was dear to him and his grin and glee managed to convey that quite well to the other men.

“¡Buen provecho!” the twins said and toasted each other with their fajitas.

Virgil repeated the phrase in a mumble, Patton said it loudly and with the wrong pronunciation but it was the thought that counted. At least it made Remus grin and Patton was entirely happy with that outcome.

“Thank you for the meal,” Logan said directed to Roman, as Janus just nodded and took a bite from his own fajita.

Roman smiled widely and responded after swallowing the bite he had taken: “No problem at all! I’m just happy giving something proper to eat.”

“A sandwich is a perfectly proper meal, thank you very much,” Logan argued and eyed the food in his hands with interest. “But I have to admit that this does look better than what I usually have.”

“I’d hope so! Now stop talking and eat! It won’t get any better the longer you wait.”

Logan nodded at Roman’s instructions and finally started eating. And for a few moments the room was a quiet except for the sound of chewing.

That was until Patton chirped up and said excitedly: “This is delicious Roman! You said you made all the condiments and fillings yourself?”

“Thank you! Yeah, I make them myself. It’s not that hard really. Just takes a bit of time. I usually prepare everything in the evening when I make dinner,” Roman said in a humble manner and not with the pride one could have expected from the otherwise rather boisterous man.

“What are you talking about? This still, like, takes a lot of work to do, right? And did you make the tortillas yourself? They are a lot better than the ones we get from the store,” Virgil chimed in and tapped the tortilla of his fajita.

Roman shrugged and cast his eyes down to his hands, unsure of how to respond.

Remus on the other hand knew exactly how to respond: “Yah, he makes the dough himself. We have premade tortilla dough in the freezer. He’s really good at cooking in general. At least better than I.”

“So, you have an interest in cooking, Roman? And I have to agree with Patton; it tastes very good,” Logan agreed and eyed Roman patiently until the man looked up again.

“Well, what can I say? At one point Chinese takeout just didn’t do it for me anymore, and I learnt making some stuff myself. It’s fun. And tastes better than the stuff you buy.”

Roman barely had met Logan’s eyes and was now looking down into his lap. Eyeing his tummy and trying to not focus on the words in the back of his mind. He knew that they must see the heavy thoughts in his posture and the uncertainty in the air around him. But he could not help it; talking about food, about cooking, it made him somehow always feel guilty about his weight, especially when Remus sat so close by. Proving in a way that he could look much differently if he-

“It’s certainly healthier to cook for yourself instead of ordering all the time. Also, if I understand correctly you are self-taught? Learning such a skill all by yourself is impressive, Roman. I at the very least am impressed.”

Roman looked up and glanced over to Janus who fixed him with a calm look. A little laugh escaped Roman’s lips and he tilted his head to the side, before he thanked Janus and let their lunch continue peacefully.

Logan began to ask Roman what kind of cuisine he preferred to cook from and Roman started explaining that he had taught himself a lot of Mexican, Tex-Mex and Italian dishes because he liked those in particular. And also, because he wanted to rekindle with his Mexican heritage, which he did not elaborate on much further and left it to the other men’s imagination what that could mean.

All in all, it was a rather comfortable meal and Patton was more than happy that he had gone and asked Patton to join them for their lunchbreak.

They put the empty plates and bowls in the sink and Roman asked Logan where the bathroom was and then excused himself for a moment. Remus, who stood at the sink, ready to wash the dishes, looked after him and turned to look at Janus the second Roman was out of sight and earshot.

“Jazz boy?” Remus said with an oddly creepy grin.

Janus quirked his eyebrow up and Remus continued: “If you dare to hurt him, I’ll break your fucking neck. He deserves everything in the world and if you make him unhappy, I will make you regret it. That’s a promise.”

And just like that Remus turned back to the sink, turned the faucet on and started doing the dishes, as if he hadn’t said anything at all. All stared at him and Remus was well aware they did. And yet he didn’t care.

“Do I want to know what your fucking problem is with me?”

Remus halted in his movements and looked back over his shoulder to Janus. Janus who looked oh so offended, oh so pissed off. Remus almost got a little kick out of it, but he knew this was not the time to anger the man more. He just needed him to understand one thing.

“I have no problem with you whatsoever,” Remus replied simply and pulled his beanie further down over his forehead.

Janus let out a huff and wanted to sneer a comment but Remus didn’t let him. With a grin that really did not look like one he said: “I don’t want a problem with you. I don’t care for you and I’ve told you that before. But I do care about Roman. And he’s very, very serious about you. It’s been ages since I’ve seen him so goddamn happy and I can not have you destroy that for him. He deserves love and a goddamn home of his dreams. And I need you to know that, to respect that and to run the fuck away if you just dare to disagree with any of the things I said. Because I cannot see him hurt more than he already is. Am I understood?”

Janus just stared at Remus. He wanted to argue. Probably not about Roman, but how Remus was interfering with their relationship. How he clearly overstepped a line in meddling with his brother’s life and how he could not say such inappropriate things towards Janus, who he barely knew. But Janus didn’t start to argue but shook his head and remained quiet.

Not a man of confrontation.

Probably would help Roman in the future, to have someone like that by his side.

Again, Remus turned to the faucet and started doing the dishes. The door was opened and Roman came back in looking around and immediately sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere. For a second, he seemed confused then he glanced over to Remus and sighed.

“What did he threaten you with?” Roman asked and stemmed his hands in his hips.

Janus scoffed and watched his fingernails with great interest.

“Oh nothing. Don’t bother.”

Roman rolled his eyes and walked over to Remus, took a towel and started dry the dishes, Remus had already washed and asked his brother: “What have you threatened him with?”

“I’ll break his neck!”

“Pff, good one. And you’re not going to do that. I’m sorry Janus. He’s getting ahead of himself.”

As Janus made an unvoluntary offended squeaking sound, Logan frowned and said: “Is this something that happens so regularly with the two of you or why exactly are you so unfazed by your brother threatening to murder people?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Roman answered and looked over him, while setting the plate in his hands down. “But I know he gets overprotective when I’m genuinely interested in a guy. He has yet to actually follow through with any of those threats he made, so don’t worry about it.”

“Genuinely interested?” Virgil repeated with big eyes and looked over to his uncle, who, for once, did not appear to be quite as cool and collected as he usually was.

Roman just chuckled a little and lightly brushed against Remus and just continued doing the dishes. Patton exchanged a look with Logan. The bookshop owner raised his eyebrows and Patton giggled a little before he walked over to the twins and helped them doing the dishes.

Remus began asking Patton about what kind of tattoos he did and which kind of clients he had, which was a huge jump from their prior topic, but Patton was happy to answer and talked a bit about his clientele with sometimes Logan adding a few observations he made over the years of Patton’s clients mistakenly walking into his shop. The conversation remained friendly and Virgil bid his goodbye soon, so he could get back to the store and check on the pets. Patton was next to go, as he had to prepare his studio for the next client and whished the twins, Logan and Janus a good afternoon.

As Logan was talking with Remus about a new crime series that had been delivered to his store, Janus started to leave and was promptly accompanied by Roman. He side eyed him curiously as he stepped out of the bookstore. His smile was unfaded and it was too easy forget how unhappy and ashamed he had looked down at himself during lunch.

Janus didn’t forget.

“I’m really sorry about Remus,” Roman pulled him out of his thoughts and Janus put a smile on his face.

“Oh, it’s fine. He totally did not overstep any personal boundaries at all,” he said and stopped putting both hands on his cane in front of him.

Roman scratched the back of his neck and shrugged apologetically.

“I know, I know. He’s a lot. But he means well. And I think he and you could actually be pretty good friends.”

“Yeah sure.”

Roman sighed with a smile and shoved Janus softly in the shoulder. He did not miss the little grin that stole itself on Janus’s lips and just looked at him for a moment. He was just so beautifully charming.

Then Roman broke out of his trance and said: “Don’t be like this. I’ll have something to make it up to you! Wait a second!”

Like that he turned around and jogged towards their store and disappeared inside for a minute. Slightly surprised but also intrigued Janus watched him re-exiting holding something behind his back and tilted his head sceptically. Roman grinned brightly and brought forth a bright bouquet from behind his back. Next to some decorative fern and grass it mainly contained little sunflowers and violets and Janus felt his jaw drop.

He had never been gifted flowers before.

Overwhelmed Janus looked from the bouquet to Roman, who’s smile was more than complacent, and quickly cleared his throat and then tenderly took the bouquet Roman had gifted him.

“I guess you accept my offering for amends?” Roman asked far too softly for Janus to handle.

Janus made an effort to straighten his back met Roman’s eyes steadily before saying a bit too quickly: “I’ll consider it.”

Both knew that was a yes.

“Thank you for the meal, Roman. It was very good.”

“It’s fine. Eating with you all was very nice. We’ll have to do that again.”

“I agree…”

They looked at each other for a bit longer. Noon was not endless and they could only stand here for so long.

“I’ll have to get back to Virgil. Can’t have him deal with the customers on his own,” Janus said not making a move.

“Yeah, we can’t have that, can we?”

“No, we really can’t…”

Roman clasped his hand behind his back and turned a little towards to the flower shop.

“So, I guess, I’ll see you soon?” he said as if he thought Janus would never show up again.

Janus nodded, forgetting to add words for a moment and then said: “Yes, you’ll see me soon. We live almost at the same street after all.”

“Cool. Then, uhm, so long?”

Janus grinned and finally turned to walk away.

“Yes, so long Roman. Take care,” Janus said throwing Roman a lingering look and walked over to the pet store.

Meanwhile, Remus and Logan had stood behind the shop window and observed the two lovebirds with blank faces. Logan had met a few of Janus’s acquaintances but as far as he remembered none of them had ever rendered the man so obviously flustered like Roman did. And for the latter it also seemed like he was presenting a side of himself which did not seem to be something he liked to show off on a regular basis.

At least that was what Logan assumed judging by Remus’s look and the things he had said at lunch.

But in Remus head was only one thought. It made his heart a little heavy but not as much as it made him feel relieved.

He won’t be alone. They’re not going to leave him alone. I can go. Finally go.

___

@varthandi

@sickeningly-deceitful

@sammy-is-obsessed / @exhaustedfander

@unoriginalgayboyalex

@alexisrealgay

@softie-sushi

@wolfs-feder

@just-a-neoclassical-painting

For this fic:

@frawkeye

@arodynamic-enby

@espepspes

@ladysuperheros

@bullet-tothefeels

@fukindork

@shadeofadye

@magic-but-its-green

@liv-is-a-fander

@croftersjam15

#sanders sides #florist/tattoo artist au #brotherly creativitwins #roceit #remus sanders #roman sanders #janus sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #suicidal thinking #tw suicidal thoughts #mim writes #Life on Crow Avenue #please reblog

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earthfluuke · 5 years ago

Photo

i would like to start this off by apologizing to anyone who happens to read this. this is, by far, the dumbest thing i’ve ever written. it’s cute, but so, so, so dumb. like, there is no need for this to exist.

BUT. i’ve been playing animal crossing for a while now, and my friends and i were discussing which bl boys would play it. and i said tine. i mean, with all that customization? he’d definitely take the opportunity to make everything cute.

again. THIS SHOULD NOT EXIST. but here we are. i hope you all enjoy it.

a few notes:

one - this is raymond. yes, everyone loves him. yes, people are selling him for hundreds of dollars online. i’m not making this up.

two - you wish on stars in this game, and the next day, there will be star fragments on the ground. you can use these to make a special wand that lets you switch between different outfits you have. naturally, tine had to have that.

three - my friend, kaleb, dressed his animal crossing character up as tine in sarawat’s football jersey, so i had to include that.

Nuzzling up to Tine right before bed after a grueling schedule of school, music club, football practice, and running away from hordes of girls he’ll never spare more than a glance is Sarawat’s favorite part of the day. But lately, he’s felt like he needs to change the is to past tense.

Ever since Tine got that god forsaken game, he had been ditching their cuddle sessions. Sarawat has tried burrowing into his side, giving him little kisses, anything to get Tine’s attention. But it’s always met with rejection.

“In a minute,” Tine says, curled on his side, facing away from Sarawat as he swirls the joystick under his thumb to move his character around the screen. “This fish is huge. It’ll get me tons of money for sure.”

That minute never comes. Sarawat subjects himself to wrapping around Tine’s back and hugging him close. It’s nice, but not as nice as it could be.

This has been going on for weeks now, and he’s had just about enough. It’s time to amend the situation.

…

Tine blinks at the spread of cardboard, plastic, and paper on the floor next to the couch before he turns his gaze to his boyfriend for an explanation. Too caught up in whatever he’s reading, Tine goes to investigate for himself.

What he finds is a game console with similar red and blue end pieces to his own. To the right is a video game box, decorated with all too familiar, colorfully animated characters.

“What’s all this?” he asks, because he’s genuinely taken aback. If he remembers correctly, Sarawat had shaken his head and scoffed at him when he was in this same situation only a few weeks ago. From that reaction, video games clearly didn’t seem to be his thing, especially when that video game was Animal Crossing. Or so he had thought at least.

“If you’re going to spend all of your time playing this game,” Sarawat says, nudging his chin in the direction of the box without looking up from the directions he’s reading, “then I’ll just have to join you. Now, can you help me set this up? Because I’ve been trying for the past thirty minutes, and I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do. They all just keep…squeaking at me. Why do they sound like that?”

Breaking into a smile, Tine sits beside him and takes the console from the coffee table. Leave it to Sarawat to take the phrase ‘go big or go home’ literally. But he won’t complain; it will be fun to play with him.

…

It is not fun playing with Sarawat. At least not yet.

While Tine had been imagining all the cute, virtual dates they could go on, he had failed to remember that Sarawat didn’t know how the very basics of this game worked. Teaching them to him has proven to be difficult.

“I don’t get it,” Sarawat says with a little huff, dropping his console onto his lap. “I line myself up with the fish, but I can never catch one. They swim away from me every time I pull my rod up.”

Leaning over to watch him, Tine giggles softly. “You have to wait for them to bite. See?” Holding his own Switch towards him, he drops his fishing rod into the ocean, waits for the fish to grab hold, and then quickly pulls out of the water. “See? It’s easy. You try.”

Sarawat copies him, and Tine can feel him holding his breath as he waits for the fish to grab onto his line. When it finally does, he practically slams down on the A button. His character presents a pretty standard fish, but it’s still an accomplishment.

He presses a kiss to Sarawat’s cheek and pulls back with a smile. “Knew you could do it. Go catch more; you’ll need them to open up your museum.”

The edges of Sarawat’s lips peak upwards as he continues about the game. Tine goes back to the room he’s decorating, only to be interrupted by, “Why do these bugs fly away every time I get close to them? They’re gone before I can catch them.”

Tine sighs; they’ve still got a long way to go.

…

“What is that?” Tine asks just as Sarawat is collecting the wood that dropped from the tree he cut down.

“What is what?” he asks, continuing the amount of soft wood he has in his inventory. Three more pieces, and he’ll be able to complete the swinging bench DIY he just received.

“That!” Tine stresses, pointing at his character’s swollen eye.

“Oh,” he says, paying him little attention as he goes to the next tree. “I got stung by wasps.”

“I know that. But why haven’t you gotten medicine for it yet?”

He finally glances at Tine from the corner of his eye. “Do I really need to?”

Tine dramatically throws his hands into the air, clearly offended by Sarawat’s outlook. “Yes, you have to! You’re going to look like that until you do!”

Smirking, Sarawat goes into the shop, completely bypassing the cabinet with medicine in it in favor of selling the shells he found. “So this is just one of your chic things then, huh?” He pauses to look at his character. “It doesn’t look that bad. He’s still smiling. Besides, scars are hot, right?”

“Not in Animal Crossing,” Tine demands. “If you’re not going to buy any medicine, I’m sending you some.”

“I won’t use it.”

“Saraleo!”

…

Tine’s jaw is dropped, and his eyes are bugged. “How?” he asks, truly astonished.

Sarawat looks to him innocently, pointing to the screen. “How, what? How did I get to the deserted island? I did what you told me to do. I took the ticket to the airport and gave it to the dodo bird and then–”

“Not that.” Tine pushes his hand out of the way to get a better look at his screen. He moves the joystick around until the lone inhabitant of the island – a grey cat with mismatched eyes – is in frame. “That. How did you manage to find Raymond on your very first try?”

“Is he really that special?” Sarawat asks, moving his character to get a closer look.

“He’s completely new to the game, so everyone wants him. He goes for hundreds of baht online. And of course with your luck you find him on the very first island you visit.” Under his breath, he mutters, “Unbelievable.”

Humming, Sarawat circles the cat once before moving to the opposite side of the island to gather branches. Alarmed, Tine grabs his arm. “What are you doing?”

“Getting materials?” Sarawat answers skeptically.

“Get them after you invite Raymond to your island!” he demands.

“I mean, do I really have to?” Sarawat asks. “He’s cute, but he’s only a cat.”

“If you don’t, I’m breaking up with you. That’s not an exaggeration; I will have my things packed and on my way to Fong’s by tonight.”

“Okay, okay, I’m inviting him!”

…

Seeing the little blue box above his mailbox, Tine goes to check it. Inside is a package from Sarawat and a note that says ‘wear it to give me good luck.’

Putting the package into his inventory, he opens it to reveal a piece of clothing. He changes into it, and it honestly shouldn’t surprise him so much to see his character wearing a white and black jersey.

He can’t help but shake his head and laugh. He doesn’t know what Sarawat could possibly need luck for in the game, but he keeps it on regardless.

…

“I can’t believe Wat bought a Switch to play one game,” Man says over their group call. “Playing Animal Crossing together. That’s true love.”

“Oh, yeah?” Tine asks, flickering Man a smirk before he goes back to the river he’s terraforming. “Why don’t you play with P’Type then?”

Man visibly deflates. “He said if he invited me to his island, I’d mess up all of his flowers. I promised not to run through them, but he doesn’t believe me.”

“I just can’t believe Sarawat managed to get every rare villager in the game,” Phuak says.

“And he’s already had three meteor showers!” Tine adds. “I’d be mad, but he gave me all of his star fragments. So I can’t complain.”

“All of them?” Ohm exclaims, looking at the camera with wide eyes. “He didn’t keep any?”

“Tine wanted to make that special wand that lets you change into different outfits, and I honestly couldn’t care less.” Tipping Tine’s face towards him with a finger beneath his chin, Sarawat smiles softly. “Besides, it makes him happy. That’s all I really care about.”

His boyfriend’s sweet gaze and the chorus of coos coming from his laptop send Tine into a deep flush.

…

“Wat,” Tine calls. The two of them are on his island, sitting together on the bench he put in his garden. “Thank you for this. I know it’s probably not your favorite way to spend time together, and I shouldn’t have even let it come to this. I shouldn’t have let the game take up so much of my time.”

Tine doesn’t expect the flick Sarawat gives his forehead, and he rubs at it with a pout. “Stop apologizing, tua woon wai and get a few things straight. I bought this,” he holds up his console, “because I wanted to. You do plenty of things for me, and I’m doing this for you. That’s what boyfriends do.” He leans down to press a kiss to his shoulder. “And if it makes you smile, then that’s all the better.”

Tine pushes him away shyly, taking up his console again. “Come here. Take a picture with me.” He centers the camera and snaps a few shots of the two of them on the bench, soft bamboo lights illuminating the background.

Sarawat is already fast asleep when he puts the game down. Before he slips under the covers with him, he posts the pictures to his Instagram with the caption, ‘wouldn’t want to experience island life with anyone else.’

#2gether #2gether the series #saratine #sarawatine #sarawattine #sarawat x tine #my writing #THIS SHOULDN'T EXIST #I AM SO SORRY

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ikenbar · 4 years ago

Text

Mr. Love: Ike’s Choice CH3 PT10

Warnings: Mentions of scars, Lucien angst, protective Sam, fun times with Adri, and ye good ol cliffhanger :D

(Chapter Three (Victor and Lucien) prologue and part one, and parts two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine here~)

((Please read the author’s note (and the beginning of the story) on chapter one part one if you’re new here :D))

Chapter three:

Part ten:

I whipped around. Lucien wore his simple smile as he caught my eyes in his. “You look nice.” Lucien tilted his head slightly, still smiling. His tone was as sweet as honey, not matching his eyes at all. The sound made me uneasy. If he could say something like that while feeling the way he obviously did, what was he hiding on the date? I opened my mouth to respond but I was immediately stopped by Sam, who had just jumped in front of me and thrust his arms open, protectively.

“Don’t you come near Ike!” Sam puffed out his chest, “I won’t let you hurt her anymore!” Lucien, who was once smiling at Sam’s brave act, suddenly frowned. He looked back up at me, startling me slightly.

“I hurt you?” He sounded genuinely hurt by the news.

Guilt swirled in my chest. I cleared my throat to try and maintain composure.

“Sam,” I used my usual tactles tone, making Sam snap to my attention, “Go downstairs and help prepare dinner. We will be down shortly.” Sam looked as if he wanted to argue but, sensing my icy stare, decided against it. He glared one last time at Lucien before running downstairs. I moved to the side slightly, allowing Adri a better view of Lucien.

“Adri,” I said in the same professional tone, “This is Professor Lucien. He is a close friend of Bart’s. Lucien, this is Adrienne. The newest addition to our foster home.”

“There’s no need for introductions.” Lucien walked a little further into the room with a hand outstretched, “Adrienne and I have already met.” Adri snapped her fingers.

“I knew I had seen you somewhere!” She said this proudly, accepting Lucien’s outstretched hand, “You gave a lecture for my class about biology!”

“That’s right.” Lucien’s smile brightened, “It is good to see you again, Adrienne.”

“How do you remember me?” Adri asked giddily. Lucien seemed to have this kind of impact on any girl who talked to him.

“You were the one who shot a spitball at me.” Lucien winked. Adri sunk in her overly large shoes.

“H-how did you know that was me?”

“I could see the straw sticking out of your coat.” Lucien’s eyes flashed with a teasing glare, “You need to find a better place to hide your evidence if you want to fool me.” Adri giggled nervously. Lucien chuckled, “Don’t worry. I won’t tell your teacher. But, I will ask that you hold your spitballs the next time I give a lecture.”

“You have my word.” Adri nodded happily. Her attitude had completely changed from when I first met her. I wish I could take the credit for that but I think we all knew who really made her the happiest that night.

“Adri!!” Maria called from down stairs, “Come help set up the table for dinner!!”

“Gotta blast.” Adri huffed slightly but still smiled at Lucien, “I’m glad to have seen you again, Professor! Hopefully we’ll see each other a lot more now that I live with your,” Adri flashed me a quick look, “‘friend~’” I glared at her.

“I’m sure we will.” Lucien waved Adri goodbye as she walked casually out of the room, obviously in no rush to leave. Adri flashed me one last look as she walked past me. I frowned and followed my gaze to her as she walked down the stairs.

Now, Lucien and I were the only ones left upstairs. It wasn’t until the awkwardness really set in when I had realized Maria had plotted this all along. Lucien walked up next to me. I braced myself slightly, ready for an attack. “How are you, Ike?” Lucien’s tone was soft.

“Good.” I kept my eyes glued to the staircase as I spoke, avoiding Lucien’s prying eyes, “You?”

“I’m fine, thank you. But I do have some questions. I hope it is alright that I ask them.”

I cringed slightly but nodded.

“Thank you. First thing’s first, are you angry at me?”

“No.” I answered simply but directly.

“Then why won’t you look at me?”I tensed at his words and scanned my mind for a valid excuse. Finding none, I dragged my eyes to meet Lucien’s. He smiled warmly at me. “That’s better.” He mused. I frowned and folded my arms.

“Is that all?” I asked, pushing back the urge to be sarcastic

“No.” Lucien said simply, “My next question is, were you hurt?”

“No.” I said slowly, “Why do you ask?”

“Your shirt was torn the other night.” Lucien tilted his head, “Along the sleeve if I remember correctly.”

“Oh that.” I rubbed the back of my neck and strayed my eyes from his, “Yeah it was just a small cut but it’s been taken care of.”

“Hm, interesting.” Lucien spoke in a way that sounded as if he were looking at an experiment. When I was about to ask him what was so interesting, he touched my raised arm. The feeling felt like lightning shooting up my arm. I pulled it back before Lucien could touch it anymore. He looked at me slightly taken aback.

“Did I hurt you?” He asked.

“N-no.” I stuttered, “It’s just... been a while since someone... touched... my arm.” My words drifted slightly. I kept my eyes on the floor.

“I suppose that was rude of me to do.” Lucien’s polite tone made me look back up at him, “I’m sorry. But I’m glad you took care of it your scratch right away. Even the smallest of scratches could get infected.”

“So I’ve heard.” An image of Victor popped into my mind, “So... what was so interesting?”

“I thought I had imagined your scars from last night. I’m sorry to see they haven’t.”

“Nope.” My eyes dropped onto my sleeves, “Sorry if they make you uncomfortable.” I started rolling the sleeves back down my arm.

“Don’t worry.” Lucien stopped my hand, “As long as you are comfortable with them up, I am too.” I thought for a second.

“Cool.” I rerolled my sleeve and fixated my gaze back to the staircase, “I won’t then.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Lucien smiled warmly at me but that smile didn’t last long. He looked me in the eye and said, “I’ve got one more question.” I nodded and braced myself once again, “Why did you leave so abruptly last night? Is everything alright?”

“That’s two questions.” I bantered nervously, “You’ve got to choose one.” Surprisingly, Lucien took my joke seriously as he looked up and held his chin in thought.

“Alright.” He concluded, “I’m going to with the first one. The second question can be answered within that one.” I gulped. How was I going to phrase this? Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. I’m just being targeted by someone who knows my every move so, after you had shown me the perfect date, I was convinced you knew more about me then you let on and I freaked out and left you to deal with the mess I made with that jerk. But I’m fine! I only broke down a little and called my boss to pull him away from his personal time to save me like some lost kitten because I couldn’t face the disaster I left behind.

I searched Lucien’s eyes. I couldn’t tell him about the target on my back. There was still a possibility that it could be him. Then how do I explain to a human lie detector that I left him because I realized I couldn’t trust him?!

Finally, I sighed and pulled my eyes from his and to the ground. “Lucien.” I pulled at my sleeves nervously, “I-”

Hurried steps came trudging up the stairs. Lucien and I spun around and spotted a small boy at the foot of the stairs. Sam was completely out of breath as he looked at the two of us. Glaring at Lucien, he ran to me and grabbed my arm. “Dinner’s… ready.” He huffed, dragging me from Lucien, “No more... alone time with… him.” Sam began dragging me to the stairs. In one rushed movement, Lucien caught my other arm. His strength exceeded Sam’s and he pulled me roughly so I was in front of him again. Sam tripped over his feet and fell into my side. I turned to make sure he was ok but Lucien pulled my chin so that I was only looking at him. His warm, controlled breath teased my slightly burning cheeks.

“Ike.” Lucien’s voice was one I hadn’t heard him use before. It was low and husky but, at the same time, extremely serious and determined, “I understand if it is hard to say but I would really appreciate an explanation. I was worried sick about you. I had taken you to a place that was foriegn to you. You had ran away and I had no idea where you were nor did I know what kind of people you would run into. You were lost to me for two hours before I received a single, short text telling me that you were alright and that you wanted space.” Lucien’s eyes held a cloud as he spoke to me but, every now and then, a glimpse of emotion shone through. Though, they never stayed long enough to let me know which one, “Please, Ikamara. Any explanation is better than none at all.”

Words were stuck in my throat. His grip on my arm was strong and his eyes had glued my feet to the floor. If I wasn’t careful, he could probably find out the answer all on his own by looking in my eyes.

A strong force between Lucien and I finally reminded us that Sam was still in the room. He stood between Lucien and I, pushing on Lucien’s stomach to get him to move further from me. “It’s dinner time!” Sam pouted as his attempts to move Lucien were looking grim, “Not talking time!” He sounded like a child as he avoided eye contact with the both of us and began using his legs to help with his efforts. Watching him try so hard to protect me sent feeling back into my body again. I wrenched Lucien’s hand from my face. Lucien had also had a change of heart as he backed away slightly, giving Sam hope that his fruitless attempts to move Lucien were working. He stepped back and smiled proudly to me. His smile fell as I looked down at him with folded arms and an arched eyebrow.

“We’ll be down in a second.” I said, “Give us a minute to at least clear the air.” Sam was very much uncomfortable with the idea of leaving the two of us alone again. I bent slightly to meet his eyes, “It’ll be quick. I promise.” Sam fidgeted a little more, flashing looks between Lucien and I. Finally he sighed and nodded.

“One minute!” He pointed aggressively to Lucien, “One minute and I come to get Ike myself!”

“Alright.” Lucien chuckled, his normal melodious tone returning, “Understood.” Sam gave me one last determined look then hurried back down stairs.

“You’ve got a real knight in shining armor there.” Lucien said fondly, keeping his gaze on the staircase.

“I know.” I answered just as fondly, watching Sam hit the bottom of the stairs and walk with pride back into the dinning room. I cleared my throat, becoming professional again as I looked over to Lucien with my iconic poker face. It felt like an eternity since I last used it. “After dinner.” I spoke firmly, making Lucien turn to me, “I’ll tell you everything after dinner. You have my word.” Lucien smiled.

“I can’t wait.” Lucien chimed. Though his smile had returned, they still didn’t break that cloud in his eyes.

(Next)

#man this one was late lol #ah well #that sweet lucien angst makes up for it lol #come by next week for soap opera esque draaaamaaaa #featuring Lucien!#mlqc lucien #mlqc angst #mlqc fanfic #mlqc oc #mlqc oc fanfiction #mr love lucien #mr love video game #mlqc game #fanfiction #mlqc lucien angst #ike n bar productions #ikamara bikira story #mr love ikes choice

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efrmellifer · 4 years ago

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The Lovers’ Mask (AU)

“We only have a matter of days—three at most,” the head astrologian remarked. “These observations are irrefutable. Preparations need to be made.”

The Temple Knight nodded, all too aware of the severity of the situation. “We would be doing so,” he replied as coolly as possible, “if we had any orders to work from. As you may have heard, our Lord Commander is still missing. Even Lucia struggles to handle all this.”

“Missing?”

“Indeed. He left his office one night, and never came back in the morning. It was quite strange.”

“Does he not have his wedding soon?”

Another slow, almost sad nod from the knight followed. “He does. Or, he did. If she still wishes to marry a man who would desert her to fend for herself and his country while he does Fury knows what, Fury knows where.”

There was no arguing with that.

The first step of Etien’s ‘fending for herself’ and for Ishgard was coming to the Vault when she was called.

She was encouraged, as someone so skilled at finding whoever she looked for, and besting whoever stood in her way, to help Ishgard by searching for its Lord Commander.

How could she not comply with such a request? With Nidhogg on his way, there was a need greater than any feelings she had on the matter—than her fear of what came on the wing, than the pain of being left but a few steps from the altar, than all the almost-guaranteed hardship that stood before her to find her man, for all that phrase meant.

And so she agreed with a solemn nod, and left the Vault to begin her quest.

As she stepped outside and began her journey across the Hoplon, she found a young man looking familiar speaking with the Delivery Moogle just past the Last Vigil, though when he heard her approaching footsteps, he bolted down the stairs to the Jeweled Crozier, leaving Etien to cock her head. She hadn’t meant any harm to him, and if he had a letter to be delivered…

But the familiarity of his silhouette and the inky waves of his hair hit her like a runaway wagon.

At the same speed he’d used to run away, she ran down the steps to the Moogle. With a slight breathiness, she asked, “Where did that boy go?”

The Moogle pointed to the Crozier with a “I think he headed for the markets, kupo!”

With a quick ‘thank you,’ Etien headed down those stairs, too, and found a packed marketplace. With myriad errand boys making their ways from stall to stall in the throng, she just knew she’d lost the one she had been trying to find.

With a sigh, she headed back toward Fortemps Manor to regroup.

She was in a daze, wondering how she was going to track the young man down, when her description of him was so generic that she almost missed the Delivery Moogle trying to get her attention as she passed by. Finally, the waving caught her eye, and she turned.

“Oh! Etien, I have a letter for you!”

She stopped in her tracks, extending a hand so she could receive the letter. She’d always hated when people asked “what is it?” or “who is it from?’ when taking their mail, so she took it silently, eyebrows knit as she slid the folded parchment into her bag.

She opened it as soon as she’d returned to her room at Fortemps Manor, and her quiet confusion only deepened when she saw that it was a letter from Aymeric.

She sat there on her bed for a long time, letter in hand as she thought about what she knew so far.

Aymeric was missing. No one was presuming he was dead, just gone. Here she had a letter from Aymeric. It offered no explanation of where he was, what had happened to him. It just asked her to meet with him.

Perhaps it was foolish, but the part of Etien that still clung to hope had screamed out that Aymeric hadn’t left her, if he was writing her and wasn’t apologizing for what he’d done. He wasn’t so heartless that he would act that way and not offer some sort of apology for doing that to her. He wanted to meet. That had to account for something.

Foolish or not, that part of her won out, and she was going to meet with him.

She immediately penned a return letter. When she’d made the final stroke of her pen, she brought it directly to the Moogle to be delivered. Whatever Aymeric had to say when it happened, Etien would meet with him to hear it.

She was loitering around Ishgard the next day, mostly hovering between the Jeweled Crozier and the Last Vigil, when she spotted that boy again, receiving a letter from the Moogle. Stepping quietly, she tailed him as he went about his business, eventually following him back to the rear of a specific merchant’s stall. It belonged to a man dealing in jewelry, if Etien recalled correctly which businesses lined which sides of the thoroughfare.

Finally, he turned, and met Etien’s gaze.

“Good, you made it.”

Her eyes widened. “You knew I was following you?”

“Etien,” he said softly. “I could only hope that you had. None of this would work if you had chosen not to.” He was quiet for a long time, the two of them staring at each other, blinking slowly as they struggled for something to say. How to begin? Etien had so many questions, and the boy had much to answer for, if he was who she thought he was.

Finally, following a deep breath, he explained. “I imagine you knew who I was as soon as you saw me?”

“I had an inkling. I didn’t quite dare to hope,” Etien responded, voice low and rough. He knew that tone. She was trying not to cry.

“Allow me to assuage any doubts you might still have. It is I. And I did not leave you, my dearest.” He ran his knuckles over the markings on her cheek, as if he were swiping away a tear, though she hadn’t let any fall.

“It’s odd to be taller than you now,” she giggled, gaze steadily focused a few degrees below her usual eye level.

Aymeric chuckled. “In some way, I think gives us a glimpse of what may have been, had we met when I was much younger than I--” he cleared his throat. “More importantly, I need to tell you what I have seen. I seem to have been caught in a web of misfortune much larger than myself. One larger than either of us, for that matter, or even than Ishgard. Perhaps in an attempt to begin the annexation of Ishgard we had discussed as a hypothetical idea or distant nightmare some moons ago, the Garleans have conspired with the dragons to begin a siege we cannot defend ourselves from. I could have sworn I saw the White Raven. But as punishment for my spotting the conspirators, I was transformed, made to look much younger.”

“You look like you’re Alphinaud’s age, if I had to guess.”

“I have no idea if you’re correct,” he sighed. “I feel as if I am the same age I was before, I just look like a boy who has barely left his childhood behind.”

“We’ll fix this,” Etien promised, cupping his hand in hers. Still warm, still comfortingly larger than hers. Still her darling Aymeric, Eula Van Darnus’s curse or not. “I promised I would find you, and already, I’ve done so. All we need to do now is break this spell.”

“Well, there is one more thing,” Aymeric replied, pulling his hand from Etien’s and breaking eye contact. “I was having my mother’s ring cleaned, in preparation for the wedding. Then, it was stolen. By a man who visits this stall frequently, if my investigation was correct. It wouldn’t do for me to break my promise to you, that we would be wed, and I have no other ring. Nor could one be made in so short a time… or under these circumstances. Even if we manage to return my usual appearance, we cannot claim victory until we get back the ring.”

Etien nodded. “Do you know what we need to do for that?”

“I plan to approach his hideout in the Western Highlands and take the ring back tomorrow. Wish me luck?” he asked with a hesitant smile. He slipped his earring from his ear and handed it to Etien, so she could slip it into her piercing. “A second promise,” he murmured. “That I will come back with the ring and we will be married.”

Etien bit her lip. “If we succeed before Nidhogg and the Garleans come.”

They both quieted, shrinking back as they heard footsteps and women’s voices passing by, maybe just outside the shop’s front.

“I hear the Warrior of Light is on a manhunt for the Lord Commander now. If I were her, I’d be dragging him home by his ears, leaving her so close to the wedding,” one woman tutted.

“If she can find him,” the other scoffed. “My gil would be on him having cut his losses and run off to set up a life with his second-in-command or a secret lover somewhere. Why settle for a life fighting dragons and with a wife who’s never here, when he can leave it all behind?”

Silently, Aymeric reached over and squeezed Etien’s hand. “Whatever comes for us, we shall face it together.” He looked over to her, his hopeful smile falling when he saw that she had let herself start to cry this time, tears silently slipping down her cheeks as she’d had to listen to the gossip and wild conjecture.

She swallowed, green eyes glinting. “Good.”

Eventually, Etien left, taking a long, snowy walk back to Fortemps Manor, to make it look like she’d been on a rough search, instead of hiding in the back alley of the Jeweled Crozier with her quarry.

It was just as well that it had been so simple. Tomorrow, she was going to join Aymeric in the Western Highlands to get back his mother’s ring. It was good that she would have the energy to do just that.

When the sun rose, so did Etien, heading to the Jeweled Crozier to see if she could find Aymeric there.

Instead, she found the daughter of the jeweler, who called her over.

“Hey, Miss! Mistress Mellifer! We had a young man come by, said if we saw you, to tell you he had gone on ahead.”

She waved her acknowledgment of the message, then hightailed it to Saint Reinette’s Forum, to leave from the Skysteel Manufactory.

It was a long flight to Falcon’s Nest, longer than usual, though Nyx flew at the same speed (if not a little faster, feeling her mistress’s nerves). Etien scanned the levels of Falcon’s nest before she touched down on its stones, giving Nyx a short break before the pair made to set out across the skies over the highlands.

Though she acted with care, Etien didn’t even lead the Chocobo down the stairs and out of the structure, instead goading a run that ended in a broad flap to lift them off the ground.

Etien’s eyes, eagle-like, swept the snows as she flew, dipping and soaring on the ribbons of aether around her and Nyx. But she hadn’t seen Aymeric yet. She reminded herself that she wasn’t looking for the usual blue coat, and refocused.

At long last, her gaze settled on a dark-haired boy trudging through an especially deep snowbank, and she descended in a tight loop, stroking the side of Nyx’s neck all the while to encourage the bird to complete another turn of the dive.

When Nyx was settled in the snow, Etien dismounted, tipping her head to Aymeric. “Mount Nyx, love, you’re already soaked in snowmelt.”

With a grateful nod, he clambered into the saddle, and when he was settled, Etien grabbed the reins, leading them ahead.

“You know where we’re going?” she asked, turning back to face Aymeric.

He nodded again. “Keep going forward. Please. It shouldn’t be far now.” Onward they trudged.

When Aymeric said, “this should be it,” Etien stopped, looking up farther ahead, through the small ice crystals threatening to breach the barrier of her eyelashes. “It looks like we got here first.”

“Gorgagne Mills?” She asked, stifling an amused snort. “Do all of Ishgard’s unsavory types congregate here?”

“After the Calamity? Why not?”

Etien’s ears swiveled backwards toward the sound of ice and snow crunching at the same time Aymeric turned his head to look behind them.

“Hide!” he spat. “I’ll take Nyx, just hide.”

She dove, rolling behind a snowbank just in time for the thief to stroll by, whistling a discordant tune and mumbling to himself about the selling price of a noble’s ring “considering the bastard won’t need it, seein’ as he’s run off on his betrothed and all.”

Aymeric looked at the black feather that had fallen off Nyx, digging his teeth into his lip to stay focused on something that wasn’t the sting this constant misunderstanding brought.. Not that being called a bastard had helped much, either.

When the thief had entered the house, Aymeric looked toward the snowbank Etien had hidden behind, watching as her ears slowly rose over its swell, then the rest of her head.

She waved, and he sat up, then got to standing, so he didn’t get any more wet with melted snow than he had already. Thank the gods for the merits of wool, or he’d already be frozen to death, even with Etien’s help.

She had come to his side in the time he’d spent thinking about the chill wind and the risk of hypothermia or frostbite, and she nudged him gently to get his attention.

“Ready?”

Rarely did he get to see that look she got when she was about to enter the belly of the beast, as it were, so he was glad he got another glimpse of it. Even if that was the only good thing about the situation they were in.

Together, they watched the thief leave, and they entered Gorgagne Mills.

It only took a few steps inside for the pair to realize two things—one, the whole house was booby-trapped (typical for jewel thieves, Etien figured), and Aymeric had kicked the ring somehow, sending it skittering across the floor to the stairway.

“Traps,” Etien warned, before he chased after it.

“They look like puzzles… guarded by conscripted wildlife.” Aymeric had reached for Naegling, forgetting for a moment that he hadn’t had it with him for days now, and that he couldn’t properly wield it even if he did.

“I hate to ask you to fight,” he said, swallowing thickly, heart squeezing.

Etien looked into his eyes, wet and so beautifully ice blue, desperate to kiss him, but electing not to. Instead, she wrapped him in a hug.

“For you? I can always fight.” She got her bow off her back and nocked an arrow in a single smooth motion. “I’ll follow you as closely as I can,” she said, with a jut of her chin to spur him forward.

Aymeric could feel himself sweating as he worked out the locks on each door, creatures growling or snapping at him before they whined and retreated, arrows shallowly in their shoulders or brushing past their snouts.

Etien did not kill when she could maim, and did not main when she could subdue, but she was obviously on the proactive side of the scale at the moment, the border between offense and defense blurring.

Still, with each door he unlocked, he could hear her stepping through, and every animal moved back cleared his path for the next door.

He tried not to get too distracted in saccharine thoughts about how well they worked together, how happy he was that they would be married. He was positive, and going to ensure it.

When he’d retrieved the ring, he whooped, holding it aloft, then pocketing it so be absolutely sure it remained safe the whole way back to Ishgard.

They went back outside, and Etien lifted Nyx’s reins, offering them to him. “Ride home,” she told him. “I’ll travel to the Aetheryte. And I’ll see you in Foundation.”

He watched her start her path through the snow, getting herself some space before she shut her eyes and focused on the aether travel spell, and he lifted off into the air, Nyx following the streams back to Ishgard.

When he arrived, leading the bird to the stables and then walking back to the Aetheryte, Etien was there, waiting for him, kicking her feet.

“I’d say we finished up and got back just in time,” she mused. “I thought it was a storm. It’s wingbeats.”

“Nidhogg is here?”

“I haven’t heard him roar, but it sure sounds like he’s pretty close. Still got the ring?”

“Fury, I hope so.”

Etien swallowed, her eyes bouncing from the sky to his face to the few people still standing in the plaza. People who hadn’t gone home yet to prepare for what was coming.

“Give me your hand.” He did, and she rubbed her thumb over his knuckles as she dug in her pocket. “Here. I, Etien Mellifer, take you, Aymeric de Borel, to be my husband, for better or worse, uhhhh-- With this ring I thee wed.”

She slid the engraved silver band onto his finger.

“I know it’s too big, I’m sorry.”

Just a little carelessly, as much due to the speed as the fact that Aymeric was shaking now, he shoved his mother’s ring onto Etien’s ring finger.

“I, Aymeric de Borel, take you, Etien Mellifer, to be my wife. To love, honor, and cherish.” Same as she did, he paused, as if trying to skip pages of the ceremony. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

She pulled him into her arms, her fingers combing through his hair once. “I love you, Aymeric. I know we said we were going to face this together, but you can’t use your sword, can you?”

“I can try. Like you said, for you, I can fight.”

“No,” she rasped, kissing his forehead. “I want you to live, and we’ll be married when I come back. All right?”

Lucia called to them, and Etien waved. “We’ll move out presently,” she replied. She turned back to Aymeric, her eyebrows lifting in question.

He took a deep breath, filling his chest with the cold air, so cold his nose stung as he inhaled. He let it out in a heavy sigh. “All right. Be safe, Etien.”

“I’ll do my best. After all, I can’t miss the big day.” She looked behind them, at the growing dark cloud of dragons, the sound of warmachina just audible over the flapping of wings. “I’ll take them away from the city.”

She held him tight again, then let go, running across the Steps of Faith, Lucia and the Temple Knights following after her.

Ishgard did not fall, not to dragonfire nor to the Garleans.

What good were white ravens and rage-red wyrms against the Warrior of Warriors, determined to fend for herself, her lover, and the nation she called home?

#Aytien #fic #I need an AU tag #but hey! two great tastes that hopefully taste great together!

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chrysalispen · 5 years ago

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xix. all white with wreath and spray

AO3 Link here

splitting into two parts for length, the next part will be up in a day or two

===

Aurelia’s booted feet crunched through the thin layer of powder snow as she adjusted the bundle of fallen wood on her back. Given the conjurers’ tenuous peace brokered with the elementals, the city’s inhabitants were rationing: they were to collect only those things which nature had already shed, and that bounty in itself was limited. Despite the fact it was mid-morning, the Shroud was as still and quiet as an open grave.

Winter had come to the wood, and with it, the hardships borne of poor harvests across all of Eorzea.

The forest’s predators, deprived of their seasonal food sources, soon became a common danger on the roads, and with the Greenwrath so newly quelled the forest was still volatile and hazardous. The city council had done as much to prepare the townspeople and the land itself for the cold months as they were able in the time they had, but their efforts had still fallen short and the outbreak of flux among incoming refugees had strained Gridania’s supplies further. Many people had been forced to winter in unfinished houses or had taken up with friends and neighbors in what space was available.

J’nehda’s ‘storms’ had more trouble yet to presage, so it seemed.

“Are you not cold, Miss Conjurer?”

She glanced over her shoulder. Keveh’to was shivering visibly, his tail wrapped close about one leg when he wasn’t moving, looking quite put out indeed. He had also drawn his shortbow, though either of them had yet to see any game worth the marking.

“Hm? No, I’m well, thank you.” She wore a fleece-lined doublet, leather breeches, a pair of old cotton gloves, and knee-high doeskin boots beneath one of Miounne’s traveling cloaks - along with, of course, the ubiquitous oversized head covering intended to conceal her third eye. Overall, it was far lighter attire than the heavy parkas and thick boots most Gridanians had donned. “Do you want to borrow my cloak?”

He squinted at her as though she’d asked him to wear one of her dresses. “I’m fine too,” he said, somewhat defiantly. “Just… not used to the snow, is all. We rarely get it this far south.”

“I suppose that makes sense.”

“Garlemald is very cold, I hear.”

“Yes, it is.” She bent forward with a soft grunt and dropped her bundle to the ground in favor of the medium-sized branch she’d sighted half-buried under snowfall and dead leaves. “We measure snowfall in fulms, rather than ilms. And it stays on the ground a good long while.”

“How long is ‘a good long while’?”

“Mmm... I should say usually around six, mayhap seven months- er, moons out of the year? ‘Tis longer on occasion, should the season prove particularly brutal.”

“Seven moons of winter?” Keveh’to echoed, horrified. “Seven moons of snow and ice--”

“Aye. And barely any light. And gales that could tear the skin off a gigas.”

“How do you survive it up there?”

“We almost didn’t.”

“By the gods, no wonder you lot want to spread out over the whole bloody star. I’d be keen on beachfront property myself if I lived in the depths of the fourth hell.”

Aurelia began to laugh. “You’re not wrong.”

The Miqo’te’s consternation gave way to widened eyes and an embarrassed flush when he realized what he’d said.

“Er. I- that... wasn’t the most, er... tactful... way I could have phrased that, I suppose. Sorry.”

She raised one booted foot and kicked the side of the branch. The blow dislodged a wet clump of white powder, shaking it onto the leaves below like confectioners’ sugar onto toast.

“You’ve no need to apologize. The capitol is bloody awful. If I had my say I would much prefer Ala Mhigo. It’s hot as blazes in the summer, but at least you don’t run the risk of instant frostbite.”

“What is Ala Mhigo like? I hear the refugees talk about it sometimes when they think other folk aren’t in earshot. Curious. Like they don’t want none of us overhearing.” He fidgeted, hopping from one foot to the other, and she couldn’t tell if he was uncomfortable or simply trying to ward off the chill. “...You don’t have to talk about it either, you know, if you’d rather not.”

“In truth, I’ve naught of interest to share.” Aurelia shrugged. “There is precious little I could tell that you wouldn’t hear from the refugees and you’d learn more of their native land from them than you would from someone like me. Ala Mhigo was my childhood home but I’m the first to admit I saw very little outside my father’s villa, and that was by design, I'm certain.”

“Mm,” Keveh’to said, absently. “Mayhap you’re right.”

A not-insignificant part of her hoped he was simply attempting to make conversation. She was reluctant to face the censure she was sure she would see in his eyes did he chance to speak to the refugees as she had suggested, but what else was there to say? Most of her memories of Gyr Abania were very personal and very limited.

“...We should be getting back.”

“Do you need me to carry that?” he asked.

“I can do it.”

“But-”

She cast him a brittle smile before lifting the branch and tossing it in the bundle with the others, then rearranged the hempen wrap so that the weight was equally distributed and none of the larger pieces would fall before folding the corners, grasping the fabric, and hoisting her burden back over one shoulder.

They trudged back towards the city, the only sound to be heard the crunch of dead leaves and powder beneath their feet, before Keveh’to finally said, “Forgive me, Aurelia. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“I know you didn’t,” she said. “I am sorry. Perhaps I do feel a bit nostalgic.”

“For this?”

“Of course not, but... “ She adjusted the weight she carried on her back and paused. “...there are things I miss. Small things, you know. Luxuries that one takes for granted.”

“Such as?”

“My garden, for one.”

“Your... “ He trailed off, but she saw the light go on behind his eyes when she glanced back in his direction.

The laugh she granted him was a light and silvery thing, spilling across the snow like a sunbeam. “You heard correctly. I had a garden back in Garlemald."

Aurelia would have said 'home,' did the utterance of that word not stick so securely in her craw. Garlemald was many things, but a home had never been one of them.

"A proper garden, then? Like with roses and such?"

"Yes. It belonged to my aunt, really. But she would much rather look at the flowers than grow them herself. I feel a similar sort of… I don’t know. Peace? Serenity? As close as one can get to those things when I’m about the woods gathering.”

“...all right, now I get it. I thought it was passing strange you would be as interested in botany as you are."

"Mhm."

"But if you had a- ...but wait, how’d you have a bleeding garden ‘n all, if the weather’s like this all the blasted time?”

Aurelia shrugged as if the answer was obvious. “Magitek.”

“I don’t follow.”

“There was a greenhouse on my uncle’s grounds. It had heat lamps set to cycle every eight bells, and an environmental control system that- …ah,” she stammered, seeing his blank and uncomprehending stare, “never mind.”

Keveh’to did not respond. Aurelia could feel his confused gaze still boring into her back as they continued up the hill onto the path.

She flushed, thinking that of course her attempt at explanation would have made little sense to him. Most parts of the star had no access to magitek so it was still a rare and fantastic novelty without the Empire’s borders, and Eorzea’s smallfolk most certainly would not have access to such wonders.

Even in Garlemald a self-sustaining greenhouse to preserve perennials was very much a luxury, one afforded only to the wealthy: usually, albeit not always, peers of the imperial aristocracy. But she had loved her aunt Marcella’s greenhouse. Its unique heating system had originated as a student project, one of many annual exhibition entries at the Magitek Academy. Quite often, winning projects were put to practical use whether by the government or by the creators themselves, and in this instance the student's work had been noticed by her uncle. He had gladly improved upon his prototype for the commission.

Her uncle Janus had bragged that the unit was one of a kind because the young man had elected to join the imperial army upon completing his studies, no doubt to build weapons for the legions afield. ‘Twas hardly an uncommon story, he had said with a shrug. There was more profit - and personal glory - in innovating warmachina for imperial conquest than in customizing heating systems for a rich man’s rose gardens.

Aurelia could not take comfort in his explanation, saddened as she was. That a man capable of creating daily wonders for the purpose of preserving living things would be able to turn his obviously brilliant mind towards such callous and violent ends - it defied her understanding.

As was the case with most of her recollections of her years spent in the capitol, even the relatively pleasant memory of her aunt's flowers was bittersweet.

“I… I think I’m a bit chilled after all,” Aurelia lied. She plucked the hood of the cloak from her back and draped it over her head until the top half of her face was all but concealed from view. Frost spilled forth from her lips in a white cloud. “Let’s hurry along. I’ve a mind for some tea.”

She swallowed back the harsh lump she could feel forming in her throat, unwilling to grant it any further leave for expression.

~*~

Miounne was waiting at the staff entrance upon their arrival: wiping her hands in the fabric of her apron, eyes fixed upon the pair. Aurelia shrugged the heavy bundle from her shoulders as if it were feather-light and raised a gloved hand in greeting.

“Welcome back, you two. A decent haul this morning?”

“Decent enough.” She lifted the first branch from the top of the pile and dragged it to the stump they had been using to roughly cut the scavenged tree falls for firewood. “I know we’re a bit late returning, but the Sergeant thought he saw something fit for the stewpot. We’ll have this set up for you in just a-”

“Ah… one moment, if you please,” Miounne said, and Aurelia’s outstretched hand froze in the act of reaching for the wood-axe. “I’ll get one of the lads inside to cut the wood.”

“Not that I’m complaining,” Keveh’to frowned, dusting a thin layer of snow from his lapels, “but is there some reason why we can’t just go on and do it ourselves?”

“Your presence has been requested. Or rather, Aurelia’s presence has been requested. E-Sumi-Yan asked that I send you along to the Fane as soon as I could.”

...The guildmaster?

Cautiously she studied the woman’s face. She didn’t trust unexpected summons of any sort, never had- but, she realized, Miounne was smiling. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be that unpleasant. “Did he happen to elaborate?”

“No, but I don’t doubt he will explain himself in full when you arrive.”

All… right then. She glanced at Keveh’to.

“I assume he’s allowed to come along.”

“Of course.”

Few souls had braved the outdoors this morning- owing largely, Aurelia suspected, to the snow. This part of Eorzea was quite temperate, more so even than Mor Dhona, and snow was a rare enough occurrence that people tended to take to their hearths upon the slightest dusting of white upon the stones.

In truth ‘twas less the weather she found refreshing than the empty streets. In the wake of the increasing food shortage the people of Gridania - already rather inclined towards isolationist behavior - spared few quests and even less coin for Miounne’s adventurers while treating refugees and prisoners of war with barely concealed contempt.

But tension aside, the city was as quiet as the forest. No one accosted or addressed them as they made their way down the snow-lined paths. The only sounds were birds and the soft rhythm of their breathing, and the quiet crunch of their footsteps upon ice and loose gravel.

Even the Fane seemed all but deserted. The sight of the tree filled her with the same dread it always did - but there was a measure of relief as well, for Brother E-Sumi-Yan stood before the entrance holding a neatly wrapped paper parcel in his youthful hands.

“Good morning, Aurelia. Mother Miounne told me she had sent the two of you on your way,” he said, beaming at her. “Come, let’s sit and take tea here by the brazier. ‘Tis a most bracing morning, is it not? I'm afraid all I have in my larder at the moment is chamomile tea, but I was preparing to break my fast. Both of you are welcome to join me if you haven’t already partaken.”

There was chamomile tea with mint, and spiced frumenty, and even- to Keveh’to’s undisguised delight- venison sausages. E-Sumi-Yan speared three onto each plate alongside a small slice of tomato and three coarse-cut pieces of wheaten apiece.

“Twelve,” the Miqo’te said, his voice trembling, “that’s real bleedin’ honey, too.”

She felt her mouth water as she stared at the plating. It was as much food in one sitting as either of them had had all week, and she suspected the guildmaster had been well aware of it.

“Where did you...” Aurelia began.

“From my own cold pantry, never fear. I rarely have guests and eat very little on my own, but seeing as this is a special occasion I can hardly be stingy.” He gestured to the unadorned smooth stones about the brazier. “Please. Sit. Eat. I have a matter I must needs discuss, and by its nature, it concerns you both.”

Gratefully she began to dig into the meal, with Keveh’to doing the same at her side. She ate neatly and carefully, trying to make it last. After so long with only a small cupful of oats a day, the Guildmaster’s spread was like unto the feasts at her aunt’s dinner parties.

Her minder - possessed of no such sensibilities - wolfed down the sausages practically whole, his tail slapping cheerfully against the ground.

“What did you wish to discuss, E-Sumi-Yan?” she asked, curling her fingers around the warm teacup after a long and contented sip.

The fresh-faced Padjal - who ate as carefully as she did, his attention to social etiquette equally conscientious - likewise balanced his cup upon his knee. “Your basic lessons have progressed with remarkable speed,” he began. “In truth, you have taken more quickly to mastery of your own aether than many who have spent the entirety of their lives beneath the Twelveswood’s boughs.”

Aurelia flushed despite herself. How long had it been since she’d heard genuine praise from anyone that hadn’t seemed perfunctory, or given under duress?

“I... thank you,” she said, unable to meet his calm grey eyes, and hastily took another sip of her tea. “It has been no simple task, as you know. I am sure I have much still and more to learn.”

“I quite agree. But I think it is time you continued your studies- in the field. I’ve a mind to send you to the Arbor. There are outlying settlements there in need of our aid.”

“Truly? I had not thought that any of the current Hearers would be willing to, er...”

His answering smile was serene. “Take you on as an apprentice conjurer?”

“....Well, now you mention it, yes, precisely so. I realize the rank and file would have no idea, but the Hearers must surely know the truth. I can't imagine any of them would take kindly to a Garlean woman as an apprentice.”

“You are, unfortunately, correct in assuming that few would be willing. However, the individual overseeing the region where I would send you has little choice but to accept you.”

Keveh’to scoffed. “That bad?”

“Bad?” E-Sumi-Yan laughed. “You misunderstand, Sergeant. No, this is simply a matter of life events necessitating a change. His apprentice is due to be wed in the next two moons and he is aging out of the field himself, and at present I have no other novitiates better suited for the position. I would have you assist him with the villagers’ needs as well as those of the forest. He will require aid whether he is desirous of your help or not.”

Aurelia grimaced.

“I need hardly say this does little to inspire one’s confidence.”

“I do not doubt you will face difficulties initially. That said, I think you will ingratiate yourself to them in due time. Our people are insular and often slow to trust outsiders to the Twelveswood, that much I will allow. But they are not so foolish as to ignore a helping hand indefinitely. No matter the form it takes.”

With a sigh she set the cup back in its saucer and placed it in the empty place sitting on her left. It made a soft, chiming rattle against the stone.

“You are asking me,” she said, “to subject myself to their likely censure.”

“Yes,” E-Sumi-Yan replied. He didn’t bat an eye, nor appear the least bit sorry for it. “I think it will not be as dire as you fear. Truly, this might even be a valuable lesson for all concerned. Yourself included. And you will have Sergeant Epocan there if-”

This time it was Keveh’to’s turn to flinch.

“No offense, Guildmaster,” he said. “Due respect and all that, but... you know full well how most of your folk feel about Keepers.”

“It will be made clear to the Hearer that you are there on an official assignment,” he said, in a tone that brooked no argument. The Miqo’te’s shoulders hunched defensively, but he didn’t retort. “At any rate, preparations are being made. The Elder Seedseer has given her authorization and asks that you accompany Aurelia to her new position. If the powers that be feel she is not a flight risk, I see no reason to delay the process.”

The woman in question had turned her gaze to the snow-covered clearing, watching two small sparrows clean themselves in the powder with a flurry of their little brown feathers.

“Well,” the Garlean said at length, once she realized all eyes were upon her. “Suffice to say: I have precious little if any say in this affair, being a captive audience in every meaningful sense. So, I will keep any further observations to myself. Should you believe my current skillsets might be put to better use elsewhere, then that is sufficient and I will abide by your judgment -- and that of the Elder Seedseer’s as well, I suppose.”

His small brow wrinkled at her reply, noncommittal as she knew it was.

“Aurelia, this isn’t the army. You do have some say in whence you go.”

“Again, whether or not I might mislike the assignment does not factor into such matters. You have my compliance regardless.”

“Be that as it may-”

“Guildmaster, your thoughtfulness in asking for my input is appreciated, but you and I both know it is unnecessary.” Her slim shoulders lifted and dropped, as if the outcome made no difference to her either way. “I shall await orders.”

“I will send word along when all is made ready,” E-Sumi-Yan said at length.

He did not speak his reservations aloud. That he sounded none too pleased warranted no comment.

#reborn by fire #chapter 19 #aurelia laskaris #garlean warrior of light

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writteninvisibly · 5 years ago

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ALRIGHT HOES YOU ASKED FOR THIS

I hate this. I hate everything about this. I want to vomit, this is one of the worst things I’ve ever fucking written and I once wrote smut for something I didn’t even ship because my ex wanted me to. I used to be so fucking proud of this though. Fuck, okay.

Fair warning, this story makes almost no sense. I think there used to be context for it, but I don’t remember it. You asked for this. I’m so sorry.

"Ella- Ella! Hey!" Neal caught the girl by the arm, preventing her from storming past him,

She turned on him, blue eyes blazing with barely constrained fury. "What, Neal? What the hell do you want?!"

His jaw tensed. "Are you going to be like this the entire time you're here?"

"Be like what?! A rational person?! There was a reason I ended our relationship, Neal!"

"Yeah, what was that reason again? I don't recall receiving an explanation, and if I remember correctly, you were fine with our relationship until five days before you ended it!"

"Ohhhhhh no, you are so not pinning this on me, Neal O'Bryen! I was done with our relationship for months before I saw sense. I hadn't seen you in a damn month, Neal! And I know you were cheating. Must I spell it out for you?" Tears sprang to her eyes. She'd been hoping to avoid this conversation.

The anger left those golden-brown eyes, and the fight left his stance. "Cheating?" he whispered. "Who told you-"

"I saw you myself, dumbass!"

"What?"

"June twenty-eighth, one week before I ended everything, I texted you and asked if you wanted to see a movie with me. I was desperate. Desperate for a call, a text, anything! I hadn't heard so much as a 'hello' from you in nigh on a month. I didn't want it to be over, so I asked you to a movie. One. Little. Movie. My last chance at a plea bargain before the gavel struck down. And what was your response?! 'I'm not in the mood.' So I decided, fine. I would go see it myself. I tried to reconcile your behaviour to myself. Tried to convinced myself you weren't with someone else; that you were faithful! But when I entered the theatre, there you were. You and some Ginger bi-... girl. I walked up, thinking maybe she was a relative and you would introduce us. Then I heard you. 'How about this one, babe?' The exact movie I'd invited you to come see with me. So I ignored you, got my ticket, saw my movie. I decided then and there that we were over, I just needed to figure out the cruelest way to phrase it. So, Neal, I hope you're happy, because you've officially ruined my life." She wrenched her arm away and ran, ignoring his pleas for her to stop as well as the tears streaming down her face. She ran; mindless of where her feet carried her. She ran; vision blurred by tears, chest heaving, her body wracked by sobs. She ran. She ran until her legs were aching, she ran until her feet were sore, she ran 'til she was out of breath, she ran 'til she could run no more. When she stopped running, she found herself outside in the woods near the house. She took a deep breath and climbed the nearest tree.

---

Ella must have fallen asleep in the tree branches, because the next thing she knew, someone was crawling up to sit beside her. She tensed, ready to fight, when she heard,

"Don't worry, I'm not Neal."

Ella blew out a breath and relaxed against the tree, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"What did he do?" Kristin asked.

"Asked some stupid questions. I got pissed, and... Flew too close to the sun."

Kristin nodded. They sat in silence for a while, and Ella realised she could hear Neal and Will arguing below.

"I don't care, O'Bryen!" Will shouted. "You don't just let a girl like that go!"

Ella blushed.

"I didn't 'just let her go', Will! She ran and didn't look back! She changed her number, blocked me on every social media account she had- I couldn't have seen her again if I'd tried!"

"Did you try?"

"Of course I did! Ella meant the world to me- still does! I wasn't about to let that go. But she wouldn't see me. I tried her work, her dorm, her parent's place... Will, I don't know what to do."

"You have to talk to her, man."

"I'VE TRIED!"

Ella shuddered at those two roared words. Neal's voice held anger, sadness, regret.

"Don't you think I've tried?" he said quieter.

Will sighed and clapped him on the back, walking back toward the house.

Neal looked up sullenly at the tree the girls sat in and laid a hand on the trunk, wishing Ella would just talk to him.

He looked to the ground as Kristin peeked down, and didn't look up until Kristin jumped down next to him.

"Get up there. Talk to her."

"Kris-"

"Go, O'Bryen. I wanna see a smile back on your faces before you come down."

Neal looked up hesitantly.

"She's waiting. Go get 'em, tiger."

Neal took a deep breath, then began ascending the tree.

"Hey." he said upon reaching the spot where she sat. It was a little cupped platform created by the tree branches.

"Hey yourself."

"Look, I know I can't make amends for what I did, but can I at least explain? I promise, you can hate me all you want after that and I won't argue."

Ella nodded slightly and drew her legs in close to her body.

"Okay. Well... That month, I... Was in a play. I wanted it to be a surprise, so... I didn't tell you. The girl I was with that day, her name was Elizabeth Towne. She played the character my character fell for and we went to that movie as an exercise our director asked us to do. I had told her beforehand that I was in a relationship, and she respected the boundaries I'd set, even though we were in character. We did nothing more than hold hands, and I hugged her goodbye at the end of the 'date'. Baby-"

"Don't."

"Ella. I picked that movie because all I could think of was you. I felt awful, and I wanted to call you, but I couldn't. While in all reality I wasn't cheating, I felt as though I was, and the thought made feel sick. If I hadn't needed to stay in character, I would have apologised to Elizabeth and left. The next time we spoke was when I called to invite you to the play, and you broke up with me. So Elizabeth and I changed the gameplan. I was mad, I was hurt, so anything went. It messed me up so bad, Ella. After we were done with the play, I started drinking. Not heavily, but enough for me to have several scares. I'd finally moved on, cleaned up my act, got a life. Everything was looking up. Then Will tells me he wants me here to meet someone. So I come. And who should pull in the driveway but Kristin and little miss 'Hellbent' herself. I swear, I thought I was dreaming. I had thought you would be better off than I was, but I guess you weren't. Ella, I-" he knelt down in front of her, tears stinging his eyes. "Please believe me." he whispered. "After seeing you again... I can't lose you. Not again. And I know, I know, I don't exactly have you right now, but-" he grabbed her and kissed her. Hard.

Ella's eyes flew open in shock, then fluttered shut again as she melted into the kiss. It was so familiar, yet so foreign, and when they parted, she wasn't ready to let it go.

"I'm sorry." Neal whispered, pulling back. "I had to do that at least once more." then he backed away and descended the tree.

---

"Neal!" Ella called when she realised what was happening. "No, Neal, wait!" she rushed to the edge of the small platform and dropped to her knees, peering down. She saw Neal standing below, shoulders tensed, turned away from the tree. She quickly scrambled down after him, laying a tentative hand on his shoulder.

Neal flinched slightly away from the hand, and Ella winced.

"Neal.. I- I'm sorry. I just- I was hurt, I was angry, I acted without thinking. I am so, so sorry."

He rounded on her, eyes swimming. "It wasn't completely your fault. I- I should've told you. Shouldn't've-"

"No, no, Neal." she quickly pulled him into a hug. "It was a sweet gesture, really. I just- I believe you, I do. Oh, Neal. Could you ever forgive me?"

"Forgive you? Darling, you did nothing wrong."

"Yes, I did. Rather than asking you to explain, taking the problem to you; I broke us up, breaking our hearts in the process. I've always known I was insecure, I guess this just proves it. Rather than waiting for you to break up with me, reject and throw me to the side like everyone else, I broke up with you. Please, please forgive me."

"Ella, you were forgiven long ago. But, if it makes you feel better, Ella Denise Havelock, I forgive you. For this, past, and all future mistakes."

She choked out a laugh, tears slipping down her cheeks.

Neal brought up a hand to wipe the tears away, and she closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, prompting him to kiss her, which he did. Once on each eyelid and once on the tip of her nose before he reached her mouth. He slowly leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, and she melted into it once again, savouring in the feel of well-known lips against her own.

Ella tilted her head to deepen the kiss, and Neal obliged, tilting his head, his lips moving against hers. Ella's lips parted, prompting Neal's to, and for a bit they just stood there, breathing the same air.

"I missed you." Ella murmured against Neal's lips, the three words she wanted to say getting caught in her throat.

"I love you too." Neal whispered back. He pulled her into another tight hug, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Her arms wrapped around him, and squeezed as if she would never let go, burying her face in the crook of his neck, partially worried if she let go, this would all be a dream.

Anyway, this is a hot mess and I’d like to apologise that you had to read that.

@crypticsx @guesswhosgotaguitar

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cdlabelsize-blog · 5 years ago

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The strength of Labels

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dvd dimensions

Entire world Labels

While a freshman within college or university my bicycle had been lost from my dormitory hall while my roomie in addition to I cleaned our place. I was lucky for you to get this bicycle again. I was luckier to help learn a valuable "Labeling" tutorial. A Hispanic man (fellow student) had consumed typically the bike. I has been prejudiced versus Hispanics intended for some time after which as a consequence of his actions.

My spouse and i don't like seeing my very own attitudes with regards to people transform because of an individual. In which realization helped me redouble my attitude so that will My partner and i didn't lump tons of great people straight into my frustration at him or her. Time dissolved that rage so he has not possibly the subject of the ire, and hasn't also been in generations. Hispanics decided not to steal our bike -- one person did, as well as he happened to end up being Latino.

That label confident eaten a lot associated with my energy to get a short time there.

Accuracy in the labels is important so in which your thinking correctly reveal the world and also appearance your attitude in regards to the entire world you are describing along with living in.

Better still, minimizing your own personal labeling let us you see men and women with regard to all that they are usually, and can be. Gowns energizing for them, in addition to for an individual, rather compared to taking energy.

Trademarks about Others

On a care my husband and We took a Refezione analyze. Mensa is the "high IQ society" - clever people, to label these individuals. We'd been speaking with Mensa conventions and a single on the organizers felt many of us were Tavola material, nevertheless I was not sure I'd personally even accommodate with the class - or perhaps wanted in order to. I'd long assumed persons in Mensa had been geeks who played expression as well as number games, and have had little social skills. Similar to this collection of labels?!

Considering that our interactions with the various people at often the conventions have been favorable most of us took the assessment : and passed! I actually shoved into a whole distinct collection of labels any time I included with my LinkedIn account that we was any Mensa member (yes, all of us joined the association). My spouse and i was now labeled while some sort of know-it-all, as inside I must recognize every little thing about everything. Inappropriate!

Labeling can help define your personal tribe, or circle regarding contacts and friends. They might be labels of praise or maybe derision. But, labels could also often be narrow and also limiting - and gowns the thing that makes them a difficulty. Labels will come from trusting stereotypes, not being totally sure or being familiar with the full qualifications involving someone's life, as well as via your own life experience along with biases.

Labels place individuals in boxes. Packing containers are generally simplistic. How perform those product labels drain your own energy because of your current "need" to defend all of them? And also the do those trademarks influence impact the folks you put them with?

Others' Labels on You actually

I've possessed others use labels in my experience that, until eventually I saw the fact that was going on and changed my very own response, brought me along. Occasionally I've quickly observed this the label didn't get pian relief, or even apply, in addition to had the ability to rise above the actual energy drain the idea made in me. Occasionally really taken me months to be able to see what happened, arrive at grips with my effect, and re-energize myself.

At times positive labels, while experiencing good, have encouraged me personally to feel cocky or even exceptional. That's limiting as well. While intended compliment connected with a ticket was supposed well, the reaction had not been reasonable. Brands shouldn't help make us no more than they need to break us. Permitting the particular meaning of a point check out your head basically healthy.

Product labels are aspect of how "tribes" usually are created, or identified. Tribes are great to always be part of! Many of us expand, connect, and experience realized with "our people". Typically the trick is to not really permit the tribe's label "get you". You aren't excellent or poor because associated with the tribe label. You will be more than the group, just as you will be much more than the label.

Experiencing precisely how others' labels impression our psyche, it's fair personally to expect this labels upon others affects them in the same manner, even in the event that positive. I know everyone in business is in charge of each of our own reactions on the universe, but I want for you to tread carefully but not lead to others to have a lot more challenges than they actually do. I want to help limit my very own label apps. I want the phrases to lift men and women, certainly not box them throughout.

Your own personal Labels on On your own

Almost certainly my most destroying self applied label I've given to personally is "I'm wii businesswoman". Never mind that My partner and i are actually successfully self-employed regarding over 29 years rapid that is beside typically the point. When I determined to alter the focus regarding my career, the following a few year hiatus did not support my self photo.

Throughout hindsight, those restrictions We bought into contributed in my opinion losing passion for our previous career as a new guest house consultant and brokerage. The volume of four- and five-star B&Bs I'd coached loaded this resume. The range of people I actually really helped realize their hopes for buying and operating a resort filled my cardiovascular system. Nevertheless somehow all of which has not been enough.

I weren't productive by others' explanations involving success: my cash flow levels, my website site visitors, how informed the globe was of myself, often the number of books We would printed - all fell into listed below others' ideas connected with precisely what made for the successful businessperson. U ordered into those constraints intended for a long time. I had created caged me personally with damaging labels.

Joining Brendon Burchard's High Performance Secondary school with March 2015 time to share view the cage I'd set myself into and start its door so My spouse and i could possibly fly free yet again. I am able to still feel that will surge associated with power as well as self identification! What any moment when I started out that cage door, got out into the home, and also stretched my wings.

I am just back!

The almost all damaging labeling of almost all are probably the brands anyone apply to oneself. As you control who have others can be, or perhaps how they are noticed, when you utilize product labels to them, you carry out a similar to yourself instructions merely more so. A person are more important along with unforgiving of on your own as compared to others, most of the actual time, knowning that takes some sort of lot of energy.

While you can be so very much more than you, in addition to more than a tag stated, be careful regarding the labels you actually implement to yourself. If a person think also highly involving yourself, an individual limit your own personal growth in that spot. If you think way too lowly connected with yourself, anyone discourage expansion there far too. The labels you actually employ reflect all the methods you put yourself within packing containers, the ways a person limit by yourself, and the particular ways you don't accept yourself fully.

Your power is usually connected to your personal acceptance, your own growth, as well as your freedom. Whenever you steer clear of self labels an individual mirror self acceptance. Once you adopt yourself you assist your current growth. When you no longer box yourself in you could have the freedom to possibly be yourself inside myriad techniques. Those just about all support a new strong energy.

Good vitality keeps you living with typically the day, allows you in order to be fruitful, and results in alertness. Lifestyle label cost-free supports a lively life.

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fandomness--randomness · 6 years ago

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Hello! May I please request a scenario of Aoyama teaching reader how to waltz? Thank you!

Okay this was a really cute request, I just hope I wrote Aoyama correctly. As much as I loved my underrated children, he is a hard one to grasp cause, on one hand, he’s got a bit of an ego and is super outgoing, but on the other hand, he’s just an insecure lil baby who needs reassurance.

You let out a groan of defeat, your head hitting the table you sat at. The other 6 girls around you looked at you in worry.

“(Y/N)-chan, what’s wrong?” Uraraka asked, poking your shoulder lightly.

“This.” You answered back, your voice muffled due to the table. Your phone was slid over to the middle of the table where everyone huddled over it to read the messages.

“You’re going…” Jirou muttered, “to a family ball?” You nodded to her statement, your head still connected to the table.

“What’s so bad about that though?” Uraraka thought out loud.

Bolting up form your hunched position, you slapped the table with enough force to shake it and everything on it, even knocking off a textbook. “Everything!” You exclaimed. “This is a ball from my dad’s side of the family! I’ve barely talked with them, much less seen them! So I have no idea how to interact with them or the rich and very important and powerful people they’re inviting! Once they find out that my dad hasn’t taught me anything about being a “rich” and “sophisticated” family, they’ll disown him!”

You slumped onto the table once again, giving into defeat. “But (Y/N)-chan, isn’t your family already pretty rich?” Mina asked innocently.

Forcing yourself up, you nodded. “Yeah, but after meeting my mom, my dad’s never seen the need for all the manners and stuff.”

“So you have the money, but not the mannerisms?” Tsuyu asked, holding her finger up to her lip.

“Yeah basically.”

“Well, I can teach you!” Momo exclaimed. You blinked at her in confusion.

“The hell does that mean?” You asked.

Momo sighed, but a small smile graced her lips nonetheless. Standing up from her seat across the table, she walked over to you. “For one, high-class families don’t slouch.” One of her hands locked itself on your shoulder and the other one pushed your lower back in, making your previously hunched shoulders now straight. “Keep your back straight and chin up high to show confidence and class.” She instructed.

You blinked up at her, finding her explanations detailed and sensible, two things you thought your father’s side of the family was the complete opposite of.

From that exact moment, Momo took you under her wing to show you the ins and outs of how rich families should act in public and in the presence of other equally and more powerful than them.

You learned how to walk, talk, eat, and sit as if you were a 5-year-old once again. Luckily you picked it up really quickly, whether that was form Momo’s clear explanations or because you were just that smart, you were sure, but your humbleness made you choose the former.

However, there was one thing that you could not learn to save your life. A dance so simple yet important that even a 3-year-old could do it. And that was the waltz. No matter how you did it or how Momo explained it, your feet just kept tumbling and tripping over each other. At one point you made you and Momo fall onto the floor.

You sighed in defeat, sitting down on the gym floor with shame. “Maybe it’s best if we take a break for today,” Momo said out loud.

You nodded in agreement. “Ugh, I don’t know Momo. I don’t think I’ll ever pick it up.”

Momo shook her head. “Don’t say that! You’ll learn it in no time. It’s just taking a bit for you to understand it. You just need to take a break.”

Not wanting to defend your deflating self-esteem, you just nodded at her words and let her leave the gym so you could wallow in your self pity. You sat there with your head in between your legs for god knows how long in silence until the sound of footsteps met your ears.

You let out a sigh. “I’ll come back to the dorms in a bit Momo.”

The person clicked their tongue. “Now, now ma Cherie!” A familiar voice chirped in.

Your head whipped up as fast as humanly possible, your cheeks heating up at the sight of Aoyama Yuuga, a boy you had become very close with the past couple months.

You stumbled up off of the ground and dust your legs off of dust that had stuck to your slightly sweaty legs. Looking back up, you gave the blond a shy smile.

“Hi Aoyama-kun! Wh-what are you doing here?” You asked, your voice cracking in embarrassment.

“Well, I wanted to see what you were doing of course!” Aoyama declared, pointing at you in exaggeration.

You could feel your cheeks heating up even further at his actions. “God, why does he have to be like this?!” You internally screamed, your muscles tightening.

You rubbed the back of your neck nervously. “Well, I’m not doing much as you can see.”

“Well, then why have you and Yao-momo been coming to this gym for the past week or so?” Aoyama further question, pulling out some evidence of your endeavors.

The floor suddenly became much more interesting than anything in the room. “I um… my family’s going to this important ball and I have to learn how to waltz, but I’m utterly failing.” You confessed shyly.

Aoyama hummed. “Well how about I try to teach you?” He proposed.

You glanced up at him. “What? Really? But even Momo can’t teach me-“

“Oh hush Ma Cherie! Sometimes a different teacher is all you need! Now come here.” Aoyama exclaimed, grabbing your hand he lead you to the center of the gym.

It seemed as if all air left your lungs and your heart stopped beating as he pulled you closer to him. Although you were only in a pair of running shorts and a loose t-shirt, the room felt very, very hot all of a sudden.

One of his hands clasped around your waist while the other held onto yours with a tight grip. Knowing where to put your free hand, you let yourself grab onto his shoulder with a shaky hand.

“There you go, Ma Cherie! It seems you already know the basics of dance!”

You couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped your lips at his exaggeration. But then, he suddenly began moving.

“W-wait!” You exclaimed, tumbling after him. However, the blond continued to move.

“Just move with me, Ma Cherie! Don’t think about it, just follow my steps.” He explained, not taking a second to stop.

Taking a deep breath, you followed his advice and followed his steps, your gaze never leaving his feet. After a couple minutes of tumbling and tripping, you were finally able to follow his moves.

“What a great job! Now, look up at me.” Aoyama said, startling you.

“Wh-what?!” You asked, looking up into his silly eyes.

He smiled down at you. “Look at you, following everything I say!”

You couldn’t help your cheeks from heating up in embarrassment at the very thought of how lewd that phrase could be, making you trip on your own two feet. Falling forward, you expected to meet the hardness of the floor. But you never did.

Instead, you hit a soft and warm mass. Blinking your eyes open, you realized that Aoyama had caught you without a second thought. His cheeks were tinged with pink and his mouth was slightly open as if he was about to tell you something before you fell.

Pushing off of him, you rubbed the back of your neck in embarrassment.

“I um…wow!” You muttered. “I’ve never been that good with Momo.” You explained shyly.

“Why of course! I do see myself as a waltz master.” Aoyama boasted. “It’s a dance perfect for a dazzling fellow like me.”

You chuckled. “Guess that’s why I couldn’t do it at first.” Aoyama tilted his head in confusion at your little joke. “Cause I’m not as dazzling or amazing as you.” You explained, making the blond blush.

He cleared his throat. “Well anyone can be as dazzling and a-amazing as me! All it takes is a good partner is all.”

Your fingers fidgeted with each other as you stood in silence, thoughts running through your mind.

“Um, you know… I don’t have anyone to go to the family ball with… so if you’re free next Saturday… do you want to go with me and be my partner?” You asked nervously.

“WHAT AM I DOING?” You yelled at yourself as you smiled at Aoyama without falter, waiting for his answer. “OF COURSE HE’S GOING TO SAY N-“

“I would be delighted.”

“Huh?” You blinked at him. Now it was your turn to be confused.

Aoyama smiled. “I said, I would be delighted. To go with you I mean.”

#aoyama yuuga #aoyama yuuga x reader #bnha scenarios #mha scenarios #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha x reader

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myforeverforlife · 7 years ago

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hidden truths (1).

Crown Prince Kyungsoo is a pain in your side, and you’ve often heard him say the same about you. But when you two are left with no choice but to at least tolerate each other, hidden truths come to light.

Word Count: 6,216

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Series masterlist: ( 1 ) ( Final ) ( Extra Oneshot )

The clicking of heeled boots echoed in the air, the crown prince pacing back and forth as he struggled to make sense of what his father had just told him.

“They’re sending her here? Princess Y/N? But why? Surely after last time — ”

“The events that transpired the last time that we were in touch with the Eun family are exactly why we have decided to invite her. And it won’t be only the Princess staying here, Kyungsoo. Other nobles will be staying for the duration of the celebrations as well.”

The kingdom of Elyxia had been under the peaceful rule of the Do family for centuries, and they were renowned for their splendid celebrations. The month-long festival arranged to be held in a couple of weeks was no exception. The festival marked the 38th year since Kyungsoo’s father, His Royal Majesty, Do Sungho, had ascended the throne. Nobles from kingdoms near and far would be staying in Elyxia, many to catch up with old friends but to also sniff out any interesting news about their rivals.

“There is absolutely no way that Crown Princess Y/N agreed to this.”

As if on cue, King Sungho pulled out a lightly crumpled letter from the inside of his coat pocket. He turned the envelope around to show Kyungsoo the seal, the distinctive silver wax of your family resting there. “Your assumptions seem to be incorrect. Perhaps you should take a page out of our friends’ book, and learn to forgive and forget as well.”

“The princess has decided to apologize?”

“Apologize? My dear son, for what? If my memory serves me correctly, both of you have been in the wrong. This feud has been going on for much too long. I don’t believe this kind of matter is something that is easily solved through the contents of such a simple letter. Perhaps she has agreed in order to have a civil conversation with you face-to-face.”

Kyungsoo scoffed, rolling his eyes and ignoring his father’s disapproving glare. “The princess isn’t one to sit down for a civil chat.”

“Perhaps the princess has changed, matured. I only hope that my son has matured as well.”

The meaning in the king’s words were not lost on Kyungsoo, and he knew what he was indirectly being told to do: at least give this hot-blooded, bothersome Princess a chance.

“Alright, I’ll try. I can’t guarantee that everything will go well.”

The king stood up, slipping the letter into his son’s hands as he walked past. “It’s the effort that counts.”

As the king called out for his attendants, the sound of his booming voice carrying down the hallway as he walked further away, Kyungsoo stared down at the letter. The seal of your family stared up at him, elegant swirls and picturesque flowers pressed into the silver wax. It had been a couple of years since he had seen you, but he was sure that you would be the same as ever.

However, if it really meant so much to his father and if you were already making the effort to come and visit for a month, Kyungsoo figured that he could lay down his weapons as well and end this long-standing rivalry.

“I absolutely will not be going.”

Your father sighed, rubbing at his temples from where he lay in his bed. As he continued to age, the king found himself bedridden more often than he had in the days of his youth. Years of politics and battle would do that to a person.

“This is not up for discussion, Y/N. Besides, I have already sent a letter to Sungho informing him that I would be sending you to represent our kingdom.”

“Why couldn’t Yixing go? He would be much better at all of this than me anyways.” Crossing your arms, you stood up straighter, staring your father down as he finally looked at you.

“You know why. While I do not deny that Yixing is skilled in political affairs, he is not a member of the royal family. You are. And as the Crown Princess of Eunali and next in line to the throne, it would be only appropriate for you to go.”

“So you’re sending me away to go sip tea with officials of other kingdoms and to learn more about how to manage a kingdom?” you asked sullenly, the question phrased as more of a petulant statement.

“No. I’m sending you away because you’ve been cooped up for too long.”

You startled involuntarily, never having guessed in a million years that this would be your father’s answer.

“I know that you are less than happy to return to Elyxia, especially after what happened last time with Crown Prince Kyungsoo.”

Noticing how your scowl only grew even worse, your father quickly tried to make amends. “But I trust Sungho, and I know that you will be in safe hands. The celebrations will give you a chance to socialize, to be around more people your age.”

“I would have thought that after all of your repeated attempts to get the crown prince and I to get along, you would see that there is simply no way that we ever will.”

“Y/N, please be reasonable. Who will maintain close relations with Elyxia after I am gone?”

“Father, you’re not dying yet. You’ll be around for years more, isn’t that what you always say?”

He sighed, hands clasped on the bedspread resting on top of him as he thought of what to do with his daughter. “I’m not asking you to do this as your king, but as your father. Please, do this one thing for me and I will never request anything of you ever again.”

“That’s a lie.”

“If I send Yixing with you, will you agree to go?”

You paused, considering the offer. Seeing as Yixing was one of your father’s closest advisors, you wouldn’t have to spend as much time around the other nobles. Sure, you would still have to socialize a little to let the others know that Eunali was still a strong, thriving kingdom, but Yixing would be there to help alleviate some of that burden.

“What’s the real reason, Father? Why do you want me to go so badly?”

“Do I need a good reason to want to send my daughter instead of myself when I am bedridden?”

You felt a small twinge of guilt. Here your father was, taking care of the country even as he lay confined to his bed and you, who had considerably more freedom, was complaining about being sent on a trip.

“Alright, Father. I’ll go.” You finally let your defenses fall, harsh posture shifting as you came and sat on the edge of his bed, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

“I’m proud of you, my free-spirited child,” he teased, ruffling up your hair. “Make sure that you remember your manners though, and to ask Yixing or Sungho for help if needed.”

While you were desperately fighting the urge to show up at the castle in front of Prince Kyungsoo riding a horse in gentleman’s trousers just to shock him, you knew that every act of yours would be seen by not only the prince, but by numerous other nobles as well. Guess you would have to stick to stiff skirts and painful close-toed shoes.

You groaned at the mere thought of it, swinging your feet back and forth aimlessly. “This festival had better be worth all the trouble.”

“It’s Elyxia,” your father said by way of explanation. “There’s always something unexpected.”

You fidgeted nervously as you adjusted the gloves on your hands, trying to get them to sit perfectly.

“Your Highness, you look fine.” Yixing’s soothing voice spoke from beside you, as he stood waiting by your side. You were both in line waiting to be introduced to the ballroom of dignitaries gathered for the first night of Elyxia’s celebrations. Your carriage had barely arrived on time, and now you and Yixing would be the last ones to be announced.

“Thank you, although that’s not what I’m worried about.” You finally gave up on your gloves, knowing that you would continue to be dissatisfied with them if you kept pulling at them aimlessly.

“Then enlighten me. What are you worried about?”

You shot him a knowing look.

“Ah.” Yixing gave a soft laugh as he deciphered the meaning behind your expression. “Crown Prince Kyungsoo still irks you, I see.”

“He doesn’t just irk me. He’s the bane of my existence. I can’t believe our fathers have been trying to make us get along for decades.”

“Remind me again why you dislike him so much?”

“He’s been a pain in my backside ever since we were children. When I first came here, he was unfriendly and ignored me most of the time. He said that I was too noisy, too wild. Almost every conversation that we had ended up in one of us yelling and the other one storming off. I’m just glad that the king and queen were much more kind to me.”

Yixing hummed to himself as the line moved forward, eyes taking on a distant look as he thought. “I wonder where the queen is. It’s not like her to be away from Elyxia for such a long time. Even your father is starting to worry for her and King Sungho.”

“Perhaps she needed a break from court life. Being born and raised in court, living in the same place for almost thirty years, I would want a change in my life as well.”

“Not everyone is as much of a thrill-seeker as you are, Your Highness.”

A snort escaped you, and you immediately clapped a gloved hand over your face. You were about to come back with a retort when the guards ushered you forward, the couple in front of you walking out through the open doors.

Yixing offered his arm to you, and you took it like you had many times before in similar situations like tonight’s. You only had time to take in a deep breath before the guards nodded to you, signaling that it was time to go.

“Introducing Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Y/N of Eunali! Escorted by Zhang Yixing, Esteemed Advisor to the Royal Family of Eunali!”

As you stepped over the threshold, you made sure to keep a firm hold on Yixing’s arm and to take deep, steady breaths. You kept your eyes on the crowd, even as you yearned to be staring at the steps of the stairs you walked down instead. While you scanned the crowd, a radiant smile on your face, you caught sight of one face in particular that you would never be able to forget, even despite your best efforts. Granted, it had been a while since you saw him, but the same face now haunted you, every bit of him just as recognizable as before.

Elyxia’s crown prince stared back at you across the room on a balcony reserved for the royal family, politely clapping along with everyone for your entrance, but you noticed the familiar way in which his eyes hardened, how his lips were set in a firm line. Clearly, Prince Kyungsoo was just as thrilled to see you as you were to see him.

Breaking away from his stare, you let Yixing escort you over to a spare corner of the room, greeting the dignitaries there.

King Sungho cleared his throat from his place on the balcony, beginning a speech about how grateful he was for the presence of all of his friends during this eventful month. “Hopefully, everyone will enjoy their stay. In times of celebration like these, I only wish for the health and happiness of my friends, and hope that we all come to rely and trust one another.”

The room burst into applause at the end, ready to start of the month of celebrations with a night of drinking, dancing, and gossip.

As soon as Kyungsoo descended from the balcony, he was met by various people each vying for his attention.

“Your Highness, we are so pleased to see how healthy both you and your father look. I trust that no ill fortune has befallen the royal family?” a woman by the name of Duchess Yoo asked.

“Thank you, Duchess Yoo. Your assumptions are correct - we are as well as ever. Please excuse me for one second.” Kyungsoo gave her a polite nod before continuing on, trying to find you among the throngs of people. He wanted a chance to get to speak to you before his father reprimanded him for ignoring you all night.

He rounded a group of officials from a neighboring country’s military, catching your eye and raising a hand, gesturing for you to wait for him. You, on the other hand, immediately turned to the man beside you. Kyungsoo saw your lips move before you took the man’s arm, and both of you walked out onto the middle of the floor with the rest of the dancers.

Huffing in irritation, Kyungsoo decided to wait until you were done to try again. But once the dance was over and you had separated from your partner, he saw you rush straight across the room opposite from him, joining into a conversation with a family of traders from the island nation of Sunri.

Kyungsoo had to fight back his immediate reaction to go over and question you face-to-face. Court decorum would never allow for this sort of confrontation, and it would be a stain on his character if he was perceived as being hostile with guests.

As you continued your chat with the delegates from Sunri, Kyungsoo chose to familiarize himself with some people that he had seen a long time ago. “Lord Jo, is that you?”

A man with graying hair turned around, mustached smile lifting up as he recognized the man before him. “Your Highness, what an honor. It’s been too long since I came to Elyxia.”

“And we have missed you, Lord Jo. Father often notes how helpful it was to have you around.” Kyungsoo gave the elder man a fond smile, thinking back to all of the tidbits of wisdom that he had gained with each visit.

“Ah, His Majesty is too kind. It was also a large help to have such a studious pupil who took joy in learning. Are you still an avid reader?”

“I am indeed.” Whenever Lord Jo had come to visit, he always brought a book or two as gifts for Kyungsoo. The two had bonded over plays at first, moving on to other genres as Kyungsoo’s love for literature only continued to grow. “I don’t believe that I ever found someone who had such splendid book recommendations as yours.”

“Now you are being too generous in your praise. I hope you enjoyed the anthology of plays that I sent you a couple of years ago. I was quite relieved to hear that it had arrived safely, since it was such a treasured copy. First-edition, you know.”

“It’s a beautiful collection, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Mother loved that one too, possibly even more than I did.”

“Your Highness, will we have the pleasure of seeing your mother tonight? It has been ages since we saw the lovely queen,” Lord Jo asked.

A muscle in Kyungsoo’s jaw twitched almost imperceptibly, and he cleared his throat before speaking. “Unfortunately, Mother is spending some time away visiting some relatives. One of her aunts has fallen ill, and she went away to offer whatever support she could give.”

“Ah, that does sound like Queen Alin. Curious though, I would have thought that she would have at least been here for the first day of the festival. It’s not like her to miss out on these celebrations.”

“Yes, Mother was quite saddened to know that she would be unable to attend as well. But she does send her regards, and she hopes that you all will enjoy yourselves. As do my father and I. I must attend to my other guests, but I do trust that we will have another opportunity to catch up soon.” Kyungsoo gave them a parting nod before walking away, letting out a breath of relief as he got further and further away. Thankfully, the rest of the guests hadn’t been as inquisitive about the queen of Elyxia.

What he had told the Lord hadn’t necessarily been a lie. Queen Alin was away staying with one of her aunts, but not for the reasons that everyone believed. Truth be told, the king and queen had been having marital problems as of late. At 25 years of age, Kyungsoo was devastated to see his parents’ relationship fall apart, both of them purposefully avoiding each other unless they were absolutely required to be seen together. The queen eventually cited that enough was enough, and that she needed some space to clear her mind. She had left the kingdom, leaving behind a vague explanation as to her disappearance, and a distraught son. She still wrote to Kyungsoo every week or so, always asking about him and what was happening in his life. Not once did she ask about the king.

Perhaps that was why Kyungsoo was so surprised to hear that you were here to mend what had been damaged between you and him. If there was a chance for renewal between you two, couldn’t the same be possible for his parents as well?

Suddenly, he spotted you standing near an entrance to the veranda, gloved hands clasped in front of you while you stood with your back in a corner, watching the dancers sweep past. With the guards standing in front of the veranda entrance blocking one side and the wall beside you blocking your other, Kyungsoo knew that this would be the only chance he would get to try and have a conversation with you in private. When you caught sight of him approaching you, you made no effort to disguise your annoyance.

“I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but if you haven’t noticed, you’ve been treating me as if I had the plague,” he whispered under his breath as he came to stand beside you.

“I did notice, it was no mistake. And don’t play dumb, as if we haven’t been quarreling for ages. Even time and distance have failed to make me forget how stuck-up and selfish you are, Prince Kyungsoo.”

“Why did you even come then, if you still believe that I am the most detestable human being to ever exist? I was under the impression that you agreed to come out of an attempt to put our past behind us,” Kyungsoo spat back, brows drawn low as he stared at you in confusion.

“You must be delusional. I didn’t do it by choice, my father had me attend the festivities in his place. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t be here.”

Kyungsoo gave an incredulous laugh, eyes widening as he assessed you. “You really haven’t changed a bit.

“I could say the same for you. I still haven’t forgiven you for lying to me.” With that, you stalked off, pushing past him as you walked out into the wide vastness of the ballroom. The heels of your suffocating shoes clicked loudly against the floor with each step, audible to Kyungsoo even with the chatter and music in the room.

He turned to the guards standing close by, giving them a warning glance. “Not a word to anyone, understood?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Kyungsoo knew that he didn’t have to worry about the castle’s staff spreading this to the guests, they had been loyal to him and his family for years. But interesting matters were always gossiped about among themselves. This longstanding feud between you and Kyungsoo was no secret, but the less people who knew about the more messy details, the better.

It seemed that there was no hope for you two at all. As long as you kept your mouth shut as well, Kyungsoo had no reason to start a fight with you. He vowed to himself that for the rest of the month, he would simply choose to ignore you. Once you left for home, he would be able to breathe easily once more, without having to worry about your every action getting on his nerves.

He wouldn’t have to worry about mending his own troubles, and would focus on helping his parents with theirs instead.

Just when you were starting to worry about the whereabouts of Yixing, you spotted him sipping from a flute of champagne. Once you made your way over, you took a seat on the chair beside him, stretching out your legs in front of you. “You two could at least try to be civil in public,” Yixing whispered to you, voice strained as he tried to conceal how stressed he was. He had just seen you leave a stunned Kyungsoo behind, and judging by the look on the prince’s face, your conversation hadn’t been exactly what he and the King had been hoping for.

“I don’t see you lecturing our honorable Prince Kyungsoo as well.”

“I have no authority when it comes to matters concerning the Do family. With you, however, I have explicit orders from your father to make sure that you remain polite and cool-headed during our stay.”

“Polite, I can do. Being cool-headed on the other hand...” You gave a small shrug, looking up at Yixing innocently. “Some would say that it’s not in my nature to be so.”

“Yes, well for the sake of our country, for your family’s name, please try to avoid getting caught up in any conflicts. Even if you have to stand all the way across the room from him, please do not antagonize the crown prince.”

“He came up to me first!”

“Your Highness.” Yixing’s voice took on a harder edge, a sudden glint appearing in his eye. “I do not know what sort of childish arguments the two of you have gotten into, but don’t you believe it is time to let things go?”

You stared back, caught off guard by the sudden change in tone. As one of your father’s advisors and one of your closest friends, Yixing had never spoken to you in this way. Perhaps you were being a bit childish. But petty matters had escalated into more heated arguments and poisonous words over time, and you didn’t think there was any chance of making amends with Prince Kyungsoo.

“Don’t you think that if it was that easy, I would have smoothed things over already? The Prince is incorrigible, a fiend whose only objective it seems is to annoy me at every chance that he gets. He has even gone out of his way to lie to me and to take things from my possession. I have no interest in playing nice with a man of such character.”

Yixing sighed in defeat, shaking his head before he leaned in closely, whispering into your ear. “Your pride will end up being your downfall, Princess. I would suggest that you take your father’s advice and become an ally that Elyxia can actually put their faith in.”

He straightened up shortly thereafter, heading over to a group of diplomats a few feet away and leaving you to think over his words.

It really hadn’t always been this bad between you and Kyungsoo. Sure, Kyungsoo had made it clear that he didn’t want anything to do with you even from the get-go, but you two had at least been civil to each other back then. Lessons together had been eerily quiet, but you hadn’t gone out of your way to annoy him and he hadn’t done the same as well. Somewhere along the way, your mutual feelings for each other grew into an even stronger aversion, to dislike and at times, even hatred.

Kyungsoo tried his best to prove himself as superior in academic activities, making it a point to walk by your study area before heading to the tutor and turning in his finished work. You, on the other hand, chose to boast of your abilities in people-skills and athletic abilities. During conversations with others, you would always wait until Kyungsoo saw you to give him a smug smirk before continuing on as if nothing had happened. And don’t even remind him of the fencing incident.

King Sungho had suggested that the two of you try dealing with your frustration through a duel, to the dismay of your father and Queen Alin, Kyungsoo’s mother. You and Kyungsoo were both sworn not to seriously injure each other, limited to blunt blows instead. To Kyungsoo’s embarrassment, you had quickly overpowered him, foot coming to step on top of his chest to hold him down in place as the tip of your sword touched his nose. He had never been able to live it down, whispers of how the strong princess of Eunali had easily defeated Prince Kyungsoo.

A couple of years ago, something terrible had happened to you, and you were convinced that only Kyungsoo could have been the one behind it. During a long visit to Elyxia with your father, you lost a necklace that had given to you by your mother. Seeing as it was the closest thing that you treasured from a woman that you had never met, you were livid when you woke up one day and found it missing. Despite everyone’s attempts to try and convince you that Kyungsoo couldn’t possibly have stolen it, you were sure that you were in the right.

Kyungsoo had called you a pig-headed, foolish girl, and you had countered by calling him a villainous thief. Needless to say, your stay in Elyxia had been cut short and both of you had gotten lectured by your fathers for what seemed like ages.

And so, things continued on in this way for years. And it seemed like they would only continue to until the end of time.

Yixing’s words haunted you, and you felt as if you had received an scolding similar to the ones your father used to give you as a child. Your father and Yixing weren’t cruel with their words, but both were always honest and ended up drawing some sort of penitent reaction out of you.

You would do anything if it meant benefiting your father, your country. Perhaps being civil with Prince Kyungsoo would have to be one of those tasks that you simply had to complete, forcing you to push away any sort of discomfort you had towards the prince. Fine. You could do that. Just ignore the prince and try to let bygones be bygones.

You could do that, couldn’t you?

It wasn’t hard to remember that you had to be cordial around Kyungsoo when you had Yixing constantly reminding you about it, but that didn’t mean that you disliked it any less.

At breakfast over the following week, you made a pointed effort to act as if the crown prince wasn’t even there at all. You and Yixing were always seated near the head of the table, close to King Sungho and his closest advisors. Kyungsoo sat across the table from you, nearer to his father. You occasionally caught him looking at you, an unreadable expression on his face before he looked away. Afternoons brought more raucous forms of entertainment, with activities like dances, parades and games taking place on the castle grounds and throughout the kingdom. As fun as the games were, you always looked forward to the candle-lighting held every night.

Per tradition, the king was to light one candle every night to symbolize each year that he had been on the throne. It was amazing to see the group of candles grow night after night atop the altar reserved for the king’s candles. Others were encouraged to light some as well, and it was customary to make a wish as you lit the flames.

Tonight, you watched as King Sungho lit his fifth candle, his head bowing as he prayed silently to himself. You saw Kyungsoo standing beside him, hands clasped tightly together and head bowed in a similar fashion to his father. You wondered what he was praying so earnestly for, what sort of things he might have on his mind before you stopped yourself, telling yourself that you had no interest in the prince’s matters.

Once the crowds dispersed, one of the castle’s servants approached you, mumbling something about a letter as he slipped an envelope into your hands. “What is it?” Yixing asked from where he stood beside you, not having yet left like the others.

“I’m sure it’s just an update from home. Go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you and the others.” There was always some sort of musical performance held at nighttime, and Yixing was, without fail, present for each one.

Yixing nodded before following the other guests, leaving you behind in the courtyard. You held onto the letter tightly as you walked across the grounds of the castle, headed for your usual hiding spot in the castle gardens.

There was a small bench hidden in the back of the gardens near the stone walls that enclosed them, and you often went there whenever you needed some time alone. Now in the darkness of night, you walked carefully around the beautifully cultivated bushes of flowers until you made it to your hiding spot.

You broke the seal of the envelope as you sat down, eyes squinting as you struggled to read the letter with only the moonlight to illuminate the page. What you read, however, was nothing close to what you had anticipated.

One of your father’s trusted doctors had written to you, saying that the king’s health was getting much worse, and that if his condition got any weaker, it would be best for you to return home. The physician promised to write more often, to provide you with more detailed updates. Despite the detached emotion with which the physician wrote, you could still sense the urgency and worry in his writing.

A broken sob escaped your throat, and you threw a hand over your mouth to try and muffle the sound. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes as they welled until finally, they broke loose and spilled onto your letter.

You wiped at your eyes, the sleeves of your dress catching the rest of your tears before they could fall. Taking slow, shuddering breaths, you willed yourself to stop crying, to get a hold of yourself. This was not the time to be losing control.

“Princess?”

Your head shot up, only to see Prince Kyungsoo standing there with mild concern on his face. “Are you crying?”

“No, it must be allergies.” You sniffed one last time, hastily wiping your face of any stray tears before shoving the letter into the depths of your skirt pocket. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” You stood up, ready to walk past him when he blocked your path.

“In the two decades that we have known each other, I have never seen you become affected by allergies.”

“People change, Your Highness.” You made a move to step around him, but Kyungsoo simply copied your movements before standing stock-still in front of you.

“Clearly if you are crying out here alone in the shadows, something must be wrong.”

“Fine, you’re correct. I’ve been informed of some troubling news back home and now I’m hiding out here feeling sorry for myself. Is that what you wanted to hear? Will you go telling the rest of the nobles next, crowing on about how the fragile Crown Princess of Eunali is a disgrace to her kingdom?”

“Princess. I may dislike you, but I have no intention of ruining your kingdom. I have a large amount of respect for your father, and any troubles that are affecting him are just as worrisome to my father and I as well.”

In all of the years of silly taunts and venomous insults, not once had Kyungsoo ever made incendiary remarks towards your father. You did the same for him, it was an unspoken agreement between the two of you. No matter how deep your hatred for each other ran, it wasn’t serious enough to begin attacks on the other’s family.

“It’s my father. He... he’s not feeling well. In fact, that’s probably putting it lightly.” You looked down at your feet, not wanting to see the look on Kyungsoo’s face.

“Oh,” he replied lamely, unsure of what the appropriate response would be.

“Will... will he get better?”

“The physicians hope so. But for now, all we can do is wait.”

“King Junryul is a strong man. There is no doubt that he will be up and healthy soon.”

You nodded, although you knew that Kyungsoo was unaware of how often your father had fallen sick in the past year. It was something that was silenced to secrecy, with only the physicians, close nobility and family members aware of any new updates. To the rest of the world, your father was simply letting you take more control of the reins to prepare you for your eventual ascension to the throne.

“Thank you. Now if you really will excuse me, I must go inform Yixing. He’ll want to know about this right away.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll be hoping for your father’s speedy recovery.” You had been about to leave, one foot half-off the ground as you were in the midst of taking a step when Kyungsoo’s words caught you off guard. “Thank you,” you replied unsteadily, unused to hearing such kind words from his mouth.

While you were making your way back to the castle, you could still feel Kyungsoo’s eyes on you, lingering on your back until he couldn’t see you anymore. You weren’t sure why he had been out there, and all the way in the back of the castle grounds, nonetheless. Had he been following you? Or perhaps he had some sort of secret, private matters to think over as well.

The rush of voices washed over you as you came back inside, music and chatter heard throughout the various rooms. Your first instinct was to look for Yixing, to tell him about everyhing that had happened. It took a few minutes of wandering, but you finally found him engrossed in watching a musician deftly plucking at the strings of a guitar. Gently, you tugged at the bottom of his sleeve, waiting until he turned to you.

“It’s Father.”

The following days were strange, to say the least. You and Kyungsoo were now bound by this common knowledge, this secret that both of you were hiding. Your habit of avoiding Kyungsoo at all costs was thrown off course, and you found yourself making eye contact with him more frequently. Neither one of you was sure what sort of stalemate you had entered, what sort of behavior would be considered appropriate. What could you even call yourselves now? Certainly not friends, but definitely not adversaries like you had been before. When you sat down to breakfast the next morning, you could feel Kyungsoo’s gaze on you once more, similar to last night. You looked up, and when you made eye contact with him, he gave you a slight nod before continuing on, as if nothing had happened.

Today’s events included a boat ride down the river surrounding the borders of the kingdom. As luck would have it, you and Kyungsoo were both seated in the same boat. Although there were other people on board, he chose to sit closer to you, still giving you space, but just close enough for you to see him out of the corner of your eye.

You leaned forward, peering into the depths of the water in an attempt to distract yourself, to ignore the curious prince beside you. The river wasn’t full of fish and other aquatic creatures, but it still fascinated you nonetheless. The sunlight seemed to ripple over the surface of the water, spots of sunshine dancing along with the waves. You watched in awe, leaning forward bit by bit when suddenly, one of your hands slipped from where they had been holding onto the edge of the boat.

Quickly, a hand reached out for your elbow, pulling you back and catching you before you possibly fell into the water.

With a smile of relief on your face, you turned to look at whoever at helped you, only to freeze when you realized who was holding your arm.

Prince Kyungsoo stared back, face just as indecipherable as ever as he let go of your arm. “Be careful.”

You nodded, bringing your arm back to your side again and brushing a stray piece of hair back from your face.

Despite the prince’s attempts to get closer to you, you remained as distant as ever. You were both treading new water, and both of you were unsure what the consequences would be. But even with all of this uncertainty, you still found yourself wanting to give in, to return Kyungsoo’s newfound acquaintanceship.

You weren’t sure which was more dangerous: keeping your distance from the prince because you disliked him, or because you were intrigued by him.

Series masterlist: ( 1 ) ( Final ) ( Extra Oneshot )

A/N: I’ve been wanting to write an royalty AU for ages, I’m so glad that I’ve finally done one!! Hopefully, the second (and most likely last) part will be up in a week or two. I hope you all enjoy it!

#kpoptrashtag #exo #kyungsoo #kyungsoo scenario #kyungsoo fanfic #exo scenario #writings

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